Chapter 126: Weird Smile

Dongdao, late night, Xinsu district.

Inside a dimly lit izakaya, smoke swirled, mixing the charred aroma of grilled meat with the smell of cheap alcohol.

"Hahaha! The way that woman looked at the end—just thinking about it is hilarious!"

A man with blond hair, his face flushed from drink, stood with one foot on the table, spitting as he bragged to the others.

He was one of the right-wing group members who had led the violence against Aizi that night.

"She cried so miserably! Begging us to let her go! Tsk, what were you doing earlier? When you were typing insults at us online, weren't you so tough?"

"Exactly!" The muscular man with an evil‑ghost tattoo chugged a beer, let out a loud belch, and said, "These 'non‑nationals' ought to learn who really owns this country!"

The ringleader thug, the one who had snatched Lingmu Jianer's mother's life‑saving money, now had his arm around a heavily made‑up woman, a triumphant sneer on his face.

"By the way, I heard that bitch later hanged herself?"

"Right, boss!" Huang Mao exclaimed excitedly, "It even made the news—hahaha!"

"Cheers to the boss! Cheers to the glory of Da Dongzi!"

Several people raised their cups high, letting out a harsh, hysterical laugh.

To them, a single human life was nothing more than a boastful topic at the drinking table, a trophy they flaunted to show off their "strength."

They have not been caught by the police to this day.

Because order on Dongdao has gradually collapsed, just suppressing riots and protests consumes a huge amount of police manpower.

It's hard to find spare time to specifically hunt them down, unless they walk into the net themselves.

Such an environment is practically their paradise.

This also made them even more convinced that, in the age about to welcome the "Holy War," they were the rules, they were justice.

"Come on! Let's drink another round!"

The ringleader thug tossed down a few bills, satisfied, and staggered out of the izakaya with his two lackeys.

A night wind blew, the alcohol hit them, and the three linked shoulders, humming a tune no one should hear, as they staggered recklessly across the sidewalk.

Just as they passed an intersection,

the ringleader thug suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He narrowed his eyes, looking at a figure not far ahead.

That person wore a washed‑out old outfit, his frame gaunt, wandering the street aimlessly, empty as a paper doll blown by the wind.

"Hey, isn't that the pretty‑boy?" the thug's mouth curled into a nasty grin.

The figure was none other than Lingmu Jianer.

Huang Mao and the tattooed man also recognized him, immediately joining in the sneer.

"Boss, this guy's still out strolling? His mental fortitude is impressive!"

"I'm itching for a fight—want to mess with him a bit?"

The three exchanged a glance and closed in with ill intent.

The ringleader thug shoved Lingmu Jianer's shoulder hard.

"Hey, pretty‑boy! Seeing your dad, why don't you say hello?"

Lingmu Jianer staggered from the push but didn't fall.

He didn't even react.

He just stood there, head lowered, completely still.

"Damn! Is he mute?"

The thug felt his authority challenged, a nameless fire rose in his chest, and he reached out to grab Lingmu Jianer's collar, intending to lift him up.

Just then.

Lingmu Jianer slowly lifted his head.

The street‑side neon lights illuminated his sallow, bloodless face.

On his face, there was no expression.

In those eyes, there was no spark, empty as two bottomless dry wells.

Then.

Under the gaze of the three thugs,

the corner of Lingmu Jianer's mouth began to move upward in an extremely slow, uncontrollable manner.

A bit.

Another bit.

That arc grew larger and wider as it was pulled.

Finally, a huge grin split to his ears, stiff to the extreme, blossomed on his face.

It was not joy.

Nor was it mockery.

It was a smile like that of a corpse, filled with utter eeriness and madness.

The ringleader thug's hand gripping his collar loosened involuntarily.

A chilling sensation for no reason crawled up his spine.

"You... what the hell are you laughing at?"

He shouted, his heart pounding with unease.

Lingmu Jianer gave no reply.

He just smiled, staring at him with those hollow eyes.

The thug was just about to act.

Next second.

The fierce expression on his face suddenly froze.

The muscles on his face began to twitch uncontrollably, and the corners of his mouth, like those of Lingmu Jianer before him, slowly started to curl upward.

An identical, lifeless, weird smile appeared on his face.

"Boss? What's wrong with you?"

The Huang Mao beside him sensed something was off and asked doubtfully.

"You... why are you laughing too? It's creepy."

The thug called Boss, his smile growing larger, yet for the first time fear showed in his eyes.

He wanted to speak, but his throat could only emit a "ho... ho..." sound, like a broken bellows.

He wanted to call for help, but his body was completely out of his control.

He raised his hand, wanting to grab his own face, to tear off that damned smile!

But his hand halted in midair.

Then, under the doubtful gazes of Huang Mao and the tattooed man.

Boss, with a calmness bordering on the weird, slowly reached his hand into his own pocket.

He pulled out a folding knife.

"Click."

The blade flicked open, flashing a cold silver light under the neon lights.

"Boss?" Huang Mao's voice began to tremble.

Boss ignored him.

He just smiled, raising the knife with a practiced motion as if he had done it thousands of times.

Aiming at his own neck.

Then he slashed fiercely!

"Pfft—!"

A dark red jet of blood spurted out instantly!

The warm liquid splashed Lingmu Jianer's head and face.

He didn't even blink.

He kept that weird smile, standing still, letting the blood tinged with iron rust slide slowly down his cheek.

Huang Mao and the tattooed man stared in shock, watching their boss, whose face bore the same smile as that monster, blood spraying from their throats as they fell backward rigidly.

With a "bang," they hit the ground, twitched a few times, and then lay still.

On that face, the weird smile still hung.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

"Ahhh!!"

The two remaining people kept backing away, their expressions terrified to the extreme.

They had no idea why the boss did this, panicking.

And then, in the next moment.

Their extremely terrified expressions also froze in place.

Instead,

was the same weird smile as Lingmu Jianer's and the corpse on the ground.

The two of them just stood there, smiling stiffly.

Lingmu Jianer didn't glance at them again.

He stepped over the rapidly expanding pool of blood on the ground, moved with stiff steps, and walked straight between the two thugs who had already become "the same kind."

One step.

Two steps.

Blood‑stained footprints left behind him a trail from hell.

And in the direction he was heading.

was the other end of the street corner.

Faintly, a noisy, fervent clamor could be heard.

"Heaven's Punishment to Traitors! Long live the Emperor, down with traitors!"

"Restore our glory! Long live Dongdao!"

That sound grew nearer and clearer.

Lingmu Jianer's figure disappeared around the corner.

Behind him.

In that secluded alley.

The Huang Mao and tattooed man standing frozen in place still wore that smile.

They slowly began to move at the same time.

Huang Mao fished out a bunch of keys from his pocket, aimed the sharpest one at his own temple, and drove it in with all his strength!

And the tattooed man turned, like a frenzied bull, and slammed his head into the nearby concrete wall!

"Bang!"

The dull impact sound, in the quiet night, was especially piercing.

Soon, everything returned to calm.

In the alley, there were two more corpses lying in pools of blood.

Their faces all bore the same, Weird smile.

ps:

Soon it's another grueling workday, please give some gifts and good reviews.

Friday social engagements, Saturday overtime, today is also the winter solstice, I have to go to relatives' house for a meal; I estimate there's no opportunity to stockpile drafts, so I'll have to work the night shift to update.

With everyone's support, it's impossible to stop updating.

When I'm not so busy, I can still do an extra update.