Chapter Twenty-Five: The Collapse of Wang Hui

Li Juetian had arrived in Qianyou Town long ago, tirelessly searching for any trace of Xiao Zi. Today, yet another rumor had reached him—there had been a possible encounter with a mysterious creature nearby. Without hesitation, he hurried to the scene.

The moment he arrived, a heavy stench of blood struck him, causing his brow to furrow. This was a residential complex, and according to eyewitnesses, a blood-red monster had just attacked here.

As he drew closer, even Li Juetian couldn't help but feel his pupils contract in shock. Streams of blood crisscrossed the ground, pooling into small rivers; human corpses lay scattered everywhere. One could only imagine the carnage that had just taken place.

This was not the first time he had witnessed such a scene. In the span of a few days, at least five similar incidents had occurred. There was no doubt—this was the work of an aberrant creature, one with a ravenous thirst for blood and an insatiable pursuit of power. If it was not caught soon, the consequences would become uncontrollable.

He produced a small disk from his coat, collecting the lingering traces of aura around him, then nodded slightly to himself. "This is the creature that killed Sun Shihe."

As he spoke, his eyes narrowed. "It has killed three Ghostmasters and still dares to linger here, brazenly murdering in broad daylight. Clearly, this is not a highly intelligent aberrant being."

Such creatures came in countless forms, but in terms of intelligence, they could generally be divided into two types. The first were those of low intellect—compared to others of their rank, they were stronger, but their intelligence was no greater than that of a human child. The second type were highly intelligent, and though they might not be as fearsome in sheer strength, they were the most troublesome, for their intellect rivaled or even surpassed that of humans.

Based on Li Juetian’s experience, a highly intelligent aberrant, once it discovered the presence of Ghostmasters, would immediately leave the area to avoid confrontation. But this creature, after killing three Ghostmasters, continued to wreak havoc in the same place, spreading terror. This proved its lack of intelligence.

Yet, the fact that it could slay three Ghostmasters of equal rank spoke volumes about its unnatural strength. Perhaps it had even made use of a forbidden domain.

For days, this creature had been active in the vicinity, and aberrant beings had a natural instinct to seek densely populated human areas. Was there such a place nearby?

Li Juetian scanned his surroundings. His gaze settled in the direction of the prison.

“There are quite a few people there. Could it be heading that way?”

At the thought, he shook his head. “Well, let’s try our luck.”

With that, he strolled leisurely into the prison. As he reached the entrance, he saw a crowd gathered, and the unmistakable aura of death hung in the air.

His heart gave a sudden jolt, and he rushed forward, pushing through the crowd. There, he was confronted with a scene he could scarcely comprehend: a blood-soaked middle-aged man lay collapsed in a corner, while a youth of seventeen or eighteen clung to him, sobbing.

Baffled, Li Juetian tapped a nearby prison guard on the shoulder. “What’s going on here?”

The guard glanced at him, saw the black trench coat, and, not recognizing him, assumed he was a relative of an inmate or something similar.

“That old man was no good. He instigated his own son to rob a bank, even murdered his son’s classmate. And the motive? Pure jealousy—his son’s classmate came from a better-off family. Pathetic, isn’t it?”

“Doesn’t sound like a good man at all. So why did he die?”

“Probably couldn’t take it anymore. Facing a lifetime behind bars, maybe death seemed preferable.”

Hearing this, Li Juetian’s brow creased. He walked over to the youth, placed a hand on his shoulder, and murmured, “What’s there to weep for, losing a father like that?”

But before he could finish, the youth shoved his hand away with unexpected force. Then, for the first time, Li Juetian noticed the boy’s condition—his pallor was ghastly, as though he’d just crawled out of a grave. His face twisted with anguish, his eyes sharp and wild, enough to startle even Li Juetian.

This was Wang Hui, tormented for days on end.

Since his arrest, Wang Hui had been thrown into jail without so much as an explanation. In his despair, he had clung to the hope that the police had made some mistake, that he would be released soon.

But it was a vain hope. Since his incarceration, he had not seen another living soul, nor had he been given food or water. Worst of all, he could no longer reach Xiao Zi—not by calling out, not even in dreams.

The loneliness, gnawing at his soul, had nearly driven him to insanity.

When he finally saw light again, it was accompanied by a uniformed officer bearing a boxed meal and a document.

The officer smiled, “There’s been a mistake. Just sign this document, eat your meal, and you can go home.”

Wang Hui’s eyes, hollowed by hunger, lit up at the prospect of food and release. Overjoyed, he signed the document without a second thought and sat on the floor, devouring the meal with desperate haste.

But just as he lifted a piece of meat to his mouth, a sudden force knocked him flat. The once-smiling officer kicked him to the ground. Before Wang Hui could react, the man’s cold voice cut through the air:

“All right, since you’ve signed your confession, now await judgment.”

The words, chilling as if spoken by a demon, took Wang Hui several seconds to comprehend. But by the time he understood what had happened, the officer was gone, leaving only Wang Hui and the spilled meal.

Now, his eyes were void of all light—only terror for the future remained, and tears streamed down his face. Curling into himself, he clawed the dirty rice from the floor, shoving it into his mouth as he muttered, “Boss, boss…”

In the end, the filth of rice on the ground seemed cleaner than the filth in people’s hearts.

But as despair threatened to engulf him, another blow landed.

“The police have discovered that all the money spent by his family came from the stolen bank funds. The bank claims it lost several million, and the evidence is irrefutable. Wang Hui’s family must pay back an astronomical sum!”

The news crushed him. Several million? How could one person possibly shoulder such a burden? And to be accused of theft…

Now, at last, regret overwhelmed him. He regretted not having killed Liu Anran when he had the chance.