Chapter 13 - 5: Mist_2

Next period is PE class, and the classroom is bustling. Students head to the locker room, retrieving their sportswear and sneakers from the lockers. Zhou Qingfeng sluggishly packs his bag, his gaze sweeping across the classroom before finally landing on a girl with a silver nose ring. She is touching up her makeup in a small mirror, her heavy eyeliner and vivid lipstick making her look exceptionally seductive, completely masking her supposed innocence. Zhou Qingfeng took a deep breath and walked over, asking, "Marina, can I have a moment of your time?" The girl looked up, her surprised laughter echoing, "Wow... The bookworm actually came up to talk to me? How rare." Closing the mirror, she asked with interest, "Go on, what's up? Don't tell me you want to ask me out. That'd be too shocking. Asian guys aren't in my hunting range." Zhou Qingfeng ignored her teasing and asked directly, "Do you know about the gang shootout that happened early this morning? Are there gangs in White Beach Town? Who are they? What territories do they cover? What businesses are they into? How do they make profit?" The girl was taken aback, visibly disappointed, "You actually care about that? I thought you were going to confess to me." She pursed her lips but still started talking, "There are quite a few gangs in White Beach Town, but the most famous ones are 'Swatch' and 'Black Scorpion'. Usually, they mind their own business and stay in their own territories. But last night, for some unknown reason, they suddenly started fighting." This caught the attention of a few other students around. Soon, several people gathered to join the discussion, as if everyone was a witness to the shootout. Some said it was over territory, some said it was over dividing spoils, and others speculated that a big shot's woman was taken. At this moment, the girl with the nose ring suddenly reached out to stop a tall, chubby boy passing by: "Hey, Toto! Aren't you from 'Swatch'? You must know some insider info, right? Tell us about it." The boy she stopped was the same one who blocked the bus door this morning. He seemed like an outcast too, his gaze swept over the gathered students before finally stopping on Zhou Qingfeng. Zhou Qingfeng smiled and raised his fist, "Toto, thanks for this morning." Toto was stunned, clearly not expecting Zhou Qingfeng to extend an olive branch. After a moment's hesitation, he raised his fist as well, lightly bumping Zhou Qingfeng's, signaling a truce. The girl with the nose ring chuckled, patting Toto's shoulder, "Toto's brother is a core member of 'Swatch'. If you want to get good stuff, he's your man." Zhou Qingfeng showed no interest in the so-called "good stuff", his gaze fixed on Toto as he asked, "The police said the two gangs clashed because of a deal gone wrong. Is that true?" Toto shook his head, lowering his voice, "My brother isn't some 'core member', but my brother and I were indeed there last night. The shootout wasn't because of a deal gone wrong. Everyone was drinking, chatting, and bragging at 'Scorpion' pub, the atmosphere was quite good. The pub was chaotic, dimly lit, and filled with smoke. Everyone was drunk, cursing each other was common." Toto's eyes were unfocused as if he was back in that chaotic scene, "Then, out of nowhere, someone started arguing. At first, it was just shoving and cursing, then someone grabbed a beer bottle and smashed it on the table, sending glass shards flying everywhere. Tables were flipped, chairs kicked over, the pub was a mess. But no one expected guns to be drawn, everyone thought it was just a regular brawl." His voice lowered further, tinged with fear, "When the fight started, my brother grabbed a beer bottle, ready to help his mates. But then, a gunshot rang out. Everyone froze at the sound of 'Bang'. In that instant, the pub was eerily silent, even the sound of breathing was audible. Then, screams, curses, collision sounds, and footsteps merged into chaos, everyone went mad, running outside. I didn't dare stay; I couldn't care about others. I dropped the bottle and bolted, not looking back." Toto's voice began to tremble, his eyes filled with fear, "When daylight came, I got to school and found out my brother was arrested. Because after we fled, those left in the pub exchanged fire with the arriving police, three people died on the spot, and seven others were sent to the hospital. The pub, inside and out, was covered with the blood of the dead and injured, police and ambulance lights flashed all night. I've never seen something so horrifying in my life." The students were engrossed, some couldn't help but exclaim. Toto's face grew increasingly pale, clearly, the incident had deeply affected him. He looked at Zhou Qingfeng and said: "I won't block you from getting on the bus anymore. I don't want to be in a gang... it's terrifying, you could die any moment." With those words, Toto turned and left the classroom, his back looking somewhat lonely. The students' discussion grew more heated, but Zhou Qingfeng focused on the key point Toto had described—who started the fight in the pub that escalated to a shootout? This was crucial. Finding out the key person and incident meant they were just one step away from the truth. Zhou Qingfeng wanted to catch up to Toto for more details, but Raul's flaky face appeared outside the locker room, yelling at the students, "It's class time, what are you doing in the hallway?" The students scattered immediately. Only Zhou Qingfeng stood his ground, nearly challenging Raul with his gaze. Raul took a few steps forward, approaching Zhou Qingfeng, growling, "Kid, what are you standing here for? You should be in class."