Chapter 123: This country is beyond saving

Dongzi Zhiqu, under nightfall, the streets were soaked in garish neon lights, like a spoiled cocktail, sweet and cloying with a whiff of cheap hallucination.

Lingmu Jianer held Aizi's hand; the warmth of her palm was the whole world he possessed at this moment.

"Jianer-kun, what are you grinning about?" Aizi tilted her head, her bright eyes reflecting the streetlights, shining even brighter than the stars in the sky.

"I was thinking, maybe in my past life I saved the galaxy." Lingmu Jianer scratched his head, his face showing undisguised happiness, "Otherwise how could I have found a job, and also found such a great girlfriend like you."

For the first twenty-odd years of his life he lived like a stagnant pool, having long suffered domestic violence from his father and also endured severe bullying.

It was so severe that he even developed multiple personalities.

After his father's death, he and his mother depended on each other, but his mother's health was also poor.

Only recently, after finding a job and meeting Aizi, did that stagnant pool take on brilliant colors.

His multiple personalities disappeared, and he seemed to have returned to being a happy, normal person.

Aizi puffed out a laugh, pinching his cheek: "You're all talk. Now that you've got a job, work hard—don't go back to being downcast like before."

"Hey!" Jianer nodded vigorously, feeling his whole body brimming with strength.

He truly cherished his current life.

But in this era where right-wing thought spreads like a virus, even the air we breathe carries a whiff of gunpowder.

On TV and online, those politicians and fanatics daily clamor to restore "the glory of Da Dongzi," to abolish the pacifist constitution, and to let the spirits of militarism crawl out of their graves.

And his Aizi is the one who dares to stand at the forefront, writing articles online under a pen name to stop all of this.

She is a well-known left-wing blogger, seen by countless youths as a "thought leader," and a thorn in the side of those right-wingers.

Jianer sometimes worries.

Just then, a harsh clamor came from the street corner, breaking their intimacy.

"Heaven's Punishment to Traitors! Revere the Emperor, eliminate treachery!"

"Restore our glory! Long live Dongdao!"

On a makeshift stand, a man in an old military uniform waved his arms, spittle flying as he roared; below, over a hundred fervent civilians gathered, waving salve flags, their eyes burning with an irrational flame.

The air instantly grew oppressive.

Jianer's chest tightened, and he instinctively pulled Aizi behind him.

"Let's take a detour."

"Mm." Aizi also furrowed her brows, full of disgust for such a scene.

However, it was already too late.

In the crowd, several buzz‑cut thugs with tiger‑and‑dragon tattoos on their arms noticed them, their gazes lingering on Aizi's face for a few seconds before they broke into a leering smile.

One of them whispered a few words to his companion, and several people pushed their way out of the fervent crowd, marching straight toward them.

Jianer's heart sank sharply.

He grabbed Aizi and almost broke into a jog, wanting to leave this trouble spot as quickly as possible.

The steps of those thugs also quickened.

An ominous premonition, like dark clouds, instantly enveloped Jianer's whole body.

"Squeak—"

Just then, the old white van that had been parked behind them started moving.

That white van jerked into a skid, screeching brakes, and slammed sideways across their path, blocking the way.

The van door flew open with a "clatter."

Those tattooed thugs from before, together with the few who jumped out of the van, sneered as they surrounded them completely.

"Isn't that the famous Aizi-sensei?" the lead man said, grinning, his yellow teeth especially conspicuous in the night, "Why, not typing away online anymore, out for a stroll?"

Aizi's face instantly turned pale, but she forced herself to stay calm: "What do you want? If you don't move aside, I'll call the police!"

"Call the police?" The man reacted as if he'd heard the funniest joke, bursting into exaggerated laughter, "Hahaha! You 'non‑national' who betray the country—what right do you have to police protection?"

"Bullshit!" Aizi snapped, clenching her teeth, "Dongdao is an inseparable part of the Federation, you lot who are pushing island independence!"

Hearing that, the man's smile vanished instantly, his eyes turning vicious.

"Brothers, take this bitch who licks the Federation's ass with her pen, and bring her away!"

"You dare!"

Jianer lunged forward without a second thought, spreading his arms to shield Aizi, his voice trembling from nervousness: "This is a society ruled by law—what do you intend to do!"

He was just an ordinary office worker who rode the subway every day; perhaps the toughest thing about him was the thick skin he'd developed from being yelled at by countless customers.

But right now, he could not retreat.

"Get out of here, pretty‑boy!"

One thug snapped impatiently.

The answer to Jianer was a fist the size of a sandpot.

"Bang!"

Jianer felt his vision go black, his nose bridge as if it had broken, soreness and intense pain exploding simultaneously, and he toppled backward.

Immediately after, several feet in hard‑soled leather boots stomped hard on his back and legs, and another foot ground heavily into the back of his head, pressing his face firmly into the cold, rough asphalt.

"Ah—! Jianer‑kun!"

Aizi let out a terrified scream.

"Let him go! You bastards! Wait, what are you doing—"

Next, Jianer heard Aizi's struggling sounds, and the sound of fabric being torn.

He struggled like a madman, his throat issuing beast‑like roars, but those feet were like iron clamps, leaving him unable to move.

Humiliating tears and nasal blood mixed together, smearing his face.

The lead thug crouched down, his rough palm slapping Jianer's cheek like one would slap a dog.

"Kid, let me see clearly."

"His hand suddenly grabbed Jian'er's hair, lifting his head off the ground and forcibly twisting it to one side."

"In Jian'er's field of vision, a dark, filthy alley appeared."

"His Aizi was being dragged into that darkness by two men, grinning wickedly."

"Her screams, her wails, her desperate gaze—like a red-hot branding iron, they seared fiercely into Jian'er's retina."

"No! No!! Let her go!!"

"Jian'er's eyeballs burst with horrifying bloodshot veins, veins bulging from his neck up to his forehead, his whole person seeming to go mad."

'"Hehehe..." The thugs' laughter filled with cruel delight, "You've seen it clearly, you've heard it clearly. This is... the fate of betraying the glory of Da Dongzi!"'

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

"Jian'er let out a desperate roar."

"He could only watch helplessly."

"Watching the light disappear into darkness."

"He could only listen."

"Listening to the cries and pleas from deep in the alley that tore at his liver and gall, as well as the men's obscene, unrestrained laughter."

"Each second felt like a dull blade repeatedly cutting into his heart."

"No one knew how much time had passed."

"Perhaps it had been a century."

"The sounds in the alley gradually subsided."

"The group of thugs walked away satisfied, straightening their clothes, still telling vulgar jokes as they went."

"The foot pressing on Jian'er's foot finally loosened."

"The world returned to silence."

"Jian'er lay motionless on the ground, like a corpse drained of its bones."

"After a while, he used his trembling arms to push himself up, staggering toward the alley."

"At the end of the alley, Aizi curled up beside the trash can, her clothes torn to shreds, her gaze empty, like a broken doll."

"Earlier, someone had seen the situation from afar and called the police; the sirens approached from far to near."

"Two officers hurried over and took a glance at the scene."

'"What's going on?" one officer asked.'

"At that moment."

"Jian'er held the trembling Aizi all over, his lips quivering, unable to utter a word."

"The other officer, upon seeing Aizi clearly, was surprised; his previously furrowed brows relaxed, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly, his eyes gleaming with a hint of delight."

'"I know you."'

'"You're that famous blogger online, right? Called... Aizi?"'

'"Saying things online that shouldn't be said all day, causing public outrage is only natural."'

'"Young people, you should still pay attention to the impact of your words and actions."'

'"But rest assured, we'll investigate the perpetrators on our end."'

"The officers' words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Jian'er's head, chilling him inside and out."

"He suddenly lifted his head, staring fixedly at that officer."

"On that face, there was no sympathy, no anger, only perfunctory indifference, and even a hint of secret agreement."

"Clearly, a citizen was being harmed right before their eyes."

'"Is this... the attitude officers should have?"'

"No wonder they say online that the Dongdao people are beyond saving."

"He lowered his head, looking at his beloved, already collapsed in his arms; a familiar, terrifying emotion surged from the darkest depths of his heart."