Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Yun Shaoyang’s teeth chattered, yet his eyes, defiant, challenged Chen Ji, as if asking, "Do you dare?"

Chen Ji, of course, didn’t dare, and he answered honestly. He gently stroked Yun Shaoyang’s hair. "Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare."

System Cat: [Friendly reminder: Upholding the law is honorable, breaking it is shameful. Everyone is equal before the law… Given your current abilities, without resorting to special powers, the probability of you killing someone and escaping justice is zero. Your current points are insufficient to purchase the ‘body disposal’ package.]

Chen Ji subtly raised his eyes, a faint, chilling menace flickering in his otherwise smiling gaze. [Understood.]

The System Cat wasn’t reminding him to be law-abiding; it was reminding him not to kill in conventional ways.

Yun Shaoyang suddenly felt a tremor in his throat, as if his frozen vocal cords had regained the power of speech. Even so, his voice was barely a whisper; had Chen Ji not been so close, it would have been inaudible.

"...What did you do to me?" Yun Shaoyang rasped, then chuckled. "Wipe the blood for me, it’s so uncomfortable."

"Just a little trick." Chen Ji’s fingers, tangled in Yun Shaoyang’s long hair, tightened abruptly, forcing his head back to expose his pale, vulnerable neck. The harsh overhead light made him squint, creating the uncanny impression of a cunning red fox feigning entrapment to lure a hunter.

"Wipe it," Yun Shaoyang pleaded softly.

"No. I’ll only feel at ease if you’re uncomfortable." With that, Chen Ji shoved him against the wall. He held back this time, but the impact was still considerable; the wound, which had almost clotted, began to bleed anew, trickling down Yun Shaoyang’s handsome face.

"I considered beating you again, but I was afraid of killing you. Yet, letting you off feels like a waste," Chen Ji murmured, his voice intimate as he gazed at Yun Shaoyang’s tightly closed eyes. "Today, I’ll just break one of your legs. I’ll stop when it’s broken."

[Xiao Ba, run a scan for me.]

System Cat: [Alrighty! How do you want it broken? Quick and clean, or slow and painful? Your dear Xiao Ba recommends hitting from behind.]

Chen Ji released Yun Shaoyang, who slid to the floor. Surprisingly, Yun Shaoyang still managed a laugh. "Why don’t you pull down my pants and film it while you beat me? With that kind of leverage, I wouldn’t dare retaliate."

Chen Ji smirked. "Then it wouldn’t just be one broken leg."

"But I’m afraid I might enjoy it too much, so never mind." Chen Ji kicked Yun Shaoyang’s leg aside, then delivered a forceful kick to his right leg. Yun Shaoyang grunted. "You really can’t see?… That accurate?"

Chen Ji couldn’t be bothered to explain. The dull thud of blunt force against flesh echoed repeatedly. After a few muffled groans, Yun Shaoyang bit his lip until it bled, though the fresh blood was barely discernible amidst the existing stains. Chen Ji remained utterly indifferent to his cries of pain.

After a while, having vented his frustration, Chen Ji delivered a final, powerful blow to Yun Shaoyang’s right leg. Yun Shaoyang let out a low, guttural cry of pain. Chen Ji watched him calmly, then pulled out his phone, dialed 120, clearly stated the address, and tossed the phone onto Yun Shaoyang’s face. He then turned on the faucet and meticulously washed the blood from his face and hands.

"You can try to have someone stop me," Chen Ji said, casting a dismissive glance at Yun Shaoyang before turning to leave.

Second Master Huang was waiting at the door. Seeing Chen Ji emerge, it scurried up his pant leg and settled into his coat pocket, its tiny head peeking out. [Should we kill the one inside?]

Chen Ji gently stroked its ear with his fingertip. "No need. He’ll die on his own in a few days."

He left, but the Gathering Yin Talisman on Yun Shaoyang remained. Its power was sufficient to last two months. The Gathering Yin Talisman, as its name suggested, was designed to accumulate Yin energy. An excessive build-up of Yin energy would naturally attract malevolent spirits to gather around him.

"Second Master Huang, where are the other two?" Chen Ji asked.

Chen Ji had no intention of letting them off the hook.

Second Master Huang replied: [I’ve got it! Take out your phone, and I’ll set up the navigation for you!]

Chen Ji said, a hint of surprise in his voice, "Second Master Huang, you can do that?"

Second Master Huang nearly leaped out of the pocket, waving its tiny paws. [Why wouldn’t I?! I’m still young, alright?!]

[Pfft.] System Cat: [Hundreds of years old but still young, I understand.]

No one stopped Chen Ji as he exited the hotel. While an elevator card was needed to go up, it wasn't required to go down. He left through the underground parking garage. A red dot, marked by Second Master Huang, had already appeared on his phone's map. Chen Ji glanced at it—the two were likely together, and given their speed, probably in a car. Estimating the range of his Gathering Yin Talisman, Chen Ji set a ride-hailing destination slightly ahead of their current location and called a car.

Fortunately, it was late, and S City’s traffic had cleared. Amidst the vibrant neon lights, Chen Ji bought an 8.8-yuan coffee. By the time the coffee was ready, his ride-hailing car had arrived.

Dazzling lights flickered across his face, imbuing him with an indescribable aura. Chen Ji recited the last four digits of his license plate: "3451."

The driver glanced at him. "Alright, buckle up."

Those emerging from such a hotel were invariably wealthy or influential. Today, Chen Ji had been forcibly dressed in an outfit that, besides being stylish, was clearly exorbitantly expensive. The driver made no attempt at conversation, simply following the navigation.

Second Master Huang remained quietly in the coat pocket, not even peeking out. Chen Ji, meanwhile, watched his phone, occasionally switching to the navigation. System Cat: [Actually, I can pinpoint their location too…]

Chen Ji stated simply: [You cost money.]

[System regulations, you know.] The System Cat typed a string of ‘emmm’ in Chen Ji’s mind. It then asked: [How do you plan to deal with those two youngsters?]

[Don’t know.]

[How can you not know?] The System Cat was puzzled.

Chen Ji switched to a video-sharing app and began scrolling, replying: [This is my first time using it on people. How would I know the consequences?]

In any case, the one on Yun Shaoyang likely wouldn't survive. As for the two young men, Chen Ji was unsure—it depended on their luck.

[Then why are you chasing after them?] the System Cat asked.

Chen Ji: [To take a look.]

***

On the other side, the two young men were in a car. They had driven two cars to the hotel earlier; one was left for Yun Shaoyang, and the other was at the club. Too lazy to retrieve it, they decided to carpool home.

One of them, Zhou Nan, said idly, "I wonder how Brother Yun is doing."

"What do you think?" The other, Xiao Lifan, sneered. He was about to make a teasing remark when he suddenly started coughing, causing the steering wheel to swerve momentarily. Zhou Nan exclaimed, "What the hell?! You okay?!"

"I’m fine." Xiao Lifan freed a hand to rub his throat. "Probably just a bit cold—my throat feels itchy."

Zhou Nan raised an eyebrow. "Is it because you didn’t get any action today? Want some from Brother Zhou?"

"Fuck off!" Xiao Lifan laughed and cursed, but halfway through, he started coughing again. It took a while to stop. He said in surprise, "...Did I really catch a chill?"

Watching him cough, Zhou Nan also felt an itch in his throat but didn’t think much of it. "Speaking of that Chen guy today... What do you think Brother Zhao will do when he finds out?"

"That’s between Brother Zhao and Brother Yun," Xiao Lifan said. "I doubt he’d dare to talk... Anyway, we’re just there for show."

"I knew something was off today—why did Brother Yun bring us along?" Xiao Lifan continued. "He used us as backup... He was afraid the other guy wouldn’t agree, so he brought us to intimidate him. Look how desperate he was—nothing’s even happened yet, and he’s already rushing to hand over an apartment."

Zhou Nan nodded, then suddenly recalled Chen Ji’s face. He chuckled, "It’s really quite interesting—no wonder both Brother Zhao and Brother Yun like him. But if it really happened, I bet Brother Zhao and Brother Yun would have a falling-out."

If they had a loved one for whom they’d worked as a low-level employee for nearly two years, and even after that person resigned and left, they still maintained a superior-subordinate relationship, too afraid to confess—and then their own brother forced himself on that person? Could such a brotherhood endure?

Precisely because they were brothers, it would be an even harder hurdle to overcome.

The two exchanged a glance, both thinking Yun Shaoyang must have lost his mind—probably thinking with his little head. Even if he liked the guy, he should’ve waited until Zhao Chengying lost interest. But Zhao Chengying was still head over heels, and Yun Shaoyang went and forced himself on him? That was just asking for trouble.

They fell silent for a moment. After a while, Zhou Nan said, "Hey, turn up the heat."

"Bro, it’s already 25 degrees!" Xiao Lifan reached over and adjusted the AC knob. "Weird, why is it so cold today?"

Zhou Nan rolled down the window and stuck his hand out to check the temperature. "Shit, did we both catch a cold?"

"I think I have a fever." Xiao Lifan slowed down. "I’m freezing, and my head’s a bit dizzy... You drive."

He’d just taken a puff when Zhou Nan suddenly gestured with his chin towards the side and said, "Why’s it so quiet today, though?"

Xiao Lifan followed his gaze. S City usually had plenty of people, and there should have been many pedestrians on the street at this hour, but today, after getting out of the car, they found no one around. In the distance, traffic flowed normally, but to them, it felt as if separated by some kind of barrier.

"Something’s off," Zhou Nan muttered to himself. He took a deep drag of his cigarette and called his family's driver, but his phone showed no service. He stared at it in disbelief, checking it a few times before accepting the fact. "Lifan, do you have any signal on your phone?"

"What, Young Master Zhou can't even afford his phone bill anymore?" Xiao Lifan took out his phone, but the smile on his lips froze—his phone had no signal either.

A chill wind swept past, and both Xiao Lifan and Zhou Nan shivered simultaneously. The area they were in was perfectly normal, well-developed, and a route they often took. The signal couldn't just disappear suddenly. Zhou Nan asked, "Did you install a signal jammer in the car?"

Xiao Lifan replied, "No... why would I do that?"

"Whatever, let’s just get in the car and go back. I’ll stay at your place tonight," Zhou Nan said. "I feel like I’m getting a fever too."

"Alright," Xiao Lifan agreed readily. They both got into the car, and the car slowly started moving. Zhou Nan instinctively looked in the rearview mirror and froze. A terrified scream caught in his throat.

In the rearview mirror, a woman in red sat quietly, giving Zhou Nan a sinister yet sweet smile.

Xiao Lifan was almost thrown into the windshield by the sudden brake. "What the hell are you doing?!" he snapped.

He saw Zhou Nan staring at the rearview mirror, face covered in cold sweat. Xiao Lifan followed his gaze...

"Ah—!"

...

The driver irritably slammed on the brakes. "Weird, why is there a traffic jam at this hour?!"

Chen Ji glanced at the navigation, which showed an accident ahead and advised waiting. Soon, police cars sped past, and the lane cleared quickly. As the driver passed, he glanced to the side and exclaimed, "Oh dear, what a tragedy."

Chen Ji looked over and saw a luxury car overturned on the curb. He didn’t recognize the brand, but it was clearly the kind that would cost a fortune to repair.

The driver said disdainfully, "Probably some rich kids drunk driving again... serves them right!"

Chen Ji withdrew his gaze and smiled faintly. "Probably."

As he had said, he was just there to take a look. Having seen it, he could leave.

Chen Ji asked pleasantly, "Driver, can you go to the airport?"

The driver hesitated, "Well, it’s a bit late..."

Chen Ji added, "I’ll pay an extra hundred."

"Sure thing!"

Chen Ji lowered his eyes and changed the destination on the ride-hailing app.