"Brother Yu, I've always followed your lead in this life. Now, I only have one request—listen to me just this once!" Mao Gang stared intently at Xie Yuhong, who met his gaze with equal intensity.
Suddenly, Xie Yuhong noticed blood trickling from behind Mao Gang's ear and furrowed his brow. "Where are your wife and child?"
"In the bedroom."
Xie Yuhong immediately headed toward the bedroom. Opening the door, he found Mao Gang's wife and child huddled in a corner, trembling with fear.
Seeing their state, Xie Yuhong's frown deepened. He closed the door, turned back to Mao Gang in the living room, and abruptly opened another door.
What he saw inside made him gasp sharply. A seventy-year-old man lay sprawled on the floor, a kitchen knife embedded in the back of his skull. It was none other than Mao Gang's father!
Xie Yuhong spun around to face Mao Gang, who spoke in a low, gravelly voice: "The old man couldn't hold on anymore. He asked me to end it for him."
"Gangzi, how can you call yourself human? That was your own father!" Xie Yuhong grabbed Mao Gang by the collar, tears welling up in his eyes.
Mao Gang slapped Xie Yuhong's hand away. "Brother Yu, if I could kill my own father, nothing will stand in my way."
"You're insane!" Xie Yuhong shoved Mao Gang back forcefully, snatched a bottle of water off the table, and stormed out.
As soon as he stepped outside, a sixty-year-old woman from across the hall emerged. Catching sight of the water in Xie Yuhong's hand, she smiled and said, "Boss Xie, you're so generous. Always bringing us supplies."
"It's not for you," Xie Yuhong replied curtly.
The woman grabbed his arm. "What do you mean? You always preach about sharing resources. That means some of this belongs to me!"
"No, it doesn't!"
"Fine, fine. I still have a few bottles anyway."
"A few bottles?" Xie Yuhong looked at her skeptically. The woman realized she'd slipped up—she had been feigning hardship to get extra rations every time.
"What 'few bottles'? There aren't any. All of you should be out looking for real food instead of hoarding snacks. Find vegetables or something nutritious—we need balance. Everyone's been getting sick lately; even my teeth ache. Oh, here we go again. I'm going back inside. You should organize everyone to go scavenge." With that, the woman retreated into her apartment.
Xie Yuhong clenched his fists tightly. Her words felt like bombs detonating in his mind.
But what truly terrified Xie Yuhong wasn't her greed—it was the thought of his wife being violated or harmed, along with his sister-in-law.
"It's me," Xie Yuhong called out as he reached the door.
Ye Yuling peeked through the peephole, then unlocked the door.
"Husband, how did it go?" Ye Yuling asked anxiously.
"Not well."
"Doesn't Gangzi always listen to you? Not even for a bottle of water?"
Xie Yuhong placed the water on the table. Ye Yuling and her younger sister, Ye Qingyi, exchanged glances. If Mao Gang hadn't taken it, that meant rejection.
The sisters' faces turned deathly pale.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, sending a jolt of tension through the room.
"Brother Yu, it's me, Gangzi. I've thought it over—you were right," Mao Gang's voice echoed from outside.
Ye Yuling's face brightened. "I'll open the door."
"Wait!" Xie Yuhong stopped her. "Both of you, go to the bedroom."
The sisters exchanged worried looks but obeyed, retreating to the bedroom.
Through the crack in the door, Xie Yuhong called out, "Gangzi, have you really thought this through?"
"Brother Yu, Yingzi gave me a good talking-to. She thinks you're right. I still support you—I'm sorry about earlier. Anyway, I'm heading back. Get some rest." With that, Mao Gang turned and walked toward the elevator.
Xie Yuhong let out a sigh of relief and opened the door slightly. "Gangzi, I'm glad you've come to your senses."
With his back turned, Mao Gang murmured softly, "Brother Yu… you still opened the door."
Startled, Xie Yuhong tried to slam the door shut, but Mao Gang's massive hand pressed against it. Suddenly, a chilling sensation shot through Xie Yuhong's arm—his right hand had been severed and fell to the ground, blood gushing everywhere. Before he could react, a searing pain erupted in his abdomen as he was kicked violently into the room.
Mao Gang stepped inside, closing the door behind him, a deranged grin spreading across his blood-smeared face. "Brother Yu, why did you push me? Why didn't you trust me just once? Why did you make me cut you?! WHY?!"
"Gangzi, stop this madness!!"
"The mad one isn't me—it's you! Those people are attacking tonight. We don't have a choice! Where's the key to the rolling shutter? Give it to me!" Mao Gang extended his hand, his gaze icy cold.
Through gritted teeth, Xie Yuhong forced himself to stand despite the agony. "You betrayed me! You're working for them!"
"You gave all our food to those useless people! Do you know how much those old bastards are hiding? Give me the key!"
"I'd rather die than give it to you!"
"Brother Yu, in the next life, I'll still be your brother." Without another word, Mao Gang pulled out a cleaver, and the living room erupted into chaos as the two men struggled.
In the bedroom, Ye Yuling and Ye Qingyi huddled together under the bed, trembling at the sounds of violence outside.
Ye Yuling's worry consumed her. "I need to check on your brother-in-law."
"Sister, don't go out! If Brother Yu wins, he'll come open the door," Ye Qingyi whispered urgently.
"But what if Gangzi opens it instead? If he finds me, he'll find you too," Ye Yuling warned, staring intently at her sister.
The commotion outside gradually faded. Ye Yuling whispered, "Qingyi, if anything happens to me, promise me you'll find Yueyue."
"Sister, sister!" Ye Qingyi watched helplessly as her sister crawled out from under the bed, unable to stop her reckless act. But she tried to reassure herself, recalling the kind-hearted Mao Gang from years ago—the same man who had once chased away bullies when she was in school. Surely, nothing bad would happen.
At that moment, the bedroom door creaked open.
Ye Qingyi stifled a scream, covering her mouth as she saw feet stained with blood—not her brother-in-law's.
It was Mao Gang, drenched in gore from head to toe.
Ye Yuling froze, her hands flying to her mouth as she saw her husband lying motionless in the living room, surrounded by pools of blood.
Mao Gang grinned wickedly, his face smeared with crimson. "Sister-in-law, Brother Yu said you know where the key to the rolling shutter is."
Shaking uncontrollably, Ye Yuling slowly pointed to the vanity table.
Mao Gang immediately began rummaging through it. In a faint, broken voice, Ye Yuling murmured, "When Yingzi gave birth, your brother helped arrange the hospital. When you lost your job, he found work for you. When you couldn't take care of your child, I helped you…"
Finding the key, Mao Gang turned to her with a chilling smile. "Sister-in-law, I'll repay the kindness you and Brother Yu showed me in the next life—even if I have to be reborn as an ox."
"How could you do this?! You're a monster!!" Ye Yuling lunged at him, pounding his chest with her fists. Mao Gang didn't resist, but the cleaver in his hand continued to drip with fresh blood.
"Sister-in-law, I know how much you loved Brother Yu. Now that he's gone, he must be lonely. Why don't you join him? Everything's falling apart soon anyway. Better to die quickly than suffer at the hands of those men. Sister-in-law, I'll make it painless. Brother Yu will thank me for it—he will." Mumbling to himself, the deranged Mao Gang raised the cleaver high above his head and brought it down with brutal force onto Ye Yuling's forehead. Her skull caved in, and she collapsed to the ground, her wide, unseeing eyes staring blankly ahead.