Opium Warfare Read online

  “I just wanted you to know that I took care of that issue you were having on the other side of town. In fact, I think things will start to pick up in no time and, soon enough, it will come to this side of town and...”

  “And nobody will see it coming,” Shaojin said with a wide smile.

  Rezel laughed before taking some opium himself.

  “Ah, Rezel, where will you be going on your opium journey?”

  “The battlefields, boss, just like you as a warrior.”

  “Ah, the good life, the good life indeed.”

  The two men leaned back without a care in the world or any trace of concern on their minds. At the hotel, Kazar had just checked in to a room and saw that Mia Morgan had also just arrived. He watched her vigilantly and kept his distance as he followed her. She went up one floor to her room and stopped to look around. Kazar hid behind the corner wall to avoid being seen. Mia turned her attention back to her door and opened it to make her way in. Kazar turned the corner and began walking down the hall. As he got to the last room on the floor, which was Mia’s, he stopped in front of it for a moment and decided to walk back down the hall into the lobby. He walked towards the front desk.

  “Pardon me, but, which room did you say I had again?”

  “Room 201, sir, on the second floor.”

  “Right, thanks. I’m so forgetful sometimes,”

  Kazar made his way back to the second floor to get into his room. As he was about to insert his key, he saw Mia come out of her room. He stopped for a second to look over. Just as Mia turned towards his direction, he made his way into his room. He sat down on the bed and picked up the receiver of the telephone to make a call.

  “Shaojins Enterprises, Dahlia speaking.”

  “Dahlia, it’s Kazar. Tell Mr. Shaojin I’m checked in at the Astor Hotel and my room number is 201, if he needs to reach me.”

  “Okay, I’ll let him know.”

  “Oh, and Dahlia? Do it later; right now is his opium time.”

  “Wait, how did you-”

  “When you work for Mr.Shaojin as close as we do, you get to know his schedule.”

  Dahlia hanged up the phone, went into Mr.Shaojin’s office, and saw Rezel and him laying on the floor.

  She ran over to them and found that not only were they alright, but their eyes were wide open and they were smiling.

  “Mr.Shaojin...”

  “Dahlia! How dare you disturb me! What is the meaning of this?”

  “I’m...I’m sorry, sir, I thought you and Rezel were injured, but I see now that you aren’t, I apologize.”

  “Hmm...I see. Well, as you can tell we are fine, just in a state of wonder, my dear. Now, was there anything else you needed?”

  “No sir, just that Kazar called to say he’s checked in at the Astor Hotel, he’s in room 201.”

  “Ah, very good. Thank you Dahlia, that’ll be all.”

  Dahlia made her way out of the room and sat down still shaken from being yelled at by Mr.Shaojin.

  “Why did you send Kazar to the hotel?”

  “A business matter, my dear Rezel, but no worries about that, let us go back to the battle against the Mongolians.”

  “Sure thing, boss.”

  Chapter 3 - Venom on the Docks

  The blade came from an angle that made contact with the neck, slicing the head straight off the body. And then I woke up. It was the third day in a row I woke up from the same dream. The fascination of my grandfather’s death had truly made its presence felt as of late, why? I don’t know. As I rose from my bed, I remembered that today was Wednesday, which meant that it was time to go back to work. I had a job as a dock worker down by the East Bay area where I unloaded and loaded cargo ships. It was a fairly simple job, and the best thing about it was that I only had to work twice a week. My boss, Rafael, was a cool guy who never got on my case. I put on a clean shirt and some junky old pants that I usually wore during my work days. There was no point in getting cleaned up since I was going to get dirty anyways. As I went to get my shoes by the window, I looked out and noticed a fight taking right outside my building. Great, another argument outside my building. I grabbed my shoes and sat down on my bed and put them on. I thought about how the day would go hoping for an easy shipment and, who knows, maybe, I could stop by Chao’s for my break. The boss loved Chao’s sandwiches, always making me go uptown to get us some grub. I didn’t mind, and it was well worth it. I hoped I could go, so I could pay Chao another visit; last time I saw him, he seemed tense because of those two odd ball looking guys that were there.

  I grabbed my black jacket from the coat rack. Yes, a young man like me had a coat rack and an elegant looking one at that. My mother insisted I take it when I moved out, I didn’t object, I just didn’t see the point of it seeing as I only had three jackets. I guess she probably assumed they would end up in a pile on my floor and she wasn’t wrong, but they didn’t stay there like that for too long. I went into the ice box and grabbed a bottle of milk. I figured I had to get something in my stomach before work. As I stepped outside my apartment, I looked down the hall and saw an American man banging on one of the doors furiously. As I walked by another door right before the stairs, I realized it was open and I just turned my neck and peeked inside. I saw two people laying on a dirty blue rug with their eyes wide open. I glanced back at the end of the hall, just before letting my foot out of the apartment complex, to see the man still pounding heatedly on the door. He looked over at me and gave me a dirty look, and I just made my way down the stairs before he decided to pound on me for no reason at all, which would have seemed very likely. As I got out, I wondered what that man was there for. I didn’t exactly know my neighbors all that well, but this was the first time they ever had a guest banging on their door and rather vigorously might I add. It wasn’t my concern though, so I made my way down the street and off to the docks.

  I wondered what they were arguing about. I know it wasn’t my concern, but I just couldn’t shake it off. Oh well, if it was serious, I’m sure I’d hear more about it when I would return back home. It took me about 10 minutes to get to the docks. Sometimes, it took me between 10 and 15 minutes depending on how things were. As I got there, I noticed a bunch of dock workers near the ship, which was already docked and ready to be unloaded. My boss was among them, but when he saw me, he made his way towards me.

  “Well, hello there, Ryu Sunshine.”

  He always called me that and to this day, I haven’t the slightest idea why.

  “Hey Rafael, early shipment, huh?”

  “Yeah, all the way from Singapore, big time fish catch.”

  “Fish? On a Wednesday?”

  “Yeah, apparently they caught a storm over there and a bunch of fish were just washed ashore.”

  “So, that means we unload them and take them to the market?”

  “Eh, we’re just unloading them, we aren’t allowed to take them to the market.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s for a special client, probably some honcho like Shin Shaojin.”

  “Shin Shaojin...”

  I suddenly remembered the name as the guy who wanted to buy Chao’s place and the name on the card I found underneath the table at the deli.

  “Oh yeah. Shin Shaojin owns half of Shanghai. Always in on big time deals like this, and runs a major corporation.”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard the name, I just didn’t realize he was so important. I mean, I don’t really follow politics and all, you know?”

  “Psh...I guess, but you don’t have to follow politics to know who the guy is. He’s having a huge building built somewhere in the center of town.”

  Then it hit me. This guy wanted to buy Chao’s building and Rafael said it was going to be somewhere in the center of town. Suddenly, it all made sense.”

  “I take it he made an announcement if you know about it? Last time I was at Chao’s there were two guys talking with him. They were associates of Shaojin’s. Chao told me Shaojin is trying to buy his buildi
ng, maybe that’s where he wants to build his building.”

  “You don’t say? Well, I certainly hope not! I love Chao! If he goes out of business, I’ll be crushed.”

  I realized within seconds I managed to ruin Rafael’s mood, but I decided to tell him the good news, “Yeah, but don’t worry, Chao said he isn’t selling the place.”

  “You don’t know Shin Shaojin very well then, kid. When he sets his sight on something, he usually gets it. He doesn’t back down from anyone or anything. Personally, I’ve never liked the guy, but, hey, I grew up here before things went to shit and he walked around like he was the shit.”

  “Hmm...maybe that’s why his guys made me feel unsettled.”

  “Don’t let my opinion of the guy get to you, Ryu. All I’m saying is that the guy isn’t all he’s cracked up to be. Enough talk though, get your ass over to the ship and start helping us unload.”

  I laughed and sprinted over to the ship and began unloading.

  There were well over a dozen crates and then some. I looked over and realized that the guys had unloaded an actual dozen of crates to the dock.

  “How many are here exactly?” I asked a fellow worker.

  “Thirty-five crates.”

  I shook my head and got back to unloading. We finished unloading within a couple of hours, and I was beat. We had finished just before lunch time, but I could only imagine what awaited us afterwards.

  “Great work guys, great work! Ryu, how about you and I go to Chao’s and pick up some food for the guys?” Rafael said.

  “Sounds good, boss, but how come you’re going with me?”

  “Cause I want to talk to Chao about this whole moving business. I want to make sure for myself that he doesn’t plan on going anywhere. Yung is a supervisor, so he can watch everyone while we’re gone.”

  Hence, Rafael and I went just down the street a few blocks to the center of town to go to Chao’s. We were discussing the shipment today and I told him how we hadn’t unloaded that much cargo in a long time. He laughed and said that I’m young enough to handle it. Rafael was like me, he grew up in this town and remembered the small things that gave him the most enjoyment. Perhaps that’s why he had such animosity for Mr.Shaojin. As we got to the center of town, it felt as though it suddenly got quieter. I don’t know how to explain it, I mean, compared to how it was just a few minutes ago on the other block, things just got so much quieter. Rafael and I got to Chao’s and, to our surprise, the place was closed.

  “What? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “That’s odd. Chao’s never closed on a weekday,” I said.

  “He’s not selling the joint, huh?”

  “I’m sure there’s a more logical explanation as to why he’s closed.”

  Unsatisfied with my answer, Rafael began banging on the door. I was suddenly reminded of this morning back at my place when that American was pounding on the door of an apartment.

  “Rafael, what are you doing?”

  “What’s it look like I’m doing? I want to know if he’s really closed.”

  I peeked through the window and noticed that it was dark, but could still make out just enough of everything inside. However, I didn’t see Chao or anyone else in there.

  “Rafael, it doesn’t look like anyone is inside. Let’s just go somewhere else. I’ll come back here later or tomorrow and see if Chao will be open then.”

  “But I want...err...fine, kid. I just don’t get it. The man’s been here for years and not once, not once, has he ever been closed in the middle of the week.”

  We started walking back where we came and decided we’d get some food at another place near the dock. I told Rafael I would catch up with him as I wanted to check out the back of Chao’s place. I went to the back alley of Chao’s deli and didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but I felt the need to at least come back here and see if I could find any clues as to why Chao was closed. I went up to the back door on the side of the building and thought I heard what sounded like people talking. I couldn’t make out what was being said, but it sounded like people talking, alright. I wasn’t sure who was inside, so I decided it would be best not to knock on the door and to return to the docks. I had just turned out of the alleyway when I heard the back door of Chao’s open. I quietly walked to the edge of the wall of the building next to me and peered a look around the corner.

  I saw a scruffy looking man with a torn gray shirt and ripped pants. He had on black shoes and a dirty wet rag sticking out of his pant pocket. He wiped his nose with his forearm and began walking in a small circle from where he stood to the door at about a four feet distance. He then stopped, wiped his nose again, then looked out into the alleyway, and opened the door to go back into the deli. While my mind began racing as to who I think I may have seen, I quickly rebuffed my thoughts as wild tales and thought that perhaps it was just a worker of Chao’s. Sure, he seemed out of place and a bit strange, but how else could I explain a man coming out of the back door of Chao’s deli? I carried on until I met up with Rafael at a food stop just before the dock.

  Rafael and I returned to the docks with about four bags worth of food. As we approached the rest of the crew, I noticed the next ship has just come in. It was about the same size as the other ship and appeared to be carrying the same type of crates, which meant it likely carried the same shipment of goods...fish.

  “Can you believe it? Chao’s closed.”

  Rafael was rambling to one of the crew members about how Chao’s was closed.

  As we began eating our food, Chang, the supervisor, told us that, while we were gone, the ship that had just docked did in fact carry more crates of fish. There were well over 50 crates of fish...on each side of the ship.

  “One hundred crates of fish? There’s no way this is from Singapore.”

  The captain of the ship came up to Rafael with some papers and he signed them. He then shook his head and seemed rather unhappy.

  “Unbelievable. One hundred and fifty crates of rice, herbs, and ginseng.”

  “Ginseng?”

  “Yep. This is the first time I’m hearing of this too. If I had to guess, I’d say there’s fifty crates each of foodstuff on that ship.”

  “Well, at least they aren’t heavy as if a body was in them. Where is the ship from?”

  “Says all the products here are from India and Mongolia.”

  “Mongolia?”

  “I’ve been working on these docks for a little over 20 years and in all that time, I have never once unloaded any crates of herbs and ginseng, and no shipment has ever been from Mongolia.”

  Rafael seemed bewildered, but it wasn’t his job to second guess or question what was inside the crates. As far as he was concerned, our job was to unload them and send them off to where they were supposed to go.

  “Alright men, let’s start unloading all these damn crates, and get a move on it!” Rafael exclaimed very sternly.

  “Boss, where are these crates going?” a dock worker asked.

  “We are to unload them and you will stack them up against the wall over there. After that, someone is supposed to be coming by to pick them all up. If I have to guess, I bet it’s that smug bastard Shin Shaojin for whom this is all for.”

  Sometimes, when he spoke with such language, you’d completely forget Rafael was Chinese. Then again, when you’ve worked on the docks for as long as he has, it’s bound to rub off on you somehow. No sooner did the words leave his lips, someone offered a response.

  “As a matter of fact, good sir, the crates are for me. What was it that you just called me? Sometimes, I’m a bit deaf in one ear.”

  “Mr. Shaojin...I-um...I apologize. I didn’t realize you were-”

  “You didn’t realize what? That I was here? That I would be making an appearance on your docks? I am quite sure of one thing, your tongue could get you in quite a bit of trouble if you continue to say such things.”

  “I’m sorry Mr.Shaojin.”


  I was shocked. First at the fact that I was seeing the infamous Shin Shaojin right before my very eyes and secondly, I couldn’t believe that Rafael just clamped up like that and apologized so quickly.

  “Now the reason I am down here is because, given that this is a rather large shipment, I was making sure it all got here as it should be. Also, I don’t suppose you have an idea as to how long it will take to get it all off the ship, do you?”

  “Well, it took us a few hours to unload thirty-five crates earlier and there’s 12 of us, so-”

  “I care not for how long it took you then, nor do I need a lesson in mathematics you ignorant fool. I asked if you have an idea of how much longer it will take.”

  “Four hours.”

  “Four hours? Unacceptable.”

  “Well, you wanted a time and I gave you one, but the thing is, I don’t take orders from you, you’re not my goddamn boss. Now, if you want the crates on time and even earlier, then how about you let me and my men do our job, huh?”

  Shaojin’s expression turned from angry to amused as he laughed before speaking. “My, my, haven’t we gotten a little ill-tempered? Calm down. You have your men take their time and have the crates out at your earliest convenience.”

  Shaojin looked Rafael right in the eye without blinking for a second as he spoke to him. He then looked around at all of us and then his eyes shifted to me. He and his men then started walking away, but not before he stopped, turned around, and approached Rafael one last time.

  “I don’t believe I caught your name.”

  “It’s Rafael.”

  “Ah, I see. Well, Mr. Rafael, I am sure you can get everything taken care of, and if you ever get in my face and raise your voice to me again, I’ll cut that tongue of yours out myself, shove it down your throat, and hang you on a hook like a fish. Are we clear?”

  Rafael did nothing except grin keeping, his mouth shut.

  “That’s a good boy. My men will be back in five hours. I trust you’ll have everything done by then. Gentlemen, let’s go.”