Chapter 236: I can help you take revenge

The light in the underground cell at the Starfire Group headquarters remained dim, Lin Hao curled up in the innermost corner of the cell,

holding his knees, his eyes staring fixedly at the corridor outside the cell door. Occasionally, the sound of patrol members' footsteps came from the corridor,

and every sound made his body tremble violently, like a frightened rabbit. He didn't dare to sleep; every time he closed his eyes, Lin Chen's cold eyes would appear before him,

the appearance of the frozen Iron Hand Group members would appear, and the scenes of him doing evil while following the Iron Hand Group would appear.

Those images intertwined, turning into ferocious faces rushing toward him, making him unable to stop a whimpering sound.

The cell door was only opened once a day, at the time for delivering food. A hard steamed bun,

a bowl of muddy water, was his daily ration. The team member delivering the food never spoke to him,

just put the things on the ground and turned to leave, leaving behind the loud sound of the door locking with a clang.

That loud sound was like a heavy hammer, striking his heart every time, adding another layer of fear.

He didn't dare to touch the food, having to wait until the team member's footsteps had completely disappeared,

before crawling over and grabbing the bun to wolf it down. He was afraid the food was poisoned, afraid this was his last meal, but he was more afraid of starving to death, afraid of not even having a chance to beg for mercy.

Feelings of remorse surged like a tide, washing over his heart every day.

He regretted mixing with the Iron Hand Group, regretted helping Zhou Bao plot against Lin Chen, regretted not listening to Lin Guodong earlier,

and leaving that mud pit early. He remembered his days at the bottom of the safe zone,

although bitter, he didn't have to live in fear, although hungry, he could sleep peacefully. Now he was like a dog locked in a cage, not even daring to look up at people,

even breathing carefully. He wanted to cry out for injustice, wanted to tell Lin Chen he was forced into it,

wanted to beg Lin Chen to let him out, even if it meant working in the most dangerous places,

even if it meant being a beast of burden for a lifetime, he was willing. But he didn't dare; he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, what he would get in return wouldn't be forgiveness, but a thick layer of solid ice.

He talked to himself in the cell every day, repeating the same words.

I was wrong, I shouldn't have done that, I won't dare to do it again. Those words had no audience,

only the cold walls and damp air responding to him. The mold spots on the walls grew more and more,

like faces mocking him, watching his wretched appearance. His hair grew longer,

messier, his clothes covered in stains and blood scabs, emitting a foul odor.

He didn't know how many days he had been locked up, didn't know what the world outside had become,

didn't know if the Iron Hand Group had really been completely destroyed. He only knew,

that the two emotions of fear and remorse had eaten his soul into a thousand holes, leaving only a walking corpse.

At the same time, in the shantytown at the bottom of the safe zone, Lin Guodong was crouching on the open ground outside his shack,

holding a piece of scrap iron he had picked up. In front of him were a few stones,

and he was using the scrap iron to grind the stones, grinding out sharp edges.

These days, he clearly felt his body changing, his strength becoming greater and greater,

boxes he couldn't move before now easily lifted over his head,

and he used to be knocked down with one punch, but now he could take a few punches and only feel pain for a while.

He didn't know why this was, only that this change made the hatred in his heart burn again.

He remembered Lin Chen's humiliation of him, remembered his daughter's appearance as an ice sculpture,

remembered the cold eyes he suffered at the bottom. A hot current suddenly surged from his dantian,

spreading through his limbs and bones. The scrap iron in his hand was suddenly crushed out of shape,

and the stones he had ground were also crushed into powder by him. He was stunned, looking down at his hands, his hands covered in calluses, yet filled with unprecedented power.

"Combat power awakened." A hoarse voice sounded behind him.

Lin Guodong turned his head abruptly and saw a man in black clothes standing behind him.

The man wore a mask, his face unclear, holding a long knife in his hand.

"Who are you?"

Lin Guodong clenched his fists, looking at him vigilantly.

"Who I am doesn't matter." The man said, "What matters is that I can help you take revenge, help you kill Lin Chen, help you take back everything that belongs to you."

Lin Guodong's eyes lit up abruptly; he looked at the long knife in the man's hand,

looked at the aura emanating from the man, and the hatred and desire in his heart intertwined, turning into a crazy flame.

"Really?" Lin Guodong asked, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Of course it's true." The man threw over a black package, "Inside is a set of weapons and armor; take it, and tomorrow night, wait for me outside the abandoned mine in the South District, and I'll take you to see someone."

Lin Guodong caught the package; it was very heavy, and the sound of metal colliding came from inside.

He looked up at the man, but the man had already disappeared around the corner of the shack.

He opened the package, and inside was indeed a set of weapons and armor flashing with cold light, along with a note, on which were written a few words: Kill Lin Chen, avenge your daughter.

Lin Guodong gripped the note, his nails digging into his palms, bringing a sharp pain.

He looked up toward the Starfire Group headquarters, his eyes filled with crazy killing intent.

He knew his chance had come; as long as he seized this opportunity, he could turn things around, could trample Lin Chen under his feet, could make everyone who looked down on him pay the price.

Lin Hao in the cell was still talking to himself, still trembling, still being tortured by fear and remorse.

He didn't know that his uncle, Lin Guodong, had already gripped the weapon of revenge,

had already stepped onto a path of no return. He didn't know even more that a new storm was brewing over the safe zone, and would soon sweep across the entire world.

The sound of patrol members' footsteps sounded again, and Lin Hao was so scared he covered his mouth immediately, pulling his body tighter, like a turtle shrinking into its shell, not daring to make any sound again. ===== CHAPTER 237 =====