Chapter 793: Blurred Bottom Line
The boss was stunned and didn't say a word. Xu Huo smiled at him. "If you're thinking of tipping anyone off, save your breath. None of them will live through the night."
The boss shrank back and immediately blurted out an address.
"You spoke too quickly." Xu Huo moved his finger and cut his arm. "I'll give you one more chance. Think carefully before you speak."
The boss stood there for a moment, as if engaged in a fierce mental struggle, but after only two seconds, he turned and ran toward the door.
Xu Huo laughed out loud, took the Water Blade Gun in hand, and was about to act when he saw the boss, unable to open the door, spin around and fall to his knees with a thud. "They're in the alley behind the dance hall. The ones who did it were some kids. They don't usually go this hard on Xiao Yuan. It must have been instigated by the thugs who've been gathering those children."
"A few thugs? Not even players?"
The boss had sweat on his forehead but didn't dare wipe it. "How many players would there be in such a remote little place? Anyone with any real skill wouldn't want to stay here long. But those thugs have contact with players involved in human trafficking, so no one usually dares to offend them."
Xu Huo had him write a list. "If I happen to run into them, I'll take care of them all at once, so no one finds out you were the one who leaked the information."
The boss's face turned pale. He grabbed a pen and paper and racked his brains to write down everyone connected. Halfway through, Xu Huo reminded him, "Don't write too many. I can't be bothered to kill that many."
The boss, who had a bit of cunning, didn't dare try to fool him. He put the most important people at the top and circled the key ones. "These ones—they've killed quite a few kids!"
Xu Huo put away the list.
There weren't many means of transportation here. After dark, he wheeled his chair out.
It was still early, so he wasn't in a hurry. He took the person tailing him on a tour around the city before heading to the alley behind the dance hall. Finding the right house, he knocked politely.
But no one answered the door. Instead, a hail of bullets greeted him. Xu Huo held up the tattered "Broken Oath Door" in front of him, blocked the bullets, then put it away and knocked again.
The people inside were in chaos, arguing about whether to go check the door. But before they could settle the argument, the door opened on its own.
Xu Huo sat at the entrance, taking in the situation inside at a glance.
Five thugs who had been arguing moments ago now grabbed weapons. The street children he had seen earlier were tying Xiao Yuan up with ropes. The two groups seemed to be on different wavelengths. The thugs all showed fear at the sight of Xu Huo, while the street children looked eager, as if they had encountered something great.
There was a threshold at the door, but that didn't matter. Xu Huo kicked it open, rolled his wheelchair in, and closed the door behind him.
Seeing him close the door, the thugs grew even more terrified. One of them, unable to bear the pressure, let out a long howl and swung a blade at Xu Huo. But before he could get close, a ray shot up from the ground and sliced him in half.
The intense smell and heat hit them head-on. The remaining thugs collapsed to the ground in terror, begging for mercy. The children wet their pants, scrambling and crawling to huddle in the corner.
Xu Huo beckoned to Xiao Yuan. The little girl quickly kicked off the ropes around her legs and ran over, grinning. "I wanted to steal the money back, but they caught me!"
Xu Huo pointed at the thugs. "Are they bad people?"
Xiao Yuan nodded without hesitation.
Xu Huo placed the Water Blade Gun in her hand. "Kill them."
Xiao Yuan's eyes widened, and her hands began to tremble. But meeting his gaze, her throat felt blocked, and she couldn't say a word. After a long moment, she slowly raised the gun and aimed it at one of them, but she couldn't pull the trigger.
She was terrified. The thug she was aiming at was even more scared, unable to even form a coherent plea.
Xu Huo leaned back in his wheelchair, relaxed, and didn't rush her.
Seeing Xiao Yuan's hesitation, the thugs knelt on the ground, weeping. "We've done some bad things, but we were forced into it! In times like these, if you want to survive, you have to do what others say... Let us go, and we'll turn over a new leaf! We'll never do bad things again..."
Before they could finish, Xiao Yuan pulled the trigger.
The Water Blade Gun could be used by anyone with hands. The water jet punched a hole right through the thug's forehead!
Xu Huo's eyes darkened.
"Xiao Lin was taken by you! You tricked her into thinking she could go out and earn money, but just a few days later, I found her in the trash heap!"
"Sister Shasha from Sophora Flower Alley—I know you raped her, killed her, and buried her under the locust tree!"
"The little bookworm from Xiao You Street was beaten to death by you too! You wanted his family's heirloom inkstone, but it wasn't worth anything! You got angry and went back to beat his grandfather to death too!"
...
The little girl was crying uncontrollably, her words a bit jumbled, but she said everything that needed to be said. These insignificant lowlifes had plenty of blood on their hands—they deserved to die.
When the second person fell, Xu Huo pressed down on the gun and turned the muzzle toward the street children in the corner. "They've bullied you too. You can take revenge."
The children reacted more directly. Some wailed loudly, some scratched at the walls, some stood frozen, unable to snap out of it.
Xiao Yuan's hand quickly dropped. "They're not bad people..."
"But they will become that kind of person sooner or later," Xu Huo said. "It could be human trafficking, assaulting women, murder, robbery—as long as they're alive, one day they'll commit crimes."
Xiao Yuan's resolve wavered. Her whole body began to tremble violently. Then she raised her hand again, but she didn't fire. Instead, she turned back to Xu Huo. "But they haven't committed any crimes yet. Why do you say they'll definitely commit crimes in the future?"
"The gun is in your hand. You decide," Xu Huo said. "If you say they'll commit crimes in the future, then they're criminals."
Xiao Yuan looked momentarily confused, as if she didn't quite understand. But then she said, "I don't get to decide. I can't predict the future. How would I know they'll definitely commit crimes?"
Even adults don't always have a clear understanding of how to judge or choose in a given situation. More often than not, they make decisions in a blurry state. They might never think about it, or never figure out the reasoning behind it, and that's not crucial—because most people are ordinary, and they don't need to distinguish right from wrong so clearly. But if a person possesses power beyond the ordinary, they must have a clear yardstick.
Xiao Yuan's answer was still vague, but Xu Huo was already satisfied.
"If I hadn't pulled the trigger, would you not have taken me with you?" Xiao Yuan asked, tears in her eyes.
Xu Huo smiled gently and patted her head. "I wouldn't test you with a question like that."
When there's still room for choice, holding onto a human bottom line is what makes someone human. But when faced with a life-or-death crisis, a person's choices go beyond black and white. Self-preservation is an instinct. You can't say instinct is wrong—but you have to bear the consequences of your choices and actions.
Such a test is meaningless.
Xu Huo took back the Water Blade Gun and gestured for Xiao Yuan to wait for him outside.