18 Perpetrator

Jiangnan, 10th June 2025. 6 months before the apocalypse.

At 8 p.m. Chen Qiang walked out of his house. He went to the large garage that now became so empty, it looks so different from the past. There are only some cars in there for daily use. He picks his usual Benz and then rides it out after he throws the suitcase he brings with him.

Chen Qiang opened the car's window after he had arrived in the front of the gate. It was because he saw that the one who at the post was Deng Gu, the guard who sacrificed himself in his memory.

He was one of the subordinates of Da Hongli. He and Chen Lei were the new mercenaries. They have not been too long joined the mercenary's team of Da Hongli.

They both were the easiest to agree for following him as it seemed a more relaxed job and didn't have a high risk. It was not because they didn't want to work hard. It precisely because they were orphans so they used to live hard, it is just a normal thing like how every person will choose a better job if given a chance. Moreover, they also didn't even have to think about family.

Deng Gu and Chen Lei were new, so they still didn't have the complex thought like the rest, the more seems easier and alluring the mission was, the more it went far away from the word 'simple.'

There are twenty subordinates including Deng Gu and Chen Lei who agreed to follow Da Dongli. It quiet many as they still didn't have their own wife/husband and children. While there are only five people from Da Hongli's old team that agreed to follow him. Two people with family and none for the rest.

After all, it was a taboo to reveal their closed people in this line of work. Although some people knew the close person of their partners, they rarely know them in person and only limited to their name. For the purpose of sharing their stories when they are feeling emotional.

So only two people who really trust enough Da Hongli to involve their closed one. After all, Da Hongli himself was hiding his own family member's identity. He was afraid they would get affected by his job.

He was not a soldier in any case. He was hired for certain missions and even sometimes did the dirty job like assassinated peoples. Of course, he has to know who was the target. How bad he was he still has a conscience to not kill the innocent who didn't know anything.

"Good night, young master." Deng Gu greeted Chen Qiang who was in the car after pushing the button to open the gate.

"Hello, Brother Deng Gu." Chen Qiang greeted him back. Then he said with a helpless expression, "You really didn't have to stay here brother. Moreover, tomorrow we will take a long flight and have many things to handle."

"Haha, it is okay. After all, Da Hongli himself ordered me to guard here. They all work so hard, while Chen Lei and I only sitting here, do nothing." Deng Gu said slightly awkward, This month was their turn to stay here. Despite Cheng Qiang didn't agree with this, Da Hongli keeps insisting on this. After they both had finished arguing, it was decided that some of them would still be here guarding but it became only two people.

They really were doing nothing here except training and training. One thing that was significant when being here was maybe when they were training with Chen Qiang and knowing him.

They both gained another impression when seeing him now. If in the past, they were belittled him and saw him as a young rich man who spent every money he has, now they see him with respect.

The man who they belittled and disregarded could actually easily defeat them in the arena. They were in shock and amazement back then. He who was looking so harmless instantly turned into a beast when in the arena. It seems they were facing a monster, not a human.

However, it still was not the biggest reason they respected him. It's because they're also slowly improving after training with him as he would give them some pointers.

It was no wonder they got pitiful looking yet also some jealous on it from their friends. When in the arena/training ground, they would not stop until they both were on the ground, lying without strength left. They seem to have become his 'moving punchbag' as he was like exercising himself when dueling with them, yet they never ceased training with him as it was too alluring to stop.

Chen Qiang immediately gave up when hearing Deng Gu mentioning Da Hongli, he then said toward him, "Old men were really too stubborn. Nah, I will go first."

"Alright." Deng Gu replied.

After that, Chen Qiang drove his car out. He rode his car for around twenty minutes and then seemed randomly parked his car. Inside, he takes the black suitcase he brings. He then opened it, and a deep black pistol was shown lying there. He wears gloves near the gun and then slowly traces it. The gun is a maxim 9, an integrally suppressed pistol.

Afterward, he picked it up and inserted the filled magazine into it. He had placed the gun into his coat and wore the hoodie before he went out of his car.

He slowly walked into the alley, and after he arrived at the end of it, he looked toward his smartwatch. Then he places his hand on the gun in his coat, patiently waiting for something while looking at across the street in front of him. Where a luxurious club is located there.

He stood serene there for 15 minutes when suddenly he took out the gun he touched and unsafe it. At the same time when Chen Qiang moved, in the front of the club, a handsome man came out from the expensive car and was being greeted by the burly guards in the front of the club.

That man was none other than Liu Meng, the man who made his sister live in hell and tortured him psychologically. His sharp gaze locked at the man, his broad smile while looking at the guards who flattering him make something inside him slowly boiled. It made him remember how his sister was back then.

He unhesitatingly aimed his gun toward him. Before, he felt hesitant to do this as the man he aimed still didn't have any wrongdoing toward them and he has retaliated on him. However, seeing his face again now, he knows that he will like to have a big stone in his heart if he didn't execute his plan today.

That man will still do what he has done in his memory, he will not change like how the upcoming event will still come. Even if a miracle happened and that man changed 100% from what on his memory, he will still not feel slightly hesitant to end his life now. By being hated by him is enough reason for him to kill that man, not to mention hurt his closed person.

*Chu~*

Just as the man takes one step after being greeted by the guards, Chen Qiang pulls the trigger on the Maxim 9 he holds after sense the surrounding object.

The 9mm bullet instantly pierced his head. Giving him no reaction before his death. His body falls on the floor with big 'thud', blood and some white thing comes out from his head. It instantly caused a big turmoil there.

The scream from a passerby attracted more people in and out of the club to join screaming, the guards who didn't know what to do were being pushed by the people who ran out from the inside of the club, and the street suddenly got a traffic jam.

All of this happened, while the perpetrator himself was having a nice ride in his car toward his warm house relaxedly.

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