5: Chapter 5: The Sanhe Gods, a tribute to our inevitable demise.

The run-down little restaurant only had two small tables inside.

Jin Er and the others skillfully pulled out a folding table and set it up in front of the shop. After placing a few stools, accompanied by the smoke from the charcoal fire and the constant flow of voices, it created a comforting, vibrant atmosphere of everyday life.

When the skewers arrived, they hadn't ordered much meat, so the group didn't say a word and immediately wolfed down the meat skewers first. It wasn't until only some vegetables and empty sticks remained on the plate that the pace slowed down.

Jin Er took a sip of the spicy Erguotou, let out a long "Ha," and squinted at Lin Ning: "Come on, man, don't just stuff your face. We've got the liquor, so what about your story?"

Lin Ning was feeling stifled, so he figured he might as well tell it. Tales of the world are meant to be shared, and the original owner's miserable experiences were perfect appetizers for drinking.

"My dad tricked me into guaranteeing a usurious loan for him, then he cleaned out all the money in the house and ran off with some young girl!" He said it through gritted teeth, as if he wanted to chew up this absurd story along with his drink and swallow it down.

"Whoa~~~" Jin Er, Xu San, and Zhang Shitou chimed in unison. Their tone was theatrical enough for the stage, yet their faces remained calm, as if they were hearing something as mundane as "steamed buns went up in price today."

Lin Ning: "..." This reaction felt like punching a cotton ball.

Zhang Shitou chewed on some smashed cucumber and mumbled comfortingly: "Don't mind it, we've got a pretty high threshold. In this neck of the woods, your story... is just the teaser trailer at best. Keep going, keep going, let your big brothers see if the main feature is any good."

Lin Ning let go of his inhibitions, treating it like a stand-up routine: "Later, I did something even dumber. I maxed out every online loan I could find, robbing Peter to pay Paul. And the result... well, look at me now."

Hearing about the "online loans," the three men were finally moved. Their expressions were complex, and they looked at Lin Ning as if he were a spendthrift.

"The debt collection calls blew my contact list to smithereens..."

"My sister secretly slipped me money, and my mom dragged her sickly body out to wash dishes for people..."

"The promotion that was right within my grasp got snatched by some dog, and then they turned around and kicked me out like trash..."

"When I got home, my girlfriend of four years was clutching the arm of some pot-bellied pig, pulling a suitcase and telling me to say goodbye..."

"Finally, the debt collectors came to splash red paint on my door, and the landlord just threw my luggage out on the street..."

Lin Ning downed his drink in one gulp. After rambling about these miserable events, his heart felt strangely lighter. The only thing he left out was that, in the end, he had died. And then he arrived.

As for the original Lin Ning—a burden, a drag after his parents remarried—he died in a car accident. A life despised by others, ending just as abruptly.

In the end, two scarred souls merged into one. He continued his life, and he took over his existence.

Too horrifying; not suitable for drinking.

The three brothers listened, returning to their "who cares" expressions, sipping their drinks, occasionally chiming in with "Tsk," "Damn," or "And then what?"

Seeing that Lin Ning had stopped, Jin Er tapped the rim of his bowl with his chopsticks, making a crisp sound.

"Listened to it all. Let me summarize: You're unlucky to have such a shitty father. But the root cause isn't you, get it? So, you're alright."

Xu San continued, waving his greasy finger in a circle: "Know why we didn't feel a thing? Look around, Juma Bridge! Your problems are like cigarette butts on the ground here; you can't even sweep them all up. See that over there? Sister Hua—her story is ten times more tragic than yours, and she still sings and dances just fine, doesn't she?"

Sister Hua, a fixture of Juma Bridge, dressed in a way that... could only be described as bizarre. She didn't care if people hit her; she was always happy.

Zhang Shitou gave the closing statement: "Remember, nothing matters except life and death. Even if you die, you won't know anything anyway, so it's even less of an issue, right?"

The core philosophy of these three brothers—that "dying is fine too"—was beautiful and powerful.

Jin Er and his friends listened to Lin Ning's plight just to let the little brother vent. Soon, their conversation drifted to broader horizons.

About how someone worked themselves to death raising three kids, only to find out none were his, and he was kicked out with nothing...

About how some girl was forced into prostitution by her husband, caught a disease, and was thrown out to wait for death...

Lin Ning listened, dumbstruck. Any one of these bizarre stories would have exploded on the internet, but here, they were just common topics for the guys to drink to.

This was indeed a magical place.

With blurry, drunken eyes, Lin Ning scanned the street. At least a quarter of the people had red names, though the red was mostly so faint it was hard to see.

These people were at most petty thieves, the kind who would get criticized and educated if they went inside. The worst of them might just be guilty of solicitation or prostitution.

But given the density of it, how could you not call it impressive?

After a few more drinks, the topic veered from international politics to the ultimate destiny of humanity. Lin Ning's brain was soaked in alcohol and feeling a bit dizzy, so when he heard them discussing "whether humans can break through their own limits," he couldn't help but chime in.

"What's the point of breaking through? For example, if someone could foresee others' life and death, could they ever be happy? Whether to save them or not becomes their responsibility—how much pressure is that, damn it?"

Zhang Shitou smirked, revealing teeth yellowed by smoke: "See, you're still a kid. There are plenty of people in this world who see someone dying and don't help—how many of them do you see losing sleep? Even if you're a good person, why agonize over it? Did you cause the person to die?"

Jin Er let out a drunken hiccup and slowly delivered the finishing blow: "To take a step back, even if you know they're going to die, can you save them? Are doctors not impressive? They die all the same when it's their time. You're just a passerby. Do you know when an accident will happen? Where it will come from? How can you prevent it? Humans—the only thing set in stone is death. Everything else? It's all bullshit!"

Lin Ning froze, as if struck on the crown of his head by a bolt of lightning.

Yeah, he wasn't even sure where he would be eating tomorrow, so by what right could he decide the life and death of others?

That heavy, self-imposed moral shackle shattered with a clang, smashed to pieces by these rough-around-the-edges yet incredibly sharp words.

His whole body instantly felt lighter. Looking at these three "clear-headed" men living with such absolute transparency, a surge of heroic spirit mixed with the alcohol welled up inside him.

He suddenly raised his glass and roared at this chaotic and vibrant world: "Come on! A toast to this goddamn inevitable demise of a life!"

"Cheers!" The four glasses collided heavily, splashing liquor everywhere.

...

After drinking his fill, Lin Ning lost his initial cockiness and his urgent impatience.

A few days passed. He didn't see any grey names again, but he did find two more red-name targets.

[Zhang Chaoyang, Retired Civil Servant] — Deep red. After following the old man home yesterday, he hadn't come out since, leaving Lin Ning unsure of how to proceed. He even suspected that corruption was more likely than espionage.

[Zhang Li, Unemployed] — Deep red. This was the target Lin Ning was currently following.

He had discovered Zhang Li on a street near a famous university. The man had just come out of a coffee shop, and Lin Ning caught him right in the act.

Zhang Li was in his forties, looking cultured and refined, with the demeanor of a university professor. But he wasn't just a red name; he was also listed as unemployed. This made things interesting.