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

"I'll give you three seconds to think it over." Chen Feng's voice was low, the blade of the dagger pressed tightly against Yi Zhonghai's neck. "Three, two..."

The cold metallic touch and the pressure of the countdown to death completely broke Yi Zhonghai.

"I said! Dongxu said he wanted your house, and I just gave in!" Yi Zhonghai said hurriedly, his voice distorted with fear. "The night of the fire... Jia Dongxu was carrying a bucket of kerosene... I saw him climbing out of your house in the backyard..."

Chen Feng's hand trembled slightly, and the blade dug deeper into his skin: "Continue."

"He...he said the matter was settled and asked me to help cover it up." Cold sweat dripped down Yi Zhonghai's forehead. "I was scared at the time, but he said as long as I insisted it was an accidental fire, no one would investigate. He also said...when the house becomes available, he could give me a room..."

"Where's my sister?" Chen Feng's voice was hoarse as sandpaper. "Did you see her run out?"

Yi Zhonghai's eyes flickered: "Yes... I saw Xiaoyu climb over the wall and run away... Jia Dongxu wanted to chase after her, but the fire had already started..."

"He went after him?" Chen Feng pressed his dagger even tighter.

"No...no, the fire was too big, everyone in the yard woke up..." Yi Zhonghai swallowed with difficulty, "Chen Feng, I've told you everything I know, please let me go?"

Yi Zhonghai raised his head, the dim moonlight illuminating his face, his once cunning eyes now filled only with pleading. He observed Chen Feng's expression, trying to find a hint of relenting.

In that instant, Yi Zhonghai suddenly sprang into action!

After all, he was an eighth-level fitter who had done manual labor for many years. Although he was old, he was still quite strong. He suddenly raised his hand and grabbed Chen Feng's wrist holding the knife, while rolling his body to the side in an attempt to break free.

"Someone come here! Chen Feng is here—" Yi Zhonghai's shout was cut short halfway through.

Chen Feng reacted extremely quickly. The moment Yi Zhonghai grabbed his wrist, he had already raised the sickle hidden in his sleeve with his other hand.

A flash of light appeared in the darkness!

Yi Zhonghai instinctively used his right hand to block—

"ah--!"

A piercing scream tore through the night. Half a hand flew off, blood splattering onto the walls and sheets. Yi Zhonghai clutched his severed wrist and rolled to the ground, his screams growing louder and louder.

The commotion in the inner room finally woke the sleeping woman. She groggily opened her eyes and saw her husband covered in blood and a dark figure standing by the bed. Just as she was about to scream, Chen Feng delivered a karate chop to her neck. The woman groaned and passed out.

The courtyard outside is already in chaos.

What was that sound?

"Grandpa Yi's house!"

"Quick! Chen Feng is inside!"

Footsteps, shouts, and the sound of clubs mingled together, rapidly converging on the central courtyard. Chen Feng heard Jia Dongxu and Sha Zhu's voices getting closer, along with more chaotic footsteps.

There's no time left.

Chen Feng glanced at Yi Zhonghai, who was rolling and screaming on the ground, then turned and jumped out of the kitchen window. The moment he landed, people from the front yard rushed into Yi Zhonghai's house.

"Uncle Yi! My God—"

"His hand! His hand!"

"Quick! Get him to the hospital!"

The courtyard was in complete chaos. Some people ran to find a cart, some were shouting, and some stood frozen in fear, not knowing what to do. Taking advantage of the chaos, Chen Feng moved like a ghost along the wall, quickly vaulted over the courtyard wall, and disappeared into the night.

He ran frantically, choosing narrow alleys and lanes, circling five or six streets before finally stopping in an abandoned brick kiln. His chest heaved violently, his heart pounded, and his hand gripping the knife trembled slightly.

It wasn't fear, it was anger.

Jia Dongxu.

It really was Jia Dongxu.

Chen Feng leaned against the cold wall of the brick kiln and closed his eyes. The face of Jia Dongxu floated into his mind—the face that had hypocritically greeted him before the fire, the face that was the first to rush up and slap him when Qin Huairu framed him.

It turns out everything was planned. From falsely accusing him of indecent behavior to sending him to a labor camp, and then to the fire. It was all for the sake of the Chen family's two south-facing rooms.

For the sake of two houses, they killed their parents, drove their sister away, and ruined his life.

Chen Feng opened his eyes, his gaze devoid of warmth. He pulled the sickle from his pocket, its blade still stained with Yi Zhonghai's blood. He carefully wiped it with a rag, his movements slow and focused.

Yi Zhonghai didn't die, but he lost a hand. For an eighth-level fitter, losing his dominant hand is equivalent to losing half his life. This was the price he paid, the price for tacitly condoning Jia Dongxu's evil deeds.

But this is not enough.

Jia Dongxu is still alive. His accomplices are still alive.

Chen Feng carefully put away the cleaned knife and leaned against the wall to rest. He needed to conserve his energy and calmly consider his next move.

Dawn was approaching. He had to get back to his hiding place before daybreak.

Chaos reigned in the courtyard.

When Yi Zhonghai was carried out on a door by several young men, he had already fainted from the pain. His severed wrist was simply bandaged with rags, but blood was still seeping out and dripping all the way.

"Make way! Make way!" Sha Zhu led the way, Jia Dongxu and Yan Jiecheng carried the door panel, and Liu Guangtian held up a kerosene lamp for illumination.

The streets were deserted in the dead of night, save for the sounds of their hurried footsteps and heavy breathing. Yi Zhonghai's face was deathly pale under the kerosene lamp, and his breathing was weak.

"Quick! Get to the People's Hospital!" Jia Dongxu roared.

They ran all the way and finally arrived at the hospital emergency room twenty minutes later. The doctor on duty looked at Yi Zhonghai's injuries and his expression immediately became serious.

"How did you get hurt?" the doctor asked while examining you.

"I was... I was slashed with a knife," Jia Dongxu said, panting heavily.

"A knife?" The doctor frowned. "Who did this?"

"A fugitive named Chen Feng," Sha Zhu blurted out. "Doctor, please save Grandpa Yi!"

The doctor didn't ask any more questions and immediately called a nurse to prepare for surgery. After Yi Zhonghai was wheeled into the operating room, the group breathed a sigh of relief and slumped onto a bench in the corridor.

"Chen Feng... that bastard..." Jia Dongxu gritted his teeth, "He killed Huai Ru, and then injured Master Yi, next..."

He dared not think any further.

Sha Zhu clenched his fists: "Brother Dongxu, we can't wait any longer. We have to go find him and kill him!"

"How are we supposed to find it?" Yan Jiecheng asked with a pained expression. "Even the police station can't find it, where are we supposed to look?"

"I know a few places," Jia Dongxu suddenly said, "places Chen Feng used to frequent. The dilapidated temple outside the city, the bridge archway by the moat, and..."

He paused for a moment, then added, "He might also go to see someone."

"Who?"

"Director Wang," Jia Dongxu said, "Chen Feng will definitely go to Director Wang when he interrogates Grandpa Yi about Xiaoyu's whereabouts. Let's keep watch near Director Wang's house; maybe we can catch him."

Liu Guangtian hesitated: "Is...is this appropriate? What if the police see us..."

"What are you afraid of!" Sha Zhu stood up. "We're helping the police catch a fugitive! We're ridding the people of a scourge!"

After discussing it for a while, the group decided to stake out near Director Wang's house after dawn. However, they were unaware that the area around Director Wang's house was already swarming with plainclothes police officers.

The surgery lasted three hours. At dawn, the operating room doors finally opened.

The doctor came out, looking exhausted: "The patient is out of danger for now, but his right hand...can't be saved. It's completely severed at the wrist and can't be reattached."

The people waiting in the corridor looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Then...then what about Uncle Yi in the future..." Yan Jiecheng asked cautiously.

"He'll be disabled from now on," the doctor sighed. "Go and complete the admission procedures; the patient needs to be observed for a few days."

Yi Zhonghai was still unconscious when he was wheeled out, his face pale, his right hand empty and wrapped in thick gauze. The older woman had already woken up and was taken to the hospital; upon seeing her husband's condition, she fainted again on the spot.

When Yi Zhonghai woke up again, it was already afternoon. After the anesthesia wore off, the pain from his wound made him break out in a cold sweat. He stared blankly at his empty right wrist.

"Old Yi..." An elderly woman sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes red and swollen from crying, "What happened? Chen Feng, he..."

"Don't ask anymore." Yi Zhonghai closed his eyes. "Don't ask anything."

He recalled Chen Feng's cold eyes last night, the sickle that swung down without hesitation, and the way Jia Dongxu rummaged through Chen's house with a kerosene can.

retribution.

This is retribution.

Yi Zhonghai suddenly laughed, a laugh filled with misery and despair. An older woman was startled: "Old Yi, what...what's wrong with you?"

"I deserve it," Yi Zhonghai muttered to himself. "I deserve it..."

He recalled how, over the years, he had acted like a powerful figure in the courtyard, outwardly appearing fair and impartial, but secretly accepting countless benefits and committing numerous misdeeds. For the sake of the Jia family's house, he tacitly approved Jia Dongxu's arson and murder. For the sake of his own position, he conspired with the entire courtyard to frame Chen Feng.

Now, everything has to be returned.

Chen Feng returned. He carried hatred and a knife.

Yi Zhonghai opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He remembered Chen Feng's last question—Where is Xiaoyu?

In fact, he knew more than he said. That night, he not only saw Xiaoyu climb over the wall and run away, but he also saw Jia Dongxu chase after her. Later, Jia Dongxu returned, looking very grim, holding a floral cotton-padded jacket that Xiaoyu often wore, which had bloodstains on it.

At the time, Jia Dongxu said, "That girl ran away; we can't catch her."

But Yi Zhonghai knew that Jia Dongxu was lying.

Xiaoyu may... be dead.

He had kept this secret to himself, never telling anyone. Now he wanted to tell, but it was too late. Chen Feng wouldn't let him off the hook, nor would he let Jia Dongxu off the hook.

Yi Zhonghai closed his eyes and stopped speaking.

Inside the abandoned brick kiln, Chen Feng slept until noon. He ate some hard bread, drank some water, and then began planning his next move.

Yi Zhonghai is crippled, but not dead. But it doesn't matter; he achieved his goal—he uncovered the truth and made Yi Zhonghai pay the price.

Now, it's Jia Dongxu's turn.

But Jia Dongxu was definitely on guard. After last night's commotion, the courtyard must be in a state of high alert, with even tighter security. Forcing their way in wasn't an option; they had to think of another way.

Chen Feng thought of Director Wang. He had given Director Wang three days, and one day had passed. Director Wang must be searching everywhere for Xiaoyu's whereabouts, or... he might have already reported it to the police.

Chen Feng wasn't stupid; he knew Director Wang was likely to call the police. But he didn't care. Whether the police station wanted to arrest him or the people in the courtyard wanted to kill him, one more call from Director Wang made no difference.

But he can use this.

If Director Wang calls the police, they will definitely set up an ambush near her home. If he shows up, he will be surrounded.

But what if he doesn't show up?

What if he goes somewhere else?

A cold smile curled at the corners of Chen Feng's lips. A feint, a diversionary tactic. This was his only advantage—he was in the shadows, able to change plans at any time, while those in the open could only react passively.

He decided that he would not go to Director Wang's house or the courtyard house tonight.

He was going to another place—the steel rolling mill where Jia Dongxu worked.

Jia Dongxu is a level-two fitter at the steel rolling mill, and he has to go to work every day. There is a relatively remote section of the road from the courtyard house to the steel rolling mill, which is a good place to start.

Moreover, the area around the steel rolling mill is crowded with people, making it easy to escape after a successful theft.

Chen Feng made up his mind and began preparations. He sharpened his dagger and sickle and checked his equipment. He still had a considerable amount of money left from robbing Director Wang, enough to cover his expenses for the time being.

He waited until it was getting dark before emerging from the brick kiln. Instead of going directly to the steel mill, he first went around to the west of the city and bought a small knife and a hemp rope on the black market.

A knife can be hidden in your sleeve, and rope... they're useful.

After buying his things, he found a small restaurant and ordered a bowl of noodles. This was the first time he had eaten in a restaurant since his escape. He was surrounded by ordinary people, chatting, eating, and laughing—everything seemed so normal.

Chen Feng lowered his head and ate his noodles, the steaming hot noodles warming his cold body. He remembered the past, when his parents were still alive, they would occasionally take him and his sister out to eat. His sister loved fried noodles with soybean paste, and she always added lots of cucumber shreds.

Xiaoyu, where are you?

Chen Feng put down his chopsticks, paid the bill, and walked out of the restaurant. It was completely dark outside, and the wind was biting cold.

He wrapped his tattered cotton-padded coat tightly around himself and walked toward the steel rolling mill.

The steel rolling mill was brightly lit at night, and the workers, working in three shifts, were still busy. Chen Feng hid in an alley across from the factory, observing the situation.

He gets off work at 10 p.m. It's still early, so he needs to wait patiently.

Time ticked by. Chen Feng leaned against the wall, closing his eyes to rest. His mind raced through the plan—wait for Jia Dongxu to get off work, follow him to a secluded spot, strangle him with a rope, drag him into an alley, and then…

Then they asked about Xiaoyu's whereabouts.

If Jia Dongxu doesn't speak up, then let him experience the same suffering that Qin Huairu and Yi Zhonghai endured.

If he said...

Chen Feng opened his eyes, his gaze icy.

If he said that Xiaoyu was still alive, he would take Xiaoyu and run away together.

If Xiaoyu dies...

Then Jia Dongxu will have to pay the price.

The cost is ten times, a hundred times.

The sound of a car horn signaling the end of the workday came from afar. Chen Feng immediately perked up and gripped the hemp rope hidden in his sleeve.

Workers began pouring out of the factory gate, the sounds of bicycle bells, laughter, and coughs mingling together. Chen Feng searched carefully through the crowd and finally spotted that familiar figure.

Jia Dongxu pushed his bicycle out with several coworkers. He looked haggard, his eyes red and swollen, clearly having slept poorly the night before. His coworkers seemed to be comforting him; he forced a smile, said a few words, and then rode off alone in another direction.

Chen Feng quietly followed, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Length of night.

The revenge continues.