Chapter 141
Chapter 141
That afternoon at Rose Apartment, several Fiends were studying bank brochures to find the best interest rate for Liu Ye’s savings.
Then the police called and told them to collect him.
The Old Man hung up and stared into space.
The others watched him.
“What did he do this time?” the Shadow Fiend asked.
“He used a jackhammer and severed an underground cable. They want us to take him home,” the Old Man said painfully.
The Fiends fell silent.
How did anyone sever a cable while using a jackhammer?
“Digging up cables is a serious crime. Wasn’t he arrested?” Yellow Hair asked quickly.
“Someone higher up protected him. Apparently, an idiot goaded him into it, so they released him.”
“Can he keep the job?” the Driver demanded.
Whether Liu Ye went to jail was a minor concern. The real problem was that he had caused an incident on his first day. How was he supposed to earn money now?
“What job? The whole site has been shut down. Little Lü’s friend was almost fined into bankruptcy, and now he’s searching everywhere for you.”
The Driver’s contact this time was not a Fiend. The Driver had nearly ruined the man.
“Why is he looking for me? What does this have to do with me? We barely know each other.” The Driver looked utterly innocent. They had only eaten together twice. That hardly made them friends.
The other Fiends stared at him.
How shameless could one man be?
At the same time, a computer inside Wang Xu’s company displayed a file transfer at ninety-nine percent.
Then the screen went black.
“What happened?” the dark shadow roared.
“Mr. Black… for some reason, every network connection has gone down. We can’t upload the data.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
The employee looked miserable. Everything had been working perfectly. Because of this failure, another upload would take more than a month.
“Find out what happened,” Wang Xu ordered darkly.
They had prepared this operation for over three years, only for disaster to strike on the brink of success. Anyone would be furious after seeing progress stall at ninety-nine percent.
Their investigation led straight to Liu Ye.
Cold sweat drenched Wang Xu. The man was terrifying. The instant Wang Xu made a move, Liu Ye retaliated.
He had not participated in the Illuminati operation, but the machine was his.
The Illuminati claimed that Liu Ye’s side suffered terrible losses, but Wang Xu did not believe them. The entire team had been annihilated. How had a single operative returned?
Certain there was a conspiracy, Wang Xu recalled everyone immediately. He could not risk Liu Ye misunderstanding his involvement any further.
Meanwhile, the Shadow Fiend brought Liu Ye back to Rose Apartment.
“Liu, didn’t we agree that you would only carry bricks? Even if knives fell from the sky, you weren’t supposed to do anything else. Why didn’t you listen?” the Driver asked tearfully.
“I wanted to carry bricks, but they ordered me to use the jackhammer. I was the new guy. How could I refuse?” Liu Ye felt deeply wronged. They had told him to use the machine but never explained how. They only said to drill wherever he liked.
Afraid of causing trouble, he had stayed in exactly one spot. Who could have known that drilling too deep would sever a cable?
“So someone set you up? Then don’t worry, little brother. This wasn’t your fault. I’ll find you another job tomorrow!”
The Driver turned to the Shadow Fiend.
“Come with me. We need to buy several phones.”
The Shadow Fiend stared at the Driver.
That night, several workers from the construction site gathered at a barbecue restaurant to eat and drink. The one who had ordered Liu Ye to use the jackhammer had already been arrested.
The rest celebrated their narrow escape.
“What rotten luck,” a short man complained. “I worked there for three months, and now the site’s shut down before I get paid.”
“Exactly. It’s all that brat’s fault. Without him, would we be in this mess?” a tall man grumbled.
“Young people today can’t compare with us. Back then, if you wanted to learn a trade, you served your master for three years. If he was in a good mood, he might teach you a little. Now they suffer the slightest hardship and start complaining.”
“Remember that soft-looking university student? He actually asked me for his wages. I kicked him to the ground.”
“That’s right. Someone has to teach them how cruel society can be!”
They continued drinking until midnight. The short man rose unsteadily.
“Keep drinking, brothers. I need the toilet.”
He staggered outside, found a convenient corner, and relieved himself.
Splash…
Splash…
His eyes were closed. Then he realized there was one stream too many.
He opened his eyes blearily and turned. A rotting head floated beside him, maggots writhing through its decomposing flesh.
The short man said nothing.
He slowly faced forward and reached for his zipper with a trembling hand.
A hollow voice drifted from beside him.
“Finished? Then it’s time to send you on your way.”
Silence.
Splash…
Ten minutes later…
Splash…
The Driver stared at him. “Your kidneys are impressive, little brother.”
“N-not bad…”
Another half hour passed.
Splash…
The Driver finally sighed. “That’s enough. You’re urinating blood.”
The short man remained silent.
Deciding the time was right, the Driver spoke mournfully.
“Kidney disease killed me years ago. I left behind one pitiful great-grandson. Such a handsome young man, too. He only wanted to earn money for his family, but when he finally found a construction job, people bullied him. Tell me, do those people deserve to die?”
The short man understood at last. So this was the root of his misfortune. Why had he ever decided to bully that young man?
Tears filled his eyes.
“Great-Grandpa, everyone makes mistakes. Those people deserve another chance. Our little brother has had a hard life. When someone bullies him away from home, he has nowhere to seek justice. If you trust me, leave him to me. I swear I’ll treat him like my own grandfather.”
His mind had never worked so quickly in his entire life.
“You know of a job?” the Driver asked, intrigued.
“Huicheng Hospital is hiring caregivers. The interview is strict, but our little brother is so outstanding that he’ll certainly get in.”