old dream

Chapter 82 Rotten Things

"The intersection of South Nineteenth Street and Stasis Avenue, at the end of the fourth lane from west to east."

This address is from Dirty Fingers.One of Capello's leaders is said to have opened a speakeasy there.

Julio was wrapped in a wide cloak, covering his figure and most of his face.She leaned cautiously out of the carriage door, and Colin held out a hand to lift her out of the carriage.

Ricardo and a gunman were already waiting, wearing caps and leaning against the wall.The other two gunmen had already entered the speakeasy, infiltrated the customers and ambushed.

These three gunmen are all "soldiers" looking after Julio.

A few people walked to the bottom of the alley. Colin knocked on a door with a small movable window. The partition was pulled up, revealing only a pair of eyes.

"De Qiao introduced me." Colin said in a low voice.

The eyes in the small window were unmoved.

Colin glanced back, and whispered that somewhat obscene code word.

The door opened.A more complex smell hits the face, a song of desire intertwined with food, alcohol and bodily fluids.

Behind the door were two burly men with sullen faces. They coldly welcomed the four of them in, and then closed the door immediately. The ratchet sound of the lock was low and powerful.

There is also a layer of iron plate inlaid on the door frame, and behind the door is a staircase extending underground, about half a floor deep.When he reached the end, he came across the second door, and a shriveled old man opened it and waved him impatiently to let him in.

The layout of the hall was much better than Colin expected.The bar looks tasteful, but some of the fringe spots use only half-empty wine barrels as tables.There are dim lights dotted here and there, as well as a half-damaged piano.

As a temporary underground place, it is already luxurious.The profits of the bootleggers should be considerable, which is why they have established a fixed base so quickly and are open all night.

Ricardo and the gunman separated separately, and went to connect with the two companions who had mixed into the crowd in advance, to grasp the places that should be paid attention to in this facility.

Colin took Julio and sat down at the bar.The bartender wiped the filth off the bar and emptied the ashtray for them.

"Since you choose to sit here, you can only order high-end goods."

The young bartender said half-jokingly, and raised his chin towards the wine barrels surrounded by a group of people not far away. He had a short beard on his chin:
"If you want to drink the blended wine, you have to sit over there."

"If the customer only orders cheap stuff, will you kill him?"

Colin pretended to be worried, and followed the bartender's joke:

"I heard from the person who introduced us that you carry a .[-] pistol to work all day long, and use the barrel as a swizzle stick."

"It's not that exaggerated." The bartender looked around, and then winked at Colin:
"But it's about the same."

The young man still had the mentality of showing off. He leaned closer to the corner of the hem of his clothes and let the pistol stuck in his belt flash past Colin's field of vision.

Only the thick handle of the gun can be seen, but the model cannot be recognized.

"Cool," said Colin.

People who usually carry guns on their bodies, except police detectives, are lunatics.

But perhaps it is this dangerous and mysterious thrill that makes the middle class feel fatally attracted to them.

Speakeasy bars that require specific codes to enter, consumer products that are prohibited by law, and even the bartenders carry guns with them.It's all low-cost to give the illusion and pleasure of being part of a crime—if you don't run into an unlucky tie-up between bootleggers.

Though to Colin they could only bring boredom.

Julio sat lazily at the edge of the bar, holding a cigarette in his left hand but never lit it, and did not participate in the conversation between Colin and the bartender, looking bored.

But Colin noticed that Julio was just using this to hide his nervousness.The back of her hand was exposed, and she didn't know when it was covered with a thin layer of sweat, and the cigarette paper was also slightly wet.

The bartender seemed a little smug, he thought it was the gun that scared Julieo.

Most of the people present did not realize what was going to happen next.

In the name of ordering wine, Colin kept an eye on the surrounding environment while inquiring about the situation of the tavern.

There are not many choices here, only two kinds of wine, one of which is human drinkable.The bartender wiped the glass and said frivolously, "It reminds you of the happy days before Prohibition."

But it doesn't come in every day, and the quality often fluctuates wildly.

The other is that the worst quality whisky is mixed with water in an unknown proportion, but the degree does not drop too much.Why?The young bartender's face was mysterious.

"Don't ask too much." He pointed to a corner of the bar.

"See those guys at that walnut table?"

Without turning his head, Colin knew who he was referring to.As soon as he entered the hall, Colin was paying attention to the guards.

Not professional, even playing poker all the time.But there is a murderous ferocity about him.

"They are looking for men like you who ask questions. They can beat you to death without a gun, and then throw you into the Seber River." The bartender said kindly.

Colin wisely shut his mouth.

But at the same time, he also thought of the answer:

industrial alcohol.

It's relatively cheap and readily available, but residual methanol is likely to cause poisoning.If you are unlucky, blindness and death are possible.

A glass of normal wine is more than three ore, and the blended wine is also priced at fifty as.

It was a little heartbreaking, but Colin still paid six Ori.Based on the average income, an ordinary citizen's salary for three days.

The bar is full of people who are drunk after drinking low-quality blended wine, and I don't know whether to say that they have big hearts or big lives.

Alcohol seems to be as addictive as drugs, both physically and psychologically.

The difficulty of self-discipline of the bottom-level people and the curiosity of the upper-middle-class people will eventually turn into huge profits.

……

Julieo lifted a corner of the black veil, lowered his head to sip the wine in the glass, and then couldn't help frowning.

The chatty bartender had already walked away to take care of other guests.Because there was still something to do in a while, Colin didn't drink his share.

"How about it?"

"Soapy water mixed with sawdust." Julio said, wrinkling his nose slightly:
"Or anything like it, but it's not like wine."

Colin confirmed in a low voice:

"You know what you're going to say in a while, right?"

"Yeah." Julia agreed in a low voice.

A few days ago, when Julieo asked her to come forward in person, he came up with a plan that he couldn't refuse just by hearing clues that were usually only a few words.

Even to a certain extent, she opened up a new situation for her helpless self.

But it seemed like a flash of inspiration, and she never performed so well after that.

Like a puppet that can be manipulated.

Why did Julieu propose to come forward in person? Colin still hasn't figured it out.

This is not something to ignore.After all, without knowing the motive, it is difficult to determine whether each other has the same interests.

"You're making your situation more dangerous," Colin said.

"Then I might have to be more careful." Her answer was even a little playful.

"Why?"

"Would you be angry if I said I didn't know either?"

At that time, Julio said it ambiguous, as if repeating the mystery of which kingdom:

"Can anyone figure out why they do everything?"

"I've only recently started to realize that I didn't know myself all along," she said:
"I also hope someone can tell me why, after all these thoughts are so disturbing, like everything is disillusioned."

She said slightly bewildered: "Nothing is absolute."

Maybe someone who has just lost their faith will feel the same way.

"Right now, I just know I have to do that..."

Is it to keep the Capello family going?Or to get more out of this thing?Or is it just too stuffy in the apartment to get out and relax?Even in order to put yourself in danger, thereby attracting Arecio's attention?

Maybe all of them, maybe not all of them.More specific reasons, even she herself does not know.

Precisely because there is a strong impulse without knowing the reason, it is the best thing to do at this time.

Intellectually, Colin felt that she should not be trusted.And there are too many uncertainties in this matter.

But I don't know whether it is because of greed for potential rewards, or because of inexplicable sympathy and curiosity.

He began to think again that maybe he could take the risk.

…………

The dilapidated piano in the corner was played, and three keys could be vaguely heard broken, and there were occasional discordant sounds in the melody.

The blushing performance was unveiled on a stage not far away, and the crowd erupted into violent and sleazy cheers from time to time.Julio didn't look in that direction, just lowered his head and sipped the contents of the cup, even if it was terrible.

"I saw my uncle just now." She said with slightly clouded eyes, but there was no trace of drunkenness in her voice:
"He's right here."

Colin looked in the direction she indicated, and in the shadows about ten meters away, a middle-aged man with a big belly was lying on the recliner, with many hot women in his arms.

It was originally a certain Capello's site, so it was not surprising to meet someone familiar to Julio.

Julio drank his wine, let go and lowered the corner of the black veil with the flower ornaments, as if he was reminiscing:
"Uncle is one of the rare people who doesn't hate me for being a waste. He has always been gentle with me. I thought he was a kind person by nature, much better than other beasts. Not long after Nevio died, he said to me thanks."

"I think what his thank you meant was that if it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be as comfortable as he is now."

Julio said these words with an unknown emotion in his eyes.

At this time, Ricardo came back. He had just learned about the situation from several gunmen, and he possessed and told Colin everything.

Colin pondered for a while, then tapped the bar with his fingers, signaling the bartender not far away to come over.At the same time he turned sideways to Julieo and said:
"It seems that he is your earliest audience."

(End of this chapter)