Chapter 98: The Leader Only Told Me to Live Like a Human!

In an instant, the expressionless Xie Quan struck again. His eagle claw from before morphed into a massive bear paw, which slammed into Han Yu's legs with crushing force.

Two sickening cracks rang out as Han Yu's legs snapped.

Xie Quan immediately lunged forward. His right leg swelled into the limb of an elephant. With two heavy stomps, he crushed the bones in Han Yu's arms, then brought his foot down a final time on his lower back amidst his bloodcurdling screams, snapping his spine.

Han Yu was completely crippled. He could no longer even stand, and his agonized screams weakened to pathetic whimpers.

Beside them, Su Mu continued sipping his tea. He hadn't so much as glanced at Han Yu from start to finish, as though the bleeding man was far less interesting than the brew in his cup.

"Ahhh..." Han Yu shrieked. The immense vitality granted by his Ceaseless Recovery had now become a curse, only serving to prolong his agony.

"You can't kill me! I had nothing to do with this! I'm a retainer of the Murong Family!"

Su Mu slowly lowered his teacup, looking mildly surprised. "No one said you did."

"Then why did you attack me?!"

Su Mu's surprise deepened. "Does killing require a reason? If you really want to hear one, I can make one up for you right now."

"You! You're going to regret this! I work for the Murong Family, and Qian Zihao is my boss! By touching me, you've offended both the Murong Family and the richest man in Star City! They won't let you get away with this!"

"Are you done with your last words?"

Han Yu's face twisted in stark terror. He writhed on the floor like a maggot, desperately trying to crawl away.

"No, no, no, you can't kill me! Even if you suspect me of something, you have no right to execute me! Only the Murong Family and Qian Zihao have the right to judge me!"

Su Mu leaned over and stared at the terrified Han Yu before suddenly laughing aloud. "You're right. Only they have the right to judge you. Guards, take him to the holding cell. I'm going to have a nice, long chat with Mr. Han."

...

...

The next day.

A deeply grateful Han Yu left the Bronze Coffin Company. He pulled his trench coat tightly around himself against the chill. His old wounds still throbbed with a dull ache, but he had mostly recovered. Outwardly, he seemed perfectly fine; only his newly mended bones remained slightly fragile.

But he couldn't afford to wait for his bones to heal completely. He had to act now. He couldn't betray the Leader's trust.

"That bastard Qian Zihao!" Han Yu's face twisted into a savage scowl, his eyes burning with boundless hatred.

He must have been out of his mind to ever willingly serve as Qian Zihao's dog. He had worked tirelessly and diligently, only for that man to ruthlessly trample all over his dignity. What gave him the right?!

Just because he had money? Just because he was the richest man in Star City?

I have the skills. I'm willing to bleed and sweat. I'm not afraid to put my life on the line. Do I really have to stomach this injustice just because I was born in the Lower District?

It isn't fair! It isn't fair at all!

The Leader is right. I have to take back my own justice. I have to stand tall and live like a real human being!

Fueled by his seething rage, Han Yu soon arrived at Qian Zihao's manor. Qian Zihao was currently seated at his massive dining table, stuffing his face. Seeing the man casually toss aside half a perfectly good phosphorescent fish, Han Yu's eyes grew dangerously bloodshot.

Han Yu's entire monthly salary wasn't enough to buy a single one of those fish, yet Qian Zihao had discarded it on the floor after a single bite.

Qian Zihao didn't even bother looking up from his meal. "Did you figure out Su Mu's background?"

Han Yu's scowl deepened into a snarl. He took a slow step forward. "I did."

"Oh? I didn't think a piece of trash like you actually had any use. Out with it, then. How many puppets does he have?"

"He doesn't have any puppets."

Qian Zihao froze, a half-eaten pig's trotter still in his hand. His stubby eyebrows knit together as he finally turned to look at Han Yu, whose head was respectfully bowed.

"No puppets? Do you have shit for brains? If he doesn't have any puppets, then what the hell were those monster gang members you saw?"

"They're his followers."

Qian Zihao stared blankly. "Followers?" He slammed his hand down in a sudden rage. "What bullshit followers? How could a piece of Lower District trash get so many monster followers?!"

Slowly, Han Yu raised his head. His expression was as placid as dead water. He stared straight into Qian Zihao's eyes and spoke with utter conviction. "A man's origins don't determine his worth. Some people are just born to be followed."

Qian Zihao blinked in utter disbelief, looking at Han Yu as if he were seeing the man for the first time. But shock quickly gave way to fury, and he raised a hand to slap him across the face.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?!"

Bam!

Han Yu caught the fat hand in an iron grip.

"Are you rebelling now? You dare fight back?! Let me go!" Qian Zihao shouted, equal parts shocked and furious. He finally sensed that something was very wrong.

"I don't expect a piece of filth like you to understand the Leader's greatness, but you have no right to insult him! Go to hell, you fat pig!" Han Yu's face contorted with rage. His right fist rapidly expanded, the muscles swelling like balloons before he viciously smashed it toward Qian Zihao's face.

Boom!

A blinding white light erupted from the Bone Necklace around Qian Zihao's neck, instantly projecting a shimmering barrier of light that completely enveloped him. The recoil from the barrier sent Han Yu flying backward, slamming him brutally against the wall.

"You actually betrayed me? How much did he pay you?" Qian Zihao's expression darkened completely.

Han Yu fiercely wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and climbed back to his feet. Every trace of his former cowardice was gone, replaced by a fearless, unyielding resolve.

"The Leader didn't pay me a damn thing! He only told me... to live like a human being!"

Han Yu charged forward again, throwing caution to the wind. He unleashed his Great Force Bombardment Punch to its absolute limit, raining furious blows down upon the barrier and causing it to tremble violently.

His fists were quickly reduced to a bloody mess, but he refused to stop. It was as if he were pouring every ounce of the grievance and rage he'd suffered over the years into this single barrage.

Qian Zihao sneered. "I paid a fortune for this Artifact—"

"Money, money, money! Money is the only thing people like you ever talk about! Do you think your money gives you the right to treat human lives like worthless grass? Do you think it gives you the right to trample on everyone else's dignity?!"

Qian Zihao let out a bark of furious laughter. "I don't know what kind of mad fit you're having, Han Yu, but you better not forget where you came from. When you crawled into the Upper District, who gave you a job? Who helped you break through to Bronze Tier 2? Who pulled the strings to get you into the Murong Family? You ungrateful sack of shit, did you forget all of that?!"

"I haven't forgotten a thing!" Han Yu snarled, the white of his knuckles now visible through his mangled flesh. "You gave me those things, sure, but did you really think I didn't know the truth?! I earned a spot in the Law Enforcement Bureau on my own merit, but you were the one who secretly ordered people to isolate me! You framed me and forced the supervisor to fire me! You did all of that just because I'm distant relatives with the Murong Family's butler! You only sought me out because you wanted to plant a spy inside their ranks!"

Qian Zihao's face darkened instantly. "Guards! Restrain him."

Heavy, hurried footsteps immediately echoed from the hallway outside.

Yet Han Yu completely ignored the approaching guards. He had already cast aside all thoughts of life and death. He continued to hammer away at the barrier. It shuddered more and more violently beneath his bloody fists, until finally... Crack!