Chapter 10
“Huh, where do you think you’re going?” as six men, all in black and slightly baggy clothes got off two cars and started to approach the side door to St. Anna hospital, a warm looking Chinese man walked up to them and asked with a harmless smile.
“Look, sir, we have some business to deal with in the hospital.” the leading man, who was one with a smooth haircut with a lock of blonde hair, who was also the only one wearing a suit, unlike the other five, walked up and said: “I don’t know who you are, but you don’t want to get in the way.”
“Ah, too bad. But I still want to.” the Chinese man was still smiling.
“I’m pretty sure you don’t.” the leading man of the six pulled away the right side of his suit for a bit, showing a gun strapped to his belt.
“Impressive, but I am pretty sure I still want to.”
One of the men in the back impatiently walked up with his gun half drawn, but he was stopped by the leading man. At the same time the Chinese man raised both of his hands and pointed to two light poles in the parking lot - there were security cameras on them.
“Are you a cop? Why risk your life here?” the leading man asked, with a genuine sense of curiosity.
“No, just a concerned citizen, and Shifu, if you will.” the Chinese man slowly put his hands down.
“Shifu? Oh, nice, I have a Shifu as well, he taught me a lot of moves.” the leading man in black snickered, “But he also taught me to run in the face of overwhelming danger.”
“Is that so? He sounds wise. It’d really help both of us here if you heed his teachings.”
The leading man started laughing, same as the other five men in black behind him. A couple of seconds later, as the indicator lights on those two security cameras dimmed, the leading man pulled out his gun, and was about to point it to the Chinese man.
But the Chinese man already closed in, and his left hand on a firm grab on the leading man's wrist. One quick twist and the gun dropped out of the leading man’s hand, the next second his feet were off the ground as the Chinese man pulled and threw him toward a light pole on the side like a rag doll.
While in mid air, the leading man’s feet bumped into one of his henchmen’s faces, causing this henchman to tumble on his butt.
Before the rest of the men in black could react, the Chinese man flowed in their midst. Two palm strikes to the chest, one high kick to the face and one shoulder bump on the side of the torso later, the last four men in black joined the other two on the ground.
“You messed with the wrong guy, Kung Fu man!” the leading man stood up and yelled with clenched teeth, as his hands turned into a silver-metal color, and his fingers and edge of his palms turned blade sharp, like some sort of human-weapon.
“Nice, very handy in the kitchen.” the Chinese man still has that annoying smile on his face, as he extended his flesh and blood palm to face a claw strike from the leading man in black.
There was not even one drop of blood, the edges on the leading man in black’s hand were not able to cut through anything, and before he knew, a palm strike connected with his chest.
As he was sent back flying, countless shining silver particles flew out of the leading man in black’s back, then in mid air gathered together to form a silver metal ball and dropped to the ground the same time he did.
The metal ball rolled towards the Chinese man like it was affected by a magnet, and he gently picked it up.
“Such power, in the hands of the unworthy. And your superhero naming skills, oof. But at least you didn’t use any insensitive words.” the Chinese man, with the metal ball in his hand, walked up and knelt by the side of the leading man in black.
“Who … what are ...” the man was pale and sweating heavily like he was enduring some sort of serious illness, but before he could finish the Chinese man cut him off.
“If you dare ask ‘What are you’, I will freak out and beat you to death with this thing that was once the core of your power.” the Chinese man annoyedly said, then he reached his hand into his victim’s jacket pocket to pull out a vibrating phone.
“Where are you, Mr. Corin?” a men’s voice came out as the Chinese man clicked “loudspeaker” on the phone screen, “I don’t see you come in, I can’t keep the camera off for too long or they will auto restart. Please just be quick … hello? Are you there?”
“Guess who’s very well connected to pull this off.” the Chinese man shut down the call and dropped the phone on the ground.
“Look, what do you want? Huh? Money? Drugs? Women? I can get you all those things, just name your price, I swear I’ll - we’ll get outta your face in no time.”
“How generous of you.” the Chinese man stood up and tidied up his clothes, “I don’t ask for much. Just stay away from my inn, and my employees. Is that OK with you?”
“Your inn? I don’t ...” the leading man in black wondered for a short second but quickly changed his tone as he saw the change of expression on the Chinese man’s face, “OK! I understand! We’ll stay away and never bother you, or your employees, ever again!”
“Good, now get up.” the Chinese man’s face turned smiley again, “You are my little gift to the local law enforcement. And uh, a warning: don’t break your vow, hm? Or your wrist is gonna get much much worse.”
“Okay.” the leading man in black struggled up, and shakenly checked his right wrist - the skin there was all red and emitting throbbing pain, and a small burn mark in the shape of a Chinese character appeared on the same side as his palm.
“Now gather round my gangsters, you wouldn’t happen to have brought some ropes with you?”