Chapter 126: The Decision

Chapter 126: [Decision]

At this moment, Rocky looked like a cold-blooded and delicate butcher, wearing a chilling, calm smile as he strolled around the room, then proceeded to kick the dozen or so bound kidnappers to death, one by one!

His movements were as swift as a wisp of smoke, exceptionally fast yet completely unhurried.

Those dozen kidnappers truly fulfilled that old saying: they became ghosts without even realizing how they died!

Chen Xiao watched Rocky's actions, and before he even had time to intervene, all dozen people had been wiped out! Chen Xiao was completely stunned!

He had never expected that Rocky would do something like this!!

Watching Rocky's actions, a deep chill surged through his heart, wave after wave!

"You! How could you!" Chen Xiao suddenly snapped back to his senses and said angrily.

"What's wrong?" Rocky looked completely nonchalant. "These people are heinous villains anyway."

"But you don't have the right..."

Before Chen Xiao could finish, a sudden thought struck him, and he abruptly realized why he felt so furious!

Right! It was about authority!

Even if these people were heinous... still, what right did you, Rocky, have to do this? By what authority could you judge and strip away other people's lives at will?

Just because you are an esper??!!

Especially the indifference, the cold sneer, and the utterly unconcerned expression on Rocky's face while he was killing made it all the more chilling!!

Can espers simply place themselves above life itself?

Chen Xiao felt a wave of nausea in his stomach.

It was not as if he had never seen a dead person.

At the resort by Hundred Island Lake, he had seen people who died far more miserably... Compared to that, Rocky's method of killing could almost be considered "civilized." Yet those victims at Hundred Island Lake had ultimately died at the hands of monsters. It was not like this:

A "human," completely unconcerned, wantonly slaughtering other "humans"!

"It seems... you are still a naive child." Rocky smiled faintly.

Chen Xiao was speechless.

That's right, these people were indeed unpardonable scoundrels, and from a certain perspective, Rocky seemed to be doing this to help cover for him...

Officer Xu beside them had not spoken. His face was stern, and his gaze was deeply gloomy. Finally, he suddenly pulled Chen Xiao's arm, dragging him away from the workshop.

Once they got into the car outside, the moment Chen Xiao stepped inside, Ye Xiaonuo immediately leaned against him. The young girl still looked pale and terrified, as if she had not yet recovered from the shock. Her soft body leaned helplessly against Chen Xiao's shoulder, her fingers tightly gripping his arm with such force that her fingertips sank deeply into his muscles, and her nails even pinched him with a sharp pain.

Yet Chen Xiao seemed completely unaware, simply because as he sat in the car, his attention was drawn entirely to Rocky's actions outside!

Rocky fetched an iron bucket and calmly siphoned some gasoline from the car's fuel tank. Carrying the bucket of gasoline, he slowly walked back through the workshop doors. From inside the car parked outside, Chen Xiao could clearly see every single thing Rocky did!

He... just so calmly, unhurriedly, and even leisurely, sprinkled the gasoline everywhere. His movements were meticulous, and even as he poured the fuel, he spread it evenly across every corner! He seemed utterly at ease while performing this task.

After finishing all this, Rocky slowly set down the gasoline bucket, walked over, and pulled open the car door to get into the front passenger seat.

Without saying a word, he reached straight for the dashboard in front of the driver's seat and picked up a pack of cigarettes—Officer Xu's.

Rocky lit a cigarette for himself, took a leisurely drag, then turned his head, slowly exhaled a plume of blue smoke, and smiled faintly, "I rarely smoke."

A strange feeling stirred in Chen Xiao's heart.

What did he mean by that? Was he implying that he only ever smoked when he was killing people?

"Let's drive." Rocky had already turned his head away.

Officer Xu started the car without a word, and the vehicle quickly turned around in the courtyard.

Rocky slowly rolled down the passenger window, extended his hand outside, and gave a light flick with his fingers. The cigarette butt shot out like a glowing spark, tracing an arc through mid-air before landing precisely on a puddle of gasoline closest to the workshop entrance.

Instantly, with a muffled *bang*, the gasoline on the ground was ignited, and roaring flames blazed up immediately, spreading rapidly along the trail of fuel...

The car sped out of the courtyard, and Chen Xiao looked back.

Behind them, with a thunderous roar!

Roaring flames swallowed the workshop, billowing thick black smoke into the sky!

And right at that moment, Rocky in the front passenger seat suddenly sneered and said, "You don't need to thank me."

Chen Xiao snorted and replied coldly as well, "I had no intention of thanking you."

...
............

The car quickly drove into the downtown area and first dropped Ye Xiaonuo off at the police station. The girl had suffered a severe shock, and at a time like this, Officer Xu could only feel somewhat at ease leaving her inside the police station, where he made a phone call to notify her family.

At the police station, Rocky stepped out of the car first.

"I know you probably don't want to talk much with me right now... but don't forget what you promised me." Rocky smiled slightly and turned to walk into the station.

"Should I... take you back to the hospital?" Officer Xu sighed.

"No... please drop me off at the coffee shop instead." Chen Xiao frowned. "You already know the address."

On the way, neither of them spoke another word. The car drove all the way until it stopped at the end of the unfinished street.

"Officer Xu... does the Special Operations Task Force always do things this way?" Chen Xiao's tone was harsh.

"Are you talking about Rocky's style?" Officer Xu shook his head. "Of course not! Strictly speaking, someone like Rocky doesn't belong to the Special Operations Task Force. They belong to a new department. Their methods... I haven't had much contact with them, but I've heard that the people in this department never follow conventional rules."

He looked at Chen Xiao: "I'm sorry, I really didn't want you to get entangled with these people. I'm well aware that this spells trouble."

Chen Xiao smiled. "This isn't your fault. Besides, you've already helped me a lot."

"I'm just worried... these people are not easy to deal with." Deep worry lingered in Officer Xu's eyes.

"I've already seen it for myself." Chen Xiao's voice was cold.

"Take care." Officer Xu patted Chen Xiao's shoulder, then turned, got into the car, and drove away.

Chen Xiao walked down the unfinished street.

It was already dusk, and the unfinished street was desolate and quiet. The motorized streetlights had begun to turn on, but due to poor maintenance over the years, many of them were already broken, while others flickered weakly on the verge of dying out.

Chen Xiao was still wearing the hospital gown. He slowly walked up to the entrance of the coffee shop...

The coffee shop was brightly lit. Standing outside the window, he could see the activity inside:

Two coffee tables in the middle had been pushed together to serve as a mahjong table.

Around the mahjong table, Old Tian, Zhurong, Gonggong, and Young Master Xu were playing mahjong. Fatty was also there... the pitiful Fatty, wearing an apron and holding a teapot, seemingly playing the role of a servant serving tea and water.

Champagne sat beside Old Tian, holding a small calculator and rapidly calculating something.

Seeing this scene, Chen Xiao pushed open the door and walked in.

Zhurong was facing the entrance and was the first to notice Chen Xiao come in. However, she merely glanced at him, then lowered her head to continue sorting her tiles, saying casually, "Oh, you're back? Everything alright?"

Chen Xiao smiled. "Didn't you say 'kill me or carve me up, I'm at your disposal'?"

"Tsk... we weren't worried at all." Zhurong drew a tile—a One of Bamboos. Realizing it probably wasn't what she wanted, she slammed it onto the table angrily, "A little sparrow!"

Gonggong glanced at it; the tile happened to be what he needed and he seemed about to speak, but after catching Zhurong's glare, he hurriedly shut his mouth.

Young Master Xu, sitting opposite them, remained completely oblivious and let out three hearty laughs: "Pong!! Hahaha, a sparrow delivered right to my door! Watch how I soar to the skies!"

Old Tian felt a bit guilty, glanced at Chen Xiao, and said, "Sigh, you guys are too unconcerned about Chen Xiao! An abduction is no small matter, after all. Come, come, Chen Xiao, sit down and have a sip of water to calm your nerves."

Though to be honest, despite the words, there didn't seem to be much sincerity behind them.

Chen Xiao was still wrapped in bandages. Champagne came over attentively, carefully helping Chen Xiao to a seat and thoughtfully placing a cushion behind his back.

The three unscrupulous bosses of the unfinished street continued playing mahjong, while Young Master Xu appeared to be holding on by a thread. His pile of chips looked to be the smallest by far. He must have lost quite a bit.

Yet Young Master Xu looked utterly delighted, as if the more he lost, the happier he became.

"I have something to announce."

Chen Xiao thought for a moment and spoke up.

"Go ahead, let's hear it." The three old folks didn't raise their heads.

"I..." Chen Xiao hesitated before saying, "I... plan to go abroad to study."

"..."

At this, all three unscrupulous bosses raised their heads simultaneously!!

A look of astonishment flickered in the eyes of all three.

Old Tian gave a dry laugh first. "Kid, you haven't forgotten that the money you owe us won't be paid off until you're sixty, have you? You think you can just pat your butt and leave now?"

Chen Xiao smiled and said nothing.

Zhurong frowned, looking at Chen Xiao with a worried tone: "Chen Xiao... while you're with us, we can look after you to some extent. If you leave..."

"I've already made up my mind." Chen Xiao looked at Zhurong, his voice soft. "Big Sister Zhurong, I know your good intentions, and I appreciate them, but... I can't hide behind you forever. There are some things I have to face myself."

Old Tian suddenly shoved the tiles in front of him aside, stood up, and looked at Chen Xiao solemnly. "Have you really thought this through?"

"The Club has already sent people to catch me. If there's a first time, there will be a second, and the trouble will keep coming." Chen Xiao sighed. "Before... perhaps I really was too naive. At eighteen, I thought everything was simple..."

"With us old folks here, those Club bastards wouldn't dare chirp!" Zhurong slammed the table.

Chen Xiao remained calm as he looked at Zhurong. "Can I hide here for the rest of my life?"

"..." Zhurong was left speechless.

To let a grown man like Chen Xiao hide under the protection of these old folks for the rest of his life—even Zhurong knew she couldn't say such words.

"I've made up my mind," Chen Xiao shook his head. "First, it's impossible for me to continue living as an ordinary person. Second, I've already been dragged into this circle. It's not just the Club and the Agency; other supernatural organizations might come looking for me too... like..." Chen Xiao paused briefly, omitting any mention of Rocky from earlier.

"And third... I have a blood feud with the Club, so joining them is out of the question! Therefore..."

"Therefore what?"

"Therefore..." Chen Xiao looked at the three old folks.

"I've decided to join the Agency!"

...
............

Old Tian's expression dimmed slightly. He looked at Chen Xiao and sighed, looking as though he had more to say. He muttered softly to himself, his voice barely audible: "Sigh... in the end, it still comes to this..."

Chen Xiao bowed to the three old folks: "Thank you all for taking care of me until now. Um... also, Uncle Gonggong, could I speak with you alone for a moment?"

Gonggong was startled and looked at Zhurong. Zhurong, in a low and despondent mood, simply waved her hand.

Chen Xiao and Gonggong walked out of the coffee shop and onto the roadside.

"Gonggong... do you remember that night? You took on a commission and asked me to keep it a secret—those two weird guys and the strange collar they brought!"

Chen Xiao stared at Gonggong.

Gonggong's expression instantly changed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry into your privacy, it's just... I'm worried!" Chen Xiao sighed. "When that red-haired guy from the Club came to capture me, he pulled out a collar almost identical to the one I saw that night! He told me to put the collar on and obediently go with them... Which means, that collar wasn't meant for locking up any animal, but for locking up humans, right?"

Gonggong remained silent.

"After I was attacked and hospitalized, you never came to see me, nor did you say a word to me... You probably guessed that I saw what happened. That's why you've been avoiding me, afraid that I would ask you about it, right?"

Chen Xiao looked directly into Gonggong's eyes and said earnestly, "Gonggong, there aren't many people in this world who are genuinely good to me... and all of you count as such! So, I really don't want anything bad to happen to any of you! Tell me, do you have some kind of grudge against the Club?"

*(Apologies, but I can only update one chapter today.*

*My state of mind is truly terrible. To be honest, the blow I've encountered this time is probably the biggest hurdle I've ever faced in my twenty-nine years of life.*

*Many brothers have been concerned about what happened to me. After coming online today, I saw countless messages on QQ, and some veteran reader brothers who knew my phone number called and texted me.*

*Actually, there's nothing really to hide.*

*My marriage has hit a snag, it's run aground.*

*Yeah, that's it. Right now, it's really hard for me to calm down and write. I can only force myself to muster the energy to write every day... but my state is truly poor...*

*Please forgive me, everyone.*

*I will be strong and try my best to adjust my mindset. After all, life must go on, and the journey of life continues.*

*As a man, even if the home is gone, there is still a career.*

*Thank you to all the brothers who care about me. I will pull through.)*

*(To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please log in to support the author and read the genuine editions!)*