Opium Warfare

by Justin Bienvenue

  “You’re dead punk!”

  He took a swing at me, but I lowered my neck and avoided his punch. I then backed up a bit and began imploring him. He was going to take another swing at me, but not before he was hit over the head with a frying pan by my neighbor. The man fell to the floor unconscious.

  “Oh my heavens, I am so sorry about that!” my neighbor said.

  “It’s alright, are you okay?” I asked.

  “Yes, yes, I will be fine. Thank you, young man.”

  “You know, I don’t believe we’ve ever really talked, I’m Ryu.”

  “I am Yugori, it is nice to finally meet you Ryu.”

  “Same here, Yugori. So if you don’t mind my asking, why was that man so angry with you? I saw him here pounding at your door a few days ago, too.”

  “My apologies Ryu. He was here a few days ago to collect something from me, but I did not have it at the time nor now, so this time I decided to answer door, but he wasn’t happy with what I had to say.”

  “Oh, I see. Well, what did he come to collect?”

  “First of all, let us go inside and I will call the police on our friend here.”

  Yugori closed the door as we both stepped into his place. He told me to have a seat as he went to his phone and called the authorities to come get the man outside. As I looked around, I realized he had quite the place. Many old fashioned antique trinkets all over the room including a very nice looking tea set. I immediately noticed the luxurious oriental rug he had in the room. He also had many pictures hanging on his wall, which I assumed were of him and some of his family members. After he made the call, he asked me if I wanted some tea.

  “Yes please,” I said.

  He then came out with two cups of tea.

  He took a sip before speaking, “Oolong is my favorite.”

  “So what did the man come to collect?”

  “Well, you see Ryu, I am an old man with many philosophies and plenty of wisdom that I have accumulated over my many years of living. One of the things I am a believer f is the practice of smoking opium.”

  Ryu shook his head at the response.

  “Ah, I take it you are not a believer.”

  “I’ve been seeing it smoked all over town and now I find out my neighbor’s even doing it, well, that just gets to me.”

  Ryu then realized what he said and apologized.

  “I’m sorry Yugori, I don’t mean to say you’re like the rest of them. I’m sure you’re not, it’s just that I’m so sick of hearing about opium and seeing it smoked all around.”

  Yugori simply laughed.

  “It is alright. Yugori is not insulted. You are right, I have been smoking opium for many years and it is unfortunate that it is people like that man outside who know that I smoke it.

  He believes that I will give some to him, but I am not such a person.”

  “How did he find out?”

  “I assume he is an acquaintance of one of my friends in town, one who told him I too smoke opium, however, my friend forgot that I am not one to share such system of distribution and that I do not use opium in such a way.”

  “I just don’t get why people are so caught up in it. It’s like everywhere I look, there it is.” Ryu says.

  “Before you wonder ‘Am I doing things right?’ ask yourself, ‘Am I doing the right things?’” Yugori said.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” I said.

  “I can tell you are a man who believes in something Ryu, but there are some people that question their motives rather than question on whether or not their motives are correct. In other words, some smoke opium, because it is available, not because they have a valid reason.”

  “Ah, now I get it. You’re saying everyone has a different reason for doing what they do, in this case with opium.”

  “Correct, I am an old man and I do what I do, because it brings me happiness. Perhaps it brings the others happiness as well, but in the case of our friend outside, he is not happy at all.”

  “I’m just glad you’re alright, I had to step in and help you,” I said.

  “Courtesy is the password to safety,” Yugori replied.

  I finished my tea just as the authorities arrived. They took the man out of the building and then knocked on Yugori’s door to ask us if we were alright and about what happened. After we talked to them, I decided to head back to my place. I thanked Yugori for the tea.

  “Thank you again for assisting me Ryu.”

  “It was my pleasure Yugori, I’ll see you around.”

  “Remember Ryu, each day, compel yourself to do something you would rather not do.”

  I said goodbye to my neighbor and made my way back into my apartment. It’s kind of crazy that he too smokes opium, but he’s the only person I didn’t see smoking it, he only told me that he does it. I don’t know much about the narcotic, but I believe Yugori is a very wise man, probably wiser than the people I’ve seen on the streets or up in their balconies smoking, but again, I just don’t know. There was clearly something going on with that opium business and I was determined to find out exactly what it was. In the time being, it was time to take that nap before I headed over to my parents for dinner.

  * * * * * *

  Mia made her way back to the hotel. She made her way into the lobby and went to the front desk to check in. Rezel and Kazar weren’t too far behind as they entered the lobby as well. As Mia got her key, she made her way to the 2nd floor while Rezel and Kazar approached the front desk to check in their turn. Kazar got his key from the desk clerk and they made their way up to the 2nd floor.

  “So what’s the plan?” Rezel asked.

  “Well, I’m in room 201 and Miss Morgan is in room 210 at the end of the hall. I’m going to call Mr. Shaojin and tell him what she’s been up to and we’ll take it from there. If he wants us to go in there and take her, then we take her.”

  Kazar then dialed the number to Shaojin’s office.

  “Shaojin Enterprises, This is Dahlia speaking, how may I help you?”

  “Dahlia, it’s Kazar. Is the boss in? I need to speak with him.”

  “Hello Kazar, yes he is, one moment please.”

  Dahlia went to get Shin while Kazar was waiting on the phone.

  “Hello Kazar, what can I do for you?” Shin asked.

  “Hi boss. I’d thought you’d like to know that Chao’s had a little break in before we got there a little while ago. As Rezel and I were standing outside the place, I saw Mia Morgan walking from there. In fact, the door was unlocked and the light was on when we got there, but it wasn’t until I looked over and saw her a few minutes later that I connected the dots.”

  “Really? Interesting. Are you certain she was in the place?”

  “Well, me and Rezel were blocking the street and she was walking with her back to us and she sure didn’t pass us, cause we would’ve seen her, so the only other place she could’ve come out of was the back room of Chao’s.”

  “I see. Did she see or hear you two do anything?”

  “No boss, we took what we needed and got out of there. I don’t think she saw or heard anything, but then again, she got there before us, so she may know something.”

  “Yes, I suppose you’re right. Alright Kazar, is Rezel there with you?”

  “Yes, he is.”

  “And you’re at the hotel?”

  “Yes and Mia went to her room just before us.”

  “Alright, this is almost too easy. I want you to go get her and bring her back to my headquarters.”

  “Alright boss, sounds good, but won’t Dahlia get suspicious?”

  “I want you to bring her back to my other headquarters.”

  “Your own private opium den?”

  “No you fool! My ‘other’ headquarters.”

  “Oh...okay boss, I’ll do that. We’ll see you in a few.”

  “Goodbye.”

  Kazar hanged up the phone and told Rezel about the plan.

  “Okay, so the boss thinks we can’t take
any chances with what Mia may or may not have seen at Chao’s, so he wants us to kidnap her and bring her back to his underground headquarters.”

  “Hmm, sounds good to me. So how do you want to do this?

  “Let me hear your best room service voice.”

  “Room Service!”

  “Eh, on second thought, why don’t you leave the talking to me.”

  Rezel made a frown.

  The two men made their way out of the room and looked around the hallway in both directions. When they saw that the coast was clear, they made their way to room 210, Mia’s room. Rezel knocked on her door as Kazar spoke.

  “Room service, Ma’am.”

  “I didn’t order anything, are you sure you have the right room?”

  “Compliments of the hotel Ma’am.”

  “Okay, one moment please.”

  As Mia opened the door, Kazar forced his way in and Rezel followed. Mia fell backwards from the force, and both men made their way in and stood over her. Rezel shut the door behind him as Kazar knelt down and covered Mia’s mouth while picking her up off the floor. She tried screaming but her voice was muffled by Kazar’s hand.

  “Um...Kazar, how exactly are we getting her out of the hotel without people noticing?”

  “Simple, she plays along or I shoot her...or stab her, either or.”

  “But Shaojin wants her alive.”

  “Technically, he never said that, but I’m sure with the right push, Miss Morgan here will do as we say.”

  Kazar then took out his pistol sword and put the blade against Mia’s throat.

  “Okay Miss Morgan, here’s how it’s going to go. We’re going to take you out of here. I’m sure you know who we work for and if you want to live, you’ll do as we say. Got it?”

  Mia nodded in approval.

  “We’re going to walk out of here side by side and Rezel will follow. If you run or yell or do anything to tip someone off, I will not hesitate to use this weapon on you, do I make myself clear?”

  Kazar removed his hand from her neck and pointed the gunblade at her head.

  “Yes...yes, I understand.”

  “Good, now we are going to get going. I swear if you do anything stupid, I am putting a bullet in that beautiful head of yours and I'll slash your stomach with the blade.”

  Kazar and Mia walked out of the room as Rezel opened and held the door for them. Mia walked in front of Kazar with the weapon poking Mia in the back. As they get to the end of the hall, Kazar removed the weapon from her back and reminded her of what would happen if she tries to alert someone or make a break for it. Kazar and Mia made their way down to the 1st floor lobby as Rezel trailed behind. As they made their way into the lobby, Mia approached the front desk and smiled at the clerk while handing her keys to him. Kazar did the same as Rezel turned up in the lobby. They all walked towards the main doors and exited the hotel. They waited a moment to see if anyone tried to come out after them, just to be sure.

  “Me and Mia are going to catch a Rickshaw, you take another one by yourself and follow us. Got it?”

  “Got it.”

  Kazar and Mia got into a Rickshaw and Kazar told the driver where to go. Rezel got into the other Rickshaw behind them and also told the driver where to go.

  Though it took a while, they finally reached their destination. Both Rickshaws arrived at an open field where an old warehouse stood in the distance. Kazar and Mia got off and Kazar payed the man. Rezel did the same, and the two Rickshaws pulled away.

  “What are we doing out in the middle of nowhere?” Mia asked.

  Kazar and Rezel both laughed before responding.

  “You’ll see soon enough.”

  The three began walking towards the warehouse where Kazar opened the big doors. They went inside and Mia was still confused as to what they were doing there.

  “You’re going to tie me up in here?”

  “We aren’t going to tie you up, and no we aren’t staying here.”

  Rezel then went over to the right side of the warehouse where on the floor was a metal hatchway. He knelt down and opened it. Kazar brought Mia over, and Rezel began climbing down the ladder adjoined to the hatchway.

  “What the-”

  Kazar smiled at her as he pushed her to go next. Mia began climbing down the ladder and Kazar followed after.

  As they reached the bottom, Mia realized they were now in the tunnels.

  “Tunnels?”

  “Yes, these tunnels will take you to any place in the city. Back in the day, these tunnels were used to transport illegal goods to the warehouse.”

  Then they began walking through the long narrow wooden tunnels.

  “Why are they wooden, are they man made?”

  “Yes, the sewer tunnels are below us, but these tunnels were made by slaves in order to transport the illegal goods. The tunnels were also used to transport slaves.”

  They continued walking down the long tunnel for about thirty yards until they took a right. As they turned right, Mia was astounded at what she saw: an open area that has been transformed into a small luxurious palace. The open area was built up of wooden walls with tapestry hanging from them as well as a few red and gold chairs were on the floor. Below them were rugs that looked like they dated back centuries. As they drew nearer to the room, they saw Shin Shaojin sitting in one of the chairs with one of his legs crossed over the other, sipping a cup of tea.

  “Hello Miss Morgan, looks like we meet again after all,” he said and laughed hysterically.

  Chapter 9 - The Age of Pollution

  When I got the call, I ran frantically to the docks as if my legs pumped battery acid and my feet were on fire. The call was simple and to the point, “Ryu, work’s back on so head on over. You might want to get here fast because there’s something you’ll want to see.”

  So that’s exactly what I did, though I didn’t have to take it so literally. To be honest, I didn’t know why I was running so fast. When I woke up, I just felt so full of energy and as though I needed that adrenaline boost, as if I’d been lazy the day before. Actually, I was eager to get back to work, but it was no excuse for why I was running so fast, so I slowed down a bit. I wondered what one of co-workers meant when he said there’s something I’ll want to see. When I got there, I suddenly realized what he meant. The two ships that were docked for Thursday were still here, only now they were up in flames. One of the ships was the very same one nearby which Rafael was found with the hook inside him. Since the authorities told us to leave, the ships had to stay docked until they could be unloaded. One of the other employees, who was second in command for Rafael, told everybody to come down here, but I wasn’t expecting this. He said he got a call from the Captain of the ship who had come down after being told it was safe. Yeah, because it is so safe now.

  The fire was unstoppable by the time I had arrived. According to some of the workers, the Captain made the call to our second in command and no sooner did he make the call, the ships went up in flames. He ran over to them to get a better look and swore he saw cloaked figures jumping off the decks; at least, that’s what he told the authorities. I couldn’t believe it, another few days without work. Normally I wouldn’t mind the days off, but this was getting ridiculous. Yung, the second in command, saw me and made his way over.

  “Hey Ryu, thanks for coming. So, you know I told you we’re back to work and technically, I wasn’t lying, because you’re needed, but unfortunately, it won’t be to get the crates off the ships.”

  “So, what are we going to do exactly?”

  “Help us put out the fire.”

  I soon realized he wasn’t joking as I saw a few small boats with men trying to put out the fire.

  “You’re serious,” I said.

  “Darn right I am buddy; we need all the bodies we can get!”

  “Alright, well, I’ll be more than happy to help.”

  “Thanks, just head on over to the guy by edge of the dock there and he’ll tell you what to do.”

&nb
sp; Well, this was something else. Rather than take the crates off a ship, I’ve become a volunteer firefighter for the first time in my life. I listened to what the man instructed me to do and soon enough, I was on the side of one of the ships along with everyone else trying to extinguish the fire. As we were trying to put it out, a strong poignant odor came over us. I immediately knew the smell as the very thing that I’d been seeing smoked everywhere...opium. Many of the guys were asking one another if they smelt the same thing and they all agreed, though, we didn’t know why we were smelling it. After what seemed like an eternity, we managed to stifle the flames. Both ships were burned pretty badly, but the second one we managed to salvage better. Only five crates survived the fires. When we moved them to the docks, we were told to step back as two more experienced men dealing with fire decided to open the boxes. When they did, we were shocked at what we saw. Four crates were filled with tons of opium. This caused quite a commotion as everyone began talking about the opium inside the crates and everyone was perplexed as to why it was there. Since this was no shock to me, I decided to look elsewhere and looked over at Yung and I could sense that something was on his mind.

  “Well, I’ll be damned...” Yung said.

  “What’s wrong, Yung?”

  “Well, while we found some interesting contents inside the remaining crates, it turns out that the rest we weren’t able to save weren’t even on the ship.”

  “Wait, what? How is that possible?”

  “Simple, whoever the crates were for got some of their own people to remove them from the ships.”

  “How do you know?” I asked inquisitively

  “A guy just called in and said he heard about the fires. Also, said his men were here last night to retrieve the crates.”

  “And it’s not suspicious to you that the ships are on fire the next day and we just so happened to find opium inside some of the crates?”

  “I didn’t say it wasn’t suspicious, what are you saying Ryu?”

  “I’m saying, what if the guy who called you saying he retrieved the crates is the one who started the fire?”

  “Why would someone light two ships on fire after they retrieved the contents from them?”