Chapter 22

Countless eyes resembling ghostly fires merged into a single expanse, piercing the pitch-black rain curtain like arrows, racing down toward the foot of the mountain.

----- Main Text -----

Another explosion of thunder resounded, pouring down with a deafening roar that made people's eardrums ache. Instinctively, Fang Ji covered his ears, but he was struck from behind. Li Zhu aimed the gun directly at his face, shouting, "Hands up! Who the hell told you to move?"

"Sorry, sorry," Fang Ji raised his hands as instructed, laughing, "I've done so many questionable things, and now I'm afraid of getting struck by lightning!"

Li Zhu let out a cold laugh, "Wasn't Dr. Fang fearless? Why aren't you boasting now?"

Fang Ji, however, smiled, "It's a misunderstanding. I was talking about you guys. Just earlier, I maintained a distance from all of you, so of course, I wasn't afraid. But now that you're right behind me, if lightning strikes over your heads, I'm inevitably affected too."

"Damn it!" Li Zhu's face darkened. He raised the gun, about to strike Fang Ji on the head, but Feng Bao Nan quickly intervened and secretly gave him a signal. Then, he turned to Fang Ji and said, "Fang Ji, you're still being stubborn in this desolate place. Aren't you afraid we'll blow your brains out?"

"When you spared my life in the warehouse earlier, and now, standing on the edge of the cliff, you didn't push me down. It's just because you're afraid my body will be discovered by the townspeople. You've gone to great lengths to bring me up here, all to destroy the evidence."

Feng Bao Nan let out a cold laugh, "Don't spout nonsense. Maybe it was a rainy day and the road was slippery. You tripped, hit your head, and died accidentally. How can you blame us?!"

Fang Ji chuckled, "That's not a bad reason." Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and said, "Unfortunately... I won't let you have your way."

Li Zhu was taken aback, but before he could react, Fang Ji had already turned and leaped off the cliff!

"Give me the gun!" Feng Bao Nan charged over, snatched the gun from Li Zhu's hand, and fired an empty shot into the abyss.

Both of them held their breath, focusing on the sounds from below. Raindrops and bullets fell into the darkness below, accompanied only by the mournful howling of the whistling wind, creating a silence so profound it felt like death.

"He... killed himself?" Li Zhu crouched down, staring blankly at the ground, his expression suddenly changing, "This place is..."

"He knew he was going to die and wanted to bet that his body would be discovered. Maybe he wanted to make it look like an accident," Feng Bao Nan said coldly. He changed direction and said, "Let's go down the mountain and join Old Guo's group. While the townspeople haven't noticed yet, let's quickly retrieve his body and burn it. We'll tell the village that he accidentally fell to his death."

He walked for a while and noticed that Li Zhu was still crouching in the same spot, lost in thought. He turned and called out, "Li Zhu?"

Li Zhu seemed to snap out of it, replied, and then started walking quickly down the mountain path.

His pace was swift, and he almost overtook Feng Bao Nan, who was behind him. Feng Bao Nan watched his back in astonishment, about to remind him to slow down, when suddenly a flash appeared in the sky. White light spread across the muddy mountain path. Feng Bao Nan's gaze fixed on two black shapes stacked on the ground beneath his feet, and he froze.

He felt a sudden chill around his neck. In front of him, it seemed as if a big red flower had burst open. His eyes widened, his body like spilled water, and he toppled to the damp path with a dull thud.

Li Zhu stopped abruptly, turned to look, and saw that Fang Ji was aiming a gun at his forehead, but the trigger clicked on empty air.

Feng Bao Nan fell silently at his feet, a pool of blood spreading beneath him, motionless.

Li Zhu bent down, his gaze shifting to the foothold beneath Fang Ji's foot, where a trap had been set. A smile slowly crept across his lips, "Dr. Fang, you jumped to a spot where there's a rock under you. Even Feng Bao Nan didn't notice. You've only been here for a short while, but you've already memorized the terrain?"

His words had just fallen when he charged toward Fang Ji. He pressed Fang Ji to the ground, his hand reaching for Fang Ji's gun.

Fang Ji let out a muffled groan, his limbs trembling weakly. Blood oozed from the corners of his mouth, and he struggled to throw the gun over the cliff.

"Your strength is really weak, Dr. Fang. Have your bones broken?" Li Zhu saw that Fang Ji's teeth had turned blood-red. A cold smile spread across his face as he ground his knee into the trap, driving its sharp spikes deeper, "After all this commotion, it should be over now."

As he spoke, he suddenly clamped his hands around Fang Ji's neck. Fang Ji choked out a mouthful of blood and slowly raised his hands towards Li Zhu, as if he was trying his utmost to strangle him. Li Zhu watched his movements, his smile deepening. He slowly tightened his fingers, saying, "You murderer! Go to hell along with that wretched brat!"

"Sure..." Fang Ji looked into Li Zhu's eyes, suddenly smiled, and hoarsely said, "Come keep me company..."

Saying that, the hand suspended in the air suddenly shifted and tightly grabbed onto Li Zhu's arm. Li Zhu was taken aback and before he could react, Fang Ji kicked off the ground under his feet, flipping over and falling off the cliff!

Li Zhu's face changed. Half of his body was left hanging in mid-air by Fang Ji's weight. He quickly used his hands and feet to cling to the rocks on the edge of the cliff.

"Damn it! Let go, you son of a bitch!" Li Zhu cursed loudly, wanting to throw Fang Ji off, but he was afraid that exerting force might cause him to fall as well. Just as he hesitated, his gaze swept over the broken stones in front of him. He wedged his body firmly into the crevice of the rocks and kicked all the stones off the edge of the cliff.

Fang Ji's head was struck by a shower of stones, and blood trickled down from his forehead, blurring his vision. He closed his eyes, and with his grip on Li Zhu's arm, he bit down on it.

The pained screams above him suddenly changed in tone. The leg he held in his embrace began to move, causing his body to sway lightly in mid-air. An intense twisting pain shot through his chest, as if broken ribs were jabbing into his flesh. He was completely coated in blood.

The wind howled through the valley, its sharp whistle piercing his ears, sounding like the howls of wolves. Perhaps because he was close to death, suspended between the realms of life and death, he could hear the cries of the damned in the underworld.

However...

When Qin Lang took them both away, Lin Lang would need to rest for two or three days. During this time, his body would likely start to decompose quickly, and the townspeople would discover it. There was still time for Fang Qing to suppress the news of his death. Once Lin Lang's mother's family was found, everything would be resolved.

With this thought, the slight frown on his forehead finally eased. He mustered the last of his strength to grip the leg in his embrace.

Just then, the leg in his embrace suddenly spasmed and went limp. The pitiful screams from above abruptly stopped, but the person hadn't fallen down.

A sudden itch at his neck, coarse and rough fur brushed against the back of his neck. Panting breaths sprayed into his ear. Fang Ji froze and turned his head, only to see a wolf's head leaning over, gently grabbing the collar of his jacket. The wolf dragged him to the edge of the cliff.

The wolf released him, then bit his limp arm and shook its head forcefully, seemingly urging him to let go. Fang Ji lowered his head and realized that Li Zhu hadn't moved. Looking down, he saw that Li Zhu's neck had been bitten off. His eyes rolled back, and he was already lifeless.

The water on the path reflected a lantern-like glow. Fang Ji lifted his head and saw countless green eyes sparkling in the dark night, covering the entire forested mountain. The wolf that had just saved him stood quietly by his side. It had a bald patch on its forehead, and its whiskers trembled lightly as it seemed to be examining Fang Ji's injuries.

Fang Ji propped himself up with one hand and stared into its eyes, breathing heavily. He said, "Lin... Lang..."

The wolf gazed silently at him, tilted its head slightly, and fixed its eyes on his lips.

"He... he's down there... injured..."

The wolf followed his pointing gaze and paused for a moment. Then, it raised its head and let out a long howl, before quickly dashing downhill. The other wolves, seeing the alpha wolf move, also stretched and stood up, shaking off the water from their fur, and followed closely behind it.

In an instant, countless eyes resembling ghostly fires merged into a single expanse, glittering like a surging sea of light. Like arrows, they pierced through the pitch-black rain curtain, rushing down towards the foot of the mountain.

Fang Ji caught his breath, trying to stand up with his hands on the ground. However, the pain throughout his body burned like fire, causing him to stumble and fall again. He lay on the ground, attempting to stand up several times but failing. He could only watch as the accumulated water beneath him slowly turned blood-red, mixing with raindrops and forming patches of crimson mist-like clouds.

"...Fang Ji?" The sound of footsteps splashing in the water came from behind. Fang Ji was taken aback and lifted his head, meeting Feng You's eyes.

Feng You hurriedly supported him, bending down to examine his face. "Fang Ji! Are you alive or not? Say something quickly!"

Fang Ji's face was ashen, his body trembling heavily. His voice carried a sobbing tone, and his tear-filled eyes were fixed on Fang Ji's face.

Fang Ji hesitated for a moment, then moved his lips and managed to squeeze out a sentence, "Feng... You..."

Feng You's eyes lit up. It seemed like only then did he confirm that Fang Ji was still alive. He embraced Fang Ji tightly, burying his face in his shoulder, and choked out a sob.

"I can't walk anymore, can you... carry me down?" Fang Ji's voice was weak.

Feng You hesitated for a moment, then nodded and bent down, lifting Fang Ji onto his back. He walked quickly along the mountain path downhill.

"Fang Ji, I... my father seems to have run away... After I went back, he locked himself in his room out of anger. I just found out that all the villagers have left!" His voice cracked, choked with emotion. "What... what happened to you guys?!"

Fang Ji's eyes dimmed slightly, and he pondered for a while before saying, "We... encountered wolves. Your father... was bitten to death by wolves."

Feng You's shoulders tensed, and he fell into silence for a long while. Finally, he burst out, "A-Ji, I... I had a big argument with him before. I... how could this happen..."

He couldn't continue, and his voice was overwhelmed by sobs.

After he cried for a while, Fang Ji finally reached around Feng You's neck, wiping away the tears on his face. He whispered in Feng You's ear, "Shangyang County... People's... Hospital..."

Feng You responded, his voice trembling. "Alright... A-Ji, hold on... everything will be fine once we get to the hospital..."

"When you wake up... go there..."

Feng You was taken aback. "What are you saying?"

"Take Yanzi... and leave Shangyang Village..."

Upon hearing this sentence from Fang Ji, Feng You's steps faltered. He turned to look at Fang Ji's face, and a chill suddenly ran down his spine. He lowered his head and saw the leg-hold trap clamped onto Fang Ji's foot. He was stunned.

In an instant, a corner of a photo flashed before his eyes. Lit by the light, Fang Ji's figure flickered and quickly vanished in Feng Bao Nan's hand.

For some reason, a sense of foreboding swept over him. He trembled and asked in a shaky voice, "Fang Ji, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden pain hit the back of his neck. His vision turned black, and he collapsed to the ground.

At the same time, inside the warehouse.

The midwife lay on the ground, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. She had passed out.

Lin Lang's face was pale, one hand clutching the bloodied scissors, the other pressing tightly against his abdomen wound. Blood welled out from between his fingers, seemingly impossible to stop.

"Lin Lang!" Fang Qing's hands trembling, she clung tightly to Lin Lang's arm, urgently saying, "Don't... don't move anymore!"

Guo San's eyes widened, staring in shock at the midwife lying unconscious on the ground. He gritted his teeth and cursed, "This is a mess! It's truly a mess!"

Saying that, he lunged directly at Lin Lang, punching his wounded abdomen. Lin Lang's vision blurred, and he had no strength left to dodge. He saw a figure before him, and then felt an intense tearing pain in his abdomen. He fell to the ground, motionless.

"Lin Lang!" Fang Qing lowered her head and saw that most of Lin Lang's clothes were soaked in blood. She quickly reached out to cover his wound. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain on her scalp. Guo Laosan had grabbed her hair and pulled her aside. He snatched the scissors from under Lin Lang, firmly holding her down and extracting the fleshy lump of a baby from her abdomen.

The baby, not yet at full term, was enveloped in a mass of blood. Guo Laosan slapped its back for a while, finally hearing a loud cry. His eyes lit up, and he held the squirming little thing in his hand. Its limbs were too thin, a lump of pale pink flesh. The heartbeat pulsed forcefully through its skin, and a rush of warmth spread through Guo Laosan's body as he clutched the tiny creature to his chest.

"Grandson! This is my grandson!" Guo Laosan's eyes moistened, and his voice trembled. "My Guo family finally has an heir!"

He took a cloth from the midwife's bag and began wiping away the blood stains from the baby. As the cloth moved over the baby's lower body, he suddenly paused.

It was a girl...

He stared at the girl baby's lower body in a daze, fixated for a good while. He then spread apart her legs and examined for even longer, seemingly confirming beyond doubt that there was absolutely no possibility of a male infant.

In an instant, it was as if a thunderbolt had exploded over his head. His legs went weak, and he fell to the ground in a sitting position.

What was this...

Not to mention that his wife had given birth to only a single son, and now, in the end, he hadn't even been left with a grandson!

"He lied to me... Fang Ji..." His lips trembled, his face turned from white to red. He clenched his teeth and said fiercely, "Fang Ji! That son of a bitch! How dare he lie to me!"

A faint chuckle came from the crowd, and Guo Laosan's anger flared up like a blazing fire. He lifted the crying baby girl as if to throw her on the ground. Just then, an arm suddenly locked around his neck, pushing him down onto the bed. The next moment, the bloodied scissors were pressed against his throat. His heart skipped a beat, and he struggled with a startled cry. A weak voice, belonging to Fang Qing, sounded near his ear, "Give it back to me!"

-----

Author's Note:

Epilogue coming soon

Tn Note:

I never felt this kind of strong hatred towards a character before...