Bang's acts of patricide, fratricide, and the assassination of a wealthy man shocked society and made his name the number one criminal on the national wanted list. Countless news reports flooded the media, and his photo was plastered in police stations, on television, and across the internet. Everyone, from those who knew him well to strangers who had merely passed him on the street, began discussing this man who had once been an ordinary office worker.
However, amidst the overwhelming condemnation and pursuit, those who truly knew Bang had their own thoughts.
The Shock Within the Company
Bang's boss, a middle-aged man in his forties, was stunned and collapsed into his chair upon seeing the news, even dropping his cigarette on the floor. His secretary stood by, trembling as she watched the screen. "It's impossible...he was always so quiet, didn't talk much, how could he be a serial killer?"
The boss wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his tone complex. "No wonder...no wonder he suddenly didn't come to work that day. I was wondering if something had happened, but..."
Colleagues gossiped in the pantry:
"I always thought he was a bit odd, didn't like to talk, his eyes were always cold."
"But he was polite to people and worked hard, how could he..."
"You can't judge a book by its cover, who knows what he was thinking?"
But amidst the chatter, a man slammed his glass on the floor—Ah jie.
Ah jie's Fury
Ah jie's anger silenced the entire office. Everyone stared in disbelief at this usually calm man.
He stood up abruptly, glaring at the gossiping colleagues, his voice filled with anger. "What the hell are you talking about?! Do you even know Bang?! Do you have the right to judge him?!"
Everyone was stunned.
"You say he's cold? Say his eyes are scary? Do you know? This 'cold' person you're talking about, every time he saw someone working late, didn't he quietly stay to help? When any of you were sick, wasn't he the first to bring medicine?!"
Ah jie's eyes reddened, his chest heaving, and he trembled as he pointed at the news on the screen. "Do you know how much he was carrying alone?! What the hell do you know?! You just stand here pointing fingers, watching his downfall like it's a show! You don't even know what he's been through!"
A colleague whispered, "But he killed people..."
Bang!
Ah jie slammed his fist on the table, his eyes bloodshot, and he growled through clenched teeth, "That's because this damn world killed him first!"
The entire office was deathly silent.
"He...he's not like that..." Ah jie's voice gradually lowered, as if suppressing some emotion. He rubbed his face roughly and stormed out of the office. Everyone was shocked by his emotions, and no one dared to speak again.
The boss stared at the news footage and sighed deeply after a long time. "...I don't know what he went through, but I think we all owe him an explanation."
The Aftershocks at Home
Mother's Breakdown
Bang's mother had been unable to accept reality since she witnessed him kill their father. She stopped going out and answering calls. She sat by the window all day, staring outside, as if waiting for something. Her eyes were empty, her tears dried, and her body grew thinner by the day.
Whenever the news about Bang came on TV, she would cover her ears, refusing to listen, but her body would tremble uncontrollably.
"He's not like this...he's not like this..." she murmured, repeating it over and over.
Sometimes, she would wake up from nightmares, crying out Bang's name, but she would never again see the son who once worked tirelessly for the family, trying to repair their relationships.
Sister Qin's Numbness
Qin appeared much calmer, even numb. She still took care of their mother, but her attitude towards the news and outside discussions was extremely cold.
"Are you still paying attention to him?" a relative asked tentatively.
She looked up, her eyes revealing deep weariness. "This family is already ruined, what he does doesn't matter anymore."
She finished speaking and continued to stir her mother's medicine, as if she had accepted reality. But no one knew that every night, she would stare at the ceiling, thinking of the brother who once tried to reconcile the family, thinking of how he ended up on this path of no return.
The Shock and Pain of Two Younger Sisters
Bang's two younger sisters were far away and couldn't believe the news.
The youngest sister, Qingqing, who was most cared for by Bang, having been spoiled by him since childhood, dropped her phone when she saw the news and couldn't say a word for a long time.
"Brother...it can't be you..." she trembled as she picked up her phone, tears falling like broken pearls.
She frantically searched for news, scrolling through every post on social media, trying to find evidence to refute the report, but found nothing. Her hands trembled, and she even became afraid to answer calls from relatives.
The other sister, Xinxin, was more inclined to anger. She had always been strong-willed and couldn't accept the fact. She yelled into the phone, "Nonsense! This is definitely fake! Someone must be framing him!"
She didn't believe Bang would kill anyone, let alone become the cold-blooded criminal in the news. But no matter how she argued, reality was in front of her—the brother who had given everything for the family had become the demon everyone talked about.
"What did he go through..."
Qingqing hugged Xinxin, sobbing, and Xinxin, for the first time, didn't argue, just stared blankly at the screen, tears silently streaming down her face.
The World is Against Him, But Someone Still Loves Him
Bang didn't know about his mother's breakdown, his sister's numbness, his sisters' pain, or that his former colleague Ah jie still believed in him. His world now consisted only of killing and revenge, betrayal and destruction.
He looked up at the sky, knowing he couldn't turn back.
"If the world won't accept me, I will destroy the world."
He whispered and disappeared into the night.