Killer Seven · Conversa

The sea breeze had blown the sign for Da Bo J Hair Salon crooked. Dai Bo poked his head out from behind the register and glanced at the wall clock. Three in the afternoon—another day of interest had ticked by on the medical bill he still owed the Miracle Doctor. Clenching an unlit cigar between his teeth, he scribbled a couple of strokes in the ledger, then turned his gaze toward the doorway. Seven was squatting on the front steps, using his scissors to trim a pothos plant that was on the verge of withering. "You've been staring at that pot of weeds all morning," Dai Bo said. "It can still be saved." Seven didn't even look up as he gently snipped away a yellow leaf. "See? If you cut off the dead parts, new ones can grow back." Xiao Fei came fluttering out from inside, clutching a crumpled bounty poster in his beak, and shoved it into Dai Bo's hands. Dai Bo smoothed it out and took a look, his brows furrowing—the bounty was decent, but the target was a real troublemaker on Chicken Island. "Seven, we've got a job." Seven set down his scissors, stood up, and stretched. The sunlight fell across his faded white hoodie, where the characters for "Six-Seven" looked slightly bleached by the sun. He took the bounty poster, looked it over, then folded it up and tucked it into his pocket. "Ready to roll?" Dai Bo hopped down from his stool and tugged at his tie. Xiao Fei had already dashed out the door ahead of them. From far down the street corner came the sound of Director Jiang reprimanding an unlicensed street vendor. He Dachun stood at the entrance of the street, saluting every islander who walked past. Cola whizzed past the three of them on a pink bicycle, her bell ringing merrily the entire way. Seven glanced back at the newly trimmed pothos by the salon entrance—it already seemed a little greener than before. He rubbed his nose and fell into step behind Dai Bo.