"Qin Fang, this is your salary for this month. You can leave now..."
Li Feng looked at Qin Fang, who appeared somewhat thin, raised the envelope in his hand and said, a deep mockery and sarcasm on his face, while his eyes revealed a hint of twisted pleasure, clearly satisfied with what he was doing.
"Li Feng, why are you doing this to me?"
Qin Fang, red-faced with anger, glared at Li Feng in front of him.
Seeing Li Feng's youthful and handsome face, as well as the expensive brand-name clothes he was wearing, Qin Fang felt an intense anger inside. Although they weren't very close, they had been classmates in high school and would even be college alumni in the future. It was obvious to anyone that Li Feng was quite displeased with Qin Fang, and he was clearly messing with him.
"Why? You know in your heart..."
Li Feng sneered. Perhaps because there were other people in the studio, he didn't want to make the situation too tense. He just dropped this cold remark and turned to leave, with the studio's boss eagerly following after him.
"Qin Fang, I'm sorry, I..."
Sun Ping, the foreman of this game-boosting studio, who could only be considered a minor leader, usually maintained a good relationship with Qin Fang. He cared deeply for this hardworking subordinate, knowing Qin Fang was frugal and often made excuses to take him out for a nice meal. He had always defended Qin Fang when other colleagues bullied him, but unfortunately, this time he had to choose silence, as he didn't want to lose his reasonably good-paying job.
"Brother Sun, don't say anything more. I understand!"
As Li Feng walked away, Qin Fang's anger gradually subsided. He understood Sun Ping's difficulties and still respected him very much for taking care of him. He forced out a smile to comfort him.
"Qin Fang, what are your plans? There's not much time left until your school starts. I expected you to complete this month's tasks to cover your tuition, but I didn't expect... that Li guy is such a jerk to mess with you!"
Sun Ping knew about Qin Fang's situation. Right after the college entrance examinations, he immediately started working at their game-boosting studio. While others worked hard for twelve hours, Qin Fang worked hard for twenty hours every day, leaving just a few hours for meals, sleep, and bathroom breaks, almost dedicating all his time to tasks.
Even the time for filling out college applications was a reminder from Sun Ping; otherwise, he might have forgotten.
Because of Qin Fang's hard work, his earnings were naturally the highest. In his first month, without a base salary, he managed to earn an amount comparable to the studio's best employees. Therefore, this month, Sun Ping had specially arranged for him a very lucrative task. Completing it would enable Qin Fang to cover his college tuition. However, this task was somewhat special; only upon its full completion could he earn money—if interrupted midway, he would earn nothing.
The entire process was going quite smoothly. Just a few days in, Qin Fang had already completed half of the task, but unexpectedly, Li Feng found this studio and forced the boss to dismiss Qin Fang.
Such underground game-boosting studios typically provided no guarantees. When the boss ordered you to leave, you had to go. Being paid your full salary was already considered fortunate.
"Forget it, let's not talk about it. I refuse to believe that a living person can die from being oppressed!"
Qin Fang had a positive mindset; this job was the fastest way for him to earn money. After all, he was just a recently graduated high school student with no skills, and he didn't have any quicker means to earn money. He couldn't bring himself to engage in theft or petty crime. However, having come this far, he had no choice but to look for another way.
"Qin Fang, how about this... I happen to have an old computer. You can take it back and use it. You've already done half of the task, and while time might be tight, with your ability, you should be able to complete it..."
Sun Ping thought for a moment, pulled Qin Fang aside, and said quietly.
"This..."
Qin Fang hesitated upon hearing this. Sun Ping's idea was not bad; although it would be challenging, he was confident he could manage it. However, he himself also faced difficulties.
After the college entrance examinations, he had used the excuse with his classmates' parents to find a job. During the two-month break, he could earn a few thousand dollars; although that wouldn't cover his tuition completely, it would ease his family's financial situation. This was how he had persuaded his mother to let him work.
If he were to return home at this time, his unaware mother would surely sense something was wrong. Qin Fang didn't want his mother to worry too much, especially since he would have to work even harder
to complete this task.
"You decide for yourself, but I think this is probably the only way!"
Sun Ping gently patted Qin Fang's shoulder. He understood Qin Fang's difficulties and cared for him, wanting what was best for him.
"Okay, I'll give it a try!"
After careful consideration, Qin Fang eventually felt this was perhaps his only way to gather the tuition fees. With Sun Ping's help, he took the old computer tower, which he didn't even know how many hands it had passed through, and left the game-boosting studio, heading to the rented room where he was temporarily staying.
"Long Ge, do you see that kid? Give him a good beating; breaking arms or legs is fine, just don't kill him..."
Not far from the studio, a black Mercedes was parked, alongside a van with several rough-looking people inside. In the Mercedes sat Li Feng, who had just successfully forced Qin Fang out, along with a fierce-looking man covered in tattoos, with a dragon tattoo on his arm and a brutish face.
Watching Qin Fang as he carried the old computer tower and walked away, a glint of malice flashed in Li Feng's eyes. He immediately turned to the fierce man called Long Ge and said,
"Don't worry, Shao Feng. I'll make sure to take care of what you asked for..."
Long Ge grinned, his face twisted into a sinister expression, which only satisfied Li Feng further.
"Qin Fang, let's see how you fight against me..."
As Long Ge led his underlings to follow Qin Fang, Li Feng ordered the driver to slowly follow, deliberately keeping some distance.
Unbeknownst to Qin Fang, although he was in a bad mood, he felt somewhat relieved thinking he hadn't reached a complete dead end. When he passed a small alley, a shortcut to his lodging, he thought nothing of it and walked right in.
The gangsters were watching for an opportunity. Although they were thugs who often got into fights, they knew they had to be discreet in public. To break Qin Fang's arms and legs, this small alley was the perfect place.
Initially, they planned to forcefully pull Qin Fang into the alley to attack. However, to their surprise, Qin Fang walked in voluntarily. Long Ge subtly signaled to several of his underlings, and they swiftly surrounded him.
Qin Fang wasn't walking too quickly. The computer tower he carried was not very heavy but was cumbersome, especially after walking such a long distance. He felt a bit fatigued; however, he didn't expect to find the way ahead blocked by two men wearing checkered shirts with dyed green hair—clearly not upstanding citizens. Although they were still catching their breath, the way they looked at Qin Fang was anything but friendly.
Almost instinctively, Qin Fang tightened the envelope in his pocket, which contained all his wages earned over the past month. If those guys took it... he couldn't bear to think further; feeling the walls closing in, he pressed himself against the wall to get past.
Just then, the two thugs caught their breath, got some energy back, and seeing Qin Fang hugging the wall, they leaned towards it, smiling at him while pulling out a wooden stick from the side and brandishing it menacingly.
Not good!
Qin Fang's heart sank.
Almost instinctively, he wanted to turn back, but as he did, he saw a fierce-looking brute, covered in flesh with two more thugs by his side, walking towards him. The brute was empty-handed, but the two thugs beside him were armed.
"What do you... what do you want?"
Qin Fang had just graduated from high school, had good grades, and had no experience dealing with such punks. The intimidation made him scared, making his voice tremble as he spoke, his face filled with fear.
"What do we want?"
The brute laughed coldly, waving his hand and calling out softly, "Get them!"
Smack~~
Qin Fang barely had a chance to react before a stick struck his back, sending a sharp, painful sensation through him. The computer tower he was holding was instinctively dropped, and he tilted his shoulder to lessen the impact of the blow.
Smack~~~
Unfortunately, these thugs weren't going to stop there. Another stick came down, and Qin Fang felt intense pain spread through him. Additionally, Long Ge and the other thugs started punching and kicking him.
"I'll fight you!"
Even in this dire situation, Qin Fang felt a spark of anger. He wasn't going to be a passive victim. He yelled, picking up the computer tower again, and swung it towards Long Ge, aiming for his head. If he connected, it would surely knock Long Ge out cold.
"Long Ge..."
One of the thugs, quick-eyed, called out a warning just as he swung his stick down hard towards Qin Fang, no longer being cautious about controlling his strength.
Smack~~
As Qin Fang was preparing
to computer tower, his body moved slightly, and the stick from behind struck him hard on the back of his head. A dizzying wave washed over him, and everything went black as he fell to the ground, the computer tower slipping from his grasp and landing uselessly beside him. His head hit the ground, and blood began to flow freely...
"Did we kill him?"
The sudden turn of events left the gangsters momentarily stunned. One of them, bolder than the rest, leaned closer to feel for Qin Fang's breath. His face turned pale as he exclaimed, "He's not breathing!"
"Dead?"
Long Ge was also frightened. Despite looking like a leader, he was just a thug; he could beat people up, but killing someone? That was another level of fear he didn't want to face!
Looking around the alley, apart from the two younger thugs stationed at the entrance, no one had noticed what had happened inside. Without a second thought about the consequences—about breaking Qin Fang's arms or legs—he quickly ordered, "Let's go… take the stuff with us!"
The others didn't object. Murder was a whole different ball game than petty crimes; if caught, they could spend their lives in prison. In the blink of an eye, they vacated the alley, leaving Qin Fang's "corpse" behind in the silent, deserted passage.
Though Long Ge and his gang had escaped, Li Feng, watching from the parked Mercedes at the alley's entrance, smirked at the sight of Qin Fang lying there. He didn't bother approaching, but from the blood pooling beneath Qin Fang and the hurried exit of Long Ge's crew, he knew the situation had escalated—significantly enough for even hardened thugs to fear.
Blood continued to flow.
The bright red liquid seeped through the casing of the computer tower, quickly soaking into the motherboard, hard drive, graphics card, and other components inside...
Suddenly, a flash of eerie blue light erupted from within one of the components, as if it had a life of its own. The glow quickly traced the bloodstains and drove into Qin Fang's head, vanishing without a trace.
At the same time, Qin Fang's once-stilled breathing began to weakly resume...