"A depraved father's loss of humanity, an affront to natural justice, finally met with retribution.
To raise gambling money, he cut the electric wires, only for the fan to fall and strike him, a fitting consequence of his own evil deeds.
Suddenly, Mu Zi's father became infamous. Newspapers, TV stations, radio, and the internet were flooded with extensive reports about this gambling and drug-addicted, monstrous father. The compassionate public was outraged, calling for national attention to domestic violence and the welfare of minors. Similarly, Mu Zi, now an orphan, became a celebrity, continuously interviewed and questioned by various media outlets. They wanted to help the people understand the misfortunes of this poor child and provide him assistance.
Amidst all this fervor, everyone was shocked to find that Mu Zi, the unfortunate youth, had disappeared.
Mu Zi vanished in Phoenix City. No one knew where he had gone...
Everyone was immersed in regret and lamentation. No one doubted the coincidence of the events - the ceiling fan, the banana peel, the water puddle, the cabinet, the fish tank, the books – all conspiring to take a man's life.
What did this prove? Did it validate the plan I conceived? Did it prove my strategy was flawless? And did it mean I could continue...
Of course, Mu Zi had not vanished or run away; he was still in Phoenix City.
At that moment, he was hiding in the shadow of a dilapidated gate, thoughtfully observing the messy courtyard behind it. Three men of varying sizes were seated around a round table, listlessly playing cards.
"Old Mu's gone, kind of miss him," one of the men, wearing a red vest and with his back to Mu Zi, sighed while smoking.
"Miss him? You miss his money, don't you? Everyone knows you, Ma Liu, recognize only money, not people," Ma Liu's statement was immediately mocked by a bald, burly man sitting opposite him.
"Old San, don't just talk about me. Have you forgotten who first got Old Mu addicted to drugs?" Ma Liu threw a card down and sneered.
"What do you mean, Ma Liu?" Old San, the bald man, got agitated, slamming his cards on the table. "Sounds like you're saying I dragged Old Mu down with me."
"I didn't say who dragged him down," Ma Liu muttered, "But I clearly remember, it was you, Old San, who first passed him the drugs."
"You still saying that?" Old San stood up angrily, glaring at Ma Liu across the table.
"Enough, Old San, sit down. Old Mu is already dead, what's the point of arguing now?" The man sitting between them, silent until now, spoke in a deep voice. He was older, with graying hair and neatly dressed in a white shirt. From Mu Zi's hiding spot, he could only see the man's profile and a prominent hawk-like nose. After his command, Old San sat down grudgingly, still visibly upset at Ma Liu.
"Even if Old Mu hadn't died, there wasn't much left to squeeze out of him," the man with the hawk-like nose said slowly, taking his time to light a cigarette and blowing out a ring of smoke. "What we need to think about now is finding our next target, not squabbling amongst ourselves. Otherwise, we'll be left with nothing soon." He then stood up, kicked over the table, and started walking towards the gate.
Seeing the man approach, Mu Zi prepared to flee, but then he heard Ma Liu's voice again, "Big Brother, where are you going?"
The footsteps stopped. "To gather information," the man replied gravely.
Mu Zi listened to the halted footsteps and peeked through the gate again. The man with the hawk-like nose stood near the gate, his weathered face heavy with some troubling thought.
Then Ma Liu hurriedly caught up, asking curiously, "Big Brother, what information?"
"The son of Old Mu," the man replied coldly, puffing out smoke. "Don't you find it strange how little Mu Zi just disappeared?"
Ma Liu scoffed, his long scar stretching from his nose to his left eye. "That clueless fool, just like his dad. He probably went wandering after his father died…"
"Exactly, Big Brother, you worry too much. That kid was so naive, and we were so discreet. What could he know? And even if he did, so what? Call the police? Do they have evidence against us?" Old San, still sitting at the table, spoke nonchalantly.
"Despite his appearance, we can't let our guard down," the man with the hawk-like nose insisted. He crushed his cigarette underfoot and looked back at Old San and Ma Liu. "From now on, be careful and keep an eye out for the kid. If he's still in Phoenix City, we need to move quickly."
"Isn't that an overreaction…" Ma Liu started to say, surprised, but the man had already turned and walked away.
By the time the man left the gate, Mu Zi had already run into a nearby alley. He leaned against a wall, eyes closed, his entire body trembling violently, teeth grinding together. Just as agitated were his clenched fists.
The leader, the man with the hawk-like nose, a meticulous thinker and smoker, was the most challenging to confront. This group had plunged his already shattered family into deeper misery.
Ma Liu and Old San, members of the gang, were not on good terms. Old San had a quick temper, and Ma Liu was fiercely aggressive, evidenced by the scar on his face.
This was all Mu Zi knew about them.
Today was the third day he had been trailing them, and it was today that they finally confirmed their role in Mu Zi's mind...
After more than half a minute, Mu Zi calmed down. He opened his eyes, filled with rage like the fires of hell.
Good, they all must... die!
Mu Zi walked briskly down the dim alley.