Chapter 237: Different Choices

The building moans.

Chen Shao merely twitched a finger.

Next to it.

The one‑meter‑diameter reinforced concrete column turned into a cloud of dust the instant it met that force, and the entire load‑bearing wall collapsed completely under the impact of that monstrous power.

The balance was broken.

The floor beneath his feet tilted sharply, the red wine glass on the table toppled and shattered, and the scarlet liquid mingled with dust, spreading a horrifying stain across the carpet.

But this is only the beginning.

This is the upscale residential district of Landen Shi. When the load‑bearing column snapped, not only this house but also the apartment tower dozens of floors above lost support in an instant.

Crack—Boom!

A teeth‑aching sound of twisted steel bars rang from above.

Immediately after, there were screams.

Not a single scream, but those of hundreds, even thousands. The residents, caught completely off guard, felt the malevolent pull of gravity.

The entire building was tilting to one side.

Jiang Yuan's pupils shrank to the size of needle points.

He could feel the weight from above—a mass of tens of thousands of tons of steel and concrete, and also hundreds of living souls.

"Are you insane!"

Jiang Yuan roared at Chen Shao.

Compared with Jiang Yuan's disarray, Chen Shao was as graceful as if attending a dinner party.

He leisurely straightened his wind‑ruffled tie, brushed dust off his suit shoulders, then lifted his head; in his eyes there was no remorse, only a lofty, mocking disdain.

"Insane?"

Chen Shao let out a light laugh, as if he had heard a ridiculous joke.

"Jiang Yuan. This whole mess is because you and I started fighting. The collapse of this building ultimately stems from you."

He spread his hands, assuming an innocent posture.

"That bill, of course, falls on you."

Jiang Yuan stared at the man who stood on the slanted floor as if it were level, his teeth chattering.

Despicable.

Shameless.

Those words seemed too pale at this moment. The man cared nothing for human lives; to him, those hundreds of lives were merely chips for his gamble, trash he could discard at will.

The building's tilt grew steeper, and the cracking walls emitted explosive roars; some furniture slid down through broken windows.

Time was running out.

Chen Shao turned his body, gazing at Jiang Yuan's anger‑twisted face, a cruel curve lifting his mouth.

"Now, the game rules have changed."

He extended two fingers and swayed them lazily.

"You have two choices."

"First, rush over and kill me. While I haven't left yet, that's your best chance. But the price is that the building will collapse completely in three seconds, and the hundreds of ants on it will turn into mush."

Chen Shao paused, his voice deepening with temptation.

"Second, become your own savior. Use that prideful power of yours to bear up the building, to rescue those useless scraps that have nothing to do with you."

"Of course, that would mean you can only watch helplessly as I take Xu An away."

"Choose, great hero."

This is a death‑sentence question.

It is also a heart‑crushing question.

Jiang Yuan stared intently at Chen Shao.

Kill him.

If he is killed, more evils can be stopped, and vengeance can be taken for those who might later die at his hands. Even sacrificing those hundreds, in the long run it is worth it.

Reason screamed, telling him this is the optimal solution.

In this Weird era of lawlessness, to win one must be colder‑blooded than the monsters.

At that moment.

A youthful cry pierced the floor's barrier and drilled into Jiang Yuan's ears.

"Mom! The house is moving! I'm scared!"

Jiang Yuan's movement froze.

The impending explosive force jammed hard into his muscle fibers, making his whole body tremble.

He saw the mockery on Chen Shao's face.

He was betting.

Betting on the shackles of "humanity" that bind Jiang Yuan, betting that this Federation Investigation Bureau‑trained ace could never view all beings as mere grass as he does.

"Damn..."

Jiang Yuan let out a beast‑like low growl from his throat.

He glared fiercely at Chen Shao; the hatred in that glance was so intense it nearly solidified.

Then, he turned.

Back to his enemy, back to that extremely dangerous fugitive.

He rushed toward the building's most severely tilted corner.

Ah ah ah ah ah!

With a gut‑wrenching roar, the Shadow behind Jiang Yuan boiled completely.

It was no longer that single demon god of before.

In that boiling dark swamp, countless twisted figures crawled out. Some bore multiple arms, some were stout, some slender as snakes.

This is the Weird that Jiang Yuan has devoured in countless battles; it is his army, and also the source of his power.

"Give me... hold!"

Jiang Yuan raised both arms, the veins on his forehead bulging.

Boom!

The Shadow Ghost legion, following its master's will, turned into countless black sky‑supporting pillars, slamming hard into the collapsing ceiling.

Thousands of tons of weight pressed down at that moment.

Creak—

Jiang Yuan's knees let out a mournful creak.

But he did not kneel.

Even though his legs trembled, he still stood firm.

The black Shadow pillars, like some living tissue, spread and hardened rapidly, filling the gap of the load‑bearing columns, gripping the cracked walls, and forcibly freezing the teetering building in mid‑air.

It stopped.

The tilt stopped.

The screams from the floors turned into a chorus of post‑disaster sobbing.

Jiang Yuan gasped heavily, sweat mixed with blood dripping down his chin.

But he could not move.

He remained in that lifted posture, like a martyr nailed to a cross.

Chen Shao watched this scene quietly.

He neither seized the chance to ambush nor clapped in applause.

He only shook his head, his gaze as if looking at an incurable fool.

"A beast bound by morality, no matter how sharp its teeth, is still just a house dog."

Chen Shao turned and looked at Xu An, who had been hiding in the corner.

The boy was staring at Jiang Yuan, who was holding up the building.

"Did you see it?"

Chen Shao walked to Xu An's side, placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, pointed at Jiang Yuan and said:

"This is what they call justice."

"To protect a group of strangers, even ones who might insult him behind his back as 'inferior creatures', he willingly gave up freedom, gave up dignity, turning himself into a pillar."

"Xu An, do you want to become a person like this?"

Xu An looked at the blood‑soaked figure, and in his mind the neglect of those so‑called \"good people\" during his suffering at the correction center flashed.

He slowly shook his head, the black sutured line at the corner of his mouth looking especially grim.

Chen Shao smiled.

He was very satisfied with that answer.

"Let's go. It's too noisy here, not suitable for us."

Chen Shao snapped his fingers.

Outside the originally shattered floor‑to‑ceiling window, the air began to weirdly solidify, forming visible transparent steps that stretched into the distance.

He led Xu An, stepping onto the void steps one by one.

Inside, Jiang Yuan alone bore the weight of the entire building, like a tragic joke.

When Chen Shao reached mid‑air, he stopped.

He did not look back.

He only slightly turned his face, the eyes hidden behind his sunglasses landing on Jiang Yuan one last time.

He raised his hand and made a simple gesture.

It was a "good‑bye" gesture.

At the same time, his lips opened and closed slightly.

Though there was no sound, Jiang Yuan read the lip shape.

Even under extreme pressure, those words were like a branding iron, deeply etched into Jiang Yuan's mind.

"Next time we meet, it will be you dead and me a corpse."

Having said that, Chen Shao's figure completely merged into the horizon, disappearing with the boy named Xu An.

Only Jiang Yuan was left alone.

Above the ruins, he used all his strength to support that sky which should not have been his burden.