Wretched Beast

Councilor Wang's body went rigid.

Of course he still remembered the name Su Ya.

A young woman who had sold herself in Yuguang. He couldn't say she was especially beautiful, but she was very fair, soft-bodied, and gentle.

He liked that about her: despite her lowly status and miserable life, she still loved life.

So, one evening, after carefully arranging things so no one would disturb them, he made his move.

Just as he'd expected, the girl's body was intoxicating. Her desperate resistance, and the despair of knowing she couldn't change anything, were what he loved most.

He wanted to see that expression on the faces of those Yuguang whores.

They were all filthy and lowly, yet always pretended to be so high and mighty. In the end, didn't they all become rags?

What Councilor Wang hadn't expected was that after just that one night, Su Ya had become pregnant.

She later gave birth to a boy.

He had always wanted a son, but a bastard born of such a lowly status and bloodline couldn't possibly be considered his offspring.

At the same time, the affair had thoroughly stoked the jealousy of his domineering wife.

Su Ya was sold to Green Bamboo Company, becoming one of its cheapest, lowest-ranking prostitutes. She and the child were driven out of there together.

After that, Councilor Wang never bothered to find out what had happened to the Yuguang girl.

He had no shortage of women, nor of thrills and entertainment to stimulate his mind.

But now, hearing that name from Li Wei, he froze completely.

"A lowlife from Yuguang?"

He stared into Li Wei's eyes, his face full of confusion and incomprehension.

"You stormed into my home and killed my security guards and my wife just because of some lowlife from Yuguang? What value could someone from a place like that possibly have? If you'd revealed who you were and come to see me directly, I could have compensated you!"

Li Wei met his gaze. He saw no excuses or remorse in those eyes, only the absolute conviction that what he'd said was right, and utter incomprehension at Li Wei's actions.

Li Wei narrowed his eyes. Instead, he found himself curious about the way people in this world thought.

"What if someone from Yaoguang died? Could you compensate for that, too?"

"How can you make a comparison like that!" Councilor Wang's voice rose in anger. He seemed to think Li Wei was making fun of him. "How can a lowly beast from Yuguang be compared to someone from Yaoguang?"

His emphatic words were so absurd that even Li Wei found them hard to believe.

"They have two eyes and a mouth, just like anyone else. Are they no longer human just because they were born somewhere else?"

"The laborers of Sun City, the farmers of Zhulan, and the Academy's special admits." Councilor Wang repeated the exact words Bishop Twilight had once spoken in the Church. "They're all a bunch of lowly beasts! All they can do from birth to death is live like livestock. Just being alive is the greatest gift they could ever receive. What right do these things have to expect to be treated as human?"

After he finished speaking, silence fell over the reception room.

Li Wei decided there was no point in continuing this futile conversation. Back in Yuguang, all he'd seen was the numbness of the laborers, living like the walking dead.

Now, hearing such words from the mouth of this city's ruler—a councilor who was even known for his kindness and concern for the people—he finally understood what was wrong with this city.

But Li Wei wasn't a doctor, and he had no intention of treating an entire city.

He was just a debt collector.

"If you're talking about compensation, then hand over what you owe."

As he spoke, Li Wei walked toward Councilor Wang and pressed one hand against his head. Then, without hesitation, he drove his sword straight into the man's heart!

At that moment, Councilor Wang seemed not to have processed what had happened. His eyes bulged as if they might burst from their sockets, fixed on Li Wei.

"It was just a... Yuguang..."

Li Wei didn't want to hear another word of his repulsive drivel. He pulled the dagger from Councilor Wang's chest, then, right in front of Chen Xueming—who was trembling all over and retching from the overwhelming stench of blood—cut off Councilor Wang's head!

[Kill reward: 7,225,300,000 in illicit funds, 72,253 experience]

[Experience: 244,635.2/500,000]

Of all the people he'd killed along the way, the biggest haul had naturally come from the councilor and his wife. The two of them had a combined fortune of over ten billion, and had given Li Wei 100,000 experience.

But that was only a bonus.

Li Wei casually pulled a tablecloth from the dining table and wrapped both heads in it. Then he turned to the only person still alive in the reception room.

Chen Xueming didn't dare meet Li Wei's eyes. His pants were soaked through, and he was slumped limply on the sofa, sobbing helplessly.

"When I killed that woman, I think I heard her say her husband was meeting with a business partner."

Li Wei raised an eyebrow, his face spattered with blood.

"What kind of business are you in?"

"Human resources." Chen Xueming did his best to put on the same obsequious expression he'd worn when facing the councilor, only now even more humble and ingratiating.

But when he heard the answer, Li Wei's face took on an unmistakably amused smile.

"A human resources company, huh? There are only three in Yaoguang. Which one are you?"

"Green Bamboo! Sir, if you need anything, I can make the decision on behalf of the entire company and meet your demands! I'd even give you the whole company!"

He fell to his knees, thinking only of how to beg for his life.

Li Wei didn't answer. He simply took a small notebook from his pocket and opened it to the first page.

"Green Bamboo. Hmm, your company still owes the families of those indentured laborers 3,776,800. Did you know that?"

Chen Xueming froze for a moment, but quickly caught on. He was far more adaptable than Councilor Wang.

He immediately held up the black case he'd originally meant to give the councilor.

"These... these gold bars are worth four million! We'll pay! We can pay it back right now! The extra can go to the laborers' families as interest!"

Li Wei opened the case and glanced at the gold bars. At the price of gold in this world, they really were worth that much.

As Chen Xueming smiled ingratiatingly, Li Wei took the case and looked into his eyes, which pleaded for the chance to live and be forgiven.

The next second, Li Wei drove his sword into Chen Xueming's chest.

Only when the blood sprayed out did his voice reach Chen Xueming's ear.

"I hate human traffickers. I hate them to death."