Chapter 149: I Have Been to Hell [4]

Bang!

The gunshot rang out mercilessly.

A bullet suddenly erupted from Chen Chuandong’s muzzle, grazing Yan Yu’s shoulder and flying straight toward Zhang Ligong.

In that briefest of instants, while others might not have had time to think, Zhang Ligong's mind flashed with countless memories.

He remembered the times he and Hachiko had shared a single bowl of food after completing a mission.

He remembered the image of Hachiko bravely stepping forward when danger threatened.

He remembered the look in Hachiko’s eyes as the dog wept the day they parted ways.

Revenge had never been Zhang Ligong’s true intention; he did not wish to take lives. He merely hoped that humanity could treat every single life with sincerity and respect.

Especially Hachiko, who had given its entire life for humankind.

"Woof!!"

At that very moment, Hachiko suddenly bolted out from the side, throwing itself in front of Zhang Ligong!

Spirits are naturally formless and intangible, but Hachiko gathered every ounce of its remaining strength, broke through the shackles of its spiritual form, and exhausted all its power to forcefully alter the bullet's trajectory!

Bang!

The bullet deflected, shattering the only streetlamp in the narrow alley.

Yan Yu watched as Hachiko, having spent its every last strength to protect Zhang Ligong, reached the verge of complete dissipation, its soul on the brink of scattering into nothingness.

"Hachiko!"

Seeing this, all of Zhang Ligong’s psychological defenses instantly collapsed. He dropped his dagger, fell to his knees, and pulled Hachiko tightly into his arms.

"You silly child... Once I'm gone, the two of us can be comrades again, family once more..."

Hachiko was infinitely weak, yet it still managed to stick out its tongue and lick Zhang Ligong’s cheek, feeling his bristly stubble as if trying to comfort him.

As Hachiko collapsed, the surrounding evil spirits also abandoned their hostility. They gathered around Hachiko, emitting soft, mournful whimpers.

They, too, were grieving for Hachiko and Zhang Ligong.

The world seemed to fall silent. In Yan Yu’s ears, there was only Zhang Ligong’s hysterical weeping; in his eyes, there was only Hachiko’s form slowly fading away.

Wang Mo and Chen Chuandong led their colleagues rushing into the alley, swiftly subduing and restraining both Yan Yu and Zhang Ligong.

"The man is dead!" someone shouted.

Chen Chuandong turned back, looking at Zhang Ligong with a trace of disbelief in his eyes: "Master... why is it you?"

With empty hands and reddened eye rims, Zhang Ligong gave a bitter smile. "I'm sorry, I've brought shame upon you all."

"Why..." Chen Chuandong couldn't bear to imagine the crushing, lifelong guilt he would have carried had his shot actually struck Zhang Ligong.

"This matter has nothing to do with this young brother. I killed them all—that fat man, and Cui Hao before him."

"Dongzi, all these sins are mine alone. Take me back, and I will explain everything to you slowly."

Gritting his teeth, Chen Chuandong personally slipped the handcuffs onto Zhang Ligong's wrists.

Yan Yu watched everything in silence.

As Zhang Ligong brushed past him, he murmured quietly, "Young brother, I was the one behind it all. Please spare the other dogs and let them go to reincarnation early... In their next lives, may they never be dogs again."

Yan Yu’s throat tightened. "I will."

"Thank you."

A look of liberation crossed Zhang Ligong’s face as he was escorted toward the police car.

"Yan Yu, it’s you again." Wang Mo felt a headache coming on as he looked at the restrained Yan Yu.

"I just happened to be walking my dog past here and stumbled upon Master Zhang in the middle of a murder," Yan Yu said calmly. "You can just think of me as a jinx."

Wang Mo waved a hand at his colleagues. "Let him go. This kid isn't a killer."

Skeptical, the officers released him. Yan Yu sat alone with Big Black in the corner of the alley.

After Hachiko’s soul dissipated, the remaining evil spirits seemed to have lost their anchor. No longer ferocious and menacing, they huddled together in the corners like lost, disoriented infants, emitting pitiful, whimpering sounds.

Sitting on the ground and watching the personnel busy with forensic work, the once-unshakeable conviction in Yan Yu's heart suddenly began to waver.

"Big Black, can sinners in this world really be judged in the underworld and sent to hell for punishment?" Yan Yu asked the large dog beside him.

He had never been to the netherworld; he had no idea what it was truly like down there.

What if there was no netherworld, no hell, no Yama to uphold justice for the dead in this world...

"Hell is empty, and the devils are walking among men."

At that moment, Liang Youchuan’s figure suddenly appeared beside Yan Yu. His clothes were immaculate, yet he sat down right next to Yan Yu without a single care.

Yan Yu looked at Liang Youchuan without a word.

"It's precisely because too many bad people escape punishment that people like us need to walk this earth," Liang Youchuan said, lighting a cigarette and holding out the pack to Yan Yu.

Refusing the pack, Yan Yu asked instead, "It was you, wasn't it?"

"I knew you wouldn't be so easily fooled," Liang Youchuan replied with a hint of mild annoyance.

"You were the one who helped Master Zhang communicate with Hachiko. You were the one who gave him the clues, leading him and Hachiko to take revenge on Cui Hao and that fat man."

Earlier, Yan Yu had only suspected it, but as time went on, he grew increasingly convinced that something was wrong with Liang Youchuan.

As the sole dog owner in the apartment building, regardless of any evidence, Yan Yu should have been Liang Youchuan's primary suspect. How could Liang Youchuan possibly have dismissed Yan Yu’s suspicion outright and even allowed him to bring Big Black into Cui Hao’s home?

His true purpose had been to lure He Kuan out, thereby clearing Yan Yu and Big Black of suspicion once and for all. He had never intended to drag Yan Yu into this from the very beginning.

Later, when Liang Youchuan saw Liu Yuxin, he had stopped the car and refused to approach, fearing his identity would be exposed and noticed by Yan Yu.

"Why did you do this?" Yan Yu asked coldly.

If Cui Hao and that fat man were demons, then Liang Youchuan was helping Zhang Ligong turn both himself and Hachiko into demons, using demonic methods to exact revenge.

This ran completely counter to Yan Yu’s usual principles.

Liang Youchuan shook his head, gently stroking Big Black's back, and said indifferently, "Everyone has their own way of walking through this world. You and I simply hold different views."

"Did you do all this just to help Master Zhang and Hachiko get revenge?" Yan Yu found it hard to believe.

Yet Liang Youchuan nodded, taking it for granted. "Helping those who lack the means to avenge themselves, making the wicked face punishment ahead of time—that is simply what I wish to do."

"Such reckless methods sound rather like the style of the Ghost Valley Sect."

"The Ghost Valley Sect?" Liang Youchuan let out a dismissive chuckle. "Yan Yu, this world is far more complex than you can possibly imagine. In time, you will gradually understand."

Yan Yu said in a low voice, "Uncle Liang, I have the time right now, and I'd be more than happy to hear you talk about the world as you see it."

"The world as I see it?"

The corners of Liang Youchuan's mouth curled up slightly. "The world in my eyes is riddled with holes and scarred beyond recognition."

"I have been to hell, and so I understand... humans are far more terrifying than ghosts!"