Chapter 123: The Fish Dies, the Net Remains Intact

You Ba instinctively prepared to retreat, but when he saw the little boy picking up something in the middle of the road, he hesitated. He did not consider himself a selfless, saintly person, yet in that moment, he still rushed forward. Perhaps he simply could not bear to see a young life extinguished just like that.

With a running start and a leap, You Ba shoved the boy to the side of the road. He tumbled several times himself, narrowly missing the speeding bus. The little boy, having escaped danger, fell to the ground; not yet realizing he had just cheated death, he began to wail loudly.

"Waaaaah!"

You Ba struggled to his feet, his knees aching sharply. He had no time to check his injuries, quickly scanning the surroundings. Seeing the boy was unharmed, he exhaled in relief. The boy's crying grew louder, but none of the diverse passersby stopped to take notice; many even displayed looks of irritation and disgust.

"Whose kid is this? So annoying!"
"Blubbering like that, no upbringing!"

You Ba, already accustomed to the coldness of the crowd, watched as the truck driver cursed and floored the accelerator, speeding away without slowing down. Muttering a few curses himself, You Ba limped over to the boy.

"Little one, crying isn't for good kids, you know. It makes you look so uncute," You Ba said, his voice soft as he tried to amuse the child. But the boy, still in a state of shock, backed away in fear, his wailing intensifying.

You Ba suddenly felt timid. The boy had already drawn disgusted stares from the crowd, and being the focus of so many eyes for the first time made You Ba uncomfortable. He rummaged through his pockets and finally found a peppermint candy given to him by a shopkeeper at a roadside stall long ago—he had cherished it too much to eat until now.

The boy didn't even glance at it, continuing to cry. You Ba was at a loss. Just then, the sharp sound of heels approached. The owner of the heels kicked the hand holding the candy away and snatched the boy into her arms.

"Who are you! What are you trying to do, kidnapping my child!"

You Ba looked up to see a middle-aged, well-dressed woman interrogating him with a shrill, threatening tone. Seeing You Ba’s destitute appearance, she grew more certain of her suspicions. Without a word, she pulled out her phone to call the police, hissing, "You lowlife, how dare you target my child! Just wait, once you're in the police station, I’ll make you pay dearly!"

You Ba felt a surge of anger, but it was outweighed by fear. He dared not provoke those of higher status; he was powerless and could not afford to offend them.

"It’s not like that, ma'am! Your child was playing in the road and was nearly hit by a car. I rushed over to push him out of the way, preventing a tragedy—"

"Shut up!"

The woman grew more incensed. Hearing that her child had nearly died, she anxiously checked him over. Seeing the scraped skin on his hands, her rage boiled over. "You human trafficker! Not only did you kidnap my child, you nearly got him killed! Even if it costs me a fortune, I will make sure you rot in prison! You'll never see the light of day again!"

Seeing that the woman had completely lost control, You Ba didn't dare to argue. He turned to the little boy, pleading, "Little one, please tell your mother the truth, won't you? Otherwise, your uncle is in serious trouble!"

The boy didn't look up, only continuing to cry.

"Tell your mother who saved you!" You Ba urged, his anxiety mounting as he realized he couldn't explain himself. The boy, frightened by the urgency, hid behind his mother. You Ba was about to say more when the woman slapped him hard across the face.

"Don't you yell! Who are you trying to scare?!"

"I..." You Ba choked on his words. He looked around desperately, hoping someone would speak for him, but the street vendors, who had been watching the spectacle, immediately returned to their work, ignoring him. No matter how he pleaded, they all claimed they had seen nothing.

Being ignored, avoided, and abandoned by those who had clearly seen the truth—he felt utterly discarded. Was he not even qualified to do a good deed? Was he destined to be slandered whenever he interacted with others? Was he truly that worthless?

What had this world come to?

By the time the police arrived, You Ba was still pleading with the vendors and the boy to speak for him. It was his first time in a police station, and his spirit was crushed; he didn't dare make a sound.

In the interrogation room, handcuffed to a chair, You Ba stared in terror at the cold, mocking officers across from him. Having never experienced such turmoil, he was paralyzed with fear. Throughout the interrogation, he was submissive and his mind was a blur; he didn't even know what he was saying. When the police finally sentenced him to life imprisonment for "child trafficking," despair shattered his timidity. He could no longer hold back and erupted in a frantic defense.

"I didn't do anything! Don't frame me! Show me the evidence, check the surveillance cameras!"

"I find it strange that someone like you dares to struggle. Who gave you the courage to scream?"

A guard nearby struck You Ba over the head with an electric baton, and blood immediately sprayed across the room.

A sharp pain surged, and a roaring sound filled his ears. The officer grabbed You Ba by the hair and snarled, "Struggling is useless. Even if the fish dies, the net won't break! In this world, people of your status have no right to speak. If we choose to target you, it’s a privilege!"

You Ba broke free from the officer's grip, but just as he was about to scream again, an electric baton was shoved into his mouth. High-voltage current surged through him. You Ba shrieked and wailed, convulsing violently as he tried to pass out, but the police kept the current at the threshold of consciousness. No matter how he struggled, he could not lose consciousness.

Looking at the malicious expressions of the officers, You Ba completely broke down.

Unwilling! Unwilling! Unwilling!

Why?!

I refuse to be bullied for my entire life!

I refuse!!!

"Get out!!"

You Ba let out a roar. The officers' eyes widened in disbelief as they looked down to see blood-red tentacles erupting from beneath them. Before they could scream, the tentacles burst through their mouths. The appendages, having pierced their bodies, began to swell with blood, eventually tearing the corpses apart.

You Ba struggled slightly, and the handcuffs fell from the iron chair. He didn't know what was happening, but he felt... wonderful.

Terrified screams filled the air. The police station turned into a living hell, but You Ba laughed hysterically, feeling ecstatic. This feeling was incredible. So many people—no, everyone—was paying attention to him. Even if it was a gaze of terror, it was still attention!

For the first time, his value was being realized!

So, weakness was the root of all misery. Kind people would not find resonance in others; they would only meet with even more bitter exploitation and injustice!

You Ba finally understood this truth today. Very well, then—let the slaughter begin!

You forced my hand!

Finally, blood-soaked You Ba saw the mother and child from before. The woman, who had been so arrogant, was now paralyzed with terror. She never expected that the submissive lowlife would turn into such a Shura-like monster. It was completely beyond her understanding of reality.

The little boy stopped crying. He looked at You Ba with curiosity. In his dawning realization, he remembered that this was the kind uncle who had just saved him. Thinking that he had caused his savior so much trouble, he ran out of his mother's arms and rushed toward You Ba.

"Uncle..."

The boy had barely spoken the sweet word when a crimson tentacle pierced his body.

"...thank you..." The boy froze, whispering the words he had intended to say, before his pupils dilated and went vacant.

"No!!!"

The boy's mother let out a shrill, piercing scream before fainting.

You Ba stood there, completely stunned.

Thank you... he had been thanking him, but You Ba had killed him without a second thought.

The crimson hue began to fade. You Ba, returning to his true form, knelt down in utter despair, gazing at the boy's corpse, and began to weep.

The scene faded. Mu You watched the still-agonized You Ba; though he could no longer hear the sound, he knew that from that moment on, You Ba had completely lost his humanity.