Chapter 4: The Tragedy
After putting on the mask, the punk Zheng Long could clearly feel a cold current flowing from the mask into his body. He clenched his fists, hearing a series of crisp sounds. He could feel his body instantly becoming stronger. "This is a lucky encounter; I knew I was the protagonist!"
Having read many novels, Zheng Long quickly understood and remembered the common theme of "a person without sin" in many stories. He immediately took off the mask, wrapped it in his T-shirt, and walked out of the bathroom bare-chested.
After saying goodbye to a few of his lackey-brothers, he hurried home to study the mask's abilities. He discovered that when he put on the mask, a cold current flowed into his body, enhancing his physical attributes slightly.
Shadow magic wasn't like battle energy or inner strength; its primary function was as an energy source for various skills. Zheng Long, who had a bit of a second personality, wasn't satisfied with just a slight increase in physical strength, so he began experimenting. He first tried to control the cold current but failed. No matter how he focused his thoughts, the shadow magic remained unchanged.
He spent several hours experimenting until late at night when a burst of laughter erupted from his house. "Hahaha, I knew I was the protagonist!"
Feeling refreshed, Zheng Long noticed several missed calls and text messages on his charging phone in the living room. Seeing they were from his little brothers, he called back. Though they called him "boss," they all knew they had grown up together in the same neighborhood for over a decade, like brothers.
"Hey, Ah De? What's so urgent that you had to call me?" Zheng Long asked naturally, assuming they were inviting him to sing karaoke or have a midnight snack. But the next moment, his expression changed.
On the other end of the line, he heard rapid breathing and continuous sounds of impact and screams. Ah De's voice was twisted with fear. "Boss, save me... there's a monster!"
"Hey, hey, hey? Don't mess with me, Ah De!" Zheng Long shouted at the phone, which had gone dead, an ominous feeling rising in his heart. He quickly grabbed his phone and ran out, only to rush back halfway, pick up a large bag, and put the mask inside. He reviewed the text messages on his phone and then rode his motorcycle out.
The texts were invitations for a midnight snack, and the missed calls were the same. The last call was unanswered for a long time before ending. As he sped toward their usual midnight snack spot, the sound of wailing sirens amplified his bad feeling. Not far from the scene, he saw a usually deserted area crowded with people in pajamas, fanning themselves.
Suppressing all his thoughts, Zheng Long stopped his bike and ran over. The various chaotic voices entered his mind:
"I heard it was some punks. They died horribly."
"Didn't someone write 'Punks Must Die' on the wall? I think they must have provoked someone."
"These punks do nothing all day. It's good that they're dead."
"I heard from the police that they had a chance to call for help but didn't call the police. They called their boss instead."
"Punks are like that. They think they're above everyone else and look down on the police. They care about face, so they wouldn't call the police."
Pushing through the crowd, Zheng Long reached the alley and saw the scene clearly under the lights. Blood was scattered everywhere, along with some body parts. The words "Punks Must Die" were written in blood on the limestone wall.
Several bodies, covered with white sheets, were being loaded onto an ambulance. A bloodied hand slipped from a stretcher, with a bracelet marked with a large 'D' on the wrist.
Tears instantly streamed down Zheng Long's face. Listening to the mockery and gossip from the crowd, he turned around and roared in extreme anger, "Shut the f**k up!"
"They were my brothers, not fools!" Zheng Long shouted wildly. He knew why they didn't call the police. He had once told them that calling the police would make them lose face. His foolish brother actually believed him. He cried and screamed, "They weren't fools. They really weren't fools..."
The crowd, shocked by Zheng Long's outburst, stepped back, adhering to the principle of not causing trouble. The commotion also attracted the police's attention.
Half an hour later, at the police station, Zheng Long, with red eyes, sat at a table. Across from him sat two officers. He played with a bracelet marked with an 'L' on his wrist, lost in thought.
"Mr. Zheng, right? The victim Li De called you several times before his death. According to the timeline, you called back, and the call was connected for a few seconds. Can you tell us what he said?" a middle-aged officer asked.
"He said, 'Boss, save me, there's a monster!' " Zheng Long looked up, wiped his nose, and recounted the events. He then stammered and asked, "Officer, who killed my brothers? Who was that bastard?"
The middle-aged officer looked at Zheng Long and pondered for a moment before saying, "According to distant surveillance, the victims were heading through the alley for a midnight snack. Another camera captured a person with a backpack and a black mask entering the alley from the other end."
"We suspect the victims had a confrontation with the suspect in the alley and were brutally murdered. The question is how someone wearing a black mask managed to kill four people bigger than himself without letting them escape."
"A black mask?" Zheng Long asked, looking up suddenly.
"Do you recognize this person?" The other officer, thinking there was a new lead, asked.
Zheng Long shook his head, his hand unconsciously gripping the bracelet on his left wrist, his eyes filled with guilt and remorse. His mind was full of Ah De's dying screams. Despite knowing the answer, he asked, "Officer, if they had called the police instead of me, could you have saved them?"
"Based on the scene and existing clues, Li De had a chance to call once before he was attacked. At that time, his phone was knocked away and kept calling your number. When you called back, he was injured and crawled back to the phone, answering your call before being killed a few seconds later. The whole incident was short, and the location was secluded. If someone hadn't passed by, we might not have found out until the next day," the middle-aged officer sighed. "So, there's no need to blame yourself too much..."
Leaving the police station, Zheng Long clutched the mask in his bag, his eyes determined. "A monster, huh? Just you wait..."