Tempering the soul

Chapter 1

Episode 1: Like an Inner Strength Drug - Justice in the Darkness

Every metropolis has its dark corners, and this is one of them. Some people call it the old town, while others call it the shantytown. In any case, it means the same thing: the houses here are very old and fall under the category of old district renovation.

The more desirable the location, the better, because it is usually the original core of the city, and therefore the cost of redevelopment here is also higher.

But no matter what, one thing cannot be hidden: the people living here are usually poor. Although the saying "poverty makes people lose their ambition" is just a slander from the rich, the security situation here is indeed quite chaotic.

Hongzhen Old Street, a name that was famous in Shanghai since the old society, is still a name that is often borrowed in the new century. However, this borrowing usually means, "Hey kid, I'm from Hongzhen Old Street. I'm a little short of money right now, how about lending me some?"

In Shanghai, petty thugs call this "aofen," and the infamous Hongzhen Old Street is what they use to scare people and embolden themselves.

The alleyways of Hongzhen Old Street are quite narrow, and the dim lighting provides limited light and shadow compared to the darkness of the night. Even if it's not pitch black, you definitely can't see a person's face across the street. Moreover, this area is scheduled for demolition in a couple of days, leaving only those who haven't found new homes or holdouts. The sparse population makes the place feel even more eerie.

A gentle breeze blew through the alleyway entrance, and a young man walked in, his collar tightly wrapped around his neck, his hands in his pockets, and his neck completely tucked into the warm collar. This was our Zhang Lei.

Zhang Lei had only walked a few steps when he heard hurried, chaotic footsteps coming from the other end of the alley. A woman, who appeared to be wearing a tight leather skirt, rushed out from the other end, followed by several indistinct figures, seemingly carrying something in their hands.

"Please, save me!" The woman's entire body was practically hanging on Zhang Lei. Her elastic breasts, taut in her leather jacket, were pleasing even through the thick fabric. Although he couldn't see the color clearly, Zhang Lei subconsciously sensed that the woman was wearing a red, tight-fitting leather outfit.

While Zhang Lei was still enjoying the soft feeling on his arm, the others arrived behind him, carrying several wooden sticks in a very unprofessional manner, without even knowing to bring a professional watermelon knife.

"Kid, this is none of your business, get out of here and mind your own business!" A stick was practically poking Zhang Lei's nose. "Or else, hmph!"

As if in sync with his tone, the other three men tapped his hand repeatedly with sticks, the threat unmistakable.

"I never intended to meddle in your business, so do as you please!" Zhang Lei raised an eyebrow and swept the woman off him as if he were sweeping away trash.

"You, you coward!" The woman seemed not to have expected to be treated this way. Perhaps in her opinion, any man should lose all ability to think independently once she leaned on him. Unfortunately, the lighting was not good, so her surprised expression could not be seen clearly.

However, perhaps it was precisely because of the poor lighting that the woman's charm could not be fully displayed, which is why Zhang Lei ignored her.

Seeing that Zhang Lei had no intention of standing up for her, the woman let go of Zhang Lei and ran towards the alley entrance. The burly men didn't argue with Zhang Lei anymore and quickly chased after her.

This was supposed to be Zhang Lei's chance to play the hero and save the damsel in distress, but he let it slip by. However, it was clear that fate was not going to waste such a well-arranged performance. Another young man walked in from the alleyway, seemingly radiating a light of justice that shone so brightly in the dark alley that it was hard to open one's eyes.

The same scene, the same treatment, played out less than three steps away, only the outcome was slightly different. This time, the woman encountered a truly passionate young man, for whom acting bravely for a just cause seemed to be his trademark.

In fact, not many people would pass up the opportunity to be a hero and save a damsel in distress, let alone such a stunning woman with a curvaceous figure and long legs. Zhang Lei clearly saw the young man's hand seemingly unintentionally brush against her shapely buttocks.

Perhaps the young man was truly skilled, or perhaps the four others were too guilty to continue the fight, or perhaps the woman's sexy cheers had an amplifying effect; in this one-on-four battle, the righteous young man who entered later completely gained the upper hand.

Four useless idiots ran past Zhang Lei, the one in the middle cursing and swearing at the same old clichés, like "You little bastard, just you wait" and "Don't you dare leave," nothing new. No wonder they couldn't even kidnap a little girl; Earth is just too dangerous for them these days.

Now the woman was smug. She linked arms with the "righteous hero" and walked past Zhang Lei, saying in a clear voice, "Coward, are you even a man?"

She seemed to be talking to herself, not even glancing at Zhang Lei, but her voice was loud and clear, like a poem being recited on stage, with intonation that left no doubt that she had the potential to be a singer.

Zhang Lei shook his head and stepped aside to wait for them to pass.

The alleyways here weren't very wide, so while two people could pass side by side without much trouble, three people, regardless of whether there was a petite and lovely woman in the middle, felt rather cramped. But the woman clearly had no intention of letting go of the hero's arm and walking past him one after the other, so she just squeezed through.

Zhang Lei leaned against a door, waiting for the conjoined twins who had just come together to move over, so that there would be a little more space. Just then, the hero moved; a blackened dagger emerged from under the woman's armpit and headed straight for Zhang Lei's abdomen.

Zhang Lei pinched the tip of the dagger between two fingers. "Heh..." His laughter was cut short. Although Zhang Lei's two fingers had pinched the tip of the dagger, the dagger did not stop completely. It paused briefly between Zhang Lei's fingers before thrusting forward again.

The black paint faded from the area where Zhang Lei's fingers had touched, revealing a chilling glint in the front. It turned out that the coating on the knife wasn't just for concealing its gleam; it also acted as a lubricant. Zhang Lei felt a slight tingling sensation on his fingers, wondering if it might even contain a deadly poison. How thoughtful of him!

The knife, gripped by Zhang Lei, emitted a grating scraping sound. No matter what kind of lubrication was used on the blade, it was useless once Zhang Lei's fingers were embedded in the steel.

The young man's expression changed. He released the dagger, let go of the woman's slender waist, and turned to run away.

Unfortunately, he could only move his upper body. The foot that had been closest to Zhang Lei was firmly pinned to the ground by the dagger. Blood mixed with the paint from the knife shimmered eerily in the pool beneath his feet.

"Little guy, what? You're not convinced?" With two crisp cracking sounds, the young man's arm fell limp. Zhang Lei had shattered his collarbone with two Dragon Eye Fists. "Don't worry, I won't give you a chance to retaliate!"

"How did you find out?!" The young man knew that the person in front of him wasn't known for his speed. If he hadn't spotted him beforehand and waited there, his knife wouldn't have been caught, let alone the tip. Moreover, if he hadn't left enough space, even if the tip had been caught, the sudden thrust of the blade, lubricated, would have killed him. Zhang Lei wasn't wrong; the tip of the knife was highly poisonous. Even a slight cut would be fatal. The young man was able to hold on because he had taken the antidote first.

"Your actions have too many flaws. First of all, this woman's acting is too exaggerated!" Zhang Lei pointed at the woman who was slowly shrinking back. "Stop right there. I didn't say you could leave. Don't blame me if you move again!"

At the same time, the young man who heard this glared at the woman. Whether she was frightened by Zhang Lei or afraid of the young man, the white powder on her face could not hide the bluish-green tinge showing through.

"Secondly, the four people they hired didn't act at all..."

Zhang Lei was interrupted by the woman's scream before he could finish speaking. "You're talking nonsense! Those four people aren't fake at all. I attracted real thugs. They had no idea they were acting!"

"Uh!" Zhang Lei paused for a moment after hearing this. "Okay, okay, even so, you still have many flaws. The most important point is!"

Zhang Lei coughed twice to clear his throat. Whether it was a lucky coincidence or not, he was still a little proud of himself for anticipating the enemy's move. "You guys must have investigated me, right? At least you knew I wouldn't interfere in saving that woman!"

He leaned forward slightly, his face almost touching the young man's to amplify his tone. "Too bad, you're pretending to be a good person in front of me. Didn't you find out that I stopped believing there are good people in this world a long time ago?" Zhang Lei's voice couldn't help but sound a little dejected as he said this. How could one possibly believe there are no good people in this world?

Suddenly, he tilted his head to the side, and a beam of silver light shot out from the side. "I've been pretty good to you, haven't I? I knew you'd regret not using this last trick. I'll let you use it before you die, and thank me in the afterlife!"

The young man stammered, trying to say something, but having just spat out the flying needles, he needed to deactivate the mechanism to speak again. The more anxious he became, the less he could deactivate it. He could only watch helplessly as Zhang Lei's fingers slowly pierced his throat. The skin and flesh of his neck seemed to crumble away as if touching butter on hot tongs. His previously composed eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out, every blood vessel on them throbbing as if about to burst, making his round eyeballs look like painted ping-pong balls.

The woman tiptoed away, trying to escape. From behind, she looked utterly ridiculous. If she had taken off running, she might have had a chance, but right now she was just a slowly moving target.

Zhang Lei kicked the toe of the body lying on the ground. The dagger embedded in the toe gleamed coldly and struck the alluring woman's vest. She didn't even have time to finish her scream before collapsing to the ground.

"Ugh, what a hassle. I still have to collect their bodies. I'll just go to that construction site over there and let them become the foundation of this building!" Zhang Lei muttered as he stacked the two corpses on his shoulder and walked towards the construction site, which was closed for the night due to the college entrance examination.

“When did it become like this? When I was little, I was very kind. I couldn’t even bear to watch chickens being killed. This world is a big dye vat. Maybe my soul has been dyed black?” Zhang Lei, carrying two people, sighed from the depths of his heart.

Episode 1: Internal Strength Like a Drug - Chapter 1: Do You Want to Fight?

"Do you want to fight?" A child who looked to be about ten years old asked, his hands gripping another child's collar.

"No!" The child, whose collar was being grabbed, had fear shining in his eyes.

"Why?" The fierce-looking child seemed a little kinder.