Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 716: Chapter 719: Moral Integrity

"It's just a phone call, why run away? I'm wearing clothes," Yang Chen muttered, feeling utterly confused. What was going on with Lin Ruoxi this early in the morning? Could it be that his absence the whole night had deeply hurt her?

It wasn't surprising that Yang Chen didn't understand. After their unpleasant episode the previous night, he couldn't have anticipated Lin Ruoxi's sudden change in attitude. Moreover, who could have guessed that Guo Xuehua's words about the fleeting nature of youth would instill such a sense of urgency in Lin Ruoxi?

"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may," as the saying goes. Men should cherish their youth, and women too need to seize their time.

Shaking his head in confusion, Yang Chen answered the phone. It was Edlin calling.

"How's the progress?" Yang Chen asked.

On the other end, Edlin yawned. "Hades, your task kept me up all night. The recorded footage has been sent to your email. It's enough to ruin that woman's reputation. Do you still want us to continue filming? If this goes on, it'll turn into a TV series."

Yang Chen pondered for a moment and then said, "No, let her be. She won't have a chance to recover now. Whether she lives or dies is her choice."

After hanging up, Yang Chen walked over to the table and opened his laptop. He logged into his email and found the video file.

Yang Chen watched it and couldn't help but laugh. Edlin had done an excellent job filming, capturing Luo Cuishan's face in great detail, with special close-ups on certain parts. The video began with the attack by four men and ended with the aftermath, all meticulously recorded. The lighting Edlin used during the night was particularly commendable.

After backing up the video to an external hard drive, Yang Chen instructed Maureen from the Sea Eagle team to send the video to Ning Guangyao's private email.

Of course, the address had to be a private one. Yang Chen didn't want to create a nationwide scandal. After all, Luo Cuishan was the wife of a leader, and a public disgrace on a national or global scale would be a scandal for China.

Yang Chen's goal was to eliminate Luo Cuishan's chance of recovery and make the Ning and Luo families cautious. As long as he held this video, he would have the upper hand. No matter how much they hated him, they would have to consider the consequences.

Yang Chen wasn't afraid of these people, but he knew it was best to be prepared. Having been back in the country for a while, his mindset had matured. Resolving everything through violence wasn't the best method. He didn't want to create continuous turmoil, which would also affect those around him.

While Yang Chen was contacting Maureen, Luo Cuishan was slowly waking up under a bridge by the river in the suburbs of Zhonghai.

After a night of madness, she had passed out completely at dawn due to the cold and exhaustion, only to wake up shivering soon after because she had little clothing on.

Instinctively trying to get up, Luo Cuishan felt a searing pain spread through her body the moment she put pressure on her legs.

"Hiss—" She inhaled sharply and dared not move.

Her head was foggy, and as she opened her eyes to look at the cold, muddy, and dark surroundings, memories of what happened flooded back, hitting her like a thunderbolt.

Her face turned deathly pale as tears streamed down her cheeks, falling into the mud.

The stench of the four homeless men lingered on her body, making her wish she had died the previous night. At nearly fifty years old, having been a pampered daughter all her life, she couldn't believe she had been violated by four lowly men.

How could she face her husband, her son, or anyone else? More importantly, how could she face herself?

Living could indeed be more painful than dying.

On the riverbank, Luo Cuishan's face was as white as paper, like a lifeless doll, devoid of any vitality.

After a long while, her mind numb from the chaos, she slowly sat up despite the bruises on her body. Her clothes had been torn to shreds during the struggle the night before, leaving her practically naked.

The cold morning air made her instinctively hug her chest, but she quickly felt the chill on her buttocks.

Looking around, she saw that it was still early, and no one was passing by. But once rush hour began, how could she face being found naked like this?

She couldn't imagine the horror of being seen in such a state after the previous night's ordeal.

"No, I can't let that happen. I can't let anyone see me like this," she muttered to herself, her eyes falling on the rushing river. "It would be better to die than to live in such pain. Yang Chen, Lin Ruoxi, even as a ghost, I won't let you off."

With that, she struggled to her feet and, despite her shaky legs, made her way towards the river.

Just as she was about to reach the riverbank, a man's voice called out from the other side of the bridge.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

A young homeless man, dressed in tattered clothes and carrying a paper bag, had just come down to the bridge and shouted at Luo Cuishan.

Luo Cuishan's eyes flashed with hatred. Even as a ghost, she would recognize this young beggar, one of the men who had violated her the night before.

The beggar, dragging his lame leg, quickly hopped over to Luo Cuishan and rudely shoved her away from the riverbank.

"Thinking of jumping into the river? Is it worth it? So what if you got played by a few men? You're not young anymore. Did you still think you were a virgin? No matter who you sleep with, it's all the same. Did you really think you were some kind of treasure?" he sneered.

"What did you say?!" Luo Cuishan, trembling with rage, spat at him. "You filthy animal! Do you know who I am?!"

"Ha! I don't care who you are. You called me a dog? Then I guess I screwed a bitch!" The beggar laughed, wiping his face with his sleeve.

"You dare insult me?!"

The beggar, ignoring her, continued, "Come on, old lady, don't do something stupid. Think about it. If you die, you lose everything. So what if a few of us had some fun? It's better to live. Even if you want revenge, you need to stay alive first, right?"

"Who are you to lecture me?!" Luo Cuishan screeched.

The beggar mocked, "What, raising your voice makes you tougher? In the end, you still got played and now want to die? Pathetic."

Luo Cuishan, seething with anger, bent down, picked up a rock, and hurled it at the beggar.

Despite his crippled leg, the beggar easily dodged her feeble attempt. "You sure have a lot of energy, fighting with the four of us all night and still having the strength to throw rocks. And look at you, still naked while doing it. Wow, those are some round breasts you've got, still jiggling and all..." he laughed lewdly.

Realizing she was stark naked in front of the young beggar, Luo Cuishan hurriedly covered herself. The mix of humiliation, anger, and despair brought tears streaming down her face once again.

The beggar scoffed and leisurely walked to the corner of the underpass. He picked up a dirty, tattered blanket from the ground and tossed it at Luo Cuishan's feet. "I don't have clothes for you, but you can wrap yourself in this blanket. It's torn, but at least you can use it as shorts."

"Get lost! I won't use this filthy thing!" Luo Cuishan kicked the blanket away in disgust.

The beggar smirked, then pulled out the cheapest white bun from his greasy paper bag and tossed it in front of her. "Suit yourself. I'm only being nice because you gave me a good time last night. At least I have some moral standards, unlike the others who just left. Giving you my blanket and sharing my bun is more than you deserve. Do you think it's easy for me to beg for money to buy this bun? Tch..."

"I'll make sure you all die horrible deaths!" Luo Cuishan snarled, her voice trembling with rage.

The beggar rolled his eyes and continued munching on his bun. "Big talk for someone in your position. Even in Zhonghai, beggars are countless. You think you can find them? We have no identities. If it weren't for my kind heart leaving you a blanket, you wouldn't even be able to leave this underpass. You'd just starve and freeze to death here."

Luo Cuishan had no retort. She bit her lip in frustration, feeling the blood seep into her mouth. Overwhelmed by sorrow, she squatted down, covered her head, and cried bitterly once again.

The beggar, chewing on his bun, seemed oblivious to her distress. He occasionally glanced at her, his eyes reflecting a muddled mix of thoughts.

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8