Chapter 015: Born of the Same Root

Time ticked by, second after second, and the air inside the gym grew ever more stifling. Sweat dripped from each of our faces in varying degrees, and the two bright red gift boxes stood out, glaringly conspicuous. With every shift forward, the suffocating breath of death grew thicker, testing the psychological endurance of everyone present to its absolute limit.

Yang Zhihong and Gao Xiaolong, in particular, kept their gazes locked on the white key in my hand, waiting anxiously for me to make the final decision.

“Zheng Yan! What are you waiting for? Give me the key! How could you even hesitate for a murderer like Yang Zhihong?” Gao Xiaolong wiped the sweat from his brow, his voice urgent and impatient as he pressed me.

His urging served only to set Yang Zhihong off. “Damn it! Gao Xiaolong, do you want me dead that badly? Fine! Let’s see who dies here first! I’m done caring!”

Yang Zhihong straightened his back and deftly pedaled the stationary bike. The wheels spun furiously, and in response, Gao Xiaolong’s conveyor belt sped up, pushing the red gift box rapidly toward him.

“Aaah!” Gao Xiaolong screamed, losing control. The red box was about to reach his head, and in that desperate moment, he played his trump card: “Zheng Yan! You have to save me! I know your father’s secret! I know how he died!”

I admit, in that instant, my convictions faltered. I had spent countless nights longing to know the truth behind my father’s death. What unforgivable secret was concealed behind his so-called “accidental death” all those years ago?

Gripping the key, I lunged forward and easily unlocked the brass padlock on the bike. The moment the lock turned, the red box above Gao Xiaolong stopped in its tracks. I had pulled him back from the jaws of death at the very last second.

“Hahahahaha…” Gao Xiaolong burst into laughter, tears of relief running down his face. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he tumbled off the bike. “I survived! I survived! Thank you, Zheng Yan! Really, thank you! I’ll never forget this!”

On the other side, Yang Zhihong erupted in a fit of hysteria. “Why?! Why, Zheng Yan, tell me why! Why did you choose him? Gao Xiaolong has done so many evil things—how could you be blind enough to save him? Even if I become a ghost, I’ll never forgive you!”

I glanced back at Yang Zhihong, his own deadly gift nearly above his head. “Du Jiang was right,” I replied. “This was a contest of endurance between you two—the first to break would lose. The moment you set foot on the bike, you had already lost…”

Click!

The deadly gift box opened, and out rolled a large glass bottle, about the size of a wine jar, filled with a clear liquid. The bottle fell with a thud onto Yang Zhihong’s knee, splashing its contents all over him.

“What the hell is this?” Yang Zhihong cried out, but a sharp, acrid, corrosive smell filled the gym almost instantly. Wisps of white smoke began to curl up from his body.

“Ah… aah…”

Yang Zhihong’s screams echoed horribly through the room, and in that moment, everyone understood—the bottle contained sulfuric acid. This was the special gift Du Jiang had prepared for him.

The acid-filled wine jar held at least five liters; just two liters would be enough to burn through flesh and bone. Five liters would dissolve a person entirely.

The acrid, choking smoke lingered in the air, refusing to dissipate, and Yang Zhihong’s state grew more and more horrific. The acid had spilled over his lower half, and in a matter of moments, everything below his waist—down to his ankles—was eaten away completely, leaving behind nothing but a pool of inky liquid and bloody viscera.

His eyes were squeezed shut, his face twisted in agony, deep lines etched into his cheeks. His hands were clenched so tightly it was easy to imagine the excruciating pain he endured in his final moments.

Only later did I learn why Du Jiang had prepared such a fate for him. Rumor had it that in their first year of college, Yang Zhihong had bullied Du Jiang, threatening him with a bottle of sulfuric acid—demanding five hundred yuan, or else he’d disfigure him with the acid.

In the end, those who live by violence must pay the price. The acid that Yang Zhihong had once used to threaten others became his own demise.

Gao Xiaolong, limping badly, hobbled over to Yang Zhihong’s ruined bike. “Ah, Yang Zhihong, sometimes you just have to accept fate. Some people are born lucky, others can struggle all they want and still end up in the gutter.”

“You had lots going for you, but your greed was your downfall. I gave you plenty of benefits back then, but it was never enough for you. Even two years later, you were still blackmailing me over what happened. If you hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have come to this twisted class reunion! Look at you now—this is what greed gets you. Enjoy your sulfuric acid. Tomorrow, I’ll walk out of here and be the hero again! Hahahaha…”

Xu Meijing couldn’t watch any longer and cut in, “That’s enough, Gao Xiaolong! Yang Zhihong is already dead. There’s no need to mock him further—he can’t hear you now anyway…”

“He can, he can, I’m sure he can,” Gao Xiaolong insisted, leaning in close to Yang Zhihong’s ear. “By the way, do you remember your Luna from college? That girlfriend with the movie-star looks? I bought her a phone once, and she spent three nights with me. Hehehehe…”

Gao Xiaolong bent over, cackling, but I had no interest in his one-man show. I was about to call him back for questioning when Xu Meijing suddenly grabbed my hand, her voice trembling with fear. “Zheng Yan… look…”

I followed her pointing finger and felt a chill run through me. Yang Zhihong’s eyes had suddenly flown wide open, horribly, hauntingly wide.

No!

The realization struck me like lightning. “Gao Xiaolong, watch out!”

Though I shouted in time, it was already too late. Yang Zhihong’s hands shot up and seized Gao Xiaolong’s head, slamming it down with all his remaining strength. The bike’s handlebars pierced straight into Gao Xiaolong’s temple—swift, precise, and lethal.

Gao Xiaolong didn’t even have time to react. Only when the handlebars drove deep into his skull did he convulse twice, blood and brain matter splattering everywhere, before collapsing limply on the bike, his arms dangling lifelessly at his sides.

“Zheng Yan? How could this happen? This is… this is insane!” Xu Meijing cried, clutching her face in disbelief.

I sighed, explaining, “Though Yang Zhihong’s lower body was destroyed by the acid, his central nervous system and consciousness were still intact. It’s like how a venomous snake can still bite even after its head is cut off. Gao Xiaolong’s final taunts pushed him past his limit—if he was going to die, he was taking Gao Xiaolong with him. Gao Xiaolong may have won the game, but he lost his life…”

This, I said, was fate. Even Du Jiang couldn’t have predicted such an outcome. “Let’s go, Xu Meijing. There’s still one more person waiting for us.”

“Xu Jiaojiao? You mean Xu Jiaojiao, right? She’s the last of our classmates left. What role did she play in the fire all those years ago?”

The iron doors of the gym hadn’t yet opened. I leaned against the wall, thinking aloud. “From the homeroom teacher, to you and Gu Meijuan, to the four in the gym—everyone was involved in the fire, each with their own guilt. Du Jiang saved Xu Jiaojiao for last—she must be the key to everything. Du Jiang told me that when we leave this ship, the truth will finally be revealed. Now, it seems, all the mysteries point toward her. Once we see her, everything will be clear.”

Click!

The iron doors opened automatically. Xu Meijing and I strode out, leaving the chaos of the gym behind. Judging from the layout of the conveyor belt mechanism, Du Jiang had deliberately left Gao Xiaolong for last, hoping I could pry the truth about my father from him. But fate had other plans—Yang Zhihong’s desperate revenge was impossible to foresee. I knew I would never forget those bloodshot, bulging eyes for the rest of my life.

Outside, a straight corridor stretched ahead, flanked by the battered remains of passenger cabins—each door tightly locked, except for one suite at the far end. Its door stood open, a gentle light spilling out. No doubt, that was our next destination—the place where Du Jiang was holding Xu Jiaojiao.

“Zheng Yan? I heard something… Was it true you liked Xu Jiaojiao back then?” Xu Meijing asked suddenly as we walked.

I felt awkward—this was indeed my little secret, at most a silent crush. I liked Xu Jiaojiao’s easygoing nature; once, I saw her donate money to an orphanage, and my admiration for her quietly grew.

But apart from my father, no one knew. When he found out, he immediately warned me to give up, forbidding me to even think about her, or else I’d meet an unthinkable end.

But how did Xu Meijing know?

“That’s not right… I never told anyone, never confessed to Xu Jiaojiao. Xu Meijing, how did you find out?”

She smirked. “It’s obvious! Always hiding behind a book in the schoolyard, sneaking glances at Xu Jiaojiao. Didn’t you buy a phone just to secretly photograph her from behind? And when you faced her, didn’t your cheeks turn red?”

…