On the third floor, in the living room, Wang Yu's parents were having breakfast when a sudden loud boom startled them. They quickly looked toward the door, their faces filled with shock.
A group of men kicked the door open. The door was already flimsy, and it burst into pieces with a huge hole.
As soon as Wang Qiang saw He Wei, his face changed instantly.
He hadn't expected these thugs to find them so quickly.
"Honey, what's going on?" Wang Yu's mother, who was blind, asked anxiously.
Before Wang Qiang could reply, He Wei laughed and answered for him, "Auntie, it's me. Where's that brat Wang Yu? Tell him to come out!"
Though she couldn't see, Wang Yu's mother had a sharp ear and immediately recognized He Wei's voice.
"It's you again, you bastard!" she shouted furiously. "Are you really trying to drive us to death?!"
"Sit down, don't pay attention to these animals," Wang Qiang said through gritted teeth. He had long lost any patience for these men and didn't even want to speak to them.
His wife sat back down and resumed eating, as if the intruders didn't exist.
"What an ungrateful couple," one of A Biao's henchmen muttered angrily, raising a wooden stick and about to charge, but A Biao held him back.
A Biao strolled slowly over to Wang Qiang, a sinister grin spreading across his face.
"Where's your son Wang Yu?" he asked coldly.
"I don't know," Wang Qiang replied indifferently.
Surprisingly, A Biao didn't get angry. Instead, his smile grew wider. He glanced at the breakfast on the table and sneered, "You've got a pretty good meal here, but you're eating too slowly. Let me help you."
With that, he suddenly grabbed Wang Qiang by the hair and smashed his head into the bowl. The porcelain shattered, and shards cut into his face. Instantly, his face was covered in greasy food and blood.
Wang Qiang's screams pierced the air.
"Ahhh! Ahhh!"
He clutched his face in agony, crying out in pain, while A Biao and his gang burst into cruel laughter.
"Honey, what happened?!" Wang Yu's mother cried out in panic. She couldn't see, which made her even more frightened. She stood up, groping around, trying to find her husband.
But instead of touching her husband, her hand landed on A Biao.
He grabbed her hair viciously, making her scream in pain.
Unbothered by her cries, A Biao snarled, "Old woman, don't test my patience. Tell me, where is Wang Yu?"
"You bastards! I don't know! I really don't!"
"Old hag, you're really asking for it." A cold gleam flashed in A Biao's eyes. He shouted to his men, "Who's got a lighter? Bring it here."
One of the lackeys rushed forward. "Biao-ge, I've got one." He handed over a lighter.
A Biao flicked the flame on and brought it close to her face, grinning wickedly. "Last chance. Where's Wang Yu?"
"What... what are you doing?" she stammered, her voice trembling. "I don't know! I swear I don't know!"
"Don't know, huh? You've got guts." A Biao slapped her across the face, then, without warning, set her hair on fire with the lighter.
"What are you doing, you monster?!" she screamed in horror.
A Biao laughed maniacally as he stepped back. In an instant, her head became a ball of fire.
"Ahhh! Ahhh!"
Her blood-curdling screams ripped through the sky, sending shivers down the spines of anyone who heard.
"Wife!" Wang Qiang cried, ignoring his own pain as he threw himself at her.
She rolled on the floor, clutching her burning head, screaming in agony—no longer sounding human.
Wang Qiang frantically tried to put out the flames, slapping at her head with his bare hands.
"I'm here! I'm here! I'll save you!"
Their pain was like a show to the thugs, who watched and laughed as if they were at a circus.
Even He Wei, no saint himself, turned pale at the sight. He felt sick. He knew A Biao was ruthless, but he hadn't expected such cruelty toward the elderly.
"Big bro, this could get someone killed…" He Wei whispered urgently to A Biao.
A Biao's face darkened. "Killed? Even if they die, who's going to say it was us? You?"
"That's not what I meant…"
"Shut up, coward!" A Biao shouted, kicking He Wei to the ground. His vicious gaze turned back to the elderly couple.
Wang Qiang had finally extinguished the fire on his wife's head, but her face was burned beyond recognition—charred black. She had lost consciousness.
"Wake up, honey! Wake up! What will I do if you die?" Wang Qiang knelt beside her, sobbing in anguish. "You monsters! You'll get what you deserve! You'll pay for this!"
A Biao stepped forward with a sneer. "Karma? If karma were real, I'd already be in hell. Old man, this is all your fault."
"You bastard! Heaven is watching, and you'll die a horrible death! I'll fight you to the end!" Wang Qiang suddenly roared and leapt at A Biao, biting into his leg with all his strength.
"AHH!" A Biao screamed in pain and kicked the old man away. But Wang Qiang had torn off a chunk of flesh from his leg.
"Beat him! Beat him to death!" A Biao screamed in rage. "Smash everything! I don't want to see a single thing intact!"
"Yes!" The thugs launched into a frenzy. Some rushed forward and started beating Wang Qiang brutally. Others ran into every room, smashing everything in sight. In mere minutes, the once-cozy home was reduced to ruins.
At that moment, Wang Yu was completely unaware of what had happened to his family.
He had rented a regular car from a rental shop and was driving to the airport.
After arriving, he checked the time on his phone—ten minutes until Liang Zhengwu's arrival. He parked the car in a nearby lot, locked it, and walked toward the airport, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Ten minutes later, Liang Zhengwu's flight arrived right on time.
His visit was confidential—aside from Wang Yu, no one in Yunzhou knew he was coming. But what he didn't realize was that the moment he boarded the plane, someone in Yunzhou had already found out.
It was another sunny day. Dressed inconspicuously in a short-sleeved shirt and a gray jacket, a gray sun hat on his head, Liang Zhengwu wheeled his suitcase out of the airport, keeping a low profile.