'That… is Guo Liqin? Seriously?!'0
Da Bao blinked his eyes in disbelief.0
Logically speaking, that Korean man shouldn't have a reason to lie to Da Bao. After all, he had an underling like Vator, a legendary figure in the Chinese martial society, so why would he need to lie to some random nobody like Da Bao?0
Of course, humans were habitual liars. However, did humans need to lie to a dog? Of course not. There was no benefit to lying to a dog, after all.0
That was precisely the relationship between the Korean man and Da Bao. This so-called relationship was skewed like a master of the house and his little pet puppy. No, maybe even more than that!0
Unless that Korean man had a strange habit of enjoying the panicked look on Da Bao's face, he should have zero reason to waste his time lying about stuff like this!0
Which meant the man before Da Bao's eyes had to be... Guo Liqin! But, but...0
'...That makes no sense!'0
Da Bao wasn't all that close to Guo Liqin. Calling each other comrades didn't quite feel right, and they were a bit too distant to be acquaintances. That was what their relationship was like; a vaguely defined relationship that was neither here nor there.0
Still, they belonged to the same organization and had worked together several times before. As such, Da Bao could at least recognize Guo Liqin's face.0
So, to be told that this... person was Guo Liqin? That... thing was really him?0
Da Bao stared in sheer shock and astonishment at the figure visible through the open bathroom door. This person collapsed on the floor resembled a pool of spilled liquid.0
That man's hair was bleached-white now. His skin was cracked and withering like an ancient tree. And what about his emaciated torso? It was as if not a drop of vitality or life force remained in this person.0
Da Bao's mouth clamped shut, then his jaw began clattering noisily.0
Guo Liqin went missing only a few days ago. If the time taken for Da Bao's organization to notice the disappearance was counted, then it'd be around a week, maybe less than that. So, how could a person transform into that state in only seven days!0
Just what kind of torture would leave a martial artist in such a miserable, wretched form!0
Da Bao's knees began buckling. A flood of cold sweat ran down his spine.0
If he was being honest, Da Bao wasn't terrified by what happened to Guo Liqin. No, what truly frightened him was how this Korean man and his underlings only needed seven days to turn Guo Liqin into this unrecognizable figure! And the fact that he was captured by such people!0
Who could say Da Bao wouldn't suffer the same fate as poor Guo Liqin?!0
Da Bao forgot how to speak. Breathing suddenly got so much harder. He couldn't even wrap his head around how something like this was even physically possible.0
He wouldn't be this horrified if Guo Liqin had been subjected to gruesome physical torture. However, as far as Da Bao could see, Guo Liqin's body was clean. There weren't any signs of physical pain!0
In that case, how did Guo Liqin end up in such a miserable state?!0
Just as Da Bao's astonishment and horror reached another level, Guo Liqin... No, a man suspected to be Guo Liqin suddenly began to writhe slightly on the floor.0
Slowly... Oh-so-agonizingly-slowly, this figure raised his head. As if a motion that simple still took a lot out of him, Guo Liqin's body shivered and trembled pitifully, but he eventually managed to fully raise his head.0
'Son of a... f*cking b*tch...!'0
Da Bao didn't let his cursing escape his mouth and forced it down his throat again. This pitiful creature was indeed Guo Liqin. He could recognize the poor bastard in an instant. There was no mistaking it.0
However, was he really Guo Liqin?0
The confusion caused by this unrealistic and horrifying scene paralyzed Da Bao's mind. For sure, the man who raised his head possessed Guo Liqin's face. Excluding the age, that was!0
Something unimaginable must've happened because Guo Liqin seemed to have aged decades. With his hair completely bleached, it felt like Guo Liqin had turned into an old man.0
Still, that face, it... It couldn't have belonged to an actual old man. Combined with his weathered and cracked skin and the sickly-gray hair... A figure that imparted an indescribably bizarre first impression had been completed, seemingly waiting for Da Bao's approval.0
“I...”0
Da Bao flinched when Guo Liqin painfully whispered something.0
'Is he trying to say something?'0
Da Bao finally noticed that Guo Liqin's mouth had been incessantly twitching and bobbing almost nonstop. Crimson streaks of blood seeped from cracked lips resembling dried tree bark.0
Da Bao grimaced but still tried to listen.0
“I... I'm... Sorry... I've... told you... every... thing. I... don't... have anything else... to say... I'm sorry... So... sorry...”0
“...!”0
Da Bao couldn't do anything. He couldn't get angry. He couldn't sympathize. He couldn't panic... Nor could he accept this situation!0
'Is this really Guo Liqin?!'0
Was that really Guo Liqin he knew? Da Bao bit down hard on his lower lip.0
To him, Guo Liqin was like a goal. Someone who was barely a few years older than Da Bao had always been several steps ahead, after all!0
So, Da Bao's efforts were focused on catching up to Guo Liqin. That was his jealousy, his ardent longing. A fellow martial artist who always walked ahead while showing off his broad back... was now a broken mess crawling pathetically on the floor right before Da Bao's eyes.0
Guo Liqin planted his forehead on the bathroom floor and kept whispering and muttering incoherent apologies. His words were barely audible, but the desperation and earnestness in his voice were still unmistakable.0
“...Please, kill me. Please... Let me... die...”0
Da Bao's head slowly turned toward Kang Jin-Ho.0
Kang Jin-Ho didn't seem particularly interested in Guo Liqin as he had been staring at Da Bao instead. That was when Da Bao grew absolutely certain about something.0
This Korean man might have an outward appearance of a human being like everybody else, but he... He was definitely not human!0
When humans stepped on ants, they wouldn't think about the plight of these tiny creatures. Sometimes, humans would act benevolently toward ants. They might show some interest, too. However, when the ants inevitably bite back, humans would simply squash the poor creatures to death.0
Humans wouldn't try to understand why the ants bit them in the first place. No, they would assume that ants bit them because it was the case of the wrong place and wrong time.0
That was the gap between humans and ants. Or maybe it was even greater than that? That something even greater existed between Da Bao and this Korean man. Even though they both looked human on the surface...!0
How futile was it to cry out to an existence that could crush you to death with one finger to treat you as an equal?0
Even so, Da Bao couldn't stop himself from asking Kang Jin-Ho. “Did Guo Liqin do something bad to you, sir?”0
Kang Jin-Ho replied in a disinterested voice. “Most likely, yes.”0
“Even if he made you angry, sir... It's not right to turn a person into this state.”0
“Kekeke!” Kang Jin-Ho suddenly started cackling instead of replying. That cackle burrowing out of his lips sounded cold and spooky to Da Bao's ears for some reason. “If I had granted him an easy death, would you have praised me for being benevolent?”0
Da Bao didn't answer that. He knew Kang Jin-Ho wasn't looking for a reply, anyway.0
Kang Jin-Ho stared eerily into Da Bao's eyes before smirking softly. “Humans can be a little too generous to themselves sometimes. Why don't you and I make a bet? Which of the two deaths do you think people would prefer for this man? A gruesome, miserable death or a quick and easy one?”0
“...!”0
“It's the same story for you,” Kang Jin-Ho growled coldly, his glare stabbing even deeper into Da Bao's face. “You've killed people without batting an eyelid until now, have you not? So, you should've thought about how the same thing could happen to you, too. What's the matter? You want to turn your life around and be a good man now? Well, that isn't a bad idea, I suppose.”0
The smirk on Kang Jin-Ho's face grew eerier.0
“In the afterlife, that is.”0
Da Bao began shuddering grandly. That was because Kang Jin-Ho was leisurely closing the distance toward him.0
Step, step...!0
The soft echo emanating from Kang Jin-Ho's each and every step sent earthquakes throughout Da Bao's body. Those footsteps dug into his eardrums to awaken goosebumps all over his skin. The closer Kang Jin-Ho got to Da Bao, the heavier the pressure crushing down on Da Bao's soul became!0
“No need to fret. I never had any plans to act like a good guy, anyway. Honestly, I don't really care whether you are good guys or villains. No, what matters to me is something else. And that is... You decided to attack me and my acquaintances. That is it,” Kang Jin-Ho reached out and lightly tapped Da Bao's shoulder. “What would have happened if I was weak? You'd have killed me. And by now, you'd be attending a party to celebrate yet another job well done. No, maybe not. Even before the situation had the chance to go that far, this man would have killed me. The people around me wouldn't have been safe, either. Isn't that right?”0
“...”0
Da Bao couldn't bring himself to answer. Even so, he had to admit that Kang Jin-Ho was right. No one would deny the truth in his words.0
Kang Jin-Ho continued to speak. “I won't ask you to think about it from other people's perspective. Most people can't seem to do it, you see? Humans pretend they can, but in reality? They can't understand anything. Not even a little bit.”0
Kang Jin-Ho leaned in closer and whispered into Da Bao's ear.0
“Wishing for compassion and humanity only in undesirable situations can get a bit deflating. If you already know the end result won't change regardless of what you do... How about squeezing out the last bit of your dignity instead?”0
Those words sounded like ridicule, but not a hint of sneer or mockery could be seen in Kang Jin-Ho's expression.0
“There were people like you in the past, too. People who liked to yap on and on about useless things like tolerance, compassion, and mercy... I've always been curious about something. After their families get brutally assaulted and murdered, and then your limbs are ripped apart one by one... Would they still be able to talk about tolerance and mercy?”0
Finally, the sneer crept into Kang Jin-Ho's words.0
“So, tell me. What did I do wrong?”0
“...!” Da Bao's lips froze shut. But it wasn't just his mouth. The air seemed to have frozen, too. No, the entire world!0
Kang Jin-Ho's words and bone-chilling iciness leaking out of his eyes began freezing everything in the surroundings as if the temperature had plummeted for real!0
“Let me ask you this,” Kang Jin-Ho muttered with the voice of a devil leaking out from the depth of the deepest Hell. And his voice ruthlessly dug into Da Bao's consciousness. “If I torture and kill every member of your family, then cast you into the pits of Hell, would you still treat me as your fellow man? Now, answer me. The 'human' you're talking about... Does it still apply when you're the victim? Answer me!”0
“...!”0
Unsurprisingly, Da Bao couldn't answer. If that really had happened to him, Da Bao would be too busy thinking about how to inflict maximum pain on the culprit, after all. Even if he ripped the culprit apart hundreds, nay, thousands of times, his fury still wouldn't be sated.0
Unfortunately for Da Bao, Kang Jin-Ho was the type to never let go of a prey caught in his trap.0
“Why don't you answer me? If you can answer yes, you can, then I shall let you go. Right now. If you want, I'll even let you take Guo Liqin with you, too. I will promise that, at the very least, you will be safe in this place. And I'll bet everything of mine to make that promise.”0
Da Bao saw those cold eyes. Kang Jin-Ho's coldly-withdrawn eyes were silently warning him.0
He said, 'at least in this place'. In that case, what would happen after Da Bao left this place?0
“All you have to do is follow through with your own beliefs. That's it. Isn't it simple enough? Surely, you won't say you can't do what you wanted other people to do, now will you? Now, why don't you answer me?”0
Da Bao could imagine it. Humans were creatures of vivid imaginations, after all. Besides, it was way-too obvious what might happen if he replied, 'Yes, I can'.0
Since that was the case... How was he supposed to answer?0
“Answer me,” said Kang Jin-Ho.0
“...!”0
In the end, Da Bao couldn't endure and crumbled. He, too, had a family. People he needed to protect. That was why he couldn't bring himself to answer yes.0
Kang Jin-Ho smirked while watching Da Bao crumble and fall to the floor. “Courage that's nowhere to be found in the moment of need isn't courage at all. Do you know what you're supposed to call the 'courage' that relies on your opponent's generosity?”0
“...?”0
“It's called... cowardice.” Kang Jin-Ho cackled ominously. “Now, then. Why don't we have a chat, you and I? And him, too. Let us see how much the tales told by a weakling and a coward will match. I'm looking forward to this.”0
Kang Jin-Ho noisily dragged a chair inside the bathroom, then settled down before the two men.
'That… is Guo Liqin? Seriously?!'0
Da Bao blinked his eyes in disbelief.0
Logically speaking, that Korean man shouldn't have a reason to lie to Da Bao. After all, he had an underling like Vator, a legendary figure in the Chinese martial society, so why would he need to lie to some random nobody like Da Bao?0
Of course, humans were habitual liars. However, did humans need to lie to a dog? Of course not. There was no benefit to lying to a dog, after all.0
That was precisely the relationship between the Korean man and Da Bao. This so-called relationship was skewed like a master of the house and his little pet puppy. No, maybe even more than that!0
Unless that Korean man had a strange habit of enjoying the panicked look on Da Bao's face, he should have zero reason to waste his time lying about stuff like this!0
Which meant the man before Da Bao's eyes had to be... Guo Liqin! But, but...0
'...That makes no sense!'0
Da Bao wasn't all that close to Guo Liqin. Calling each other comrades didn't quite feel right, and they were a bit too distant to be acquaintances. That was what their relationship was like; a vaguely defined relationship that was neither here nor there.0
Still, they belonged to the same organization and had worked together several times before. As such, Da Bao could at least recognize Guo Liqin's face.0
So, to be told that this... person was Guo Liqin? That... thing was really him?0
Da Bao stared in sheer shock and astonishment at the figure visible through the open bathroom door. This person collapsed on the floor resembled a pool of spilled liquid.0
That man's hair was bleached-white now. His skin was cracked and withering like an ancient tree. And what about his emaciated torso? It was as if not a drop of vitality or life force remained in this person.0
Da Bao's mouth clamped shut, then his jaw began clattering noisily.0
Guo Liqin went missing only a few days ago. If the time taken for Da Bao's organization to notice the disappearance was counted, then it'd be around a week, maybe less than that. So, how could a person transform into that state in only seven days!0
Just what kind of torture would leave a martial artist in such a miserable, wretched form!0
Da Bao's knees began buckling. A flood of cold sweat ran down his spine.0
If he was being honest, Da Bao wasn't terrified by what happened to Guo Liqin. No, what truly frightened him was how this Korean man and his underlings only needed seven days to turn Guo Liqin into this unrecognizable figure! And the fact that he was captured by such people!0
Who could say Da Bao wouldn't suffer the same fate as poor Guo Liqin?!0
Da Bao forgot how to speak. Breathing suddenly got so much harder. He couldn't even wrap his head around how something like this was even physically possible.0
He wouldn't be this horrified if Guo Liqin had been subjected to gruesome physical torture. However, as far as Da Bao could see, Guo Liqin's body was clean. There weren't any signs of physical pain!0
In that case, how did Guo Liqin end up in such a miserable state?!0
Just as Da Bao's astonishment and horror reached another level, Guo Liqin... No, a man suspected to be Guo Liqin suddenly began to writhe slightly on the floor.0
Slowly... Oh-so-agonizingly-slowly, this figure raised his head. As if a motion that simple still took a lot out of him, Guo Liqin's body shivered and trembled pitifully, but he eventually managed to fully raise his head.0
'Son of a... f*cking b*tch...!'0
Da Bao didn't let his cursing escape his mouth and forced it down his throat again. This pitiful creature was indeed Guo Liqin. He could recognize the poor bastard in an instant. There was no mistaking it.0
However, was he really Guo Liqin?0
The confusion caused by this unrealistic and horrifying scene paralyzed Da Bao's mind. For sure, the man who raised his head possessed Guo Liqin's face. Excluding the age, that was!0
Something unimaginable must've happened because Guo Liqin seemed to have aged decades. With his hair completely bleached, it felt like Guo Liqin had turned into an old man.0
Still, that face, it... It couldn't have belonged to an actual old man. Combined with his weathered and cracked skin and the sickly-gray hair... A figure that imparted an indescribably bizarre first impression had been completed, seemingly waiting for Da Bao's approval.0
“I...”0
Da Bao flinched when Guo Liqin painfully whispered something.0
'Is he trying to say something?'0
Da Bao finally noticed that Guo Liqin's mouth had been incessantly twitching and bobbing almost nonstop. Crimson streaks of blood seeped from cracked lips resembling dried tree bark.0
Da Bao grimaced but still tried to listen.0
“I... I'm... Sorry... I've... told you... every... thing. I... don't... have anything else... to say... I'm sorry... So... sorry...”0
“...!”0
Da Bao couldn't do anything. He couldn't get angry. He couldn't sympathize. He couldn't panic... Nor could he accept this situation!0
'Is this really Guo Liqin?!'0
Was that really Guo Liqin he knew? Da Bao bit down hard on his lower lip.0
To him, Guo Liqin was like a goal. Someone who was barely a few years older than Da Bao had always been several steps ahead, after all!0
So, Da Bao's efforts were focused on catching up to Guo Liqin. That was his jealousy, his ardent longing. A fellow martial artist who always walked ahead while showing off his broad back... was now a broken mess crawling pathetically on the floor right before Da Bao's eyes.0
Guo Liqin planted his forehead on the bathroom floor and kept whispering and muttering incoherent apologies. His words were barely audible, but the desperation and earnestness in his voice were still unmistakable.0
“...Please, kill me. Please... Let me... die...”0
Da Bao's head slowly turned toward Kang Jin-Ho.0
Kang Jin-Ho didn't seem particularly interested in Guo Liqin as he had been staring at Da Bao instead. That was when Da Bao grew absolutely certain about something.0
This Korean man might have an outward appearance of a human being like everybody else, but he... He was definitely not human!0
When humans stepped on ants, they wouldn't think about the plight of these tiny creatures. Sometimes, humans would act benevolently toward ants. They might show some interest, too. However, when the ants inevitably bite back, humans would simply squash the poor creatures to death.0
Humans wouldn't try to understand why the ants bit them in the first place. No, they would assume that ants bit them because it was the case of the wrong place and wrong time.0
That was the gap between humans and ants. Or maybe it was even greater than that? That something even greater existed between Da Bao and this Korean man. Even though they both looked human on the surface...!0
How futile was it to cry out to an existence that could crush you to death with one finger to treat you as an equal?0
Even so, Da Bao couldn't stop himself from asking Kang Jin-Ho. “Did Guo Liqin do something bad to you, sir?”0
Kang Jin-Ho replied in a disinterested voice. “Most likely, yes.”0
“Even if he made you angry, sir... It's not right to turn a person into this state.”0
“Kekeke!” Kang Jin-Ho suddenly started cackling instead of replying. That cackle burrowing out of his lips sounded cold and spooky to Da Bao's ears for some reason. “If I had granted him an easy death, would you have praised me for being benevolent?”0
Da Bao didn't answer that. He knew Kang Jin-Ho wasn't looking for a reply, anyway.0
Kang Jin-Ho stared eerily into Da Bao's eyes before smirking softly. “Humans can be a little too generous to themselves sometimes. Why don't you and I make a bet? Which of the two deaths do you think people would prefer for this man? A gruesome, miserable death or a quick and easy one?”0
“...!”0
“It's the same story for you,” Kang Jin-Ho growled coldly, his glare stabbing even deeper into Da Bao's face. “You've killed people without batting an eyelid until now, have you not? So, you should've thought about how the same thing could happen to you, too. What's the matter? You want to turn your life around and be a good man now? Well, that isn't a bad idea, I suppose.”0
The smirk on Kang Jin-Ho's face grew eerier.0
“In the afterlife, that is.”0
Da Bao began shuddering grandly. That was because Kang Jin-Ho was leisurely closing the distance toward him.0
Step, step...!0
The soft echo emanating from Kang Jin-Ho's each and every step sent earthquakes throughout Da Bao's body. Those footsteps dug into his eardrums to awaken goosebumps all over his skin. The closer Kang Jin-Ho got to Da Bao, the heavier the pressure crushing down on Da Bao's soul became!0
“No need to fret. I never had any plans to act like a good guy, anyway. Honestly, I don't really care whether you are good guys or villains. No, what matters to me is something else. And that is... You decided to attack me and my acquaintances. That is it,” Kang Jin-Ho reached out and lightly tapped Da Bao's shoulder. “What would have happened if I was weak? You'd have killed me. And by now, you'd be attending a party to celebrate yet another job well done. No, maybe not. Even before the situation had the chance to go that far, this man would have killed me. The people around me wouldn't have been safe, either. Isn't that right?”0
“...”0
Da Bao couldn't bring himself to answer. Even so, he had to admit that Kang Jin-Ho was right. No one would deny the truth in his words.0
Kang Jin-Ho continued to speak. “I won't ask you to think about it from other people's perspective. Most people can't seem to do it, you see? Humans pretend they can, but in reality? They can't understand anything. Not even a little bit.”0
Kang Jin-Ho leaned in closer and whispered into Da Bao's ear.0
“Wishing for compassion and humanity only in undesirable situations can get a bit deflating. If you already know the end result won't change regardless of what you do... How about squeezing out the last bit of your dignity instead?”0
Those words sounded like ridicule, but not a hint of sneer or mockery could be seen in Kang Jin-Ho's expression.0
“There were people like you in the past, too. People who liked to yap on and on about useless things like tolerance, compassion, and mercy... I've always been curious about something. After their families get brutally assaulted and murdered, and then your limbs are ripped apart one by one... Would they still be able to talk about tolerance and mercy?”0
Finally, the sneer crept into Kang Jin-Ho's words.0
“So, tell me. What did I do wrong?”0
“...!” Da Bao's lips froze shut. But it wasn't just his mouth. The air seemed to have frozen, too. No, the entire world!0
Kang Jin-Ho's words and bone-chilling iciness leaking out of his eyes began freezing everything in the surroundings as if the temperature had plummeted for real!0
“Let me ask you this,” Kang Jin-Ho muttered with the voice of a devil leaking out from the depth of the deepest Hell. And his voice ruthlessly dug into Da Bao's consciousness. “If I torture and kill every member of your family, then cast you into the pits of Hell, would you still treat me as your fellow man? Now, answer me. The 'human' you're talking about... Does it still apply when you're the victim? Answer me!”0
“...!”0
Unsurprisingly, Da Bao couldn't answer. If that really had happened to him, Da Bao would be too busy thinking about how to inflict maximum pain on the culprit, after all. Even if he ripped the culprit apart hundreds, nay, thousands of times, his fury still wouldn't be sated.0
Unfortunately for Da Bao, Kang Jin-Ho was the type to never let go of a prey caught in his trap.0
“Why don't you answer me? If you can answer yes, you can, then I shall let you go. Right now. If you want, I'll even let you take Guo Liqin with you, too. I will promise that, at the very least, you will be safe in this place. And I'll bet everything of mine to make that promise.”0
Da Bao saw those cold eyes. Kang Jin-Ho's coldly-withdrawn eyes were silently warning him.0
He said, 'at least in this place'. In that case, what would happen after Da Bao left this place?0
“All you have to do is follow through with your own beliefs. That's it. Isn't it simple enough? Surely, you won't say you can't do what you wanted other people to do, now will you? Now, why don't you answer me?”0
Da Bao could imagine it. Humans were creatures of vivid imaginations, after all. Besides, it was way-too obvious what might happen if he replied, 'Yes, I can'.0
Since that was the case... How was he supposed to answer?0
“Answer me,” said Kang Jin-Ho.0
“...!”0
In the end, Da Bao couldn't endure and crumbled. He, too, had a family. People he needed to protect. That was why he couldn't bring himself to answer yes.0
Kang Jin-Ho smirked while watching Da Bao crumble and fall to the floor. “Courage that's nowhere to be found in the moment of need isn't courage at all. Do you know what you're supposed to call the 'courage' that relies on your opponent's generosity?”0
“...?”0
“It's called... cowardice.” Kang Jin-Ho cackled ominously. “Now, then. Why don't we have a chat, you and I? And him, too. Let us see how much the tales told by a weakling and a coward will match. I'm looking forward to this.”0
Kang Jin-Ho noisily dragged a chair inside the bathroom, then settled down before the two men.
