Madman, lunatic!
This was the first thought that crossed Ji Bodan's mind. Hadn't he just slept with Liu Ruyan?
Why was Xu Que torturing him like this, like some rabid dog?
Confusion and fear overwhelmed Ji Bodan's thoughts.
He could feel the wounds on his body slowly healing...
For the first time, Ji Bodan truly feared for his life, his spirit shattered in ways he'd never known before.
"Xu Que, please, grant me a merciful end," Ji Bodan begged, tears streaming from his eyes.
"Are you begging for mercy?" Xu Que mocked with a crazed smile. "No, you're a proud man, not someone capable of such weakness. You should be cursing me, insulting me!"
Ji Bodan's pupils contracted. What was this all for?
But before he could understand, Xu Que's long sword began its torment once again…
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Ji Bodan's body convulsed violently.
"My apologies," Xu Que grinned. "I missed a bit, didn't penetrate properly. My mistake!"
Ji Bodan's screams roused the unconscious thugs around them.
They looked around in confusion, but the sight that met their eyes filled them with dread.
Ji Bodan was pinned to the wall, while Xu Que stood before him, methodically puncturing his body with the long sword.
Xu Que turned to the thugs with a smirk. "Oh, I suppose this bastard's screams woke you all up, didn't they?"
With his innocent expression, the contrast between Xu Que's demeanor and his words made it impossible for the thugs not to understand the terror before them.
"You there!" one thug shouted angrily. "Let Brother Ji go!"
Xu Que glanced at Ji Bodan, smirking. "Look at you, making such a racket. Couldn't you let them sleep a little longer?"
As his words fell, Xu Que gripped Ji Bodan's jaw tightly.
A crisp crack echoed through the quiet basement, a sound of bone breaking.
Ji Bodan, blood spilling from his mouth, struggled to scream, but the agony left him unable to form a coherent word.
The thugs were paralyzed with fear. They were accustomed to killing, but never had they witnessed such torture.
"Run!"
One thug, sensing something was terribly wrong, shouted, and the rest began to scramble toward the stairs.
"Interesting," Xu Que mused. "Seems I'll have to break your legs first, so you understand what it really means to wait for death."
In an instant, Xu Que vanished from sight and reappeared at the top of the stairs.
The thug nearest the stairs froze, unable to comprehend how Xu Que, who had been far behind just moments ago, was now in front of him.
"Let the game begin!"
As Xu Que's deep voice reverberated through the air, his figure blurred, and the nearest thug was sent flying with a single punch.
For these D-grade thugs, Xu Que was like a god, completely beyond their ability to resist.
Xu Que appeared before another thug, without hesitation, slicing off his lower leg with a swift slash of his sword.
"Ahhh!!"
The agonizing pain elicited a chorus of wails from the thugs.
With over a dozen of them now limbless, Xu Que grinned in satisfaction.
"You're insane! You're a lunatic!" Tian Qing, fighting through the pain, cursed.
Xu Que turned to Tian Qing, revealing a smile that was all teeth. "You're right, Tian Qing!"
The words left Tian Qing in shock. He swore he had never seen this madman before.
"Don't come any closer, what do you want from me?" Tian Qing backed away in terror.
Xu Que grabbed him by the neck and dragged him to where Ji Bodan was.
"Don't worry," Xu Que's voice was chilling. "The game has only just begun. I'll make you live through ten years of torment."
Tian Qing was dazed, as was Ji Bodan. They had no idea what Xu Que meant by 'ten years.'
Ignoring them both, Xu Que moved to pick up the unconscious Tang Xue.
"Since you're awake, why not join in?"
"No, please, I don't want to die." Tang Xue struggled desperately. "Xu Que, if you spare me, I'll give you anything. I swear, I will never seek revenge on you in this lifetime!"
"Revenge?" Xu Que's lips curled into a mocking smile. "What makes you think you have the right to seek revenge on me? Are you relying on your precious Chesfield family behind you?"
"Yes, they—"
Before Tang Xue could finish, Xu Que squeezed harder, cutting off her words as her voice was choked in her throat.
"Don't worry," Xu Que's tone was cold. "I won't kill you. I'll slowly torture you, and then I'll show you how I'll trample your beloved Chesfield family underfoot!"
At the promise of survival, a brief flicker of hope sparked in Tang Xue's eyes.
What she didn't know was, had she been able to choose again, she would never have uttered those words to provoke Xu Que.
Xu Que secured Tang Xue to the wall, positioning her beside Ji Bodan.
"You two," Xu Que scoffed, "you're not even as smart as that beast."
The thugs looked toward the corner of the room, where the previously loud and vicious Starbreaker hound now lay huddled, shaking with fear.
Xu Que casually tossed a severed leg into its cage.
The hound didn't react, remaining crouched in a corner, its once fierce demeanor now replaced by an almost submissive submission to Xu Que's presence.
"Originally a D-grade hound, but you raised it to C-grade. Looks like you've been killing people, haven't you?"
Xu Que's words were like poison, striking deep into the hearts of the thugs.
Watching as Xu Que disposed of the bodies of their fallen comrades, the color drained from their faces.
"What's the matter?" Xu Que taunted. "Aren't you all eager to see it eat? Don't worry, I won't throw you in alive. I'm not that cruel."
His words were almost playful, yet the horror in his tone was unmistakable.
"Big Brother, we were wrong!" One of the green-haired thugs begged. "Please, show mercy. Let us go and we'll forget everything!"
The others quickly followed suit, desperate to beg for their lives, realizing that Xu Que was a man who devoured everything in his path, leaving no survivors.
As for the lost legs? Well, they'd be lucky to survive.
Xu Que ignored their pleas, intent on squeezing every drop of life from these monsters.
In his past life, Xu Que had witnessed their cruelty firsthand, alongside Duan Jiude.
The term 'inhumane' barely described these people's actions.
He walked to the metal cage, gently tapping on its side.
"Hey, eat them all."
The Starbreaker hound, seeming to understand Xu Que's words, cautiously opened its mouth and tentatively gnawed at one of the legs.
As the terrifying human left, the hound began to feed.
At this moment, if Ji Bodan and the others still didn't understand, they truly were beyond saving.
Xu Que looked at the shattered titanium alloy doors, satisfied as he dragged them out, then entered the laboratory and began rummaging through the supplies.
In no time, a crude, makeshift juicer had been assembled.