Chapter 27: The Traitor Wu Yi

After bidding farewell to Fatty Liu, Li Haibo returned to the small park to find his group of good-for-nothings. "Damn it, I told you to buy a roast chicken! How did you eat the whole thing without leaving a single bite for me?"

"We have some! We have some! Brother Bo, we saved you two chicken feet!" Hou Yong said, fawning as he produced two feet wrapped in oil paper.

"That’s more like it!" Li Haibo took the chicken feet, sat on a bench, and began to eat them with gusto.

Hou Yong grinned and leaned in close. "Brother Bo! How did you manage to take those two guys down earlier? Teach me, won't you?"

"How could I do that? That’s my secret trump card. If I teach you everything, how am I supposed to stay the boss?"

"Brother Bo, just teach me! If you teach me, you’ll be my master, and I’ll take care of you for the rest of your life!"

"Get lost!"

...

When he returned home after work, the younger ones had all gathered. "Big Brother is back! You must be tired from work, Big Brother!" little Xiaohua, the most clingy of them all, was the most eager to greet him.

Li Haibo handed her the newly purchased roast chicken. "Go and share this with your brothers and sisters!"

"Wow! It’s roast chicken!" The children stared at the whole chicken, their eyes filled with longing; they clearly hadn't tasted meat in a long time.

Although Li Haibo provided plenty of money for household expenses and specifically instructed Mother Li to buy meat occasionally, Mother Li was so used to being frugal that she could never bring herself to spend the money. Li Haibo, feeling helpless, could only bring home prepared food every few days.

During the meal, the chicken was picked clean, but the children, being sensible, had saved two feet—one for Mother Li and one for Li Haibo. Mother Li took the one from her bowl and placed it into Xiaohua’s.

Xiaohua looked at the large chicken foot, her mouth watering, but she held back and said, "Mom, I’ve already eaten! This is for you!"

Mother Li stroked Xiaohua’s head affectionately and explained, "Mom is a Buddhist; I cannot eat meat. You eat it, Huahua!"

"Okay!" Upon hearing this, Xiaohua could no longer restrain herself; she picked up the chicken foot and took a huge bite, her face full of satisfaction.

Li Haibo looked at the chicken foot in his own bowl, sighed helplessly, and passed it to Xiuxiu’s bowl.

Xiuxiu opened her large, beautiful eyes and asked curiously, "Big Brother, aren't you eating the meat either?"

"I ate a whole one while I was at work, I’m already sick of it. You eat it!"

As night fell and the city lights began to twinkle, Li Haibo finished his dinner and rushed off to Wu Yi’s villa without a moment's delay. Standing across the street, he activated his "Clairaudient" ability to scout out the situation inside. He had originally hoped that since Wu Yi had to die eventually, it would be better to get it over with sooner, letting him enter the cycle of reincarnation early. This way, when he delivered the blank residency permits the next day, he could settle the payment for the hit at the same time—in his eyes, this was the most efficient arrangement.

However, reality did not go as planned. Only three people were inside the villa, sitting together playing cards. From their conversation, he learned that Wu Yi had gone out to drink and carouse with officials from the puppet Shanghai government that evening. He cursed inwardly, realizing he had likely made a wasted trip. He knew that when people went to such places for "flower wine," they usually spent the whole night enjoying a full suite of services and rarely returned before the next morning.

Li Haibo had no choice but to wait in the freezing night air outside the villa, but even by midnight, there was no sign of Wu Yi. Frustrated, he had to return empty-handed, having spent the night shivering for nothing.

The next day, Li Haibo forced himself to perk up and headed to the park to deliver the blank residency permits to Fatty Liu. Fatty Liu happily accepted the permits and the accompanying blank files, then handed Li Haibo a package containing two brand-new C96 pistols, ammunition, and 150 silver dollars. The first step of the transaction was completed successfully. Now, he just had to wait for Fatty Liu to return with the photos pasted and the forms filled out. Li Haibo tucked the silver away, but his mind remained fixed on Wu Yi.

When night fell again, Li Haibo, fueled by murderous intent, returned to the villa. He hoped to succeed this time, but unfortunately, only the three bodyguards were inside; Wu Yi was still nowhere to be found. Li Haibo stomped his feet in anger, cursing to himself, "This old lecher, out chasing women every single day—isn't he afraid of his kidneys failing?"

Over the next few days, Li Haibo put on his police uniform for patrol during the day and went to the villa to eavesdrop after work. He didn't manage to catch Wu Yi, but he did manage to piece together his general situation.

Since Wu Yi had arrived in Shanghai, he hadn't traveled light. A driver handled his daily transportation, and five bodyguards followed him like shadows, protecting him at all times. The sedan was their primary means of travel.

Every day when Wu Yi went out, he typically took his driver and two bodyguards, leaving the other three behind to stand guard at the villa. Additionally, they had hired a maid to handle their meals and cleaning. She arrived early each morning to prepare breakfast, tidied up after everyone had eaten, and worked until nightfall, cleaning the house before leaving.

During one eavesdropping session, Li Haibo accidentally learned of Wu Yi's unknown past from the bodyguards' idle chatter. It turned out that Wu Yi had once been a major player in the Hangzhou underworld, and his path to wealth had been built on opium trafficking.

In Hangzhou and the surrounding areas, he had intricate ties with bandits, criminal gangs, and local warlords who held military power—he was someone who could navigate both the underworld and the establishment. However, Wu Yi was treacherous, cunning, and completely devoid of moral principles.

On the surface, he acted generous and loyal, but in private, he kept a pack of desperate thugs. He frequently engaged in backstabbing, swindling his peers and swallowing up his partners. In his pursuit of money, he was ruthless and would stop at nothing. Gradually, he became notorious in the underworld; people hated him but couldn't touch him, so they simply stayed as far away as possible.

When the Japanese invaders set foot on the land, Wu Yi did not hesitate to defect, hoping to secure a government post under the puppet regime to satisfy his vanity and lust for power. He spent a fortune trying to buy the position of deputy mayor in Hangzhou. The Japanese initially accepted his bribes gladly, but his reputation was so foul that his appointment was met with fierce opposition from other collaborators. After all, no one wanted to associate with someone so reviled and hated by the people.

The Japanese found themselves in a difficult position; they needed collaborators, but they couldn't afford to offend their other "loyal imperial dogs" for the sake of one Wu Yi. The Japanese military police commander in Hangzhou, with no other choice, pointed Wu Yi toward a "bright path": he recommended that he head to Shanghai to develop his prospects.