Gingerly, Yuan Fa pushed open the door, letting the cold air from outside rush in. Yuan Yong poked his body out first, peering into the pitch-black and silent hallway.
Under the protection of their brothers, Yuan Luoyi emerged and they swiftly made their way towards the end of the corridor.
Yuan Fa suddenly noticed a small red dot dancing on Yuan Luoyi's body, trembling and flickering like a blood-red insect.
"Bang!"
A muffled gunshot rang out, dull like a stifled scream.
Standing in front of Yuan Luoyi, Yuan Fa heard his own bones shatter, the sudden burst of excruciating pain nearly robbing him of consciousness.
In the darkness, more red dots appeared, jumping and aiming not just at Yuan Luoyi, but also threatening the lives of his younger brothers.
"Run!" Yuan Fa shouted.
Yuan Si scooped Yuan Luoyi into his arms and fled toward the elevator with Yuan Rui. Fortunately, the indicator light above the elevator was glowing green, signaling that it had power – they could escape by taking it.
Blood dripped continuously onto the floor, but Yuan Fa remained stationary, as several figures emerged in front of him, clutching guns in the dim light.
Yuan Yong hadn't left yet. He unsheathed his long blade, entering killing mode. "You're injured, go ahead. I'll hold them off."
"There might be more enemies downstairs. Don't worry about me, protect our sister and those two young fools who aren't used to killing," Yuan Fa said.
Hesitating for a moment, Yuan Yong ran after Yuan Luoyi and the others.
He had faced many life-and-death situations before. Wounded comrades who couldn't be rescued often chose to sacrifice themselves.
Yuan Yong knew this would be his and Yuan Fa's final conversation.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Gunshots kept ringing out from behind as Yuan Fa engaged in combat, buying precious time for the others to escape.
Once in the elevator, Yuan Yong pressed the close door button.
The doors slowly slid shut, and Yuan Luoyi realized what her second brother was about to do, struggling in Yuan Si's embrace.
"Second brother!"
Yuan Fa heard her and turned to look at Yuan Luoyi, his heart swelling with tenderness.
The gap closed completely, the elevator descended, carrying them further and further away from Yuan Fa.
Death was no big deal to Yuan Fa – it was just a transition from living protein to dead protein.
All life would eventually experience it.
Yuan Fa had it all planned out – make a name for himself as a hotshot lawyer in his youth, use his words to bring those in power to their knees begging for mercy, earn money to buy mansions and fancy cars, and live every day joyfully.
When he got too old to move, he'd opt for euthanasia, since he loathed the feeling of pain, living solely for pleasure and unwilling to endure any suffering.
Yuan Yong often called him selfish, and Yuan Fa agreed, caring only for his own enjoyment – it was in his nature, difficult to change.
So when his three-year-old sister cried inconsolably, Yuan Fa found her noise and fussiness annoying, preferring to play games. He locked her in her room and went off to play.
Her crying grew louder as the night wore on, sounding more heartbroken than ever before.
"Can't you stop crying?" he said.
Yuan Luoyi stumbled into his embrace, sobbing, "I thought you wouldn't come back, too."
Ah...
What are you doing?
Little sister, please don't long for me anymore.
Otherwise, no matter how painful, I'll want to stay by your side.
"Bang!"
A bullet pierced Yuan Fa's chest, shattering his ribs. He didn't know how many times he had been shot.
More and more blood pooled on the floor as Yuan Fa collapsed, having taken out a few enemies, but many still lived and rushed past him in pursuit of Yuan Luoyi and the others.
The agonizing pain preceding death was excruciating, far from the glorious success and peaceful departure Yuan Fa had planned.
Damn it!
It hurt so much!
Yuan Fa could almost hear the ticking countdown of death hanging over his head.
"Tick tock!"
"Tick tock!"
"Tick tock!"
Warm blood spread outward, and in a matter of minutes, his heart would stop beating.
Yuan Fa gasped for breath, his body trembling from the pain as he forced himself to remain calm. He still had unfinished business, able to cling to life for a few more seconds.
After seeing Yuan Rui today, he had uncovered more clues. Something was about to reveal itself – he seemed to be grasping the truth.
Previously, he had been overwhelmed by the dizzying array of information, but the key to deduction wasn't getting lost in ever-changing details, but finding the common thread between events.
In a daze, Yuan Fa flashed back to his childhood, seeing his father drinking.
Usually stoic, his father seemed particularly sorrowful that day.
"You can't disturb him," his mother shooed the mischievous Yuan Fa away.
"Why?"
"Today is the anniversary of his sister Yuan Meixi's death."
He had it!
Struggling to pull himself up from the pool of his own blood, Yuan Fa grimaced through the intense, unbearable agony with every motion.
Leaning against the wall, he staggered forward, leaving a trail of bloody footprints.
Now he finally understood.
Why his sister and blood-related brothers suffered headaches – it was the Yuan family's oldest and darkest secret behind these shared symptoms.
Hahaha, that wretched old man, to go to such lengths!
This time, I won't let you destroy my family!
As his life rapidly drained away, Yuan Fa briefly lost consciousness on the stairs, tumbling down as his broken ribs punctured his lungs, the pain jolting him awake again.
He could no longer walk.
His eldest brother Yuan Ao's voice echoed in his mind: "Sister has returned, appearing as an 11-year-old. You must protect her and our younger brothers..."
Yuan Ao must have been shot too, as he died immediately after saying those words.
As a child, Yuan Fa had always wanted to surpass his eldest brother. Now, he had unexpectedly succeeded, yet felt no joy.
He had spent his entire life playing, neglecting his relationships with his younger brothers. He lacked the ability to fulfill Yuan Ao's dying wish.
Why did you entrust this to me?!
Digging his fingers into the ground, dragging grotesque bloody streaks, Yuan Fa gritted his teeth and pulled himself up again.
The mere ten-odd meters seemed as distant as the horizon's edge.
He kept going, kept bleeding, kept suffering...
Finally, Yuan Fa reached the window, the cold wind howling in his ears as he saw the fleeing figures below – his sister and brothers.
From his pocket, he took out a notebook and tore out a page, his blood-stained fingers scribbling on it stroke by stroke.
He tied the note to the revolver, and Yuan Fa mustered the last of his strength to throw it out. It glinted with a golden brilliance under the bleak moonlight, tracing a graceful arc, and Yuan Luoyi caught it.
It was light enough not to hurt his sister when caught, yet heavy enough to change the outcome of that world.
His sister looked at him.
He must have looked terrible, as she was crying.
Yuan Fa said softly, "Don't cry, this is just magic."
He knew she couldn't hear him from that distance, but he really didn't want her to cry anymore.
The flow of time and space seemed to rewind to the past.
Three-year-old Yuan Luoyi asked, "Magic?"
Yuan Fa said, "Yes, an incredibly magical magic that can allow people to transcend life and death, its power undimmed by the cruel passage of time."
"Ding ding ding! Magic time has come, my dear sister, look up, your second brother has come back to life!"
"Hey, why are you still crying? Isn't the resurrection magic wonderful?"
"Brother, what is death, really?"
"Let me think of how to explain it to you... Ah! I've got it! Death is an endless game of hide-and-seek!"
"Hide-and-seek?"
"Yes, when you were looking for me in the hallway, I was hiding behind the corner. When you went to the corner to find me, I hid in the bushes. You can never find me, but I'm always by your side, watching over you, protecting you, wanting you to be happy."
As the countdown reached the final second, the light faded from Yuan Fa's eyes, and he collapsed, hiding himself by the window.
