The man was tall and somewhat familiar; at first glance, one might mistake him for Guo Feirong. But upon closer inspection, it was clearly someone else. His figure was imposing and upright, hands tucked into his trouser pockets, and even standing simply, he exuded an intimidating presence that Guo Feirong lacked.
Yin Feng took in the man's appearance—his features were still handsome, with particularly deep-set eyes. Time had not left many marks on his face, but compared to the young man in Yin Feng's memory, his contours were sharper, more defined, and his demeanor had grown much more restrained.
Thirteen years!
Thirteen years ago, Yin Feng was just a high school graduate who had scored exceptionally well and been admitted to Peking University. Yin Chen was not yet thirty at the time. Yin Feng only knew that he was in Beijing, running a small company of his own, and had long severed ties with their parents. Still, he occasionally spoke on the phone with this younger brother and sometimes met him in person.
Back then, Yin Feng was in the throes of adolescent rebellion and arrogance, his relationship with his parents strained. He vaguely sensed that his inner self was different from others. Yet even then, Yin Feng was too proud and deep-thinking to share his confusion or those faintly visible repressed impulses with anyone—not even Yin Chen.
Despite meeting only once or twice a year, Yin Feng still felt a closeness to this half-brother, the eldest son born to their father and his ex-wife. At the time, Yin Feng didn't yet understand psychology, but he had already set his sights on studying it. He just faintly sensed that there was something about his elder brother that drew him in. For instance, though Yin Chen was clearly a businessman, there was an unintentional cold ruthlessness in his expression. Often, he seemed indifferent to everything in the world—a deep-seated weariness and disillusionment toward others, money, and even himself. Yin Chen was different from the ordinary masses who lived their lives blindly and aimlessly.
The tranquil, lonely, and mysterious aura around Yin Chen captivated Yin Feng. He even felt that his elder brother might have answers to the questions that troubled him. After all, they shared similar blood.
Yin Feng planned to slowly approach and understand this elder brother who had left home early, once he started university in Beijing.
But not long after, news of Yin Chen's death arrived.
Yin Chen had died without notifying his family. By the time Yin Feng learned of it, the ashes had already been interred. Their parents—the couple who had never much liked Yin Chen since childhood and often stayed abroad—didn't even return to pay their respects.
At the time, Yin Feng didn't feel particularly distressed, as their relationship had never been very close. He simply went to Yin Chen's grave and stood there for a long time. Somewhat bewildered, he thought: Another person similar to me is gone from this world. From now on, no one would tell him how to live his life or face his inner demons.
He would continue alone, being the outstanding, arrogant prodigy in the eyes of the world.
Quietly gazing into the pitch-black abyss. Perhaps one day, he would leap into it.
...
So, was it a feigned death?
In the end, Yin Chen had taken the plunge before him.
That elder brother—abandoned and abused by their parents since childhood, never as accomplished as him, seemingly living a careless life but actually harboring a wisdom beyond most people's comprehension—had finally embarked on a path of no return.At this moment, Yin Feng felt surprisingly calm. Everything seemed to follow a natural course, as if destined by fate. He observed his brother whom he hadn't seen for over a decade, feeling neither sorrow, joy, fear, nor shame. He noticed that even with his true face revealed, there was still some resemblance to Guo Feirong's features. However, when you looked at Guo Feirong before, his demeanor was so different that you wouldn't associate him with Yin Chen, who seemed completely unrelated.
Thus, like You Mingxu, Yin Feng immediately understood how he had hidden himself and operated all these years.
At this point, Yin Feng and the others were unaware of the past grievances between Yin Chen and Xing Jifu. But given Xing Jifu's status in the criminal world, it made perfect sense for Yin Chen to strike now, reaping the spoils of others' conflict. As the Punisher, hunting down the largest crime lord in all of Hunan was only logical.
...
With the truth laid bare before him, Yin Feng actually smiled and clearly called out, "Big brother."
Yin Chen stepped out from behind You Mingxu.
Though the brothers were more than ten years apart in age, when they faced each other now, their builds, clothing styles, and even their overall aura were strikingly similar. Dressed in black from head to toe, their faces cold as snow.
Yin Chen looked at his younger brother and slowly smiled. "Yin Feng."
Suddenly, Yin Feng's head throbbed with pain, and fragmented images flashed through his mind—
He saw himself lying in a pool of blood, naked, while someone was doing something to his back with an object, causing him to tremble uncontrollably. Pain, endless pain. Trembling, his Soul finally succumbing to fearful tremors. Yet there was also a certain explosive emotion surging in his chest.
Such agony... such torment and suffering...
Even now, just recalling it, Yin Feng broke out in a cold sweat on his back without realizing it.
In those shaky, blurry images, he clearly saw a pair of eyes—deep, familiar eyes—undeniably belonging to the person standing not far away, laughing softly at him.
He caressed his blood-soaked body as if stroking a trapped beast, a pet, a young wolf with its claws clipped, whispering in his ear: "Yin Feng, does it feel good? Do you hate it? Do you want revenge? Do you want to punish others to soothe your own pain?"
"They all deserve to die... you and I are no different, because we are... the same kind of people!"
"Come to your brother's side, and let's kill the others together. Only then can we find redemption... We are brothers, you resemble me the most..."
"Don't you find yourself ridiculous? Enduring, living day after day like a walking corpse. I know you're in pain, repressed, and lonely. You can't feel any happiness at all."
"You subdued those people, even made them follow you, planting flowers and grass, cooking and driving, thinking you could set them on the right path? Do you really believe there exists such a thing as peaceful goodness? Do you truly think they can find inner fulfillment? You're wrong, you disappoint me so much. 'Blocking is not as good as guiding'—such a simple principle passed down by our ancestors, and a genius like you doesn't understand it? Only by using evil to counter evil, only by unleashing our true nature, can people like us find satisfaction while upholding true justice and fairness. That is what I've sought all my life."
...
Perhaps back then, the pain was too severe, the helplessness too profound, the fear too overwhelming. That was why he became a complete fool, knowing nothing of the world from then on, forgetting everything about his own heart.Yin Chen had probably grown tired of the game, or perhaps he wanted to continue observing whether his younger brother had truly been broken beyond repair. That was why he cast him out, coldly watching how he would face the world again.
...
Beside him, Chen Feng and the others remained unaware. At this moment, as Yin Feng recalled that period of time, his fingertips trembled incessantly, his face as pale as paper.
Yin Chen, observing his state, seemed to have discerned something and slowly smiled, saying, "Good boy, remembered now?"
——
The author has not secretly deleted the story thinking it was poorly written. Seeing such comments in the book review section pains my heart. About a dozen chapters were blocked by the system, and I will contact the editor as soon as possible to revise and restore them.
Luo Yu's identity was planned from the very beginning; it was not a forced plot twist. Otherwise, his deliberate approach to the female lead, pretending to be in a relationship, cohabiting, and other actions would lack logic. There were also many foreshadowing hints earlier; you can go back and check. His character setting involves illegal activities but does not cross the bottom line. The rumors about him are a mix of truth and falsehood—refer to Guo Xing.
Jing Ping and the other 49 police officers all wore bulletproof vests. The description in the text mentions that bystanders "saw" several casualties. After the criminals left, the remaining police stayed behind and were handed over to Luo Yu to handle. Luo Yu immediately notified people to rescue them. To be honest, neither the Yunnan nor Xiangtan factions would dare to actually kill these 50 people—who would? Some details are clear in my mind, but I couldn't cover every aspect in the book due to my limited skill. Some details and logic are still not perfect, and I will continue to work hard.
Tomorrow will still be the main story. The day after tomorrow, I will update Luo Yu's side story, and then we will enter the final volume. Please subscribe as needed.
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