Courtyard House: First, kill the hypocrites, leave none alive.

The Jingkai Highway was still shrouded in a thin mist in the early morning. There were few pedestrians on the road, only a few donkey carts going about their business slowly, the drivers wrapped in tattered cotton-padded coats, hunched over and dozing off.

Xu Damao rode his Flying Pigeon bicycle, with two large wooden boxes on the back seat—one containing a projector and the other a small generator. The boxes were tightly bound with hemp rope, but they were quite heavy, causing the bicycle to creak.

He was going to show a movie today in Daxing Commune, screening "The Red Detachment of Women." It was a political assignment, and he couldn't refuse. But he was a hundred times unwilling.

Chen Feng returned and killed several people. Xu Damao hasn't been sleeping well these past few nights; every time he closes his eyes, he sees Qin Huairu's bloody corpse, Yi Zhonghai's severed hand, and the gruesome scene of Jia Dongxu's death in the public toilet.

Who will be next?

Xu Damao dared not think about it. That night, he jumped the highest and talked the loudest, saying that he had personally witnessed Chen Feng harassing Qin Huairu. In fact, he hadn't seen anything; it was just that in that atmosphere, Jia Dongxu and Yi Zhonghai were both insisting that Chen Feng was guilty, so he went along with it and added fuel to the fire.

Looking back now, I'm so regretful.

"Damn it, this awful weather," Xu Damao cursed, quickening his pedaling pace. He needed to get to the commune as soon as possible, finish the movie screening quickly, and get back quickly. He couldn't afford to be delayed on the road; who knew if Chen Feng would suddenly appear?

After riding the bicycle for about five or six miles out of Beijing, a small grove of trees appeared by the roadside. There were no villages or shops in sight, and it was usually deserted. Xu Damao felt uneasy and quickened his pace.

Just then, a voice came from the woods:

"Xu Damao".

The sound was not loud, but very clear, with a cold, penetrating quality.

Xu Damao froze. The voice was all too familiar; though he'd only heard it a few times, it was etched into his memory—it was Chen Feng!

His mind went blank, and he instinctively tried to speed up and escape. But the equipment on the back of the bike was too heavy, and he couldn't pick up any speed at all. He pedaled desperately, and the chain made a screeching sound.

"Don't run." The voice rang out again, this time closer.

Xu Damao glanced back and saw a figure rush out of the woods at great speed, catching up with him in just a few steps.

"Ah!" Xu Damao cried out in surprise. Before he could react, he was kicked in the handlebars.

"Bang!"

The bicycle lost its balance, and the rider and the bike fell to the ground. The heavy wooden box crashed down, landing squarely on Xu Damao's leg. He screamed in pain, feeling as if his leg bone was broken.

Chen Feng stood before him, a knife in his hand. The blade gleamed coldly in the morning light, and dark red bloodstains remained on its surface—whose blood was unknown.

"Chen Feng...no...I don't want to die..." Xu Damao cried and begged for mercy, desperately trying to push away the wooden box pressing on his legs, but the box was too heavy and he couldn't move it.

Chen Feng crouched down and looked at him. His face was expressionless, only his eyes flickered with a cold flame.

"Don't want to die?" Chen Feng sneered. "Yeah, who wants to die? My parents didn't want to die either, and my sister didn't want to die, but they're dead."

He paused, his voice growing even colder: "It's a pity someone like you is even alive. How can someone like you be changed? Ah! Answer me!"

Xu Damao was so frightened that he trembled all over, his lips quivering and he couldn't speak.

"Only death." Chen Feng gave him the answer.

He raised the knife, its blade tracing an arc in the morning light.

"No—" Xu Damao's pleas for mercy came to an abrupt halt.

The blade fell.

The first cut landed on his shoulder, so deep that bone was visible. Xu Damao's screams were so shrill they sounded inhuman.

The second cut landed on his chest, ripping open his cotton-padded coat and causing blood to gush out.

The third cut, the fourth cut...

Chen Feng chopped slowly and carefully, as if he were creating a work of art. Each cut avoided vital points, allowing Xu Damao to die slowly in excruciating pain.

Xu Damao's screams gradually weakened, eventually turning into weak groans. He stared at Chen Feng, his eyes filled with fear, pain, and confusion—why? Why was he so ruthless?

Chen Feng understood that look. He stopped stabbing Xu Damao and looked into his eyes: "When you framed me, when my parents were burned to death, when my sister disappeared, I asked why. But no one answered me."

He stood up and kicked Xu Damao's body. The man was no longer moving, but he was still breathing faintly.

"So," Chen Feng said, "you shouldn't ask anymore."

With the final blow, Xu Damao's throat was severed. Blood gushed out, staining the ground red.

Chen Feng stood there, watching Xu Damao's body twitch a few times before finally going still. Blood flowed from the wound on his neck, spreading across the ground and seeping into the soil.

He took a breath and wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve. Then he squatted down and began to search Xu Damao's body.

He pulled his wallet from his pocket, which contained thirty-two yuan and fifty cents, along with some grain coupons and cloth coupons. He then pulled a small cloth bag from his bosom, inside which was a watch—a Shanghai brand, practically new.

Chen Feng put his watch in his pocket, searched again, and found a work ID and several movie ticket stubs.

He carefully put away the money and tickets, then checked the two wooden crates again. The projector and generator were too heavy for him to lift, and there was no point in doing so. He kicked the crates aside and pushed his bicycle away.

The bike was a bit deformed from the fall, but it was still rideable. Chen Feng got on and tried it out; the chain was a little stuck, but it was still usable. He pedaled back along the way he had come.

I had only ridden a few dozen meters when I suddenly heard the sound of donkey bells behind me. I turned around and saw a donkey cart approaching from a distance.

Chen Feng immediately turned onto a side path. The path was narrow, barely wide enough for a bicycle to pass. He rode for a while, making sure no one was following him, before stopping.

He hid his bicycle in the bushes and walked back to the vicinity of the main road to observe the situation.

The donkey cart stopped beside Xu Damao's body. The driver, an old man, was so frightened by the sight of the corpse that he almost fell off the cart. He looked around in a panic, didn't dare linger, and drove off as fast as he could.

Chen Feng waited until the donkey cart had gone far before returning to where he had hidden his bicycle. He pushed the bicycle and continued walking along the path. This path led to a small village, but he couldn't go into the village; he had to take a detour back to the city.

He remembered that a few miles north along this road, there was an abandoned railway that led back to the east of the city.

Chen Feng pushed the bike for a while, but found it too slow, so he got back on. Although the bicycle was old, it was faster than walking. He bounced along the path, his mind racing.

Xu Damao is dead; the police will find out soon. The crime scene is right by the highway, making it easy to spot. The police will likely set up roadblocks and search the area; he needs to be careful.

But he didn't regret it. Xu Damao deserved to die. That night, Xu Damao was the loudest one, saying he had personally witnessed him acting like a hooligan, describing it in great detail, as if he had really seen it.

Because of those few words, he was convicted, sent to a labor camp, and his family was destroyed.

Xu Damao is dead now, and his death was even more tragic than Qin Huairu's. He deserved it.

Chen Feng rode for about half an hour and saw the abandoned railway. The rails were rusty, the sleepers were rotten, and weeds grew everywhere, clearly indicating that no trains had passed through for a long time.

He pushed his bicycle onto the railway tracks and walked eastward along them. It was a remote place, with wasteland and cemeteries on both sides; no one usually came here.

After walking for a while, he stopped to rest. He took out Xu Damao's wallet from his pocket and counted the money again. Thirty-two yuan and fifty cents, plus what he had stolen from Jia Dongxu and Director Wang, he now had more than four hundred yuan.

This was a huge sum of money back then. It was about the same amount that an average worker earned in a year.

But what use is money to him? He can't stay in a hotel, can't buy train tickets, and can't spend it openly. He can only buy food and necessities.

Chen Feng carefully put away his wallet and continued walking. He needed a new hiding place; he couldn't go back to the steel rolling mill. Xu Damao had died on the way to Daxing, and the police would definitely investigate the steel rolling mill, checking who hadn't come to work that day and who was suspicious.

We can't go back to the abandoned church either. Although it's secluded, it's still a fixed location and will be found sooner or later.

He needs to move around, like a real shadow, without a fixed abode or a fixed path.

Chen Feng made up his mind not to return to the city today. He would find a place outside the city to hide for a few days and wait until things calmed down.

He walked along the railway tracks until he reached a grove of trees. Deep within the grove was an abandoned brick kiln, one he had seen before when he and his coworkers had come here for outings. That should be a good hiding place.

Chen Feng pushed his bicycle into the woods. The woods were dense, making it difficult to ride, so he simply hid the bicycle in the bushes and walked towards the brick kiln.

The brick kiln was located halfway up the mountain and had been abandoned for many years. Half of the kiln had collapsed, but the remaining part could still provide shelter from the wind and rain. Chen Feng went inside; it was empty except for some burnt bricks and weeds.

He found a clean corner to sit down and took out the cornbread he had bought that morning from his pocket. The cornbread was cold and hard, but he ate it with relish. After finishing, he drank some water and leaned against the wall to rest.

I'm tired. Not just physically, but mentally too.

It's been over half a month since the prison break. We killed Qin Huairu, crippled Yi Zhonghai, killed Director Wang, killed Jia Dongxu, and today we killed Xu Damao.

Five lives lost (including Yi Zhonghai's hand).

But not enough.

And there were Sha Zhu, Liu Guangtian, Yan Jiecheng, Liu Guangfu, Yan Jiefang... all the people who testified against him that night.

There's also Jia Zhangshi, who's been occupying the Chen family's house.

Not a single one can be spared.

Chen Feng closed his eyes, and the faces of those people flashed through his mind. Each one was very clear.

Next up, Sha Zhu.

Sha Zhu was the one who fought the hardest that night. Moreover, at Qin Huairu's funeral, Sha Zhu carried the portrait in place of Jia Dongxu and smashed the earthenware pot, as if he were Qin Huairu's real husband.

Chen Feng's lips curled into a cold smile. "You just wait, you idiot Zhu."

He needed to know Sha Zhu's whereabouts. Sha Zhu worked in the steel mill's canteen and rarely went out. But the canteen needed to buy groceries every day, and Sha Zhu would occasionally go to the market.

Perhaps we could start at the farmers' market.

Chen Feng pondered. The market was crowded, making it easy to strike and escape. But Sha Zhu was strong and difficult to deal with. He would have to use some tricks.

He remembered the dagger in his arms, the one he bought on the black market, its blade sharp enough to kill with a single blow.

But Sha Zhu is not Xu Damao. Xu Damao is timid and easy to deal with. Sha Zhu is different; he dares to fight desperately and is very strong. Once a fight breaks out, it's hard for him to escape.

We must outsmart them.

Chen Feng opened his eyes and looked at the hole in the cave ceiling. Sunlight streamed in through the hole, casting a patch of light on the ground. The patch of light moved slowly, and time passed little by little.

He needs to plan carefully.

As evening fell, Chen Feng left the brick kiln. He returned to where he had hidden his bicycle and pushed it out of the woods. It was getting dark, and there were few people on the road.

He got on his bike and rode along the country lanes towards the city. He didn't take the main roads, but instead took the country paths. He knew these paths well; he and his sister often played here when they were little.

Thinking of Xiaoyu, Chen Feng's heart ached again. Xiaoyu, where are you? Are you really dead?

Jia Dongxu said he threw her into the moat, but he didn't see the body with his own eyes. What if she's still alive? What if someone saved her?

Chen Feng shook his head, suppressing the thought. He couldn't hold onto hope; the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. He preferred to believe that Xiaoyu was dead, so at least he wouldn't have to endure the pain of loss again.

When it was completely dark, he returned to Beijing. He didn't dare take the main road, but instead slipped through the gap in the city wall.

The city was brightly lit, but there were few pedestrians on the streets. The situation had been tense these past few days, and everyone had gone home early.

Chen Feng pushed his cart, weaving through the alleyways. He was going to check out the area near the vegetable market and familiarize himself with the layout.

The market is located in the south of the city, not far from the courtyard houses. It's bustling during the day but quiet at night, with only a few vendors packing up their stalls as they return home late.

Chen Feng hid his bicycle in a dead-end alley and walked to the market. The market was deserted, but people were still moving about in the nearby alley. He hid in the shadows, observing his surroundings.

The market has three entrances: the south entrance is the largest and has the highest foot traffic; the east and west entrances are smaller and lead to residential areas. If you commit the crime here, you can leave through the east or west entrance and escape into the alleyways.

But the question is, how did we lure Sha Zhu here?

Sha Zhu works in the cafeteria, and someone else handles grocery shopping for him; he usually doesn't come to the market. Unless…

Chen Feng made up his mind to wait at the vegetable market tomorrow morning.

He returned to where he had hidden his bicycle and pushed it away. He couldn't stay in the city tonight; he had to go back to the brick kiln outside the city.

But just as he reached the breach in the city wall, he heard a whistle coming from afar. The sound grew closer, and soon several police cars drove past him from the direction he had come from, heading towards the market.

Chen Feng's heart sank. The police acted so quickly? Xu Damao's body had been found?

He dared not linger and quickened his pace to leave the city. He hopped on his bicycle and sped off towards the brick kiln.

In the darkness, he was like a black shadow, speeding along the dirt road in the suburbs. Behind him, the sound of whistles grew fainter and fainter; ahead lay the pitch-black night and a deeper hatred.

There are still many people.

Not a single one will be left.

Chen Feng gritted his teeth and pedaled even faster.

The night wind blew by, carrying a biting chill. But he didn't feel cold; he only felt a fire burning fiercely in his heart, making his whole body feel hot.

Burn it, burn it.

Burn everything to ashes.

Including himself.