Chapter 3: 3 Back to the Door

3 Back to the Door

In the middle of the night, he frantically climbed up, carried his sister whose face was turning faintly purple on his back to the hospital, and after tossing and turning for a full ten-plus hours, Li Ang, his eyes bloodshot, sat with his back to the setting sun outside the window, beside a dirty hospital bed, looking at his sister who had finally stopped choking and coughing, and asked in a low voice with a complex expression:

"Anna, tell me, when did you stop taking your medicine?"

Hearing Li Ang say her name, a rare occurrence, the pale-as-paper, thin girl on the hospital bed couldn't help but tremble slightly; knowing that although her brother looked calm now, he was actually half-mad with rage, she could only lower her head slightly and confess honestly:

"About... two months ago?"

Two months ago...

Hearing this, Li Ang recalled for a moment, then couldn't help but clench his fist tightly, his fingernails, still bearing a little mud, almost wedging into the flesh of his palm.

Two months ago was exactly when he turned sixteen and became an adult.

That day, the Kingdom's Military Department's comfort officer arrived on time for a follow-up visit, announced that he had come of age, and according to that so-called new policy, forcibly stopped the pension for fallen military dependents that should have been paid until he was twenty-two.

That rare afternoon, without the usual floating exhaust fumes and dust clouds, clear, warm, and brilliantly sunny, felt in the hearts of their family of four colder than the ice fields of deep winter.

At that time, to balance the overspent accounts, the Military Department chose to embezzle the pension money to fill the hole in military expenses; the decision to forcibly stop the pension payments pushed this small family, which had previously been able to barely hold on, right to the edge of a cliff...

After recalling the events of that day, Li Ang silently bit his back teeth, his two palms clenched so tightly that the knuckles turned faintly white.

Right, although the pension was reduced by a quarter, the family's expenses hadn't decreased much over these two months; even food costs had been barely maintained... Damn! How did I only realize this now!

"Brother."

Looking at Li Ang beside her, who was silent with his head down, the girl on the hospital bed, appearing even thinner, fell silent for a while, then turned her head slightly, and spoke in a faint voice that seemed as if it might scatter at any moment:

"Why don't you just leave me alone?"

Hearing this, Li Ang's whole body shook violently; he immediately raised his head, glared with bloodshot eyes, and shouted in anger:

"You're talking nonsense..."

"Brother!"

After forcing her voice higher, which triggered a bout of violent choking and coughing, the thin girl quickly grabbed Li Ang's right hand, where veins were bulging, and while trying to steady her windpipe-like breathing, she gently and calmly urged:

"I've calculated carefully over these two months: even if my death means one less pension payment, as long as I don't need medicine, relying on the two pensions for the younger ones, and you taking on more day-labor jobs, you can barely raise them until they come of age.

Also, my registered age is one year younger than my actual age, so after I'm sick... after I'm gone, you just need to avoid the patrol squads a bit, sneak my body into the sewage river outside the outer city of the Royal Capital at night, hang my old clothes on the rack at home to make it look like I'm still here, and we can collect the Military Department's pension for two more years.

Brother, listen to me, I've already asked the families in Veteran's Alley beforehand; they are all willing to help us cover it up. As long as they cooperate with you to deceive the Military Department's comfort officer... Brother? Brother! Where are you going?"

To kill! I'm going to kill!

After hearing Anna's suggestion, Li Ang, trembling all over, discovered with immense horror that for a split second, he had subconsciously agreed with her plan; after three years in this world, he had actually started to get used to all of this!

As if another numb, cold version of himself was chasing him from behind, wanting to completely swallow the current, barely-alive version of himself, Li Ang began to run at full speed without thinking, his scalding hot blood almost instantly swelling his brain.

On the way, he roughly knocked over a medical cart, bent down to grab a scalpel still stained with blood, and then stumbled out of the hospital,

rushing headlong towards the Public Works Department three streets away!

If it weren't for those dog things in Public Works approving the alchemy factory to be built near residential areas, you wouldn't have gotten sick from the alchemical exhaust leaks!

If they hadn't colluded with the factory to issue a certificate stating the leak caused no pollution, you would have had money to treat your illness!

If it weren't for the shameless embezzlement by the Kingdom's Military Department, the double pension left by our parents, who were mechanics, would have been enough for me to raise all three of you until you came of age!

And! If it weren't for this damn world rotting into such a bird-like mess, I wouldn't have to struggle so bitterly like I do now; I could at least live like a human being!

With hot blood rushing to his head, Li Ang, clutching the scalpel, crossed three streets and rushed to the Public Works Department under the blood-red setting sun, arriving at the square where he had stood in a long line yesterday, treated like livestock to be picked over.

Although there was still an hour before the Kingdom's official closing time, the staff of the Public Works Department were already filing out of the brightly lit building, chatting and passing by Li Ang, whose clothes were tattered.

"Master Wolder's troupe will be coming to the Royal Capital next week to perform his famous opera at the Central Cross Theater; are you going?"

"I'm not as high-class as you; I'm actually interested in the circus, but I'll pass on the opera. By the way, why are you asking me to see an opera? Where's your wife?"

"Her? She does like opera, but she likes pretty handbags and shoes even more, as well as the department store that will have discounts that day."

"No wonder, haha, then I can only wish your wallet good luck."

Opera, circus, handbags, department stores... If I hadn't heard them talking about these things, I would have almost forgotten that this isn't a barren, impoverished world, and that not everyone is in such pain.

Listening to the laughter of the Public Works Department staff, dressed in bright and shiny clothes, Li Ang slowly raised his head, his two eyeballs covered in thick bloodshot veins, and stared fixedly at the brightly lit building before him.

Anna was right; instead of dragging the whole family down with her illness, the most correct thing to do would be to give up treatment, watch her die, then secretly dump the body into that sewage river full of feces and sour water, try to "cheat" the Military Department out of two more years of pension, and raise the remaining two younger ones, but...

I'm sorry, I really can't hold on anymore...

Li Ang, who had worked hard from dawn to dusk for a full three years only to find that life hadn't just failed to improve but had started sliding into an abyss, first pressed his lips, which were cracked and bleeding, tightly together, then, with his mouth full of the salty, metallic taste of rust, quickly walked towards the Public Works Department building.

Now was the Public Works Department's closing time, the easiest moment to sneak in; next, he had to go up to the second floor, find that dog who approved the construction of the alchemy potion factory, and slice open his belly full of fat.

Then, amidst the chaos, run up to the fourth floor, find that bastard who provided false testimony for the potion factory, causing the family to receive no compensation and having no money to treat Anna, and die together with him! Let these damn...

"Bang!"

"Are you blind? Don't you look where you're going when you walk forward?"

Glancing at the thin youth knocked to the ground, the fat, burly man who had come out from the corner frowned, disgustingly brushed the dust off the front of his coat, then took a bite of the cheese-covered hamburger in his hand, stepped around the fallen Li Ang, and strode away.

Getting up somewhat dazed, looking at that somewhat familiar back, Li Ang couldn't help but pause slightly.

It was that "livestock picker" fatso from yesterday!

Staring at the back of that domineering man, looking at that greasy and detestable fat face, which was tearing into a double-patty burger with large bites, Li Ang felt his brain suddenly go into a chaotic buzz.

As if dominated by some inexplicable thing, the anger that was about to explode in his mind found the most suitable outlet, dyeing his already bloodshot eyes a deep scarlet, and driving him to clench the cold, hard scalpel and stumble after the man.

If he had let me pass yesterday, maybe I wouldn't be so desperate now! If he had let me pass yesterday, maybe I could have saved Anna's life! If he had let me pass yesterday...

"Daddy~"

Just as Li Ang had caught up to the man and was preparing to do something, a clear child's voice suddenly came from beside his ear.

Accompanied by that chime-like clear call, the arrogant and cold face before him suddenly warmed, and the weariness on the tall, fat man's face vanished instantly.

He was seen first sucking hard on his bulging belly, then somewhat laboriously squatting down, and smilingly opening his arms towards the little girl running towards him.

"..."

Watching the little girl, who ran past him laughing and threw herself into the man's arms like a young swallow, Li Ang gradually slowed his steps, then turned around somewhat blankly, and found that not far behind him, a middle-aged woman with a somewhat plump figure was gazing at this side with a gentle smile.

Even in such a trashy and fucking world, the look in the woman's eyes as she gazed at that father and daughter still brimmed with an enviable happiness... exactly like the smile Anna had given him during yesterday's dinner.

"..."

"Damn it!"

After muttering something nonsensical, Li Ang, who seemed to be cursing at something, loosened his right hand slightly; the blood-stained scalpel clattered to the ground, immediately drawing a suspicious glance from the portly official.

Directly ignoring this happy-to-the-point-of-being-odious family of three, Li Ang spat once more onto the polished bluestone tiles beneath his feet, then, having calmed down, silently turned around and walked toward the Cleanup Bureau, which sat nestled in the shadows, his steps carrying their signature Inherent Weight.

Killing one's enemy with one's own hands and then ending one's life is certainly fucking gratifying, but there are times when, no matter how much a person wants to die, they must live well... at the very least, they must die with a bit more value.

Standing before the heavy, dark door of the Cleanup Bureau, Li Ang fell silent for a moment, raised his hand to grasp the polished brass handle, and pushed inward with force.

He remembered that at this time yesterday, the red-haired interviewer had said that the Cleanup Bureau was an auxiliary department of the Police Department, and according to the rules for such field departments, if he died in the line of duty, a large sum of pension should be left behind.

So if, among his family of four, one was destined to die first so that the remaining three could survive while weeping... then let it be me!