Chapter 99: The Weight of a Secret

Lin Qing cautioned himself internally.

‘Perhaps it’s just a coincidence.’

‘It can’t be what I think it is.’

After all, what he had experienced wasn’t an ordinary kidnapping—it was a slaughter, a fight to the death between caged beasts.

Yet, despite his rationalizations, his body acted before his mind could. He shot his hand out and grabbed Dog Brother by the collar.

Though Lin Qing wasn’t particularly strong, the surge of adrenaline allowed him to haul the man upward.

Lin Qing’s gaze was frantic, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

He was desperate for an answer.

“What kind of scales?!”

If the Dark Progeny member’s tattoo was the same as the one he had seen, it might finally explain why he had become so strange.

After all, a normal person couldn’t see things like skulls.

Nor could they see the dark shadow that clung so tightly to his back.

However, whether from the force of Lin Qing’s pull or Dog Brother’s excessive blood loss, the man’s eyes rolled back into his head the moment he was lifted.

He had passed out.

No matter how much Lin Qing shook him, Dog Brother remained unresponsive.

Completely unconscious.

“Lin Qing, calm down! He’s fainted.”

Seeing Lin Qing’s agitated state, Liu Hong set aside his own concerns, yanked Dog Brother away, and quickly began dressing the wound with the remaining bandages.

If Dog Brother died, things would get complicated.

Su Yao had the backing of the Chu Xing Group, so this incident wouldn’t affect her much.

And Liu Hong, with his family’s underworld connections, had no reason to fear retaliation.

Only Lin Qing, from an ordinary family, was the most vulnerable target.

Now that it was clear Lin Qing and Su Yao weren’t related, the rumor about him being the police chief’s illegitimate son was obviously nonsense.

Lin Qing’s family background was simple. Liu Hong had learned the truth from Lin Qing himself when they were locked in that small kitchen room.

At the time, Liu Hong had been skeptical, but now he believed it completely.

It turned out Lin Qing had been telling the truth all along; he just hadn’t been willing to believe it.

‘Such an honest kid…’ Liu Hong thought. ‘It’s because he’s so honest that it’s hard to believe him!’

Most people in that situation would have just kept their mouths shut.

Or they would have gone along with the lie to save themselves.

Doing so would have avoided a lot of trouble—at the very least, it would have spared him the beating Liu Hong had given him.

But Lin Qing was different.

Just moments ago, Lin Qing had harmed himself to save someone, to intimidate Su Yao into abandoning her murderous intent.

So why was he acting so recklessly now?

Could this Dark Progeny organization have some connection to him?

At that moment, Liu Hong no longer saw Lin Qing as an ordinary person. After everything that had happened at the abandoned slaughterhouse, he knew Lin Qing was a powerhouse in disguise.

The vicious dogs, the guards—none of them, not even combined, were a match for him.

Though Lin Qing’s performance was sometimes erratic, his dangerous nature was undeniable.

Appearances were truly deceiving.

While Liu Hong deftly wrapped the bandages to stop the bleeding, Su Yao stood motionless, silently observing Lin Qing.

Her obsidian eyes were fixed on Lin Qing’s face, trying to analyze his thoughts.

Upon hearing the word ‘scales,’ Lin Qing’s emotions had become wildly agitated, uncontrollable.

He had exposed a weakness.

She had long known that Lin Qing was no simple person.

But to have ties to a human trafficking ring… had he been a victim?

Could the scars she’d seen on his bare torso be marks left from that ordeal?

The thought seemed to fit the circumstances.

However, she knew the neighbors where Lin Qing currently lived had known him for a long time.

They were familiar with his family situation.

If he had been kidnapped, he wouldn’t have people who knew him so well living nearby.

‘Unless… he was trafficked at some point and has only recently returned.’

Thinking back to how their neighbor, Auntie Wang, had looked like she was on the verge of saying something before Lin Qing cut her off, Su Yao felt her theory was likely correct.

Yet, even with this new information about Lin Qing, the mystery of the tattoos only deepened.

His reaction to hearing about the Dark Progeny’s tattoos was extreme, especially after learning the design worn by high-ranking members.

A demon holding a set of scales?

What did that have to do with Lin Qing?

In that brief span of time, Su Yao’s sharp mind raced, meticulously organizing every clue.

Unfortunately, the pieces she had were still incomplete; she couldn’t yet form a coherent picture.

But instead of feeling discouraged, Su Yao felt a surge of motivation.

It was like a puzzle.

A dizzying array of fragments from which she had to select the right pieces and fit them together.

Someone without patience would have given up.

Fortunately, Su Yao was very patient.

Especially when it came to Lin Qing.

She was confident she would eventually assemble the complete picture.

As his turbulent emotions began to settle, Lin Qing averted his gaze from the unconscious Dog Brother.

The initial rush of panic had subsided, and now, a sense of caution was creeping back in.

He felt as if he were standing at the edge of a deep abyss, staring into its placid, undisturbed surface. It looked harmless, but he knew that beneath the calm facade, countless horrors lurked.

Tempting him.

Whispering in his ear, offering all sorts of inducements.

The best course of action was to stay put.

He couldn’t take a single step forward out of curiosity.

To do so would be to condemn himself to eternal damnation.

“Alright, the bleeding’s stopped,” Liu Hong announced, finishing his work now that Lin Qing had calmed down. “This Dog Brother is one tough bastard. It’s amazing he’s still alive after all that.”

They had lingered here long enough. They had to leave.

They had originally come to catch Wang Fanran, but that goal had not been met. Instead, they had reaped other… less-than-useful rewards.

Of course, for Liu Hong, seeing Su Yao’s true nature was a good thing.

At least he could finally let go of his infatuation.

It was a dead end.

A potentially fatal one.

Moreover, as he had waited for death, utterly defenseless, Liu Hong had been forced to confront just how vile his past actions had been.

Regret was useless now—the psychological scars he’d inflicted on others couldn’t be erased.

But Liu Hong resolved that once he got out of this slaughterhouse, he would turn over a new leaf.

He would never bully anyone again.

He would do more good deeds.

“Let’s go. We need to get out of here,” Su Yao said, and the three of them finally started moving.

Dog Brother’s quarters were some distance from the slaughterhouse entrance. As they made their way there, they occasionally encountered guards who hadn’t been at the dog fight.

With Su Yao on their side, Lin Qing had nothing to do. Liu Hong could only watch, dumbfounded, as she dispatched one guard after another with fluid efficiency.

Effortlessly.

Witnessing her brutality firsthand, Liu Hong couldn’t help but shiver.

He recalled how he used to pester her. The fact that she hadn’t dealt with him immediately was an act of mercy.

But Su Yao hid her nature so well; no one would ever suspect it.

It made her relationship with Lin Qing all the more strange. They acted like a couple, but there was an odd tension.

Were they lovers? Enemies? Comrades?

Liu Hong kept these thoughts to himself, not daring to voice them.

Both Lin Qing and Su Yao were people he couldn’t afford to provoke.

It was better not to be too curious about them.

While Su Yao charged ahead, dispatching guards and venting her excess energy, Lin Qing and Liu Hong had no opportunity to even lift a finger.

So they decided to chat.

“Liu Hong, what you saw today… it wasn’t just about me, but about Su Yao, too. It’s best you don’t tell anyone, or you’ll be in for it.”

A wry smile touched Liu Hong’s lips. ‘Who would even believe me if I told them?’ he thought.

That the frail, weak Lin Qing had gone on a rampage, taking out a pack of vicious dogs and a group of burly men?

Or that the beautiful and kind Su Yao was a potential psychopathic killer?

No one would believe either story.

So, Liu Hong simply gave a solemn nod without another word.

The gesture offered Lin Qing a small measure of reassurance. He didn’t know if Liu Hong could truly keep a secret, but it gave him hope that a normal life was still within reach.

He could still go back to school.

After being locked up for so long, Lin Qing truly yearned to experience school life, to see if it was as carefree and happy as the books described.

“Still, Lin Qing, you need to be careful,” Liu Hong suddenly said after a moment of thought.

He and Lin Qing had been through life and death together; he couldn’t just stand by and watch Lin Qing walk into trouble.

“Wang Fanran hates you. After seeing you hurt someone, he might be too scared to come after you himself… But that Chen Sen is a petty, vengeful bastard.”

Having dealt with Chen Sen before, Liu Hong knew how difficult he was.

He remembered introducing his sister to Chen Sen to find him some thugs.

Regret gnawed at him. He never would have imagined Chen Sen would hire people for something like this.

‘I’m never taking business from that guy again!’ Liu Hong vowed. ‘The guards at the slaughterhouse are badly injured. They messed with Chen Sen’s operation, and he’s not the type to just accept it. He’ll strike back.’

Neither Su Yao nor he feared Chen Sen’s retaliation. But Lin Qing was a different story.

‘Maybe…’

‘Lin Qing could come home with me! My house is huge. Plenty of extra rooms.’

The idea seemed more and more plausible. Just as Liu Hong was about to make the offer, Lin Qing’s expression suddenly changed, his face a mask of shock as he stared ahead.

Liu Hong fell silent, his curiosity piqued, and followed Lin Qing’s gaze.

And then he saw it.

Near the main gate of the abandoned slaughterhouse lay Wang Fanran. His obese body was sprawled on the ground, his face frozen in terror, his eyes wide as he stared at the sharp blade plunged into his chest.

The wound had stopped bleeding.

Wang Fanran was no longer breathing.

He was dead.

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