Chapter 346: Shattered Bones and Borrowed Mercy

Cradling his broken leg bone, he howled in agony.

Having long enjoyed a life of luxury, Wang Hong could hardly bear such pain. Even with Second-Stage strength, he now moaned like an ordinary man, his cry as pitiful as that of a slaughtered pig.

“Ah! Ah!!”

“My leg…my leg!!”

He sobbed uncontrollably, rolling across the floor in despair.

His chubby face contorted as fat folded upon fat; perhaps in the throes of excruciating pain, Wang Chu finally came to his senses, realizing that his supposed backing was utterly useless.

Trembling, he lay on the ground, both hands clutching at Yenir’s leg as he begged in anguish.

“Yenir… Yenir!!”

“I beg you, please…just spare me…”

“I’m truly sorry! I’m nothing but a wretch, a worthless nobody!”

“Please, have mercy! Just this once, spare me…!!”

Feeling Yenir’s unmasked murderous intent, he experienced the nearness of death for the first time in his life!

“Why?! Why?!”

Why is it that the little bastard still hops around? And why hasn’t the Military caught him?

Weren’t we supposed to cripple that kid as soon as he disembarked?!

As Head of Supplies, life had been luxuriant for him, and at his level, he most certainly didn’t want to die!

In terror, he forgot his pride entirely, pleading desperately that his pitiful state might soften Yenir’s heart and spare him.

He dared not show even a hint of hatred, though he wished Yenir would let him and everyone else perish. With doom looming, his only goal was to live through today.

Yet faced with Wang Chu’s desperate pleas, Yenir merely furrowed his brow and coldly kicked him aside.

Now you think you’ve made a mistake?

No—Yenir saw clearly that Wang Hong was only lamenting that he hadn’t done a cleaner job, cursing that Yenir hadn’t died in that disastrous incident.

Don’t be deceived by the middle-aged man’s tearful act; Yenir knew that unless a Sea Beast erupted or something dire happened to him…

His family, his everything, would be utterly consumed by these parasites.

If a mere apology could fix this, why use fists at all?

“Where is it?”

No beating around the bush.

Yenir spoke coldly, planting his foot on Wang Hong’s head while casually surveying the villa’s decor.

It was evident the place was decorated in an understated style, yet crafted from the finest materials. Just by the crystal chandelier overhead, he recognized it as a relic from the pre-apocalypse era.

“Things?!”

Wang Hong, still weeping, shuddered violently as his heart sank.

There’s nothing left!

Yenir’s residence had been completely stripped of its supplies! Rare system resources—unique treasures the Military possessed only one of—had been used up, and many items were even given away to favor cronies.

Had it not been for that, he wouldn’t have reached this dead end.

As he struggled to cobble together an excuse, a series of booming explosions rang out from above.

Several Awakener members from the Action Team entered, carrying a little girl. The moment she saw Yenir, her arms flung wide as she ran into his embrace.

“Brother!!”

“Sob, sob… You’re finally back…”

“I was so scared. Truly terrified… They said you’d gotten into huge trouble. So many were watching over Mom and me—we almost got taken away…”

Tumbling into Yenir’s arms, Ye Xiaoan trembled uncontrollably, her rosy eyes glistening with tears.

She was truly terrified.

Even though Yenir had reassured her not long ago that there was nothing to worry about, having grown up in a slum, she instinctively sensed that those who claimed to care were really keeping a close watch. Just hours earlier, she had distinctly felt malice in their glances.

It was as if her brother’s misdeeds had doomed them all.

Their lives were nothing more than bargaining chips to keep Yenir confined!

“It’s alright, Xiaoan…”

“Everything’s okay now…”

Unlike his ruthless demeanor against enemies, Yenir exhaled deeply, a cold glint in his eyes as he tenderly ruffled Little Sister’s hair.

He cared little for anyone beyond being willing to sacrifice others if needed, but his family—Xiaoan and his mother—were his one true concern.

After comforting Ye Xiaoan, Yenir wasted no time. The warmth on his face vanished, replaced by a cold, steely glare aimed at the trembling Wang Chu.

“Have you figured out your excuse yet?”

“Where are my things?”

Under Yenir’s cold inquiry, Wang Hong’s face drained of color as he stammered,

“Lord Yenir! I-I swear, I don’t know!”

“Didn’t you ask the Military? They were just temporary workers—they’ve all been arrested!”

“I really don’t know where your belongings are!”

He bit his tongue, clenching his teeth in desperate silence.

Wang Hong’s heart pounded furiously as he had no choice but to deny any knowledge of where the items were.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling to hand them over; he simply couldn’t!

Before he could further defend himself, Ye Xiaoan, still nestled in Yenir’s arms, suddenly looked up and pointed accusatorily at Wang Hong.

“You’re lying!”

“The men who stole our stuff said they were from the Supplies Department!”

“They made two trips—and even threatened me, saying that Brother was already dead! If we didn’t keep quiet, we’d be evicted!”

Recalling that dreadful day, Ye Xiaoan clutched Yenir’s hand tightly, refusing to let go.

To her, that day was nothing short of a nightmare.

Her brother was presumed dead, the home was lost, and her mother had fainted from the shock.

Listening to Ye Xiaoan’s accusations, Wang Chu shuddered, cursing the idiocy of his underlings from the start!

“No, Lord Yenir! Those men were imposters…”

Just as Wang Hong began to squirm in his defense, Ye Xiaoan looked up at Yenir and mercilessly exposed the truth.

“Brother! They took the red crystal and that box of silver stuff!”

“They even claimed that those items were ordered by Wang Chu! They said there was only one set, and they wanted to snatch a piece for themselves!”

Infuriated by Wang Hong’s clumsy lies, Ye Xiaoan exploded with anger.

She knew how important those items were to Yenir. When she tried to stop them, several men pushed her aside.

Her eyes suddenly turned icy.

Listening to Ye Xiaoan’s account, Yenir instantly realized that his A-Grade Power Stone was gone.

The red crystal—meant to amplify power during his mid-level breakthrough—was missing.

And the silver Spirit Crystal, a small box capable of boosting willpower by eight points with gradual absorption, was also gone.

Every item he’d taken from the Military’s storeroom was a treasure, each one priceless and impossible to replace.

He hadn’t expected that even a single trip would result in his old home being raided.

Without these items, even if he could mobilize the Military, finding replacements anytime soon would be nearly impossible.

He wasn’t exaggerating when he said this loss had delayed his progression into the Fourth Stage!

Clearly, Wang Hong shuddered uncontrollably, his face turning deathly white.

“Yenir! I’ll make it up to you! I’ll compensate you in every way!”

“You can’t kill me! Please, you really can’t kill me!!”

“You’re the hero of the East Sea now. Killing me would only taint your hands! I beg you, have mercy!!”

He screamed hoarsely.

Seeing everything unravel, Wang Chu frantically blurted out in a vain attempt to defend himself.

“Yes! I’m still with the Authorities! If you harm me, the Authorities will never approve!”

“This is a grave crime! Please, don’t commit an irreversible mistake!”