Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 567 - 565: Smile

"Before Huang Yuanwei died, I made a special trip to take a look at him."

The youth smiled. "I disguised myself with makeup, wrapped myself up tightly, and impersonated an overweight, middle-aged man coming to see a doctor. I casually crossed the narrow corridors, brushing past doctors and nurses who hurried by.

"Taking advantage of the moment I passed the doorway of a ward, I glimpsed inside through the crack of the door with the corner of my eye, without looking directly. I watched him lying on the hospital bed, his throat tense and eyelids drooping. He was clearly conscious but trapped within his paralyzed body, desperately trying to wiggle his fingers to signal his condition to the doctors and nurses.

"I had thought I would be very nervous, trembling. But unexpectedly, as I watched the dying Huang Yuanwei, my heart was without ripples, like watching the last domino teetering on the edge, devoid of any sense of accomplishment from a plan realized, or the joy of revenge. It was just like when I usually design and make Goldberg Machines; after completing the cold logical calculations, the result is entirely as expected, without surprises."

The youth thought for a moment, then added, "For me, revenge isn’t the ultimate goal. Its main purpose is to make me a bit happier, a bit more relaxed. Just thinking about you unredeemable scum, still walking proudly under the sun, hiding among crowds, enjoying your beautiful lives—I feel a bit uncomfortable.

"I don’t want to see you live out your years in peace, passing away without illness. I don’t want to rage impotently from the shadows, silently cursing that your evil deeds will meet with evil ends, praying for divine punishment from all the gods and buddhas. For evil to triumph, it only takes good men to do nothing.

"Therefore, I’ve expended a great deal of time and energy learning, training myself, mastering skills, and taking matters into my own hands, all to let my thoughts flow freely again."

The old woman’s already ancient and ugly face became even more unsightly due to overwhelming fear. Her teeth chattered. "You... you can’t do this! Zhang Deping, Tong Yongguang, Ren Fa, Zhao Haining... they escaped punishment! They never went to jail; they got what they deserved! I’m different. I’ve served ten years in prison. I have already repaid my sins..."

"Sorry, that’s what you think."

The youth shook his head indifferently. "Most ordinary people in this world are normal and kind. But there are always a few exceptions—those who don’t possess even the most basic empathy for the pain of others. They create pain, enjoy pain, and for profit, they can erase their humanity, committing all evils. Their very existence is synonymous with ’evil’ itself. The tears they shed in court are not of remorse, but purely fear of death and regret for being caught.

"Punishments and the misery of prison cannot make them repent. Every night and day, trapped in their cells, they look up at the ceiling. Their minds aren’t filled with thoughts of contrition and atonement, but with the tear-streaked faces of the victims they saw while committing their crimes. They replay these memories, savoring that instant of holding the power of life and death over others, and are genuinely grateful for human rights and law. Grateful that, like a cancer, they can continue to exist in this world."

He continued calmly, "You are one of those people. I can dispose of others as I please, but for you, I must create a sufficiently premium ending. I waited a year after your release from prison, coldly observing your life. I hoped you would live well, preferably happily. Only then, when I finally end your life, can you also feel the pain of having your happiness wantonly destroyed.

"I don’t know if it’s fortunate or unfortunate, but you haven’t lived happily this past year. However, since a year has passed, I don’t want to wait any longer. What if you died prematurely? Then I would be devastated. The greatest sorrow in the world is wanting to provide care when loved ones are no longer around."

Perhaps sensing the calm murderous intent in the youth’s indifferent statement, the old woman burst into tears, pleading, "Xiao Qiang, just let me go! I wasn’t the one who threw you into the river! It wasn’t me..."

"Mom, how could you forget," the youth laughed, "I’m not Xiao Qiang."

"What..." The old woman’s mind paused for a moment. She stared hard at the youth’s face, and it took her a moment to realize. Her expression of despair was instantly replaced with spite. "It’s you! I raised you for four years! I raised you like my own son for four years! And this is how you repay me!"

The youth shook his head. "Heh, at this point, let’s not play the ’my dear son’ drama. My parents sold me to you for money when I was three. During the four years I was with you, you simply hadn’t found a good buyer yet. After all, I was smart and good at playing the fool.

"Hmm... actually, I wasn’t *that* precocious. If I had stayed by your side, I might have needed another year or two to slowly understand my situation, and then I would have tried to kill you. What a pity. You and Uncle Hou were being pursued, and you threw Xiao Qiang, who wouldn’t stop crying, into the river. He drifted with the current, flailing in the water, his head bobbing up and sinking down like a ladle."

A look of serious recollection appeared on the youth’s face. "Xiao Qiang was my best friend. I bit your hand, broke free, and jumped into the river with him. You thought we were dead, but we weren’t.

"On the contrary, I rescued Xiao Qiang from the river and dragged him to shore. Afraid you’d chase us, I ran towards the mountains, only to get lost. Starving, desperate, and helpless, I met a little girl who was visiting She Mountain with her family. From her, I begged for a packet of cookies. I’ll never forget the taste of those cookies—even though she’s forgotten all about it."

The youth sighed, his emotions complex. "Xiao Qiang should have been standing here today. But his health was poor; he was afflicted with a serious illness and died in the orphanage. Sometimes I hate myself for not working hard enough to become a doctor sooner.

"Anyway, it must be fate. You were released from prison one year ago—exactly on the anniversary of his death."

The youth stood still with a smile as plant tendrils slowly emerged behind him, writhing wildly like Medusa’s snakes, casting dense shadows in the sunlight, inch by inch extending towards the old woman.

"Murder! Help!!!" the old woman screamed in terror. But the riverbank was deserted; only the slightly chilly morning wind and the flowing stream made any sound.

She turned and tried to flee, twisting her bulky body and stumbling away. But before she could get far, a vine lashed out and looped around her ankle. With a THUD, it pulled her down. Despite her streaming tears and snot, and her fingers frantically clawing at the grass—nails peeling back, bleeding profusely—she couldn’t stop herself from being slowly dragged backward...

Finally, only the youth remained by the riverside. He closed his eyes, took a deep, smiling breath of the fresh suburban air, then slowly exhaled.

The sunlight continued to laze across the land, as if it hadn’t witnessed the preceding horror.

***

"Divination for human traffickers?"

In the restaurant, Bai Haozheng, dressed in a suit and looking broodingly handsome, pushed away his dinner plate. Though he had clearly finished eating, the leftovers were still artfully arranged. He sighed with resignation as he looked at Wei Linglan and Chu Ying seated at the dining table.

He picked up a wet wipe from beside the plate and meticulously wiped his slender, pianist-like fingers. Then, he leaned back and gently pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose with his middle finger. "I mean, I am an Apex Intelligence Analyst, after all. If you don’t respect my profession, at least respect my hourly rate. Don’t come to me every time a kitten or puppy goes missing."

"We can’t help it! Little Zhu is still in quarantine, so we had to come to you," Chu Ying clasped her hands together, tilted her head, and winked at Bai Haozheng with a deliberately cute yet mischievous glint in her eyes, which seemed to shimmer. She had used a skill called ’Electrifying Glare’, so they were quite literally emitting light.

"..."

Bai Haozheng shook his head helplessly. He reached for Qi Lianxiang’s photo on the table, closed his eyes, and contemplated for a few seconds. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and said with solemn gravity, "The person in the photo is no longer in this world."

"No longer in this world?" Wei Linglan instinctively stood up. "What does that mean? Is she dead?"

"It’s hard to say." Bai Haozheng put down the photo, frowning deeply. "I can’t divine her past, present, or future. Her life seems to have been forcibly erased by someone midway through. Either she was involved in some abnormal event of extremely high Mysterious Degree, or a deity expended a great amount of Divine Power to interfere with her trajectory."

He looked at Wei Linglan and Chu Ying seriously. "What exactly have you gotten yourselves into?" he asked gravely.

Wei Linglan instantly remembered what Wang Fengnian had said yesterday about Qi Lianxiang living in a tent. Without time to explain, she grabbed her phone and made a call.

Minutes later, several black luxury cars sped out of the Special Affairs Bureau headquarters, racing towards that street.

THUMP.

The car door opened.

Wei Linglan’s shoes tapped on the brick pavement.

The sunlight cast her shadow into the alley.

Ignoring the whispers of the onlookers gathered around the black cars, she walked forward at a measured pace.

A breeze lifted the corner of the tent, revealing nothing but empty space inside.

***

"Teammates? Where are my teammates? Someone help me?!" Miss Chai wailed from the sofa where she was engrossed in her phone game. She wished she could dive into the game and affectionately wring her teammates’ necks.

CLICK.

The door pushed open, and Li Ang walked in, dressed in sportswear. He casually closed the door behind him and quietly poured himself a glass of milk.

"Back from your morning run?" Miss Chai looked up at Li Ang, who was leaning against the table drinking milk, a hint of confusion in her eyes. She had a nagging feeling that something about Li Ang had changed...

"What’s up?" Li Ang turned, set down his glass, and smiled. "Why are you staring at me?"

"It’s nothing..." Miss Chai tilted her head, shrugging indifferently. "It just seems like your smile is much more relaxed."