A Shared Secret

Wen Shu did not understand what Qin Siyang meant, but she nodded anyway.

Qin Siyang nodded, stopped, turned around, and pushed Wen Shu aside.

A few seconds later, five or six burly men carrying knives and clubs caught up.

The man in the lead wore a short braid. Looking at Qin Siyang, he sneered, "Run! Why aren't you running anymore?! Weren't you so good at running?"

Qin Siyang said disdainfully, "We're already here. Why would I keep running?"

"Here? Where's here?"

The men looked around and found themselves in an old, deserted courtyard. The wooden house and pigsty had collapsed, leaving only ruined walls.

Aside from an abandoned stone mill, there was a stone well in the courtyard, though they could not tell whether it held any water.

At a glance, no one had lived here for at least five or six years.

A closer look at the dust on the ground and the cobwebs across the entrance told them that no one visited, either.

Perhaps it was a rural home abandoned before the Apocalypse, or perhaps its owners had fled elsewhere afterward.

The entire courtyard was pitch-black. Only the starlight filtering through the air-raid glass gave them a rough view of their surroundings.

Qin Siyang had carefully watched his surroundings as he ran, deliberately choosing this spot.

The braided man asked, "What's wrong with this place?"

"Before I answer that, let me ask you something. You're Li Jingwen's uncle, right?"

The braided man sneered. "That's right. Jingwen and Zhou Yang's relationship is our family's hope. We won't let a brat like you ruin it."

"You even lied to Jingwen and said you'd scheduled an email to send a week later. My brothers and I took turns staking out the nearby internet cafes for a whole week, and we didn't see so much as your shadow."

"Oh, I thought the internet cafe was too expensive, so I changed my mind when I got there and scheduled it for a month later. Even if you stop me, Zhou Yang will find out about me and Li Jingwen in a month. Your family still won't have a chance to turn things around."

"What?! A month?! Are you fucking with me?!"

Qin Siyang smiled faintly. "Believe me or don't."

Every man who had followed him was dumbfounded.

They had never expected Qin Siyang to change his mind at the internet cafe and push back the scheduled email.

Wen Shu looked at Qin Siyang in confusion, wondering what he was up to.

The braided man said, "Cancel the email, and we'll pretend none of this ever happened!"

"Do you think I'm stupid? If I cancel it, won't you still hunt us both down?"

"Then what do you want?"

Just then, a man beside him said, "Brother Long, tie him up and force him to give us his email login and password. We can cancel the scheduled email ourselves!"

The braided man's eyes shifted. Somewhat worried, he asked, "Are you sure you can get it out of him?"

"I used to collect debts. I've done this plenty of times."

"You'd better not be bullshitting me! My family's future is riding on this! If you screw it up, I won't let you off!"

"Brother Long, what am I supposed to say to that? Nothing in this world is guaranteed. If you don't trust me, forget it. Figure something out yourself."

Watching them agonize over the decision, Qin Siyang lost the desire to wait any longer.

"All right, I'll stop messing with you. You were right. I never scheduled an email. Kill me, and Li Jingwen and Zhou Yang's relationship will be safe."

"What?!"

Their faces filled with disbelief. They could not understand why Qin Siyang would willingly throw himself into the fire.

"Brother Long, this brat wants to die! Let's grant his wish!"

"That's right! Kill him first. As for the chick beside him, let us have our fun with her for a few days before we kill her!"

The braided man still looked worried. "What if he's trying to take us down with him? Maybe he really did schedule an email, but he knows he can't escape and wants a quick death!"

"That's possible..."

"You've got a point, Brother Long. But this is your family's business. You're the one who has to decide what we do."

The men hesitated again.

Qin Siyang felt helpless. They believed his lies but refused to believe the truth. How ridiculous.

"I'm not lying. I didn't schedule an email. There isn't one."

"Like hell I believe you! Tie him up and force his login and password out of him. Whoever manages it gets a thousand copper coins!"

The braided man steeled himself and decided to pay whatever it took. He had to gain access to the email account Qin Siyang had used to schedule that message.

"All right! That's generous, Brother Long!"

"It's a deal, Brother Long!"

"I really didn't schedule an email, and the reason is simple. If I had, I wouldn't have lured you here."

The braided man frowned. "You've been going on about this place, but you still haven't explained anything. I think you're putting on an act to scare me!"

Qin Siyang said, "I picked a good spot."

The men warily scanned their surroundings again but found nothing unusual.

The braided man pressed him. "What's good about it?"

"It's perfect for killing people."

They froze for a moment, then mocking smiles spread across their faces.

"Are you an idiot?"

"First time I've seen someone pick out a nice grave for himself before getting killed!"

"There's seriously something wrong with your head! No wonder you dared mess with our Jingwen!"

Yet just as they prepared to attack, Qin Siyang blurred into an afterimage.

"What?!"

Thud!

Qin Siyang launched a flying kick into one man's chest.

None of them saw what had happened. All they knew was that Qin Siyang had appeared beside them, and the man next to them suddenly went flying.

They turned around in panic.

The chest of the man Qin Siyang had kicked had completely caved in, like a deflated ball.

His eyes bulged, and his mouth opened and twitched twice, as though he wanted to say something. In the end, he only spat out a mouthful of blood before his head lolled to one side.

Even in death, his face remained full of shock and terror.

The darkness blurred his features, sending an inexplicable chill through the others.

At the sight of their companion, they immediately realized that Qin Siyang was a Sequence Ability User!

How was that possible? How could a dump like Ju'an School have a student who had awakened a Sequence Ability?!

Before they could react, Qin Siyang swung another punch, driving it into a man's throat like a cannonball.

The man fell backward, his head flopping like a puppet with its strings cut.

"I'm sor-"

One man had barely begun begging for mercy when Qin Siyang punched him in the back, directly behind his heart. He flew several meters and landed facedown in front of Wen Shu. She cried out in fright and hastily hopped back several steps.

Yet Qin Siyang felt that Wen Shu had not sounded all that scared when she cried out. Besides, most people only flinched when startled. Who hopped backward several times like that?

Qin Siyang put the oddity out of his mind and looked at the corpse.

The man he had punched in the back lay motionless on the ground. A bowl-sized dent remained in his back.

Qin Siyang shook his head. "Still didn't control my strength properly. I was already holding back, and he still flew that far."

The braided man's pupils trembled. Cold sweat streamed down his head as he stood rooted to the spot, as though his soul had left him.

The other two survivors knew from Qin Siyang's moves that they could neither beat him nor escape. They immediately dropped to their knees.

"Please spare us! Have mercy!"

"We were fools! Please give me a chance! Kun Chenglong made us come! This has nothing to do with us!"

Qin Siyang ignored them and delivered two more kicks, one to each man's chin. They flew backward and landed headfirst.

Two dull thuds sounded, and the pair departed for the Land of Ultimate Bliss together.

Whether that meant the Underworld or Satan's Hell, Qin Siyang had no way of knowing.

Finally, only the braided man remained, trembling all over and unable to speak.

Qin Siyang patted his shoulder and said with interest, "You know about me and Li Jingwen, don't you? I could have ended up calling you Uncle. What a shame."

Kun Chenglong immediately came to his senses and forced an awkward, ingratiating smile. "No! You still can! It's not a shame! We can still be family! Jingwen doesn't know any better. I'll teach her when I get back! I'll make sure she's with you!"

Qin Siyang sighed with feigned helplessness. "What's done is done. Why should a Sequence Ability User like me swallow that humiliation and beg for her affection? Didn't you say Li Jingwen was your family's hope?"

Kun Chenglong nodded blankly, unable to understand what Qin Siyang meant.

"As long as I'm here, your family has no hope. But I can show you a way forward."

"Please do! Please! We'll do whatever you say!"

"Go rebuild your family in another world."

"Yes, yes, yes... Huh?"

Qin Siyang slapped Kun Chenglong across the face. His head spun a full three hundred and sixty degrees, and he collapsed to the side.

"Don't worry. You won't be lonely on the way. Once I have some time to spare, I'll send your whole family down to keep you company."

With everyone dealt with, Qin Siyang let out a breath.

He had killed again.

How many did that make?

He could not remember. It did not matter anymore.

He looked at Wen Shu, who stood at the edge of the courtyard, and walked over.

Wen Shu trembled all over and asked anxiously, "You're actually a Sequence Ability User?"

Qin Siyang smiled. "Yes."

"Then... have you figured out how to dispose of the bodies?"

Qin Siyang had not expected that question from Wen Shu.

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you too?"

Wen Shu seemed equally surprised by his question. She tilted her head up to look at him in confusion. "Why would you kill me...?"

"Because you saw me kill people."

Wen Shu looked at Qin Siyang innocently. "If you wanted me dead, you could've just let me go home alone... They would've done it. Why go to all this trouble?"

Qin Siyang nodded. "You're pretty smart. This is your first time seeing someone killed, and you're still this calm."

Wen Shu lowered her head without answering.

Qin Siyang threw all the bodies into the well and heard dull thuds as they struck the ground below.

To avoid leaving any clues, he did not even take the money from their pockets.

The well was dry.

He brought over a rock and covered it.

"That should do. No one comes here anyway. Let's go."

But Wen Shu said, "This will leave our scent behind. If the police find them, they might track us down."

"What do you suggest? Burn this place down? It's deserted, so it won't attract attention. Wouldn't setting it on fire just bring people here?"

"Burning the place down isn't the only way to get rid of our scent."

Qin Siyang paused. "What else can we do?"

"The cafeteria food has a strong smell. You can scatter the food you brought here, then throw some into the well. Before long, it'll cover our scent."

Qin Siyang nodded, then looked at her in puzzlement. "Where did you learn all this?"

"I like reading. I read it in a book."

"Books even teach you this? What book were you reading?"

"'One Hundred Ways to Commit a Crime Without Being Discovered by Sequence Users.'"

"Why would you read that?"

"I just like reading. I read everything. Didn't it come in handy today?"

Qin Siyang reassessed the delicate girl before him, whose head only reached his chin, and marveled at how deceptive appearances could be.

After cleaning up the scene as Wen Shu had suggested, he left with her.

They walked side by side through the dark alley.

"You're really impressive," Qin Siyang said with genuine admiration.

"Thank you. I still think you're more impressive."

"I'm all right. How does it feel to walk beside a murderer?"

"It's actually not so bad."

Wen Shu smiled at Qin Siyang, starlight reflected in her bright eyes.

"After all, we now share a secret."