Chapter 014: The Gift

"Zheng Yan, look! The pedals are moving!" Xu Meijing shouted, pointing at the bicycle pedals to alert me.

I had already noticed it without her reminder. The conveyor belt was driving the gift boxes forward, and at the same time, the movement set the bicycle pedals spinning counterclockwise.

"My god! That box is huge!" Song Yuan looked up, panic in his voice. "Never mind what's inside, even if just this iron box falls, it'll smash the three of us into meat patties! What do we do? Zheng Yan, hurry and find the key to unlock us!"

The three red boxes moved steadily forward, not too fast nor too slow. At this rate, within a few minutes, the iron boxes would be crashing down. Song Yuan was the sharpest of the group; he immediately understood the mechanism. Without hesitation, he began pedaling, and his bicycle's rear wheel spun, causing a subtle change in the conveyor device. When Song Yuan pedaled, Gao Xiaolong's conveyor sped up.

I had to admit, this design was ingenious. I couldn't help but marvel. Song Yuan was linked to Gao Xiaolong's conveyor, Gao Xiaolong to Yang Zhihong, and when Yang Zhihong pedaled, Song Yuan's conveyor would accelerate. The three were held in mutual check—a clever interlocking design.

From an outsider's perspective, it was truly devilish!

Gao Xiaolong, with his chubby face and big ears, panicked as his conveyor picked up speed. He quickly started pedaling too, which in turn sped up Yang Zhihong's conveyor.

Yang Zhihong exploded, "Damn it! Are you two idiots? All you're doing is making the boxes fall faster! We're all going to be crushed to death!"

Reasonable as that was, with the other two already pedaling furiously, Yang Zhihong wasn't about to sit back and do nothing. "You bastards! If you show no mercy, don't blame me for doing the same. This is my forte—cycling is my specialty!"

With that, both his feet flew over the pedals. Their waists were bound to the bikes with steel cables, but that didn't hinder their legs from pedaling at all—a unique detail in Du Jiang's design. No wonder he wanted to see them compete; ultimately, it was to strip away their pretenses and reveal their true natures.

The cycling competition was in full swing. Yang Zhihong, a professional fitness coach, quickly picked up speed, pulling his gift box several meters ahead of Song Yuan's. His feet flew, the bicycle wheels spun at a dizzying pace, leaving Song Yuan dumbstruck.

"No, no, no… it can't be like this! Yang Zhihong, listen to me! We can't turn on each other, we have to stick together, don't fall into Du Jiang's trap! Stop pedaling! If you keep going, I'm done for!"

Gao Xiaolong cut him off, "Song Yuan, you have the nerve to complain? Weren't you the first one to pedal? Everything that's happened to us is your doing! If anyone deserves to die first, it's you!"

I never expected them to turn on each other so quickly. Once, they were the best of brothers; now, they've become mortal enemies, pushing each other toward death to avoid being crushed themselves.

Xu Meijing shook her head helplessly, just like me. "Zheng Yan, shouldn't we try to find that key? I don't sympathize with them, but I don't want to see them get their heads smashed in either. My heart can't take any more of this!"

I gestured for her to look at the box above Song Yuan’s head—already mere inches away. Even if we found the key now, it would be too late. No one could stop Song Yuan's box.

"No, no, no!" Song Yuan, seeing the box directly overhead, went weak at the knees. "I'm done pedaling! Yang Zhihong, you stop too! I can't die, I just got promoted to section chief... I'm supposed to be section chief!"

Click!

At that moment, as Song Yuan collapsed, the massive box above him gave a crisp sound. It wobbled, barely clinging to the conveyor’s edge. Song Yuan squeezed his eyes shut and let out a desperate scream: "Aah—"

I truly thought that massive box was going to crush his head. But, unexpectedly, it stuck in place, hovering in midair.

Nothing happened.

For a moment, everyone held their breath. Song Yuan shrank, afraid to open his eyes. After a long pause, he squinted one open, trembling. "The box… it didn’t fall? I'm alive… ha ha ha… Du Jiang played us all for fools…"

Click!

The next second, another crisp sound. The precarious box suddenly swung open, and a dark object plummeted out.

Boom!

The object struck Song Yuan squarely. Only then did I see clearly—it was a thick, brown baseball bat. It came down hard on Song Yuan's skull, splitting it wide open—a gaping bowl-sized wound. Red, black, and white matter spilled out all at once. The bat was Du Jiang’s 'gift' for Song Yuan.

Song Yuan had no time to react; he died instantly, a survivor’s smile still at his lips, but half his skull was caved in, half his face gone. The gift came swift and merciless.

I learned later that this was the very bat used to break Du Jiang's leg years ago—a plan masterminded by Song Yuan. Now, Du Jiang was simply returning it to its owner.

"Song Yuan... Song Yuan's dead just like that?" Yang Zhihong and Gao Xiaolong exchanged a terrified glance, their faces twisted with fear.

"Du Jiang! Enough! I quit! Tell us what you want—I'll do anything, just let us go!" Gao Xiaolong slumped on his bike, giving up.

Yang Zhihong didn’t dare pedal either, cold sweat pouring down his face. Their ragged breathing filled the room. "I'm done too! Du Jiang, you bastard, give me a quick death if you dare!"

Du Jiang, naturally, ignored their pleas. Above their heads, the boxes continued to inch forward, the shadow of death looming ever closer.

"Zheng Yan! Zheng Yan!"

Xu Meijing’s call broke the silence. I thought she was frightened by the blood, but she grabbed my sleeve and whispered, "The key... the key!"

I followed her pointing finger, and my eyes lit up. Amid the blood and Song Yuan’s corpse, dangling from the bat was a black cord with a white key glinting at the end.

Damn! Du Jiang was truly a master of games. The key was attached to the bat—he must have known Song Yuan would die first, so he had the key appear this way. I never saw it coming—brilliant.

"The key! We found the key!" Gao Xiaolong’s eyes sparkled as he signaled to me. "Zheng Yan, bring the key and save me! If I survive, I'll make sure you’re well rewarded!"

"Don't give it to him!" Yang Zhihong reacted instantly. "Zheng Yan, don’t listen to his nonsense! He’s as sly as they come. He promised me a hundred thousand two years ago, I haven’t seen a cent! Give me the key and save me! I’ll be your slave, do anything for you, go through hell and high water if you need!"

I ignored their pleas, walked into the bloodstained mess, and took the white key, matching it to the lock on the bicycle seat. If Du Jiang was telling the truth, this key could save either Yang Zhihong or Gao Xiaolong—but only one.

"But Zheng Yan, there’s only one key and two people. Who do we save?" Xu Meijing asked, troubled.

"Give it to me! Zheng Yan, I swear on my life, I'll pay you whatever you want!" Gao Xiaolong pleaded, waving frantically.

"Don't give it to him, Zheng Yan! Give it to me! Gao Xiaolong is not just a liar, he’s a murderer. You know, it was his idea to assault Lin Susu! He got us to get her drunk, then dragged her into the woods to… He’s scum! And that fire—it wasn’t an accident. It was arson! Gao Xiaolong set it, because Lin Susu insisted on going to the police, so he decided to burn her alive! And he killed three other girls in that dorm too!"

"What? The fire was arson?"

"Zheng Yan, I swear every word is true. If I lie, may I be struck dead! Gao Xiaolong is the culprit behind the fire—how can such a monster deserve to live?"

Xu Meijing and I were stunned, secrets tumbling out one after another. I never would have believed the fire was arson—until now.

"Gao Xiaolong, is it true?" Xu Meijing confronted him, disbelief on her face.

Gao Xiaolong said nothing—his silence was an admission.

"Did Lin Susu, Liu Jia, and the other two girls ever wrong you? Why did you kill them? Are you even human?" Xu Meijing was shaken; her downfall began with that fire. If not for it, she might not even be here.

"I was wrong, I was wrong! I confess everything, just save me, Zheng Yan! I don’t want to die here. I’ll go back and confess all my crimes!"

Gao Xiaolong’s box was less than half a meter away now, its red surface exuding a murderous threat. Song Yuan’s death had been gruesome—who knew what deadly weapon was hidden in Gao Xiaolong’s box?

Honestly, I was at a loss. I wasn’t a god and had no right to decide who should live or die. Even if both men had blood on their hands, I couldn’t play judge over their lives. That, perhaps, was the fundamental difference between Du Jiang and me.

Yet there was only one key. A decision had to be made. Only one could be saved.

Yang Zhihong? Or Gao Xiaolong?