Rule-making

Throwing dice, arm wrestling, running laps, fighting...

One game after another, Zhang San killed the losers one by one.

This made the remaining killers and Lin Nu realize that Zhang San was not joking around; this was absolutely a bloody killer game!

Therefore, people became more serious about playing the games, hoping to become the last survivor.

Carefully and seriously, in each seemingly uninteresting game, the remaining people spent all their thoughts, courage, and tactics.

In such tense emotions, a loser actually sobbed loudly.

In principle, even if a Dark Building killer who had killed countless people was killed directly, you wouldn't expect him to shed a tear. But now when he was given a ray of hope for survival, he would lose that hope due to carelessness in a game.

No one could stand such absurdity and death.

However, Zhang San explained to the crying person that the rules of the game could not be changed; he couldn’t be spared just because he could cry.

Is crying some kind of privilege?

So Zhang San still killed him with one stroke.

...

The eighth round of the game ended, and eight more corpses were added to the ground, all from the Dark Building.

Zhang San generously praised himself. Facing Lin Nu who took the initiative to kneel before him, Zhang San admired: “Not bad for the boss Lin who has played games for so many years. You actually won them eight in a row. Especially the arm wrestling round when you were already badly injured yet still won, it was so wonderful that I wanted to applaud you.”

Kneeling on the ground, Lin Nu had no aura at all, kowtowing repeatedly like a mouse.

Lin Nu pleaded: “Then...then can I...”

“Of course you can!” Zhang San smiled.

Lin Nu was overjoyed, and just as he was about to show his gratitude with tears, Zhang San spoke again.

Zhang San said, "Boss Lin, I think I miscalculated one thing. Just now I said, 'When there is only one person left in the county government, that person is the last survivor.' But now, I'm still alive too, there's two of us!"

The hope in Lin Nu's eyes was extinguished.

Zhang San told him, "So between you and me, we have to play one last round, let’s play..."

Zhang San looked around and picked up the gaming tool from the very first round–dice.

Zhang San threw a die in front of Lin Nu and kept one die in his own hand, saying, "The rules are simple too. Whoever rolls higher wins and lives, okay?"

Facing the final hope, Lin Nu nodded vigorously without thinking.

Zhang San rolled a five.

A pretty big number.

Lin Nu also rolled, getting a six!

Lin Nu was overjoyed!

Zhang San also nodded slightly and said, "Boss Lin rolls dice very well. I remember you didn't seem to lose in the first round of the game, you must have some skills right."

Lin Nu was ecstatic and wanted to stand up.

However, a small night knife was placed against his neck.

"You broke your promise!!!" Lin Nu roared.

But Zhang San looked puzzled and said, "Broke my promise? Where did I break my promise?"

As he spoke, Zhang San stepped and crushed the die showing six points that Lin Nu had just thrown.

"Now you have no points, you lost, Boss Lin."

If I had known earlier, I would have fought with him from the start!

If I had known earlier, I would rather have committed suicide than be humiliated by him.

If I had known earlier...

Terror, panic, regret, pain, countless emotions surged in my heart in an instant.

Lin Nu cried out.

Zhang San smiled and asked, "Doesn't it feel very similar to 20 years ago? You were holding a knife back then, and I'm holding a knife now too. We look exactly the same, don't we? "

Finally, Zhang San said the last sentence Lin Nu would ever hear in this world: "As I said before, the one who can make the rules of the game is the one holding the knife!"

As he finished speaking, the knife fell.

The small night knife that cut the artery was stained with countless fresh blood.

Lin Nu died.

...

Zhang San stood in the county government courtyard for a long time.

He felt a little unreal.

It was like when he was a child and saw the immortal descend to earth, killing the gang leader with a single blow of the fishing rod.

This world is really strange.

Coming back to his senses, Zhang San walked to Xiu Wangchou's cherished sword and said in a low voice: "To be honest, having to go through so much trouble just to kill Lin Nu isn't my style. But I think according to your way of doing things...you would have wanted to see all this.”

“After all, I took your money, so as a professional killer I have to satisfy my client.”

That was why Zhang San brought Xiu Wangchou’s sword with him today.

Picking up the sword, Zhang San leapt onto the eaves with his uninjured left leg and left.

...

A day later, in a hidden place on a barren mountain outside Xiaoyun County, where there was originally only a lone old grave, there now stood a new grave.

A van loaded with boxes was parked not far from the two graves. A white-clothed man with his right leg wrapped in bandages and a child dressed in black descended from the vehicle and walked to the two graves.

Today Zhang San was not in disguise, nor wearing a human skin mask.

In front of the old grave, Zhang San led Wang Xiao Er forward and said, "Master, come to think of it, after accepting you as my disciple I always forgot to let you see this. This is your martial nephew Wang Xiao Er--he's very clever and just like I was when I was young."

Under Zhang San's guidance, Wang Xiao Er slowly knelt down in front of the old grave and knocked his head on the ground three times loudly.

Watching this scene, for the first time in the past few days, Zhang San showed a genuine smile.

Zhang San said to his master's grave, "Master, you always used to say that what the righteous sect feared most in life was the loss of our lineage. Later you also said that after taking me as a disciple, even in death you could report back to our ancestors. This time too, although I'm about to leave Xiaoyun County, I still have to come and tell you that the next generation of our righteous path has an heir."

After speaking, Zhang San deeply bowed to his master's grave tablet, then walked over to the new grave.

He took out a list covered with the past crimes of the Murderous Gang, as well as various evidence.

This was evidence collected by Wang Hu for many years.

It was also something Xiu Wangchou had taken from the hidden compartment in Wang Hu's home.

Zhang San said to Xiu Wangchou's grave tablet: “I said a bunch of bandits couldn't have gotten into government offices. The county magistrate shouldn’t sell out his position for a bit of money, giving others a chance to attack him publicly. I suspect they had likely bought their ranks and titles first before buying the office, which would explain why Wang Hu kept this accusation document yet was afraid of being silenced after wanting to get rich together as officials. A thief is always a thief."

This would also explain why the county government didn't intervene, or why Lin Nu deliberately suppressed matters in Xiaoyun County without daring to report upwards.

Zhang San lit a match and burned the accusation letter in front of Xiu Wangchou's grave.

Zhang San said, "In the end, Xiu Wangchou, whether it was this accusation letter or you crippling Lin Nu's arm, killing him, you deserved part of the credit. So...if you can see this from heaven, you should be able to rest in peace."

Zhang San also took out the grass ring and burned it again.

Zhang San said: "I'm really sorry that I can’t come to pay my respects on your death anniversary every year like I do on my master's memorial day, but I promise that every year when I come to sweep my master's grave, burn incense and paper money, I will definitely include your share."

Saying this, his knees suddenly felt a little tired for some reason, so Zhang San sat down and quietly looked at Xiu Wangchou's grave tablet.

"It's strange, we didn't know each other for long and rarely spoke, but seeing you lying here makes me feel like a good friend is buried here. Unfortunately you didn't have much fame in the jianghu, so I don't know if you had any friends or even a wife. Otherwise I would definitely have told them you were here."

"But I'm about to leave Xiaoyun County. If I ever meet someone who knew you in the future, I'll bring them here."

After saying all this, there seemed to be nothing more to say.

Zhang San rested for a while, then said to Wang Xiao Er, "Let's go!"

Getting up and taking Wang Xiao Er's hand, he walked toward the parked van.

Looking back at the two graves and gazing into the distance at Xiaoyun County shrouded in thick fog, Wang Xiao Er reluctantly said, "Master, do we really have to go?"

Zhang San's footsteps halted for a moment, then he said resolutely: "The county magistrate is dead, the matters of Xiaoyun County can no longer be kept from the prefecture, Hei Shanke is dead, I'm afraid the owner of the Dark Building will also be alerted. We can't stay, later when things have calmed down, there will be a chance to come back and see your master, and resolve your grudge with Xiu Wangchou."

Wang Xia'er of course understood the key points, he nodded towards his master, then got on the carriage.

On the carriage full of boxes, Wang Xia'er first looked at Xiu Wangchou's grave, then picked up a book and started reading it carefully, but it was not a martial arts manual, but a medical book.

Zhang San pulled the carriage, taking his young disciple, and walked towards the distance.

This assassin is too steady.