Chapter 18: Testing His Limits

Knowing the location beforehand, Qiao Xia didn’t wait for Grandpa Li’s call.

He locked his front door and sprinted towards the back of Building Eight.

Reaching the vicinity of his destination, Qiao Xia slowed his pace.

He cautiously surveyed the situation ahead, his breath still ragged.

Grandpa Li was still in Ding Ce’s clutches.

Even if Qiao Xia yearned to kill the bastard, he was restrained by concern for Grandpa Li’s safety.

He couldn’t act rashly and endanger the old man.

However, Qiao Xia still had other options.

He had one final use of his ‘Outcome Reversal’ ability remaining for the day.

To safely navigate this crisis, he could simply activate the ability.

Given the success of the previous two reversals, Qiao Xia had no doubts about its effectiveness in ensuring safety.

Yet…

While it was the easier path, as his ‘cheat’ ability revealed more of its potential, questions began to stir within Qiao Xia.

Currently, his ‘cheat’ had two distinct functions.

One allowed him to foresee future events, specifically ten minutes ahead, at the cost of 100 yuan.

The other, ‘Outcome Reversal,’ could alter developments ten minutes into the future, with three uses available every 24 hours.

The first function was straightforward. The second, however, sparked a different idea in Qiao Xia’s mind.

‘If I can foresee the future, can I rely on my own capabilities to reverse the outcome!’

During the first two premonitions, aside from Qiao Xia’s inexperience, the situations had been too perilous to risk.

However, compared to a falling steel bar or the violent Liu Ge, Ding Ce wasn’t an insurmountable foe.

In fact, with preparation, he would be quite manageable.

Qiao Xia felt confident he could protect Grandpa Li from harm and avoid being beaten to death by Ding Ce himself.

After all, Qiao Xia had trained for many years.

Even if he had to fight a burly adult, he could at least hold his own for a few minutes.

Moreover, Ding Ce was as scrawny as a plucked chicken; his thin arms clearly lacked muscle.

There were no signs of physical training on him whatsoever.

It was only because of Ding Ce’s underhanded tactics that the previous Qiao Xia had been caught off guard, then beaten down before he even had a chance to retaliate.

Therefore, Qiao Xia intended to test himself this time.

He wanted to see if he could reverse the outcome through his own efforts.

At this thought, Qiao Xia found himself unable to suppress his excitement.

He was eager to witness the final outcome.

This spurred him to advance even more cautiously.

He also switched off his phone, lest it betray his presence at a crucial moment.

After retrieving his phone, which had been broken in half at the elevator door, Qiao Xia had extracted the SIM card.

He’d reinserted it into an old phone, planning to buy a new one later.

For now, this makeshift solution would suffice, ensuring others could still reach him.

Though, apart from Zhou Li, hardly anyone ever contacted him normally.

However, the incredibly expensive lighter Zhou Li had given him, despite being mercilessly tossed out of the elevator by Qiao Xia, remained completely undamaged when he retrieved it.

This made Qiao Xia marvel at the superior quality of expensive items.

Had it been a lighter costing a few yuan, it would have surely been smashed and leaking fuel by now.

****

“Weren’t you quite the tough old man before, sticking your nose into my business?”

“Why aren’t you so tough now? I’ll beat you to death!”

The moment Qiao Xia heard Ding Ce’s voice, he quickly ducked behind a wall.

From there, he cautiously peered in the direction of the sound.

He saw Grandpa Li, his hands and feet bound, while Ding Ce stood before him, striking the old man with a wooden club.

Grandpa Li, a cloth stuffed in his mouth, continually let out muffled groans, indicating the force of the blows.

Qiao Xia frowned. He hadn’t expected Ding Ce, that psychopath, to be so twisted, tormenting Grandpa Li before killing him.

Initially, Qiao Xia had planned to find an opportune moment.

He intended to snatch Grandpa Li from Ding Ce, then engage Ding Ce in a real-life, one-on-one showdown.

However, he hadn’t anticipated Ding Ce torturing Grandpa Li.

This meant Qiao Xia could no longer afford to wait.

Otherwise, Grandpa Li would be beaten to death.

“No, that kid hasn’t been called over yet. You can’t die yet.”

Just as Qiao Xia prepared to rush out and save the old man, Ding Ce suddenly stopped.

He then began muttering to himself.

The ‘kid’ Ding Ce referred to, Qiao Xia blindly guessed, was him.

Qiao Xia pursed his lips in exasperation.

‘Ding Ce is truly vindictive, attacking Grandpa Li and me over such a trivial matter. And the worst part is, Ding Ce is the villain, yet he acts like he’s in the right!’

Of course, the fact that Ding Ce had stopped torturing Grandpa Li was already a positive development for the current situation.

Even though Qiao Xia had been ready to charge out, with Grandpa Li in Ding Ce’s grasp, he wasn’t certain he could guarantee the old man’s rescue.

Grandpa Li wouldn’t die, but he might still get hurt.

Now, he could take his time, searching for an opportunity without haste.

In truth, Qiao Xia could have completely disregarded Grandpa Li’s potential injuries.

He could have simply rushed out, given Ding Ce a good beating, subdued him, and ended the whole affair.

However, Qiao Xia couldn’t bring himself to stand by and watch Grandpa Li get hurt.

Grandpa Li’s life was already difficult enough, living alone after his wife and child died in a car accident.

Now, he was being harmed by this psychopath, Ding Ce.

If his injuries were severe, his recovery would be uncertain.

The one who deserved to die was Ding Ce, the perpetrator.

Both Qiao Xia and Grandpa Li were victims.

“Oh? What do you want to say? Stop whimpering. If it’s a dying wish, I’ll give you a chance to speak it.”

Just as Qiao Xia had started to relax, Ding Ce spoke again.

He looked at Grandpa Li as if he were a bothersome insect, brimming with a sense of superiority.

Facing a defenseless Grandpa Li greatly satisfied Ding Ce’s twisted psyche.

Perhaps inflated by his power, Ding Ce removed the cloth stuffed in Grandpa Li’s mouth.

He wore a facade of kindness as he looked at the old man, patiently awaiting his words.

Grandpa Li didn’t speak immediately.

After catching his breath, he merely glanced up at Ding Ce’s face.

He didn’t scream or shout, but instead said calmly, “If you want to kill me, then kill me. But don’t trouble Xiao Xia. He’s a good kid, and his future will be vibrant. An old man like me, dying is dying. I’ve lived long enough.”

Though Ding Ce hadn’t called names, Grandpa Li knew he was referring to Qiao Xia.

This made the old man abandon any chance of calling for help, focusing only on not dragging Qiao Xia into this mess.

“Oh, my, your bond is truly touching!” Ding Ce suddenly burst into laughter after hearing Grandpa Li’s words.

“Too bad. The stronger your affection, the less I’ll let him go. Both of you will die today! Now, I’ll use your phone to call him. Do you think he’ll come? Oh, don’t worry, you don’t need to speak. I used to study broadcasting; I can imitate your voice. Of course, I want you to watch Qiao Xia die with your own eyes, and then I’ll kill you.”