Good and Evil Chapter 136: The Pact Between Two Men

As they talked, noon arrived, and it was time to prepare a meal. After chatting with Xu Lang for a little while, Dong Gan'en went to the kitchen to start cooking. Inside the room, apart from Zhou Hongwen and the other two who were still lying on the large heated brick bed, the other three men had been continuously playing cards. Now, the only person left unoccupied was Xu Lang.

Through this period of undercover work, Xu Lang had roughly figured out the operational process of Zheng Lei and his gang. Zhou Hongwen and Dong Gan'en belonged to the lowest tier of donors in this syndicate; in fact, they could hardly be considered members of the gang at all—they were merely tools used by Zheng Lei and his cohorts to reap exorbitant profits. People like Zhou Hongwen might have ended up here for various reasons: perhaps they wanted to avoid the hardship of regular work, perhaps they were in urgent need of money just like Xu Minghao whom Xu Lang was impersonating, or perhaps some were like Dong Gan'en, forced to come here due to special circumstances. Others still, like Zhou Hongwen, were brought here through deception and threats by Zheng Lei's crew. In short, they were nothing more than instruments for Zheng Lei and the others. Of course, afterwards they would receive a sum of money, but compared to what Zheng Lei and his accomplices pocketed, this amount was pitifully small. Just as Feng Liang had told Xu Lang personally when they first met, a regular donor selling a single kidney would get at most thirty thousand yuan.

Thirty thousand yuan sounded like a lot, but what could thirty thousand yuan actually accomplish? If it were the previous century, having thirty thousand yuan would securely make someone a ten-thousand-yuan elite and a wealthy person. However, it was already the twenty-first century; the economy was developing rapidly, and people's living standards were gradually rising. If an ordinary person worked in a factory or at a construction site for a year, as long as they were willing to endure hardship and did not squander money recklessly, they could easily save thirty to forty thousand yuan over the course of a year. In the countryside, thirty thousand yuan might still be considered a massive sum, but in highly developed economic hubs like City Y and City S, it truly amounted to very little. Take City S, for instance: housing prices there had already reached over nine thousand yuan per square meter. Thirty thousand yuan could purchase at most five square meters—barely the size of a bathroom. Thinking about it felt simply pathetic.

Above donors like Zhou Hongwen were the individuals responsible for scouting and capturing them: Zheng Lei, Zheng Maocai, and Wang I-ming. They were presumably tasked specifically with searching everywhere for donors and providing them with room and board. Xu Lang guessed that the money they received shouldn't be too substantial, likely just slightly higher than what the donors themselves got—though exactly how much higher remained unknown.

Above Zheng Lei was the middleman, Feng Liang. He was responsible for finding buyers and negotiating prices with patients in need of kidney replacements. This price was bound to be a massive fortune. Once a price was successfully negotiated, he would contact Zheng Lei and have him bring the donor over. Xu Lang surmised that besides connecting Zheng Lei's group with buyers, Feng Liang was likely also in charge of forging documentation for the donors, since ordinary minor hospitals were incapable of performing such surgeries.

Before coming here, Xu Lang had never quite figured out what kind of business this Boss Wen was actually running. But through his recent chat with Zhou Hongwen, Xu Lang vaguely sensed that this Boss Wen was likely the mastermind behind the scenes of the very hospital that performed the surgeries for the patients and donors. The reason Xu Lang thought this was quite simple: whether it was Zheng Lei and his crew, Feng Liang, or the buyers, anyone wishing to successfully complete a kidney transplant had to do so through surgery. Surgery required a hospital, and regular, legitimate hospitals had extremely strict requirements for kidney transplant procedures. Moreover, they required a multitude of certifications and medical examinations. If it were a normal transplant between biological relatives, there would be no issue. However, the operations conducted by Zheng Lei's syndicate were private underground transactions, and their donors had been gathered through all sorts of dubious means. If they went to a regular hospital for the surgery, the moment a donor panicked, regretted their decision, acted rashly, or let slip a word during the procedure, Zheng Lei and his associates would find themselves in deep trouble. To be on the safe side, they undoubtedly needed a private facility that functioned much like a regular hospital. Only in this way could they avoid such troubles and unnecessary accidents during their transplant transactions.

Of course, for now these were merely Xu Lang's conjectures; whether the reality was truly so still relied on Ning Yanyan and the others to investigate. Currently, Xu Lang was imprisoned here. Given his martial prowess, breaking out certainly wouldn't be a problem for him. However, when it came to the speed of investigating people, although Xu Lang ran a detective agency, his staff was far too small, and his agency was a private one—how could it possibly compare to a state organ like the police?

Xu Lang now only hoped that the police could uncover some clues through Feng Liang, thereby leading them to the hidden Boss Wen in the background.

In fact, Xu Lang had his own thoughts regarding Feng Liang. Based on their few encounters, Xu Lang noticed that the three missing fingers on Feng Liang's hand looked as though they had been hacked off alive. Drawing on his past undercover experience and years of dealing with criminals, Xu Lang deduced that Feng Liang had surely been a gambler of sorts who had accumulated massive loan-shark debts, and those missing fingers were chopped off by debt collectors. Ordinary people might not know about such things, assuming they only existed in movies or television dramas, but in reality, such occurrences definitely happened in real life—they simply remained hidden from the public eye.

There was another point: this Feng Liang had likely undergone a kidney transplant himself at some point in the past. If Xu Lang guessed correctly, Feng Liang had once been a victim of the human organ trade as well, though it remained unclear why he had chosen to walk down this path of no return—perhaps driven by money.

To be honest, since Xu Lang had already found Zhou Hongwen, his undercover mission was technically complete. Zhou Hongwen was still alive; although he was missing a kidney, his life was safe, and Xu Lang only needed to bring him back alive to provide an account to Zhou Hongwen’s husband and wife at the detective agency. That had been Xu Lang’s original plan. However, the moment he laid eyes on Dong Gan'en, Xu Lang changed his mind. He intended to continue his infiltration and check out the hospital Zhou Hongwen had mentioned; perhaps he would make some discoveries there.

Xu Lang also knew that choosing to do this would be extremely dangerous. After all, that hospital was a private institution and Zheng Lei's territory. Once Xu Lang entered the hospital, it would be difficult to get back out, and the facility was stocked with massive quantities of anesthetic drugs. If Xu Lang fell victim to them, his fate would be identical to Zhou Hongwen's. By then, even if the truth came to light and Zheng Lei's gang was arrested, Xu Lang's lost organ could never be recovered. Yet, without much hesitation, he ultimately chose to proceed anyway.

The primary reason Xu Lang made this choice was because he thought of Dong Gan'en—that sixteen-year-old boy willing to sacrifice himself just to save his older sister. Xu Lang did not want to see tragedy befall a child who belonged in a classroom enjoying his studies. Of course, this didn't mean Xu Lang was particularly noble; everyone possessed selfish desires, and Xu Lang was no exception. Mostly, though, Xu Lang saw a reflection of himself in Dong Gan'en—this boy, nine years younger than him, was accomplishing something Xu Lang had once wished to do but never managed to achieve.

An hour later, thanks to Dong Gan'en's busyness, a lunch that could hardly be called lavish was ready, and Xu Lang and the others gathered to eat.

After finishing the midday meal, the three men who had been playing cards continuously ate their fill and promptly returned to their game. Zhou Hongwen originally wanted to get off the bed to help clear the dishes, but Dong Gan'en declined. The other two didn't even eat; by now, they must have deeply regretted running off to this place to undergo such a procedure. In the end, Xu Lang went with Dong Gan'en to the kitchen to clean up the bowls and chopsticks.

As the two of them cleaned the kitchen together, Xu Lang asked Dong Gan'en many questions, and Dong Gan'en answered them one by one. Despite being only sixteen years old, Dong Gan'en was far more capable of handling chores than the average adult. This was tied to his family background: he was a rural child whose father had passed away early in his life. His mother was illiterate, fitting the profile of a very ordinary village woman. Yet, it was precisely this uneducated woman, relying on a few meager plots of farmland, who managed to put her daughter through university and her son through a key high school. One could say she was a truly great mother.

Dong Gan'en and his older sister, Dong Yihan, had been sensible since childhood. Dong Yihan was seven years older than him and twenty-three years old this year. Having finally finished university, she had just graduated and found a job at a company. However, not long after starting work, she fainted at the office. Upon being rushed to the hospital, she was diagnosed with leukemia—a devastating blow to their already incomplete family.

During the period when Dong Yihan was hospitalized and receiving treatment, their mother borrowed money from everyone in the village. Furthermore, their mother traveled to City Y, working three jobs simultaneously just to earn enough money for her daughter's medical care. Dong Gan'en’s trip here was actually made behind his mother and sister's backs. The reason he managed to find Zheng Lei and his associates was because someone else had introduced them. The person who made the introduction had previously stayed at the same hospital where Dong Yihan was hospitalized, and the two had chatted. Seeing the plight of Dong Yihan's family, that person shared information they shouldn't have disclosed, which was how Dong Gan'en ended up coming here.

Dong Gan'en had been here for over half a month, and deep down he had constantly been consumed by anxiety. He worried about his sister's condition while simultaneously dreading the impending kidney transplant surgery. His inner state was full of contradiction and severe turmoil. Initially, he had come here purely to save his sister. But upon arrival, seeing the men lying on the large heated brick bed groaning in pain from time to time, terror gripped his heart. He lived in constant fear that one day, when the externally locked door swung open again, the name called out would be his own.

Xu Lang fully understood, comprehended, and deeply sympathized with Dong Gan'en's conflicted psychology. No matter how mature Dong Gan'en appeared or how sensible he seemed, when all was said and done, he was still just an underage child.

When the two of them finished cleaning the kitchen, just as Xu Lang was about to step out, Dong Gan'en suddenly spoke up: "Big Brother, please don't go through with the kidney transplant, okay?"

Hearing this, Xu Lang paused his steps, turned around, and saw Dong Gan'en blinking a pair of bright eyes, his gaze flickering with a mixture of unease and entreaty.

Xu Lang gave a slight smile as a warm current welled up in his heart. He walked over, reached out, and patted the head of Dong Gan'en—who stood a head shorter than him—and said with a smile, "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

With that, Xu Lang turned as if to leave.

Just as he was about to move, he felt his clothes being tugged from behind. Xu Lang glanced back and saw Dong Gan'en pulling at his garment. This time, the look Dong Yihan's brother cast toward Xu Lang was fraught with deep anxiety and pleading. He whispered, "Big Brother, promise me you won't go. It hurts a lot."

Xu Lang, whose face had carried a faint smile just moments ago, felt an urge to cry as he looked into Dong Gan'en's clean eyes and listened to those most unpretentious words. In truth, Xu Lang was not an overly sentimental person. To him, nothing in this world mattered more than finding the murderers who killed his mother and sister. He had even thought more than once that as long as he could find the culprits, he would pay any price.

Outwardly, Xu Lang appeared cheerful, breezy, and casual with everyone, but underneath he was actually the most unyielding and cold-hearted of men, because his heart had long since been sealed in ice. Yet today, in this strange room within a somewhat messy and dirty kitchen, Xu Lang revealed his true emotions for the very first time.

Instead of walking away, Xu Lang turned around, looked straight at Dong Gan'en, and locked eyes with him. Then, he crouched down, stared into the boy's eyes, and said, "Big Brother promises you I won't have the surgery. But you have to promise Big Brother that you won't do it either, deal?"

When Dong Gan'en heard Xu Lang say he wouldn't undergo the surgery, an expression of relief instantly flashed across his eyes. But the moment Xu Lang demanded that he too must refuse the operation, that joy vanished just as quickly, replaced by a dimming gaze. He lowered his head, unable to meet Xu Lang's eyes, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something. After mumbling for a long while, however, not a single word came out.

Squatting down and tilting his head upward, Xu Lang looked up at Dong Gan'en and said, "If you agree to Big Brother's request, Big Brother promises you too—we'll get out of here together, how about that?"

Hearing these words, a flicker of emotion crossed Dong Gan'en's eyes. He finally raised his gaze to meet Xu Lang's. Looking at him with a hint of worry, he asked, "Can we really get out?"

"We can," Xu Lang said with absolute firmness.

"But... if we get out, my sister..."

Dong Gan'en trailed off without finishing the sentence. Xu Lang understood what he meant: if he left this place, the money for his sister's surgery would fall short, and Dong Yihan would lose her best window for treatment. This forced Dong Gan'en into a cruel dilemma where he had to choose between his sister and Xu Lang.

Xu Lang reached out, clasped Dong Gan'en's hand, and gradually let a smile form on his face. "Once we get out of here, we'll go visit your sister together, okay? If she knew the money for her surgery came from her own younger brother's kidney, I'm sure she would feel immense guilt. I doubt you want your sister to live the rest of her life in remorse and guilt, do you?"

"But... but without the money, my sister will..."

At this point, Dong Gan'en—who had always tried so hard to be strong—felt the edges of his eyes turn red, and he looked on the verge of crying. Yet, he swiftly tilted his head back, took a few deep breaths, and forced the tears swirling in his sockets back down.

"Gan'en, do you trust me?" Xu Lang asked, looking at the boy who kept his head tilted up to keep from weeping.

Hearing this question, Dong Gan'en lowered his head, gazed at Xu Lang, and met his eyes for several seconds. At first, his gaze remained hesitant, but after those few seconds of eye contact, his expression grew remarkably firm. He nodded heavily and replied with absolute certainty, "I trust you."

Those simple three words were heavy with profound trust. Touched and warmed all at once, Xu Lang looked at Dong Gan'en and said, "Trust me. Even without you selling a kidney, your sister will be fine. Let's get out of here together, alright?"

"Mm, okay."

Dong Gan'en looked at Xu Lang and nodded firmly.

Hearing that response, Xu Lang smiled, and Dong Gan'en smiled too—the happiest smile he had worn since arriving in this place. Xu Lang extended a hand; Dong Gan'en paused for a fraction of a second before extending his own. A large hand grasped a small one. Two males who had met less than five hours ago, separated by a nine-year age gap, shook hands in this strange environment for the very first time out of mutual trust.

Just as Xu Lang stood up and walked side by side with Dong Gan'en out of the kitchen, footsteps echoed from outside the room, and the securely locked door was suddenly pulled open from the outside.

As the door swung wide, the three men playing cards and Zhou Hongwen half-reclining on the brick bed—everyone in the room—turned their gaze toward the entrance. Xu Lang and Dong Gan'en were no exception. Whether due to their recent conversation or something else, the moment the door opened, Dong Gan'en instinctively shrank back behind Xu Lang and reached out a hand to tightly grip Xu Lang's sleeve.

Looking toward the threshold, Xu Lang saw Zheng Lei and Wang I-ming standing flanking Feng Liang on either side.

The complexions of all three men looked rather poor. Feng Liang made no move to step inside after opening the door; instead, he raised a hand to wave air in front of his nose, furrowed his brow, and swept his gaze across the room, letting his eyes linger briefly on every single face before finally resting them on Xu Lang.

Upon spotting Xu Lang, Feng Liang’s previously grim expression eased just a fraction. However, when he noticed Dong Gan'en standing closely beside Xu Lang, his brow knitted together instinctively, though he said nothing for the moment. Staring at Xu Lang, he spoke in an indifferent tone: "Xu Minghao, come outside with me."

Xu Lang did not step out immediately; instead, he asked, "Where to?"