Chapter 27: Things Have Taken a Bizarre Turn, We Are the Good Guys (Two-in-One Long Chapter)

Life has its ups and downs; that's perfectly normal.

But condensing a lifetime of ups and downs into a single day is, to put it mildly, a bit of a test for the heart.

The past 24 hours, not even over yet, were absolutely the most thrilling day of Ma Wei's life; all the thrills of his first half-life combined couldn't compare.

Drinking with Big Brother, baring their hearts to each other;

In the blink of an eye, Big Brother became a corpse in his arms;

In another blink, his heart-wrenching wailing made everyone in the gang unbearable to watch;

Then, shovel by shovel, he personally buried Big Brother's corpse;

After that, ascending to the position in a daze, I became Big Brother?

Heart rate 180 the whole way, breaking 200 at the last moment, head buzzing non-stop.

"You're Zhang Tong's most trusted little brother; since he sacrificed his own life to save you, his position naturally falls to you. Do it well, don't let the gang down."

Bin Ge's words echoed over and over in his buzzing mind like a repeater.

Ma Wei returned to the low-rise building in a daze; bloodstains on the messy living room floor hadn't been wiped dry, his mood like the psychedelic lights in a Jiejiu Fang — hazy and unreal.

What pulled him from unreality back to reality was a cold laugh from the phone.

"Hearing you're still alive puts me at ease, but hearing people outside say I'm a cripple makes me very unhappy."

Ma Wei shuddered, his whole person recovering clarity from fear and excitement; he hurriedly explained: "Boss, this feature I can't hide; if I lied about even this, I couldn't fool Bin Ge."

Feng Mu felt his concealment last night was adequate, but Ma Wei's worry was also understandable; after all, a limp is too obvious a feature, padding this testimony with lies would be extremely easy to expose.

Most critically, Feng Mu isn't a cripple at all.

Feng Mu pondered for a long time before saying blandly: "Just this once."

Ma Wei's back was soaked in sweat; he hurriedly said: "Boss, rest assured, about your matters, I won't breathe a word to anyone else."

Before Feng Mu could speak, Ma Wei hastily added: "Boss, I've finished investigating what you tasked me with, and my status in the gang has risen; I can serve you better in the future."

Feng Mu's eyes brightened slightly, very satisfied with the value Ma Wei displayed: "Congratulations on your promotion."

Ma Wei swallowed a mouthful of saliva: "It's all thanks to Boss's merit."

Feng Mu hummed: "Speak then, what did you find?"

Ma Wei organized his wording, didn't waste words on how he investigated, and directly stated the result: "Bin Ge's approach starts from the Curse of the Evil Sacrifice; the Curse of the Evil Sacrifice's warehouse is in No. 47 Middle School, so it's most likely not an outsider."

"A teacher committing a crime in their own work area is unlikely, so it can only be a student."

"Performing the Curse of the Evil Sacrifice again is very dangerous; students with good grades wouldn't do it; students with bad grades but money and power wouldn't go to extremes either; at worst, spending money to find a more hidden location wouldn't be safer than the school warehouse?"

"So, most likely it's a poor student with bad grades, who came into contact with the Curse of the Evil Sacrifice from somewhere, treated it like a lifesaving straw, and risked everything in a desperate gamble."

"Bin Ge delineated the suspect list based on this logic."

"And, Bin Ge originally believed the killer didn't deliberately target Zheng Hang; it's just that Wang Wei and Zheng Hang happened to appear in the warehouse, so they were both done in together."

"Wang Wei's body remained at the scene, Zheng Hang vanished without a trace; this only shows Zheng Hang better fit the sacrifice requirements."

Feng Mu listened silently; he had guessed many possibilities, but never expected Ma Bin's suspicious logic to be so plain and unadorned.

Malice toward the bottom-rung people overflowed between the lines.

Poverty and weakness are original sin; the most ironic thing is he was still right, like a cluster of arrows shot at a target, one hitting the bullseye.

"Even hunting a killer for revenge nowadays follows the logic of bullying the weak and fearing the strong~" Feng Mu felt endless emotion in his heart.

Suddenly, his expression changed, and he raised his voice to ask: "You just said 'originally', so he changed his mind now?"

Ma Wei: "Yes."

Feng Mu puzzled: "Why?"

On the other end of the phone, Ma Wei fell silent for three seconds: "Because Tong Ge is dead."

Feng Mu's mind was full of question marks; he completely didn't understand what connection these two things had: "What do you mean?"

Ma Wei's expression was strange, he said in one breath: "Because Tong Ge went to the hospital the night before last and killed Wang Wei's mother, and then last night….."

Feng Mu was stunned, then instantly understood.

Imagine: Wang Wei died, Zheng Hang was cursed, Wang Wei's mother died, Zhang Tong was killed at his door; if Ma Bin linked these four dead people, what would he think?

He would naturally believe the one who cursed Zheng Hang and killed Zhang Tong was the same person; the killer was avenging Wang Wei.

Ma Wei's voice continued from the earpiece: "So, Bin Ge now believes the killer was targeting Zheng Hang from the start; the Curse of the Evil Sacrifice was a desperate gamble, also to gain power for revenge; the killer probably has some intimate connection with Wang Wei."

By a twist of fate, Feng Mu had avenged Wang Wei's mother and daughter in succession; Feng Mu felt strange in his heart; if there were a next life, Wang Wei would probably have to repay him by pledging her body.

Feng Mu said coldly: "Such an important thing, why didn't you say so yesterday?"

Ma Wei's facial muscles twisted weirdly, his aggrieved voice carrying a sob: "I thought yesterday you were targeting Tong Ge."

Ma Wei's heart was bitter, but he didn't dare say it, only daring to roar in his heart: "So Boss, you just kill randomly, and happened to pick Tong Ge and me."

Feng Mu realized he had wronged Ma Wei; his tone softened somewhat: "How did you explain Zhang Tong's death to the gang?"

Feng Mu originally didn't care much how Ma Wei bluffed his way through; he wanted results, not the process, but now he had to ask.

Ma Wei told all: "I said the killer tailed Tong Ge, suddenly launched a sneak attack in the corridor, every strike aimed at Tong Ge's vitals; I rushed up to help and got stabbed down directly; Tong Ge fought desperately to entangle the killer, letting me escape back to the gang to call people; by the time I brought people back, I saw Tong Ge lying in a pool of blood, his neck hacked to pieces."

Feng Mu sincerely praised: "You really know the essence of lying; not bad, quite a bit of quick wits. What about the list? Did you mention it?"

Ma Wei couldn't tell if Feng Mu was praising or mocking, only replied: "The list was originally pressed under a bowl; when I went back, I found it scattered on Tong Ge's corpse."

"Beautifully done." Feng Mu gave Ma Wei a mental thumbs-up.

He knew Ma Wei pulled these moves to survive, to deceive the gang; subjectively he had no intention of clearing Feng Mu's suspicion, but the objective result would certainly mislead Ma Bin's inference.

As long as Ma Bin has half a brain, he'll definitely reorganize the investigation direction and circle a new batch of suspects.

And I, Feng Mu, my intimate relationship with Wang Wei is in the next life; in this life, I never even saw what she looks like clearly.

"The previous plan can be shelved then, because I'm about to be cleared?!!"

Feng Mu's mouth corner hooked up; if cleared, he could free up his time and energy to devote more to his cultivation daily routine.

So, Feng Mu asked: "As you say, doesn't the original list become void then?"

The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly fell silent; just as Feng Mu was puzzled, the sound coming through the earpiece was also mixed with thick bewilderment.

Ma Wei said: "No, Bin Ge said, continue investigating according to that list."

The smile at the corner of Feng Mu's mouth froze: "Ma Bin has already sensed something is wrong, yet he doesn't change the investigation direction — does your Green Wolf Gang's second-in-command have something wrong with his brain?"

Ma Wei hesitated: "I can't fathom what Bin Ge is thinking either, but everyone in the gang, top to bottom, knows that Bin Ge is the one among the brothers who is best at using his brain."

Feng Mu fell silent; since he isn't a fool, then he is making a mistake — but why?

Feng Mu felt uneasy in his heart, and his voice also turned gloomy: "Did Ma Bin say anything else?"

Ma Wei answered truthfully: "Bin Ge instructed me to keep the matter of Tong Ge's killing a secret, then promised me Tong Ge's position, and furthermore patted my shoulder and declared — the murderer is in that list!"

Feng Mu caught the drift, and said sinisterly: "Sounds like supporting your rise is hush money."

Ma Wei only now finally caught the flavor too, his voice trembling: "Big Shot, what exactly does Bin Ge mean? He wouldn't kill me to silence me, would he?"

Feng Mu doesn't have a God's-eye view; he completely cannot fathom Ma Bin's thoughts, but he smelled the scent of conspiracy, and the trajectory of the whole affair gradually became bizarre and unpredictable.

Even as the real culprit himself, he can no longer see the truth of the case clearly — you tell me, is that eerie or not?

Feng Mu frowned and pondered for a long time, then soothed Ma Wei: "Since he promised you hush money, you just obediently listen and do as he instructs; just remember to report to me every night."

Listening to the cold voice on the phone, Ma Wei's heart settled slightly.

The unfolding of worldly affairs is often full of absurdity and bizarreness; yesterday the person who pinched and threatened his life, today actually became the reliance from which he gained a sense of security.

Ma Wei: "Mm, I'll act carefully."

Feng Mu doesn't care about Ma Wei's life or death, but he hopes the latter lives until the case settles before dying — not too late.

His voice carried a bewitching quality: "You and Ma Bin share a secret; for the sake of your little life, you'd best find a way to become his confidant, and then keep a tight watch on him for me."

"Worthy of the Big Shot who pinched my lifeline — the guidance you give hits the nail on the head." Ma Wei sucked in a cold breath in his heart.

Feng Mu finally added indifferently: "Serve well as my eyes beside Ma Bin, and also, don't die easily."

Beep beep beep...

The phone call ended.

Ma Wei listened to the busy tone on the phone, then lowered his head to look at that text message on his phone disguised as a young lady, and suddenly felt a warm current surge in his heart.

"I was actually moved by a bit of concern from the person blackmailing me — I must be crazy." Ma Wei realized something, gnashing his teeth as he deleted the communication records on his phone.

How could the Big Shot's phone number be stored in the phone? Every digit must be firmly branded in the bottom of his heart.

After hanging up, Feng Mu closed his eyes to rest his spirit and lay on the bed for a while.

"Things have become bizarre and complex — the Green Wolf Gang is investigating the case and chasing the culprit, but also isn't investigating the case and chasing the culprit; I seem to have been drawn into a conspiracy vortex~"

"A gang, yet they've made things more troublesome than the Patrol Bureau — somewhat annoying; can't they just let me cultivate and level up in peace?"

"The situation has changed; whether the suspicion is cleared is no longer important — what's important is what medicine Ma Bin is selling in his gourd."

Feng Mu abruptly sat up from the bed, swallowed an iron bead, and began doing the Body Forging Exercise.

He thought: "Rather than speculate, better to cultivate; seize the time to level up, raise my own strength — let the demons and monsters and conspiracies and schemes be, when the time comes I'll crush them all to death."

【Edibility↑↑】

【Edibility↑↑】

The upward arrows are real and pure, not interfered with by the outside world; even if the sky falls and the earth cracks, as long as Feng Mu doesn't stop cultivating, the Settlement Panel will never let him down.

Time 3.2604:00 Settlement Data.

【Iron Eater: First Rank】

【Edible Iron Types: 1】

【Extractable Metal Properties: 1】

【Current Detected Edible Iron Type — Ordinary Pig Iron, Edibility 52.7%.】

【Extracted Properties: Mold Embryo (White)】

The next day, Incineration Plant.

Feng Mu arrived at the Incineration Room early in the morning, only to see Wang Jian squatting on the steps, sporting dark circles under his eyes while puffing clouds of smoke, a ground full of burnt-out cigarette butts scattered at his feet.

Feng Mu originally didn't want to meddle, but with Wang Jian looking like he was about to drop dead, he found it hard to pretend not to see.

He sighed, squatted on the ground side by side with Wang Jian, and asked: "What happened?"

Wang Jian's lips moved soundlessly, a look of conflicted hesitation like he wanted to speak but didn't.

Feng Mu was understanding: "A secret you don't want others to know — alright, when the E Corpse is brought in later, you can tell the E Corpse the words pent up in your heart; I'll help you guard the door, guarantee no one eavesdrops."

"No way, talking to an E Corpse — what a horrifying scene." Wang Jian grabbed Feng Mu as he made to leave, and passed him a cigarette.

Feng Mu didn't smoke it, just tucked it behind his ear: "Speak then, what's up."

Wang Jian sucked hard on the cigarette a few times, voice hoarse: "Have you been in contact with Luo Ji recently?"

"Sure enough it's Luo Ji~" Feng Mu sighed in his heart, but on his face feigned puzzlement: "No, did something happen to Luo Ji?"

Wang Jian gritted his teeth, ruthlessly forcing the secret out from the bottom of his heart: "I might have done something wrong — possibly harmed Luo Ji."

Finished speaking, he stared dead at Feng Mu; seeing the latter's expression remain calm throughout, his tense mood eased a bit as he continued: "A few days ago, the Green Wolf Gang cornered and interrogated me; I got scared, at the time I only thought about getting away, didn't think it through and just..."

Wang Jian really couldn't say it out loud, his face flushed bright red from holding it in.

"Just out of school, still so pure, conscience not yet extinguished~" Feng Mu put his arm around Wang Jian's shoulder, speaking for him: "Luo Ji's behavior after dropping out was indeed a bit abnormal; you were threatened by the Green Wolf Gang and let slip — understandable."

"Really? At first I couldn't reach Luo Ji — could he have been caught by the Green Wolf Gang?" Wang Jian's face was full of guilt; remorse and regret gnawed at his soul.

Feng Mu's expression remained calm as ever; his ancient, waveless eyes seemed to contain the power to soothe anxiety.

He said: "Luo Ji might just have followed the Vanguard Team into the Hidden Gate — losing contact is perfectly normal."

Wang Jian: "But, what if..."

Feng Mu cut off Wang Jian; he clamped the cigarette in his mouth, the not-too-responsive lighter's flame flickering in and out of existence, casting his face in alternating light and shadow.

"Wang Jian, you're a good person; Luo Ji is a good person; I am also a good person — so do you know what good people have in common?" Feng Mu suddenly asked a seemingly completely unrelated question.

Before Wang Jian could answer, Feng Mu gave the answer: "Weakness!"

Wang Jian was stunned; he had originally wanted to answer kindness, honesty, politeness, and so on.

Feng Mu blew out a Smoke Ring, his gaze Qian: "The world's essence is the weak are meat, the strong eat; it is man eating man. Bad people eat people because they are Fierce enough; good people are eaten because they are weak."

"But is weakness a sin? No, weakness is kindness, is not contending or Snatching, is following rules, is the brilliance of human nature."

"Then, suppose, good people like you, me, or Luo Ji, forced by survival to do some things against our conscience that harm others — is it the good person's fault?"

Wang Jian immersed himself in Feng Mu's words; he felt Feng Mu's voice contained magic power, Channeling his own thinking, making him think about those things his stupid self had never thought about before.

Wang Jian replied uncertainly: "No, good people are forced; good people are not wrong."

"Correct."

Feng Mu flicked lightly; the Cigarette butt fell to the ground, hitting a crawling insect, and then was stomped into Scum together by a Shoe Sole falling from the sky.

"The ones who have never been wrong are the good people; it is the bad people's coercion, it is the world without constraints."

Wang Jian's eyes brightened; the guilt in his Nei Xin lessened by more than half; he truly had not expected his classmate's thoughts to be so profound, like a Mentor guiding a lost lamb.

"Thank you, Feng Mu, I feel much better." Wang Jian's Nei Xin was full of gratitude.

Feng Mu grinned, revealing neat white teeth, and smiled: "Do you remember the key point I just said?"

Wang Jian nodded heavily, convinced: "Mm, I remember; we are good people, good people are not wrong."

Feng Mu smiled without speaking; his Line of Sight swept past Wang Jian, Looking Towards the Corpse Bags being pushed over on a Car in the distance, and Cold Laughed in his Heart Bottom: "Wrong; it is eating people!"

End of Chapter