Chapter 117
Chapter 117
“You’ve seen the complete version?”
Du Ruhai was visibly agitated. “When did you see it? Where?”
Old Zhao Seven replied, “I saw it thirty years ago.”
“Then you know the full method?” Du Ruhai’s eyes were shining. “Do you actually know the complete Seven Deaths for Life Exchange?”
Old Zhao Seven grinned. “I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. The complete version of the Seven Deaths for Life Exchange can fix your defects. It can allow you to survive independently without relying on your original physical body. Even if your original body dies, you can still live on perfectly fine.”
As he listened to Old Zhao Seven, Du Ruhai’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
He had everything now-things that others couldn’t achieve in a lifetime.
But these things were fleeting to him because he didn’t know which day the physical body sitting in that wheelchair would die. It was like a sword hanging over his head; how could he ever be at peace?
“What do you want?” he asked Old Zhao Seven.
Old Zhao Seven said, “Let us go, and I’ll tell you the complete version.”
Du Ruhai narrowed his eyes and let out a cold laugh. “Seventh Master Zhao, you certainly know how to drive a hard bargain. Do you take me for a three-year-old? Tell me first, then I’ll release you.”
Old Zhao Seven snorted. “Your character isn’t enough to earn my trust. Oh, wait-you don’t have any character.”
Du Ruhai snorted back. “And your shrewdness, Seventh Master Zhao, isn’t enough to earn mine. You could just make up any lie and expect me to believe you? Heh, I’ll just act like you never said anything.”
Old Zhao Seven asked, “So you don’t intend to let us go?”
Du Ruhai replied, “Asking that makes you seem incredibly naive.”
“Let me put it this way. I’m not interested in money anymore because I’ve already transcended social classes. I just want to play with you. Old Zhao Seven, you went to all that trouble to investigate me, yet today you fell into my hands. You lost, so the game is over. It’s just that it’s not time for you to die yet.”
“Next, I’m going to go play with Song Xiaotian. That kid dared to threaten me; I actually admire him.”
“Just wait for me…”
Halfway through his sentence, three alarms suddenly blared throughout the Basement. Du Ruhai looked up at a corner, and his expression instantly changed.
Old Zhao Seven and I looked up as well, only then noticing a surveillance monitor over there. It was broadcasting a real-time feed of the elevator entrance.
The footage showed the elevator lobby upstairs. A person appeared on the screen, making my spirits soar.
It was Song Xiaotian!
He was holding a severed finger-the finger of Du Ruhai’s Body Double that Old Zhao Seven had cut off earlier.
After Old Zhao Seven had used the severed finger to unlock the elevator door, he had tossed it outside. Since the finger had only recently been cut off, the cells hadn’t died yet, meaning it could still be used for fingerprint unlocking for a short period.
Song Xiaotian had clearly succeeded and had already entered the elevator.
“It looks like the game isn’t over yet.”
Old Zhao Seven started laughing. “President Du, aren’t you going to run? Don’t you know how much he hates you? Once he gets down here, you’re finished.”
Du Ruhai’s face turned ashen. He glared at us, then pushed his wheelchair away.
There was a door on one of the Basement walls designed to look like a secret compartment. The remote control was in Du Ruhai’s hand.
He opened the door, stepped inside, and then looked back at us, actually breaking into a smile.
“We have plenty of time in the future.”
With that, the door closed, and he was gone.
Song Xiaotian was still worried about me. If he hadn’t tracked us down today, Old Zhao Seven and I would have been imprisoned here until the day we died.
The elevator doors opened quickly, and Song Xiaotian saw us, along with the Impostor who had been crushed in half by the iron cage.
His eyes widened at the sight of the Impostor’s gruesome death.
“You… you actually killed him!”
“He was a fake, just a Body Double. The real one just escaped,” I said, feeling a deep sense of disappointment.
If only this corpse had been the real deal.
“Damn it, I thought we hit the jackpot. They’ve even got Body Doubles now, shit!” Song Xiaotian cursed in frustration.
When he spotted Old Zhao Seven, he sneered, “Well, if it isn’t Seventh Master. What happened? Had a falling out with your boss?”
Old Zhao Seven kept his hands behind his back and huffed, clearly annoyed by Song Xiaotian.
“What are you huffing for? How do we open this cage? It’s heavy as hell.”
Old Zhao Seven pointed toward the ceiling. “Are you blind? Can’t you see these thick chains? It needs to be hoisted up. Find the switch, you mutt.”
Song Xiaotian retorted, “Insult me again and see if I bother saving you.”
He quickly found the switch, and the iron chains groaned as they lifted the cage back up.
My injuries were too severe for me to hold on any longer, and I collapsed.
Song Xiaotian and Old Zhao Seven rushed over to support me, and together we left the Basement.
A large group of Bodyguards was still blocking the entrance to the Club, watching us as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
Several men were lying on the ground, likely the ones Song Xiaotian had clashed with on his way in.
“What the fuck are you looking at? You want to die?”
“One of these days, I’m going to kill every last one of you idiots!”
Song Xiaotian’s insults were foul, but not a single person dared to step forward and challenge him.
Realizing they probably couldn’t stop us, the group of Bodyguards eventually dispersed.
The car was still parked nearby. Seeing me covered in blood, Meng Yifan’s face turned pale with fright.
“Holy shit! Are you okay? Is there still time to get you to a hospital?”
I told him there was.
“He said there’s time, so start the damn car!” Song Xiaotian urged.
Meng Yifan snapped back, “How the fuck am I supposed to drive? Untie me! Untie me first! How can I drive while I’m tied up!”
Song Xiaotian hurriedly pulled out a pocketknife and sliced through the ropes binding Meng Yifan.
I was starting to feel dizzy from the blood loss.
Earlier, the Impostor had stabbed me, driving the blade clean through my left arm.
And before that, I had been brutally beaten by those Bodyguards.
“Chen Mo, maybe we shouldn’t go to the hospital. Didn’t you want to die anyway? Let’s save some money; I’ll just drive you straight to the funeral home.” Song Xiaotian kept talking to me.
I knew he was trying to keep me conscious, making sure I didn’t drift off.
I told him I wasn’t going to die yet. If I had to die, it would be while I was fighting Du Ruhai with everything I had.
I couldn’t die for nothing.
“Hah, look at him getting all philosophical.”
Song Xiaotian didn’t shut up once during the drive. He spent the whole time either mocking me or arguing with Old Zhao Seven. Despite the massive blood loss, I actually managed to stay awake through the sheer noise.
By the time we finally reached the hospital, I was rushed into the emergency room.
When I woke up again, it was already the next morning.
The first thing I heard upon waking was Song Xiaotian and Old Zhao Seven arguing.
As soon as they saw me open my eyes, they stopped immediately.
I sat up to drink some water and fished out my phone.
When I jumped off the bridge last night, the phone had been submerged. I wasn’t sure if it was broken, but when I turned it on, it still worked.
Just as the phone powered up, I received a message. It was from my father, sent late last night.
He hadn’t written anything in the message; he had only sent a video.