The neighborhood where Liu Ruyan's parents lived was not particularly remarkable. In the bustling metropolis of Magic City, it could only be considered middle-to-lower tier in terms of value.
By the time Xu Que arrived at this old, dilapidated complex, it was already past three in the afternoon.
As he observed the claw marks left on the doors and windows surrounding him, he couldn't help but feel that life was unfair.
Arriving at the fourth floor of building two, Xu Que smiled and pressed the doorbell.
Not long after, a soft voice came from inside, asking, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Xu Que!"
Upon hearing his name, Xie Xiaoyun hurriedly opened the door, peering out through the peephole.
Seeing that it was really Xu Que, she immediately opened the door and complained, "You useless fool, why are you only coming now? Do you want us to starve?"
Xu Que chuckled, holding up a large piece of meat. "There was heavy traffic on the streets, so I walked here."
Xie Xiaoyun's eyes lit up as she saw the sizeable chunk of meat. It was much more than what the government had allocated to their family!
"Who would've thought the government would give you so much meat, you useless fool? From now on, every time there's a meat distribution, you bring it to me, understood?" she said as she snatched the meat from his hands.
Xu Que said nothing, maintaining a smile, and gently closed the door behind him.
"What are you standing there for? Get out of my way!" Xie Xiaoyun sneered with disdain.
Ignoring her expression, Xu Que smiled and asked, "Do you have a suitcase?"
Xie Xiaoyun, caught off guard by his sudden question, was momentarily confused. She didn't understand the meaning behind his words, but she nodded and asked, "We do. Why do you need a suitcase?"
"To pack the meat!" Xu Que answered calmly.
Upon hearing that, Xie Xiaoyun's eyes gleamed with excitement.
She quickly put down the meat she was holding and dashed toward the room.
Xu Que stepped inside, surveying the space. Though he had stayed here for a couple of days in his past life, he had only been able to sleep on the floor.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Liu Boda's voice came from the bedroom.
"Where's the suitcase?" Xie Xiaoyun asked.
"Our suitcase is in my sister's room!" Liu Boda replied.
Realizing her mistake, Xie Xiaoyun quickly left the bedroom, but upon seeing Xu Que already inside, surveying the living room, she shouted angrily, "Who let you in? Get out and stand by the door!"
Xu Que paid her no heed. His mind was busy thinking about how to torture the three of them and take them away without killing them.
Seeing that Xu Que was ignoring her, Xie Xiaoyun grew even more infuriated. Who did he think he was?
She was the queen of this neighborhood, a notorious troublemaker! No one had ever dared to defy her like this, and the fact that this useless fool was disregarding her made her even angrier.
In a fit of rage, Xie Xiaoyun grabbed a wooden shoehorn from the side and hurled it at Xu Que.
Naturally, Xu Que dodged easily, merely tilting his body to avoid the flying shoehorn.
He turned his head slightly, his face expressionless as he looked at Xie Xiaoyun.
"You useless fool, what kind of face is that?" Xie Xiaoyun, a little fearful, took a couple of steps back.
Her retreat caused her to accidentally knock over the water dispenser.
Seeing the last of their water spill out, Xie Xiaoyun was about to explode in anger, but before she could say anything, Xu Que grabbed her by the throat.
Xie Xiaoyun struggled and gasped for breath, her hands futilely trying to push him away as she shouted in panic, "You worthless piece of trash, let go of me!"
The sounds of the struggle alerted Liu Guofu and Liu Boda, who rushed out of the bedroom. But when they saw Xu Que strangling Xie Xiaoyun, they were frozen in shock.
"Xu Que, you useless fool, let go of me!" Liu Boda yelled, throwing his phone at Xu Que.
With a swift twist of his neck, Xu Que let the phone sail harmlessly past him.
Liu Guofu, seeing there were no weapons around, charged toward Xu Que.
With a single motion, Xu Que pulled Xie Xiaoyun off the ground, sending her crashing straight into Liu Guofu.
Liu Boda, seeing this, rushed into the kitchen. In his eyes, Xu Que was nothing but a useless fool, and with a weapon, he could easily defeat him.
Xu Que didn't pay attention to Liu Boda's plans. With one hand, he held Xie Xiaoyun aloft, while with the other, he twisted her arms behind her back.
There was a sickening crack as both of Xie Xiaoyun's arms snapped, and she let out a scream so loud it could rival that of a slaughtered pig.
Xu Que, without breaking his expression, pressed down on Xie Xiaoyun's jaw, yanking it with a brutal twist, causing her lower jaw to pop off its hinge, leaving it dangling.
Liu Guofu stood frozen in terror, his resolve faltering. He no longer cared about saving his wife. He turned and bolted for the room.
But Xu Que wasn't about to let him escape. Before Liu Guofu had even taken two steps, Xu Que yanked him back forcefully.
"Xu Que, you…" Liu Guofu began, but before he could finish his sentence, Xu Que grabbed his jaw and twisted it the same way he had with Xie Xiaoyun.
The agonized sounds of Liu Guofu's screams mixed with the earlier shrieks of Xie Xiaoyun, both of them now completely unable to produce any coherent noise.
Just as Xu Que was preparing to break Liu Guofu's limbs, Liu Boda finally came rushing out of the kitchen, a knife in hand.
"Xu Que, you're dead!" Liu Boda shouted, wildly swinging the knife toward him.
Xu Que flashed a slight grin at the sight of the knife, clearly amused.
"Bang!"
With lightning speed, Xu Que's fist struck, and before Liu Boda even had time to react, he was sent flying across the room.
Seeing Liu Boda curled up like a shrimp, Xu Que slowly approached him, glancing at the sharp knife. A knowing smirk played on his lips.
"Xu Que, how dare you hit me…"
Before Liu Boda could finish, Xu Que plunged the knife deep into his thigh.
Instantly, a scream of pain erupted from Liu Boda, but it was cut short within half a second as Xu Que silenced him.
"Don't scream so loudly. Think of the neighbors," Xu Que murmured, pressing down on Liu Boda's jaw and giving it a sharp twist, just like he had done to his parents, causing Liu Boda's jaw to snap off as well.
Xu Que then picked up the knife once again, making slight trembling motions with it. Every time the knife paused, Liu Boda's body would twitch.
"This is a knife-shaking technique, something you invented," Xu Que remarked with a grin.
Liu Boda was stunned. When had he come up with such a twisted method? But when he saw the sinister smile on Xu Que's face, he realized that this man was a madman.
The trembling knife scraped across Liu Boda's skin, each stroke intensifying the pain.
Though Liu Boda wasn't born into an aristocratic family, he had never experienced this level of torment before. Amidst the heart-wrenching sobs, he finally collapsed, unconscious, his face streaked with tears.
Xu Que twisted the knife again, digging it deeper into Liu Boda's thigh wound before flicking it lightly. The searing pain caused Liu Boda to jolt awake.
His body seized up in agony.
"Ah… ah…" Liu Boda begged through his tears, his voice barely audible.
"Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying, but from the look on your face, I think you're enjoying it," Xu Que casually remarked, flicking the knife handle.
The excruciating pain was too much for Liu Boda, and even unconsciousness couldn't bring him peace.
Liu Boda, at that moment, hated Liu Ruyan more than anyone. Why had she sent this monster to deliver the meat?
"You'll never understand the pain of my ten years, and after you're mutilated just like your parents, you'll never comprehend what that feels like. But don't worry, I'll make sure to torture each of you to death," Xu Que said with a smile.
To Liu Boda, that smile was the grin of a devil.
Ten years? What ten years?
His sister had only been in a relationship with Xu Que for less than two years, and Xu Que had pursued her for barely four years! Could he be talking about a certain song?
At that moment, Liu Boda had no idea what Xu Que was referring to.
He wanted to explain, but his jaw had already been dislocated...
And then, as if everything else had faded, Xu Que began his knife-shaking technique once again.