After leaving the slums, Li Xingkong thought about the people and things he had just encountered.
"You could have killed her. Why didn't you?"
The system asked leisurely.
Ellie was an ordinary person, so naturally she thought the shot had failed because of luck. But how could the system not know what Li Xingkong had done? While fiddling with the gun, he had pressed its primer and broken it with his finger.
In other words, no matter how many bullets it had, the gun couldn't fire.
"She's a rotten person, and honey traps and fraud aren't good things to be involved in, but none of that amounts to a crime deserving death."
"Besides, didn't her honey trap fail? She tried and failed to swindle me, so giving her an attempted shooting in return seems fair, doesn't it?"
Li Xingkong sighed. What Ellie had done was rotten to the core, but in Prisoner Continent's overall environment, it was nothing out of the ordinary. The gangs and police he had encountered before were worse by comparison.
But although he had finished taking revenge, Li Xingkong didn't feel particularly happy.
"System, what do you think?"
Since he couldn't figure it out, he stopped mulling it over alone. Maybe asking someone else what they thought would be a good idea.
"You're unhappy not because of the revenge, but because you've subconsciously realized that what you're doing now is no different from what the people of Prisoner Continent do."
The system's words caught Li Xingkong's attention.
"What do you mean? She came after me, so of course I had to get her back. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"
Li Xingkong thought back on his actions.
"There's naturally nothing wrong with revenge, but there's one thing you haven't thought through."
The system continued, "As far as she's concerned, she did something bad and was punished for it. That's what she deserved."
"But think about the state she's in now. What gave her the confidence to run that honey trap?"
Li Xingkong followed the system's train of thought.
"The hotel? It was the forces behind her at the time."
"Because she had people backing her, she acted without restraint. Now she has no one behind her, so she's ended up in this miserable state."
"That's right."
The system continued.
"The essence of Prisoner Continent is the strong swinging their blades at the weak. That's basically the principle behind everything that happens here. But as for you..."
The system turned its words toward Li Xingkong.
"Do you approve of that way of doing things in your heart?"
Li Xingkong was somewhat lost. The strong oppressing the weak was the most fundamental principle of the world, and the essence of evolution. It was etched deep into everyone's bones, and Li Xingkong naturally understood it too.
But he didn't agree that such behavior was acceptable in modern society.
What set humans apart from other animals was precisely that they had developed social bonds, which gave rise to the concepts of family, clan, and nation.
In dealings with outsiders, fighting between the strong and the weak was naturally unavoidable, but things absolutely shouldn't be like that within a society.
Li Xingkong couldn't control what other people did, but he could restrain his own behavior.
So what bothered him wasn't his method of revenge, but his realization that he too was using his strength to bully the weak.
Having thought it through, Li Xingkong finally understood where he had gone wrong.
"So, are you going to find the mastermind and take revenge on him now?" the system asked.
"Of course. If I'm settling accounts, I might as well do it thoroughly. Otherwise, when I think back on this after returning home, it'll leave a knot in my chest."
Li Xingkong raised his head and looked toward the hotel.
What was there to hesitate about? He had already stepped into the extraordinary. Even facing these so-called criminal forces, what did he have to fear?
"A reminder: the tropes in novels may be trite, but they're not untrue. If you cause trouble at the hotel, the gang behind it may come after you for revenge."
The system reminded him.
Li Xingkong didn't hesitate and continued toward the hotel.
"What's there to fear? When soldiers come, a general will block them; when water comes, earth will stop it."
"I mean, at this rate you'll get caught in a cycle: beat the young one and the old one comes, beat the old one and an even older one comes."
The system explained. If this kept up, those rotten people would keep him tangled up in Prisoner Continent, unable to leave.
"You have a point."
Li Xingkong stopped in his tracks.
"So, what are you thinking now?"
The system kept asking questions, and Li Xingkong didn't know what it was trying to say.
"I think you're right, but you also said I'm the only extraordinary person right now, didn't you?"
"Yes. What about it?"
"So even if the oldest one comes, he's still just an ordinary person."
Li Xingkong said.
"Yes, they're all ordinary people. There's no difference."
The system replied.
"Then that settles it. Why should I get tangled up with these lackeys? I can just go straight to their doorstep."
Li Xingkong changed his mind. If he taught these lackeys a lesson today, they would just replace a few people and open for business again tomorrow. If he didn't beat up the right person, this would never end.
"Since you've made your decision, go ahead and do it!"
There was a trace of relief in the system's tone, as though Li Xingkong had made the right decision.
"You think I should go too?" Li Xingkong could hear the system's approval in its tone and asked.
"Whether in terms of civilized morality or your personal character, I wouldn't have an opinion about your choice. But from my perspective as a system, your current choice aligns with what I had in mind."
The system gave Li Xingkong a rare word of praise. "In a sense, we can finally be considered truly like-minded."
"Besides, you've got me to back you up."
Now that he had decided to go slap the mastermind a couple of times, Li Xingkong hesitated no longer. He turned and headed toward Ellie; she was sure to have more information that could help him find the mastermind.
When Li Xingkong returned to Tree-lined Street, Ellie and her lackeys were no longer out on the street. Only when he walked near the slums did he hear voices coming from inside.
Li Xingkong stepped into the slums once more and saw the group sitting in a circle on a small patch of open ground by the street. In the middle, they had a fire going with scraps they had scavenged from who knew where.
They were slumped together, complaining about their misfortunes that day and cursing Li Xingkong in the same breath.
When they saw Li Xingkong had returned, they immediately perked up, their bodies no longer hurting. They scrambled to their feet and ran off in different directions, leaving Ellie alone on the ground.
"What, changed your mind? Come back to put a bullet in me?"
"No, no, no. I'm still a little interested in that bastard you mentioned. Can you tell me about him?"
His words brought back some unpleasant memories for her, and her expression grew even uglier.
"What do you want with him? I don't want to talk about him."
"I want to treat him to a few slaps. Is that all right?" Li Xingkong said.
Ellie took another look at Li Xingkong's clothes and build, then let out a snort. "You're a good fighter, but with that little body of yours, who knows which of you would end up getting slapped if you went to see him. I don't want to send you to your death, so forget it."
After speaking, she looked Li Xingkong over a few more times. She really couldn't see anything exceptional about him. Without saying anything more to him, she simply waved goodbye and turned back, ready to continue the little group's revelry.
"You even dared to pick up a gun, so why don't you dare fight back against them?"
Li Xingkong made no effort to prove anything to her. He simply thought for a moment, then spoke in an even tone.
Ellie froze, her footsteps coming to a halt. She had never considered that question. She had simply been afraid on instinct, without knowing what she was afraid of. Maybe she was afraid of death, or maybe she was just afraid of authority and power.
But she had never considered that she had a gun too. No matter who she faced, besides being afraid, she had another choice: she could shoot.
"A councilor of the Nature City Council, Luke Morgan."
She didn't turn around, speaking only in a very quiet voice, but Li Xingkong heard her clearly.
Having gotten the information he wanted, Li Xingkong had no intention of lingering and was ready to set off.
"Hey, kid, we may not exactly be friends, but you'd better not croak."
Seeing that Li Xingkong was leaving, Ellie turned back and called out a final warning.
The turtle's chanting scriptures; I'm not listening, not listening. She didn't say it in Chinese, so if I can't understand it, it's not a flag.
When Li Xingkong heard her, he hurriedly repeated those words to himself and ran off even faster.