Vol. 1 - Ch. 95 - Rot in hell

The man's words sent a chill down Zhao Qiong's spine, but he knew he had no other choice. He panted heavily, trying to ease the pain in his hand.What puzzled him more was the identity of the man in front of him. Why was this happening to him? Who could be behind this?

Sensing Zhao Qiong's gaze, the man chuckled softly and then removed the towel from Zhao Qiong's mouth.

"You're wondering why I'm doing this to you, aren't you?"

Zhao Qiong swallowed hard but didn't dare respond. Who knew what this man might do next?

The man didn't seem to have any intention of hiding his identity. He removed his baseball cap and then took off the mask from his face.

When Zhao Qiong saw who it was, his pupils constricted, and his mouth dropped open in shock, unable to form words.

Of course, he recognized the young man before him---this was the same guy he had seen at the orphanage! Back then, he barely noticed him because he didn't stand out at all.

But now, he was standing before him, performing such a dreadful act, there was no way Zhao Qiong could ignore him.

"You... Do you know what you're doing? This is a crime!" Zhao Qiong's voice shook, his tone filled with urgency, yet the look in the young man's eyes sent a chill through his heart.

"If it weren't for those kids, who would have seen something bloody, you wouldn't have made it out of that door," HuMing said with a light laugh, though the sound made Zhao Qiong shudder.

In the eerie silence of the abandoned construction site, the only sound was that of playing cards being shuffled. HuMing calmly placed the cards on the table, explaining the rules.

"The rules are simple: Each of us draws three cards. The one whose total adds up to more wins. If it's a tie, I win."

"Why should you win in a tie!"

"Have you ever seen the dealer lose on a tie?"

HuMing's cold gaze swept over him as he spread the cards out and drew one for himself, placing it face down in front of him. Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"As long as you win just one game, I'll let you go."

Zhao Qiong swallowed hard, staring intensely at the cards on the table before cautiously pointing to the ones he wanted. His hands and feet were still tightly bound, leaving him with no ability to move on his own.

Both he and HuMing drew their three cards. HuMing then flipped over Zhao Qiong's cards for him.

"Four, five, six---fifteen points."

Zhao Qiong held his breath, watching HuMing's every move, fearing he might cheat.

But HuMing remained calm as he flipped his own cards.

"Nine, four, four---seventeen points. You lose."

"Wait..."

Zhao Qiong tried to speak, but before he could finish, the blade came down again, slicing off another finger.

Cold sweat drenched Zhao Qiong's forehead, and his breathing grew ragged. Blood dripped from the table, pooling onto the floor.

It was only now that he fully realized this young man was not bluffing. His life was indeed entirely in HuMing's hands.

But he was just a student, why wasn't he afraid?

Then Zhao Qiong recalled what HuMing had said earlier---

Win just one game, and he could leave.

'One game and I can turn this around!'

Gritting his teeth, Zhao Qiong's breathing became heavier, but in desperation, he seemed to forget one crucial fact: his luck had been awful today. Otherwise, how could he have lost tens of thousands so quickly?

The construction site echoed with Zhao Qiong's muffled groans. Every time HuMing severed a finger, he would gag Zhao Qiong again, ensuring that no screams escaped his mouth.

Within minutes, HuMing had already cut off six of Zhao Qiong's fingers. He wasn't cruel enough to only focus on one hand. Both hands were now equally maimed.

Zhao Qiong felt his body growing colder as the blood loss took its toll, and his vision began to blur. His breathing was shallow, his pupils trembling and shrinking in terror.

"I... I want to draw the cards myself..."

"Oh? Sure."

To Zhao Qiong's surprise, HuMing agreed to his request. With a swift motion, HuMing used the blade to sever the wire binding Zhao Qiong's wrist, then stabbed the blade into the table, leaving it within arm's reach.

Zhao Qiong's eyes fixated on the blade embedded in the table. He didn't want to die!

At least not like this!

His eyes turned fierce. As HuMing dealt the cards, Zhao Qiong suddenly lunged for the knife, intending to stab HuMing to death!

But before his fingers could touch the hilt, a sharp pain exploded in his hand---a dagger pierced straight through his palm, pinning it to the table.

Blood spurted out, and Zhao Qiong clutched his hand, screaming in agony.

"Can't handle the bet?"

HuMing's voice rang out. Zhao Qiong's vision blurred, and his hands and feet grew cold. Only six cards remained on the table, and he couldn't afford to lose.

Every gambler clings to that last hope---that one final gamble to turn everything around, to reclaim all they've lost.

With trembling fingers, Zhao Qiong flipped over his cards.

"Ten... ten... nine! I'm going to win!"

Perhaps it was the excitement, but Zhao Qiong's pale face suddenly flushed with color. He burst into hysterical laughter, turning to HuMing with crazed eyes.

"You've lost! You've lost! Hahahaha!"

HuMing, however, remained expressionless, staring at Zhao Qiong, who was as if a clown. Without a word, he slowly revealed his own cards. Each card HuMing flipped over struck Zhao Qiong's heart like a hammer.

It was the exact same hand as Zhao Qiong's!

Zhao Qiong's eyes filled with disbelief. He shook his head violently as if his very soul had been drained from his body.

"Impossible, no way! I had such good luck---how could I lose? You cheated! You had to have cheated!"

Ignoring the pain in his hand, Zhao Qiong frantically tried to flip the table over in rage.

HuMing pressed down firmly on the table, his voice cold and low.

"You're right. From the very start, you have lost. The moment you decided to gamble with me, you lost. Do you really think you could win money at that club? The second you sat down, your fate was sealed---you were bound to lose everything."

"I can still turn the tables!"

"Turn around, my ass."

With a swift motion, HuMing severed Zhao Qiong's hand at the wrist, then grabbed his head and smashed it onto the table with force.

"For your selfish greed, you nearly destroyed the futures of over fifty promising kids!"

"For your selfish greed, I went out of my way to make sure my little sister wouldn't cry, but you scared her tears!"

"For your selfish greed, the old director is now lying in a hospital bed, still unconscious!"

"Do you even deserve to be called human?"

Zhao Qiong was limp like a corpse as HuMing dragged him into a secluded room. Once inside, HuMing tied him up again, then doused his body in gasoline.

Zhao Qiong's mouth was gagged tightly as he desperately shook his head, silently begging for his life. But HuMing left him with a final, chilling statement.

"You've seen my face. Do you think I'd let you live?"

A match sparked to life, and in an instant, Zhao Qiong was engulfed in flames, thrashing and writhing in the inferno.

HuMing tossed the rest of Zhao Qiong's money into the fire, watching it burn along with him.

"Rot in hell with your filthy money, you beast."

The firelight reflected in HuMing's eyes, casting a deep, dark shadow behind them.