A young man dressed in white shirt and black pants crawled out of a snakeskin bag. His hands and feet were tied with ropes, and his mouth was gagged with a rag, so he could only make "woo-woo" sounds.
His name is Lu Lei, just an ordinary freshman at Nanjing University. Today, while he was on the bus, he spotted a pickpocket who looked like a child stealing the wallet of a middle-aged woman in front of him.
The upright Lu Lei stepped forward and caught the child red-handed.
Just as he was about to take the child to the police station, the middle-aged woman in front of him simply grabbed her wallet and hurriedly ran away without even saying thank you.
Just as he was wondering what was going on, several burly men surrounded him. When they arrived at another station, they pushed and shoved him off the train. They took him to a secluded corner, knocked him unconscious, and stuffed him into a snakeskin bag.
What hurt him the most was that when he was being forcibly taken away by several burly men, not a single person stepped forward to help him. Everyone pretended not to see anything, sitting in their chairs, eyes fixed straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to what the thieves were doing to him.
When Lu Lei was pushed off the bus, he turned around and saw the looks in those people's eyes. There was pity, sympathy, schadenfreude, and mockery. His heart sank to the bottom and he trembled with cold.
Was I wrong to act bravely and righteously?
With this thought in mind, Lu Lei was knocked unconscious and stuffed into a snakeskin bag. He stayed in this dark and cramped space for nearly four hours before being thrown onto a pile of stones. Only just now did he see a faint glimmer of light—a fire burning.
Old Liu took the switchblade and slapped it twice on his face, then said fiercely, "Being a hero is all that matters. See who dares to save you, you idiot."
"Waaaaah!"
Lu Lei's mouth was stuffed with a towel, and he struggled desperately. His hands were tightly bound with hemp rope, and the more he struggled, the tighter the rope became. Large red marks appeared on his wrists, and the rough hemp rope had chafed through the surface of his skin, causing small wounds that began to bleed slowly.
Lu Lei clearly felt the cold metal gently patting his face. The urge to urinate rushed to his head, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably, turning him into a sieve. Tears streamed down his face, mixing with snot, and he looked at Lao Liu with pleading eyes.
Beneath his fearful exterior, Lu Lei began to hate those cowards who refused to step forward to help, even the person he had helped had run away.
She could have saved herself by calling the police, but she didn't. She only thought about her own safety and never considered the danger Lu Lei was facing. Human nature is so selfish.
Lu Lei began to curse those people in his heart. Their gazes were like sharp daggers, tearing apart the integrity and kindness that Lu Lei had originally upheld.
"Weren't you supposed to be so brave? Why didn't you continue to uphold your justice? You almost got me sent to the police station. I've been doing this for so many years, and I almost capsized because of you. If you're so capable, then show some backbone."
When Lao Liu saw Lu Lei crying, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. The other five people also laughed, watching the brave young man with great interest.
The leader remained calm, spitting on his hand as he continued counting money, saying without looking up, "Anyway, we've already caught him. Sixth Brother, after you've vented your anger, we'll find a place to bury him. It's not like it's the first time we've done something like this."
"Alright, this is a good opportunity to test if my swordsmanship has deteriorated. After all, I haven't used it for so many years since I learned it from my master."
The sixth brother brandished his small knife, waving it in the air, which drew laughter from the others.
Waaaaah~
Hearing that this group of people wanted to kill him, Lu Lei struggled even more fiercely, but to no avail. He could only watch helplessly as Lao Liu brandished the knife at him.
Lu Lei's pupils slowly dilated, losing their luster. If time could turn back, he would never again speak up to help others. Recalling the indifference of those people, a surge of resentment welled up within him, growing stronger and stronger, and he screamed wildly in his heart:
"Why don't good people get good rewards? Why are people so indifferent? I still have so many years of my youth to enjoy, and I'm going to die here. I'm not willing to accept this!"
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Chapter 76: The Supreme Emperor
"Why is my sense of justice not being rewarded? Was I wrong? Shouldn't I have stood up to help others?"
No, the fault isn't mine, it's the world's! Oh, heavens, why have you treated me so cruelly!
Lu Lei's expression became increasingly distorted, completely different from his previous youthful appearance; it was terrifying and ugly.
The immense sense of disparity and the fear in his heart caused his thoughts to undergo a complete transformation.
His eyes gleamed with hatred and resentment. In his mind, every bystander was an accomplice. He began to harbor unparalleled resentment towards the world, and he hated the world's indifference.
After the resentment in his heart reached its limit, a subtle change began to occur. Tears of fear filled his eyes, blurring his world. He could only vaguely see Xiao Liu's figure slowly approaching. It seemed that a Grim Reaper in a black cloak was floating in the air, his skull head making a strange laugh at him, and his scythe was raised high, ready to be swung down at any moment.
"This filthy world needs the Lord to save it!"
Driven by intense fear and a strong will to survive, Lu Lei began to idealize, placing his hopes on a vague and ethereal god.
In just a few minutes, an atheist turned into a fanatic.
Therefore, fear and suffering are the best nourishment for faith; without them, believers would lose their need for the divine. Thus, in numerous mythological texts, there are so many legends of gods destroying the world. Are the reasons for these world-ending events merely the wrath of the gods after humanity's mistakes?
Actually, that's not the case. It's just that the gods need to use fear to maintain the awe and faith that all living beings have in Him. It is the existence that humans worship because they fear power!
Because all beings are lambs, only by submitting to fear can they return to the Lord's embrace. Therefore, the Lord created fear, just as light is made more precious by the contrast with darkness.
Xiao Liu had no idea that the college student in front of him had changed so much in just a few minutes. He assumed that Lu Lei was just stunned, so he squatted down and pinched Lu Lei's delicate skin.
Amidst Lao Liu's sinister laughter, the knife pierced Lu Lei's skin, drawing a line of blood with a gentle touch.
First, dense beads of blood appeared on the wound, then a large amount of bright red blood flowed onto the ground, staining this dirty, dark land with a blood-red hue, like a piece of black cloth being painted with the brightest red paint.
"Am I really going to die?!" Lu Lei's eyes gradually lost their color.
"His hands weave the destiny of all things; with eyes open comes daytime, with eyes closed comes night. He is creation and destruction; the sky is His countenance, and thunder is His wrath. He holds the scepter of truth, and the devout lambs prostrate at His feet, enjoying His blessings!"
A vast and ethereal voice resounded in Lu Lei's heart, as if the gods were singing praises and all things were rejoicing.
"Lost lamb, why do you call me?" A mysterious and unknown great being descended and asked Lu Lei.
Upon hearing this voice, Lu Lei's eyes regained their vitality, his gaze became even more devout, and tears welled up in his eyes again. This time, they were not tears of fear, but tears of joy from the bottom of his heart, like the joy of a child who has been lost for a long time and is afraid of being alone, when he finds his home.
Old Six was slashing Lu Lei's arm with a knife. His entire hand was stained red, and the pungent smell of blood filled Old Six's nostrils, further fueling his madness.
The others ate while watching Lao Liu torture Lu Lei, expressing their admiration for Lao Liu's ruthlessness.
Suddenly, a smile appeared on Lu Lei's lips, a simple smile, as pure and innocent as that of a newborn baby.
The five people who were watching the play suddenly felt a tightness in their chests, as if a large hand had gripped their hearts, making it hard to breathe.