“Brother Hero… you…”
“I don’t know if I’m right, but without my help… it’ll be hard for you to control the beast that is ‘Jade City.’ After all, those people need *me*,” I continued with a smile. “And you don’t have to keep treating me like a child. If there’s anything you need me to do, just tell me.”
Sister Siwei and Brother Gu Yu exchanged glances, the scent of *guilt* emanating from them.
“But…”
“This isn’t the time for games,” I added. “I don’t want to hold everyone back. If I can help everyone in this city… then let me become a real *hero*.”
“He’s right,” Brother Gu Yu nodded. “To make him a true *hero*, now is the perfect moment. Let him send Brother Wan off on his final journey. And as for the ‘jade’ in those safes… I’ve already thought of a better place for them.”
That day, the air around Sister Siwei and Brother Gu Yu was thick with sorrow. They led me to the plaza downstairs, where I witnessed Uncle Wan die under the rules he himself had designed.
Uncle Wan struggled desperately, refusing to say “gamble your life” to the minotaur sister. So they began beating him—not enough to kill, just enough to leave him crawling on the ground, bleeding everywhere. They stomped on his fingers over and over.
When he saw the three of us approaching, he looked up in disbelief at Brother Gu Yu, and in an instant, it seemed like he understood everything.
“Damn it… Gu Yu…?”
“Long time no see, Brother Wan,” Brother Gu Yu smiled. “How’ve you been? Anything missing that you need me to find for you?”
“You son of a—” He clawed his way forward, inching toward Brother Gu Yu. “Gu, you bastard… *You* stole my ‘jade’!! It was *you*!”
“Now, now, Brother Wan,” Brother Gu Yu shook his head. “Only *you* knew the safe’s combination. Are you trying to pin this on me now that things have gone wrong?”
Uncle Wan thought hard, his confusion palpable. It was clear he genuinely didn’t know how this had happened.
Though he suspected Brother Gu Yu, he had no proof.
So, with great effort, he turned his head toward Sister Siwei beside me.
I saw the blood between Uncle Wan’s teeth, but I wasn’t afraid—nor did I feel any pity.
Why was that? Every time I returned to the real world, whether it was Mom and Dad or Xu Jiahua dying, I’d cry my heart out. But after four years of being “family” with Uncle Wan… I felt *nothing*.
“Xiao Li… save me!” Uncle Wan pleaded with Sister Siwei. “You *know* I’m innocent! You *know* I needed that ‘jade’—why would I hide it now of all times?!”
Sister Siwei stepped forward, crouched down, and whispered into his ear, close enough that only he could hear:
“Wan Cai, I love every person in this world. But sadly, you’re not even human. The sins you’ve committed are too many. It’s time to pay for the lives you’ve destroyed.”
Then she stood and asked aloud, “Hero, now that Brother Wan has lost all our ‘jade’… what should we do?”
I sighed deeply. “Let’s handle it according to the ‘family rules’ Uncle Wan himself set.”
That day, Uncle Wan disappeared from our big family.
I never saw him again after that.
Sister said he’d become a “wanderer,” roaming this place aimlessly, maybe starving to death one day. But that had nothing to do with us anymore.
“Everyone,” Brother Gu Yu suddenly spoke up, addressing the crowd, “you’ve just witnessed it—even someone as respected as Brother Wan faces the same fate when he breaks the family rules.”
Most of the people present didn’t recognize Brother Gu Yu, and murmurs of confusion spread through the crowd.
“You… weren’t you that little Gu from a few years back?” an auntie called out.
She happened to be from my room—one of the few who remembered him.
“That’s right, it’s me,” Brother Gu Yu said. “To be honest, Hero is the one who asked me to return.”
“Hero…?” The crowd buzzed with whispers.
“He sent someone to find me and told me about Wan Cai’s scheme,” Brother Gu Yu declared loudly. “He’d long suspected Wan Cai planned to hoard the ‘jade,’ so he specifically asked me to come back and deal with him. But Wan Cai acted faster than expected—he’d already moved all the ‘jade’ before I arrived.”
Someone in the crowd quickly pointed out the flaw in that story.
“Wait… why would Hero go to someone *outside* the ‘family’ to handle this? Why not tell *us*?”
Sister Siwei smelled nervous—she didn’t seem to know how to answer.
Brother Gu Yu smiled and continued, “Because you trusted Wan Cai too much. None of you would’ve believed he’d do this.”
The crowd fell silent.
“If Hero had told you just *one day* earlier that Wan Cai was moving the ‘jade,’ how many of you would’ve believed him?” Brother Gu Yu pressed.
The questions turned the crowd uneasy, their scents shifting with uncertainty.
“So wake up. Who *should* you trust?” Brother Gu Yu’s voice deepened. “Some random ‘family member’ who appeared out of nowhere to rule over you… or this city’s true *hero*?”
At that moment, though thousands stood nearby, not a single sound could be heard.
“But… Brother Wan always led us…” another auntie protested weakly. “Without him…”
“Led you *where*?” Brother Gu Yu countered. “Led you into earning *him* ‘jade’ so *he* could escape?”
She fell silent.
“Let me say it again,” Brother Gu Yu raised his voice. “In this city, you don’t have to trust me. You don’t even have to trust Li Siwei. But you *must* trust **Hero**—he’s the only one who’s always fought for *you*. Don’t follow the wrong person.”
I could *smell* it—they were *this close* to believing Brother Gu Yu.
But how do we take that final step?
“Something still feels off…” an uncle muttered. “Even if things are as you say… our ‘jade’ is still *gone*. What’s the point of staying here now?”
“Hero already thought of that!” Brother Gu Yu grinned, radiating confidence.
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