Chapter 15 – So-Called Good and Evil, So-Called Right and Wrong

Volume 3: Rising Winds and Clouds

"My name is Wen Yu."

Upon hearing Ye Nan's self-introduction, Wen Yu nodded.

It was a gesture of politeness, and merely politeness.

The scene fell into an awkward silence for a moment.

After a long while, Ye Nan finally spoke up.

"Um, I just came over to take a look. If you're missing anything, Younger Brother, you can let me know."

He hesitated for a moment, perhaps deciding that Wen Yu didn't seem like a bad person, or perhaps realizing he couldn't hide his wife and child in the next room from Wen Yu anyway. Ye Nan continued.

"I have a wife at home… we took the bedding from your room…"

Seeing Ye Nan's embarrassed expression, Wen Yu smiled and nodded.

"It's a small matter. Don't worry about it."

Perhaps Wen Yu's gentle attitude allowed Ye Nan to lower his guard slightly, as he continued.

"Well, why don't I go get a cleaner set of bedding for you, Younger Brother?"

Wen Yu looked into Ye Nan's sincere eyes and nodded after a short pause.

"I'll have to trouble you then, Big Brother Ye."

…

The clean bedding emitted a faint scent of laundry detergent.

Wen Yu also met Ye Nan's wife and child.

The child wasn't old, not even ten, but looked very bright and spirited.

As for Ye Nan's wife…

She had a good figure, but she was hideous!

It wasn't that she was born ugly, but her face was covered in hideous scars. Wen Yu could tell these wounds had been carved with a sharp blade, and judging by the scars, this had happened after the Apocalypse.

Ye Nan's wife was rather restrained. Seeing that Wen Yu showed no signs of disgust or revulsion toward the scars on her face, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Perhaps the sound of her sigh was a bit too loud, as Ye Nan gently put his arm around his wife's shoulder and softly kissed her scarred forehead.

Then, Ye Nan turned back, looked at Wen Yu who had finished arranging the bedding, and said sheepishly,

"I've made a fool of myself in front of you, Brother Wen Yu."

Wen Yu simply smiled and shook his head, asking no questions.

Everyone has a story, don't they?

…

Lying flat on the bed, listening to Ye Nan's snoring which sounded as if it were right next to his ear, along with the occasional roar of a Mutant Beast or the chirping of insects that had yet to undergo mutation coming from below, Wen Yu gradually drifted off to sleep.

Early the next morning, Wen Yu first went to look for One-Eye.

Among a large pack of stray cats and dogs, Wen Yu spotted a haughty One-Eye.

After shedding his pink outfit, One-Eye had successfully blended into this small gang roaming the city. From the looks of it, he was being treated quite well!

From a close distance, Wen Yu connected to One-Eye's mind.

Through their brief conversation, Wen Yu learned that One-Eye wanted to stay and play here for a while longer, so he could only take Xing toward Central City.

If a battle broke out, Wen Yu could pull One-Eye back through the Soul Realm at any time, so he didn't need to worry about where the dog went off to have his fun.

Inside the Central City conference room.

The originally spacious room was being used by Wang Zhigang to host Wen Yu.

He briefly inquired about news regarding the Military Headquarters.

Sun Xuewei still hadn't been found.

But there was no rush; as long as there was no confirmed news of her death, the Military would definitely give Wen Yu an explanation.

"Right, there's one more thing."

"Military Super Soldier No. 1 will arrive in Mudanjiang City tomorrow. So, Younger Brother, what do you think…"

Seeing Wang Zhigang rub his hands together sheepishly, Wen Yu nodded.

"When she arrives tomorrow, just have her come find me at my place. By the way, do you have any news on Simba?"

Hearing Wen Yu's question, Wang Zhigang nodded.

"Simba should be near East Mountain right now. When a Survivor last encountered Simba, he was already at Peak Level 3. It's very likely he's reached Level 4 by now."

There was a hint of worry in Wang Zhigang's voice.

Wen Yu shook his head.

"Level 4 doesn't matter anymore."

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back first. I'll be waiting at my place tomorrow. I've already given you the address."

After Wen Yu finished speaking, he turned and walked out of Central City.

…

With Wen Yu's formidable strength, the round trip took less than an hour before he was back home.

Walking slowly upstairs, he heard noisy sounds coming from Ye Nan's home. Wen Yu hesitated for a moment before knocking on Ye Nan's door.

"Who is it?"

Ye Nan's slightly weak voice came from inside the room.

"It's me, Wen Yu. I heard some noise coming from your room. I wanted to see if you've run into some trouble?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a kid crying and making a fuss."

"Right. Let me know if you need anything."

From that brief exchange, Wen Yu could tell that Ye Nan didn't want him getting involved in these matters.

Since the man didn't want help, why should he meddle in someone else's business?

However, given Wen Yu's powerful Physical Attribute, every movement inside the house was clear to his ears.

Aside from Ye Nan's family, there were two other Class Holders in the room.

Then, a harsh voice rang out.

"Wait, Ye Nan, open the door!"

"Big brother, let it go. The guy across the hall just arrived yesterday…"

Slap!

The sound of a sharp slap echoed, followed by the sobbing of Ye Nan's wife and child. The man who had just spoken continued.

"I told you to do something, so do it! Why all the talk?"

"Big brother, he really just got here. He doesn't know the rules. How about… how about I pay a share for him?"

Slap!

"You're already struggling to pay the protection fee for your own family of three, and you've got the heart to mind other people's business?"

Wen Yu's movement as he turned away paused. He turned back and knocked on Ye Nan's door again.

"Brother Ye, are you sure you don't need my help?"

"Brother Wen Yu, I really don't. Please, just go."

Noisy voices drifted from behind the door. After a moment, the two Class Holders collecting protection money inside agreed to Ye Nan's proposal.

Ye Nan would pay Wen Yu's share.

As the door swung open, Wen Yu, who was still standing in front of the entrance, quietly observed the scene inside the room.

The bruising around Ye Nan's eyes had worsened. Aside from that, the furniture hadn't been trashed, and it didn't look like Ye Nan's wife or child had been harmed.

The two Class Holders sized Wen Yu up. When they saw the Little Soul Beast floating on Wen Yu's shoulder, their eyes flickered instantly!

It was unclear whether it was surprise at seeing a Hidden Class, or something else…

Perhaps seeing Wen Yu's slightly grim expression, the two Class Holders didn't say anything unnecessary and simply turned to head downstairs.

Wen Yu watched their retreating backs as they disappeared into the stairwell, then looked at Ye Nan, who was dabbing medicine on his wounds inside the room. He slowly stepped into Ye Nan's apartment.

"What's going on?"

Ye Nan's hand paused briefly as he applied the medicine.

"They're from the largest group in this area. They come to collect protection fees…"

Ye Nan's voice was calm. It seemed like this sort of thing had been happening for a long time.

Wen Yu hesitated. He looked at Ye Nan's wife, who was tidying up the room, and then at the child with tear tracks still on his face. After a long silence, he spoke.

"You really don't want me to handle it?"

Ye Nan looked at Wen Yu's calm eyes and shook his head gently.

"No need."

"I can take care of them. All of them."

For Wen Yu, this would be simple. He would just have One-Eye track their scent, and by tomorrow, a rumor would circulate through Mudanjiang City: a certain gang that dominated the Old City District had encountered a powerful Mutant Beast and been completely wiped out.

Ye Nan slowly set down the medicine. He looked Wen Yu in the eye and shook his head slowly but firmly.

"Really, there's no need!"

"Can I ask why?"

This was what made Wen Yu curious. If this group were eliminated and the protection racketeers were gone, Ye Nan's family should be able to live a better life.

Ye Nan let out a heavy sigh.

"Their protection fee isn't much. Compared to other places, it's really not that high. These people are responsible for clearing the Mutant Beasts in this area, protecting scavengers like us from being attacked."

Ye Nan hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"They aren't exactly bad people. At least, they don't bother us outside of collection time, and they don't just snatch women for no reason."

After saying this, Ye Nan seemed to realize he might have said something wrong and couldn't help but glance at his wife.

Seeing that his wife had no reaction, Ye Nan spoke his final thought.

"Most importantly, without them, there would just be someone else. They might be better, or they might be worse, right?"

"At least the current situation is… acceptable."

After hearing these words, Wen Yu hesitated for a long time before slowly nodding.

"I understand."

With that, Wen Yu turned to leave.

"Brother Wen Yu."

Ye Nan's voice came from behind him.

"I'm begging you, don't go looking for trouble with them. Do it for our sake."