Reservoir Dogs chapter 75
The Deal
The car drove for a long time. With his eyes covered, he could only gauge the passage of time by the regular intervals of turns and traffic lights, though he couldn’t rule out the possibility of being deliberately led astray to confuse him.
After the car stopped, Liu Neng led him out, seemingly into a large building. A brief coolness touched his head. He was guided into an elevator, which ascended. The moment the elevator doors opened, he heard a loud and enthusiastic cheer.
The familiar voices seemed to drag him into the scene. Xiao Zhou felt a shiver down his spine, his nerves on edge.
Liu Neng removed the black cloth binding him.
What came into view was a huge screen displaying a video. In the iron cage on the screen, two men were entangled in a fierce fight; it was a recording of his previous match.
Xiao Zhou stared at it for a while, recollecting past events. He took a deep breath and then turned to look at the other person in the room.
It was a refined-looking middle-aged man, who was watching the video with his hands behind his back.
Noticing Xiao Zhou’s gaze, the man turned to look at him and smiled slightly. “I’ve watched this video many times; you were indeed unexpected.”
Xiao Zhou’s gaze was icy. “Is that so? Maybe it’s because you haven’t seen much of the world.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the burly men who had been monitoring him suddenly grabbed his arms and pushed him down. Just as Xiao Zhou was about to retaliate, the man said, “What are you doing? Mr. Xiao is just here for a joke; why are you getting physical?”
The restraints were removed.
Xiao Zhou stood up, looking at the still amiable man with curiosity. “Are you the one who wanted to see me?”
The man nodded.
“What do you want?”
The man smiled and pointed to the nearby sofa. “Please have a seat.”
They both sat down, and the man began to pour tea while introducing himself. “My surname is Lin, Lin Jianan. I’m the owner here. I didn’t invite you with any ill intentions; I simply wanted to discuss a job with you.”
Xiao Zhou smirked. “I’ve never seen anyone approach someone for a job like this.”
Lin Jianan glanced at Liu Neng standing aside. “Perhaps my subordinates misunderstood my intentions and caused some offense.” He waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave, and in an instant, only the two of them remained.
Xiao Zhou frowned. “Aren’t you afraid I might hurt you?”
Lin Jianan maintained his calm demeanor. “I am a legitimate businessman. Why would I be afraid of you? Or are you planning to harm an unarmed person?” He pushed a cup of tea toward Xiao Zhou. “I’ve seen your videos. You use dislocation as a mild method to incapacitate your opponents during matches. I don’t think you have a violent nature.”
Xiao Zhou didn’t touch the tea. “What do you want?”
Lin Jianan did not force Xiao Zhou to drink the tea. After taking a sip himself, he said, “Actually, it’s nothing much. I’d like to collaborate with you, invite you to participate in a match. The terms and compensation are up to you.”
“You want me to throw a match?” Xiao Zhou realized this was a quick way to profit. If it were just this, he would actually be relieved. “I’m not interested.”
Lin Jianan said, “It seems you don’t need money that much anymore?”
Xiao Zhou coldly replied, “Yes. Can I leave now?”
“Actually, besides money, I can offer other things. For instance, a new identity? A new place? Where no one will know who you are…”
Xiao Zhou interrupted him, “I don’t need it. I’m very satisfied with my current life.” He stood up, unaffected by Lin Jianan’s suggestions. “Since there’s no possibility of cooperation, I think I can leave now.”
Lin Jianan was not in a hurry. “Are you really satisfied with your current state? Will you open your legs to every alpha due to pheromone influence?”
The refined businessman spoke such crude and vulgar words, causing Xiao Zhou to look at him in shock. Almost simultaneously, all the windows in the room suddenly locked, and a strong scent of alpha pheromones filled the room, intensely stimulating and rapidly invading every cell in Xiao Zhou’s body, traveling through his nerves. His vision blurred as the familiar sensation surged through his body like a tide. His knees trembled, and he had to exert great effort to remain standing.
“Seems like the marking hasn’t really changed the nature of omegas?” Lin Jianan stood up. “They’re born vulnerable, needing the protection of modern civilization to avoid being taken advantage of. Unlike alphas, who are strong and combative, favored, and occupy an advantage from birth. How can someone like you, who has enjoyed the benefits of being an alpha, get used to being a weak, caged omega?” Lin Jianan walked over to him.
Sweat had dampened his lashes. Xiao Zhou lifted his eyes, realizing the pheromone wasn’t coming from Lin Jianan. Lin Jianan’s proximity hadn’t made things worse. “So?”
Lin Jianan snapped his fingers, and the window automatically opened, the indoor air circulation system activated, and the pheromone gradually dissipated. He handed Xiao Zhou an oral suppressor. “Although the AO conversion surgery hasn’t received national medical approval, the technology is quite mature. It’s just a matter of money and channels on the black market.”
Xiao Zhou took the medicine with trembling hands, swallowed it, closed his eyes, and endured for a while before the unusual sensations in his body began to fade.
Lin Jianan said, “As long as you help me compete for a year, I will contact a doctor for you. You can live again as an alpha.”
The shivering hadn’t stopped; Xiao Zhou’s sweat had turned sticky and uncomfortable. The humiliation and anger accompanying the body modification, the suppression and invasion—if it weren’t for encountering Jiang Chengyuan, he would never be able to accept this change.
Xiao Zhou paused and said, “Even if I change back, I can’t escape the surveillance of the Clemency court.”
Lin Jianan replied, “So you need to spend another year to get a new identity.”
Xiao Zhou said, “That means I will become a rat living in the gutter, never seeing the light.”
Lin Jianan said gently, “You can start anew somewhere else. There are gains and losses. You have to make some sacrifices. Think about it: what comes with being an omega? Heat periods, being an accessory, bodily changes, weak emotions, and the prying eyes and gossip from the outside. Do you really want to live like this for the rest of your life? Stuck in a mold that doesn’t fit you?”
Xiao Zhou clenched his hands. “It seems like you’ve investigated a lot about me?”
Lin Jianan smiled. “I just don’t like making uncertain attempts.”
“You’ve done all this just for me to help you with the competition?”
Lin Jianan nodded. “Yes. I see value in you that shouldn’t be confined to a restaurant. I am a businessman, and profit comes first. I believe my return will far exceed this investment.”
Lin Jianan’s smile was warm and refined, his round, red face as broad as Maitreya Buddha. But Xiao Zhou knew this person was far from noble. The wrinkles in his eyes were filled with calculation and strategy. But for now, he couldn’t figure out his true intentions.
“I need to think about it,” Xiao Zhou said.
“Of course, I’m not forcing you to decide right now. This is important, so take your time to consider,” Lin Jianan said, clapping his hands. The door from earlier opened, and two bodyguards walked in to escort Xiao Zhou out.
Lin Jianan sat back on the sofa and suddenly said before Xiao Zhou left, “I hope when you come back, I’ll hear a satisfactory answer.”
Xiao Zhou’s back paused slightly before he entered the elevator.
After Xiao Zhou left, the video on the screen was turned off. Liu Neng walked in from the open door. “Mr. Lin, do you really want him to compete?”
Lin Jianan poured himself another cup of tea, “What else would it be?”
Liu Neng chuckled awkwardly, “I thought you invited him because of Lawyer Jiang.”
Lin Jianan took a sip of his tea, its color a clear green. He then asked, “Has Luo Jing been deported back to the country?”
Liu Neng nodded. “He’s back, but in detention and still negotiating bail conditions. After all, he committed murder abroad, and with Jiang’s excuse for deportation, the penalties are combined, and the bail is very high.”
Luo Jing was Lin Jianan’s trusted aide, almost like a foster son. Recently, he went abroad to handle a matter and unexpectedly got involved in a homicide. He sent a message asking for help, and since he was unfamiliar with the place, many things were hard to handle. Lin Jianan had previously asked Jiang Chengyuan for help to go abroad and bring him back.
“Jiang Chengyuan has been unwilling to relent. I’ve put in a lot of effort and spent a lot of money to get him to take the case,” Lin Jianan said with a cold smile, slowly rubbing the edge of the teacup with his thumb. “He’s too smart and hard to control. Even I can’t see through him. Now that he’s become more powerful, he wants to fly. For safety, I need to keep some leverage. It’s rare to have someone like Xiao Zhou delivered to me; how could I not give it a try?”
Liu Neng chuckled. “Your insight is sharp; you could tell right away that Jiang Chengyuan is different about this person.”
Lin Jianan said coldly, “It’s rather laughable. A person like the one just now, a murderer who’s been caught, a drowning rat anyone can kick, what’s the big deal if he’s kicked to death? Jiang Chengyuan, being in criminal cases, has defended such people so often that he’s become soft-hearted.”
Lin Jianan’s eyelids drooped, and he shook his head. “I used to think he was a smart person, but he’s still emotional and easily moved.”
The glass building soared into the clouds.
Jiang Chengyuan took the elevator to the private hospital office. Ji Yang stepped forward to introduce him. “This is the internationally renowned ophthalmologist, Professor Shiller.”
A man in a striped suit, with a full beard and black-framed glasses, stood up behind the desk.
Jiang Chengyuan shook hands with him, and they both sat down face to face.
The man took the materials handed to him and flipped through them. The stack was quite thick, including diagnosis and wound photos, all about the worker who was previously injured in the eye by a high-pressure water gun.
Ji Yang added while he was reviewing the materials, “The result of the previous consultation by several doctors concluded that the patient was shot in the right eye by the high-pressure water gun, causing a rupture of the right eyeball and dislocation of the lens. Due to the severity of the injury, even after surgery, the right eye’s vision remains at 0.05, close to blindness, and can be classified as a serious injury.”
The professor looked down and reviewed all the materials, then nodded. “I don’t know the standards for disability assessment in your country, but from the diagnostic results alone, there is no problem.”
Ji Yang asked, “Is there a possibility for him to recover his vision after surgery?”
The professor said, “I can perform the surgery, but the chance of vision recovery is very low. The specific situation still needs to be assessed in person; I need to examine him personally to know for sure.”
Ji Yang asked, “Can you arrange a time to examine him as soon as possible to see what kind of surgery is needed?”
The professor agreed, saying, “Regarding this matter, please contact my assistant.”
Jiang Chengyuan, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, “Actually, besides the surgery, there is something else I want to ask for your opinion on.”
The professor looked at him. “This opinion report is already very detailed, and the assessment conclusions are professional.”
Jiang Chengyuan pressed down the materials in the professor’s hand. “But this material is missing some details.” He took out another document, which was yellowed and stained, with torn edges, indicating it had not been well-preserved. “This is a safety production accident report from a year ago and the patient’s hospitalization record. It shows that this employee, while working at the factory, suffered eye burns in a small explosion accident due to operational errors, leading to corneal and eyelid burns, ocular inflammation, and permanent vision damage.”
The professor adjusted his glasses, took the document, reviewed it, and nodded. “Good, but is there any connection between the two?”
Jiang Chengyuan said, “I’ve heard that injuries of this severity are hard to fully recover from if not properly rested. If there is intense eye usage or issues with the working environment, other complications might arise after some time post-surgery.”
The professor hesitated for a moment, “Such a situation has already caused an intraocular infection; the probability of other eye diseases post-surgery is indeed significantly increased.”
“So, could the accident from a year ago be related to the employee’s current blindness?”
The professor was slightly surprised and then pondered, “Such a possibility cannot be ruled out, but based on the patient’s condition…”
Jiang Chengyuan pushed a briefcase onto the table, “If you agree, I would like you to provide an expert opinion.”
The professor paused, then casually took the briefcase and placed it down. “I am of course willing to provide some help from a professional perspective, but be clear that this is only a possibility, not a certainty.”
Jiang Chengyuan nodded, “I understand.”
As the two spoke, Ji Yang furrowed his brow, looking at Jiang Chengyuan with a strange expression. He remained silent until they left the hospital.