Wang Zhixiu and Zhou Yumian took a few days off work specifically to pick up Ji Chenai and take him back home from the school where Zhou Yaoyun was studying.

As they bid farewell, Zhou Yaoyun stood at the door, looking at Ji Chenai with a serious expression as he said. “Brother, wait for me.”

Ji Chenai met Zhou Yaoyun’s earnest gaze and gave a slight nod.

On the way to the airport, Ji Chenai casually asked. “Mom, where exactly is my little brother going?”

Wang Zhixiu, who had been chatting with Zhou Yumian, paused at the question. The smile on her face faded noticeably, and she let out a sigh. “You already know. His family has come looking for him several times.”

Ji Chenai fell silent, offering no response. He had no memory of this particular situation.

Wang Zhixiu continued, “If it weren’t for what happened back then… Xiao Yun would probably have left long ago.”

Ji Chenai understood what Wang Zhixiu was referring to. She was talking about the incident where their family had saved Zhou Yaoyun’s life at the cost of Zhou Yaoqin becoming disabled for the rest of his life. From that perspective, Wang Zhixiu indeed had done right by Zhou Yaoyun.

Wang Zhixiu and Zhou Yumian were both busy with work, rarely spending time at home—less so than Zhou Yaoyun, who had spent far more time around Zhou Yaoqin and knew him better.

Wang Zhixiu sighed again and said, “Xiao Yun’s parents are not ordinary people… He was bound to leave eventually. Xiao Qin, don’t be too upset.”

Zhou Yaoqin nodded silently. The cautious and secretive expressions Wang Zhixiu and Zhou Yumian wore whenever Zhou Yaoyun’s parents were mentioned made it clear that Zhou Yaoyun’s family background was far from ordinary.

By the time they arrived home, it was already afternoon.

Wang Zhixiu, concerned that Zhou Yaoqin might feel upset, prepared an elaborate dinner. She said, “Xiao Qin, since your dad and I won’t be home often, if there’s anything you need, make sure to let us know.”

Zhou Yumian chimed in, “We’ve hired a cook to prepare your lunches. Just tell her whatever you’d like to eat each day.”

Ji Chenai found this arrangement satisfactory and nodded obediently.

During dinner, the television was playing a segment of financial news. When Ji Chenai glanced up, he saw Xu Yunchong, the man from the information provided by Xiao Qi, being interviewed by reporters.

Young and highly accomplished, Xu Yunchong rarely appeared in public. This interview was a rare exception.

Xiao Qi also noticed him and said, “Hmm, I can sense strong waves of negative energy coming from him.”

Ji Chenai raised an eyebrow. “You can sense that just through the TV?”

Xiao Qi replied confidently, “I can read faces.”

Ji Chenai asked skeptically, “You’re serious?”

Xiao Qi admitted, “No, I’m lying.”

Ji Chenai was at a loss for words. He already knew Xiao Qi was unreliable, but he hadn’t expected it to be this unreliable. He stared blankly for a moment before giving up on saying anything further.

Xu Yunchong was a thorn in Ji Chenai’s mind. He knew it was only a matter of time before he confronted the man and the human trafficking ring he was involved in. But before that, Ji Chenai had many other pressing matters to handle.

First on Ji Chenai’s list was dealing with those psychopaths who abused animals.

After being kidnapped, Ji Chenai’s negative energy levels surged to the maximum, easily unlocking late-stage Level 2 negative energy skills. With Xiao Qi’s guidance, Ji Chenai discovered that out of the three newly unlocked skills, two could only be used via the internet.

Ji Chenai had unlocked many skills, but most came with specific usage restrictions. For example, “The Devil’s Smile” could only be used on children, while “The Thief’s Regret” was limited to those who had stolen something.

This time, Xiao Qi didn’t mislead Ji Chenai. It carefully explained the effects of the skill “The Cruel One’s Awakening” after use. After hearing the description, Ji Chenai neither praised nor criticized it. He simply located the forum post about the individuals’ abusing cats and dogs, then used “The Cruel One’s Awakening” on the post.

Due to the skill’s low level, its range of influence was strictly limited. For Ji Chenai, the cooldown period was three days, and its usage was confined to a single forum thread.

As long as the post contained individuals who matched the skill’s criteria, they would be subject to the system’s punishment.

After activating the skill, Ji Chenai went to bed, waiting to see the results the next day.

By normal standards, Xu Ankang was a depraved individual. On the surface, he was a respectable surgeon—polished in appearance and harmonious in his interactions with colleagues at work. However, in private, he harbored a dark and shameful hobby: animal abuse.

Yes, he enjoyed abusing cats.

When Xu Ankang first discovered his dark hobby, he was initially startled. But over time, as his experience grew, he became calm and at ease with it.

After all, cats weren’t human. Even if they died, no one would care or investigate.

At first, Xu Ankang kept his hobby to himself. But later, he stumbled upon an online community of people who shared the same interest. As a result, his obsession deepened and spiraled out of control.

They exchanged images, videos, and various cruel methods of torment and killing, deriving an indescribable sense of excitement and pleasure from it.

But the good times didn’t last long. Soon, some internet users exposed their activities online.

Xu Ankang grew nervous as the flood of insults and condemnation poured in from all directions. He started to fear that someone might unmask him. If his real identity was revealed, his career as a doctor would be over.

Luckily, their organization had a strict confidentiality policy, so only a few pictures were leaked. The netizens were unable to uncover his personal details.

Relieved, Xu Ankang thought the matter had ended there—until one night…

After getting into bed at eleven o’clock, Xu Ankang read for a while before turning off the light and falling into a drowsy sleep.

Then, he saw a giant.

The figure looked exactly like him, but far larger, and it was gazing down at him.

Xu Ankang froze, realizing he was dreaming. However, the dream felt so real. He opened his mouth, letting out a faint sound: “Meow.”

After he made the sound, he saw the figure that looked exactly like him, wearing a strange smile, extending a hand toward him. The figure said, “Little cat, come here.”

In an instant, Xu Ankang was grabbed by that hand. He understood at once what was going to happen next and began to struggle wildly. But his weak body couldn’t break free from the grip. Xu Ankang’s eyes widened in terror as a sharp, agonizing scream escaped his lips…

The dream was so long and vivid that when Xu Ankang finally woke up, he felt completely drained of energy. The pain and the feeling of hopelessness were deeply engraved in his soul, leaving him unable to even perform the simple act of getting out of bed.

After lying in bed for over twenty minutes, Xu Ankang weakly moved. He grabbed his phone, called in sick to the hospital, and then staggered to his computer.

Originally, Xu Ankang had intended to confide in a friend, but when he opened the group for people who shared his obsession with torturing cats, he saw something that made his blood run cold.

There, many people had posted a question: “Did any of you… have a dream last night?”

Xu Ankang felt as if the words on the screen were turning into twisted expressions, lunging at him.

He stared at the screen, his body going limp in the chair, overwhelmed by a crushing sense of despair.

…..

It was another bright and sunny day. Ji Chenai woke up early, and after Zhou Yaoyun left, he had to massage his legs to prevent muscle necrosis.

As Ji Chenai was struggling with the effort of massaging, Xiao Qi said, “Let me show you something interesting, hehe.”

Hearing Xiao Qi’s trademark sly laugh, Ji Chenai knew something was going on.

Sure enough, on the light screen Xiao Qi displayed, Ji Chenai saw a young woman vomiting in the bathroom. As she retched, she cried while speaking on the phone: “What should I do? It’s so scary… the dream I had was so terrifying…”

The scene shifted, and Ji Chenai saw a man sitting on a bed, trembling as he smoked. His eyes were full of fear, and he muttered, “It’s all retribution, it’s all fucking retribution.”

After Xiao Qi’s explanation, Ji Chenai roughly understood what had happened to these people.

Seeing their miserable state, Xiao Qi’s tone seemed unusually indifferent. It said, “This is just the beginning.”

Ji Chenai asked, “So they will keep having these dreams?”

Xiao Qi replied, “For every animal they tortured and killed, they will dream that many times. The more cruel their methods, the more painful the dreams will be. The torturers will relive the pain, despair, and fear those animals felt before they died.”

The dreams granted by ” The Cruel One’s Awakening” perfectly replicate the torturous process. If the person’s actions were particularly cruel and the number of animals they tortured especially large, then in the days to come, they would not know peace for a long time.

It wasn’t until the third day after Ji Chenai used the skill that he finally opened the pinned post. He went straight to the last page of the thread and, unsurprisingly, found some voices of repentance.

Most of these people stated that they would never commit such acts again. They admitted their wrongs and begged for relief.

Since most users didn’t know what had happened, their responses were filled with sarcasm and mockery. Ji Chenai didn’t reply, simply closing the post.

After using the skill, he gained over a hundred points of positive energy. Xiao Qi didn’t mention that he had changed anyone’s fate, so it seemed that the energy points were accumulated little by little.

Xiao Qi bluntly told Ji Chenai that the reason he hadn’t gained much positive energy was because those people didn’t truly feel they were wrong. Although they apologized verbally, their hearts were still filled with resentment and unwillingness to accept responsibility.

Ji Chenai had originally intended to post something, but he hesitated, worried that his real address might be exposed. After a moment of doubt, he decided not to post.

At this point, Xiao Qi didn’t let him down. It said, “You can use me to post. My address—no one will ever be able to find it.”

Knowing that Xiao Qi wouldn’t trick him on matters like this, Ji Chenai decided to take advantage of it. Using Xiao Qi’s account, he posted in a forum where those people frequently visited.

=^_^=