The night in the suburbs is never truly silent for those with sins to hide. Under the pitch-black sky, a silver sedan sped across the asphalt at high speed. Above it, a dark silhouette moved in absolute silence. Wei Yan flew silently, his body enveloped in a thin layer of chaotic energy that made him invisible to radar or the naked eye.
The car headed to an area only ten minutes from his newly built Qinshan Mansion, and only five minutes from the strategic site he had designated that morning for his planned resort project. There stood a majestic building with restless neon lights: the Golden Fang Casino.
The woman—Shen Ruobing—stepped out of the car on shaky legs. She no longer possessed the elegance of a tycoon's daughter; her face was pale, her breath ragged, and she ran into the casino as if chasing her last breath.
Wei Yan didn't go through the front door. With a single thought, the space before him folded. Teleportation.
In the next instant, Wei Yan was standing on the dark second-floor balcony, hidden by the shadow of a majestic Greek pillar. From that height, his sharp eyes immediately captured the horrific scene in the emptied main hall.
The stench of blood assaulted his senses. Nine members of the Shen family lay lifeless on the marble floor, forming a crimson pool that contrasted sharply with the opulence of the room. In the midst of the carnage, a middle-aged man—Shen Ruobing's father—was wailing on his knees. His face was ravaged by grief and pain, and his arms were tightly gripped by two hulking bodyguards from the opposing side.
The opposing side numbered about thirty men, all heavily armed. In their midst sat a man in an expensive suit, smoking a cigar, a triumphant smile on his rugged face. He was Patriarch Luo, the owner of this casino and the dark lord of the region.
From the whispers of the frightened casino patrons in the corner and the arrogant chatter of Luo's men, Wei Yan quickly pieced together the pieces of information. This was an old grudge. Three years ago, the Shen family had defeated the Luo family in two consecutive major tenders, nearly bankrupting the Luo family. Tonight was revenge that had been brewing for a thousand days.
Wei Yan's eyebrows rose slightly. "Patriarch Luo... Luo Mengyi's bastard father," he thought. Luo Mengyi's name was on the list of "destined assets" he was monitoring—a woman imprisoned and whose entire childhood friends had been wiped out by her own father. "This is getting very interesting. Destroying the Luo family tonight isn't just about saving Ruobing, but also clearing the way for claiming Luo Mengyi later."
However, Wei Yan's attention was suddenly drawn to another corner of the casino, far from the execution area. There, in front of a row of flashy slot machines, sat a young man with disheveled hair whom he recognized all too well. It was Ye Fan.
Ye Fan seemed completely focused on the machine in front of him, his hand constantly pulling the lever as if he were in a world of his own. The rainbow of destiny in his head throbbed, granting him a small fortune at the gambling table while his family—narratively—was probably waiting for him to play hero.
"It'll be troublesome if he intervenes now and ruins the cathartic aesthetic I've prepared," Wei Yan muttered.
Wei Yan raised his right hand, his index finger moving as if to slice through the air. "Wall of Destiny: Spatial Isolation."
A transparent slash of energy shot forward, creating a metaphysical barrier separating Ye Fan's area from the Shen family's execution area. In Ye Fan's eyes, everything in the casino still appeared normal; he heard no cries, smelled no blood, and saw no corpses. He was "deaf" and "blind" by destiny to the main plot unfolding right beside him.
Just then, the door to the main hall slammed open. Shen Ruobing entered.
Shen Ruobing never imagined that emptiness could feel so heavy. As she crossed the threshold of the Golden Fang Casino's main hall, her world, which had been fracturing since that afternoon, exploded into pieces. The scene before her was a literal depiction of hell: a pool of blood reflecting the crystal chandelier, and in the middle of it, nine members of her family—uncles, cousins, and even her loyal servants—lay lifeless like piles of junk.
"DAD—!"
Ruobing's scream tore through the silence of the casino, a sound born from the deepest depths of human despair. She ignored the thirty gun barrels that were suddenly aimed at her heart. With trembling knees, she lunged forward, ignoring the slippery, blood-soaked marble floor. She threw herself onto her knees, embracing her father's battered body.
"Dad... Dad, wake up! It's Ruobing! I'm here!" she cried, her tears soaking her father's tattered shirt.
Mr. Shen, the man who had once so valiantly led his business empire, now could only cough up blood. His dim eyes stared at his daughter with a broken gaze. "Run... Ruobing... run..." he whispered hoarsely, his remaining strength only enough to grip her cold fingers.
However, the heartbreaking moment of separation was short-lived. Two giant bodyguards stepped forward, grabbed Ruobing by the shoulders, and pulled her away forcefully.
"NO! LET ME GO! DAD!" Ruobing struggled, her nails digging into the floor, leaving marks on the wet marble.
"Enough of the drama," a deep, malevolent voice interrupted the sobs.
Patriarch Luo rose from his leather chair and approached with slow, rhythmic steps, as if savoring every inch of the agony before him. He stopped right in front of Ruobing, who was now kneeling with her hands clasped behind her back. Luo bent down, his rough, cigar-scented fingers pinching Ruobing's chin, forcing her to look up at his triumphant face.
"You know, Ruobing... I've waited three years for this moment," Luo said with a cruel grin. His free fingers began to move obscenely, teasing Ruobing's neckline, tracing the curve of her trembling shoulders. "Your father destroyed my business, publicly disgraced my family. Now, look at him. Look at the glory of the Shen family buried beneath my feet."
"You... you devil!" Ruobing hissed through gritted teeth, her eyes gleaming with anger mixed with pure fear.
"Perhaps. But I am the victorious devil," Luo replied. She turned to the limp Master Shen. "And you, old man... you will die knowing that your pure daughter will become the most despicable plaything in my casino."
Hearing that insult, the last sparks of life ignited in Master Shen's eyes. With a roar that came from the last of his breath, he lurched forward, trying to lunge at Patriarch Luo's leg to bite it.
BANG!
The gunshot echoed, bouncing off the walls of the spacious hall. Ruobing froze. She saw a thin plume of smoke rise from the muzzle of the pistol in Patriarch Luo's hand. She saw her father flinch, a gaping hole in his chest, and slowly, the light in the old man's eyes vanished, replaced by an eternal emptiness.
"AYAAAAAAHHH—!"
The scream was more like the howl of a wounded animal. Ruobing felt as if half her soul had died there. The black destiny above her head exploded, emitting an aura of darkness so dense it seemed to suck out the light around her. She was alone. Completely alone in this cruel world.
Patriarch Luo pressed the still-hot tip of his gun to Ruobing's chin, forcing her to stop struggling. "No one can stop me now, Ruobing. Your father is dead. Your family is gone. You have no one left to turn to for help."
Luo laughed, his laughter deafening. "Kneel down. Be my dog, and maybe I'll let you live a little longer."
However, amidst this orchestra of death and despair, another sound emerged. A sound that was utterly out of place, utterly cheerful, and utterly disturbing.
DING! DING! DING! GRINGGGGG!
The sound of a slot machine spewing out a large quantity of gold coins shattered the deathly silence of the hall.
"YAY! JACKPOT!"
A young figure stood in the corner of the hall, directly in front of a slot machine flashing with colorful neon lights. Wei Yan stood there, casually holding the machine's lever, as piles of gold coins began to spill out beneath his feet. He shouted in a deliberately exaggerated tone, as if he were a foolish tourist who had just won the lottery amidst the carnage.
Patriarch Luo gasped, nearly dropping his pistol in surprise. His thirty guards immediately turned, aiming their rifles at Wei Yan.
"Who are you?!" roared Patriarch Luo, his face red with rising anger. "How did you get in here?! Guards! Why is this rat here?!"
Wei Yan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he picked up a gold coin from the pile, bit it lightly to check its authenticity, and then turned to Luo with a very annoying smile.
"Excuse me, sir... ah, Mr. Luo, is it?" Wei Yan stepped forward, his footsteps sounding light on the marble floor, yet each step seemed to carry a weight of thousands of tons, making the air in the hall suddenly become extremely thin. "I was just passing by and saw this machine looking lonely. Who would have thought, in this place filled with fishy odors, it would actually be so generous."
In another corner of the hall, far from the execution area but still within sight, Ye Fan—the rainbow protagonist—was still sitting transfixed in front of another slot machine. Thanks to Wei Yan's Wall of Fate, Ye Fan was completely isolated. To him, the casino was still filled with dull background music and the usual smell of cigarettes. He didn't hear the gunshots, didn't hear Ruobing's screams, and didn't even notice Wei Yan's presence, just ten meters away. Ye Fan seemed metaphysically "deaf" and "blind," trapped in a side plot Wei Yan had deliberately created so as not to ruin the moment.
Wei Yan glanced at Ye Fan with disdain, then returned to Patriarch Luo.
"You..." Luo growled, his gun now pointed at Wei Yan's forehead. "You just interfered with the Luo family's affairs. Do you know the consequences? You'll die alongside this bitch!"
Wei Yan chuckled, his laughter clear yet filled with a chill that sent shivers down the spines of the guards. "The Luo family? Ah, you mean the family that will soon be a footnote in this city's dark history?"
"HOW DARE YOU!" Luo signaled to his men. "KILL HIM!"
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
The sound of thirty guns being simultaneously cocked should have sounded the death knell for anyone. However, Wei Yan remained frozen in place. Instead, he stared blankly at Shen Ruobing, who was staring at him as if she were seeing a ghost in a storm.
"Miss Shen," Wei Yan said, his voice now a deep baritone and full of imperial authority, ignoring the gun barrels surrounding him. "Your father is gone. Your treasures have been plundered. Your destiny is now as black as soot, ready to devour you to the bone. Tell me... do you still wish to live in this darkness, or do you wish to see me destroy the entire world that has betrayed you?"
Ruobing trembled. She stared into Wei Yan's eyes, which glinted with a light she had never seen in any human being. Amidst his hatred and pain, something within Wei Yan called to his shattered soul.
"Destroy them..." Ruobing whispered, her voice barely audible but filled with pure hatred. "Destroy them all... kill them... I beg you..."
Wei Yan smiled, a beautiful, predatory smile. "Request granted."
"SHOOT!" Luo's command boomed.
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
The hall was filled with the deafening sound of gunfire. Hundreds of bullets flew toward Wei Yan's spot. Dust and sparks obscured the view. Patriarch Luo laughed with satisfaction, thinking the madman had been reduced to shreds.
However, as the smoke began to clear, Luo's laughter froze.
Wei Yan remained standing there. There was not a single wound on his body. The hundreds of bullets did not fall to the floor, but instead stopped in midair, suspended in a strange circle around Wei Yan as if held back by an invisible wall of water.
"Is this all the Luo family is capable of?" Wei Yan asked boredly.
He snapped his fingers.
BOOM!
The hundreds of suspended bullets suddenly reversed direction at triple speed. The sound of death screams erupted instantly. Thirty of Luo's guards fell in a matter of seconds, their bodies pierced by their own bullets. Blood sprayed back onto the walls, adding to the thick stench of death in the hall.
Now, only Patriarch Luo remained, standing still with a trembling pistol in his hand, and Shen Ruobing, who lay limp, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Wei Yan stepped through the pile of fresh corpses, approaching Patriarch Luo, who had begun to crawl backward.
"Now, Lord Luo," Wei Yan bent down, staring directly into Luo's eyes filled with primordial fear. "Let's talk about the real 'Jackpot.'"
In the corner of the hall, Ye Fan was still busy pulling his slot lever, completely unaware that behind the invisible wall of fate, a mass slaughter had just been completed by the man he had deemed the "lucky student" in his class that morning.