Chapter Twenty-Six: The Invisible Pyramid

Wang Hui was now teetering on the edge of collapse. His eyes were vacant, and drool trickled from his mouth all the way to the floor. Though only a few days had passed, he seemed to have wasted away, barely recognizable.

When the light appeared once more, he merely glanced dully in that direction, his eyes filled with deep-seated terror. But the figure that entered his sight was not the police officer he had imagined—it was someone he hated with every fiber of his being: Liu Anran.

The moment Wang Hui saw Liu Anran, a guttural sound escaped his lips. It was a roar born of envy and rage, but after being locked away for so long, he had almost forgotten how to curse.

Upon seeing Wang Hui’s condition, Liu Anran waved away the people he had brought for his own protection and strode straight to Wang Hui’s side. He nudged Wang Hui’s face with his foot.

“Hey, are you still alive? You shouldn’t be dead yet, right?”

Wang Hui’s face twitched violently. If looks could kill, Liu Anran’s entire fortune wouldn’t be enough to buy him a coffin.

“Don’t look at me like that. You reaped what you sowed—what does that have to do with me?” Liu Anran’s expression grew sinister. “And honestly, I envy you right now. Not only do you have a beautiful little sister who clings to you all day, but also a father willing to give up his own life for you.”

“What do you mean?” At these words, Wang Hui’s body convulsed. He stared at Liu Anran in disbelief.

“Oh? You didn’t know? To save you, your father took all the blame upon himself, claiming he was the one who instructed you. According to the laws of our country, if that’s the case and you’re a minor, you bear no legal responsibility at all.”

“You’re lying! You’re framing me! There’s no evidence—what did my father ever tell me to do?”

Liu Anran shot Wang Hui a look of contempt, then bent down to gaze at the tears on his pitiful face. “Oh, are you crying now? Let me tell you—this is reality. Whether you did anything or not doesn’t matter; what matters is what I want to happen to you! Because I’m one of the privileged, and you’re nothing but an underling!”

Wang Hui began to tremble all over. Summoning every ounce of strength, he lurched to his feet and threw a punch at Liu Anran. But the blow was feeble—Liu Anran easily dodged it. “Is that it? Is that all you’ve got? And you call yourself a fighter?”

Ever since Wang Hui had beaten him up before, Liu Anran had been wary of his strength. But seeing Wang Hui in such a state, he could no longer suppress his glee and began to kick Wang Hui again and again.

He didn’t stop until Wang Hui was gasping for breath. Then he crouched down and yanked Wang Hui’s hair, shaking his head.

“Like I said, I can do whatever I want with you people. If you kneel down, kowtow three times, and call me ‘Grandfather,’ I’ll spare your father’s life. How about it?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Hui slowly struggled to his feet, shot Liu Anran a furious glare, and began to kowtow.

“Grandfather.”

“Louder!”

“Grandfather!”

“I meant the sound of your head hitting the floor isn’t loud enough!”

So Wang Hui kept kowtowing to Liu Anran, over and over, until his forehead was streaming with blood and he collapsed, utterly drained. Liu Anran couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! Your father got life in prison—he was never going to be executed, and never needed me to save him, you idiot!” With that, he spat on Wang Hui. “You’ll be released soon; don’t worry, I’ll pressure the school so they won’t expel you. And don’t even think about not coming—if you don’t, I’ll find you! I want to humiliate you in front of everyone at school, especially Si Li! Hahaha!”

With these words, Liu Anran left, and darkness closed in once more.

It wasn’t long before two people arrived to tell Wang Hui he could go home, and that before leaving, he could see his father one last time.

Wang Hui seized the chance without hesitation and went to see his father. But as soon as he stepped outside, he witnessed his father break free from the guards’ grasp and ram his head into the wall.

At that moment, Wang Hui’s mind completely fell apart. Memories flashed before his eyes like a spinning lantern, until Li Juetian slapped him awake.

When Wang Hui stood up again, his expression was gone—replaced by a cold, unending indifference. He laid his father’s body down and walked slowly away.

“Hey, that’s still your father. Shouldn’t you give him a proper burial?” Li Juetian realized his words had been harsh, and having just lost his closest friend, he felt some compassion for Wang Hui’s loss.

“Yes, I should give him a proper burial. But as a filial son, don’t you think I ought to prepare some grave goods first?” Wang Hui finished speaking and turned to Li Juetian with a smile.

That smile was twisted, and paired with his murderous eyes, it startled Li Juetian out of his wits. For a moment, he felt that the boy before him was not human, but some sinister creature.

When Wang Hui returned home, he found a blood-red figure sitting on the living room sofa, fiddling with the remote and watching a horror film.

“Boss, I’m back.”

The red figure tilted his head. “Regretting it?”

“I regret it.”

“So what are you going to do?”

The figure on the sofa was Xiao Zi, who had retreated earlier because of Li Juetian’s arrival. In truth, he had been observing everything from the shadows. Yet after he asked his question, Wang Hui remained silent for a long time.

Puzzled, Xiao Zi looked at Wang Hui.

Wang Hui’s face was dark; his eyes bulged like bronze bells, yet his lips curled into a distorted smile.

“I’m going to kill Liu Anran!”

Xiao Zi was not surprised by Wang Hui’s decision. Anyone in his place would want revenge.

“Didn’t you once say you wanted to rule the world?”

“Yes.”

“Then I want to help you rule this world.”

This answer caught Xiao Zi off guard. Had Wang Hui already lost faith in all of humanity and turned to darkness?

“I realized when I was very young that this world is like a pyramid—some stand high above, while I’m just raw material to keep it running. I want to build a new society, one without pyramids!”

As he looked at Wang Hui, Xiao Zi was struck by a sense of recognition, recalling what it felt like to be human. This boy was not so different from the person he himself had once been...