Chapter Eighty-Seven: Suicide and the Return of Jinghui

"Trash! Trash! Trash!"

Tu Guiwu, while still naked, flew into another rage upon hearing Uncle Xie’s report. He had barely finished venting his frustrations on a woman when this new headache arrived. He roared, his hand slamming down heavily.

*Thud!*

The woman beneath him, who looked like a bitch in heat, had her skull shattered and deformed instantly. Caught between sleep and wakefulness, she didn't even have time to let out a scream before she was dead beyond all doubt.

"Ah!"

Aside from one woman who had been captured just today and shrieked in terror, the others were already numb. Seeing this, they showed no reaction, maintaining their poses with legs spread, ready at any moment to emit the shallow, soft moans expected of them.

"Send everyone out! Search! I must find out who is behind this. Register every single person. If anyone looks suspicious or refuses to cooperate, kill them without mercy!"

"Liang Jing, I will tear you to pieces! I won't let you go!"

Tu Guiwu wiped the red and white fluids from his hands onto the woman's corpse, his face twisted in a ferocious sneer.

"Yes, sir!"

While everyone else was plagued by headaches, the slaughter continued. It provided Liang Jing with vast amounts of nutrients, served as a grim warning to others, inflicted constant losses upon Tu Guiwu, and left his underlings trembling in fear and panic.

...

In a room, Zhang Tianyao, with his fair complexion, sharp eyebrows, and star-bright eyes, looked dashing as he asked the tall, thick-browed, and large-eyed man beside him.

"How is it, Old Wu?"

"Was this all done by that Liang Jing?"

Old Wu was a retired soldier, robust and standing roughly 185 centimeters tall. He was broad-boned with calloused, iron-colored hands. At this moment, his face bore a look of uncertainty.

Having just heard the reports from outside—that forces were dying one after another without the killer being identified—he could hardly believe anyone would be this insane. Unless they were the military, this man was essentially declaring war on everyone.

"I can say with certainty that this was definitely Liang Jing's doing. Only he would be this audacious and lawless. I even believe that if the military continues to push him, he might turn his sights on them as well."

Zhang Tianyao’s eyes were deep, shimmering with a mysterious quality that made others lose themselves in them involuntarily.

"No way! Is he truly so lawless that he would dare attack the military? Isn't he going against the country and the people?"

Old Wu could not believe it, his fists clenched tight. Having been a soldier, he still held a certain attachment to the military.

"Pah! What of it? Given that Liang Jing dared to provoke the Tu family, killed a subordinate, and then wiped out over a hundred people—including a dozen soldiers—and is still not satisfied with his brutal revenge, he is absolutely capable of such things. The military has targeted him and attacked him multiple times without cause. Anyone would harbor resentment, and if they have the power, they certainly won't forget to retaliate. It's just that they haven't reached his bottom line yet. Although the soldiers themselves are innocent, they have been helping black-hearted, evil forces do plenty of dirty work; they are no longer as sacred as they once were."

"I also know that just before dark, the Tu fellow was almost killed by one of Liang Jing's men in a suicide attack. The small building he’s staying in is now fortified to the teeth; he’s terrified."

"Sigh! Regardless, the military is only following orders; they shouldn't be killed in retaliation. By the way, Tianyao, are we really not going to get involved? This Liang Jing is too brutal and ruthless; he’s not a good person!"

Old Wu was still unwilling to let it go.

"Old Wu, give it a rest. Don't drag me into this! I wouldn't dare provoke such a madman. If you don't kill a person like that instantly, the consequences are severe. His modus operandi is simple: provoke him, and you wait to be avenged. It’s better not to be his enemy if you can avoid it; it would be best to be his friend. For now, we’ll pull our men back and stay inside. Let's just watch the show."

It had to be said that Zhang Tianyao had a certain understanding of Liang Jing.

*BOOM!*

"What was that?"

A massive explosion shook the two men in the room. They shouted toward the outside.

After a long while, a subordinate ran in.

"Brother Zhang, Brother Wu, there was an explosion outside. They say... they say they found the killer."

"Oh? Who is the killer? What happened?"

Old Wu was anxious and couldn't help but interrupt.

"There were two killers. One escaped, and we couldn't tell who it was. The other was a subordinate of the Tu family who was caught, but, but..."

"Damn it, spit it out! Look at you, pathetic coward. What actually happened? You’re scared witless by just this?"

Seeing the subordinate’s terrified expression, Old Wu couldn't help but lose his temper. Zhang Tianyao, standing to the side, found it amusing that a man in his thirties could be so easily rattled.

"It... it's true, Brother Wu. The killer was one of Young Master Tu’s men. He was caught by the military during the attack. Because it was dark, they didn't see who it was clearly, but they quickly surrounded him after the soldiers shouted. I, I didn't expect the guy to be so insane. Once the crowd got close, he detonated a bomb. The explosion seemed to have something terrible in it; everyone nearby was caught in it. Aside from one soldier who only had a skeleton left of his leg, everyone else was killed. And before he died, he actually said... he said..."

"The opponent laughed cruelly as he cursed the people chasing him, saying they were all doing wicked things that would leave them without descendants, that they wouldn't have a good end, that no matter who they were, they would all go to hell and become beasts in their next lives..."

*Gasp!*

Old Wu and even Zhang Tianyao, who usually didn't show much emotion, couldn't help but gasp. It was the same thing again! What method did Liang Jing have to make Tu’s men defect and become suicide bombers? In modern society, unless they were trained in isolation from childhood, who would be so reckless? It was too brutal, too vicious. Every one of them was a death-defying monster...

More importantly, two in a row had carried out these suicide bombings, and they were "enhanced" ones at that. Each explosion killed over a dozen people, and they all died laughing and cursing. It made one's spine chill and one's heart turn cold.

Try being cursed cruelly by a man laughing before he dies, and see if your hair doesn't stand on end. Those with weak mental fortitude might even suffer a breakdown, leading to all sorts of ghost stories.

"Madman, madman, mad dog! This guy is too terrifying. Anyone who provokes him and doesn't kill him off will never be able to sleep peacefully again!" Old Wu felt a chill run down his spine. Even as an Awakened, he couldn't maintain his defensive vigilance at all times to keep people from getting close.

"Old Wu, do you believe me now? Let's just hide on the sidelines and watch the show. I suspect some people are already unable to sleep at all."

...

Young Master Tu was indeed unable to sleep peacefully now. Two consecutive betrayals by his subordinates, both culminating in suicide bombings with "enhanced" explosives and chilling curses before death—he felt a bone-deep coldness. He was becoming paranoid, unable to trust his own men for fear that someone might get close and detonate a bomb. He had seen the power of those bombs with his own eyes; those caught were as good as dead. Subconsciously, he didn't want to face Liang Jing.

He was afraid.

"What do I do? What do I do?"

Tu Guiwu had never encountered such an insane enemy, and he was at a total loss. He couldn't even find where Liang Jing was. Beside him, Uncle Xie, Dai Wu, and several other Awakened individuals wore grim expressions. Although they were Awakened and possessed great strength, they had no defense against this kind of retaliation at this stage.

"Young Master Tu, I might have a solution."

A man with a fair face and a thin build stepped forward. If Liang Jing were here, he would surely recognize him: it was Jing Hui, the man he had forced to jump into the river. But now, the swelling on his face was gone, and he had become an Awakened himself.

Jing Hui was also terrified, filled with deep regret. He knew that if Liang Jing found him, he would never let him go. He understood Liang Jing well enough to know that. He had to rack his brains to come up with a way to ensure Liang Jing died once and for all so that he could finally be at peace.

"I believe everyone knows that I was hunted down and forced to jump into the river to escape. The person who hunted me was Liang Jing. Liang Jing and I were roommates and coworkers; I know him quite well."

When the group heard this, their eyes lit up. They couldn't find Liang Jing and knew nothing of his weaknesses. Since Jing Hui was familiar with him, he must be able to devise a plan to trap him.