A Terrible Day

Viscount Samuel howled, screamed, and roared.

It was like a mad beast.

The most powerful and influential ruler in the territory lost his cub.

He rushed into the house frantically, groping for the mangled flesh and fragments on the ground. He couldn't even shed a tear; he could only howl and scream. It was his son.

Everyone fell silent, no one dared to step forward or get close.

Then an endless, icy chill permeated my very bones.

Those present were all elites from Glimmering Sand Castle, paid and fed by the Viscount, serving him with utmost loyalty. They obeyed the Viscount more than the Emperor, and would not hesitate to eliminate any enemy of the Viscount, whether Goth People or Cathayan, they did not care.

They were already used to following orders, even killing and arson, without hesitation or fear.

But now, looking at all this, they felt a deep sense of fear.

Throughout the entire ordeal, the vast majority of them did not confront the Cathayan directly, but simply by watching and listening to what he had done, they felt waves of fear.

Is the person capable of all this truly the so-called Joker despised by the Viscount and the young master?

A silent fear quietly spread in everyone's heart.

A brutal and ruthless enemy is not actually the most terrifying.

Because that brutality and bloodlust are outwardly displayed, visible to everyone, and make them something that everyone can be prepared for.

What's truly terrifying are enemies who don't play by the rules.

Like this, the Joker.

Everyone thought that he had escaped and would be too scared to come back.

But he came back; he ran away last night and returned today.

Everyone thought that his killing a few people and causing a ruckus was just a way to vent his frustrations before carrying out his evil plan.

But he stormed into the castle and kidnapped the young master.

Everyone believed that after kidnapping the young master, he would immediately plot a scheme to threaten the Viscount.

But he immediately stormed back to the castle and kidnapped the steward.

Everyone believed that he sent the letter to negotiate, or perhaps to set a trap for the Viscount.

--But instead of targeting the Viscount, he directly blew up the young master Lynch right in front of him.

Some even believed that after killing young Master Lynch, the viscount would be driven mad, and the Joker would immediately launch a surprise attack on the desperately howling viscount. Therefore, they were on high alert, guarding against any possible attack, as if facing a formidable enemy...

But the Joker never appeared.

They didn't know what the Joker would do next.

--Because every step he takes is unexpected.

But they also knew what the Joker was ultimately going to do.

He wanted to kill everyone...

For a moment, the knights and soldiers of Glittering Sand Territory fell silent, their bodies chilled to the bone. In this area, only Samuel Samuel's wailing could be heard.

They never confronted the Joker directly.

But there were also the mangled corpses on the docks, the knights burned alive in the town, the Glimmering Sand Castle that was attacked twice, the young lady who was terrified and in a state of chaos, the missing butler, and the young master Lynch was blown to pieces.

All of this became known, spread, remembered, and feared by the public.

Everything transformed into a phantom, enormous demonic shadow, issuing a death ultimatum to everyone.

I am coming soon.

Wait, and be filled with fear.

This is... the Joker.

The viscount roared in fury, drew his sword, his Dou Qi surging, and hacked and slashed wildly, leaving the entire house battered and bruised, like a madman.

Finally, the sword slipped from his hand, and he collapsed to the ground, howling like a wild beast.

He knelt down, took off his loose robe, and painstakingly gathered up the scattered flesh and blood on the ground.

This is his son; he cannot die here. He must be buried in the cemetery, with his ancestors.

Sleep peacefully, Lynch, my son.

At your tombstone, I will slice that Joker into pieces, bit by bit!

He painstakingly gathered his son's broken bones, his eyes bloodshot and his expression contorted. Disregarding decorum, he knelt on the ground and carefully lifted his son's fragments from the earth, doing it with meticulous care, just as he had done when his son was first born. He gently stroked Lynch's wrinkled skin and slowly washed it with clean water.

I recalled the image of that well-behaved child, his voice and his smile.

He was so intelligent and quick-witted, unlike his eldest son who was arrogant and became indifferent after going to the capital. Lynch was obedient and learned things very quickly. In his mind, he was the most suitable successor.

But now, he's dead.

The murderer must be made to pay the price!

It took Samuel a long time to wrap his heavy son in his clothes.

The gentle and tender he was when collecting his son's remains was now replaced by a terrifying and ferocious one. He stepped out of the explosion-ravaged ruins, sword in one hand and a heavy bag of flesh and blood in the other.

"Relay my orders!"

He roared, "Order the military camp to ring the bells, summon all militia reservists! I want wanted posters plastered all over Glittering Sand, a town-wide manhunt for the Cathayan! Tell those lowly people, anyone who can provide relevant information..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a soldier stammered, "Sir... Sir! Look!"

A fierce glint flashed in Samuel's eyes. He was about to explode in anger, but his gaze had already instinctively followed the direction the other man was pointing. Then, he saw thick smoke billowing and heard shouts of alarm in the distance.

That direction...

The knight beside him murmured, "It looks like a military camp..."

Samuel's vision went black; he felt as if his head was on fire. He roared, "Go put out the fire! Hurry!"

They arrived at the military camp quickly.

Flames were raging, and people nearby tried to put them out with buckets of water, but to no avail.

To maintain order, defend against bandits, and respond to the nation's call to arms, the Viscount's territory maintains a standing army year-round, stationed in barracks on weekdays for a variety of tasks.

Now the fire has spread.

The military camp that the viscount had spent a great deal of money and effort to build had been reduced to ashes. He could even hear the desperate screams coming from inside. The soldiers who had finished their shifts and were resting inside last night, the accumulated military rations, the weapons in the warehouse—everything had been reduced to ashes.

Undoubtedly, the Joker has arrived here.

The guards on the four watchtowers were all silently killed by stray arrows. The arrows were pulled out, leaving only gruesome bloody holes in their necks. Judging from the wounds, the arrowheads were unlike anything they had ever seen before, and were not from mainland weaponry.

The Viscount thought of the strange vehicles in town that had been burned to a shell, the "Iron Horse" the manor guards had mentioned, the explosive device that had killed Lynch, and the terrible weapon that had killed the knights one after another last night.

--Where did this Cathayan get so much stuff?

His body trembled uncontrollably, his rage beyond words. How many times had this happened? How many times had this happened! That damned Joker! That lowly commoner! That bastard!

The knight who rushed over shouted, "My lord, I'll take men to put out the fire!"

"Save my ass!"

Samuel roared.

The warehouses and barracks were almost completely burned down, the soldiers suffered heavy losses, and the weapons were reduced to ashes. This fire was like a scorching blow to the viscount's old face. And those commoners, though ignorant, were sometimes more shrewd and cunning than anyone else—after seeing all this and experiencing what happened last night, even with a hefty reward, how many would still be willing to answer the call, how many would be willing to work for this reward?

The surrounding walls are made of brick and stone, which are fireproof. Once everything that needs to be burned has burned, everything will be fine.

He turned around angrily.

If the commoners are unreliable, then go find mercenaries! Hire more mercenaries from nearby cities!

The Viscount returned to the Glittering Sand Manor.

He was going to open the hidden treasure room beneath the manor, take out the wealth he had accumulated over the years, and the potions, equipment, and treasures he had purchased at great expense. He was going to kill that Joker at all costs! He absolutely had to!

The servants and guards in the manor only watched as their lord, with a ferocious expression, rushed back, ignoring everyone else. They looked at each other, a sense of unease flashing through their hearts.

This unease soon became a reality.

Everyone in the manor heard the lord's irrational howls and roars, like a mad bull. Samuel, who had always been well-mannered, elegant, and wise, spewed out insults more vulgar and filthy than those of a rogue. Everyone heard it clearly and fell silent in fear.

After opening layers of iron doors and unlocking the magical locks that detected blood ties, Viscount Samuel found himself in an empty treasure room. All the gold coins, all the treasures, the priceless Saint Kaini Battle Armor, a Radiant Cross blessed by a cardinal, the Death-Banisher Greatsword, the Needle of Keous, incredibly valuable high-concentration Holy Water No. 6, various high-grade potions made by the elves... and so on.

Everything's gone.

These things did not vanish into thin air; a large hole appeared in the hard stone wall of the treasure room, the deep opening resembling an open mouth, revealing endless mockery to him.

There were deep drag marks on the ground and even at the entrance of the hole.

The viscount was enraged and drew his sword to give chase, but the Joker's every action was etched in his mind. Given the bastard's style, there must be all sorts of dangerous traps in this tunnel.

Samuel ultimately didn't dare to give chase.

He had already seen explosions, fires, and all sorts of strange props.

If they chase after him, the Joker will most likely find a way to blow up the tunnel.

He didn't dare to gamble.

Not daring to pursue, yet becoming increasingly agitated and resentful, this is called impotent rage.

He was tormented by a series of setbacks: his son died, his family's savings were wiped out, and even though the perpetrators had left obvious criminal evidence, he dared not pursue them.

He could only roar, curse, and command like a madman, leading everyone to search every corner and every room of the manor, banging on the ground, searching and looking for anything to prevent that wretched Joker from digging out more tunnels.

However, nothing was found.

As noon approached, amidst the frantic search, another piece of bad news arrived.

The townspeople saw a horse-drawn carriage slowly drive into the town.

The driver was a burly man wearing leather armor; his skull had been slashed open, and his brains had spilled out.

A villager boldly lifted the curtain of the covered wagon, revealing that all eight people inside were dead. There were huge, bloody holes in the wagon and on their bodies, their faces contorted in pain and surprise, their eyes wide open in death.

The deceased was quickly identified.

The Vicious Eagle Mercenary Squad of mercenaries that the Viscount ordered to be recruited from nearby cities last night. They had cooperated with the Viscount many times and had done some dirty work for him.

And now he's dead.

And looking at the corpses... they didn't even have time to react before they died.

Upon receiving the news, the viscount remained silent at first, then went into a frenzy.

He figured it out.

The treasure room and the hiring of mercenaries were both kept very secret.

The Cathayan will never know.

But one person knows.

The housekeeper was arrested.

In other words...

The butler betrayed him.

He was arrested, and then he revealed these secrets.

There are even more secrets...

One blow after another: his son was murdered, his wealth was seized, and his trusted confidants betrayed him.

Just one day.

Last night, he was still arrogantly and calmly directing the strangulation, driving the Cathayan away in all directions.

Just one night, only one night...

He screamed, he was in agony, he went mad, he broke down.

"Guards! Guards! Pass on my orders! Summon Lost back to me! Bring him back! Call back all the soldiers and knights patrolling outside! Now!"

It only takes one bad day to drive a person crazy.

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PS1: First update. It's a bit late today, mainly because some details were cut, such as the mercenaries and the treasure room. I think everyone's mood is about right, so let's get to the main course as soon as possible. This is the third update today, this one is 3,500 words. The following chapters are free.

PS2: Let's talk about Kang De's killing of the old lady at the end, which caused controversy. Yes, no one can decide how someone else dies. Murder is murder. Everyone understands these principles, and Kang De understood them too. But the reality is that after losing her grandson, the old lady could only starve to death in endless worry and sorrow. Nowadays, people are well-off, so they may not understand. I can say with certainty that starvation is one of the cruelest ways to die in the world.

PS3: So Kang De raised his gun. He could have stayed away and let the old woman die in agony afterward, it was none of his business. But he went anyway, bearing the consequences of killing an innocent person, enduring the torment of his conscience, and paying the price of remembering this event forever for the rest of his life. He let the old woman die peacefully with happiness and dreams. As he said, this was his last act of mercy, leaving the last kindness and responsibility of a human being to the relatives of his enemy, while he would bear all of this alone with his soul.

PS4: I think this is far better than saying "hatred should not extend to family" and then ignoring the old woman, letting her wail and starve to death.

PS5: Of course, if some friends insist on arguing that "Kang De could leave a large sum of money to this blind old woman living alone in a slum filled with sin and darkness so that she could live a happy and fulfilling life, and that's true kindness"... then I have nothing to say.