Rise Of The Wasteland Chapter 7 - Tight Timing

Chapter 7        Tight Timing

Risk had always been an important element of success. Zhou Qingfeng felt apprehensive about stealing money from two gangsters.

“You look nervous. Do you want a drag?”

“I don’t smoke.”

“This isn’t an ordinary cigarette, it’s weed. Don’t you wanna feel excited?”

“Weed? That’s fine, I think I’m way too excited as is.”

It was already midnight when Zhou Qingfeng proposed his plan to Leina. Without much hesitation, they went to Catclaw Bar.

As an Eastern European, Leina bought a worn-out Ford Sedan. She wore heavy makeup, a tube bra, a leather skirt and a pair of high heels at present.  Both of them were crouching outside Catclaw Bar.

In 2030, smart autonomous vehicles were becoming more and more popular in the United States. Nevertheless, there were still a great number of old-fashioned internal combustion-powered vehicles running along the streets. Life without a car was simply unimaginable in the United States. The public transport was not that well-developed, and taxis were the only form of transportation for the middle-cla.s.s.

Zhou Qingfeng was staring at the luxurious modern vehicles at the parking lot, while Leina was blowing smoke rings and chit-chatting with him

“Those two Russians are truly sc.u.mbags. They levy a twenty-five percent sales tax on us. They’ll take our money, scold us, and even ask us to sleep with them for free.

“Ivan forces us to borrow usurious loans from them even when we don’t need the money. They beat us when we can’t afford to pay the debt. They also force us to have s.e.x with psychopaths. There were cases in which my friends were raped to death due to this exact reason.

“Yakov sells drugs at the bar, and he forced us to become his human traffickers. He’ll beat us if we can’t reach the daily sales target. A lot of my friends were manipulated by him as they were addicted to his drugs. No one could ever imagine how pitiful our life is. It’s almost like we’ll never have a chance to escape from him.

“They were chasing me today because I didn’t pay them the tax. They say they’re going to teach me a lesson. Do you know what their real intention is? They planned to f.u.c.k me and then stab me in the throat, as a warning to other prost.i.tutes who looked for business at their bar.”

Leina showed Zhou Qingfeng the scar on her body while she was complaining. She told him that she wore heavy makeup because there were bruises all over her face.

“How about your hometown?” Leina’s words pierced into Zhou Qingfeng’s heart as he pitied her. Nonetheless, he knew that he had spoken something inappropriate.

“My hometown….” Leina was stricken, clamming up and falling silent. She kept smoking her weed as she stared at him soullessly. She then impatiently replied, “I’m not answering you.  Just quickly help me get the twenty thousand U.S. dollars so that I can escape from this living h.e.l.l.”

The atmosphere inside the car became awkward as both of them refused to continue their conversation. They stared silently at the entrance of the bar.

The Portaschi brothers were the bar’s bouncers, and they send drunk customers back to their homes every night. Zhou Qingfeng was planning to sneak into the bar and steal the money when the brothers were busy with their customers.

Luck was required for both brothers to leave at the same time. Fortunately, luck was on Zhou Qingfeng’s side that night. Leina tapped his shoulder as she saw Ivan carry a drunk man and leave the bar. “I don’t know how you discovered their hiding spot, but I have faith in you. We’ll only have fifteen minutes at most; you’ll have to be quick.”

After Zhou Qingfeng left the car, Leina followed him and grabbed his hand. Together, they walked toward the entrance of Catclaw Bar. One of the doormen threw a glance at Zhou Qingfeng, but the doorman let him in at last after receiving fifty bucks from him.

“Don’t you dare waste my money,” Leina whispered to Zhou Qingfeng. The fifty bucks came from Leina, as Zhou Qingfeng did not have even a single penny in his pocket.

“Rest a.s.sured, I’m one hundred percent certain that we’ll be able to make it.” Zhou Qingfeng can only show his determination at their current progress. Although he had altered the plot, it was his first time stealing, not to mention from two mobsters.

Catclaw Bar was located in an underground bas.e.m.e.nt of a worn-out house. The house had two levels and over a thousand square metres in area. The disgusting stench of sweat and the dizzying sound of heavy metal music can be smelled and heard at the bar. Only one man can be seen dancing under the dim light.

There were separate compartments within the underground bas.e.m.e.nt. The prost.i.tutes serviced their clients in these rooms after soliciting money. The bar’s bouncers were also living in these rooms. In addition, it had a small casino.

Yankees normally had a monotonous life, and shopping was never their cup of tea. They would rather m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e, play games, watch television, or fool around at the bar.

Zhou Qingfeng held Leina’s hand as they walked down to the underground bas.e.m.e.nt. He was taken by surprise when he suddenly saw a few girls laughing and fooling around at the side of the bar table. He can clearly see that Angelina Lawrence was among them.

“Why are you here, Angie?” Zhou Qingfeng shouted, “You should be sleeping at home! But instead, you’re drinking?”

Zhou Qingfeng was extremely shocked; he could not remember such a scene happening in the movie. Minors in the United States were forbidden to drink, but that was not the case for this kind of bar. Anyone can drink as long as you were paying for it.

Obviously, Angie sneaked out from her house along with her friends. She was astonished, and panicked when she saw Zhou Qingfeng while she was trying to drink. “Vic… Victor, why are you here?”

“I think you should go home now,” Zhou Qingfeng said to her with a straight face.

“I… I… I….” Angie could not even face Zhou Qingfeng, but then she shouted when she saw Zhou Qingfeng’s hand holding Leina’s, “Who is she?!”

“It’s none of your business, Angie. I want you to go home right now. This place is not for you. Your parents will be extremely worried if they know you’re here.” Zhou Qingfeng thought to himself, The plot will be messed up if you’re in trouble. How am I supposed to grasp opportunities then?

Everyone at the bar was booing Zhou Qingfeng when he was trying to give out advice. Angie’s friends even mocked Zhou Qingfeng. Angie then shamelessly shouted, “Don’t you dare treat me like an idiot! I’m only drinking, but you’re bringing a prost.i.tute with you. You’re really making me feel sick.”

Leina was forced to stand up in the face of Angie’s ridicule. She pulled Zhou Qingfeng aside and said, “We have no time to waste. There’s more important stuff waiting for us.”

Yo…. Everyone laughed when Leina said “There’s more important stuff” as everyone thought that making love was their “more important stuff”. A white man even stood in front of Angie and said, “Hey, babe! Is this yellow monkey your boyfriend? You should dump him, and I’ll be your partner in crime.”

Angie turned her head and replied angrily, “He’s not my boyfriend. I don’t even know him!”

“That’s right! Let’s enjoy.” The white man sat down and said, “Let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Cooper. Nice to meet you.”

Zhou Qingfeng felt helpless as he saw that Angie did not give a d.a.m.n about him. Leina then urged him, “Victor, we’re really running out of time! The Portaschi brothers may come back anytime soon. You’ll be in big trouble if they were to see you here. You’ll be dead.”