Chapter 16 – The Avenger

Volume 3: Rising Winds and Clouds

Wen Yu remained silent for a long time before slowly nodding.

"By the way, have dinner at my place tonight. My treat. I found quite a bit of food when I went out this morning."

Hearing Ye Nan's warm invitation, Wen Yu nodded once more.

In the Apocalypse, these Ordinary People lived in a vicious cycle.

Faced with exploitation and oppression, they lacked the ability to resist, and they couldn't even if they wanted to.

Even though it was blatant oppression, they would find comparisons to make themselves feel better, allowing them to cling to hope.

Wen Yu understood this; he had experienced it in his previous life. He had been both the exploited and the exploiter.

Because he had lived through it, he understood.

"There will always be hope, right?"

At Wen Yu's question, Ye Nan nodded.

"There will always be hope."

…

Inside a massive factory complex, the two Class Holders who had just collected protection money at Ye Nan's home followed another Class Holder into an office deep within the facility.

"Boss."

The two men looked at the Burly Man sitting behind the desk and greeted him respectfully.

Hearing their voices, the Burly Man slowly raised his head.

"Is there something?"

A low, deep voice rumbled from the Burly Man, making the two Class Holders tremble involuntarily.

It was out of pure fear!

As his subordinates, they knew their Boss's methods all too well.

"Boss, the news about that Hidden Class user you wanted us to watch out for… we've found a lead."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, the Burly Man immediately looked up, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"Where was he seen?"

"In the Jindu Residential Area of the Old City District."

"Are you certain?"

The two men nodded.

"The black sphere on his shoulder is too distinctive. Combined with his age, it shouldn't be a mistake."

The Burly Man fell silent for a moment before slowly nodding.

"I'm giving you a mission. Closely monitor this person's every move. Report any developments to me immediately."

After speaking, the Burly Man walked quickly toward the door and patted the two men on their shoulders.

The immense strength caused them both to stagger.

"If you do a good job, you'll become executives here."

Hearing the Burly Man's words, the two were instantly overjoyed.

"Understood, Boss!"

"Good. Go."

The Burly Man nodded and walked straight out of the room, heading toward a restricted area in the factory's basement.

…

The Burly Man stopped in front of an iron door in the basement.

After hesitating for a long while, he finally knocked.

Thud, thud…

The sound of the impact echoed within the narrow corridor but did not reach the upper levels of the factory.

However, there was no movement from inside the room.

The Burly Man waited for about a minute before knocking again.

This time, the door finally opened!

A creaking sound slowly emanated from the iron door, sounding like a dilapidated car in desperate need of repair.

The Burly Man ignored the unsettling noise and stepped inside.

The interior was vast and empty, save for a Black-robed Man sitting alone on a chair.

After observing his former brother-in-arms for a very long time, the Burly Man finally spoke.

"He's back."

Then, there was another deathly silence.

It took a long time for the Black-robed Man to react before he finally asked, "Who?"

It was a simple word, yet it carried several different tones layered together, sounding eerie and terrifying!

Hearing the Black-robed Man's voice, the corners of the Burly Man's eyes twitched violently as he spoke again.

"Wen Yu."

"Mm."

The Black-robed Man processed this for a while before asking again, "Wen Yu… who is that?"

"The dog that killed Wan An was rescued by him."

Silence. It was so oppressive that beads of sweat began to form on the Burly Man's face.

"Then… Wan An… who was that?"

This time, even the Burly Man fell silent.

A long silence followed-it could have been a minute, or perhaps ten-before the Black-robed Man slowly let out a chilling laugh.

"Hehehe, hahahaha…"

"Wan An, he's my brother."

"Yes, he's my brother."

"No, Wan An is my name."

"My name is Lin Li."

"I am Wan An!"

…

A cacophony of voices poured from the Black-robed Man's mouth. The sheer variety and the frequency with which the tones shifted drove the Burly Man standing nearby to roar in frustration!

"Enough! That's enough!"

His thick arm slammed into the nearby wall, the immense force causing the entire underground space to rumble and shake!

"You are Wan Ping! You are Wan Ping…"

His voice started low, then grew louder and louder.

The Burly Man grabbed Wan Ping's collar with both hands and hoisted him into the air!

"Wake up, Wan Ping, wake up! Wen Yu is back, and that dog is definitely with him. We're going to kill him! We're going to kill him! Once he's dead, you won't have to suffer this torment anymore!"

Suspended in mid-air, Wan Ping stared quietly at the man in front of him. After a long moment, he gave a slight nod.

"Fine."

Hearing Wan Ping's voice, the Burly Man breathed a sigh of relief and set him back down in the chair.

Pulling out a cigarette, the Burly Man lit one and placed it in Wan Ping's mouth before lighting another for himself.

After a long silence, the Burly Man finally spoke.

"Is it worth it? For revenge… is it really worth it?"

After a while, once the Burly Man had finished his cigarette, Wan Ping finally spoke.

"It's worth it. After all this time, after all the suffering I've endured just for this day, how could it not be worth it?"

Hearing Wan Ping's words, the Burly Man crushed his cigarette butt and said slowly, "Try to maintain control over your body for now. When the opportunity comes, I'll let you know."

Seeing no reaction from Wan Ping, the Burly Man sighed heavily, turned, and walked toward the door.

Only after the Burly Man had left the room did Wan Ping let out a soft murmur.

"Tao-Ge, thank you…"

…

When Wen Yu walked into Ye Nan's home, he was greeted by a table full of food.

The spread wasn't exactly lavish; the best thing on the table was likely a single link of dried sausage.

Seeing Ye Nan's child staring wide-eyed at the sausage while swallowing spit, Wen Yu smiled slightly and retrieved a piece of cured meat from his Spatial Ring.

"I found this while I was out today. Slice it up for the kid."

Ye Nan's wife hesitated, saying, "This… how could we possibly accept this?"

"Oh, just take it. The boy is at the age where he needs to grow."

Ye Nan patted Wen Yu on the shoulder, the gratitude in his eyes impossible to hide.

"Thank you, Younger Brother."

Hearing her husband's words, Ye Nan's wife finally took the meat and headed into the kitchen.

A short while later, the cured meat was sliced and brought to the table. The child reached for it immediately, but Ye Nan swatted his hand away.

"Pray first!"

"Oh."

The child looked a bit dejected, but he still pressed his palms together and slowly closed his eyes.

Wen Yu remained silent for a moment, then mimicked Ye Nan's posture, reciting a few words in his heart.

After a while, the Ye family finished their prayer. Noticing Wen Yu's curious gaze, Ye Nan nodded with a smile.

"It's just a little rule in our house. My wife actually came up with the idea. It's mostly praying that I'll have a good harvest tomorrow."

Wen Yu nodded understandingly.

"Uncle, what were you praying for?" the child asked earnestly, looking up at Wen Yu.

"Me? I suppose I was praying for Heaven's favor."

Wen Yu smiled and patted the child's head, silently adding a line in his mind.

Favor so that in the future, I don't end up on some other creature's dinner table!