Knight and SS Mission

With a loud clang, Old Xiao slammed the iron door of the interrogation room, shutting out the terrifying wooden barrel and the ghastly meeting of gazes between Hou Rui and the woman with unfocused eyes.

“Who did this?” Hou Rui, still agitated, tried to push his way into the interrogation room. He could not accept seeing anyone treated this way; if they wanted to kill her, a bullet would have sufficed—why resort to such sickening torment? Old Xiao could be brutal when taking action, but whoever had subjected this woman to such torment was a madman, a true degenerate.

“Mind your own business!” Old Xiao, equally shaken, threw his pistol onto the couch, then poured two glasses of whiskey for himself and Hou Rui. Hou Rui ignored the glass, moving again toward the interrogation room door, intent on freeing the poor woman.

Old Xiao instantly saw through Hou Rui’s intention. After tossing back his whiskey in one gulp, he said helplessly, “Don’t bother. Even if you let her out, it’s too late.”

“Why? She can still speak!”

“When you lock someone in a barrel with a few inches of water, after a few days, the water mixes with their own waste, turning into a corrosive poison. By the looks of her, she’s been in there for days—her feet, hips, and lower body are probably already rotting. Didn’t you see the maggots on the lid? She’s beyond saving.” Old Xiao rubbed his hair in agitation, then added, “I’ve seen something like this before. If you open the barrel now, you’ll only find half a corpse, too disgusting for words.”

As Hou Rui listened, a wave of nausea overtook him. When he pictured a living person, still breathing, but with half their flesh eaten away, he could no longer hold back and vomited violently.

It was a long time before Hou Rui returned from the kitchen sink. He stood at the interrogation room door, pale-faced, and after much hesitation, finally reached out and opened it.

Old Xiao, sitting on the sofa, watched Hou Rui silently. He’d said all there was to say. If Hou Rui insisted on trying, Old Xiao would not stop him.

Bang! In the end, Hou Rui fired a bullet straight through the woman’s head in the barrel. In that split second, he thought he saw a glimmer of gratitude in those clouded, lifeless eyes.

“Stray Dog, you’ve made a big mess for yourself.” Old Xiao spoke only after Hou Rui sat down and downed his whiskey, his tone light but ominous.

“What do you mean?” Hou Rui, still on edge, glared at Old Xiao, his eyes bloodshot.

“The guy who took this job—his codename is ‘Wood Demon.’ After putting his victims in barrels, he records their entire suffering and death, then mails the footage to his employer. That’s how the job is completed. By ending that woman’s pain with a bullet, you ruined his assignment. He’ll come looking for you, no doubt about it.”

“I don’t care. If he comes, I’ll kill him.” Furious, Hou Rui smashed his glass on the floor, as if it were Wood Demon’s head he was shattering.

Old Xiao chuckled coldly, “You’re too naive! Wood Demon is already a Knight. According to the organization’s rules, if you kill a Knight, they’ll immediately activate your chip. Even if you defeat him, you won’t live long after.”

Old Xiao’s words left Hou Rui with no way out; even if he wanted to fight, there was no chance.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!” Hou Rui pounded the sofa with his fists, desperate and helpless against this opponent he could neither fight nor flee.

“Is there no other way?” Only after venting his frustration did Hou Rui look to Old Xiao, hoping for a solution.

“There are two options: First, you get promoted to Knight in a short time. Then you’d be on equal footing, and the organization would mediate your conflict—but that’s nearly impossible. Second, pay him off. When Wood Demon finds you, hopefully you have enough money to satisfy him. Then, maybe, he’ll let it go.”

“How much will that take?”

“That depends on his mood, and how much the job was worth.”

“What do you mean by ‘job’?”

“Unlike standard or red-death missions, a ‘job’ is specifically a torture-to-death assignment. They pay much more for those, since someone as twisted as Wood Demon is hard to find—even our organization only has a few like him.”

Hou Rui learned a few more secrets about the organization, but he felt no joy. Instead, he was deeply worried that Wood Demon might appear one day and do to him what he’d done to that woman. Worse, if Wood Demon went after Jin Shanshan instead, Hou Rui dreaded even to imagine the outcome.

No, I can’t just sit and wait to die. I must start preparing now!

Hou Rui had never been more determined. He took a deep breath to steady his racing heart and clear his mind, then pressed Old Xiao, “Is Wood Demon a man or a woman?”

“I don’t know. None of his targets ever survived.”

“Has he ever worked with a team?”

“Never!”

“What nationality is he?” Feeling defeated, Hou Rui probed further.

“No idea, but his gruesome work has surfaced all over the world.”

“Can I buy his identity information?” Hou Rui asked, clinging to his last hope.

“Don’t even think about it. Every Knight is a major asset to the organization. They’d never sell you that info. Even if the organization puts a price on everything, they’d ask for hundreds of millions. I wouldn’t dare, and you shouldn’t even dream.”

Old Xiao finished belittling Hou Rui and poured himself another drink, sipping it slowly.

“Knight, Knight—you keep mentioning this term. What does it actually mean?”

“In simple terms, it’s a title, but it also represents a rank and a group of people. All new recruits are assigned a number. After basic training and completing a mission, you earn a nickname—like yours, ‘Stray Dog.’ Once you’ve completed many missions, or extremely difficult ones, you can become a Knight’s Squire. After strict selection, the organization might finally grant you the title of Knight.”

“So, are you a Knight now?” At this question, Old Xiao’s face darkened. He put down his glass and replied, utterly emotionless, “I’ve already talked too much. Don’t get curious about my business, Stray Dog. It’s no less dangerous than crossing Wood Demon.”

Faced with Old Xiao’s sudden chill, Hou Rui wisely shut his mouth.

The two of them sat in silence for a while longer. Then Old Xiao took Hou Rui and left the safehouse, but not before setting off a dirty bomb and erasing all traces of their presence.

Driving away, the two went to the Folk Hotel to collect their luggage, then headed straight to Incheon Airport. While waiting for their flight, Old Xiao even had the mood to buy a few souvenirs at the duty-free shop, which left Hou Rui speechless. Once they boarded the return flight, Hou Rui said nothing more to Old Xiao.

In the blink of an eye, they were back at Beijing International Airport. At the exit, Old Xiao hopped into his Wrangler and drove off, leaving Hou Rui alone at the curb, forcing him to take a taxi back to the city—and back to campus.

No sooner had Hou Rui set foot in his dorm and sat down than his phone rang. It was Jin Shanshan, sobbing so hard she could barely speak: “Hou Rui! Wu wu wu, Sister Ye Xin—Sister Ye Xin is dead! Wu wu wu…”

“What? Didn’t we just see her a few days ago?” Hou Rui was stunned.

“Yes! But it’s all over the news. They said it was a severe allergic reaction. She’d been in the hospital since you left, but… but they couldn’t save her…” Jin Shanshan’s grief was heart-wrenching. As Hou Rui tried to comfort her, a memory suddenly flashed through his mind:

“Don’t be foolish, woman.” Old Xiao’s words, and his cold laugh at the time—suddenly, Hou Rui guessed the truth behind Ye Xin’s death. Once again, cruel reality made it clear: the world Hou Rui had entered was one of madness and darkness, where every single day required utmost caution.

It took all his patience to console Jin Shanshan, and only when she finally calmed did Hou Rui try to sleep—but he couldn’t. Instead, he got up, grabbed his camera, and left the dormitory.

For the next while, Hou Rui poured all his energy into photography. Wherever he went, he carried his camera, shooting a huge number of photos in a short time. It wasn’t a passion for study—he was trying to empty his mind, to keep from being crushed by the pressure.

The organization was a problem he couldn’t solve for now, so he might as well not think about it. If Wood Demon came, he’d have to buy his way out. Worrying would only drive him insane. So, Hou Rui threw himself into his art, trying to escape the darkness and dread that clung to his heart.

Old Xiao was nowhere to be found these days. Hou Rui spent his weeks either helping Xiao Lin assemble cars or taking Jin Shanshan out, finally helping the girl recover from Ye Xin’s death. The rest of his time was devoted to preparing for the upcoming finals.

Soon enough, the dreaded final exams arrived. With tests scheduled one after another, every night in the dorm was a scene of burning the midnight oil. Even Ma Siyuan and the others, usually focused on girls and gossip, wished they could squeeze an extra hour out of every minute to cram for the tests.