Chapter 140: Shifting Shadows

Chapter 140: Shifting Shadows

"He gets things done clean and quick, and he's ruthless. Everyone there either took hush money or got threatened. Honestly, not many folks know the real story. Besides the two guys running the machinery, there was a security guard from the demolition company keeping things in order. They saw my parents get crushed by bricks and steel, but they kept quiet, pockets stuffed with cash, lips sealed tight."

"I went to the cops, but no one cared. In their records, my parents were just missing persons. I sold everything, appealed, posted online, even protested at the government building... did everything I could, but no one gave a damn. Everyone's just looking out for their own promotion and wealth, stepping on whoever they need to. As long as they can climb higher and get more money, they'll sell their conscience without a second thought!"

"I get that the country and society are changing, and there are more good people than bad. But clearly, I'm just unlucky. I didn't find any honest officials or get much attention, maybe I didn't know the right people or use the right methods. Anyway, that's how it went. I shouted for over a month, and all I got was indifference, ridicule, mockery, threats, and a few beatings from strangers in dark corners."

"Just when I was about to give up, thinking I couldn't fight such a powerful force, something unexpected happened."

"The three people who knew the truth, the security guard from the demolition company died. He fell into a manhole. When they found him a few days later, he was all swollen from the sewage, like a pig that burst. They said he drowned while drunk."

"The two workers didn't do much better. One rolled down a hillside while driving, and the other just vanished, no news since. Hahaha... James, when you said you wanted to deal with Dr. Sharp, were you planning to cut her up and bury the pieces? Killing someone is that simple. When you have power, it's almost effortless."

"I tried talking to those three, hoping one of them would spill the truth. Their fate inspired me. I realized solving this didn't have to be so hard. When everyone treats you like dirt, the only things you can trust are a knife and poison."

James felt a chill, pulling his clothes tighter and listening to Aaron's last words.

"I spiked the food at the state government cafeteria, causing a small dysentery outbreak. While the office was empty, I snuck into the leader's room and messed with his teacup. Sounds like a spy movie, right? He died the next day, and no one found the cause. They said it was food poisoning. I felt proud, all those years studying biomedicine paid off, and no one traced it back to me."

"His funeral was grand, lots of wreaths, and those banners with nauseating words like 'servant of the people,' 'dedicated leader,' and 'regret for his untimely death'... Hahaha! Watching from the side, it was like a bunch of pretentious people pretending to be sad. Then, they'd start competing for his position."

"Killing can be addictive, like drugs. Two people in my family died, and only one on the other side, that's not fair."

"I never thought about finding that old classmate. Even if I did, so what? The person's dead, and even if his father, who was a leader, repented at my parents' graves, would it bring them back? Would an apology restore everything? What good is money when people are dead? What use do I have for those pieces of paper? Fine! If you truly feel remorse, show your sincerity and choose a death method you can accept. 'Revenge' isn't just talk, and it can't be replaced by gold or silver. A life for a life, that's the natural order. You killed my parents, so you owe me two lives."

"That guy had it all—great grades, solid family background. His dad was a big shot, and he had a relative in the federal government with real clout. While I was studying abroad, he climbed from a regular official to a high-ranking position. For most people, that's a pipe dream, but it's different when you've got connections. After I poisoned his dad, I called him up and invited him to dinner. James, you probably guessed it, I don't just invite people to dinner for no reason. I was planning to take him out."

"He had no clue I was behind everything, or what his dad had done. To be fair, he was pretty innocent in all this. By the time I decided to get rid of him, his dad's memorial service had been over for six months. I'm smart; I wouldn't leave any clues or loose ends. I used all my connections to track his every move. That saying is true: to destroy your enemy, you gotta know your enemy."

"He came to this city and, thanks to his relative, became the dean. Maybe his high-ranking relative wanted him to get some experience, so he came here alone. Little did he know, I'd been shadowing him for over six months, knowing everything about him."

"They say meeting an old friend in a distant land is a kind of happiness. He definitely didn't think that when he died. I injected him with some anesthetic, so his body couldn't move but his mind was still clear. I told him everything. I always felt that letting someone die clueless was really cruel. So, I wrapped a wire around his neck and talked about the past, explaining why I went from a top scholar to a murderer. I saw fear in his eyes, a desperate will to live. I saw him plead, his deep attachment to life. I admit, I felt a bit soft-hearted then."

"I blindfolded him and strangled him. I'm an excellent doctor; no one knows the human body better than I do, and how to kill someone most effectively."

"He and I looked pretty similar. Seventy percent, maybe sixty. Back in school, people joked we were twins. To get close to him, I kept my body shape similar to his for over six months. I mimicked his speech, tone, voice, even his hair and clothes... I tried to become him, playing his role in this identity switch."

"You might think I'm nuts. Honestly, I think so too. The most important people in my life are gone, and besides revenge, I can't think of anything else worth living for. You know, in isolation, a person changes inside and out. My hatred for my parents' deaths isn't just about two lives anymore. I got addicted to it; I wanted to wipe out his whole family. Didn't God say: the sins of the fathers must be visited upon the children to the third and fourth generation?"

James felt his hands and feet go cold, his blood almost freezing.

The Aaron he remembered was a sunny young man, always smiling, gentle and refined.

But who would've thought, under that white doctor's coat, was a completely different person?

"If God is the director of a mental hospital in heaven or hell, then he's got a spot reserved for me. I've been pretending, always working towards revenge. But after becoming the hospital director, I realized maybe I don't need to kill in such dangerous and cruel ways anymore. I should use smarter methods to get more attention."

"I want to be a professional actor, giving the best performance on the hospital stage."

"I want to embezzle like crazy, blow through money, and empty all the accounts."

"I want to mess around with relationships, have affairs with at least a hundred women, causing a ton of gossip. Hahaha!"

"I want to indulge in debauchery every day, not caring about the hospital's normal operations. Then, turn this place into a complete mess, a legalized garbage dump."

"My friend, by now, you must have guessed what I want to do. I'm not crazy, I haven't lost my mind. I need to show the most rotten, dark side to attract more attention, more disgust. Finally, I'll trigger the most violent anger, turning into a raging fire."