After hanging up the phone, Zhang Ziwei didn't bother checking if his wife had really come. He stood in front of the Hanuman mural, staring at it until the man named Billy finally found him half an hour later.
This also put Wei Mian-na, who had been sitting just a few meters away pretending to be a tourist with a parasol, at ease. Seeing that Zhang Ziwei was meeting an old client of his father's, Billy, she quietly slipped away to avoid making him angry.
A few minutes later, after finishing his conversation with Billy, Zhang Ziwei glanced over at William, who was sitting a dozen meters away in the long corridor, and discreetly nodded.
Pretending to be a tourist for another half hour, Zhang Ziwei made sure no one was following him. Then he walked back to where William was sitting and plopped down beside him.
"Your men are very professional. I walked around several times and didn't spot anyone suspicious," Zhang said.
"Buddy, you're used to dealing with gangsters and mercenaries. The people I hire are the best British special operatives—blending in is what they do best," William lied smoothly, stretching. "So, got a plan? Don't tell me you're not interested in taking down the Eight-Faced Buddha."
"Taking down the Eight-Faced Buddha?" The name made Zhang Ziwei tense up. He wasn't naive enough to think William had approached him just to do business. His fear stemmed from the fact that his current life was all because of the Eight-Faced Buddha.
"Are you sure you can kill him if you find him?" Zhang Ziwei asked, staring hard at William.
"Yes, as long as I find him, he's dead for sure," William said confidently, trusting in the power of his Mark III armor. He was a little surprised, though, that Zhang Ziwei believed him so easily. He had expected more convincing would be necessary. "Aren't you worried I might be working with the Eight-Faced Buddha?"
Zhang Ziwei chuckled. "No need to worry. The Eight-Faced Buddha doesn't have the ability to know someone like you. Even if you were working together, I doubt I'm important enough to need someone like you to test me."
"Good answer. I like smart people," William gritted his teeth. "You've got a brother who was killed by the Eight-Faced Buddha. I've also got a relative who was killed by him, though I've never met this relative."
"No way. You're a super-rich Englishman, and the Buddha's goods can't even reach the UK. How could you have a relative killed by him?" Zhang asked, surprised.
"I heard last year that an Interpol agent got caught by the Eight-Faced Buddha. Is that true?" William asked.
"You... you," Zhang Ziwei immediately understood. "I didn't expect you to have Chinese blood. Do you speak Chinese?"
"I do, but can you speak Mandarin?" William smirked. "Hello, I'm Zhazha Hui."
"What does that mean? Who's Zhazha Hui?" Zhang Ziwei asked, confused.
William didn't know how to explain the joke, so he changed the subject. "Forget Zhazha Hui. Just tell me where the Eight-Faced Buddha is."
Zhang Ziwei shook his head. "I don't know exactly. I've only seen him twice in the past five years—once at my wedding with Wei Mian-na, and another time two years ago when I helped him ship some goods. After that, I never saw him again. All I know is that he hides somewhere in the lawless area near the Thailand-Cambodia border."
"Hmm? You've shipped goods for the Buddha?" William turned to stare at Zhang Ziwei.
Although William was wearing sunglasses, Zhang's years of survival instincts kicked in, sensing the danger. Knowing William's background, he quickly explained, "It was either do that or die. Before getting revenge, I'd do anything—even help the Buddha eliminate his enemies."
"Heh, I don't care who you kill. Plenty of people in this world are constantly killing each other. But I have zero tolerance for those who deal drugs. I see one, I kill one," William said, smiling menacingly.
"Good. Once the Buddha's dead, you can kill me too. That way I won't have to worry about turning into someone like him in a few years," Zhang Ziwei said, his face showing indifference. "Over the past few years, the Buddha's taken down plenty of undercover agents. But except for your relative, the rest have all become his dogs.
I can't turn back now. I've killed, I've trafficked drugs. So, buddy, when the Buddha's dead, do me a favor and kill me too. That way I won't have to face my ancestors."
"Are you serious?" William sensed that Zhang Ziwei might really be telling the truth.
"Who knows? Maybe tomorrow I won't want to die anymore. Or maybe once this is over, I'll turn myself in. Luckily, there's no death penalty in Hong Kong. I'll gladly spend life in prison if it means I can avenge my brother. I've got no face to see him otherwise," Zhang sighed. "No matter what, I have to kill the Eight-Faced Buddha."
"Heh," William chuckled, convinced by Zhang's determination. He took out his phone, pulled up a map, and handed it to Zhang. "After all these years, you must know roughly where the Buddha is hiding, right?"
Zhang Ziwei was surprised as he took William's phone. As he marked potential locations on the map, he muttered, "I really should kidnap you. This phone alone could make me a global tycoon."
"No, buddy. The world doesn't work that way. Even if you have the best ideas, without some solid survival skills, you'd end up being crushed like Zhazha Hui."
"Damn it, what does that even mean?" Zhang Ziwei asked in frustration.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean Zhazha Hui that time," William shrugged. It had just slipped out naturally. Zhazha... Zhazha Hui. It was just too catchy.
"Has anyone ever told you how annoying you can be?" Zhang Ziwei said through gritted teeth, fighting the urge to punch William. He knew that starting a fight here, in the Grand Palace's Temple of the Emerald Buddha, would end badly. William would be fine, but Zhang would likely get beaten to a pulp by his men.
Looking around at the people nearby, Zhang Ziwei suddenly felt like everyone could be working for William. Shaking his head in resignation, he said, "One piece of advice—just so you know, the Eight-Faced Buddha has at least three body doubles. So if you want to kill him, you'll need to confirm it's really him and make sure it's a one-hit kill. Otherwise, no one will be able to find him for the next few years, maybe even ten years."
"That's a problem," William admitted, recalling that in the movie, the Buddha did indeed use body doubles. "What if I just bomb all the places you marked?"
"You're insane," Zhang Ziwei hissed. "Those areas may be controlled by the Buddha, but most of the people there are civilians."
"Heh, civilians helping the Buddha grow and process drugs aren't exactly innocent," William said with a smirk.
"You're a lunatic! Even if the adults aren't innocent, what about the women? What about the children?" Zhang Ziwei growled in a low voice.
"Hmm!" That reminded William of something. "Alright, you're right. Looks like I might have to break my promise to a certain kid about taking down the entire Buddha family in three days."
"His whole family?" Zhang Ziwei looked at William in shock.
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