Chapter 793: A Person in Despair

Only after the police left did the woman finally burst into tears. She picked up her torn coat and silently wiped away the spilled liquor and food scraps on the floor, failing to notice the reactions of the two children in the inner room.

The short boy with intellectual disabilities grabbed a handful of rice from the floor, stuffing it into his mouth along with garbage and broken glass from the liquor bottle.

His thick lips were cut by the glass shards, splitting into small gashes. Seeming to finally register the pain, the short boy began to whimper.

Since both children had been hiding in the inner room, they were likely biological brothers. Yet as the younger one cried, the taller boy ignored him completely, acting as if he hadn't noticed a thing. It was the woman cleaning outside who realized something was wrong and rushed in. She shoved her fingers into the child's mouth and scooped out what he had swallowed.

Her movements were practiced; this had likely happened many times before.

"Don't just shove random things into your mouth." The woman patted the child's back. Covered in bruises and cuts herself, she still had to care for both kids. "A-Li, didn't I tell you to watch your brother?!"

The tall boy simply stood to the side; there was no telling what he was thinking.

I noted how the woman addressed him. This boy, who looked eleven or twelve and stood much taller than his peers, had to be Zhu Li.

'Growing up in a family environment like this, it's no wonder he turned out so twisted.'

A commotion echoed from downstairs. I retreated to the fourth floor, and before long, the man came stomping upstairs, cursing.

"Call the cops?" The man's voice was frighteningly grim. "A-Li, take your brother outside."

He rolled his wrists, which still bore the indentations of handcuffs. His face was flushed red, as if he were trying his hardest to suppress his emotions.

Hearing the man's voice, the woman seemed to anticipate something terrible. She gently pushed Zhu Li's back. "Take good care of your brother."

Zhu Li dragged his wailing younger brother out of the apartment. With a heavy slam, the man locked the iron door from the inside. A moment later, heart-wrenching sounds echoed from within.

Holding his brother's hand, Zhu Li stood outside the iron door for a long time. Then, as if he had finally made up his mind, he forced a smile. He coaxed the boy, promising to take him out for something tasty. Just like that, the two children—one tall, one short—headed downstairs.

I was worried about the woman inside too, but rationality told me this was only Zhu Li's dream. Everything here had already happened. It was just a memory; no matter what I did, I couldn't change it.

I followed closely behind the two brothers, all the way downstairs.

To my surprise, the police car hadn't gone far. The officer who had stayed behind to help the woman clean the apartment was patrolling the area, likely worried that she might suffer a second round of abuse.

Zhu Li knew exactly what the man intended to do when he sent them away, and he had definitely heard his mother's agonizing screams from inside. Yet he didn't ask the police for help. Instead, he led his brother by the hand, heading deeper into the city.

For the past thirty years, Jinghai had been changing almost every single day. The city was constantly renewing itself, sprawling outward with construction sites everywhere.

Under the deep cover of night, Zhu Li led his intellectually disabled brother into a construction site. He was clearly familiar with the terrain. Dodging the watchmen, he quickly arrived beside a fence hung with a "No Entry" sign.

The two children followed the fence for over a dozen meters, finding a gap just wide enough for an adult to squeeze through. They slipped inside.

Curious about what they were up to, I quietly tailed them.

Inside the fence was the foundation for a building under construction. It was three or four meters deep, with steel rebar and concrete pillars driven into the bottom.

"Hurry up." Once inside the fence, Zhu Li let go of his brother's hand and hurried ahead. The smile on his face grew incredibly genuine. "Come here. I've got something tasty for you."

A half-meter-wide wooden plank bridged the edge of the foundation and a concrete pillar. Zhu Li effortlessly crossed the plank, stood on the pillar, and smiled at his younger brother.

The shorter boy instinctively felt afraid. No matter how much Zhu Li called out to him, he didn't dare to cross.

After a five or six-minute stalemate, the smile on Zhu Li's face froze. His expression mirrored his wretched father's—gloomy and terrifying.

'What exactly is he trying to do? Playing at a construction site with his own brother in the middle of the night?' I continued watching. Zhu Li quickly lost his patience. He walked to the other side of the plank and forcefully dragged his brother onto the concrete pillar.

The short boy trembled with fear, desperately hugging Zhu Li's waist and arms. The two brothers stood just like that on top of the high concrete pillar.

"Zhu Cheng, living the way you do only hurts everyone." Zhu Li sounded as though he were talking to himself. "Do you understand? As long as you're alive, Mom will never be able to escape that man." He stared at the fresh cuts on the shorter boy's lips. "You live in so much pain, you might as well die. That way, Mom and I can both be happy."

The younger brother had no idea what horrifying things Zhu Li was saying. His legs turned to jelly, and he clung to Zhu Li, refusing to let go.

Yet Zhu Li's next move was startling. He was far stronger than the younger boy. He wrenched his arms free, pinned the child's wrists, and shoved him to the edge of the pillar.

"Little Cheng, help your big brother out, okay? Help me out!" Zhu Li had probably planned this many times. The angle he chose aligned perfectly with the exposed steel rebar at the bottom of the foundation.

The younger brother shrieked like a sparrow caught by a hunter. Turning a deaf ear to his cries, Zhu Li suddenly shoved hard with both hands, pushing his brother off the edge.

The boy fell from the three- or four-meter-high concrete pillar. A steel rebar impaled his chest and fractured his ribs, blood gushing out instantly. It stained his clothes crimson, leaving him looking like a discarded ragdoll. His small mouth continued to open and close, but he no longer had the strength to make a sound.

Admiring his handiwork, the eleven- or twelve-year-old Zhu Li smiled with satisfaction. He showed not a shred of remorse; perhaps in his heart, he was already anticipating the happiness to come.

"I'll live your share of life for you. Good night, my brother."

The very moment Zhu Li pushed his brother off the concrete pillar, something as bright as a crystal fell out of his body. It rolled beside his brother's corpse and was stained red by the blood.

Zhu Li took a few deep breaths, restrained his smile, and feigned a look of panic. He hurriedly rushed back the way they had come, seemingly preparing to report this "unfortunate accident" to the adults.

Only after he had run far away did I emerge from the shadows. Filled with doubt, I jumped off the pillar and picked up the crystal that had fallen from Zhu Li's body.

Even stained with blood, the crystal remained dazzlingly bright. Holding it in my hand, I sensed it with my mind. It contained a multitude of beautiful things: happiness, kindness, perseverance, and more.

'This must be the humanity Zhu Li discarded.' Unsure of what it could be used for, I stowed the crystal away and chased after Zhu Li back to the apartment complex.

Still keeping up his panicked act, Zhu Li didn't even have a chance to break the news to the adults before he saw several police cars and ambulances parked at the building's entrance. There were even newspaper reporters at the scene.

The previously silent neighbors were now peeking out from behind their windows. An ominous premonition swelled in Zhu Li's heart. He stared intently at the doorway. Not long after, three police officers dragged out the man, whose hands were covered in blood.

Even restrained, the man's expression remained fierce and terrifying. He screamed and struggled, and was finally pinned to the ground.

This scene matched the photo I had seen in the newspaper. The man was shoved into a police car and taken away. Moments later, paramedics rushed downstairs carrying a stretcher. Zhu Li's mother was beaten beyond recognition. Her breathing was faint; it was obvious she wasn't going to make it.

Like a small beast backed into a corner, Zhu Li ran faster and faster, charging toward the stretcher, only to be held back by the police.

He cried and screamed to no avail. Finally, the same officer who had helped the woman clean the apartment walked over. He gently pulled Zhu Li's head into his embrace, allowing the boy to bite him and vent his devastation.

The happiness he had anticipated never arrived. Instead, the "home" he had so carefully maintained was thoroughly destroyed.

Nobody asked about Zhu Li's younger brother. After the police cars drove off, the surrounding neighbors drew their curtains, maintaining their silence. Zhu Li was left all alone at the entrance to the apartment complex, standing there in a daze.

'This childhood incident must be the start of Zhu Li's psychopathy,' I thought, standing in the shadows and watching him. 'This is merely the Shallow Dream Layer, and it already involves murder and domestic violence. I can't imagine what his Middle Dream Layer will look like.'