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

Before dawn, the sound of a whistle shattered the tranquility of the early morning.

Three jeeps and an ambulance sped into the alley and stopped in front of the courtyard house. The car doors slammed open, and more than a dozen police officers jumped out, led by Officer Zhang. His face was ashen, and his eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating he hadn't slept all night.

A crowd had already gathered at the entrance of the courtyard, pointing and whispering among themselves. Officer Zhang pushed through the crowd and strode into the courtyard.

The sight before him made him gasp.

Several corpses lay scattered in the yard. In the front yard, Yan Bugui lay face up, a deep gash on his neck a horrifying sight, his eyes wide open, his death unresolved. The blood had congealed into a dark red, pooling on the ground.

At the Intermediate People's Court, in front of Liu Haizhong's house, lay two corpses—Liu Haizhong had a knife wound to the neck, blood staining half his body; Liu Guangqi had a bloody hole in his chest, clearly a gunshot wound. Beside them sat a young man, clutching his right arm, his arm wrapped in a tattered cloth soaked in blood; this was Liu Guangfu.

Two corpses lay in the backyard, but the air was thick with the stench of blood.

The other survivors in the compound gathered in the middle courtyard. There were men and women, young and old, and their faces were filled with fear and exhaustion. Some of them also had injuries—scratches, cuts, and bruises, clearly left over from the chaos of the previous night.

Officer Zhang's gaze swept across the faces, finally landing on Liu Guangfu: "What happened?"

Liu Guangfu raised his head, his eyes bloodshot: "Chen Feng... Chen Feng is here... He killed Yan Bugui, killed my father and my brother..."

His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping. With each word he spoke, the wound on his right arm throbbed with pain, but he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a single groan.

Officer Zhang walked to Liu Haizhong's body and knelt down to examine it. The knife wound on his neck was clean, a single fatal blow. Liu Guangqi's gunshot wound to the chest was also precise, right to his heart.

It was Chen Feng again. Clean, efficient, and ruthless.

"Tell me the details from the beginning," Officer Zhang stood up.

Liu Guangfu took a deep breath and began to recount his story. From hearing Yan Bugui's screams last night, to discovering Yan Bugui's murder, to the attack on Liu Haizhong's house, Liu Guangqi being shot, himself being injured, and Chen Feng escaping by climbing over the wall... With each sentence he spoke, the atmosphere in the courtyard became more oppressive.

Officer Zhang listened attentively, occasionally asking a few questions.

"When did Chen Feng arrive?"

"Around... twelve o'clock," Liu Guangfu said, "I heard Yan Bugui shout something, and then..."

"Is he alone?"

"Yes, alone."

"With so many of you, how could you not stop him?"

Liu Guangfu lowered his head: "He...he has a gun. My brother was shot and killed by him. We...we dare not charge in."

Officer Zhang remained silent. He knew that ordinary people would indeed be afraid when facing an armed desperado. Moreover, Chen Feng had acted with such ruthlessness; who would dare risk their life?

He walked over to Yan Bugui's body and examined it. The location and depth of the cut were similar to those in Liu Haizhong's case, so it should be the same knife.

"Where's the weapon?" he asked.

"Chen Feng took him away," Liu Guangfu said. "He ran away after killing people."

Officer Zhang nodded and began directing the on-site investigation. The forensic doctors and investigators busied themselves, taking photos, measuring, and collecting traces. But everyone knew there wouldn't be any clues—Chen Feng was too professional; he killed, fled, and left no trace, all in one smooth motion.

A young policeman walked over and whispered to Officer Zhang, "Captain Zhang, I've asked around. There were at least a dozen people in the compound last night, all armed, but no one dared to fight Chen Feng head-on. Chen Feng fired two shots, hitting Liu Guangqi and Liu Guangfu, and then jumped over the wall and ran away."

"Was a search conducted outside the Great Firewall?"

"We searched, but found nothing. Chen Feng knows the terrain very well and runs very fast."

Zhang Gong'an rubbed his temples. This Chen Feng was more difficult to deal with than he had imagined. He had already killed nine people (including Yi Zhonghai), and several others were injured. Moreover, he had a gun, a knife, and counter-surveillance capabilities; he was like an eel, impossible to catch or touch.

But what worried Zhang, the police officer, even more was the people in the compound. In their eyes, besides fear, there was something else—hatred, despair, and a ruthless determination to burn one's bridges.

He'd seen that kind of ruthlessness before. Back when they were suppressing bandits, those driven to the brink had that same look in their eyes. These kinds of people weren't just afraid of death, they were even more afraid of living, afraid of suffering while alive. To survive, they'd do anything.

"Interrogate all the survivors separately and take individual statements. Especially Liu Guangfu, ask him carefully about every detail of last night, don't miss a single one."

"Yes."

The assistant went to make the arrangements. Officer Zhang then walked around the courtyard again, checking on those who were still alive.

The three women sat beside Yan Bugui's body, too exhausted to cry anymore, their tears flowing mechanically. Yan Jiefang stood beside his mother, head bowed, fists clenched tightly.

The second aunt was still unconscious and was carried inside, where several women were taking care of her. Liu Guangfu's wound was simply bandaged, but blood was still seeping out, so he needed to go to the hospital.

There were also other residents in the courtyard, men, women, and children, totaling less than twenty people. Everyone was like a frightened bird, trembling at the slightest sound.

This courtyard is completely destroyed.

Police Officer Zhang walked up to Yan Jiefang and asked, "Where were you last night?"

"At...home," Yan Jiefang said softly, "I only came out after hearing the noise."

"Have you seen Chen Feng?"

"I saw it," Yan Jiefang said. "He ran past my door with a knife in his hand, and the knife was covered in blood."

"What did you do?"

"I...I..." Yan Jiefang lowered his head, "I hid."

Officer Zhang didn't ask any more questions. He knew that it was normal for a nineteen-year-old to hide after witnessing such a scene. If he had rushed in, he might be the one lying on the ground now.

He walked up to Liu Guangfu and said, "You need to go to the hospital for your injury."

"I'm not going," Liu Guangfu shook his head. "I want to avenge my father and my brother."

"Revenge?" Officer Zhang stared at him. "How will you take revenge? Go find Chen Feng? Do you even know where he is?"

"I..." Liu Guangfu was speechless.

"What you need most right now is treatment," Officer Zhang said. "If the wound gets infected, your arm might be useless. Your father and brother are already dead. If something happens to you, what will happen to your mother?"

When his mother was mentioned, Liu Guangfu fell silent. Yes, his mother was still unconscious and needed someone to take care of her.

"Xiao Wang," Zhang Gong'an called over a policeman, "take Liu Guangfu to the hospital to treat his wounds."

"Yes."

Xiao Wang helped Liu Guangfu walk out. Liu Guangfu kept turning back to look at the bodies of his father and brother, tears welling up in his eyes again.

Officer Zhang sighed. This young man, barely in his early twenties, had lost his father and brother overnight, and was injured himself. How would he survive?

The investigation lasted for more than two hours. Preliminary forensic examination determined that Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong were both killed by the same knife, with the time of death between midnight and 1 a.m. last night. Liu Guangqi was shot to death with a Type 54 pistol bullet, the same type as the bullets found in the three bodies at the land temple.

It's Chen Feng again.

No valuable clues were left at the scene. Apart from bloodstains, there were some messy footprints, but they had all been destroyed in the chaos of the previous night and could not be retrieved.

"Captain Zhang," a police officer approached, "everyone in the compound says Chen Feng escaped by climbing over the back wall. There are some marks on the wall, but they're not obvious. Outside the wall is a dead-end alley; nobody usually goes there."

Police Chief Zhang nodded: "Expand the search area. Centered on the courtyard house, search every possible hiding place within a one-kilometer radius. Abandoned houses, under bridges, air-raid shelters, shantytowns... leave no place unchecked."

"yes!"

"Also," Officer Zhang added, "notify all police stations to increase patrols, especially at night. Chen Feng has a gun now, he's very dangerous."

The police officers obeyed and left. Officer Zhang stood in the courtyard, looking at the corpses, his heart heavy.

Nine lives lost. Qin Huairu, Jia Dongxu, Director Wang, Xu Damao, Yan Jiecheng, Liu Guangtian, Yi Zhonghai, Yan Bugui, Liu Haizhong. And Liu Guangqi, the tenth.

So many lives lost, so many families destroyed. And he, the police officer in charge of the case, couldn't even catch a glimpse of the killer.

The sense of defeat was like a huge rock, making it hard for him to breathe.

But he knew he couldn't stop. Chen Feng was still outside, and he would kill again. The next target could be Liu Guangfu, Yan Jiefang, or anyone else in the compound.

He must capture Chen Feng before more people die.

At the same time, in the mass grave in the west of the city.

Chen Feng woke up under a withered tree. He had escaped here last night when it was almost dawn. He found a secluded spot, lay down, and fell asleep without even dreaming.

I woke up now, my whole body aches. Last night's fight, although I wasn't seriously injured, was very physically demanding. Also, my right arm was cut by Liu Guangfu's cleaver; although it wasn't deep, it still bled quite a bit.

He tore off a piece of cloth and re-bandaged the wound. Then he took out his dry rations—two hard cornbread buns—from his pocket and slowly ate them with cold water.

He was thinking about what happened last night.

Yan Bugui is dead, Liu Haizhong is dead, Liu Guangqi is dead, and Liu Guangfu is injured. The enemies in the courtyard are fewer than before.

But that wasn't enough. There was also Liu Guangfu, Yan Jiefang, Jia Zhangshi, Auntie Yi, Auntie Er, Auntie San... and all the other people in the courtyard who contributed money.

Not a single one can be spared.

But after last night's commotion, the people in the courtyard are definitely more vigilant. And the police must know now and will intensify their search. It will be much more difficult for him to go to the courtyard to commit murder again.

And... he remembered Xiaoyu. Old Sun said that Xiaoyu might have been here, and might still be alive.

He needs to find Xiaoyu first. Find his sister, then take her away. Revenge can come later.

Chen Feng stood up and wandered around the mass grave. The graves stood side by side, some with tombstones, some without. The weeds grew taller than a person, rustling in the wind like countless whispers.

He searched carefully for any possible clues—footprints, clothing, signs of daily life. But after searching for a long time, he found nothing.

Maybe Xiaoyu came, but she left a long time ago. It's been months; she can't stay here forever.

Where could she go? A fifteen-year-old girl with no money and no identity, where could she go?

Chen Feng thought of the shantytowns in the city. They were a melting pot of all sorts of people, a good place to hide. Xiao Yu might go there, making a living by begging or doing odd jobs.

He decided to go to the shantytown to look for something.

But before that, he needed to treat his wounds and replenish his strength. Besides, he still had a considerable amount of money on him—five or six hundred yuan, stolen from Yan Bugui, Yi Zhonghai, and Li Jianguo. That would last him a long time.

He needed to find a place to change his clothes, buy some medicine, and then go to the shantytown.

Chen Feng left the mass grave and headed towards the city. He took detours, choosing secluded spots. He remained vigilant, always ready to hide.

Strangely, there was no martial law on the streets as expected. Although police patrols could be seen occasionally, their numbers were small, and there was no tense atmosphere.

It seems the news from the courtyard house hasn't spread yet. Or perhaps the police have blocked the information to avoid causing panic.

That's good. It allows him to move around more freely.

Chen Feng walked to a shantytown in the west of the city. He knew this place well; he had hidden there for a few days before. He knew where he could buy things and where he could rent a house.

He first found a secluded spot, changed his clothes—clothes he'd picked up from a garbage dump, worn but clean. He then washed his face and combed his hair. He looked like an ordinary homeless person, unlikely to attract attention.

Then he found a small clinic and bought some anti-inflammatory medicine and gauze. The doctor at the clinic glanced at him but didn't ask any questions—injured people were common in the shantytown, nothing unusual.

After treating his wound, Chen Feng bought some food and water. Then he wandered around the shantytown, his eyes scanning every corner, searching for Xiaoyu.

But he knew the hope was slim. The shantytown was so large, housing thousands of people; finding just one person was incredibly difficult.

Moreover, Xiaoyu may have already left. Perhaps she went to another city, or perhaps... she's already dead.

Chen Feng dared not think any further. He forced himself to believe that Xiaoyu was still alive, somewhere, waiting for him to find her.

He spent the entire day wandering around the shantytown, asking several people, but none of them said they had seen a girl around fifteen years old with a mole on her neck. Some people were impatient, some were wary, and some simply ignored him.

As darkness fell, Chen Feng found an abandoned shack and settled down temporarily. He sat in a corner, munching on dry rations, feeling utterly lost.

The revenge is not yet complete. My sister is still not found. The road ahead is long, and I know not where it will end.

But he knew he couldn't stop. If he stopped, he would lose everything.

He had to keep going. Keep killing, keep searching. Until he had killed all his enemies, until he had found his sister.

Or, until one dies.

Night has come again.

Chen Feng lay in the shack, his eyes closed. But he couldn't sleep; his mind was filled with the blood from last night and Xiao Yu's face.

The sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance, growing louder and then fading away. The police were still searching for him.

But he doesn't care.

Blood debts must be repaid in blood.

Not a single one will be left.