The man standing at the basement entrance nodded when Yuri said Winan’s name, then opened the iron door for him to enter. He glanced at the notebook in Yuri’s hand, seemingly having been notified from inside. Yuri followed the direction the man pointed, he walked along the narrow passage connecting the spacious rooms in the basement.

The basement wasn’t too large.

There were only 4-5 rooms, each about twenty square meters. Occasionally, when looking into the rooms with open doors, Yuri saw them empty, or with only a solitary iron bed, creating a cold and bleak feeling.

However, what made him shudder more than the scene before his eyes was the sound emanating from the room located deepest within the narrow passage of the basement.

The chaotic sounds of several people, the clinking of colliding metal, the ripping sound of adhesive tape, all mixed together.

Each sound when heard individually was normal, but when combined, plus Yuri knowing what was happening inside, they became extremely terrifying.

Another man was standing guard in front of the room’s door. He had been watching Yuri since he entered the passage. Seeing the notebook in Yuri’s hand, he understood and nodded.

“Delivering it to Winan, right? Let’s see…… probably have to wait a bit. They just started.”

The man looked inside through the rectangular hole on the iron door then clicked his tongue: “It would have been good if you had come a little earlier.” Yuri thought he only needed to give the notebook to this man and return, but the man didn’t ask him to hand over the notebook, nor did he tell him to wait outside.

Perhaps he thought Yuri was Third uncle’s subordinate, so he didn’t tell him to leave.

Yuri intended to go outside and wait, but the guard didn’t seem to pay attention to him. He muttered things like: “Oh, I’m so hungry. Haven’t had lunch yet”, as if Yuri standing there waiting until everything was finished was a matter of course. Perhaps those who came to deliver things previously all waited there until the work was done.

Yuri took out a granola bar – he usually carried a few spare ones for Ling Xinlu, in case he was too busy to eat – and gave it to the guard, then stood waiting beside him.

Through the hole on the iron door at about eye level, the scene inside could be seen.

The first person he saw was Ling Xinlu. He wasn’t smiling like he was at the office, but only displayed an impassive expression. A few steps away from him was the man in the black coat.

And in front of him was the man in the black coat violently grabbing the hair of another man. This man’s mouth was taped shut, his hands tied tightly behind his back with adhesive tape. It seemed he was today’s victim.

“……He embezzled the drugs. Seems like it started six months ago. I heard recently he took quite a lot to sell, then got caught.”

The guard, while chewing on the granola bar, looked inside, then clicked his tongue: “What a clown.” According to him, the drugs that the man trafficked were discovered by the police, leading to a strict crackdown, causing their business to be stalled for a while.

“The business is stalled, and his life is ruined.”

The guard shrugged, then walked over to a chair a few steps away and sat down. He started taking his phone out of his pocket and fiddling with it, seemingly thinking that Yuri would take over his watch.

Yuri silently observed the room. More precisely, he was watching Ling Xinlu. He just stood there observing, not laying a finger on the victim, his eyes indifferently directed towards them.

“……”

They looked like the eyes of a dead fish. Eyes without any interest in what was happening in front of them. That made Yuri feel a sense of unfamiliarity. Ling Xinlu had never looked at him with such eyes.

Come to think of it, they rarely made eye contact recently. Even when their eyes met, it was only fleetingly.

However, Ling Xinlu still occasionally looked at him absently, as if unintentionally. Yuri didn’t know what he was thinking when he looked at him like that. Was he thinking about renewing the contract? Or other things?

Sometimes, Ling Xinlu would look at Yuri with a tense expression and clench his teeth. But when Yuri looked back, he would quietly turn his face away. As if not wanting to make eye contact with him.

This morning was the same. They ate breakfast in silence, only exchanging a few words. Then the phone rang. It was James.

[“It seems like the contract renewal period is almost here, what are you planning to do this year? Stay there or come back? If you come back, I have to prepare a place for you.”]

[“More accurately, I have to redistribute the work that Kyle piled up.”] – James spoke frankly. Yuri glanced at Ling Xinlu upon hearing that.

From the moment Yuri answered the phone: “James?”, Ling Xinlu had stared directly at him. When their eyes met, he frowned slightly. It seemed he found it strange that Yuri looked at him while talking on the phone.

“I……,…… don’t know yet. This side hasn’t made any decisions yet…… I’ll contact you when there’s a decision.”

[“The contract deadline is approaching, and it’s still uncertain? Alright. Try to come back soon. China is too far away.”]

James grumbled that: [“Sometimes I can’t ask for help with small things”], then after a few brief polite greetings, he hung up. Yuri also put down the phone, then returned to the dining table.

Ling Xinlu didn’t say anything. Perhaps he also guessed the reason for James’s call just from the words Yuri spoke.

Regarding whether to renew or not, Yuri had given the decision-making power to Ling Xinlu. If he hadn’t decided yet, then Yuri couldn’t plan for the future. But he wasn’t going to rush him. 

Even if he delayed until the expiration date, Yuri would only need to wait for him to think carefully and then answer.

‘Renew the contract or end it here……’

“……”

Yuri looked at Ling Xinlu standing with an impassive expression, then quietly sighed.

Meanwhile, the ‘work’ had begun inside the room. Just as the guard had said, it seemed today’s ‘work’ wouldn’t end easily.

Just the drug embezzlement alone was a big problem. Especially for Third uncle, a person who always emphasized strict handling, he would never overlook such matters.

Moreover, this matter also caused him to temporarily ‘lie low’, so no matter how you thought about it, it couldn’t end peacefully.

“Hey, what were you planning to do with the few pennies you earned? That money isn’t even enough to save your life, you idiot.”

The sneering voice of the man in the black coat rang out. At the same time, there was a gruesome *Crack* sound, a muffled groan escaping from the taped mouth. The man lay sprawled on the floor, the man with messy hair standing next to him grabbed his collar and pulled him up.

“You earned a few pennies, but do you know how much this side lost? Selling your body wouldn’t be enough to compensate for 1/100th of it. Now, what are you going to do, huh?”

Shouting mixed with the continuous sounds of beating rang out. Third uncle sat on the chair, only silently observing them. It seemed he had given them full authority to handle it, and only retained the final decision.

Ling Xinlu silently observed. Unlike a normal person who would feel uncomfortable witnessing the scene before his eyes, he didn’t show any emotion.

In fact, it seemed like he wasn’t paying attention to it at all.

Not long after, the messy-haired man spoke to Ling Xinlu.

“Young Master, are you alright? Why does your face look so pale?” – The messy-haired man looked at Ling Xinlu with amusement rather than worry, his eyes revealing a smug look.

“The young master will get used to it eventually,” – The man in the black coat replied, seemingly sharing the same thought as the messy-haired man.

Until then, Ling Xinlu still seemed to be immersed in his own world, only glancing at them absentmindedly. It was only when he heard their calls that his dead-fish-like eyes flickered with a hint of light.

“You look pale? Are you okay? Is this scene too horrific?”

“Ah……, I haven’t been sleeping well lately. It’s fine, it’s just that, what’s so horrific?”

Ling Xinlu slightly shook his head and replied. He gestured with his hand: “Just continue.” The two men glanced at each other.

It seemed they felt somewhat dissatisfied. They didn’t like the fact that a timid young master, pale-faced and unable to look directly at the scene in front of him, could casually say “it’s just that” as if ordering them around.

The messy-haired man stealthily looked at Third uncle. Third uncle remained seated with his arms crossed, showing no emotion. It seemed like he intended to watch without intervening or stopping them. It was like a tacit permission.

The man in the black coat who was grabbing the tied-up man’s hair suddenly stood up. He smirked and said to Ling Xinlu:

“How about it, Young Master, want to handle it yourself? Normally, the Young Master doesn’t have to lift a finger, but there will be more horrific things later, so trying it once would be good, right?”

“…… What?”

Ling Xinlu looked down at the man sprawled on the floor. This man had been beaten to a bloody pulp, moaning miserably, the sight alone was enough to make one frown.

Ling Xinlu looked at the man indifferently, then turned to look at the messy-haired man.

He looked at the smirking messy-haired man, then at the man in the black coat who was also sneering beside him. Finally, he looked at Third uncle, who was sitting not far away.

Third uncle frowned at Ling Xinlu with a suspicious look, about to say something but then stopped. He decided to sit still and see what would happen.

“…… Alright then, let’s try it.”

Ling Xinlu looked down at the man lying on the floor again.

Then he walked over to the man and bent down. Ling Xinlu looked down at the man, who, with fear in his eyes, was trying to open his swollen eyes to look at him.

After observing carefully, Ling Xinlu reached out and removed the adhesive tape tightly wrapped around the man’s wrists. The *Rip rip* sound of the tape being torn echoed, the man opened his swollen eyes wide and looked at Ling Xinlu. His bound arms were free. He shuddered, looking at Ling Xinlu with both fear and a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

The messy-haired man standing behind Ling Xinlu raised an eyebrow and clicked his tongue.

“Young Master, you can’t let him go! Although he looks pitiful, he has to be made an example……”

But he didn’t finish his sentence.

Ling Xinlu stood up, picked up the hammer with a handle as long as his forearm that was leaning against the wall. He held the handle, lightly swung it a few times as if to gauge its weight, then slammed it directly onto the man’s head.

“—……!”

Not a single scream.

Blood spurted from the man’s head, instantly staining the floor red. The man lay sprawled, convulsing, only his fingers twitching slightly.

“Still conscious, huh? Just lie still there. Tied hands and feet only make it difficult to handle.”

Ling Xinlu looked at the man, muttering indifferently. The hammer was thrown onto the floor, making a heavy *Clang*. The room fell silent.

No one moved, except for Ling Xinlu.

“Seems like you’re not very lucky…… I’m not in a good mood. My mind is a mess…… Why steal from others only to end up like this?”

Ling Xinlu clicked his tongue, lightly kicked the man, and then flipped him over. The man’s eyes rolled back, though nearly unconscious, he still had some awareness, his body still convulsing. And then, a kick landed directly on his knee. The sound of cracking bone rang out along with a groan.

“I’ve had things stolen from me before, so it feels terrible. I just want to kill the person who stole from me.”

A look of discomfort briefly flashed across his bright and handsome face. His eyebrows furrowed, the corner of his mouth twisted, and at the same time, the man’s other knee was also crushed.

Ling Xinlu ground his heel onto the man’s shattered knees and was silent for a moment. He stood there quietly, as if lost in thought, then muttered as if speaking to himself:

“……But thinking about it now, it’s better this way.”

Next came the sound of a body being stomped on. The sound of flesh being crushed. The sound of bones breaking.

“Now I’m just afraid of having things stolen. Just thinking about it is terrifying——”
It seemed he just whispered: “Truly afraid,”

But that small whisper was drowned out by the sound of the man’s ribs breaking.

It was a hellish scene.

Despite being accustomed to the deathly scenes of hell thanks to past experiences, Yuri still felt a chill down his spine.

The only person still moving in the room was Ling Xinlu. The man lying beneath his feet was motionless, perhaps already dead.

The two men behind Ling Xinlu stood frozen, their faces pale as they watched him.
While Ling Xinlu continued to stomp on the man with an impassive expression, the first person to speak was Third uncle, who had been observing the whole time.

“ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL HIM?!”

He frowned angrily and shouted. Ling Xinlu stopped his actions, slowly turning to look at Third uncle.

“Didn’t you tell me to handle it myself?”

Ling Xinlu tilted his head and asked with a puzzled look. Third uncle glared at him, then clicked his tongue.

“This guy…… When you take action, you must keep a clear head. Don’t lose your reason!”

“My mind is very clear, Third uncle.”

Ling Xinlu smirked while looking at Third uncle. He chuckled as if bewildered, then looked down at the bloody mess on the floor with cold eyes.

“My mind is very calm, not angry at all. At least not towards this guy.”

He nudged the man with his foot, without any hatred or anger, just a mechanical action.

Third uncle frowned at Ling Xinlu, then signaled with his eyes to the two men who had turned pale with horror, standing behind.

“Hey, take Xinlu outside. ——Xinlu, that’s enough for today.”

Third uncle clicked his tongue and waved his hand dismissively. The two men hesitated for a moment before approaching Ling Xinlu.

Ling Xinlu looked at them with an indifferent gaze, then turned and walked away, letting them lead him out without daring to touch him.

“Then I’ll excuse myself, Third uncle.”

“Before you go, stop by the office to wash up and change your clothes. Covered in blood like that, anyone who sees you will run a thousand miles.”

Ling Xinlu smiled upon hearing Third uncle’s cold words from behind.

“Whatever. Who would run……——”

But Ling Xinlu’s playful mutter abruptly stopped. At that very moment, his eyes met Yuri’s, who was standing outside the door.

“……”

“……”

Not only his words, but also his actions froze. Ling Xinlu stood rooted to the spot, his feet turning to stone mid-stride, his face stiff, his eyes wide as he stared at Yuri.

Yuri silently looked at him for a moment, then looked down and handed the notebook to the messy-haired man who was opening the door. The messy-haired man looked at the notebook and then at Yuri a few times before taking it.

“Thank you for bringing this,” – He muttered. And behind him, Yuri made eye contact with Third uncle. Third uncle frowned, then clicked his tongue as if surprised to see Yuri standing there, but he didn’t say anything.

Yuri bowed his head slightly to Third uncle, then nodded to the two other men. After that, he turned back to look at Ling Xinlu. Ling Xinlu was still standing in the same spot, staring at Yuri with a dazed expression. He blinked repeatedly, as if in shock. Yuri looked at him for a moment, then quietly said:

“Let’s go.”