The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Of the five Vietnamese men, Gu’er had wounded one, and Qu Shui had wounded another.

Dingzi had taken down another two, and Li Zhi had dropped one as well. Though Li Zhi was also wounded, it didn’t look serious.

One of the Vietnamese men tried to stand up, but Dingzi instantly clamped a hand around his throat. Then, he plunged the dagger in his hand into the man’s thigh, muttering a few words as he did.

Gu’er could hear the man gasp in pain. ’They’re human, too. Getting injured and bleeding hurts them just the same.’

The Vietnamese man screamed something, but Dingzi just yanked the dagger out. Before the man could even inhale, he stabbed it in again.

With the blade buried in his flesh, Dingzi asked another question.

The Vietnamese man said nothing, his face a pale, twisted mask.

And why wouldn’t he look terrible? He’d already been wounded by Dingzi, and now he’d just been stabbed twice more. It would be a miracle if his face looked fine.

Gu’er felt a pang of vicarious pain just watching. ’This must be the leader,’ she realized. ’Dingzi wouldn’t be talking to him otherwise. Though I can’t understand what they’re saying, he’s probably asking if the man submits, telling him not to bother us again, something along those lines.’

The man was stubborn, though. Even under these circumstances, he hadn’t said a word of submission.

Dingzi’s face was a blank mask, as if he weren’t the one holding the knife at all. He pulled the blade out once more. As his hand rose to strike again, the Vietnamese man cried out and asked him a question.

Dingzi looked down at him and spoke in a low voice. The Vietnamese man’s eyes flashed. He stared at Dingzi for a moment before nodding his head.

They exchanged a few more sentences before Dingzi released his grip and stood up.

Gu’er figured they must have reached some kind of agreement.

All five Vietnamese men were wounded, and none of them lightly. They helped one another stagger to their feet.

Their leader said one last thing to Dingzi, and then the group headed for the door.

Gu’er let out a quiet sigh of relief. ’The crisis should be over for today,’ she thought. ’These guys may be gangsters, but once they give their word, they generally don’t go back on it.’

But just as she began to relax, her heart leaped back into her throat. She had kept her eyes on the five men, and just as they reached the doorway, another group of Vietnamese men approached.

The three newcomers were dressed in a similar fashion to the original five.

’Are they from the same group?’

Before Gu’er could figure it out, she saw the men they’d just fought say a few words to the new arrivals. The three newcomers laughed raucously, chattering away with arrogant expressions. Then, to Gu’er’s astonishment, they attacked. The two groups of Vietnamese men were now fighting each other!

Gu’er’s eyes went wide. ’They’re fighting amongst themselves? How can this be happening?!’

"They’re two different crews. They’re always fighting over turf. Now that they see this bunch is wounded, they’re naturally going to kick them while they’re down."

Dingzi spoke up, apparently explaining to Gu’er why the two groups were fighting.

Gu’er understood now. It was normal for rival gangs to fight over territory.

Logically, the first group of five should have had the numbers advantage, but they were all injured. Even with more men, they couldn’t beat the three fresh newcomers. In no time, the five were on the ground again, only this time they were lying just outside the shop entrance.

The three Vietnamese men peered into the shop. One made to step inside but was stopped by the one in charge.

Dingzi took a step forward, positioning himself at the very front. Though not a large man, his frame radiated an inexpressible power, like a leopard poised to tear apart anyone who dared to make a move.

The leader of the newcomers studied Dingzi for a good while. Then he muttered a few words, and with a turn, led the other two away.

He probably figured that a group capable of wounding all five of the other Vietnamese men was not to be trifled with, and decided against making a move after weighing his options.

Gu’er glanced at the five men on the ground. Blood was everywhere. One of them still had a dagger embedded in his abdomen, and the others weren’t much better off.

It was a wretched scene. None of them were dead, but Gu’er still closed her eyes and turned her head away. A moment ago she had hated them, but seeing them like this, she couldn’t help but feel a sliver of pity.

After a moment of consideration, Dingzi walked over and bent down to inspect their injuries.

Gu’er and Li Zhi followed him over. Gu’er could see a number of people pointing and murmuring from a distance, but no one came any closer.

The man Dingzi had previously injured—the one he’d negotiated with—grabbed Dingzi’s sleeve. He spoke to Dingzi, and Gu’er could see it was a great effort for him. He must have been severely wounded.

Dingzi said a few words back to him, then raised his head to look at Gu’er and Li Zhi.

"He wants us to save them," Dingzi told them.

"Hell no!" Qu Shui yelled indignantly. "Those bastards were trying to kill us just a minute ago. If they die, they’ll have it coming."

Li Zhi didn’t speak, and neither did Gu’er.

’In her past life, Gu’er had been a very ordinary, timid woman. If she saw a fight, she would have run as far away as she could. She definitely wouldn’t have dared to get involved in something like this.’

’But in this life...’

Gu’er looked at the men on the ground. ’They may have tried to rob us, but we’re unharmed. If we don’t do anything, these men might actually die.’

"Ask them if they’re willing to follow us," Gu’er said. "Ask if they’ll look out for us and help us with our business when we come to Russia in the future."

An idea had sparked in Gu’er’s mind. ’We can save them, but it has to be for a price. If the business here is really profitable, I don’t want to give it up, but I’ve already experienced firsthand how chaotic this place is. These Vietnamese guys are fierce, but if we can control them, they could be a powerful tool. They could help us source our goods, since they know the lay of the land and can keep others from ripping us off. They could also be responsible for our safety. If Li Zhi, Dingzi, and I open a storefront here later, we could have these men handle security. Then no one would come looking for trouble. If we make money and give them a cut, they’ll have an income and probably won’t go around hurting people anymore. It would kill several birds with one stone.’ 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Dingzi saw the brilliant flash in Gu’er’s eyes and relayed her proposition to the Vietnamese man in a few sentences.

The Vietnamese man’s face twisted in anger, and his voice was a ragged roar. He was clearly unwilling to submit to a group of Chinese, especially when the offer came from a woman like Gu’er.

Dingzi pressed him with a few more words, but the man still shook his head, his expression resolute.

Dingzi looked at Gu’er. He knew that for men like them—soldiers—they would rather die than bow their heads. These men might be Vietnamese, but they had guts.

Reading the look in Dingzi’s eyes, Gu’er understood his meaning.

"Forget it," Gu’er said. "Let’s just get them to a hospital. We’re talking about human lives, after all."

Even though Gu’er disliked them, she could respect their dignity.

Dingzi nodded, spoke a few words to the Vietnamese man, and reached out to help him up.

The Vietnamese man seemed surprised that they were no longer making demands. He was stunned for a second, but he’d lost too much blood and couldn’t even stand steady when he was helped up.

"Come on, help me out! Where’s a hospital?"

Dingzi yelled to Li Zhi, directing the question about the hospital to Qu Shui.

Though Qu Shui wasn’t exactly thrilled about it, he still went over, helped another man up, and told them the way to the hospital.

——————————

I saw my earnings today. My other book, *Cannon Fodder Adopted Daughter*, made 1288.55 this month, and that’s including the 600 for the full-attendance bonus. Hehe. Thank you to the reader ’Tang Sect’s I Am a Boy’ for the fan and sachet. I just found out a Peach Blossom Fan is now worth 1,000 Starting Point Coins. Even though the value changed, my promise of a bonus Chapter for five Peach Blossom Fans still holds. I was at three, so plus these two, that’s enough for a bonus Chapter. Today’s three Chapters were what I’d already promised everyone, so the Peach Blossom Fan bonus Chapter will be tomorrow. That means three Chapters again tomorrow.