Consciousness was immersed in boundless darkness, feeling no space, no time, not even his own body. Xia De recalled the words of the middle-aged police officer who had tried to persuade him earlier.
Family? Friends? A future?
Recalling his growth from childhood, a clear sense of self-mockery welled up from the bottom of his heart.
When he was three, the officials in his hometown ruthlessly exploited the local people, causing many families to break apart, countless citizens to become displaced, and many to starve. The northeast was already cold, but that winter, the north was even colder. Many people froze to death, and tragically, Xia De's parents were among them.
Xia De clearly remembered how cold it was then. His body had almost lost all sensation. He and his parents huddled together in a small room, clinging to each other. When he regained consciousness, his parents, who had been holding him tightly, had already passed away. Just like that, he became an orphan. Desperate, he cried for help in the snow, but no one responded, only cold snowflakes fell upon him.
The official was later arrested, but before his capture, he transferred all his assets abroad and sent his daughter overseas, completely severing ties with his children. Later, his daughter returned to the country and became an internet celebrity. Simply because she was beautiful, a crowd of people defended her, coming up with endless excuses to whitewash her image.
But it didn't matter. No matter what others said, that person was already a ghost at his hands.
When he was five, during his time at the orphanage, he was bullied by small groups because of his small stature. Even though he told Auntie Director several times, she thought it was just children playing and didn't successfully stop the bullying. It was then that he profoundly realized he had no one left to rely on in that world. Rather than hoping for others' kindness, it was better to become strong himself.
During a subsequent bullying incident, he pulled out a compass he had hidden and stabbed several bloodied holes into the bullies. By the time Auntie Director found them, their bodies were covered in countless wounds he had inflicted.
From then on, he was successfully alienated by everyone, including Auntie Director, who had previously treated him well.
But he didn't care, because he knew these people were always insignificant. He only had himself to rely on.
He wasn't a genius; he could only work hard.
Before university, he studied day and night, forgetting food and sleep. It wasn't that girls didn't like him, but he felt he wasn't yet capable of surviving in this society, so he deliberately cast aside all such thoughts. In the end, he got into the best university in the country with excellent grades.
After entering university and receiving a scholarship, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He could now begin to survive in this society, and the thoughts he had deliberately abandoned gradually resurfaced.
He met a girl. Initially, she approached him. At that time, he didn't care because, due to his childhood experiences, he couldn't easily trust anyone. But this girl contacted him every day without fail. Even when he was sometimes very cold, she remained persistent. Gradually, her place in his heart grew larger and larger.
After some time, he began to actively share his joys and sorrows with her, to care about her, and eventually, he was almost always the one initiating contact. After nearly a year, he finally fully accepted her and was ready to let her into his life when she told him she had a lover. At that moment, his heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly by a large hand, making it hard to breathe.
He immediately cut off contact with the girl. Later, he inquired and found out that her boyfriend was a very famous rich second-generation. He didn't care about the man's identity; what mattered most was that he and the girl had only known each other for less than a week.
Thinking of this, even though his consciousness was immersed in darkness and he had no physical body, Xia De couldn't help but feel like retching.
The thought of all the promises the girl had made, the vows to be together forever.
Xia De felt even more disgusted.
From then on, he had no other thoughts. He lived with only one goal: to climb higher and higher, step by step, never again to be oppressed by anyone.
He was a diligent genius. In his sophomore year, he interned at a major internet company with excellent grades and even received an offer after his internship. He already had several suitable projects in hand. According to his plan, he would continuously accumulate experience during university and then start his own company when the time was right.
Unfortunately, fate played a cruel joke on him: he was diagnosed with late-stage cancer.
He was silent the night he received the news. He didn't say a word all night, just sat quietly by the bed in the dark, swallowed by boundless shadows.
The next day, he withdrew from university and vanished without a trace.
One day, while going out, he overheard an elderly woman at the door talking about a neighboring family. The husband had been framed by his boss, incurring massive debt, and his wife, unable to bear it, had committed suicide. He was reminded, for no particular reason, of his parents who had frozen to death when he was a child.
Since he wouldn't live much longer anyway, he might as well find something to do.
And so, to uphold the justice in his heart and to find some meaning in his remaining time, he became like a venomous snake hidden in the shadows, killing several corrupt and wealthy individuals.
When he finally felt his strength waning, he decided to give himself a grand final exit. He knew how much impact his actions would have, but it wasn't enough. To stir up public opinion, he had to drag the authorities into it. So he had to make the police appear, creating a scene where civilians, officials, and businessmen were all present, to maximize public discourse.
Xia De, immersed in darkness, silently apologized to Chen Hai. As for whether Chen Hai knew, that was another matter.
By the way, where exactly is this? Why is it so pitch black? According to my expectations, I should have already become a puddle of flesh. Why do I still have consciousness?
Just as he felt confused, a voice reached his ears.
“Lord Kanas, Madame has given birth to a young master!”
How could someone give birth at a murder scene? Aren't they afraid that one moment someone's gone, and the next, a baby pops out of your belly? Hahahaha!
Then he felt himself being wrapped in something. His body felt lighter, and he was picked up, as if to be presented to someone.
Hold on! Is it really me? What kind of ridiculous name is Kanas? It sounds like something out of a Western novel!
Amidst his swirling thoughts, he heard another voice. This time, the voice was deeper than the last, revealing an arrogant tone and a very strange accent. To give an analogy, Oh, this rotten piece of meat is even worse than Aunt Tom's apple pie!
“Guna, quickly send this damned brat away! Throw him into the poorest, most remote countryside! The heir to the Duke's title absolutely cannot be that woman's child!”
If Xia De still had an adult body, he would have punched this arrogant, unknown noble. Who cares about your title!
But even in an infant's body, he couldn't help but want to curse.
Damn it! What kind of start is this, getting abandoned right after birth!
“Guna! What are you still standing there for! Hurry and send this ugly thing away! I can feel this disgusting lump cursing me in his heart!”
Even though he had long known his Duke was an idiot, Guna Kagas was once again astonished by his words. If he didn't like the child, fine, but to make up stories about a newborn cursing him in his heart!
But he still respectfully said, “Yes, Lord Kanas!”
Then he took Xia De, who was silently cursing the Duke in his heart, from the maid's arms, and with a flash, disappeared from the spot.
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