C2 Live in Silence

There has to be some connection between the two incidents. Yang Manman's accident didn't occur on her usual route to and from school; she might not even travel that way once in an entire year.

The situation with her father is even more puzzling. He was just a deputy-level official, not in charge of finances. How could he possibly embezzle funds under everyone's watchful eye?

Yang Yu was aware that something was amiss, but he was at a loss for how to unravel the mystery.

"Damn, I must be the most unfortunate system owner in history," Yang Yu mused, dreading the upcoming encounter with Kung Tianhua. "I have no idea what kind of insults I'll have to endure." But for the sake of his father and sister, he was determined to withstand whatever Kung Tianhua threw at him. "It's just that..."

His gaze fell on his mother, her appearance worn and weary, and his heart felt as though it were being sliced open.

As a son, failing to protect his parents left him with no dignity, no face to show the world.

Half an hour later, Deputy Director Zhou led the group into a shopping mall. The elevator swiftly ascended to the top floor, and they passed through a corridor to a door that Zhou opened with practiced ease. "Come in, Director Gong is inside!"

Yang Yu and his mother entered shoulder to shoulder into a vast office spanning over five hundred square meters, extravagantly furnished. The jadeite cabbage on the tea table alone was valued at over two million.

The bookshelves were filled with innumerable valuable ancient books and antiques.

The office was bustling with people. Yang Yu scanned the room and recognized many faces—colleagues from his father's workplace.

"Director Gong, the guests have arrived," Deputy Director Zhou announced, approaching a middle-aged man with a sharp, simian face, his demeanor deferential.

Kung Tianhua looked up at Yang Yu and his mother, his eyes brimming with scorn. "Good, you're here."

He rose and approached Lyu Huan. "Sister-in-law, how have you been lately?"

Lyu Huan was at a loss for words.

"I merely approved a batch of products once, and Yang Lishan threatened to report me," Kung Tianhua recounted with a chilly tone. "I knelt before everyone, begging for his mercy. But what did he do?"

"Mr. Gong, Yang is simply set in his ways and doesn't adapt well. Please, forgive him!" Lyu Huan pleaded insincerely.

"Forgive?" Kung Tianhua let out a cold snort. "I'll do more than forgive him; I should thank him. Without his pressure, I wouldn't have stumbled upon this stroke of luck!"

It was clear to everyone that Kung Tianhua was far from ready to let bygones be bygones. Yet, Yang Yu caught on to something Kung said, "stroke of luck."

"Mr. Gong, let's put the past behind us!" Lyu Huan implored.

"The past is indeed behind us. But remember, I knelt before everyone because of Yang Lishan. I need to reclaim my dignity!" Kung Tianhua's eyes swept over the crowd. "I've brought everyone who was there that day. Sister-in-law Yang, in front of these old acquaintances, how should we settle this?"

"Mr. Gong, Yang has been arrested. I am his wife, and I offer you an apology on his behalf!" Lyu Huan said, moving to kneel.

Yang Yu quickly steadied his mother and fixed a cold stare on Kung Tianhua. "A debt has its debtor. There's no need to trouble a woman over this."

"And who are you to speak here?" Kung Tianhua barked.

"I am Yang Lishan's son. A son bears his father's debts. If you have an issue, direct it at me!" Yang Yu declared with calm defiance.

"Well said, 'a son bears his father's debts.' Take Lyu Huan aside. I'll have a little 'chat' with the young man here," Kung Tianhua commanded, and two muscular men promptly escorted Lyu Huan away.

"You want to save face? I'll kneel for you," Yang Yu said, dropping to his knees without further ado.

But Kung Tianhua surprisingly extended a hand to lift Yang Yu up. "Kid, don't be so naive. Do you really think there's gold beneath a man's knees? That bowing your head earns you two million just like that? Why should it?"

"What do you propose, then?" Yang Yu asked gravely.

"Five years. Your father left me destitute five years ago, and I've harbored this grudge for every day since," Kung Tianhua said, his lips curling slightly as a bodyguard approached, hammer in hand. "Five years of hatred must be settled. Surely taking one of your hands isn't asking too much, is it?"

"One hand!" The words hung in the air, prompting a collective gasp from the crowd.

Fractures are common, and with modern medicine, proper treatment usually means no lasting impact on one's life. But that's for typical breaks. For comminuted fractures, even with all our advances, medicine often reaches its limits.

If struck by the bodyguard's sledgehammer, not even the legendary healers Hua Tuo or Bianque, were they resurrected, could prevent a crippling injury. A hammer head the size of a soccer ball could pulverize steel and concrete—flesh and bone stood no chance.

"No, Yu, you're only eighteen, you can't do this!" Lyu Huan, his mother, fought desperately against the grip of two hulking men holding her back. Unable to free herself, she could only scream, "Kung Tianhua, if you're brave enough, come at me! Leave the child out of this!"

But Kung Tianhua paid her no heed.

"I'll give you ten minutes to think it over!" he said, turning to resume his seat on the sofa.

"There's nothing to consider!" Yang Yu boldly offered his arm. "It's just one hand. Take it!"

The onlookers, including the battle-hardened bodyguards, were visibly taken aback by the sight. Yang Yu's resolute stance left them bewildered, the expected begging for mercy nowhere to be found.

"Do it!" Kung Tianhua commanded coldly, his voice devoid of emotion.

The hammer-wielding bodyguard, his heart hardened, signaled to his colleagues. Two bodyguards stepped forward to seize Yang Yu, but he shrugged them off. "There's no need for you to get involved—I'll do it myself!" he declared.

With unwavering resolve, Yang Yu laid his left hand on the table.

"You've got guts, kid, but today you've crossed the wrong man. Don't hold it against me!" the bodyguard said as he hoisted the hammer high and brought it down with a ferocious swing.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment.

The onlookers couldn't bear to watch, each closing their eyes as the hammer fell.

Lyu Huan's screams filled the air, but they were powerless to change the outcome.

Kung Tianhua's face broke into a smile, one that reveled in the thrill of vengeance.

Meanwhile, Yang Yu could only watch in horror as the sledgehammer came crashing down on his left hand, flattening it against the splintering wood of his furniture in an instant. Pain surged through him, nearly knocking him unconscious.

Thankfully, the System Devastator had fortified Yang Yu's mental fortitude well beyond that of an average person, enabling him to bear the excruciating pain.

"Have you had your fill?" Yang Yu managed to say through clenched teeth, wincing.

"Young man, I don't recall ever saying I wanted your left hand," Kung Tianhua responded with a cold sneer, taking a leisurely drag of his cigar and blowing out a plume of smoke, his eyes gleaming with anticipation for the unfolding drama.

"Mr. Kung, mercy begets mercy. Yang Yu is just a boy. If he loses both hands, how will he manage to live?" Lyu Huan pleaded, her voice laced with desperation as she anticipated Kung Tianhua's next move.

But Kung Tianhua was unmoved by Lyu Huan's pleas. He turned his attention back to Yang Yu, his gaze tinged with malice. "Render your right hand useless, and I'll consider my feud with Yang Lishan settled."

Biting back the pain, Yang Yu slowly extended his right hand.

The impassive bodyguard, functioning like a heartless automaton, promptly lifted the hammer and brought it down on Yang Yu's right hand.

"Is this satisfactory, Mr. Kung?" Yang Yu asked, his voice strained with the effort to endure the agony.

"Yes, this settles the score between Yang Lishan and me," Kung Tianhua declared with a smug smile, conveniently omitting any mention of the loan.

"And the two million you promised—when will I receive it?" Yang Yu gasped, struggling for breath.

"My dear boy, don't be so gullible. When did I ever agree to lend you two million?" Kung Tianhua chuckled.

"What?!" The realization hit everyone at once; Kung Tianhua had never intended to lend Yang Yu the money.

"Next time, make sure you understand what's being said. I only agreed to clear the grudge with Yang Lishan," Kung Tianhua said, his laughter filled with self-satisfaction.

"You deceitful scoundrel, how dare you trick me!" Yang Yu exploded in rage.

"And what of it? Now that both your hands are useless, you're no better than a lump of dog excrement. What can you possibly do?" Kung Tianhua's laughter boomed, laced with contempt.

At that moment, Yang Yu, who had been kneeling on the ground, suddenly sprang to his feet and charged at Kung Tianhua.

Despite his hands being rendered useless, Yang Yu was determined to make one last stand to protect what little dignity he had left.

But the bodyguards encircling him were not to be underestimated.

One bodyguard, who had previously wielded a sledgehammer, discarded it and drew a dagger from his pocket, plunging it into Yang Yu's belly.

Blood poured out in an instant, soaking Yang Yu's clothing and the ground beneath him a deep crimson.

As Yang Yu watched his lifeblood spilling out, he collapsed, utterly helpless.

"Think you can take me on? You're not even close!" Kung Tianhua approached the fallen Yang Yu and spat contemptuously on his face. "Unsatisfied? Well, before you die, let me show you what life is like for the wealthy!"

"Old Third, there's no need to fear. You handle this, and while you're locked up, I'll send your family 100,000 yuan a month for living expenses. Your wife's job? I'll sort it, with an annual salary of no less than 300,000 yuan. Your son will attend the finest private school, and I'll take care of your parents through their twilight years," Kung Tianhua declared unabashedly, unbothered by the crowd of onlookers.

"Thank you, Boss Kung!" The bodyguard who had stabbed Yang Yu was quick to express his gratitude.

A hundred thousand a month added up to 1.2 million a year. With a likely sentence of seven or eight years for murder, he could amass nearly ten million yuan.

To him, ten million yuan was a fortune that could last several lifetimes.

Trading seven or eight years of freedom for wealth that could last generations seemed like a bargain.

Kung Tianhua's personal intervention meant his wife's job would pay more than most urban professionals. And his son's education at the top private school, which cost upwards of half a million yuan per term, was now secured.

With all of his family's needs—from education to eldercare—covered by Kung Tianhua, Old Third was free from future worries.

Kung Tianhua was brimming with smug satisfaction. Seizing Yang Yu by the hair, he hoisted him up and hissed into his ear, "You're a dead man anyway, so I might as well grant you some clarity before you go. Your sister's car accident, your father's legal troubles, and the schemes involving Lai San and Deputy Director Zhou—all my handiwork. Had your father not driven me to desperation, to the brink of suicide by drowning, I'd never have stumbled upon this extraordinary chance to gain the Super Rich System that others can only dream of. Feeling resentful? Desperate? It's all futile. I am the chosen Host of the System, and you? You're nothing but a mere mortal! Yang Lishan cornered me once, but today, I'll make him taste the agony of utter ruin! You won't be lonely on your journey to the underworld; your mother and sister will be joining you soon enough!"

There's something about human nature that craves the spotlight, and Kung Tianhua was no exception.

Now in possession of the Super Rich System, he was itching to flaunt his newfound power. But the system was his secret to keep.

So, he indulged in a twisted ritual: boasting to those on death's doorstep, reveling in their powerless demise. The thrill was beyond words.

Yang Yu watched Kung Tianhua, numb with shock. They were both System Hosts, yet the gap between them was vast. He too had a mysterious system, yet it lay dormant, unactivated.

In stark contrast, Kung Tianhua's Super Rich System had been his ticket from obscurity to opulence, giving him the power to toy with the Yang family's fate, leaving them utterly defenseless.

As life ebbed away, despair weighed heavy on Yang Yu's heart.

But just then, he caught sight of the System Devastator icon, which began to glow with a brilliant golden light.