Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Memory(8)

Knocking on the red door, HuMing stood waiting for a while until a middle-aged man's voice came from within.

"Coming." seaʀᴄh thё Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The door creaked open, and when the man saw HuMing, he froze. His eyes first landed on the necklace around HuMing's neck, then carefully scanned his features. After confirming that he did not recognize him, the man finally asked:

"Young man, who are you here to see?"

"I'm here for ‘Zhou’."

HuMing noted that Zhou was wearing a glove on his left hand, while his right hand was bare. One sentence from him caused Zhou's face to change drastically. Zhou stepped outside, glanced around cautiously, then looked at HuMing with a grave expression.

"Who sent you?"

"Ah Zhao!" HuMing's reply made Zhou stagger a few steps back, his body trembling. He shook his head repeatedly, his face filled with guilt and regret.

HuMing didn’t understand why Zhou reacted this way, but one thing was clear—Zhou knew something about the events he had come to investigate.

"I knew it... I knew it! I never should’ve let him leave back then." Zhou’s voice was tinged with exhaustion.

HuMing stepped into the house and shut the door behind him. Walking up to Zhou, he placed a firm hand on the man’s shoulder and asked seriously:

"Tell me—what on earth happened?"

Zhou slowly closed his eyes and collapsed weakly to the ground. "First, tell me—how did Ah Zhao die?"

"I never told you he was dead."

"But the fact that he sent you to find me proves that the item wasn’t protected, and he’ll die because of it." Zhou’s words made HuMing freeze abruptly.

HuMing understood exactly what Zhou meant. Those words mirrored what Ah Zhao had once said…

Indirectly, it was HuMing who took Ah Zhao's life.

But HuMing didn’t care about that at the moment. What he cared about was—what on earth was going on here!

"The experimental sample—who has it now?"

"If nothing unexpected happened, it should’ve fallen back into ChaChai’s hands. After all, Ah Zhao risked everything to steal it from him. Without that formula, ChaChai wouldn’t have been able to grow his influence to this extent!" Zhou stood up and stared at HuMing, his expression tinged with anger.

"What was your relationship with Ah Zhao?" HuMing asked.

"He was my student. Years ago, ChaChai built his power base here. He somehow acquired a type of pill that caused unbearable, excruciating pain when consumed. Only the antidote, which ChaChai controlled, could relieve the agony.”

"Using those pills, ChaChai enslaved countless people. My student, Ah Zhao, couldn’t bear to watch the suffering and stole the formula from ChaChai before fleeing. At the time, his identity here was fake, so no one knew who he really was."

"Before he left, he told me that if anyone came to find me, it meant the formula had been taken. ChaChai, like a madman, hunted Ah Zhao relentlessly. Those who helped him escape were tortured to death. As his teacher, I didn’t escape unscathed either."

Zhou raised his left hand and removed the glove, revealing a prosthetic.

HuMing was shocked. The sacrifices Zhou and the others had made to help Ah Zhao escape were unimaginable. Yet, Zhou’s expression betrayed no regret over his actions.

Perhaps sensing HuMing’s gaze, Zhou waved a hand dismissively. "It wasn’t just Ah Zhao’s decision to steal the formula. Everyone who helped him had suffered at ChaChai’s hands. They were willing to risk everything for revenge."

HuMing nodded and was about to say something when a young voice called out from outside:

"Teacher Zhou, I’m here for my lesson!"

Zhou’s expression shifted dramatically. He pushed HuMing urgently and said, "Hide, now!"

"Why?"

"That boy is ChaChai’s son. ChaChai placed him here because no one else but me can teach him. If he finds you here, ChaChai will know something’s wrong!"

Despite Zhou’s anxiety, HuMing remained calm. He pulled a letter from his pocket and asked, "Do you know someone called Mr. Ross?"

Zhou’s eyes widened in disbelief. Then, suddenly excited, he grabbed HuMing’s shoulders. "ChaChai’s never met Ross! If you impersonate Ross, you can get close to ChaChai!"

"You’re sure?"

"Positive! ChaChai never meets people online or in person for business. Ross had connections, but they’ve never met face-to-face!" Zhou was adamant.

HuMing decided to trust him. After all, getting close to ChaChai was precisely what he needed. Yet, he couldn’t ignore the faint sense of justice brewing inside him—a feeling HuMin had warned against. Don’t let justice guide your actions, or it’ll only lead to your downfall.

Zhou opened the door, and standing there was a boy with an innocent smile. Despite everything, Zhou didn’t harbor hatred for the boy. The child was like a blank slate—untainted by his father’s deeds.

"Teacher Zhou, I’m here to learn!" the boy exclaimed excitedly, stepping inside. However, behind him were two men in sunglasses, dressed in tactical gear with bulletproof vests and combat knives strapped to their thighs.

The boy’s eyes lit up with curiosity when he noticed HuMing, and his surprise was evident. He’d never seen strangers at Zhou’s place before. Meanwhile, the two men tensed up, their hands instinctively reaching for their weapons.

One of them stepped forward and demanded, "Who are you?"

Without a word, HuMing pulled the Ross letter from his pocket and tossed it onto the floor. The man picked it up cautiously. After reading its contents, his expression shifted dramatically. Bowing deeply, he said:

"My apologies, Mr. Ross. Please forgive my rudeness!"