Friday, June 13th, 2025. 03.00 AM

Wang Jun, the 20 years old young man, trudged his way up the spiraling metal staircase to his apartment. This old, five story building has no elevator and was situated in the slum district of New Hong Kong City.

Knock! Knock!

"Mama, I am home!" Wang Jun raised his voice a bit as he knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, the door was opened by a lady in her late thirties who was wearing simple white clothes. Her name was Wang Xiyin, many people in the neighborhood called her 'The Gray Lady' due to her appearance

Her long, gray-ish hair cascaded down her shoulder. She was still somewhat beautiful, however, the aging and various illnesses that leached her body took her glorious age away.

Her pale, wrinkled face seemed so tired and dull when she looked at Wang Jun.

"You are quite early today, Jun'er." She remarked, helping Wang Jun with his backpack.

"Yes… The restaurant was quite packed today, so I could leave early. Where's baba?"

"The usual." Wang Xiyin replied in a flat, emotionless tone.

Wang Jun sighed out of helplessness. His father, Wang Jia, was a successful businessman, however, his business failed and bankrupted due to the betrayal of his business partners.

Thus Wang Jia succumbed in great depression and showed no sign of climbing back again to live a normal life. Wang Jia would wander around the block during the night, betting numbers, buying the lottery and loaned the money from the loan sharks.

He returns home at dawn, eats, sleeps, shits and repeats the same routine for six years already.

Wang Jun couldn't care less about what will become of his father, providing Wang Jia with a roof above his head and food to eat was plenty already.

"Anyway, I saved some 'Family Food' leftover today in my backpack and also your medicine in the outer pouch.

"What about you, have you eaten?"

"Yeah… I had plenty." Wang Jun said, then crashing his body onto the sofa and sleeping like a big log.

"Thank you…" Wang Xiyin said softly.

She was sorry for her son, he was still really young but he was forced by the messy situation and had to carry the burden alone. Her heart wrenched as she noticed that Wang Jun had become thinner by the day.

Xiyin then realized that Wang Jun only ate simple rice and raw egg breakfast each day to save money for her medicines and always brought home his 'Family Food' from the restaurant where he worked.

She was hesitant at first, however, she couldn't resist the craving since her ill, weakened body needed sustenance of nutritious food.

Tears cascaded down on her cheeks, some dropped to the plate but the woman couldn't resist the urge to shove the food into her mouth. She felt disgusted with herself, regrets soon lingered the heart that had been broken in millions pieces.

If only she was smart enough and not falling for her coworker's framing scheme, which led to her career's downfall, they would at least live a decent life and with honor.

For now, cleaning this six by six apartment and washing Wang Jun's clothes was the best she could do.

***

Before long, the room was brightened by the sun ray. For Wang Jun, he had only a blink of sleep, but his body was already in auto mode to grab his towel and go to the shower.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The front metal door knocked aloud by something blunt and heavy, causing the thin wall to shudder. Still wearing his short boxer, Wang Jun grabbed a wooden baseball bat from beneath the sofa.

"Mama, get inside. I will deal with this fucker!"

"Just… don't go too hard with your father, okay? I don't want you to have trouble with the police."

"I know."

He was aware that it wasn't his father. Wang Jia, despite succumbing to depression and many mental illnesses, Wang Jia never went rampant and reckless, let alone banging the metal door early in the morning.

Wang Jun firmly believes the person behind the door must be the Shark Loaner, who came to collect the money from his pocket. Like hell he would let them do as they wished!

"Wang Jun! Open the door you little shit! I know you're inside!"

Wang Jun recognizes the voice, it belongs to Qin Chen. The shark loan who trapped his family in the rabbit hole of a million yuan debt.

The young man gripped the baseball bat firmly, turning the knob slowly with his free hand and yanked the door in a sudden to surprise Qin Chen, however, he was shocked upon seeing his father who had been beaten into a pulp and barely breathing.

"Baba!"

Wang Jun, however, still values Wang Jia as his biological father even though he despises Wang Jia alot.

"Qin Chen, you bastard! What have you done this time!"

"I found your old man almost dead in the river! He thinks he can escape his debt by suicide? Not in my watch!" Qin Chen shoved Wang Jia on the floor.

"According to our rules, if he can't pay his debt, his family members will. You have two days to pay your father's debt! Good luck!"

Bang!

Qin Chen threw the door on his way out.

Wang Jun, however, felt his blood boil to the top of his head. Anger, disappointment, agony, all sorts of negative emotion clouded his mind as he loomed at Wang Jia's sorry state.

"You bastard, why don't you just die in the street. Make my life a bit easier, won't you?" Wang Jun grabbed the baseball bat.

He knew what he's about to do was a taboo thing, but he had enough living in this shit hole.

Luckily, his mother quickly hugged him with all the strength that she could muster. Trying her best to bring Wang Jun's sanity back.

"No! Don't do it! You'll no longer be human if you kill another human."

Wang Jun was able to control himself, even though he had lost half of his sanity.

"Are we truly living as humans?"

After this sharp remark, he quickly changed to his uniform and went to his work by commuting line.