OldBoy 2/4

—You have to be kidding — said Marie, noticing the smiles on Ethan and Joe's lips — you basically ate the same thing every day, couldn't it be that bad or could it?Joe rolled his eyes and replied:— Try to eat the same food ten times a week and then tell me how you feel after twenty years.When he said this, he couldn't help but feel disgusted at the thought.— And were they always the same, never changed? —asked Marie, her eyes lit up.Joe nodded.—Not at all, its flavor was exactly the same.Hearing what he said, Marie quickly pulled out her mobile phone.— If so, we can search for Chinese restaurants that have been in business for more than two decades —she said, excited, they finally had a trail to follow. — There shouldn't be many. If we find the restaurant that gives you the food, we can find the place where you were incarcerated.—But only if that place still exists —Ethan commented, cautiously.—Definitely still exists —Joe grabbed the back of the chair — because he was not the only one incarcerated there, he could hear the voices of some people.Ethan looked at him in amazement.— Was there more with you?—Yes —said Joe, clenching his teeth — The person who brought me food was pushing a cart down a long hallway, there must have been more prisoners because I could hear them every night, the pain and despair of many until they collapsed or went crazy.Marie, who was still searching her phone, exclaimed:—We are doing the right thing, not just for you, Joe, but for all the people who are incarcerated there.Joe watched curiously as Marie skillfully surfed her phone.— Can you do all that with a mobile now?Ethan slapped him on the shoulder.—Of course. Technology has advanced very fast. You have missed too many things.Joe smiled sadly.—I have seen many things on television, but I did not expect the world to change so much. I have no idea what my little Mia will be like now.Soon after, Marie showed her phone screen.—I have reviewed, and there are not many Chinese restaurants over twenty years old. There are only a few dozen in New York, most in Chinatown.In the following days, several ancient Chinese restaurants in Chinatown received visits from three private clients: two men and one woman. All three asked for dumplings, tested them, paid the bill, and left.Ethan, standing next to the trash can, watched as Marie patted Joe on the back, who made vomit sounds from time to time. When he finished vomiting, Marie offered him a bottle of water. Joe dried his mouth with a tissue, panting.—We go to the next place —he said, with determination.Later, they arrived at another Chinese restaurant. Ethan looked at the sign.—Hotel-Restaurant the Golden Dragon —read aloud.They went in and sat in a corner. As always, they asked for dumplings.The waiter, who took note in his notebook, saw a pale and somewhat serious Joe, and hurried to go to the kitchen to order.Soon after, the waiter brought them a plate of dumplings.—Enjoy —he said, with a smile.—Thank you —Marie replied, while giving Joe a fork.Joe took a dumpling, took a deep breath, and put it in his mouth. After chewing a few times, Marie handed him a handkerchief. But Joe did not spit out the dumplings. On the contrary, he began to chew them faster and faster, his eyes shining and his hands moving eagerly.Before long, his mouth was full of dumpling. Joe looked at Ethan while he was still chewing, but Ethan said nothing. He just took a couple of chopsticks and tried one.—It has chives and pork filling, with a little mushrooms. She's pretty good —she commented, looking at Marie.Marie also perked up and took a dumpling.—Not bad —he said, nodding.Taking advantage of the time to eat, Ethan called the waiter.—Hello, do you need anything else? —asked the waiter.—Yes, bring me a package number 1 and two packages number 3 —Ethan said pointing to the menu — ah and three coke.The waiter quickly took note.—Very well sir.—By the way, our office is nearby. Do you have home service? — Ethan replied, smiling ——Sorry, our business for now has no service. But you can call and come pick it up —explained the waiter, with a smile — You know, we have an old client who has been ordering food here for over thirty years.—Okay, thanks. I'll think about it —Ethan replied, closing the menu, giving him a $ 20 bill in hand when passing the — menu. That's it.The waiter retired with Ethan's tip, happy.After he left, Marie took Ethan's hand.— What did he say?— And what did you discover? —asked Joe, nervous.— It seems that we are in the right place. They have a client who has been ordering food to pick up here for over thirty years —Ethan said, looking at his watch —. It is almost dinner time. Let's eat and wait for who comes in a big order.The dishes Ethan ordered came quickly. He tried a piece of meat with the chopsticks.—Doesn't taste so bad huh —Ethan added, gently hitting Joe's hand with the chopsticks —. Joe, Chinese food is more than Joe dumplings.Joe pretended to eat, while his mind was elsewhere.Marie, meanwhile, enjoyed the food without reservation.After they finished eating, Ethan paid the bill. At the reception, there were several large bags of yellow paper, filled with boxes of takeaways.Just as Marie broke a fortune cookie out of boredom, the restaurant door opened.A tall man in a black suit and a cigarette in his mouth came in.— The usual? —asked the man, while taking the handle from the paper bag.—Yes, it is correct —replied the receptionist, nodding.—Charge it to the —account, said the man, as he picked up the paper bag and was preparing to leave.Ethan lightly kicked Joe, who was about to move, and then threw the car keys at Marie before following the man alone.Ethan followed him to the restaurant door and saw the guy in the suit next to a black Cadillac SUV, placing the takeout in the trunk of the car. He slowed down, waiting for the back door to close, and then continued on his way, synchronizing his movements.Walking towards the driver's door, the man opened the door and dropped heavily on the seat. He closed the door with a sharp knock and settled in, exhaling as he reached out for the keys. Just then, the passenger door slammed open, breaking the calm inside.Outstanding, the man turned his head quickly, his body tense, and his eyes panicked. Before he could react, a cold pistol pressed firmly against his waist. The frozen metal took his breath away, and his hand, which was heading toward his ribs to reach for something, stopped dead.His body stiffened, motionless. He felt the weight of the threat on his side and understood that any attempt at resistance would be futile.Without looking sideways, he closed his eyes and said in a trembling voice — Listen, I don't know what you want from me, I have a couple of hundred dollars in my wallet, you can take it with you.Ethan did not speak at first, keeping the gun firmly pressed against him. Then, with the other hand, he reached under his ribs and pulled out a USP pistol. After feeling his waist and finding a dagger dagger, he stopped.—Put your hands on the wheel. I'm going to ask you a couple of questions and you're going to answer, if you tell me what I need you know, you can leave unscathed.The man nodded quickly, pressing the wheel with both hands.— What's your boss's name? What are its physical characteristics? How many men do you have—I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a security guard for a company. This is the lunch I brought for my colleagues.—Incorrect answer.Ethan held the leather case with his knees, took out the dagger, and nailed it to the man's thigh.— Damn it! —screamed, holding on tightly to the wheel.Ethan removed the dagger. —Open your eyes now and look down.The man obeyed and looked down. The gleaming dagger blade was dangerously close to its crotch.— Do you need me to repeat the question?—Chaney, his name is Chaney, a thin but athletic complexion with dark skin and wearing glasses —he said quickly, terrified — We are more than twenty on the team. You have no chance, just give up.—This has nothing to do with you. Now tell me about the security measures and think carefully about what you are going to say —Ethan pressed the dagger lightly.—If you cooperate, I promise I will not kill you and see that you can continue using it. You understand?The man, feeling the throbbing pain, completely gave up on resisting and explained the whole situation in detail.Satisfied, Ethan put the dagger away, pulled out the phone, and made a call. —Get out and follow this black Cadillac SUV outside. Come on, drive.Joe and Marie arrived quickly and got into the car. Ethan cocked his gun while holding the subject hostage. Under his command, the man drove the vehicle through the streets of New York to an industrial area surrounded by large factories.After reflecting for a moment, Ethan called again and asked Marie to stay outside to watch as he and Joe entered. Despite Marie's protests, she gave in at Ethan's insistence.When they arrived at the scene, the subject pressed a button on his remote control and the roll-up door opened slowly. Ethan lowered the window, leaning forward, aiming his M1911 and USP weapons at the man. With no choice, he drove in.Once inside, the door slowly closed behind them. The car stopped and an annoying voice echoed in the hallway: — What's wrong, asshole? Why did you take so long today?Ethan got up quickly, leaning out the window with his M1911 pistol ready in his hands. At the end of the hall, a man in a suit was sitting behind a desk next to a forklift. Noticing that something was wrong, the man tried to hit an alert button next to him.— Bang!Ethan pulled the trigger without hesitation. The bullet penetrated his head, ripping off a piece of skull and scattering a plasma ball against the wall.The cigaretteer tried to escape the car, but Ethan didn't give him time, he could only open the door, the USP in his other hand spat fire, and several bullets hit him, knocking him to the ground.Calmly, Ethan put on a translucent mask and gloves purchased in Chinatown before opening the vehicle door. He confirmed that there were no cameras in the hallway and approached the man who was still writhing on the floor. He sighed and said: —I told you, if you cooperated, it wouldn't kill you. Why don't you listenThe man did not believe Ethan's words. Denying with his head, Ethan raised his pistol, aimed at his head, and pulled the trigger.— Bang!Ethan put the gun around his waist, leaned over and took the man's remote control before raising the door again. Joe appeared at the entrance and Ethan lowered the door once more.—Joe, leave them and come here —Ethan said, glancing at the corpses.Joe, with a sick expression and a slight trembling in his hands, nodded silently. Ethan, always practical and calm, opened the trunk of the Cadillac with a firm movement. Inside was a bag of takeout. Without further words, he took out the bag and handed it to Joe.—Take —Ethan said, as he watched the surroundings quickly — There are cameras in the elevator. You have to change your clothes for that of one of these subjects.Joe looked down at the ground, where the bodies lay unconscious, their clothes still stained by the sweat and blood of the previous encounter. Ethan continued, in a low but firm voice.—They only have one guard guarding the entrance —he added, staring at Joe —. I don't think they suspect someone has infiltrated. They are off guard.Joe swallowed, his hand trembling slightly upon receiving the food. He knew it was his only chance, and although the situation weighed on him, he had no choice but to follow Ethan's plan.Joe held the food while covering his face. —Don't worry, I know what to do.After a few minutes Joe was ready, in the driver's suit Ethan killed, Seeing him, Ethan nodded, and pressed the button on the freight elevator and hid while Joe was stepping firmly toward the elevator. A soft mechanical sound indicated that the elevator was going up slowly and then stopped.Ethan waited in silence, with the gun and the dagger in his hands, prepared for whatever came. Minutes later, she heard Joe's voice from the elevator. —It's me.Ethan lowered the gun and entered the elevator with Joe. As the elevator went up, Ethan checked his gun magazine.— Did you take care of the subject above?Joe nodded, a few drops of blood on his suit. The elevator stopped, and when the doors opened, they kept moving forward. At a table next to the elevator, a man in a suit rested with his feet on the table, a monitor next to him and a magazine in his hands. Unfortunately, he didn't have a chance to continue reading when a hammer brutally hit him.— Where are we going now? —Joe asked, watching the scene.Ethan kept walking down the hall quickly. —The central control room. The boss here is called Chaney. He monitors the prisoners from there.As they advanced, they could hear desperate screams behind some doors. Finally, around the corner, they encountered a man dressed in black. Ethan, without wasting a second, threw his dagger, which was embedded in the man's throat, traversing it causing him to fall to his knees while trying to stop the blood that was draining from his neck.After Ethan passed the man, he took out the dagger and cleaned it in his clothes several times. Then he quickly ran to the stairs.He went up another level and came to a door.The two looked at each other, and Joe knocked on the door.—What the hell is going on with you, why don't you feed my pets? they're starving, you fucking lazy. - I exclaim a voice from inside the room, and then the door opened.Joe went through her at lightning speed, his fist hit the face of the person inside hard. His glasses broke and the person who opened the door passed out without saying a word.Ethan raised his gun and ran in. Looking around, there was only one person inside.After Joe locked the door and locked it, Ethan put down the gun and looked at the person lying on the floor.He was wearing a haute couture black suit, with an elegant scarf tucked into his upper pocket. His head was well shaved, this had been the man who had watched him for over 20 years. Joe pulled a table from one side and threw everything on it.—Help me lift it —Joe told Ethan.After the two of them turned Chaney face up on the table, Ethan looked into the central control room. The luxurious interior desk was in front of a monitoring wall with more than twenty monitors carefully arranged on it.Among them were more than a dozen surveillance images, in which some people slept inside and others looked like zombies.Next door, there were several tall cabinets and plenty of equipment for unknown purposes. The cabinets were full of all kinds of information.Joe's voice screamed:—Ethan, give me your dagger.Ethan turned around and found that Joe had taken Channing's coat and pants off. He used his coat and pants to tie Channing firmly to the table, leaving his head hanging in the air and exposing his neck.After looking at Chaney, who was unconscious, Ethan took the dagger out of the leather case from his waist and handed it to Joe.—Don't call me by name.—Sorry.Joe took the dagger, timidly apologized, and then walked to the middle desk and had a cup of salt to go and a permanent ballpoint pen.Ethan asked curiously:— What are you going to do?—Do what I'm supposed to do.After Joe responded, he raised his hand angrily and hit his mouth.With a snap, Chaney's eyelashes trembled and she slowly opened her eyes.Immediately afterward, he took another blow and screamed in pain, desperately struggling.— What happened? Who are you?Joe put his hands on his knees, leaned his head forward, and then slowly removed the soft mask. He looked at Chaney with enthusiasm.—Damn, you haven't forgotten who I am, have you?Chaney looked at the pale man in front of him, and his pupils shrunk violently. Knowing that resistance was useless, he said rigidly:— Look who we have here? my little pet returned to find its owner.Joe squinted and then slapped Chaney twice in a row, causing him to become disoriented for a few seconds.After Chaney shook her head, she clenched her teeth and said:—Come on let go of me, man against man, come on.—Don't be in a hurry, I'll play with you for a while —Joe took the dagger out of the leather case and hit the tip of the knife with his finger, making a crisp sound. With the ballpoint pen I outline a line through his throat.— What do you want to do?Chaney shook her body violently, but it was useless. He quickly turned his head to look at Ethan.—Hey, who are you? Tell him to stop quickly, and maybe you have a chance to get out of here alive.Ethan was rummaging through the boxes and casually replied:—I am nobody. This man worked hard to find you, you should focus on persuading him.— Damn you bastards, listen to me! —exclaimed Chaney, desperate — I'm just a manager, understand ?! This business didn't start with me, and it won't end just because I'm not here. As long as there is hatred and interests, there will be people doing this kind of thing.—What you said makes sense —Ethan turned around and looked at Joe —. Why are you standing there? do it now, I'm tired of hearing your damn voice.Amid Chaney's screams, Ethan opened a cabinet door. His eyes lit up. There were two AR-15s inside.Ethan quickly grabbed the two weapons off the shelf, feeling the solid, familiar weight of the AR-15s in his hands. With efficient movements, he pulled the chargers out of each rifle, watched the bullets lined up in the magazine. They were fully charged, ready for action.Next to the weapons was a thick bundle of bills, which at first glance was equivalent to between twenty and thirty thousand dollars. Without thinking, he took a couple of bundles and put them in his pockets, with this he could pay Job the favor, then grabbed the two AR-15s and stood up.Ignoring the curses of, Joe was carefully cutting the meat off Chaney's neck with the tip of the knife. Ethan looked at the surveillance screens, his eyes fixed on one of the monitors, and quickly took a few steps at the end of the line. In a small room, a long-haired woman, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts, curled up at the end of the bed, watching television with empty eyes.— Nola?Ethan looked at the monitor in shock. After rescuing Rebecca, at the casino I saw her here again. Unexpectedly, this proud heiress of the Kinaho tribe was caught and imprisoned here, Ethan thought with a smile.—Take your time and get the information you can, I'll be out for a while.Ethan prevented Joe from pouring salt on Chaney's neck and handed him an AR-15.Joe took the gun.— Where are you going?Ethan pointed to the monitor behind him.—I'm going to rescue a damsel in distress.Joe shook hands in shame and dropped the salt.Chaney yelled:— What do you want, damn?Ethan slapped Chaney on the shoulder and said:—Don't leave it so easy.Amid his curses, Ethan opened the door and left. Joe closed it from the inside with a click.Not knowing the specific room where Nola was detained, after going down the stairs, she walked down the hall and came to a door with an old latch.He simply raised his hand and tugged on it to open the door easily, but from the inside it would be as difficult as going up to heaven.Ethan opened the door, and inside was a surprised man.Before his horrified eyes, Ethan weighed the rifle in his hand and casually said:—You are free.Then he continued to advance.It wasn't until seven or eight doors were opened that someone stuck their heads out of the room, fearing it was a trap.At that moment, a harsh sound was heard and the alarm went off.Only then did the inmates react and flee in a hurry.—Did a guard discover one of the bodies? —Ethan thought, shaking his head as he opened another door.Nola appeared in front of him, her hands on her knees and curled up at the foot of the bed.Seeing Ethan appear at the door, Nola clenched her fists and took a defensive posture.It seems that she has not been detained for a long time and still has the energy to resist.— Who are you? —Nola asked urgently.The mask covered Ethan's face, hiding his features under a haunting shadow. She looked at him suspiciously, keeping her reservations before the masked man. In the distance, rapid footsteps began to be heard approaching, the echo of boots echoing down the hall. Without saying a word, Ethan pulled his USP from his waist and extended it to him.—Follow me if you want to live.