Chapter 29:
Determination is rarely something that emerges out of thin air.
The gunshot from last night had made these children from various places aware of the situation spiraling out of control.
Before, no matter what they did, the News Head would at most suspend them and beat them, or starve them for a day or two. After all, regardless of anything else, they were children sent by welfare institutions or poor families to "work." The News Head didn't dare to be too severe with them.
But yesterday, the News Head aimed a gun at one of them. The bullet pierced the child's thigh. Instead of taking the child to the hospital, the News Head casually found a piece of wire and removed the bullet himself.
The bleeding stopped, but from midnight, the child began to run a fever. The fever persisted all day today and hadn't subsided; instead, it was getting worse.
The children in the dormitory believed that the child had to be taken to the hospital, but they didn't have money. Everyone pooled together the money they had saved up, barely reaching five hundred bucks. This amount wouldn't be enough for medical treatment.
Among the older children in the dormitory, faced with this situation, a trace of murderous intent finally arose.
"It seems like he's in trouble," murmured a child behind the News Head, lowering their voice to converse with their companions. These children might not necessarily be less naive than adults just entering society. On the contrary, they might be more mature or, one could say, cunning.
From the News Head's panicked expression and the fact that he didn't enter the dormitory with a whip seeking the pleasure of control, it was certain that he had caused trouble and seemed poised to flee.
Originally, these children planned to talk to him when he barged into the dormitory. If he was willing to provide money for their companion's medical treatment, things could still be as they were before.
But if he refused, tonight would be the time for him to meet his maker.
However, they hadn't expected such an accident to occur.
Another child lightly responded, "This is perfect. Let's wait until he's a bit farther, then we'll make our move."
The group fell silent afterward, closely following the News Head.
Meanwhile, the News Head didn't realize, nor would he have imagined, that these children, whom he had freely insulted and abused, would now be following behind him at a time like this, harboring murderous intent.
As the surroundings grew increasingly desolate and the buildings became scarcer, they had left the urban area of Sabin City. Outside lay vast wilderness and intercity/intercontinental roads.
Every day, long-distance buses to other cities passed along these roads. There would always be kind-hearted people, so the News Head wasn't worried about someone being stranded in the wilderness.
At that moment, the murderous intent in the eyes of several children couldn't be contained any longer. They swiftly lowered their bodies and charged toward the News Head.
The footsteps from behind immediately alarmed the already highly sensitive News Head. He turned around, seeing nothing but darkness and faint, blurry shadows. He was suddenly startled.
While loudly intimidating whoever owned the footsteps behind him and running swiftly, the News Head was burdened by many belongings and his age. Having lived a life of luxury for too long, his physical strength couldn't match these children who struggled for survival every day.
As the silent, dark figures closed in, the News Head, in desperation, drew a handgun and aimed at one of the shadows, pulling the trigger.
The darkness of the night was pierced by a fleeting flash with a sound of gunshot, illuminating the fear on the News Head's face in stark contrast to the cold indifference on the faces of several children.
The bullet grazed the ground, sparking a few flames before disappearing somewhere. It missed its target. This weapon, modified from a signal gun, had many flaws. Even at close range, its accuracy was lacking.
The News Head pulled the trigger again, but this time, the gun misfired. This was the second flaw after the gun's modification into a signal gun. The hammer and the revolving magazine weren't synchronized, sometimes needing manual adjustments for the hammer to strike accurately on the primer.
The bullet didn't discharge. This made the News Head's hidden expression in the darkness even more horrifying. He fired another shot but still failed to trigger. Panicked, he threw away the gun and ran frantically forward. The shadows behind him chased faster.
One or two minutes later, one of the shadows was already close to the News Head. With force, the shadow pushed the News Head from behind, causing his center of gravity to shift forward. The News Head stumbled several steps forward and fell to the ground, rolling twice before stopping.
The silent shadows caught up, lifting their knives or sharpened steel bars, stabbing the News Head's body repeatedly until the News Head lay motionless.
Perhaps due to the relief after committing the murder, these children's bodies started shaking, and they began sweating profusely. After resting for a while, they took everything from the News Head's body and left without a trace.
After about five minutes, Lin Qi emerged from a small grove beside the road. He squatted in front of the News Head, wearing gloves, and checked for his pulse, confirming that he was dead before leaving.
He didn't follow those children. He just found it somewhat interesting. Perhaps this was what they called the cycle of retribution?
Glancing back at the News Head's body on the road, Lin Qi returned to the grove, brought out a bicycle, and leisurely rode back to the city.
By dawn, someone would pass by and find the News Head lying dead by the roadside.
Perhaps these people would report it to the authorities, but it was more likely that they'd ignore the body and continue on their way.
Reporting would mean being investigated by the police, possibly becoming suspects in the crime. They might even be restricted from leaving Sabin City freely, which wouldn't be favorable for many people who needed to travel between cities.
Any remaining evidence would be destroyed by the indifferent passersby, and even the police wouldn't know about a person dying on the outskirts of the city.
Climbing up the fire escape from the back of a small bar, and pushing open the slightly ajar window, Lin Qi returned to his room. After taking a quick shower and simply tidying up, he lay down in bed calmly contemplating the future, expansion, and taking the first step.
In fact, the dealings between Lin Qi and Mr. Fox had stirred not only Michael, the ambitious head of the tax investigation team, but also several financial companies within Sabin City; they had also heard something about it.
This trade was so transparent that it was challenging to conceal too much information. When people discovered or heard about Mr. Fox depositing large sums of cash into the bank, they began paying attention to this matter.
After a few days of observation and learning, some individuals had figured out how Mr. Fox deposited the money into the bank.
To be honest, there was nothing commendable about this method. It lacked any technicality, and Lin Qi hadn't considered using less legitimate means to stop these people.
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