Chapter 77: Not a Single One Gets Away

Yun Shaoyang’s teeth were chattering, but his eyes glared defiantly at Chen Ji, as if challenging him: You dare?

Of course, Chen Ji didn’t dare, so he answered honestly. He gently stroked Yun Shaoyang’s hair. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t.”

System Cat: [Friendly reminder: Obeying the law is glorious, breaking it is shameful. Everyone is equal before the law… With your skills and without using special abilities, the odds of you killing someone and escaping punishment are zero. You don’t have enough Points right now to redeem the Body Disposal Package.]

Chen Ji glanced up slightly, his smiling eyes holding a subtle menace. [Got it.]

The System Cat wasn’t reminding him to obey the law—it was warning him not to kill in a normal way.

Suddenly, Yun Shaoyang felt his throat move. His vocal cords, which had been frozen solid earlier, seemed to regain the ability to speak. Even so, his voice was faint. If Chen Ji hadn’t been leaning in so close, he wouldn’t have heard it.

“…What did you do to me?” Yun Shaoyang asked hoarsely. Then he smiled faintly. “Wipe the blood off for me. It hurts so much.”

“Just a little trick.” Chen Ji’s fingers, tangled in Yun Shaoyang’s long hair, tightened instantly. Yun Shaoyang’s head was forced back, exposing the pale, fragile line of his throat. The overhead light made him squint, giving off the vibe of a big Red Fur fox pretending to be trapped in order to lure the hunter closer.

“Wipe it off,” Yun Shaoyang murmured, his tone almost pleading.

“No. Your discomfort puts my mind at ease.” With that, Chen Ji slammed him against the wall. He’d held back this time, but it wasn’t gentle. The wounds on Yun Shaoyang’s handsome face, which had nearly clotted, split open again and blood trickled down once more.

“I was thinking of beating you some more, but I don’t want to kill you. Letting you off easy feels like a waste, though.” Chen Ji gazed at Yun Shaoyang’s tightly shut eyes, murmuring like a lover. “Today, I’ll just break one of your legs. We’ll stop when it’s done.”

[Xiao Ba, scan him for me.]

System Cat: [On it! How do you want to break it? Quick and clean, or slow and painful? Your beloved Xiao Ba recommends going from behind.]

Chen Ji released Yun Shaoyang, who slid to the floor. He could still manage a laugh. “Want to pull down my pants, film a video while you do it? That way, you have leverage and I won’t dare retaliate.”

Chen Ji gave a mocking smile. “Then it wouldn’t just be one leg.”

“But I’m afraid I’d enjoy beating you too much, so never mind.” Chen Ji kicked Yun Shaoyang’s legs apart with his foot, then stomped down on his right thigh. Yun Shaoyang let out a muffled grunt. “Can’t you even see? …That accurate?”

Chen Ji ignored the question. The dull thuds of flesh striking flesh echoed one after another. After a few grunts, Yun Shaoyang bit his lip. He bit so hard that blood spotted it, though it blended in with the rest and wasn’t noticeable. Chen Ji didn’t care whether he screamed in agony or not.

After venting enough, he slammed his foot down hard on Yun Shaoyang’s right leg. A low, hoarse cry of pain escaped Yun Shaoyang’s lips. Chen Ji watched him calmly, pulled out his phone, and dialed 120. After giving the clear address, he tossed the phone onto Yun Shaoyang’s face. Then he turned on the faucet and washed the blood from his face and hands.

“You can try getting someone to stop me.” Chen Ji shot him a sidelong glance and walked out.

Second Master Huang was waiting right outside the door. When Chen Ji emerged, he clambered up Chen Ji’s pant leg and into the pocket of his jacket, poking his little head out. 【Should we kill the one inside?】

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

Chen Ji left, but he didn’t remove the Gathering Yin Talisman from Yun Shaoyang. Its power would last two months. As the name implied, the Gathering Yin Talisman drew in Yin Qi—and too much Yin Qi naturally attracted to gather around him.

“Second Grandpa, where are the other two?” Chen Ji asked.

He had no intention of letting them go.

Second Master Huang replied: 【I’ve got their locations marked. Pull out your phone and I’ll navigate for you!】

Chen Ji said in surprise, “Second Grandpa knows how to do that?”

Second Master Huang nearly leaped from the pocket, waving his tiny paws. 【Why wouldn’t I?! I’m still young, you know!】

[Pfft.] System Cat: [Hundreds of years old but young. I get it.]

No one stopped Chen Ji as he left the hotel. You needed a card to take the elevator up, but not down. He exited through the underground garage. A red dot had already appeared on the map app on his phone, marked by Second Master Huang. Chen Ji glanced at it—the two were together. Judging by their speed, they were in a car. He estimated the effects of his Gathering Yin Talisman, set the ride-hailing destination a bit ahead of them, and called a car.

Luckily, it was late, and S City traffic had eased. Amid the neon lights, Chen Ji bought an eight-yuan-eight coffee. By the time it was ready, his ride had arrived.

Gaudy lights flashed across his face, lending him an indescribable air. Chen Ji gave the license plate ending. “3451.”

The driver glanced at him. “Got it. Buckle up.”

Anyone leaving a hotel like this was either rich or influential. Chen Ji had been forcibly changed into a new outfit earlier—one that screamed expensive luxury. The driver didn’t chat, just followed the GPS and drove off.

Second Master Huang stayed obediently tucked in the jacket pocket, not even poking his head out. Chen Ji watched his phone, occasionally switching to the navigation. System Cat: [I could lock onto their coordinates too, you know…]

Chen Ji replied bluntly: [But it costs money.]

[It’s the system rules.] In Chen Ji’s mind, the System Cat typed out a string of “emmm”s. It asked: [What do you plan to do with the two young ones?]

[No idea.]

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

Chen Ji switched his phone to short videos and replied: [It’s my first time using it on people. How would I know the consequences?]

Yun Shaoyang probably wouldn’t survive his, but Chen Ji wasn’t sure about the two youngsters. It depended on their luck.

[Then why chase them?] System Cat asked.

Chen Ji: [To check it out.]

Meanwhile, the two young men were in a car. They’d arrived at the hotel in two vehicles, leaving one for Yun Shaoyang. They had another at the club but were too lazy to retrieve it, so they were hitching a ride home.

One of them, Zhou Nan, said idly, “No idea how Brother Yun’s doing.”

“What else? Same old,” the other, Xiao Lifan, scoffed. He started to tease but suddenly coughed, veering the steering wheel for a split second. Zhou Nan yelped, “Holy shit! You okay?!”

“I’m fine.” Xiao Lifan rubbed his throat with one hand. “Probably caught a chill. Throat’s itchy.”

Zhou Nan raised an eyebrow. “Not because we barely got any action today? Want Brother Zhou to give you some?”

“Get lost!” Xiao Lifan laughed and cursed, but halfway through, he coughed again. It took a while to stop. He said in surprise, “…Did I really catch something?”

Zhou Nan felt his own throat itch watching him, but he brushed it off. “Speaking of, that Chen whatever… What’ll Brother Zhao do when he finds out?”

“That’s between Brother Zhao and Brother Yun.” Xiao Lifan shrugged. “He probably won’t even admit it… We’re just along for the ride anyway.”

“I knew something was off today. Why’d Brother Yun drag us along?” Xiao Lifan continued. “Using us to fill out the party… He was afraid the guy wouldn’t agree one-on-one, so he brought us to intimidate him. Look how eager he was—not even set in stone, and he’s already promising houses.”

Zhou Nan nodded, then suddenly recalled Chen Ji’s face and chuckled. “He was kinda interesting, huh? No wonder Brother Zhao and Brother Yun both like him. But if it actually happens, those two are definitely through.”

If one of them liked someone enough to go work a regular job for almost two years—to the point where even after quitting and running off, they stayed at superior-subordinate distance, too scared to confess—only for that person to get forced by your bro? Could you still keep that friendship?

Especially since they were bros, it’d be even harder to get past.

The two exchanged glances, convinced Yun Shaoyang must’ve let his dick do the thinking, overcome by lust. Even if he liked the guy that much, why not wait until Brother Zhao got over it? Brother Zhao was still head over heels, and here Yun Shaoyang went and forced himself on the guy. Talk about asking for trouble.

They fell silent for a bit. Then Zhou Nan said, “Hey, crank the AC up.”

“Bro, it’s already 25 degrees!” Xiao Lifan fiddled with the knob anyway. “Weird, why’s it so damn cold today?”

Zhou Nan cracked the window and stuck his hand out to test the air. “Fuck, are we both coming down with something?”

“I think I’ve got a fever.” Xiao Lifan slowed the car. “I’m freezing my ass off, head’s spinning… You drive.”

Zhou Nan agreed. They both got out. The night breeze was mild, but they felt a chill rising from their soles, shuddering involuntarily. Zhou Nan lit a cigarette and offered the pack. Xiao Lifan took one, huddled in his jacket, and lit up too.

After one drag, Zhou Nan nodded toward the side. “Kinda dead out here tonight, huh?”

Xiao Lifan looked. S City was usually bustling; there should be plenty of pedestrians at this hour. But tonight, after stepping out, they saw no one nearby. Traffic flowed in the distance, but it felt separated by some veil.

“Kinda weird,” Zhou Nan muttered instinctively. He took a deep drag and called his family driver—but his phone showed no signal. He stared in disbelief, checking several times before accepting it. “Lifan, you got signal?”

“No way Zhou young master can’t even afford phone credit?” Xiao Lifan pulled out his phone, but his smirk froze—his had no signal either.

A chill wind whispered through the air, sending an involuntary shiver through both Xiao Lifan and Zhou Nan. The spot they were standing in was utterly ordinary—well-developed infrastructure along a familiar road they traveled all the time. There was no reason for the signal to just drop out of nowhere like that.

Zhou Nan turned to him. “Did you install a signal jammer in your car or something?”

Xiao Lifan blinked. “No… why the hell would I do that?”

“Whatever. Let’s just get in the cars and head back. I’m crashing at your place tonight,” Zhou Nan said. “I think I’m starting to feel feverish too.”

“Sure thing.” Xiao Lifan agreed without hesitation. They each climbed into their vehicles, engines rumbling to life as the cars pulled away slowly.

Instinctively, Zhou Nan glanced into his rearview mirror. He froze, a scream of pure terror lodging in his throat.

There, in the reflection, a woman dressed in red sat motionless in the back seat. She turned a eerie, syrupy smile toward Zhou Nan.

Xiao Lifan lurched forward as Zhou Nan slammed on the brakes, his forehead nearly cracking against the windshield. “What the fuck?!” he snarled.

Zhou Nan was staring into the rearview mirror, his face slick with cold sweat. Xiao Lifan followed his gaze…

“Ah——!”

…

The driver hit the brakes irritably. “What the hell? Traffic at this time of night?!”

Chen Ji glanced at the navigation app. It warned of an accident ahead and suggested they wait. Moments later, police sirens wailed past, and the road cleared up fast. As they drove by, the driver shot a look to the side. “Oh damn, that’s messed up.”

Chen Ji peered over as well. A luxury car lay flipped onto the curb—one of those high-end models where even a single scratch could bankrupt you for life. He didn’t recognize the make, but it screamed money.

The driver snorted in disdain. “Bet it’s those spoiled rich kids again, drunk off their asses… Serves ’em right!”

Chen Ji pulled his gaze away and offered a faint smile. “Yeah, probably.”

Just as he had planned, he had only come to see it for himself. Now that he had, it was time to go.

Cheerfully, Chen Ji asked, “Hey, driver—to the airport?”

The man blinked in surprise. “Uh, it’s getting pretty late for that…”

“I’ll throw in an extra hundred bucks.”

“You got it!”

Chen Ji lowered his eyes and tapped his phone, updating the ride-hailing app’s destination.