MNL Chapter 116

Chapter 116: Back View Four o’clock in the morning, abandoned chemical factory. ……

Four o’clock in the morning, abandoned chemical factory.

Moonlight leaked through the cracks in the iron window, forming a pale beam of light. In the corner, a young man bound by ropes and chains was in a deep coma. At his feet was an extremely deep bloodstain, extending all the way to the gate of the chemical factory. The rusty steel frame emitted an ear-piercing groan in the wind. At the same time, a series of heavy footsteps and a bizarre laughter, unlike that of a living person, echoed from the darkness.

……

Xu Jing had been missing for a day and a night.

Zhou Jin Chen’s men said that Lin Wei might have known he was being followed from the day he returned to China; otherwise, he couldn’t have gotten away so easily. The place where they lost him was near Xu Jing’s home. Obviously, Lin Wei had been observing in secret these days, and that night was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

Because there were no clues, the police couldn’t do anything but conduct a carpet search. However, the effect was minimal.

Shen Yan hadn’t closed his eyes for a day and a night. Mental exhaustion combined with nervous tension caused his physical symptoms to flare up again.

He knew that Lin Wei’s existence was a threat, and he had been guarding Xu Jing closely these days for this reason. But how could he have let Xu Jing go out alone that night, especially after he had been drinking? How could he have let his guard down to this extent?

The muscles in his face began to twitch slightly uncontrollably. Sensing a tingling sensation in his limbs, Shen Yan hurriedly took out the medicine from his pocket and poured a handful into his mouth. After swallowing it with water, he lay on the sofa. However, as soon as he closed his eyes, all he saw were things he never wanted to see in his life.

The next moment, the object in his hand was slammed against the wall, liquid splattering everywhere, and the glass shattered into pieces. Shen Yan’s eyes were red, and he slowly and weakly buried his face in his palms.

The phone on the table suddenly rang. Shen Yan glanced at it and immediately felt a chill all over his body, his heart overwhelmed by a strong sense of despair.

It was Xu Jing’s phone, and Qin Xin was calling.

He should have realized that if something happened to Xu Jing, Qin Xin and Xu Huaiyang would never forgive him in this lifetime, and he would never be able to forgive himself either.

No, if that were really the case, he wouldn’t want to live either.

Another vibration sounded in the room, a message notification. Shen Yan’s expression went blank for a moment.

This time it was his phone!

His heart was pounding rapidly in his chest, his muscles tensed, and his fingertips went numb again as if his nerves were being pressed. He swiped several times before unlocking the screen.

It was an anonymous message, with only a simple sentence: Want to save him?

Then another: xx Chemical Factory.

Shen Yan was stunned, his eyes gradually focused. The sound of his shoes hitting the floor echoed in the room, and the next moment, he had disappeared out the door.

·

Consciousness gradually returned, and Xu Jing slowly opened his eyes. A dull pain came from the back of his head, and a pungent smell permeated the humid air, mixed with the odors of rust and biological decay.

Didn’t he go out to throw out the trash? Where was he now?

A strange sense of heaviness enveloped his entire body. As his vision gradually cleared, Xu Jing realized that he was tightly bound with nylon ropes, making it impossible to move.

The approaching footsteps in the darkness made Xu Jing’s chaotic nerves suddenly tense.

The person in front of him looked at him, a sneer appearing on his face, “What a pity, so young.”

This face was too terrifying. Xu Jing was sure he had never seen this person before. Since he had been kidnapped here, if it wasn’t for extortion, it was intentional revenge. The former was easier to negotiate, but if it was the latter…

Xu Jing said in a hoarse voice, “Who are you?”

“Since you’re about to die, I’ll let you die knowing why. I really have no grievances with you, but it’s your fault for knowing Shen Yan. There’s no way around it, knowing him means you have to die.”

Lin Wei had an extremely hideous scar on his face, extending from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth. When he smiled, it felt like his flesh was about to burst open.

What exactly did Shen Yan, such a law-abiding businessman, do to provoke such hatred from this person?

Before he could finish his thought, Lin Wei suddenly grabbed his hair, his eyes bloodshot, and pointed to the scar on his face, gnashing his teeth. “Don’t look at me like that! Blame Shen Yan, I didn’t want this either. I could have been successful, but he forced me! If he had helped me in the beginning, how could I have become like this? Do you know how this came about? It was carved out by those beasts in prison, one knife at a time! After I got out, I had nothing left. Why can he be so happy!”

Xu Jing groaned in pain, but before he could recover, a heavy punch landed directly in his stomach. Intense pain spread, and he instinctively wanted to curl up, but Lin Wei was still not satisfied and landed another punch on his cheek.

The dim light illuminated Lin Wei’s twisted and hideous expression. He seemed to have found an outlet and began to beat Xu Jing like a madman.

“Pfft—”

A mouthful of blood spurted out, bright red foam flowing down his chin and onto his chest.

Obviously, if this continued, his internal organs would rupture. Xu Jing gasped for breath with difficulty, his rolling throat making a hoarse sound, “What…cough cough cough…what do you want?”

Lin Wei’s face was contorted, and he said sharply, “I want Shen Yan to die, I want him to wish he were dead!”

“If I die,” Xu Jing’s breath trembled, he said softly, “You won’t live either.”

After he said that, Lin Wei laughed like a madman, “I’ve already died once, what am I afraid of? I’m telling you, none of you will get out of here today.” He pressed a cold, sharp knife against Xu Jing’s neck, Lin Wei’s eyes like those of a venomous snake, “Before he comes, let’s play a game. As long as you’re willing to say that Shen Yan’s mother is a beast, I guarantee this knife won’t be stained with your blood. Otherwise, I’ll cut off your flesh piece by piece, feed it to you, and then send you on your way.”

The smell of blood filled his entire mouth, and the nauseating feeling was stuck in his throat. Xu Jing clenched his teeth, his body trembling from the pain.

Lin Wei sneered when he saw this, and the tip of the knife turned, stabbing into Xu Jing’s chest without hesitation.

Flesh was torn instantly, and excruciating pain suddenly invaded his head. Xu Jing’s pupils dilated, and his face turned pale.

Cold sweat flowed down his temples, and Xu Jing’s lips, chapped from lack of water, trembled constantly, but he still didn’t make a sound.

“Say it, say it and I’ll let you go. Why is your mouth so hard? Huh?”

The tip of the knife stirred the wound little by little. Xu Jing was in so much pain that he almost fainted. He raised his scattered eyes and said intermittently, “I…won’t say it, kill me if you have the guts.”

“You damn deserve it!” Lin Wei cursed viciously, pulled out the knife, and was about to stab it into Xu Jing’s heart when a roar suddenly echoed from the chemical factory, “Stop!”

Lin Wei paused and slowly turned around. When he saw who it was, he let out a gloomy and terrifying laugh, “Finally here.”

“What a pity, you actually got to see his last moments.”

Sensing the pain on Shen Yan’s face, a twisted pleasure arose in the madman’s heart.

Seeing the battered and bruised Xu Jing, all the blood in Shen Yan’s body rushed to his limbs, and his remaining sanity vanished in an instant.

“You…are…asking…for…death—!”

The joints of his fingers cracked horribly. Shen Yan was extremely fast, and as he was about to rush up, Lin Wei again held the knife to Xu Jing’s neck and said coldly, “If you take another step forward, I’ll kill him right now!”

His steps stopped abruptly!

Xu Jing forcibly kept a trace of consciousness in his chaotic brain. He raised his eyes to look at Shen Yan, his lips slightly open, as if he wanted to say something, but couldn’t make a sound.

A desperate man is capable of anything. He couldn’t guarantee that he could act first, and he absolutely couldn’t risk Xu Jing’s life.

Shen Yan clenched his fists, his body trembling from extreme restraint. He stared at Lin Wei and said, word by word, “You hate me so much, I’m right here in front of you, come and kill me.”

“You think I don’t dare?”

Although he said that, Lin Wei’s knife still didn’t move a bit. The slightest movement would cut Xu Jing’s throat.

Even though he only wanted to tear the person in front of him to pieces right now, he had no choice in this situation.

Shen Yan closed his eyes, his tense face revealing a coldness close to despair. However, when he spoke again, he lowered his tone unexpectedly, “Lin Wei, I heard that since you got out of prison, you’ve been contacting people from before. I know you’re not willing to give up, and you want to make a comeback. As long as you don’t hurt him, I can give you whatever you want.”

As he spoke, Shen Yan had unconsciously moved forward two steps.

Lin Wei didn’t notice, his eyes showing a greedy light, and said, “If I want your current position, will you give it to me too?”

“Yes.”

“Are you begging me? Hahahaha, you actually have this day. Weren’t you arrogant when you rejected me in the beginning? What a pity, I don’t want anything now, but if you kneel down and kowtow to me a few times, I might consider it.”

Shen Yan said without hesitation, “Okay.”

Such a decisive answer stunned Lin Wei for a moment.

Xu Jing’s weak breath stagnated, and he said in a hoarse voice, “No…Shen Yan.”

Shen Yan stared at Lin Wei’s eyes and said, “As long as I kneel, will you do as you say?”

Lin Wei had a mocking smile on his lips and slowly lured, “Yes, as long as you kneel down, kowtow and say that I, Shen Yan, am a beast, I’ll let him go, how about that?”

Xu Jing’s knuckles were clenched white, and he was struggling almost with the last of his strength, “Shen Yan…no.”

White light shone through the dilapidated iron window, illuminating Shen Yan’s deep, firm, and cold face. Amid Lin Wei’s triumphant laughter and Xu Jing’s almost collapsing pleas, Shen Yan bent his knees.

Seeing this scene, Lin Wei’s eyes revealed an almost twisted excitement. He grinned, the scar on his face becoming more and more terrifying, and his chest rose and fell violently due to rapid breathing. His whole person was immersed in a state close to madness.

However, just as he was about to touch the ground, Shen Yan’s body paused, and Lin Wei’s ecstatic expression froze on his face—a powerful force suddenly attacked him. His chest felt as if it had been hit by a boulder. Lin Wei’s eyes went dark, and he lost his balance without warning, smashing heavily to the ground.

Shen Yan grabbed Lin Wei’s collar. The latter’s back made a cracking sound, and then a rain of heavy punches landed on his face. Lin Wei’s mouth and nose sprayed blood, but he didn’t feel any pain as he struggled like a dying man. He kneed upward, trying to break free, but Shen Yan was even faster, grabbing Lin Wei’s head and smashing it into the concrete floor.

“Bang bang bang—”

Shen Yan seemed to have gone mad, each punch carrying lethal force. The chemical factory echoed with Lin Wei’s tragic screams.

However, constant tinnitus made it almost impossible for Xu Jing to hear the outside world. He could only feel his heart beating slowly and heavily.

Thump, thump, thump…

Lack of blood and oxygen made his remaining strength run out quickly, until even the feeling of his heartbeat disappeared.

The scene in front of him was like being divided into countless fragments, constantly reorganized and rotated. His eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, and Xu Jing let out a faint gasp, “Shen Yan…”

The black shadow at the edge of his vision was swallowing the light bit by bit, and also swallowing that staggering figure.

This back view… why is it so familiar, Xu Jing thought vaguely, where have I seen it before?

He must have seen it before.

This was Xu Jing’s last thought before he lost consciousness.