What in the—?
A swarm of question marks popped into the tracker's mind. He pulled out his phone, sent a WeChat message, and then walked in casually, as if simply browsing. He spent fifteen yuan for an entry card and pushed open the dressing room door.
A blast of hot, humid steam hit him in the face.
Among several rows of lockers, naked men were walking around, changing clothes, but Huai Shi was nowhere to be seen. All he managed to catch was the rubber curtain leading to the bathing area fluttering slightly—someone had already gone through.
Suppressing his confusion and anxiety, he feigned nonchalance as he opened a locker, stripped off his clothes, and headed toward the bathing area.
When he pulled back the rubber curtain, he saw a teenage boy with a dull expression, fully clothed from head to toe.
He stood there, dumbfounded.
What the heck?
"Why are you following me?" Huai Shi asked directly.
"...What did you say?"
The muscular man's face twitched. He quickly adopted a look of utter confusion, as if he didn't understand at all. Waving his hand impatiently, he said, "Can you move?"
"Sorry, no." Huai Shi sighed, then stepped forward.
BANG!
The tracker's vision went dark. Only then did he hear the heavy thud of a fist smashing into his face. His feet slipped, and he fell backward onto the ground.
"I'm asking you—"
Huai Shi knelt beside him, looking down at his face, and repeated his earlier question, "Why are you following me?"
"Fuck…"
The burly man erupted in anger. He lifted his arm to slap Huai Shi, but as soon as he moved, his vision went dark again.
Huai Shi threw another punch with all his might.
BANG!
Amidst the startled stares of the men in the changing room, Huai Shi grabbed his hair, yanked his head up, and dragged him deeper into the dressing room, brutally smashing his head against a locker.
Once, twice, three times!
A huge dent appeared in the thin metal locker. The man struggled fiercely, but he couldn't break free from Huai Shi's grip.
For the last time, Huai Shi asked, "—Why are you following me?!"
"Go fuck your mother!"
In excruciating pain, the tracker cursed, desperately kicking his legs at Huai Shi. Ignoring his tearing hair, he seized the moment Huai Shi's grip loosened and scrambled up from the ground.
He didn't retaliate, instead bolting straight for the dressing room exit.
BANG! The cheap plywood door shattered. The long spring from the broken doorknob lashed out, leaving a bloody gash on his body.
He nearly slammed into the counter.
Amidst the counter attendant's shocked cries, he grabbed several bath baskets from the counter and hurled them at the teenage boy chasing him. Then, without even a towel, he burst out of the bathhouse entrance, sprinting with all his might.
Huai Shi gave chase. The tables had turned; the hunted had become the hunter.
Now, it was the tracker—butt-naked and shoeless—tearing down the street, with Huai Shi hot on his heels.
He ignored the strange sensation and pain of his bare feet on the pavement, pushing on through the screams of passing women like a wild dog off its leash.
Whether he'd sacrificed his dignity for a burst of strength or found liberation under the gaze of dozens of phone cameras, the man somehow sped up again. Huai Shi struggled to catch him for a while.
He finally ran out of steam and was cornered by Huai Shi in an alley. Gasping for air, he shuffled backward until he realized there was no escape.
"Why are you following me?"
Huai Shi stood at the alley entrance, calmly regarding him. "Are you going to make this easy, or do I have to find the answer myself?"
"I don't know..."
The naked tracker leaned against the wall, gasping, "I... I don't know what you're talking about..."
"Seems like you've chosen the second option."
Huai Shi paused for a moment, then looked up at him. "Honestly, I didn't want to do this."
Suddenly, the sharp CRACK of bones echoed from the alley.
Then, the tracker saw a shadow loom rapidly before him. As a pair of worn leather shoes stomped down, the alley's cobblestones sank, squeezing out foul-smelling sewage. Huai Shi was right in front of him.
BANG!
The tracker doubled over, feeling as if his lungs were about to be expelled from his mouth. His bare feet nearly lifted off the ground, and the arms he'd raised to defend himself were violently knocked aside.
Before he could regain his balance, the descending fist became an open palm, shoving his face backward, further backward, until... BANG! His head slammed against the wall.
He instinctively tried to curl up, but a sudden chill shot through his groin as a foot connected hard between his legs, accompanied by a whistling sound.
A strangled cry tore from his throat. His eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.
"Go to hell!"
His face contorted in agony, he dodged, grabbed a discarded bottle, smashed it, and lunged at Huai Shi's neck with the jagged edge.