Chapter 220: Correction Center

Night.

Deep mountains.

Hongzhi Xingwei Jiaozheng Zhongxin.

The name of this place sounds grand and lofty, but inside it is a sunless hell.

Xu An is hauled by two burly Instructors, dragged toward the iron door at the end of the Corridor.

His mouth is stuffed with a rag, only able to emit a muffled "wu‑wu" hum.

The smell of rusted iron mixed with disinfectant pierces his nostrils, making him gag repeatedly.

The whole cause is nothing more than a single painkiller he hid under the bedboard.

Just one.

"Room No. 13 Correction Room".

The red Paint on the door is already flaking, looking like dried blood.

"Clack."

The door opens.

A heavy whiff of ozone rushes at him.

In the center of the room sits a cold metal chair, covered with Leather Binding Straps and Electric Wires.

Xu An's pupils constrict violently.

He is roughly pressed onto the chair, his wrists, ankles, and forehead all tightly bound by straps.

Instructor Lei walks in, a grimace hanging on his face.

He pinches his sandbag‑sized fist, the joints snapping with a crisp "gok‑gok".

"Kid, you've got some nerve, still daring to hide something?"

Lei calmly puts on a pair of Insulated Gloves, his eyes full of mockery and cruelty.

"Do you think our 'treatment' here isn't strong enough?"

He walks to the control console, his finger gently caressing a red knob.

"Don't worry, today I'll crank it up for you, you'll be satisfied."

Lei snarls, then slams the knob to its maximum!

Zzz—!!!

A powerful electric current instantly courses through Xu An's entire body!

He suddenly arches his body, convulsing violently under the straps, like a fish flung onto shore.

Muscles spasm uncontrollably, bones grind madly, teeth chatter, saliva and tears pour out unchecked.

He tries to scream, but only a broken, discordant howl erupts from his throat.

Lei leans against the wall, lights a cigarette, leisurely inhaling and exhaling clouds, savoring the scene before him.

The boy's wail is, to him, the most pleasant music.

After an indeterminate time, the current finally ceases.

Xu An collapses limp on the chair, drenched, as if just hauled from water, lacking the strength to lift a single finger.

Lei walks over and pats his face.

"How's that, feeling good?"

He pulls a letter from his pocket and waves it before Xu An's eyes.

"Your parents sent you a letter, want to hear it?"

Lei clears his throat and reads in a measured, mocking tone.

"Instructor Lei, greetings, hope this letter finds you well. Our son Xu An's recent behavior—how is it? This month we've added another ten thousand yuan to the treatment fee; please intensify the effort and never be soft‑hearted."

Every word on the letter turns into a razor‑sharp blade.

"This child has never obeyed since childhood; we can't control him any longer, so we beg you. As long as you can 'correct' his bad habits and make him an obedient good child, we'll pay any amount......"

"... Never let him think we've abandoned him, but also never give him any unrealistic fantasies. Everything follows the Center's arrangement."

Lei finishes reading, folds the letter and stuffs it back into Xu An's chest pocket.

He leans close to Xu An's ear and whispers in a voice only two people can hear:

"Did you hear? Your parents added ten thousand yuan just so I can properly 'spare you'..."

"They're not abandoning you; they sold you to me."

After speaking, he unfastens the straps and, like discarding a dead dog, throws Xu An onto the cold cement floor.

Xu An lies prone on the ground, motionless.

In those eyes, which once still held a hint of stubbornness, all light has gone out.

Completely extinguished.

The total betrayal of family becomes the final straw that breaks the camel.

He is dragged back to the Collective Dormitory.

Dozens of youths in identical prison garb lie on their respective beds.

No one looks at him, and no one cares about him.

Everyone's gaze carries a numbness and hollowness.

Xu An knows that among these people, half are "informants".

They monitor each other's every move, then report to the Instructor, exchanging it for a trivial privilege.

For example, a full meal, or exemption from a "correction".

Here, a person is no longer a person.

They are beasts that tear each other apart.

Xu An lies on the bed, staring at the dim lamp on the ceiling.

He recalls how his parents looked when they brought him here, their faces bearing hopeful smiles, saying "It's for your own good."

He remembers Lei Hu's excited expression when he activated the Electric Shock Chair.

He recalls his roommates' numb, surveilling glances at each other.

The last sliver of hope for "people" is completely extinguished.

In its place is an ultimate hatred that seeks to destroy everything.

Why?

Why do those who commit evil feel justified?

Why must the suffering be betrayed by their own kin?

If the world is indeed like this…

Then let's destroy it together.

This sky‑piercing grudge, so intense it nearly becomes tangible, pierces the mountain barrier and the clouds, and is precisely captured by a being thousands of miles away.

Jiang Hai City, a high‑end apartment.

Chu Che sits on a genuine leather sofa before the floor‑to‑ceiling window, gently swaying the red‑wine glass in his hand.

The scarlet wine hangs graceful arcs on the glass wall.

In front of him, a virtual panel—only he can see—hovers in mid‑air: the Weird Editor.

On the panel, a massive Federation map slowly rotates.

Suddenly, in a corner of the map, a point that was dim erupts with a blinding red flash.

The red light shoots upward like a blood‑red signal fire, saturated with ominous and destructive aura.

"Oh?"

Chu Che pushes up his gold‑trimmed glasses on his nose bridge; the lenses reflect the neon outside, cold and indifferent.

He extends his long, fair fingers and taps the virtual panel lightly.

The map zooms in rapidly.

The view finally freezes on a deep mountain, where the building named "Hongzhi Xingwei Jiaozheng Zhongxin" is precisely encircled by a red circle.

Clusters of thick, black resentment stream continuously from that building.

A hint of appreciation curves Chu Che's mouth.

He can clearly sense the emotions embedded in that grudge.

The despair of betrayal, the agony of torment, and… the insane hatred that wants to burn everything to ash.

It's not only Xu An; there are countless other disobedient children.

This is exactly the fuel he needs.

"Human nature always manages to surprise me in the most unexpected places."

Chu Che sips the red wine, his gaze deep.

His fingers fly across the panel, beginning the "edit."

【Drop location: Hongzhi Xingwei Jiaozheng Zhongxin】

【Weird Domain Naming: Correction Place】

He clicks confirm.

An invisible Weird Seed, brimming with endless malice, crosses countless mountains and rivers, silently falling into that mountain hell.

In the Dormitory Building.

The once dim, amber incandescent lamp on the ceiling flickers.

When it lights again, the glow turns a grim, blinding white, leaving the room without a hint of warmth.

On the wall, the eight characters "Thankful Parents, Reshape New Life" painted in red Paint begin to ooze dark‑red, viscous liquid from their edges.

One drop.

Two drops.

As if the wall is bleeding.

In the air, the familiar scent of disinfectant gradually fades, replaced by a faint, rust‑like metallic blood smell.

No one notices the abnormality.