A Midnight Visitor

The city at night sheds the hustle and bustle of the day, leaving only the tireless flashing of neon lights. Lin Feng returned to the apartment provided by Lawyer Zhou, where the unique spaciousness of a new home still lingered.

He was used to this quiet, or rather, he needed this quiet to sort out his chaotic thoughts and maintain his unwavering composure.

He first took a hot shower, the warm water washing away the day's fatigue. After changing into comfortable loungewear, he went into the kitchen, made himself a simple bowl of noodles, and fried an egg.

Eating alone feels superfluous; it's just about filling your stomach. After finishing his meal and cleaning up the dishes, he curls up on the sofa in the living room, picks up his phone, and aimlessly scrolls through news and information, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation that's entirely his own.

However, this tranquility did not last long.

Sudden--

"Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!"

A series of extremely rough and arrhythmic knocks on the door, like a sudden burst of drumbeats, violently shattered the tranquility of the night.

Lin Feng's brows furrowed instantly, his finger hovering over the phone screen. This wasn't a normal knock; it was urgent, forceful, and filled with impatience and malice—more like banging on the door.

who?

He first ruled out Lawyer Zhou or anyone he had normal dealings with. It certainly couldn't be the property management company. This kind of knocking could only be a provocation.

He didn't respond immediately, nor did he make a sound. His body slid silently off the sofa like a cheetah, his bare feet touching the cold floor. He crouched low and moved swiftly and quietly toward the kitchen.

His mind raced. An enemy? The family members of Sun Tingting and Zhang Qian? Or remnants of that fraud gang? There were many possibilities, and he had to prepare for the worst.

On the kitchen knife rack, he unhesitatingly pulled out the thickest kitchen knife, its blade gleaming coldly. The cool metallic touch from his palm brought a strange sense of peace.

Instead of gripping the knife properly, he adopted a reverse grip, which was more advantageous for close-range power generation and also more concealed, keeping the blade close to the inside of his forearm. He moved back into the living room like a shadow ready to pounce.

The banging on the door didn't stop; instead, it intensified, accompanied by a man's rude and agitated shouts:

"You little brat! Don't fucking play dead! I know you're home! The lights are still on! Open the door right now!"

That voice... sounds familiar.

Lin Feng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he had some guesses in his mind, but he did not relax his vigilance. He silently approached the security door, and his eyes slowly met the peephole.

The light in the hallway outside the door wasn't bright, but it was enough to make out the appearance of the person who came in.

It was indeed that bald, burly man, Sun Qiang.

He looked even more disheveled than he had at the police station earlier that day. Several conspicuous white bandages were wrapped around his bald head, and his cheeks were still red and swollen. Combined with his distorted and ferocious expression due to anger, he looked particularly terrifying. He was frantically pounding on the sturdy security door with both his palm and fist, using his uninjured hand, while cursing foul language.

Having confirmed that he was alone, Lin Feng's vigilance eased slightly, but his grip on the knife hilt remained firm. He remained silent, still not uttering a sound.

Seeing no response from inside, Sun Qiang grew even more agitated, kicking the door with a loud thud. "Damn it! Are you deaf?! Open the door!!"

Lin Feng knew that if he didn't open the door tonight, the noise wouldn't stop, and might even attract neighbors or the property management, causing more trouble. He took a deep breath, slowly gripped the inside doorknob with his left hand, and held the kitchen knife in his right hand, ready to strike.

Click.

He suddenly pulled the security door open inwards, creating a gap just wide enough for one person to pass sideways.

Sun Qiang was banging on the door when he missed. His burly frame staggered forward, almost falling over, before he managed to regain his balance.

Through the crack in the door, Lin Feng looked at him expressionlessly, his tone calm and utterly indifferent. "Is there something you need?"

Sun Qiang steadied himself and, peeking through the crack in the door at Lin Feng's indifferent face, his anger surged to the top of his head. He pointed to the gauze on his head, then to what appeared to be the direction of the hospital, and shouted, spittle flying everywhere:

"What the hell?! What the hell are you playing dumb with me for?! Your Madman friend beat my mom, my son, and me up like this! Are you just going to let it go like this? Pretend nothing happened?!"

"Oh," Lin Feng replied indifferently, his eyes showing no emotion. "Then go to the police station to handle it. This has nothing to do with me."

After saying that, he was about to use his left hand to close the door.

"Hey! You son of a bitch..." Sun Qiang reacted quickly, immediately stretching out his thick arm to brace against the door, preventing Lin Feng from closing it. Taking advantage of his size, he forced his face close to the crack in the door, and a strong smell of smoke and sweat hit him. He roared arrogantly:

"The police station? That kid's in a mental hospital now! A Madman, what good would it do me to go after him! Aren't you his friend? Huh?! You pay for his hospital bills first! My mom and son are still in the hospital, there are so many fees for tests, medicine, nutrition, you name it! You, now! Right now! Immediately! Come with me to the hospital and pay the bills!"

His tone was condescending, as if Lin Feng owed him millions.

Lin Feng's face turned completely cold, his eyes as cold as the Siberia permafrost. "I'll say it one last time, whoever did it, go find them. It has nothing to do with me."

He tried to close the door again with force.

Sun Qiang, enraged, the veins on his arms bulging, braced himself against the door, not only refusing to let it close but also trying to force it open with brute force, pushing his way through the crack while cursing, "I haven't finished yet! What do you mean it has nothing to do with you?! Is he your friend? If he is, you have to pay for him! Get the hell out of my way!"

Seeing that he actually wanted to force his way in, a cold glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes.

Instead of continuing to resist by closing the door, he suddenly pulled the security door back, opening it wide!

He stood in the suddenly opened doorway, the living room light pouring in and illuminating his calm, expressionless face, and... his right hand hanging by his side—gripping a cold kitchen knife!

The blade reflected a blinding, cold glint under the light.

Lin Feng stood there, silent, his dark, icy eyes fixed on Sun Qiang outside the door, as if he were looking at a dead man. He spoke slowly, his voice low, yet carrying a chilling calmness:

"If you're so capable, try coming in here yourself."

Sun Qiang, who was about to rush in, froze instantly, as if he had been frozen in place. All his arrogance vanished like a punctured balloon when he met Lin Feng's emotionless eyes and the gleaming kitchen knife.

His throat bobbed uncontrollably as he swallowed hard. A fine layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. He stared at the open door, at the young man standing inside, knife in hand, exuding a dangerous aura. The reckless courage he had just displayed vanished without a trace. Go in? He dared not. He had no doubt that the moment he dared to step inside, that cleaver would come crashing down without hesitation.

The atmosphere froze for a few seconds.

Sun Qiang slowly loosened his grip on the door, the ferocity on his face replaced by a blustering, insincere bravado, and his tone unconsciously softened:

"Brother... brother, look... my mom and my son are still lying in the hospital... someone has to take responsibility, right?"

Lin Feng remained in that position, his voice as cold as ice. "I've already said, whoever hit you, you go find them. Or," he paused, his gaze sweeping over Sun Qiang's stiff legs, "You can come in too, and we can have a proper 'chat'."

Sun Qiang's legs went weak. He stared intently at the kitchen knife, then glanced at Lin Feng's unfathomable eyes. In the end, the instinct for survival overcame his desire to extort money. He sheepishly withdrew his hand from the door and involuntarily took a half-step back.

Lin Feng waited for a few seconds, and seeing that the other party really didn't have the guts to come in, he stopped talking and suddenly exerted force, slamming the heavy security door shut with a loud "bang," and then locking it with a "click."

The world was once again isolated.

Lin Feng gripped the knife, stood still, and listened intently to the sounds outside the door.

After a brief silence, Sun Qiang's unwilling roar, clearly showing a weak exterior but a resentful interior, came from outside the door. His voice sounded somewhat muffled because it was muffled by the door.

"Damn it! Don't think... don't think this is over! Let me tell you! If I'm not having an easy time... nobody else will be either! You just wait!"

Lin Feng, who had originally intended to give up, stopped abruptly.

Without any hesitation, his eyes sharpened, he turned around abruptly, strode back to the door, and swiftly pulled open the security door again!

"Squeak--"

The door opened, but the corridor outside was empty; Sun Qiang was nowhere to be seen. Only from the direction of the stairwell came the hurried, thumping sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs, echoing clearly and in a disheveled manner in the silent stairwell.

Lin Feng stood at the doorway, his cold gaze sweeping across the empty corridor before finally landing on the dark stairwell where footsteps were coming from.

He had no intention of giving chase; instead, he spoke clearly into the darkness in a tone neither too loud nor too soft, yet loud enough for the fleeing man to hear, carrying a cold warning:

You can give it a try.

After saying that, he didn't linger and slammed the door shut again.

This time, it was completely quiet outside the door.