Ba ethnic group's bewitching charm - the executioner

Chapter 19

"Don't worry, you and Xiaotong will always be the most important people in my heart. If necessary, I will ask Qin Ge to help me," Ma Nan comforted Hong Mian.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded at the top of the stairs, and Xiaotong quickly appeared in front of them.

"Dad, I also found this note in my pocket."

Ma Nan perked up and quickly went to greet Xiaotong, taking a slip of paper from her hand. The paper was small, about a finger's width and a little over three inches long, containing only two short sets of numbers:

148324525123456

"Password?" Hongmian blurted out.

The moment Ma Nan saw the note, his head spun. Six months ago, he had racked his brains trying to decipher the message his father had left in five jade artifacts; any interest he had in cryptography had been almost completely wiped out after that practical experience. If the Ba people were to use cryptography now, he really didn't know if he would have the energy to handle it.

He carefully examined both sets of numbers, especially the latter, and thought that if it were a password, it wouldn't be so neatly arranged. However, it strongly resembled a bank card's "password," though this "password" was not the same concept as a password in the cryptographic sense. When applying for a bank card or registering online, we often enter only a few simple numbers in the password input box for convenience. If the latter set of numbers on the note was also like this, then the former set of numbers must be the card number or login ID.

The Ba people left this note in Xiaotong's pocket, so they must have wanted to convey some information to Ma Nan. Bank cards and phone numbers can be ruled out first, as the number of digits is obviously different. Ma Nan immediately thought of the internet; online, numbers can certainly serve as a login ID. There are many places online that require login, but the most commonly used by netizens are forums, email, and some instant messaging tools.

Ma Nan immediately thought that the most popular and frequently used communication software among Chinese internet users was undoubtedly Tencent's QQ.

But Ma Nan couldn't believe the Ba people would contact him in this way. Their resurgence, whether for revenge or to find sacred artifacts, was a very serious matter; using QQ seemed somewhat frivolous. In most people's minds, QQ is just a tool for entertainment; there's even a view circulating online that white-collar workers consider using QQ rather degrading. But—Ma Nan thought—perhaps it was precisely because the Ba people had lived in seclusion for so long that, even now living in modern cities, they retained their genuine and straightforward nature. They didn't care about details as long as they achieved their goals.

Going upstairs to his study, Ma Nan turned on his computer. It already had QQ software pre-installed, so he only needed to enter his ID and password. He logged in successfully in a short time.

Ma Nan clicked on his personal settings and found that the nickname for this ID was Ma Nan. In his friends list, there was only one friend named Ba Ren. At this time, Ba Ren's avatar was gray, indicating that he was either invisible or offline.

Ma Nan was now free of doubt, knowing that all of Hong Mian's deductions were correct.

Just then, the avatar of the person on QQ suddenly came into color and started moving.

Ma Nan's spirits lifted; he knew a message had arrived. He clicked on it, and a pop-up window appeared with the following message: 10 PM, January 30th, No. 189, Tieyi Lane.

Ma Nan immediately typed on the keyboard: "You must not hurt Chu Yan."

After waiting for a long time without a reply, the profile picture turned gray again. Ma Nan knew that the other person wasn't actually online; the message was just a comment.

Tonight is the appointed time. Tieyi Lane is in the north of the city, connected to Guyi Lane, both located in the old city area with complex terrain. Ma Nan doesn't know if the Ba people have any purpose in asking him to go there, but regardless, he knows he will definitely keep the appointment tonight. He only hopes that the Ba people will be able to sit down and talk to him openly and honestly.

This is clearly wishful thinking. If the Ba people were willing to sit down and talk with him, why would they go to such lengths, first sending chrysanthemums and then leaving Xuanhuang and a note in Xiaotong's pocket?

Ma Nan had no idea what kind of danger he would face tonight.

Chapter 13

On the screen were two masked men, almost identical in appearance. Besides the masks on their heads, they were both draped in black robes, completely concealing their forms. The two sat motionless in chairs, like monks in deep meditation, awaiting Yang Zheng's choice.

Yang Zheng stared at them blankly, time ticking by, but he still couldn't make up his mind.

"What you need to do is very simple: close one window, and the rest is the person you choose," the voice on the phone said. This time, it even had a child's voice, like a child whose voice hadn't broken yet.

Yang Zheng remained silent, while Luo Bin beside him stared intently at the screen, his brows furrowed and his expression unusually tense.

"Go back." The voice on the phone sounded disappointed. "Go back and continue struggling in the vortex of desire, constantly confronting the other you deep inside. If you're strong enough, you might be able to live a normal life, even though you'll suffer more than normal people, but no one will know. But if you're unfortunately defeated by that other you, then you know the consequences without me saying anything. You'll have nowhere to stand in this world, and you'll eventually fall into hell, never to recover."

"If I made that choice, what would be different?" Yang Zheng's voice had become weak.

"Nothing's different. No one can change you except yourself," the voice on the phone said. "But at least it can alleviate your pain and won't make you feel too guilty. Humans and animals aren't really that different, except that humans can think and carry all sorts of burdens, making their lives heavy. Since you can't get rid of these burdens, isn't it meaningful to try to lighten their weight as much as possible?"

"What is my burden?" Yang Zheng asked.

"The murderous intent in your heart." The voice on the phone became stern. "Release it, and it can kill others. Hide it, and it will kill yourself."

Yang Zheng's body trembled slightly as he felt the surging power within him again. The voice on the phone wasn't wrong; killing others or killing himself was the real choice he faced at this moment.

"Alright. All you're saying is trying to force me to choose." Yang Zheng's voice trembled slightly. "I—choose—"

As soon as he finished speaking, he clicked the mouse and closed the video window on the right.

A soft laugh came from the other end of the phone, and then, without waiting for Yang Zheng to say anything more, the call ended. Yang Zheng and Luo Bin stared nervously at the screen, especially Yang Zheng, who seemed to be struggling to close the window; a thin layer of sweat even appeared on his forehead.

The masked man in the video window began to move. He slowly stood up, took a few steps back, and ripped off the black curtain behind him. Instantly, a blinding light flooded in, and Yang Zheng and Luo Bin in front of the computer stared wide-eyed. They saw a knife behind the curtain.

That was no ordinary knife, but a guillotine, over two meters long, with a gleaming blade when raised.

Beneath the guillotine blade, a man lay prone on the backing plate. Though he was a bit far away and couldn't see clearly, it was immediately apparent that he was quite young. His hands and feet were bound behind his back, his mouth was taped shut, and his body was still writhing.

The masked man had already moved behind the guillotine. He dragged the man on the ground backward, so that his neck was positioned across the guillotine. The man tried to struggle, but the masked man stomped hard on his back.

The force surged to Yang Zheng's head, filling his ears with a deafening roar, and his breathing became heavy and labored. Luo Bin beside him fared no better, his eyes fixed on the video window, swallowing hard, his hands and feet trembling slightly. They knew they were now facing a real massacre.

Killing and death are common topics of conversation, appearing in films and novels as enduring themes. We become numb to them because of habit. However, when killing and death suddenly become real, so real as to be tangible, their impact is no less than experiencing violent torture.

Even though I've imagined this scenario countless times in my mind, I'm still terrified when I actually face it.

The masked man had already raised his hands, gripping the guillotine handle tightly—

Luo Bin's body went limp, and he slumped onto the edge of the bed, his limbs completely weak. Before the blood even splattered, he could already smell the intense stench of death.

The guillotine in the video finally fell—

All the power surged forth at that moment, and Yang Zheng let out a low groan as his body became ethereal. It was as if every pore was releasing power outwards, and it wouldn't stop.

The bloodshed arrived as expected. When the guillotine fell completely, a crimson hue filled the minds of Yang Zheng and Luo Bin.

The video window was still there, but the image disappeared instantly.

The room was unusually quiet, making Yang Zheng and Luo Bin's breathing even heavier. A massacre was over, and now one more soul wandered the world. Suddenly, Luo Bin stumbled into the bathroom, followed by a series of retching sounds.

Yang Zheng was still staring at the screen, as if the image was still there and the blood was still spreading.