Qin Ran brought Lu Xin to the back of their transportation factory. The area was filled with abandoned workshops and warehouses, covered in rusting scrap metal and overgrown weeds. Without hesitation, Qin Ran walked straight toward an underground warehouse with a blue-painted iron door.
"This is the place!"
Before pulling open the iron door on the ground, Qin Ran took a few deep breaths and glanced at Lu Xin.
Only then did he unlock the door, heaving it open with a loud creak.
A foul, putrid stench immediately rushed out.
Lu Xin instinctively covered his nose and took a step back before leaning forward to take a closer look.
Inside, the underground warehouse resembled a large pit with a concrete floor. There was stagnant water pooled at the bottom. The pit was about five meters long, seven meters wide, and around four meters deep. Several iron rings were nailed to the floor, and from these rings hung thick iron chains. The most chilling sight, however, was what those chains held—mangled, bloodied limbs.
Looking closer, Lu Xin realized they were arms.
Rotting chunks of flesh were scattered at the bottom of the pit. Lu Xin quickly recognized what they were.
Frowning, he said, "That's terrifying."
Qin Ran shot him a glance and said, "Kid, you don't look all that scared."
"We were the ones who were scared back then!"
He paused before continuing, "Damn it, those four people stormed into my house that night, and I'll admit, they scared the hell out of me. The whole thing was so bizarre that I didn't dare kill them right away. Instead, I locked them up here, planning to interrogate them and figure out who was messing with me. But I never expected… those four bastards… they…"
His voice trembled slightly. To hide his fear, he spat into the pit, using anger to suppress his terror. "They were lunatics! I didn't even kill them—just locked them up here. But before I could start questioning them, they… they turned on each other!"
He suddenly looked up at Lu Xin, his bloodshot eyes filled with barely restrained horror. "Can you imagine it?"
"They were still human, but they started biting and tearing at each other like rabid dogs… No, worse than dogs. They weren't just biting—they were eating! Tearing off chunks of flesh and swallowing them. Some of them had their guts spilling out, but they kept eating…"
"I… I couldn't take it anymore. I shot them all dead."
"For the first time in my life, I killed people and actually felt like I was doing a good deed…"
"…"
With that, he abruptly slammed the iron door shut with a resounding bang.
"What the hell are they?"
Glaring at Lu Xin, he demanded, "You came all this way to ask questions. You must know something. Tell me… what the hell are they?"
"…"
Lu Xin could tell that Qin Ran's emotions were unstable.
But that was understandable. Even a ruthless crime boss would be shaken by something like this.
He might not fear death.
But encountering something beyond reason was a different kind of terror.
"This is nothing like what happened at the café, but it's clearly unnatural…"
As he processed Qin Ran's account, Lu Xin's mind raced. "Did this all start because of that strange Old Cui? Or is there another cause? Also, it seems like there's a pattern to these events… The first time, one person came for revenge. The second time, two people. The fourth time, four people. If that pattern continues…"
A chilling realization hit him. He immediately asked, "How many days has it been since the last attack?"
Qin Ran's face darkened as he realized Lu Xin was onto something. His bloodshot eyes flickered, and he muttered, "Today is the seventh day."
"Seven days?"
Lu Xin's expression grew grim. Tomorrow would be the eighth day.
If the pattern held, wouldn't that mean eight people would come for him next?
"Give me a moment. I need to report this."
Recalling what Chen Jing had instructed earlier, Lu Xin shook his head and reached for his satellite phone.
But before he could make the call, Qin Ran suddenly grabbed a nearby axe and aimed it at him. His voice was hoarse and menacing. "Listen, kid, I've got plenty of blood on my hands. Those bastards never really posed a threat to me. Four, eight, even ten—I don't care. Worst case, I leave this damned city and live like a king out in the wilderness. But you…"
"Don't you dare try to use this to set me up…"
"…"
"An axe?"
Lu Xin glanced at his backpack, wondering where Qin Ran found the confidence to threaten him.
"I don't care if you have two guns. I've got plenty of men outside. If something happens, you won't get away."
Qin Ran's gaze was cold, his posture tense. Though he was bluffing, he was still putting up a strong front.
"I could definitely get away, but that's not the point."
Lu Xin shook his head and asked, "You're not afraid of four or eight people. What about sixteen?"
Qin Ran's eyes darkened, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
Lu Xin continued, "Did Old Cui know where you lived?"
Qin Ran's breath hitched. He rasped, "Why are you asking that?"
Lu Xin said, "You mentioned that at first, he came to find you here. But by the third time, they went straight to your home. Have you considered the possibility that no matter where you hide, they'll still find you?"
Qin Ran's hand trembled slightly as he tightened his grip on the axe. "That's impossible…"
Lu Xin replied, "This whole situation is bizarre—why couldn't it be possible?"
If the pattern continued, the number of attackers would keep growing.
For a ruthless man like Qin Ran, a dozen or so enemies might not be a problem. But what if it reached dozens? Hundreds?
Lu Xin could already picture Qin Ran being chased across the wasteland by a crazed mob.
In theory, would it reach the point where the entire world was hunting him down?
And worst of all, these people weren't afraid of pain or death. They could track him no matter where he ran.
A relentless, never-ending vengeance.
As long as he was alive, they wouldn't stop.
Qin Ran's expression shifted from cold arrogance to undisguised fear. His grip on the axe faltered. His voice cracked as he muttered, "I don't want to be sent to the wastelands…"
Even now, he still didn't trust Lu Xin completely. People in his line of work knew that even with connections inside the high-walled city, it only took one powerful figure to decide they were a nuisance and have them sent away for life.
That was why, despite everything he had seen, he hadn't reported this to the Security Bureau.
First, because he couldn't explain it. Second, because he didn't trust them.
He knew how things worked in the city. If the wrong person wanted him gone, he'd be sent to toil in the wastelands forever.
"Even exile is better than dying…"
Lu Xin understood his reasoning. He glanced at the sealed underground pit and then shook his head. "Or worse—getting eaten alive."
Qin Ran's pupils shrank. A chill ran down his spine, making his hair stand on end.
After a long silence, his grip on the axe loosened. His voice was hoarse as he finally muttered, "I trust you."
"…"
"Not like you have a choice."
Lu Xin mumbled to himself as he stepped aside, pulled out his phone, and dialed. Changing his tone, he said, "Hello, Colonel Chen?"