Chapter 80: Revenge

Liu Xiaohua did not sleep all night in the pitch-black room; the footsteps, shouting, and dog barking outside the wall scraped at his ears like knives. His heart was pounding violently, and he knew better than anyone that this was his final moment.

When dawn was about to break, it finally grew quiet outside, but his heart beat even more fiercely, filled with both fear and excitement, as if he were harboring a fire about to ignite.

He wrapped his cotton robe tighter, fastened his belt, squatted down, and quietly moved the brick on the floor. A chilly breeze drilled out from the tunnel entrance, blowing him much more sober.

He hunched his body and crawled inside, turning on his flashlight, inching forward step by step.

Finally reaching beneath the west wing room, he gently pushed open the camouflaged exit. Just as he poked his head out, his eyes shrank abruptly—in the middle of the room sat two large camphor wood chests, and beside them lay a corpse, its build and weight exactly the same as his own!

Could He Yuzhu have calculated even what he was about to do? This man was simply so wise he was nearly demonic! What he couldn't fathom even more was that with hundreds of people from the Military Statistics Bureau surrounding the courtyard like an iron barrel, how on earth did He Yuzhu get these things inside?

Only then did he truly believe that the phrase "No matter which path you choose, I will lead you out" was no empty promise.

With trembling hands, he opened the wooden chest; the RDX explosive materials and tools inside were clearly visible. At that moment, a twisted smile suddenly tore across his face, his muscles twitching as if in a spasm, his voice hoarse as if ground by sandpaper: "Father! Mother! Twenty years... twenty whole years! Your son has returned! I have waited enough, and I have learned enough! I have created RDX; this is good stuff! I will make the heads, bones, and flesh of those people fly into the sky, and use their souls to pave the way for Father and Mother!"

At this moment, where was the gentle and refined scholar? He was clearly a vengeful demon crawled back from hell, living only for revenge.

A nearly insane smile appeared on his face again, and the bloody memory of his seventh year suddenly smashed into his mind—that cold night, Mother stuffed him tightly into the kang stove. In the darkness, the sound of breaking bowls and dishes, rough cursing, and the suppressed screams of his parents drilled in, piercing his ears like needles.

He did not know how much time had passed before it was completely quiet outside. He crawled out trembling, the thick stench of blood nearly suffocating him: his parents lay in a pool of blood, Mother's clothes were torn, her eyes still wide open, blood flowing from the corners of her mouth; Father's hands were clutching a piece of the enemy's flesh; the walls and the floor were covered in deep red blood spots. They had been tortured to death!

From that day on, the seed of revenge took root in his heart.

He changed his name, wandered the streets, and was later taken to the United States by an old overseas Chinese. He studied chemistry desperately, his grades always top-tier, but in his heart, there was only one thought: return to take revenge.

He hated the people of the Military Statistics Bureau to the core, wishing he could eat their flesh and drink their blood. He refused to join his parents' organization precisely because he feared discipline would bind his hands and feet, preventing him from settling this blood feud with his own hands.

Intense hatred dispelled the last trace of hesitation. A resolute light flashed in his eyes, and he immediately set to work, skillfully mixing explosives and assembling the timing device with the materials He Yuzhu had sent, every movement carrying twenty years of obsession.

In Liugongguan, however, it was a different scene; the heater was burning brightly, and a faint tea fragrance drifted in the air.

Liu Rusi wore a loose silk bathrobe, leaning lazily on the sofa, holding the telephone receiver, her brows slightly furrowed.

From the other end of the phone came Shen Shichang's dissatisfied voice, carrying a hint of reprimand: "Xiao Si, why did you let those losers from the Military Statistics Bureau lead this operation? Isn't this just handing the credit to them for nothing?"

Liu Rusi sighed softly, her voice soft but firm: "Father, I don't have enough men, and Feng Qingbo couldn't come up with a decent plan. Besides, I only let them handle the arrests; our own people are still handling the transport, so there won't be any mistakes."

"When did you become so lacking in confidence?" Shen Shichang pressed, his tone full of disapproval.

"Liu Xiaohua is not a simple character; I'm afraid he won't submit obediently," Liu Rusi lowered her voice. "If something goes wrong, there will be people from the Military Statistics Bureau to serve as scapegoats; we won't lose out."

The other end of the phone was silent for a moment before Shen Shichang's voice came through, relenting: "Since you anticipated that something would go wrong, is there no other way?"

"No," Liu Rusi's tone was categorical. "As long as they can get him out of the city, I will definitely be able to send him to Nanjing."

"Fine, I'll trust you this time." Shen Shichang hung up the phone.

Liu Rusi put down the receiver and looked out the window at the beautiful frost flowers on the glass, murmuring softly: "Incompetent, yet insisting on showing off; in the end, I still have to clean up the mess."

The atmosphere in the Chen Residence, however, was full of heartache and bitterness.

Chen Tianhua, covered in wounds, was helped into a grandmaster chair by his family. The bloodstains on his cotton robe had already turned black, his face was as white as paper, and even breathing caused him pain.

Chen Xueru rushed over, and seeing her father in this state, tears instantly welled up, and she threw herself to the side, crying her heart out: "Father! How could they beat you like this! These god-damned people! I will definitely avenge you!"

Chen Tianhua gasped for air, struggling to raise his hand to pat his daughter's shoulder, but he had no strength, so he could only ask in a hoarse voice: "Xueru... who did you find? To be able to save me..."

"It was He Yuzhu, He Daqing's son; he knows big shots," Chen Xueru sobbed, her voice tinged with lingering fear. "I acted on my own and gave two percent of the shop's equity to that big shot. Father, don't be angry..."

Chen Tianhua shook his head, a weak smile appearing at the corner of his mouth: "You did the right thing... in the future, you will definitely be better at doing business than your father!" He closed his eyes, his voice as light as a feather: "They beat me because they couldn't take the shop, so they took it out on me..."

Chen Xueru held her father's cold hand tightly, tears dripping onto the back of his hand: "Father, these are just a bunch of villains; I've noted this grudge! When I have the ability, I will definitely settle the score with them!"

"Zheng De and his lot won't dare to come openly, but their underhanded tricks won't be few," Chen Tianhua opened his eyes, his gaze full of worry. "In the future, don't come to the shop with your mother, just in case."

"Father, I still want to learn how to do business from you!" Chen Xueru said with a sobbing tone.

Chen Tianhua smiled, with a hint of gratification: "Just by the fact that you thought to find the He Family and dared to make the decision to give away two percent of the equity, you have already graduated in terms of doing business."

Meanwhile, in the Military Statistics Bureau Beiping Station, smoke swirled, and the atmosphere was so oppressive it made it hard to breathe.

Tie Lin sat with his legs crossed, cracking melon seeds, cursing as he sat in his chair: "Ma Mingyuan is really not a thing! Isn't it just escorting a scholar to Nanjing? Is it necessary to not let us go home? I even made an appointment to eat with my big brother! Now it's all ruined!"

His colleague Ge Erdan sneered from the side: "Tie Lin, if this escort mission doesn't go wrong, it's a great achievement; are you still not satisfied?"

"Achievement? I think it's a death trap!" Tie Lin spat, his eyes full of disdain. "Originally this matter was led by someone else, and it was suddenly dumped on us. Think about it! Could there not be a pit in this?"

Ge Erdan shook his head, his tone full of mockery: "Do you know why you can't be an official? You're too cowardly! You don't dare to take any risks!"

"I can't get promoted because the people in charge are blind!" Tie Lin retorted, neck stiff, his face flushed red.

"Forget it! You can't get promoted because you don't act like a man; you hide whenever something happens!" Ge Erdan's words were like knives, stabbing straight at Tie Lin's sore spot.

"If I hadn't hidden, I would have been finished during that telecommunications vehicle incident!" Tie Lin sniffled, his voice tinged with grievance.

"So that's it! You're only fit to live like a rat!" Ge Erdan laughed even more meanly. "But you're not even as good as a rat! A rat can still have a litter of pups in a month; what about you? You married two wives and didn't produce a single pup!"

These words completely ignited Tie Lin's temper. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, he jumped up, went up, and slapped Ge Erdan, cursing: "Screw your mother! You're the one who's impotent!"

Ge Erdan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression instantly turning ferocious, and he rushed up to brawl with Tie Lin: "You coward, you dare hit me! I'll kill you!"

The office immediately fell into chaos, tables and chairs being knocked with a "clatter."

After taking a slap, Tie Lin's long-suppressed anger exploded. He kicked Ge Erdan hard in the calf—with a crisp "crack," Ge Erdan fell to the ground, clutching his leg and howling, his voice so shrill that those nearby frowned.