Chapter Seventy-Three: Halloween

Thanks to SorrMadman for the reward, and to all my brothers for the likes and recommendations—truly, thank you!

Indeed, it was just as reported. The television news was covering a fire at a villa on the outskirts of San Diego. The police had locked down all information—a tried and true trick, sealing off everything before the press could even get there. The fire had gutted the villa, and the bodies inside were so badly burned they were barely recognizable, with only forensic analysis by the authorities able to identify them.

But it was clear what had happened: a Russian mob in San Diego had been wiped out to the last man.

The three of them were sitting in Qiu Fengyu’s noodle shop, watching the news. Tim and Davis were both visibly excited. To them, this operation was more than a body count; it was about proving their worth, and that was what thrilled them most.

“Hey, boss, clean and efficient—we three could pull off a lot more,” Davis said, his mind always churning with ideas.

“Don’t even think about it,” Qiu Fengyu immediately cut him off. “I only eliminate those who are a threat or could become a threat to me. If that Russian crew had left me alone after that last incident, none of this would have happened. Davis, I’m warning you—don’t go scheming anything else, understood?” His expression was severe, his gaze making Davis uneasy.

“I swear, boss, as long as you’re not on board, I won’t do a thing. You have to know... I’ve got the skills—it’d be easy to make money on the side—but I’d rather work in your shop. That’s what I want,” Davis quickly pledged his loyalty.

Qiu Fengyu nodded in approval.

“All right, today’s Halloween—take the day off!” he announced, in his typically unreliable way.

After a few more words, Davis, still riding a wave of adrenaline, decided to head home for a good sleep and left. Qiu Fengyu turned to Tim. “You go rest at Britt’s place, too.”

Tim nodded. Though his face showed nothing, it was obvious his nerves were still jangling. This wasn’t his first kill, but the sheer intensity of the night’s violence had shaken him. He needed time to adjust, and that was something Qiu Fengyu couldn’t help him with.

As Tim reached the door, Qiu Fengyu called after him.

“Forget what happened. The sooner you forget, the quicker you’ll get used to this work.”

Tim nodded gratefully, then pushed open the door and left.

Once Tim was gone, Qiu Fengyu started stashing away the weapons. He had only used the gun he’d taken from the commando who’d attacked April the last time. There was also a sniper rifle—Tim had killed that sniper and claimed his weapon, but it hadn’t been used until last night, after Qiu Fengyu and Tim had fine-tuned it together.

There were no clues that could possibly incriminate him.

A killer in ten steps, a thousand miles with no trace left behind. Task done, brush off the dust, vanish without a name or trace.

Qiu Fengyu relished this state of being—living in America, yet moving like a knight-errant from ancient times.

After Tim left, Qiu Fengyu sat alone on the rooftop, lost in thought for a while, then wandered to the shop’s entrance and flipped the sign to “Closed for Business.”

The clown costume had already been burned—every last loose end dealt with.

Come noon, people still came by for noodles. Seeing the sign, they flipped Qiu Fengyu the finger through the shop window. He just grinned and returned the gesture.

After midday, the town was swarming with people in outlandish costumes, faces painted, parading up and down the streets—children most of all, utterly delighted.

Kids always loved dressing as superheroes.

So the town was overrun by pint-sized Batmen, Spider-Men, Supermen, and Wonder Women, shrieking at the top of their lungs, chasing each other through the streets.

Qiu Fengyu changed into a new outfit—a Minion costume he’d prepared in advance. It was one of those inflatable suits: you climb inside, with holes cut for eyes and mouth at the head.

There were crowds everywhere, mostly parents with children out for some fun.

It wasn’t too packed yet at this hour.

By nightfall, Brekin’s bar was overflowing. Tim hadn’t gone home—he’d gone to the school to help prepare for Halloween.

Davis, dressed as Groot, was shaking his hips wildly on the dance floor, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Qiu Fengyu, in his Minion suit, sat at the bar, then pulled off his headpiece for a breath of air and said to Brekin, “Beer, please. This costume looks cool, but it’s a real pain.” He plopped the headpiece on the counter.

Brekin was done up as a pirate, complete with an eyepatch—the one-eyed look almost blinded Qiu Fengyu with its brilliance. He chuckled, “The night before Halloween is always a riot!”

“What?” Qiu Fengyu asked, sipping his beer.

Brekin grinned. “I’ve picked up a few girls. Russian girls—they say they’ll stick with me from now on. They’ve got nowhere else to go, poor things…”

“No home?” Qiu Fengyu laughed, taking a big gulp.

“Yeah. Everyone’s hassling those Russians today. Obviously, it’s got something to do with that big fire in San Diego last night. Their base was burned to the ground—a sorry bunch…” Brekin chortled and clinked his glass against Qiu Fengyu’s. “Here’s to those poor souls!”

“To the poor Russian girls!” Qiu Fengyu raised his glass, too.

They toasted, then Qiu Fengyu looked at Brekin, then at the Russian girls in the bar, smiling slyly. “You really have a way with people, getting them to follow you.”

“Charm!” Brekin replied shamelessly. “The Russians have all run off—they just can’t take it anymore. Three of them got killed in today’s daylight gang fight. Who knows how many more would have died if they’d stayed. So now they’re all gone.”

As they were talking, a commotion erupted outside, followed by the wail of police sirens. Qiu Fengyu went to see what was happening.

A crowd had gathered, all in bizarre costumes.

Coffin had someone pinned to the ground, knee in the man’s back. It was a luckless “Ninja Turtle”—Qiu Fengyu had seen him in the bar earlier.

“Mr. Hall, don’t arrest him,” someone said.

Coffin quickly cuffed the man’s hands behind his back and handed him to two other officers.

“Take this bastard away.”

So the two policemen hauled him off to a squad car.

“Nice work!” Qiu Fengyu applauded from the sidelines, leaning casually against the wall, grinning at Coffin.

“This bastard was drunk and causing trouble…” Coffin shot Qiu Fengyu a glare and jerked her head. “Get in the car.”

“What?” Qiu Fengyu was taken aback.

“Get in. We need to talk!” Coffin opened the car door, slid into the driver’s seat, and pushed open the passenger door. “Hurry up, don’t be such a diva.”

With a helpless shrug, Qiu Fengyu stripped off the ostrich-like Minion suit, climbed into the passenger seat, and shut the door. Coffin drove off, stopping on a quiet street corner.

She looked at him, then sighed. “I don’t know what you really do, and I don’t care, but… you can’t live like this forever. Why did you come here—what do you want?”

Qiu Fengyu’s mouth fell open.

“Don’t act so surprised, Qiu—I saw the news. I know you’re out for revenge. The Russian mob in San Diego and the one here—they’re the same crew.”

“Looks like you’ve guessed something, but… Officer Coffin, whatever you think you know, you have no proof. Last night? We spent the whole night in Paso, partying,” Qiu Fengyu said, deadpan.

“We?” Coffin eyed him.

“Yes, we. Me, Davis, and Tim!”

“Tim was with you?”

“Yes, absolutely. Tim and I together. Do you honestly think I’d have Tim do something like that?” Qiu Fengyu smiled. “I’m no superhero, and I’m certainly no villain, so stop looking at me like I’m some kind of freak.”

Coffin was silent for a moment, then snorted. “Of course you’re not a superhero. You’re just an asshole!” With that, she spun the wheel and drove back toward town, though her gritted teeth couldn’t hide a faint smile.

What a bastard—always keeping secrets from her.