The police officer names Jeff calls another police car to come. From this car’s arrival time, I can judge that it’s a premeditated action. Because soon after he calls, the car has arrived. It was apparently prepared to be nearby in advance.
He deliberately let Silo and two other brothers get in the new arrived police car, and then let me get in his SUV.
Obviously, he wants to separate me from them.
My hands are handcuffed behind my back, and I don’t know if it’s legal for him to handcuff me? Silo is not around, and I don’t know the laws here.
I sit in the back row after I get on the SUV. Jeff is sitting next to me. The two companions in front are apparently his subordinates.
“Smok?” He takes out a box of cigarettes from his pocket.
I look at him coldly: “Isn’t smoking not allowed in public?”
He doesn’t speak, just lights one, then motion to me. I pick my eyebrows.
He sees that I don’t mean to refuse, then puts the lighted cigarette in my mouth, and then he lights another one for himself.
“When did you get off the ship?” He seems to ask at will.
“Are you taking a confession, Officer?” I’m sneering, taking a deep puff. A mouthful of green smoke is slowly spraying out to him.
“Just a casual chat.” Jeff is shrugging his shoulders indifferently.
“Sorry, I won’t answer any questions in the absence of a lawyer.”
Jeff is laughing, with a little weird smile.
“Listen, boy!” There is a cold look in his eyes, “I know you’re Eight Finger’s man. You don’t know what happened recently? Don’t think the police are so easy to be fooled! Lawyer? You talk to me about the lawyer? Hum…” He stretches out his right hand and patting my face. There’s a fierce smell in his eyes: “Did you come here by stowaway? Ship or plane? Don’t think Vancouver is so easy to play around!”
I say nothing, eyes are looking at him clearly and coldly.
Jeff is a little annoyed by my stare. He lowers his voice and says: “I tell you, as long as I want. I can call the immigration office anytime, and then you will be sent back home!” He hums, “I only need very few information! When on earth did you come? How many people? Where are those people now?”
I’m laughing, just smoking and stop talking.
“Don’t think Eight Figer can cover you up. Vancouver is not his world! Canada is not your world either!”
Then he begins to tempt me: “You give me the information and I can help you change your identity. I can even help you get the permanent residence right; help you become a legitimate citizen here! I can even let the police protect you! If you like money, police will give you a big bonus!”
I’m waiting for him to finish quietly, without speaking or interrupting him. Until he stops, I just say: “Have you done?”
“…” Jeff and I are looking at each other for a long time. He’s suddenly laughing. The fierce and threatening expression on his face convergs, then showing a gentle smile. He slowly takes out a mini recording-instrument from his pocket, turns it off and throws it to the front row.
Then he spreads out his hand and laughing: “OK! I can’t scare you. I admit.”
“Actually, I’ve been waiting for a few days near the garage.” Jeff begins to speak on his own, “We are surprised by what happened recently. We never expect him to hide such a secret power. Under such pressure, you were fighting so tough and beautiful that I suspect that so many gunmen were falling from the sky.”
“Actually, I have always been admiring you. I should be much older than you. When I was young, I also saw the brilliant period of the gangs. I can still remember what happened 20 years ago when your group was roaring in North America. All of them could and good at fight, and many of them have military service experiences. Both personal and overall qualities are far higher than those of ordinary gangsters. And even our police are not as good as them. In those days, you were really aggressive. A group of ex-armymen were carring guns to attack the other gangs or mafias! Many old people still remember their prestiges in those years. However, that generation has been getting old and gradually retiring. You’re lacking of the young blood! Because you are fighting for territory with the traditional local gangs these years, your relationship with the local gangs have always had. Although their qualities are worse that you, but after all, they have the wide range of influences here. They have over a hundred years of foundation. Your first generation were fierce, but they couldn’t grow up locally. You only depend on those veterans to fight. But after twenty years, how many people of the first generation are still there? Your young people are far worse than they were.”
“I know, you don’t like the police, and most of the local police have the relationships with the local gangs. But I can tell you that I’m not! I am not a gang member. I am only responsible for the Canadian government! I am only responsible for my own duties!”
“Originally, I really thought you have pasted your best days. But this time you really shocked many people. Eight Finger has called so many stranger soldiers incredibly in such a short period. Don’t know how and where. It does remind me of 20 years ago!”
“Sorry. I’m not interested in listening to stories.” I interrupt him coldly, then looking him in the eyes, “Officer, what do you want to do after you have done and said so much today?”
“I’m very interested in you.” Jeff looks at me with interest, “Your name is Chen Yang. Three month ago, Eight Figer through some channels to help you deal with a temporary right of residence. He applied a temporary passport and a set of legal procedures for you. It’s interesting to me because it was too coincidental in time. Don’t think I don’t know how you got here, either by ship or by plane, anyway, stowaway for sure. Of course, I don’t care about that. I’m not an immigration officer. I don’t want to care about that. But from the time point of view, obviously, you came to Canada just in time for the gang fighting period!” He’s smiling at me and says, “You won’t tell me it’s a coincidence, will you?”
I shrug my shoulders.
“I’m suspecting that these gunmen mobilized by Eight Finger this time were all stowaways here, just like 20 years ago. From my personal point of view, I have no malice towards you. To some extent, I even a little appreciate you. But now I am a police officer. You are fighting in the street. This situation is intolerable to me. What are you going to do now? So many gunmen have been mobilized on such a large scale? If you want to go too far, our police will never tolerate it!” He looks at me and says, “You came to Canada all of a sudden during this time. I even think you’re one of those gunmen!”
I’m laughing.
This Jeff’s imagination is so rich that I can even say that he has almost guessed it.
In fact, I also wondered about where Papa 8 suddenly mobilized so many gunmen. Judging from the strengths we have demonstrated recently, those people should be enough to sweep Vancouver’s local gangs without worrying about the police and the authorities. It would be too late for other gangs to mobilize people from other places.
But Jeff guessed my identity wrong. I did not come to Vancouver as a gunner, but as a real runner.
Obviously, now he has taken me as a breakthrough.
I don’t explain, just say nothing more untill we arrive the police station.
Instead of seeing Silo and the two brothers, I’m taken directly into a separate room with only one table and a bright light on it. Two policemen handcuff me to a chair. At Jeff’s signal, they all go out of the door and leaving us two in the room.
I’m waiting for Jeff to open his mouth to see what he wants to say. But to my surprise, I’m stunned by his saying.
“Actually, we all know that our police have very few capabilities to do with your gangs, but to suppress you at most. When we are working hard as the policemen, we can’t stop the underworld. We can only maintain a balance. We are cops and you are gansters. It is natural for the cops to catch the gangsters. But in this world, without your gangsters, what is the value of the cops like us?” He’s laughing at me and says, “It doesn’t make any difference to our police to know who will die or win or lose. We are even willing to give a push in the middle. We will help whoever is strong. We hope that at least one party can overcome the other parties as soon as possible, and immediately end the chaos! There is only one thing we want: Back to peace!”
“It’s no use telling me that.” I still have a cold look.
“Police just need to know how many people came to Canada with you? Where are these people now?” Jeff seems helpless, then he’s suddenly standing up, goes to the corner, waving at a camera.
Then he turns around, pulls a chair and sitting beside me. This time, his face is more serious. He hesitates to say: “I’m telling you the truth now… First, today is really a deliberate way to bring you back and question. This trick of planting stolen goods and bringing people back for detention is not my Jeff’s idea. I’m not so stupid! I’m even against it. But I warn you, not everyone in Vancouver appreciate you personally and emotionally like me! There will be a fellow to interrogate you later. He’s a fool, a radical fool. You’d better be clever. Now that guy is suspecting you, he has decided to take you as a breakthrough. Although I oppose this plan and come out to catch you personally just want to get in touch with you beforehand and have a chat with you. My personal suggestion is…” He’s clenching his teeth and seems to have made up his mind at last, “You’d better keep your mouth tight… Because I want to cooperate with you in good faith. But that fellow, he is hostile to you. He’s a radical maniac who wants to dig something out of your mouth. That fool thought he could wipe out all the gangs. However, I haven’t heard of any place of the world that the police can completely eradicate the underworld!”
I grin and say: “You want me to cooperate with you, not with the fool you said?”
Jeff is blinking: “The police also may not necessarily be very united. Opinions may not be uniformed. But you can rest assured that, according to the law, his suspects about you have more than a limited amount of marijuana can only detain you for a period of time at most. As long as you can hold back, Eight Finger will get you out. As for my suggestion, you can contact me when you get back. I would like to have a sincere communication with you. I’m different from that fool. He just wants to solve the case, no matter what. But I know the reality practices very well. I know it’s impossible to get rid of you guys. So, I have said, what I want is to back the peace! Tell Eight Finger, if he wants to do something, he’d better communicate with me first. I’d like to cooperate with you. If your strength is really strong, I would also like to help you. At least all the gangs’ strengths are too scattered now. You are fighting with each other every day so that our police are also upset and tired. Ha-ha. Just finish it earlier and restore peace earlier!”