334: Chapter 334 The Way of Killing, Resonance of the Soul

Seeing the spoiled food on the table, Xiao Sa's heart felt as if it were being tightly clutched.

He knew very well that because his mother was blind and had limited mobility, she mainly relied on him to support her.

During the three months he was locked up in the detention center, how could the meager amount of money left at home possibly be enough?

He could almost imagine how his mother usually split a single meal into multiple portions to eat.

In the darkness and loneliness, she must have suffered countless hardships to get through these ninety-plus days and nights.

A massive wave of guilt and heartache surged into his heart like a tide.

Xiao Sa abruptly turned his head away, not wanting his mother to notice.

He fiercely wiped away the damp heat at the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand, but those disobedient tears still breached the dam and flowed down between his fingers.

Li Guifen did not know her son's thoughts, and simply rambled on:

"A-Ren, although working on cargo ships can make money, it's too hard and too dangerous."

"A few days ago, Mom asked Aunt Wang next door to ask about a few jobs for you; although they are all physical labor, their advantage is stability."

She paused, lowering her voice even further, carrying a hint of a cautious, consultative tone:

"It's mainly moving goods in the dock warehouse, or going to a construction site to swing Dachui. What do you... think?"

In fact, Li Guifen also knew that her son lacked education, had no proper background, and was dragged down by her, his blind old mother; trying to find a decent job was as hard as ascending to heaven.

Therefore, she spoke very tactfully, fearing that she would hurt her son's self-esteem.

Listening to his mother's words, Xiao Sa felt a myriad of mixed emotions in his heart.

He forced himself to perk up, fiercely wiped his face, and said with a smile:

"Mom, I earned quite a bit of money from working on cargo ships this time. In a couple of days, I'll take you to a big hospital to get your eyes checked; maybe they can be cured!"

Li Guifen waved her hand, her voice carrying a hint of a resigned calm:

"My eyes have been like this for so many years, I gave up hope long ago. Whether I can see or not, life goes on just the same."

"As long as you are safe and sound, find a stable job, stop fooling around like before, and bring back a wife, Mom will be completely content in this lifetime."

Having experienced so many things and endured three months of torment in the detention center,

Xiao Sa yearned for stability more than ever before, and yearned to let his mother live a good life with dignity.

He swore inwardly and nodded solemnly:

"Mom, don't worry, I know what to do."

The mother and son talked for a while longer, mostly with Li Guifen giving instructions and Xiao Sa responding alongside.

The night gradually deepened.

Seeing a look of fatigue on his mother's face, Xiao Sa persuaded her:

"Mom, it's getting late, go and rest first. I'll take a bath and go to sleep too."

Li Guifen nodded and groped her way back to the inner room.

Xiao Sa fetched a basin of cold water in the main room, took off the brand-name casual jacket gifted by Secretary Liu, revealing a body covered in purplish-blue bruises.

He simply scrubbed off the blood stains and sweat on his body, and changed into his old clothes from home.

Afterwards, he lay down on another creaking wooden board bed.

With his eyes open, he stared blankly at the large patches of mold spreading across the ceiling due to the moisture.

His mind was in a mess, thinking about all sorts of things.

From Chen Chen's cooperation proposal to that unfathomable expert, and then to his mother's expectant gaze...

Scene after scene flashed before his eyes.

He also tossed and turned in bed for a long time, finding it hard to sleep.

But ultimately, he couldn't resist the exhaustion and fright of the past few days, and his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Soon, even and slightly heavy snoring sounded.

Xiao Sa and Li Guifen's rooms could not be considered two independent rooms; they were only separated by a thin cloth curtain in the middle.

The house was silent, with only the varying breathing sounds of the mother and son rising and falling in the cramped space.

In the distance, a few feeble barks of stray dogs occasionally came over, adding a bit of desolation to this silent night.

I don't know how much time had passed.

A figure appeared silently inside the house.

In the darkness, the newcomer's pair of eyes were frighteningly bright, faintly glowing with a bloody red light.

A few wisps of cold moonlight squeezed in through the gaps of the old, tattered curtains.

It happened to illuminate the white mask on his face, ferocious and terrifying, resembling an evil ghost.

The figure lifted the curtain, walked to Xiao Sa's bedside, and looked down, gazing at Xiao Sa, who was snoring loudly and sleeping completely defenselessly.

The gaze behind the mask flickered slightly.

It seemed as if he was hesitating about something, or perhaps weighing the pros and cons.

"Cough, cough—"

From behind the cloth curtain next door came Li Guifen's slight cough.

The figure's shoulders shuddered, and his movements instantly paused.

A moment later, that trace of hesitation in his eyes gradually vanished, ultimately turning into calm.

He did not disturb anyone; with a sway of his figure, he silently retreated from the room again.

Just like when he appeared, abrupt and mysterious.

The night in the urban village always appeared exceptionally quiet.

The low houses were interlocking like dog teeth, and the narrow alleys crisscrossed like a web.

A figure stood quietly in a dark street corner, resembling a ghost fused into the night color.

"Whew..."

Fang Cheng gently exhaled a breath of turbid air, raised his eyes to look at the continuous, brilliant lights in the distant night sky.

Even in the deepest night, the center of the city remained bustling, noisy, and unceasingly merry.

Forming a sharp contrast with the dilapidation and darkness of the area beneath his feet, it felt like two completely different worlds.

Fang Cheng withdrew his gaze and shook his head slightly.

In the end, just like Ma Donghe, he hadn't been able to make a murderous move.

Originally, he could indeed have easily taken his life in the other person's sleep, completely eliminating this potential hidden danger.

But when he sneaked into that dilapidated room, heard the conversation between Xiao Sa and his mother, and saw the scene of the two relying on each other for survival.

An inexplicable emotion touched a soft corner in Fang Cheng's heart.

Although this punk had a tarnished record, he possessed a sincere filial piety towards his blind old mother.

This reminded Fang Cheng of his own mother.

Slaughter was not a difficult matter.

But because of killing a target who still possessed human nature, making his elderly and blind mother spend the rest of her life in despair.

It seemed... a bit excessive.

It was close to indiscriminate killing of the innocent.

The path he wanted to walk in his heart was definitely not like this...

"Woof... Woof woof..."

A few subtle dog barks came from deep within the alley, interrupting Fang Cheng's train of thought.

His pair of eyes, still as sharp as a falcon's in the night, swiftly swept across the crisscrossing streets and alleys around him.

He saw that at both ends of this alley, a few figures wearing masks and duckbill caps were hiding.

They squatted stealthily, their gazes frequently casting towards the dilapidated house of Xiao Sa's family.

A fierce glint flashed in Fang Cheng's eyes.

His figure swayed slightly, and like a shadow melting into the dark night, he quietly vanished from his spot.

A moment later.

A few faint muffled groans, along with the "thud" sound of heavy objects being thrown onto the ground, successively rang out deep within the alley.

The sounds were short and suppressed, quickly scattered by the wind.

In this silent late night, they appeared exceptionally abrupt, yet quickly returned to silence.

As if nothing had ever happened.

About half an hour later, in the remote suburbs.

Inside an inconspicuous van, the rear seats had been folded up, leaving a large open space.

Four men wearing only shorts, bruised and battered, and covered in blood stains, were forced to kneel on the floor of the carriage.

Large patches of tattoos were exposed on their bodies, depicting painted dragons and tigers, looking menacing.

Yet at this moment, there was no trace of their usual arrogant aura; they were each shivering like a sieve, their eyes filled with terror.

Resembling weak and helpless lambs facing a ferocious beast.

Fang Cheng was still wearing that white mask, sitting casually on a nearby seat.

The red gemstones embedded in the eye parts of the mask flickered with an eerie red light under the dim light inside the car.

Like a life-claiming fiend returned from Hell, it made these punks who fought and slashed people on the streets year-round even more terrified.

"You, what is your name? Tell me about your background and identity?"

Fang Cheng reached out and pointed at the punk kneeling in the first position on the right-hand side.

That punk was tall and thin, already scared out of his wits; being pointed at so abruptly by Fang Cheng made him almost piss his pants on the spot.

He stammered and opened his mouth, seeming to want to answer.

But due to fear, his throat could only emit "uh-uh" sounds.

Fang Cheng frowned slightly, impatiently raised his hand, and slapped across.

"Slap!"

A crisp sound.

The punk screamed miserably, his body falling backward as if struck by a heavy blow, slamming into the wall of the carriage.

Clutching his highly swollen cheek, he retched and spat out a mouthful of bloody foam mixed with a few broken teeth, whimpering and begging for mercy in his mouth:

"Big... Big boss... I... I..."

Unfortunately, his mouth leaked air, and his head seemed to be dizzy from the slap, unable to even speak clearly.

Fang Cheng watched, somewhat speechless, and sighed.

He had only gently touched him, yet the other party couldn't endure it.

So he waved his hand again, kindly helping him out.

That punk let out another short cry of pain, then completely passed out and quieted down.

Fang Cheng turned his gaze to the second punk, who was short in stature with a dagger dropped by his feet.

"You speak."

That person had long since been scared out of his wits; witnessing his companion's miserable state, his body trembled even more violently, and for a moment he couldn't even speak.

Fang Cheng frowned again, extended his hand once more, and pinched that person's shoulder.

Snap!

A teeth-aching sound of bone cracking was clearly audible.

"Ah—"

The thin punk let out a shrill scream, and cold sweat instantly covered his forehead.

This single move completely shattered the psychological defense lines of the remaining two men.

Seeing this, the other two punks were scared into Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, scrambling to shout:

"I'll talk! I'll talk! Big boss, spare my life, I'm willing to say anything!"

"It was Brother Chen, the boss of the Red Tiger Gang, who sent us..."

Especially the man with a scar on his face, who behaved even more actively.

He wished he could strip away the inner underwear of the mastermind behind the scenes and tell everything to this demon in front of him.

Fearing that if he were even half a beat slower, the next one whose bones were pinched and broken would be him.

Fang Cheng's masked face showed no expression at all; only those ruby-like eyes still flickered with an icy cold light.

In the interrogation that followed, he quickly figured out the whole story.

These four punks were indeed sent by Chen Chen to keep an eye on Xiao Sa.

Originally, although Chen Chen had reached an intention of cooperation with Xiao Sa on the surface,

but being naturally suspicious, he did not completely trust this middleman.

He worried that Xiao Sa would leak the contents of tonight's conversation or pull some tricks behind the scenes.

That was why he sent these subordinates to secretly monitor every move of Xiao Sa.

Once any abnormal behavior of Xiao Sa was discovered, or contact with other suspicious personnel, they were to report immediately.

When necessary, they could even directly "dispose" of Xiao Sa.

Of course, these four punks did not know the specific details of the cooperation between Chen Chen and Xiao Sa.

They merely received a call from Secretary Liu and acted on orders.

Having listened to the confessions of these punks, Fang Cheng understood clearly in his heart.

Since those sent to keep watch were merely unrated ordinary punks, rather than well-trained pursuers like those from the Noah Organization,

This showed that Chen Chen, to a certain extent, indeed harbored disloyalty toward the Noah Organization.

At least, he did not want to expose the matter of his contact with "Mr. Assassin" to Noah.

Otherwise, the ones appearing here at this moment probably wouldn't be just a few small fry who weren't even qualified to serve as fodder for Fang Cheng.

However, this also precisely proved Chen Chen's craftiness and caution.

He both wanted to utilize this knife of his and was unwilling to bear too much risk.

Seeing Fang Cheng remain silent, those punks thought this masked demon was going to make a killing move.

They wailed and begged for mercy even more, making all sorts of oaths and swearing that they had elderly parents above and young children below, and were just trying to eke out a living.

Fang Cheng turned a deaf ear to these people's pleas for mercy, having his own calculations in mind.

Killing a few small minions who had no power to fight back had no meaning other than slightly venting desires.

After a brief pondering, Fang Cheng spoke coldly:

"Want to stay alive?"

Hearing this, the three conscious punks frantically nodded like chicks pecking at rice.

"Go back and tell Chen Chen."

Fang Cheng's voice was low, carrying not the slightest bit of emotion:

"Since you want to cooperate, bring out some sincerity and honestly handle things according to the rules."

"I am the type of person who detests those who don't follow the rules; don't play these unrated petty tricks behind my back."

"This time, I can pretend as if nothing happened. If there is a next time..."

"Snap!" A crisp sound.

The armrest of the seat beside him snapped in response and was tossed in front of the punks.

A chilling Killing Intent suddenly exuded from Fang Cheng's tone:

"I will personally go to the Yuanchen Group building and have a good chat with that fellow surnamed Chen."

That icy, bone-chilling Killing Intent, even through the mask, made the three punks feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave, the hairs on their bodies standing on end.

They nodded and bowed repeatedly, swearing oaths to bring the words back completely intact.

Fang Cheng paid them no more attention, opened the car door, and tossed them out like garbage.

Then, the van emitted a low roar and swiftly vanished into the night.

As for how these punks would get back to the city center from the suburbs to report to Chen Chen, they could figure it out themselves.

The hustle and bustle of the city gradually faded away, and the night wind swept past with a hint of coolness.

When Fang Cheng returned to the Tubular Building, pulled out his keys, and opened the door, the lights in the living room were still on.

Mother Li Biyun was sitting on the sofa, holding a worn-out recipe book in her hand, seeming to study something.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, she immediately raised her head, a smile blooming on her face:

"Chengcheng, you're back? Are you tired from studying?"

As she spoke, a faint fragrance of porridge drifted from the kitchen.

"Mom, why haven't you gone to sleep yet? Didn't I tell you that you don't need to wait for me?"

Fang Cheng changed his shoes, a hint of helplessness in his tone.

The wall clock already showed past 11 o'clock.

"It's fine, I'm used to working in the hospital; at this hour, I still can't fall asleep."

Li Biyun stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

"Seeing that you've been studying hard lately, Mom boiled some sea cucumber and millet porridge for you. It nourishes the stomach, replenishes blood, and boosts immunity. Hurry up and drink some while it's hot."

Fang Cheng felt a warmth in his heart.

His excuse for sneaking out to handle matters was going to a nearby study room to study, preparing for the upcoming postgraduate entrance exam re-examination.

Because the study atmosphere there was good, with many postgraduate exam candidates, they could exchange experiences with each other.

His mother believed this implicitly and always racked her brains to take care of him in daily life.

Looking at his mother's busy back in the kitchen and that bowl of steaming millet porridge on the table,

in Fang Cheng's mind, the scene in that dilapidated small house suddenly flashed past.

He thought of Xiao Sa, and that blind old mother who similarly paid silently for her son.

Two completely different families, two mothers who equally loved their sons deeply, at this moment, seemed to produce some wonderful resonance and overlap.

"Mom, don't stay up late waiting for me in the future; it's bad for your skin and prone to wrinkles."

Fang Cheng picked up the porridge bowl and said softly.

"I know, you talk too much."

Li Biyun smiled and reproached him playfully, the faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes smoothing out due to the smile.

"Hurry up and drink, rest early after finishing."

After finishing the porridge and chatting casually with his mother for a few sentences, Fang Cheng washed his face and feet, and returned to his bedroom.

Closing the door, the room instantly fell silent.