Downstairs, Wen Yan had been waiting for over half an hour when he finally saw the now semi-transparent Wang Xin float out from the building.
Zhang Laoxi's brows furrowed, and he immediately raised the black umbrella to cover her.
Wang Xin opened her mouth as if to say something, but she could no longer make any sound.
Wen Yan looked at Zhang Laoxi, who shook his head.
"Her last obsession is gone; she's about to dissipate."
"Since we've met, it's fate. I'll find an opportunity to send your parents two talismans to ensure their safety during the day and peaceful sleep at night."
Hearing Zhang Laoxi's words, Wang Xin bowed gratefully, then turned to Wen Yan and bowed again. Her form gradually became transparent until she completely disappeared.
"That's it... just like that?"
"This is already the best outcome. She died a violent death and was trapped in the Domain for so long; she had long been influenced by it. Now that the Domain is collapsing, she too will be affected. If she were to forcibly remain in the mortal world any longer, it wouldn't be good for her; there would likely be no positive results."
"Thanks a lot this time."
"Don't mention it. I'm also accumulating merit."
The two exchanged a few polite words, then walked outside together.
They hadn't gone far when they heard a commotion in the distance; several security guards were running towards it.
"It's no use finding me. You've tracked me down, but I don't have any money. I'm worried sick."
The middle-aged man, dressed in a neatly ironed pink shirt, a briefcase in one hand and car keys in the other, his hair slicked back, complained with a bitter expression.
Opposite him stood a man with dark skin, a receding hairline, and an honest-looking face.
Hearing the man in the pink shirt, the honest-looking man's expression grew even more pained, and he said haltingly, "Boss, I really had no other choice but to come to you. My family is waiting for medical treatment, and I urgently need money. Please, just give me some of the wages you owe."
"I really don't have any money."
The man in the pink shirt tried to leave but was grabbed by the arm. His expression gradually grew impatient, but after a moment's thought, he opened his bag with a miserable expression.
"Look for yourself. I'm in a tough spot too. I'm swamped with problems these days. My bag's cleaner than my face; I have to stuff it with tissues just to give it some shape.
It's not that I don't want to pay you... oh right, how much do I owe you again?"
"Six thousand five hundred."
"Oh, yes, just over six thousand. You think I'd stiff you for that amount?
I was the one who fronted the money for that chemical plant project.
Now the chemical plant has been shut down, and the owner's problems seem to get bigger the more they investigate. I don't even know who to go to to get paid.
All the tools, materials, and labor for your work were paid for out of my own pocket.
I don't even have money to pay the property management fees right now!"
"Boss, I really need it urgently. If it weren't urgent, I wouldn't have traveled all this way to find you. Please, just give me something." The honest-looking man became increasingly anxious, holding tightly to the man in the pink shirt's arm, afraid he'd never find him again if he let go.
"Let go! Hurry up and let go! I don't have any money," the man in the pink shirt said, trying to push him away but unable to budge him.
"Boss, please, just a little. I really need it. My child and my elderly parent are both in the hospital. This is life-or-death money! I can't borrow from anywhere else. I wouldn't have come all this way to find you if I had any other choice." The man grew more and more agitated.
"Pei Tugou, let go! Let go, I said! I have no money!"
Their voices grew louder as they argued, attracting onlookers from a distance. Someone had already gone to notify the security guards.
The security guards saw the two men pushing and shoving from afar and hurriedly ran over. The property fees here were the highest of all the neighboring residential complexes, and many government officials from Virtue City and people from various other organizations lived here. Several leaders also resided in the complex; if there were complaints, the guards would all be fined.
Seeing the security guards arrive, the man in the pink shirt immediately clenched his teeth and yelled, "Quick, pull him away! What kind of security are you running here? You're letting people who don't even live in the complex just wander in!"
Upon hearing this, two or three security guards immediately moved to pull Pei Tugou away.
"Boss, I really need it urgently. It's life-or-death money!"
The man in the pink shirt straightened his shirt, spat on the ground with a grim face, and said, "No money. I don't care how you found me. Let me be clear: no money."
Then, looking at the security guards, he grew even more incensed. "With your level of competence, letting just anyone wander in, you still expect us residents to pay property fees? Dream on!"
As he spoke, he pulled out his phone, took a short video, and posted it to the residents' group chat.
"Everyone, take a look! This is our wonderful property management. They let anyone in willy-nilly. If I hadn't reacted quickly, who knows what might have happened? They're utterly useless, and they still charge such exorbitant property fees! With this level of service, whoever pays is a sucker!"
After sending the video, the man in the pink shirt turned and left.
Watching the man in the pink shirt walk away, Pei Tugou sat limply on the ground, as if his spirit had been drained from him, his face etched with despair and numbness.
One security guard watched the man in the pink shirt leave, then helped Pei Tugou to his feet.
A few security guards escorted Pei Tugou out of the complex. Once outside, a young security guard lingered and quietly pulled Pei Tugou aside.
"That guy is bad news; I recognize him. He's the biggest troublemaker, always complaining about this or that, and he hasn't paid his property fees in over a year.
"Just a few days ago, he took someone else's parking spot, claiming it was his, just because the owner bought the spot but doesn't live here. He started parking there every day, acting like it was his. He's so stingy, he parks his car outside the complex just to save a little money.
"Brother, don't try to enter the complex next time. If he complains, we'll definitely get our pay docked.
"He likes to park on the roadside just outside the complex. You can wait for him there. But don't say I told you."
The security guard quietly pointed out a spot and then hurried away.
Pei Tugou sat on the curb, his face a mask of confusion, completely at a loss as to where he could borrow money.
Not far away, Wen Yan, who had followed them out of the complex gates, furrowed his brows as he watched Pei Tugou.
After dealing with Feng Dongmei, his "I Am Your Dad" ability had finally increased from 1% to 2%. Besides this permanent ability, he had also gained a Temporary Ability.
This Temporary Ability hadn't shown any reaction yet, and Wen Yan hadn't had a chance to figure it out.
Now, it suddenly reacted.
Just moments ago, everything had been fine. But now, as he looked at Pei Tugou, it was as if he saw blood starting to seep from Pei Tugou's body, slowly saturating him.
A chilling sensation crept into Wen Yan's heart. The prompt that hadn't reacted when he encountered Feng Dongmei now appeared again.
He saw Pei Tugou's name, 'Pei Tugou,' appear above his head. Blood also materialized above the white characters of the name, slowly seeping into and staining the three words.
The three characters of his name slowly transformed into 'Pei Tugou.'
Especially the character for 'butcher,' which oozed blood and exuded a terrifying killing intent. A single glance sent shivers down one's spine and made every hair stand on end.
A decent person.
Do not scam a decent person, and more importantly, do not push a decent person to the breaking point.
Generating Temporary Ability… Given that he's a decent person, do you really need a Natural Enemy Professional Ability to deal with a decent person?
Do you really need it?
...
Wen Yan was speechless.
He had been watching from nearby and roughly understood what had happened: this fellow had come to collect a debt, and the other party had refused to pay.
This fellow looked the picture of decency; even his 'Profession' was 'Decent Person.' He was truly consistent, inside and out.
Why would he, for no reason, become hostile towards this fellow?
As he pondered, he saw the word "None" following "Temporary Ability" twist and distort for a moment before reverting to "None."
Yet, Wen Yan could still see blood incessantly seeping from Pei Tugou, who was almost entirely drenched in it. His name still shone with an ominous light.
That unsettling, hair-raising dread persisted, growing more intense and slowly evolving into a sense of extreme danger.
Wen Yan sighed inwardly. A decent person...
He bought three bottles of water from a nearby store, handed one to Zhang Laoxi, then walked over to Pei Tugou. Sitting down on the curb next to him, he offered him a bottle.
Pei Tugou, jolted from his daze, saw Wen Yan smiling as he handed him the water, and was somewhat at a loss.
"Brother, have some water first."
Pei Tugou, feeling awkward, looked at the water bottle thrust into his hand, momentarily unsure what to say.
"This… this…"
"I overheard a little just now but didn't get the full story. Brother, could you tell me what happened?"
Wen Yan had only spoken a few sentences, yet he felt the chilling sense of foreboding emanating from Pei Tugou begin to dissipate.
Even though, in his eyes, Pei Tugou still appeared to be covered in seeping blood, looking like a butcher who had just completed a slaughter.