445 Simple Hope
Han Fei already got Brother Snake’s cooperation but the system didn’t say that he had completed the mission. ‘The mission hasn't been completed? Is there more to this mission?’ The parts related to the actual mission didn’t seem like they had started yet. Han Fei had to be very careful but he hadn’t slept for a whole day already. If he didn’t sleep, his physical condition would worsen. It was impossible to return home so Han Fei decided to rest at the tea shop.
“Be patient, the man you want will be here soon.” Brother Snake was a senior already. He moved his books away so Wang Quan’s blood wouldn’t dirty them. “Before your father is found, I will not leave this place, consider that my offer of sincerity.” Brother Snake volunteered as a hostage. He had the waiter carry out the 2 ruffians Han Fei beat up and then continued to read and drink tea. Han Fei tore apart Wang Quan’s shirt and stuffed them in the man’s mouth. Han Fei then picked a corner to rest.
The room became so quiet, only Wang Quan’s painful groans remained. Lee Long and Lee Hu chuckled to themselves seeing how Han Fei managed to sleep in this kind of situation. Brother Snake looked at Han Fei with interest, he believed Han Fei was testing him. ‘He’s young but he’s brave.’
Han Fei was simply too tired. He just wanted to rest but after he closed his eyes, he fell asleep. “Even if your heart stops, you can live here forever…” The blurry voice said. He stood beside Han Fei but Han Fei couldn’t touch him. Han Fei tried to communicate with the man but he realized he couldn’t speak. He looked around in panic, it looked like he was trapped inside a black box. “If you become me then you will stay here forever…”
The sense of suffocation came. Han Fei felt the black box slowly closing in, squeezing his memory and soul. Han Fei struggled but the more he did, the faster the box shrunk. Eventually Han Fei’s body was squeezed out of shape and his soul took on another form. Han Fei noticed he had become a figurine inside an altar, he was surrounded by sin and blood debt. ‘The changes come little by little until one becomes the owner of the atlar?’
When the suffocation disappeared, Han Fei woke up. His eyes flew open and frightened Wang Quan beside him. “I haven’t done anything!”
“You breathe too loudly.” Han Fei resisted the urge to kick the man. He glanced at the clock on the wall. He didn’t think he had rested for that long but he had slept for 4 hours already. Hearing him, Lee Long and Lee Hu woke up as well. Only Brother Snake kept watching Han Fei, he had met many people in his life but this was his first time meeting someone like Han Fei.
Footsteps came from downstairs. Two large men carried a stinky middle-aged man upstairs. “Brother Snake, we’ve found the man.” The two men dropped the middle-aged man to the ground. When Han Fei saw the man’s face, an unknown fury burned through him. There was a memory in his mind that coaxed Han Fei to kill this man. The feeling was more than hatred, it was pain that seeped into one’s bones. ‘The altar owner hates his father that much? What happened between them?’ The dream earlier appeared to be a hint, Han Fei had a feeling the turning point in the altar owner’s life was coming.
The middle-aged man cowered on the ground but when he saw Han Fei, his expression slowly changed. “It was you who told them to get me? You little bastard, you plan to kill your own father?” Hearing the man’s voice, another bad memory was triggered in Han Fei’s mind. The man’s voice always accompanied punches and alcohol. Han Fei’s body shivered, he realized with shock that he couldn’t control the memory in his mind. ‘The hatred is so strong.’
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The middle-aged man wanted to swing punches at Han Fei but he was held back by Brother Snake’s men. Han Fei slowly walked towards the man. He tried to suppress his anger and squeezed out the words through his teeth. “Where’s the money?”
“What money?”
“The money for mom.”
“I already told you I have not seen it before! Why would you think it was me who took it? The apartment was so old, it must be one of the poor neighbors who stole it!” It sounded more like the man was trying to sell the story to Brother Snake than to Han Fei.
Han Fei’s fists tightened involuntarily. The waiter had seen Han Fei in action before, out of kindness, he reminded the middle-aged man, “Better be honest or else there’ll be hell to pay.”
“Brothers, you got the wrong idea.” The middle-aged man smiled. “This kid owes you money, doesn't it? He couldn’t return it so you came after me?” The waiter didn’t answer. The man was desperate. “You bastard, who told you to loan money from loansharks? You’re going to be the death of me! Plus why should I pay for the money you owe?”
Han Fei loosened his fists again. He repeated the question, “Where’s the money?”
“You dare to ask me for money after everything that I have done for you?” The man didn’t dare to scold Brother Snake so he vented his anger on Han Fei. The hatred and fury melted together. It caused Han Fei’s mood point to drop. He took a deep breath. “I’ll ask you one last time, where have you taken the money the kind people have gathered for mom?”
“I didn’t take it! You are as annoying as that useless mother of yours…”
The fury exploded. Han Fei’s leg came flying at the man’s head. If the man was hit, his head would be dislocated. Han Fei didn’t expect memories which didn’t belong to him would influence him that much. To prevent the tragedy, Han Fei snapped out of it at the last moment and the kick landed on the wooden table beside the man. The wooden splinters flew across the man’s eyes. The table was shattered into pieces and Han Fei’s calf bled.
The room was quiet. “That money is for mom to save her life! Have you no heart?” The words leaked out of Han Fei’s lips. The owner appeared to have said the same thing before.
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The man was stunned. He collapsed on the ground. He touched his face which was scratched by the splinters and he uttered, “She has an incurable disease, no amount of money is going to help her, instead of wasting it, why not…” Feeling the sharp gaze from Han Fei, the man stopped talking. After a long time, the man finally admitted, “I have hidden most of the money, I’ll bring you to go get it.”
Seeing the pitiful man on the ground, the anger that didn’t belong to Han Fei slowly receded. Even at this moment, the altar owner still treated the man as his father. If possible, he hoped his father could correct his mistake, and he was willing to give his father this opportunity. Sensing that memory in his mind, Han Fei decided to respect the man’s decision. He stared coolly at the father.
The man crawled up from the ground. He walked out of the room wordlessly. The altar owner’s memory was affecting Han Fei. Every time he woke up, the influence would get stronger, Han Fei had no idea if that was a good thing or not. After the man left the room, Han Fei didn’t follow him. Instead he took a deep breath and turned to Brother Snake. The old man asked, “Why didn’t you follow your father?”
“I didn’t see even a shred of remorse on him.” Han Fei glanced at Wang Quan. “We have held him hostage for 4 hours already but no one came to ask for him. That means that they have other plans. I’m afraid the new plan is to lure me out from the tea shop to separate me from your people.”
“And I thought you have been blinded by rage already.”
“Because of that, it hurts me even more.” Han Fei looked tired.
“What are you two talking about?” Lee Hu was confused. Lee Long got it already. “The madmen probably have already reached out to the father and told him to lure his own son out from the tea shop!”
“What? But he is his father…” Lee Hu was shocked.
“Your friend is quite impressive.” Brother Snake picked up the tea pot and tried to pour a cup of tea but the pot was already empty. “Since the tea is already finished, let’s all follow him.” Brother Snake’s eyes were like mirrors. He never believed the father would return the money. Tapping the table, the aged Brother Snake’s eyes sharpened. “Call all our people and follow the pair of father and son from a distance.”
“Brother Snake, are you sure?”
“Of course, we’ve been waiting for a timing and this is it.”
The waiter helped bandage Han Fei’s leg and then Han Fei left the tea shop with Lee Long and Lee Hu. After they left the tea shop, the father was so much better in attitude. He even asked after the mother. He started to pull out the little bits of good memory they shared together. Everything was going fine. The father admitted his mistake. But this time he would help Han Fei and share his burden. The man painted a pretty picture and it was an alluring promise for the altar owner. He had borrowed from the loansharks, accidentally killed a man and he had to shoulder all the pressure alone. Even though his father was not a good person, he desperately hoped for someone to share his burden. He didn’t ask for much, just a helping hand.
The altar owner only had the simplest hope. The middle-aged man led Han Fei into an alley. They walked through the streets and finally they reached a 2 story building with white paint. This was a shop but it had been abandoned for a long time already.
“We’re there?”
“Western city is too chaotic, I didn’t dare to carry the money on me so I hid them here.” The middle-aged man sped up. He led Han Fei into the building and stopped before the basement door. Even though it was daytime, the basement was dark, with no light at all.
“I have hidden the money underground. I need you to help me light the way with your phone and we’ll go take the money together.” The middle-aged man moved towards the basement. When he noticed Han Fei didn’t follow him, he urged. “Come on!” Han Fei studied the man’s face. After 10 seconds, Han Fei was disappointed, he couldn’t see any regret or remorse on the man.
“He just wanted you to help him with this difficulty in his life, you have done so many bad things but he still wished to forgive you. However, you didn’t even give him one last chance.” Han Fei glanced into the dark basement. “So it was you who pushed him into the dark abyss.”
“What are you talking about? The money is down there, it should be enough to heal your mother.” The middle-aged man became nervous. He spoke faster and his sweat dripped to his nose.
“Man trapped inside a cage will eventually become a beast. He’d lost all of his humanity and kindness. But if there’s a chance to be a human, who would choose to be a beast?” Han Fei remembered the mission requirement of Caged Beast-- Do not get caged in the lightless basement.
This dark basement before him was the cage that transformed the altar owner into the beast, this was the location that turned the man into a despairing, maddening creature.