Neighbor 014

For the first time ever, Li Juan didn't fuss at him. Instead, wearing an expression of cloying affection, she pressed herself close to the battered old television set.

"That is my son. I can feel it."

But a moment later, she suddenly flew into a rage. "Why is his last name Fang?! His name is clearly Zhang! He is the son of my husband and me!" Consumed by fury, she even smashed the television.

Zhang Xi sighed.

Aside from sighing, there was nothing he could do. As for seeking death, he didn't want to die; even in this much pain, he was afraid of dying.

The next day, Li Juan picked up a scavenged trench coat and wrapped herself up tight. She tucked a kitchen knife into her clothes; she was going to get her son back. Before leaving, she looked back at her husband, her eyes brimming with tenderness.

"Hubby, wait for me. I'll bring our son back, and our family will be reunited."

She intercepted Zhang Xiaoli—now known as Fang Zhiran—at the school gate.

"Xiaoli, Mommy has come to find you." She reached out her hand, and the rusty kitchen knife she held reflected onto the faces of the students.

Zhang Xiaoli didn't run. Looking at the panicked classmates around him, he knew that if he fled, someone else would surely get hurt.

"What are you doing? Put down the knife!" Zhang Xiaoli shouted.

"Mommy's taking you back to reunite with your dad. Your father and I are very much in love now; he doesn't hit me anymore... Xiaoli, be a good boy and come home with me..." Li Juan's gaze grew increasingly terrifying.

"You are not my mom! My mom wouldn't let me get beaten or make me eat the leftovers of a mistress!" Zhang Xiaoli said coldly.

"You child, you've been corrupted by those two sluts." Li Juan suddenly raised the kitchen knife high. If she just chopped off Xiaoli's legs, he wouldn't be able to run away.

But suddenly, she went flying through the air, and the knife clattered to the ground.

"How dangerous! I can't believe there's a lunatic attacking students here! Son! Are you alright?" Fang Zaozao steadied herself and turned to look at Zhang Xiaoli.

Zhang Xiaoli stared blankly at the kick she had just delivered, then nodded. "Godmother, I'm fine."

"Who is this?" asked Fang Wanwan, who arrived shortly after, looking puzzled.

Zhang Xiaoli hesitated for a split second before immediately blocking their view. "I don't know her. I've already called the police. Let's go."

The two sisters, Fang Wanwan and Fang Zaozao, talked about taking him for a big meal while glancing back at the psycho, until the police arrived in a hurry and took the woman away.

That day, news of a gruesome crime spread through the city. A madwoman had chopped off her husband's limbs and imprisoned him at home, and today she had attempted to attack a student. Immediately, all schools tightened their security.

The madwoman was locked up in a psychiatric hospital, and the man was rescued and rushed to the hospital for treatment.

"I have to say, he's got a tough life force," Fang Zhiyi remarked with a sigh as he listened to an old man playing chess discuss the news.

"Who would have thought? That woman is actually a yandere," Little Hei nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Endless torture awaited Zhang Xi in the future. Without limbs, he couldn't even kill himself. Even more tragically, he had no money.

Meanwhile, locked in the mental asylum, Li Juan's madness intensified. She demanded her child and husband from everyone she saw and attacked others. Consequently, she had to be tied to her bed, left with absolutely no room to move every day.

It could be said that Zhang Xiaoli grew up under Fang Zaozao's tutelage. Her educational policy was very direct.

"If anyone messes with you, mess them up! If you can't beat them, come back and tell me!"

"Sis, don't be like that."

"You don't know jack shit!"

"By the way, where exactly is Dad?"

"I don't know. Yesterday he said he was coming, but today he said something came up and he can't make it."

"What kind of business could an old man like him have?"

"Look at this."

"Sis, is our dad robbing tombs or something? This money..."

Zhang Xiaoli watched them argue, opening his mouth to speak but then closing it again.

He had originally wanted to tell them about his dream. That incredibly realistic dream had played out like a TV series, haunting his sleep for a whole week, and the memory was still fresh even now.

In the dream, he once again saw his mother being beaten and himself rushing up to protect her. Details he had previously ignored were revealed: every time his mother was beaten, she would call out for him. Seeing him come to her defense made her happy.

He also saw how his mother had betrayed Auntie Wanwan—who had been so good to him—to his father. They had even beaten her to death.

His mother had even taught him to lie to his Godmother when she came looking for Auntie Wanwan.

He saw himself being beaten, and his mother, having a breakdown, holding him as she jumped off a building. He had clearly wanted to live; if only she had helped him...

It was just as Godmother had said: she didn't actually love him. She loved the idea of the family she had imagined.

But that was all in the past now. Better not mention it, right? Otherwise, Godmother would surely smack him a couple of times.

Zhang Xiaoli nodded secretly to himself. It was decided. That kick she just delivered wouldn't feel good if it landed on him.

He also keenly noticed that there were a few people always looking at them furtively. It had started many years ago, these same few people.

Regardless, he would never let them hurt his Godmother or Auntie Wanwan.

Absolutely not.

Over the next few years, Zhang Xiaoli, possessing the potential of a villain and relying on the experience of an extra lifetime, climbed to the position from his dream at an accelerated speed. He gradually grew taller and older, eventually towering over Fang Zaozao by a full head.

Regarding his actions, Fang Wanwan expressed worry and disapproval, but Fang Zaozao praised him unreservedly.

"Life is only a few tens of thousands of days long. Just do what you like."

And Zhang Xiaoli finally met that legendary figure for the first time: his Godmother's father, Fang Zhiyi.

From the moment he appeared, this old man exuded an air of knowing everything.

Zhang Xiaoli didn't dislike him; in fact, he was somewhat grateful to him. He knew that almost all his expenses were paid for by this old man—his Godmother was always mentioning it. After spending a day with Fang Zhiyi, Zhang Xiaoli admired the old man even more, because his philosophy was even more radical than his Godmother's.

"Either don't do it, or if you do, be the biggest!"

"But I'm afraid..."

"Afraid of what? Failure? Let me tell you, many things in this world are like buying a lottery ticket. If you buy one, you might not win, but if you don't buy one, you definitely won't win." Zhang Xiaoli looked at the old man before him, feeling as if he were seeing an enhanced version of his Godmother. "Let me ask you: fifty-fifty odds versus ninety-nine to one—which probability is higher?"

Zhang Xiaoli answered almost without thinking, "Fifty-fifty."

"Wrong!" Fang Zhiyi stared at him. "They are the same. For the things you and I want to do, these ratios are meaningless. Because no matter how small the possibility, as long as you do it, the probability is fifty-fifty!"

Zhang Xiaoli's eyes widened, and then he nodded vigorously.

The Quick Transmigration taskers, who had been lying in wait for years, were stunned when they saw Fang Zhiyi appear. This guy finally showed up?

They hadn't expected that Fang Zhiyi, surrounded on all sides in an open clearing, wouldn't panic in the slightest.

"Hunter? Surrender now. None of us are inferior to you," someone said.

Fang Zhiyi clasped his hands behind his back and smiled.

"Immortal cultivation, martial arts—I am proficient in them all! Fang Zhiyi, consider your bounty claimed!" A figure suddenly darted out.

However, he was greeted by the crack of a gunshot. With a miserable shriek, he collapsed to the ground.

"What’s going on?" The remaining few looked around frantically.

In the darkness, dozens of figures stood up, guns raised.

Fang Zhiyi smiled. "I didn't refrain from acting out of fear, but out of concern that you might hurt the innocent. Besides... in a world governed by law and order, I really wouldn't know how to dispose of you myself. That is why I needed a helper."

A man walked out from the gloom. Zhang Xiaoli’s expression was dark. "So it really was you people. You’ve been surveilling me and my godmother for so many years, and now you’ve finally shown your true colors?"

"You!" Someone cried out in shock and rage. How could anyone be so shameless? To actually leverage the power of the villain?

Something else seemed to be stirring in the darkness.

"My System!"

"What is that thing?!"

Almost simultaneously, their Systems were devoured by the darkness. A massive tentacled monster flashed into view for a split second before vanishing.

Fang Zhiyi turned around and patted Zhang Xiaoli on the shoulder. "My dear grandson, I leave them to you. These people... aren't easy to deal with, so be careful." He wasn't wrong. Even without their Systems, these individuals possessed exceptional combat skills. Even he couldn't guarantee a win against them in a fair fight. But now... with the Villain Halo combined with modern firearms, what could they possibly do without their Systems?

Zhang Xiaoli was momentarily stunned by being addressed as "grandson," but he quickly broke into a smile. "Alright, Grandpa. You head back first."

"Stop right there! You bastard!" someone shouted.

Zhang Xiaoli—no, Fang Zhiran—took a step forward. "My grandfather said that none of you are leaving here."

Half an hour later, the scene was a chaotic mess. The Mission Takers had unleashed astonishing power; more than half of Fang Zhiran's men had been taken down, and even Fang Zhiran himself had sustained some injuries. Fortunately, it was over. The last surviving Mission Taker, dying and gasping for breath, struggled to lift his head, filled with unwillingness.

Suddenly, muffled thunder rolled across the sky. The clouds churned continuously, as if a giant hand were stirring them.

The Mission Taker stared blankly up at the sky. "Impossible... Impossible. That madman... he... he actually..."

"A bodyguard company?" Fang Zaozao looked suspiciously at Fang Zhiran, whose arm was in a sling, and then at Fang Zhiyi, who was sitting leisurely drinking tea. She had an inexplicable feeling that these two were hiding something.

Fang Zhiran smiled. "Godmother, it’s a legitimate company. The people I hire all have gun permits."

"Wait, what does that have to do with you getting injured?" Fang Zaozao frowned. She had raised this child as her own son since he was little. Now that someone had beaten him up, she wasn't going to let it slide!

Fang Zhiran glanced at Fang Zhiyi, who winked at him, and hurriedly put on an ingratiating smile to apologize and explain things to Fang Zaozao.

Fang Zhiyi did not interfere much with what followed. His body was growing old. When he heard Little Hei report that the male protagonist had appeared, Fang Zhiyi simply shook his head. "I'm not getting involved. Doesn't he still have his godmother?"