SOP 4

Fangpian brought back a young man of unknown origin to the Poker Bar.

Curiosity buzzed through the bar. The Snow Leopard, Hongxin, and Madam Heitao gathered on the first floor to assess the young man. He had a young, attractive face and was tall and slender. There was confusion in his gray eyes. He remained motionless and silent, like a granite slab.

“Where did you pick up this handsome kid?” Madam Heitao asked Fangpian.

“At the scrap yard.”

The young man remained motionless, stunned. Every time someone asked him a question, all he could do was shake his head. Fangpian had taken him to the “Good and Cheap Clinic,” but the goatee-beared doctor said the young man had suffered a heavy blow to the head. His brain chip was damaged, and he had lost all his memories. Cranial surgery would cost a lot and was risky. Seeing that he could still move normally, Fangpian decided to let him remain brain damaged for the time being.

Hongxin pulled Fangpian aside and whispered, “Hey, Fangpian, this guy’s background seems suspicious…”

Fangpian blinked and said, “Boss, are you trying to say he looks like that Time Scavenger? Similar build, and the timing of his appearance is suspicious too.”

Before Hongxin could ask further, Fangpian added, “But he was hit on the head by a signboard. Would the Time Entropy Group’s chief scavenger really get turned into an idiot by a lousy signboard?”

Hongxin fell into thought. As someone who had once faced the scavenger, this young man indeed had the same physique and eyes, but there wasn’t the slightest killing intent in him. He was as docile as a sheep.

“You are right. If his head got damaged that easily, that’d be too bizarre. I’ve heard scavengers have heads of copper and arms of steel. They can lift a car with one hand and smash through steel plates with their heads.”

Fangpian suddenly felt his sleeve being tugged. He looked down and saw the young man standing beside him, speaking softly.

“Do you know… who I used to be?”

“I know. You’re an employee of our bar. You’ve been wandering around the flashy outside world since forever, never coming home at night for 10 years straight. If I hadn’t gone to drag you back, you’d still be out there partying on the streets today.” Fangpian lied without batting an eye.

The Snow Leopard tried to scratch him with a claw. “Damn you, Fangpian. You just don’t want to deal with the aftermath, right? What’s wrong with taking down a few signboards? Was it really necessary to kidnap a person?”

“But it’s still too dangerous,” Hongxin murmured into Fangpian’s ear. “Even if he isn’t a scavenger, if he’s a spy sent to probe the secrets of the Clepsydra, keeping him around will turn into a serious threat sooner or later.”

Fangpian looked unconcerned. “Boss, you’re really old fashioned. The Clepsydra headquarters isn’t even here. We’re clean, there aren’t any secrets. Even if he is a scavenger, so what? We can use him as a hostage, or slowly raise him and flip him to our side.”

Hongxin had nothing to say.

In the silence, Madam Heitao clapped her hands and made the final decision. “Alright, keep him. The lower levels are short on manpower, and we just happen to be missing a waiter. After all, Fangpian works three days and slacks off two, and has never done proper work in the bar.”

“Then give him a name, otherwise it’s inconvenient.”

“Call him Fangpian 9.”

“No way. That sounds like your personal lackey.”

Fangpian put his hands into his pockets and said lazily, “I’m the one who picked him up. Can’t he be my little brother? Our bar already has Heitao, Hongxin, Meihua, and Fangpian. How about he becomes Xiao Chou (Joker)?”

Before he even finished speaking, Fangpian suddenly felt pain in his face. He’d been punched. He flew sideways and crashed into a pile of tables and chairs. The one who punched him was the amnesiac young man. Fangpian jumped up clutching his face, his lazy demeanor gone as he shouted,

“What are you doing!?”

The young man said expressionlessly, “You lied to me. You don’t even know my name. You’re not my keeper, and you’re mocking me.”

Fangpian looked around and saw everyone else wearing teasing expressions. He said, “Why are you all indifferent to this act of violence?”

“Because you deserve a beating.”

Madam Heitao took a sip of her drink. “Young man, please forgive him. This kid is just a slick tongued swindler. But if you don’t have anywhere to go, you can treat this place as a temporary home. As you can see, the lower levels are full of scum like Fangpian. Some will target your organs, others want to sell you into slavery. Wandering outside makes you fat prey in their eyes. We aren’t exactly spotless either, but we have some say in the lower levels, and we can still afford to pay a normal salary.”

Madam Heitao spoke gently and politely. Her voice sounded like it had been warmed by the sun, naturally calming. The young man lowered his head. After a long while, he hesitated, then nodded lightly.

“Fangpian, it’s getting late. Take this newcomer to your room and settle him in,” Madam Heitao said.

Fangpian froze.

“There aren’t any spare rooms here. Hongxin and the Meihua Mao are already squeezed into one. I’m old, I can’t stand your constant noise. We can’t have a new employee spending the night on a chair downstairs, am I right?”

Fangpian sneered. “My room doesn’t have much space either. It can’t compare to yours.”

“What does that matter? He’s the one you picked up, so he’s naturally close to you. Sleeping in the same room isn’t an issue. Stop talking back, you slippery brat, or I’ll kick you out of the bar.”

Under Madam Heitao’ threat, Fangpian ended up leading the young man to his room.

The young man looked around and gave a brief evaluation. “Narrow.”

“You really are pushing your luck. Taking you in was already generous, and now you want to climb over my head?” Fangpian found a large cardboard box, placed it in the corner, and decorated it a bit. “You’ll sleep here tonight. This is your Italian silk supreme bed.”

Before he finished speaking, he was punched into the cardboard box. Fangpian crawled out with bruised eyes. “What are you going crazy about now?”

“You’re abusing an employee.”

“How am I abusing you? Right now it’s obviously the employee abusing the boss.”

“I’m fighting for my legitimate employee rights, black hearted boss.”

“I’m not black hearted or red hearted. I’m Fangpian. You can see it yourself. My room is the size of a tofu block. Where else do you want to sleep, the ceiling or under the bed?” Fangpian shrugged. “Fine. To show equality, we’ll take turns sleeping on the bed and in the box.”

Only then did the young man stop. He said camly, “Thank you, boss.”

He looked around the room. The Mauser pistol, scattered bullets, old newspapers on the wall, a calendar marked “2026.” Every object made his head ache. They all felt familiar. Who was he? Why had he appeared in the scrap yard? His gaze landed on Fangpian’s face.

Fangpian sat on the bed, oiling a gun with one hand. A sling supporting a fractured arm hung around his neck. He had upturned phoenix eyes, and the corners of his mouth always held a smile that made him inscrutable. His appearance was handsome, akin to a carelessly drawn painting..

Liusha remembered fighting this man. His temples felt like they were being stabbed by tiny awls. He groaned.

“What’s wrong?” Fangpian looked up.

“I want to ask… why did you bring me here?”

“As you can see, I’ve been injured recently and can’t do much work. But the lower levels repair jobs have piled up like a mountain, so I needed a helper. I was originally going to find some random kid, but then I saw you and picked you instead. You’re much stronger than them.” Fangpian touched his swollen eye and smiled through the pain.

Liusha’s gaze shifted to the photo frame by the bed. “What’s that?”

Inside the frame was a yellowed group photo. An old woman wearing a black veil, a burly giant, a sleek Snow Leopard, and a young boy in a white suit, hand on his hat. He looked like a miniature version of Fangpian. Everyone was laughing. Fangpian looked at the photo and said nostalgically,

“It’s a group photo of the bar staff.”

Liusha’s eyes lingered on the boy’s face. Time was strange. Such a bright and innocent boy had been ground down into the slick tongued liar before him. His mind was a mess. He didn’t know who Fangpian really was. A swindler who had abducted him to do hard labor? When he first saw Fangpian at the scrap yard, his whole body had tensed, his spirit lifted, and a voice in his head had screamed: go with him. But that voice later turned noisy and terrifying, finally becoming: tear him apart. Kill him.

Liusha closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. He sat in the cardboard box for a while, then grew bored and lifted his sleeveless vest.

Fangpian looked at him from the corner of his eye. “What are you doing? Showing off your abs to me?”

Dim neon light filtered in through the window, flowing over the young man like water. Fangpian saw a powerful, honed body, pale scars crisscrossing it like mysterious Sanskrit. Proof of countless battles. Fangpian squinted but said nothing.

Liusha said, “I’m going to sleep. Please provide employee sleepwear.”

Fangpian said, “Giving you a uniform is already generous. I’ve never heard of providing pajamas too.”

“I stayed in the scrap yard before. You wouldn’t want to see me lying on your bed tomorrow wearing these clothes, right?”

Fangpian sneered. “Why is my employee so black hearted?”

Liusha replied, his voice completely emotionless, like a machine that only knew how to produce sound, “I’m not black hearted and not red hearted. I’m Xiao Chou.”

Fangpian buried his face in his hands and sighed. He was starting to regret picking this person up. When he had first seen the young man, he had only thought he was young and strong, good material for labor. He hadn’t expected him to be so demanding. He rummaged through the wardrobe for a while. Almost all the sleepwear he found was a size smaller than Liusha. With no other options, he went and knocked on Hongxin’s door.

Hongxin answered. He was wearing a tight white T-shirt with a simple line drawing of a girl wearing a flower crown, and pajama pants with little cats on them. They matched his rough appearance very poorly. “What is it, Fangpian?”

Fangpian explained the situation. Hongxin burst out laughing and led him to his wardrobe. Fangpian opened it and saw it filled with pink bubble skirts, polka dot aprons, lace trimmed pants with bows. It was basically a children’s clothing display. In the end, he reluctantly picked a star patterned pajama set with lace trim, went back to his room, and threw it to Liusha.

“Put it on, black hearted employee.”

Liusha said nothing. He picked it up and put it on. Hongxin had a broad build, so the pajamas looked loose on him. After changing, he folded his old clothes into a tofu-like block and placed them in the corner. He then lay down, curled up inside the cardboard box, closed his eyes, and immediately fell asleep.

Fangpian watched his peaceful sleeping face, his expression thoughtful. He had thought he picked up a stray dog, but now it looked more like a white eyed wolf that could bite back at any time. He sighed, turned off the light, and allowed the darkness to completely envelop him.

Early the next morning, Madam Heitao handed Liusha a waiter’s uniform. A gray shirt, a suspender apron, and a pair of leather boots made his slim figure stand out. Standing in the shop, he was a living signboard that drew customers in.

That night, the bar was crowded. Female customers swarmed Liusha like bees finding nectar, crowding around him and teasing him. Liusha had smooth gray hair and pale gray eyes like clear glass, shining with light. Many people twisted closer to rub against him, while Liusha remained expressionless, standing still like an indifferent stone monument. Someone smiled at Madam Heitao and said, “Madam, where did you find this handsome guy? Will we still be able to see him here in the future?”

Madam Heitao smiled. “He’s a newly hired employee. If you like him, we’ll have him work the night shift.”

Fangpian sat by the bar counter and smiled at several regular female customers. “Ladies, you’re really heartless. You forget your old love as soon as you have a new one? Is it that I look too unsightly to suit your tastes? I’ve never seen you throw yourselves at me like this before.”

One woman covered her mouth and giggled. “You’re not bad, but you only know how to sweet talk. We look at inner substance now.”

Fangpian thought to himself, this guy’s brain is completely empty. What inner substance could he possibly have?

Aside from serving as a signboard, Liusha worked very efficiently. He attracted customers, carried food, wiped tables and chairs, moving like the wind. After working nonstop for more than ten days, Madam Heitao was very satisfied. She said to Fangpian, “Look at this newcomer. One of him is worth ten of you. You old retainer don’t need to work tomorrow. Just pack up and get out.”

“Madam, that’s not right. I’m different from that kid. I do big business and provide emotional value for everyone,” Fangpian said, clinking glasses with Madam Heitao in an intimate gesture.

“Yes, you provide anger,” Madam Heitao said coolly as she turned away. “Since you’re injured, rest in the bar for now. I’m going out to check on the repairs. Hongxin isn’t around either, so I’ll trouble you and the newcomer to watch the place.”

Fangpian answered and lowered his head to drink.

There weren’t many customers during the day. Most were idle drunks who slumped over tables and muttered once they got drunk. Liusha was wiping a table with his head lowered when he suddenly heard the sound of glass shattering.

He turned and saw a drunk man swinging his fist at another person, yelling. A table overturned and glasses shattered.

Before the fist came down, Liusha was already standing by the man’s side like a shadow. He grabbed his wrist and asked expressionlessly,

“Sir, what’s going on?”

“He… he cheated while shuffling!”

Liusha looked at the scattered items on the ground. There were no playing cards. “Sir, you’re quite skilled. Did you use coasters to play 21?”

The drunk staggered up and glared at him. “You… you’re covering for him. You’re all in this together!” He pulled out a knife from his clothes.

The lower levels were chaotic, and people were often armed. The other patrons were terrified and screamed as they fled. The drunk waved the knife and tried to stab Liusha. At that moment, an ice bucket smashed into his face.

The drunk fell to the ground, his nose bruised and bleeding. He scrambled up and shouted, “What are you doing?!”

Liusha looked down at him from above. “Providing you with premium iced service to help you sober up.”

The blow sobered him up, but he felt resentment instead. He grabbed the knife that had fallen nearby, shouted, and charged again.

Liusha’s gaze turned cold. In an instant, a fierce killing intent enveloped his body. Even without his memories, the instinct to kill still howled inside him like a beast. He formed his hand into a blade and struck toward the man’s carotid sinus.

His strike was fast like lightning. The drunk couldn’t react, but his body instinctively shuddered in terror.

Just as blood was about to spill, someone suddenly stepped between them.

The knife stabbed into a splint, and Liusha’s wrist was pinned. Both were startled and turned to look. A white -haired young man stood beside them, smiling.

“Stop fighting. If you fight like this, someone will die. Since you both have so much energy, why not battle dance here tonight? Pole dancing.”

Liusha was shocked.

He knew his own speed and strength. Ordinary people could barely see his movements. Anyone who tried to block him recklessly would end up with broken bones. Yet Fangpian had easily neutralized his attack. This seemingly idle young man possessed exceptional skill.

“You… you’re also… with them? All cheating bastards?” the drunk said stubbornly, completely unaware of how close he had come to death.

“Sir, I can’t understand what you’re saying. Maybe I’ll understand once I’m as wasted as you?” Fangpian sighed and shook his head. “Making trouble here isn’t a good idea. Look above your head.”

The drunk looked up and saw a shattered ice pick hanging over his head, its sharp tip suspended in midair, frozen by a time lag bubble. Once the bubble burst, the weapon would fall and pierce his skull.

Fangpian smiled smugly. “If you keep this up, the sword of Damocles is going to fall.”

The drunk finally fled in disgrace. Once he sobered up, he seemed to remember what kind of den of danger the Poker Bar was, and that everyone there was a freak not to be messed with.

After it was over, Fangpian soothed the beaten patron and painstakingly cleaned up the overturned tables and shattered glass.

Liusha stood quietly to the side, his gaze fixed on Fangpian. Today, since he didn’t need to go out to work or con people, Fangpian wasn’t wearing his flashy outfit. He only wore a red shirt, with a sling supporting his fractured arm hanging from his neck. He looked thin. A stud under his eye looked like a drop of blood, adding to his mystery. A smile played on his face. It wasn’t fake, but it wasn’t sincere either. It was like a mask.

Liusha asked, “Who are you? Why were you able to stop my attack just now?”

Fangpian straightened up and raised an eyebrow. “Then who are you? Why can’t I stop your attack?”

Liusha fell silent. He himself didn’t know the answer.

Fangpian said, “As for me, I’m your black hearted boss. This is your daily wage.”

He took out his phone and walked up to Liusha. Liusha felt his wristwatch vibrate. The watch was a temporary terminal Madam Heitao had given him. When Liusha had been picked up, he had nothing on him. He didn’t even remember his own time account. Fortunately, Madam Heitao had seen plenty of undocumented people in the lower levels and knew how to handle it. She opened a temporary account for him to use.

Liusha looked at his watch. Fangpian had transferred 2 hours of lifespan to him. It was his wage for the day.

Liusha was silent for a long time before he said, “Are you sure this isn’t wrong?”

“It’s not wrong,” Fangpian said, patting his shoulder. “Work is like this. You waste your life to earn meager resources to sustain life. In essence, you’re still wasting life.”

“This amount of time isn’t even enough for me to live until tomorrow.”

“That’s fine. I don’t know where my tomorrow is either. Life is pitch black.”

Liusha grabbed him by the collar and threatened, “If you dare withhold my wages, I’ll make sure you don’t have a tomorrow.”

Fangpian was still smiling, but he lifted his chin, showing a bit of toughness. “Bringing you back was like rolling over a nail board covered in spikes. Who’s afraid of who? Worst case, we die together!”

As they argued, Madam Heitao came in. One look at the mess on the floor and she had already pieced together most of what happened. She sighed, “Both of you, calm down. Fangpian, why are you bickering with the newcomer? If you have time, come drink your medicine.”

Those words worked like a curse. Fangpian immediately fell silent. He snorted softly and turned to walk up the stairs. Madam Heitao waved Liusha over and transferred 48 hours of time to him.

Liusha stared at the time balance on his watch. 48 hours. It wasn’t much, but it wasn’t little either. It made him feel strange, maybe it was joy. This was the result of his labor. It also felt like proof that the Poker Bar had accepted him.

Madam Heitao returned behind the bar and gently mixed vodka and rum. She said, “Newcomer, you’ve worked hard these days. You’ve done many night shifts in a row, so you must be tired. Take the next 2 days off. Wander around the lower levels and see if you can remember anything.”

Liusha stood there absentmindedly. He didn’t know what taking time off meant. “Wander around” sounded like a patrol assignment. Madam Heitao saw his confused eyes, like those of a newborn deer, sighed, and felt endless affection. She turned and called out,

“Fangpian, you’ll accompany him tomorrow.”

“What?”

Fangpian stopped on the stairs and looked down in disbelief, as if he had just heard devastating news.

“You’re on leave tomorrow too,” Madam Heitao said, a mischievous smile appearing in the eyes behind her veil. “Don’t go tricking people and fishing for big catches. I’m specially allowing you to take your little shrimp out for a stroll. What are you afraid of? He’s the one you brought back. You should spare some time to look after him.”

Liusha backed her up without changing expression. “Did you hear that? Madam wants you to look after me.”

“What kind of looking after do you want?” Fangpian said as he walked upstairs, calculating how many times Liusha had beaten him during this period. If he had encountered the most troublesome enemy in his life recently, then this kid was without a doubt the most difficult and vicious little shrimp he had ever hooked.