As Xu Que once again reduced Liu Bodda to unconsciousness with his relentless torment, he then turned, holding a kitchen knife, and approached Liu Guofu and Xie Xiaoyun.
The sight of their son being tortured nearly shattered Liu Guofu and Xie Xiaoyun. Though they were accustomed to disgraceful actions, they had never encountered such madness as Xu Que's. In their eyes, Xu Que had become a madman, someone deranged beyond repair.
"I've cared for your family for ten years, providing countless protections, and yet you repay me with cruelty and death," Xu Que muttered to himself as he slowly dragged the blade across Xie Xiaoyun's face.
"You like to practice knife tricks, little freak; old freak enjoys cutting my face. This time, I will peel your face layer by layer!"
The physical and psychological torment proved too much for Xie Xiaoyun, and she collapsed into unconsciousness.
Sighing with disappointment, Xu Que murmured, "How boring… I haven't had my fill of fun yet."
His gaze then shifted to Liu Guofu, whose mind was racing with fear. He feared that Xu Que might use those same cruel methods on him.
"What's got you so worked up?" Xu Que smiled. "Don't worry, you haven't sliced my flesh with a knife."
At these words, Liu Guofu felt a flicker of relief, but Xu Que's next words brought his terror back in full force.
"You only broke my limbs, so I'm afraid I'll have to return the favor."
As Xu Que finished speaking, Liu Guofu, who had only just slipped into unconsciousness, was jolted awake by excruciating pain. At over fifty years old, he could not withstand such brutality.
Under Xu Que's unrelenting torment, Liu Guofu's life finally slipped away, his soul descending into the underworld.
Staring down at Liu Guofu's lifeless body, Xu Que grimaced, "What a letdown. I wanted you to experience every bone in your body snapping, but you chose to leave so soon."
Afterward, Xu Que entered Liu Ruyan's room, rummaged through three suitcases, and proceeded to stuff the entire family inside.
Noticing the large piece of meat left in the hallway, Xu Que couldn't help but sigh. He took the meat, then dragged the three suitcases out of the Liu household.
---
In the Western District of Magic City, in the luxurious Jinjiang Garden Villas...
Xu Que had found a villa that had been attacked by interdimensional creatures. After thoroughly cleaning the dust off his body, he randomly chose a few well-fitting clothes from the wardrobe.
Once he was finished, he glanced at the three suitcases.
"It's not a good idea to leave them like this," Xu Que murmured, his fingers tapping his chin as his eyes scanned the villa.
Then, his gaze settled on a dog leash. A sinister smile spread across his face.
Just as he was about to attach Xie Xiaoyun and Liu Bodda to the leash, his phone rang.
Looking at the familiar number, Xu Que grinned.
Upon answering, Liu Ruyan's agitated voice echoed through the line. "Xu Que, you useless fool! Did you even deliver the meat to my parents? Why haven't they answered when I called?"
"Your parents and brother are doing fine. I've brought them to a villa in the Western District. As for the phone, I'm guessing they must have forgotten it in their excitement," Xu Que replied, imitating a tone he had used before.
Hearing "Western District villa," Liu Ruyan's voice grew louder with fury. "Xu Que, are you trying to get us all killed? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is there?"
"The interdimensional creatures have been cleared out. The place is quite comfortable, actually. Why not come and see for yourself?"
Liu Ruyan hesitated for a moment, considering the situation. She wanted to stay away due to the monsters she had heard about, but then again, this world had changed, and perhaps staying in a villa wasn't such a bad idea for her parents.
"Let them pick up the phone. I need to speak with them," Liu Ruyan instructed.
"They've gone to check out other villas. They mentioned they might find some interesting things," Xu Que replied smoothly.
Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan relaxed, understanding that her parents were likely off exploring other homes in the area.
"Fine. Once our training is over, I'll come over," Liu Ruyan said before abruptly hanging up.
Xu Que smiled as he glanced at Liu Bodda and Xie Xiaoyun.
---
Seventy-three hours after the Fall of the Abyss...
At the Magic City Operations Command Center.
"Has the boy been located?" A middle-aged man in military uniform asked.
"Report, we've located him," a young officer saluted and replied. "This is his personal information. From our analysis, it seems he was merely an accidental bystander."
The middle-aged man nodded and quickly flipped through the files.
"Xu Que, male, 24, from the Magic City University Finance Department…"
After reading through Xu Que's file, the middle-aged man was slightly taken aback. Though the file stated that Xu Que was an orphan, his experiences were remarkably complex. He had worked various jobs while attending school, and this was the first time the officer had encountered a finance student with such a background.
As the man pondered whether to escalate the information, a deep, authoritative voice interrupted him from behind.
"Well, well, Zhao. What's this you're reading?"
"Ah, it's you, Shen," Zhao laughed and handed over the file. "Earlier, we detected dimensional fluctuations at the East Suburb Metro Line 8. When we got there, we only found a young man and an odd phenomenon, but unfortunately, we couldn't pinpoint any spatial anomalies."
Shen Tianhe took the file and started reading. However, when he saw the name and photo on the page, he froze, completely taken aback.
"How could it be him?"
"Hmm?" Zhao asked, puzzled. "Do you know him?"
Shen Tianhe nodded slowly. "I saw him briefly at the Magic City University entrance."
"Do you think he's connected to the incident?" Zhao asked.
Shen Tianhe didn't answer immediately, his mind wandering to the photo of his daughter on her bedroom counter.
"Hey, what's going on?" Zhao prodded him.
"It's nothing. Just go ahead and report it as usual," Shen Tianhe said, handing the file back. "I think it's just a coincidence."
Zhao nodded, satisfied with the response, and didn't press further.
Once Shen Tianhe stepped out of the command center, he immediately dialed a number.
"Hello, Dad... is something wrong?" Shen Mengchu's breathless voice came through the line.
"Mengchu, tell me, do you know a young man named Xu Que?"
"Yes, I know him," Shen Mengchu replied candidly. "You should remember him. Fifteen years ago, he saved me. Have you forgotten?"
Shen Tianhe froze, his mind finally clearing. "Right… I do recall now."
"Dad, is that why you called me?" Shen Mengchu asked, seeing through her father's intentions. After all, she wasn't naive, and she understood why he had asked for this information.
"Have you stayed in touch with him?" Shen Tianhe asked.
"Yes," Shen Mengchu answered without hesitation. "Before I left for the training camp, we spoke."
Her face flushed slightly as she recalled their conversation.
"Could you give me his contact info? I need to ask him something," Shen Tianhe asked directly.
Shen Mengchu hesitated for a moment before quietly asking, "Are you trying to break us up?"
Shen Tianhe's eye twitched in response. Though he didn't oppose his daughter dating, he had hoped she would find someone more suitable. However, given the current circumstances, there was little time for such concerns.
"Don't worry. I'm not that kind of person. You know me better than that."
Reassured, Shen Mengchu provided Xu Que's contact information.
After the call ended, Shen Tianhe wasted no time and dialed Xu Que's number.
Meanwhile, Xu Que was in the middle of meditating, accelerating his cultivation. Though the spiritual energy on Blue Star was sparse, the assistance of the *Greedy Crystal* allowed him to still make progress.
When his phone rang, Xu Que furrowed his brow. Seeing the unfamiliar number, he declined the call.
But before he could put the phone down, the number called again. Slightly annoyed, he answered.
"Hello, who is this?" Xu Que asked.
"This is Shen Tianhe, Major General of the Magic City Military District, and Shen Mengchu's father!"
Xu Que froze for a moment, his mouth twitching involuntarily…
Well, well, I was planning to speak forcefully, but it looks like I've walked right into a trap...