Looking at Zhang Rantian in that state, I felt a wave of disorientation. Could he really be the one responsible for wiping out the Xie family?
With the collapse of the breakwater, it was as if everything had returned to square one. Everyone stared in terror at the gap along the breakwater's edge. The dock and the breakwater had become taboo ground—no one dared go near. The flame of hope that had just been rekindled was now heavily smothered once again.
Even Sun Fatty and Hao Zhengyi, who had been the most confident of us all, now wore grim expressions. Zhang Rantian lay half-propped on the ground, his injured left leg soaked in blood. Perhaps a nerve had been affected—the leg twitched uncontrollably. Director Hugo checked his wound, then walked over to Sun Fatty with a frown and said, "The bullet damaged a nerve. Even if he heals, he'll likely have lasting complications. Sun, you got unlucky this time."
Just then, a thin man in his forties walked hesitantly over from the crowd and awkwardly smiled at Sun Fatty before saying, "Sir, Mayor Wang would like you to explain what exactly is going on here."
Sun Fatty, already looking for an outlet, rolled his eyes in the direction of the deputy mayor standing afar, forced a grim smirk, and replied, "Heh... Why don't you ask your precious deputy mayor over there whether I'm obligated to report anything to him? He thinks being far from the capital makes him a little emperor? Guys like him—just one brick from the capital could flatten six of 'em. Even the ones watching the gates back there outrank him…"
Though the deputy mayor was quite a distance away, he couldn't avoid hearing Sun Fatty's booming voice. His face turned purple with rage. He knew Sun Fatty was a friend of the groom's side and held a department-level position in the capital, but he wasn't aware of Sun Fatty's full background. Now, with so many people present, he couldn't afford to lash out and could only turn his face away as if he hadn't heard anything.
But Sun Fatty wasn't done yet. He continued, "Not to be rude, but these days, even every stray cat and mongrel thinks I owe them a report…"
Suddenly, he paused mid-sentence, blinked, and murmured, "Stray cat and mongrel…"
Something seemed to click. He ignored the thin messenger and quickly walked over to Yang Jun. Leaning in, he whispered something to Yang Jun, who frowned deeply as he listened. But once Sun Fatty finished, Yang Jun seemed to understand and nodded. He carefully took the black cat out from his backpack and handed it to Sun Fatty. Then, from his pocket, Yang Jun produced a tiny bamboo tube and tapped out a small pill about the size of a soybean.
I thought the pill was for lie detection and meant for Zhang Rantian, but to my surprise, Yang Jun slipped it into the black cat's mouth. Maybe it was the daylight or the effect of the pill, but the black cat seemed a bit more spirited than the night before—its eyes opened slightly and met Sun Fatty's with panic, then recognition. The cat actually rubbed its head against Sun Fatty's arm, nuzzling into the crook of his elbow.
Sun Fatty truly had a natural bond with creatures like treasure rats and black cats.
Cradling the black cat, Sun Fatty ambled toward Zhang Rantian, speaking as he walked: "Mr. Zhang, terribly sorry—my bad, I slipped and you got caught in it. Luckily the shot hit a fleshy spot. Just two inches closer to the center and… well, let's not go there. Total misunderstanding, Zhang. I owe you one."
Zhang Rantian, sitting up with both hands supporting him, was pale with pain, his leg wound making him suck in air through clenched teeth. He was drenched in sweat. He glanced at Sun Fatty and waved his hand without saying anything.
Just as Sun Fatty neared him, he seemed to trip over a stone. His body lurched forward and the black cat flew out of his hands, heading straight for Zhang Rantian's face. At the moment it was airborne, the black cat saw Zhang Rantian and instantly bristled—its neck, back, and tail fur standing on end. It let out its signature piercing screech:
"Nyeh—!"
…
As soon as Sun Fatty moved with the black cat, I suspected what he was about to do. So the moment he threw the cat, I'd already covered my ears. But it didn't help—the screech cut straight through my palms and drilled into my ears. My head spun, and I staggered back several steps. Only the sea breeze snapping against my face brought me back from the brink of collapse.
The cat's scream was different this time—not as devastating as before. I didn't pass out, and even Sun Fatty just landed on his butt rather than being completely knocked out. It must've been the effect of that pill Yang Jun gave it earlier.
As the sound rang out, everyone except for a few of us collapsed—whether from the Xie family or the wedding guests on the other side, all of them fainted. But Zhang Rantian… when he heard the cat's cry, he actually jumped up on one leg and smacked the flying black cat to the ground with one hand. The cat let out a painful yelp and didn't run back to Sun Fatty. Instead, it rolled over on the ground and bolted to Yang Jun's side like a shadow, scaling his pant leg and leaping onto his shoulder. Then it dug into Yang Jun's backpack, disappearing inside.
By then, Hao Zhengyi, Xiao Heshang, and the others had surrounded Zhang Rantian. He looked around at the unconscious people, and his face started to twist. Sun Fatty sat on the ground grinning and said, "Mr. Zhang, what's the matter? Not to be rude, but you're scared by a little kitty?"
Zhang Rantian ignored him. He limped in place for a few steps, testing his ability to stand. But after just a few paces, he lost balance and almost fell. Xiao Heshang sneered, "Don't get any ideas. Even if your legs weren't injured, you still wouldn't get far."
Zhang Rantian looked at Xiao Heshang, then turned to Sun Fatty and asked, "If it weren't for the dirt on my shoes and pants… would you have figured me out?"
Sun Fatty chuckled where he sat, replying, "Old Zhang, don't flatter yourself. Even without the Ashes of the Guardian Buddha on your shoes, your little slip-ups already gave you away."
Zhang Rantian's face showed some disbelief. In response, Sun Fatty stood up, dusted off his pants, and said, "Not to be rude, but in all my life, I've never seen a general manager with guts like yours. Like I said—your acting was over the top. A general manager is still just an employee. You saw unrelated people dying down there in the sea. Even your boss's own son-in-law didn't dare stay here, and yet you were buzzing around Xie Pang like a loyal servant. So either you're his actual son—or you knew you'd be safe from all this Xie family mess. The real question is… where did that confidence come from?"
At this moment, there was no trace of the submissiveness Zhang Rantian had shown earlier when facing Xie Pang. He turned to glance at the unconscious members of the Xie family lying on the ground and sighed faintly. "I thought that even if everyone in the Xie family ended up dead, no one would ever suspect it had anything to do with me."
Sun Fatty chuckled and said, "Old Zhang, that's a bold claim." He waved his hand over the unconscious crowd and continued, "They were simply too close to the trees to see the forest, and you scared them half to death. Once this whole thing is over, someone will definitely suspect you."
"Maybe not," Zhang Rantian replied, his face pale and eyes distant. He exhaled slowly and added, "If it's after the fact, then they'll be even less likely to suspect me." Even Sun Fatty and Hao Zhengyi couldn't make sense of that statement.
Zhang Rantian looked at Sun Fatty and gave a faint smile. "Because the last one to die... will be—" He pointed at his own nose and uttered a single word: "me."
Sun Fatty blinked, as if about to say something, but swallowed it back in silence. Instead, Xiao Heshang stepped forward and said, "Tell us—what exactly did the Xie family do to make you this desperate? And how did you manage all this?"
Zhang Rantian lowered his head, looking at his shoes and the thick coating of Yin-seeking Ash clinging to his pants. "You guys aren't ordinary people either," he said, lifting his gaze to Xiao Heshang. "So listen to my story first."
It all began more than forty years ago, back when this place was still a small fishing village. The island was little more than a freshwater stop for passing vessels. That era was marked by an unprecedented political movement sweeping across the nation, and the slogan "The vast countryside offers boundless opportunities" had sent scores of freshly graduated middle and high school students from cities into rural areas to "take root." Among them was a young woman from the south named Zhang Xiaolan, who was assigned to this remote fishing village as part of the sent-down youth campaign.
She was only sixteen or seventeen at the time. Perhaps due to the gentle southern climate, Zhang Xiaolan was strikingly beautiful—so much so that, had she been born a few decades later, she might have outshone most film stars. Originally, she was supposed to be sent to the state farm corps in the frigid Northlands, but due to a series of bureaucratic mix-ups, she ended up here instead.
Her arrival stirred quite the excitement in the quiet northern village. Word quickly spread to nearby villages that a stunning southern beauty had arrived. Young men from surrounding areas concocted all kinds of excuses to visit the village, just to catch a glimpse of her. There was even an incident where two groups of youths broke into a brawl in front of the youth commune just to secure a better spot for seeing her, and it took the village Party secretary—along with the head of security and the militia—to forcibly disperse them.
That Party secretary was none other than Xie Pang. Within a year of taking office, he had replaced every village official with members of his own family. From the accountant and militia commander down to the team leaders of each production group—every single one was surnamed Xie. In that village, the only word that carried more weight than Chairman Mao's was that of Secretary Xie.
Once Zhang Xiaolan arrived, Xie Pang often found excuses to linger around the youth commune. He never came empty-handed—sometimes bringing fresh fish, sometimes half a pound of peanuts and sunflower seeds, or candies. In those days, such offerings were quite extravagant. The sent-down youths were more than happy to have the Party secretary visit frequently, and soon enough, Xie Pang had grown close to many of them. He even "adopted" a few as godchildren—among them, Zhang Xiaolan.
At first, Zhang Xiaolan believed she had met a benefactor in this unfamiliar place. She didn't just call Xie Pang her godfather—she also addressed his wife (not Xie Mochou's biological mother) as her godmother. From then on, she was often invited to their home for meals. However, she didn't notice that none of the other so-called godchildren received such treatment.
As the New Year approached and one by one the other sent-down youths left to return home, Zhang Xiaolan grew anxious. Xie Pang had promised to help her buy a train ticket home. But as the days passed and the New Year drew nearer, there was still no ticket. Each time she asked, he'd repeat the same line: "I've asked a friend to get it. Should be ready in a day or two."
Days turned into weeks, and by the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, the ticket finally arrived—but Zhang Xiaolan was devastated to find it was for the wrong destination. There were no longer any direct trains to her hometown, and even with transfers, it would be impossible to get back in time for New Year's Eve. Zhang Xiaolan broke down in tears. Xie Pang consoled her repeatedly, and eventually, she resigned herself to spending the New Year in the fishing village.
By then, she was the only one left at the youth commune. Xie Pang suggested she move into his home. She hesitated at first, but the fear of staying alone at night and the persistent persuasion of Xie Pang and his wife wore her down. She finally agreed to spend the holiday at their house.
And thus, the seed of tragedy was planted on the New Year's Eve of that winter—leading to the near-annihilation of the Xie family four decades later.
That night, the entire Xie clan had gathered in Xie Pang's house. As was custom in northern villages, men and women sat at separate tables. Zhang Xiaolan, being a guest, was invited to the head table, seated beside the Xie family patriarch.
At first, everything seemed normal. Apart from the loud voices and occasional off-color jokes during the drinking games, nothing overtly alarming occurred. The food was lavish for those times—fresh local seafood, sea cucumber, abalone, and even half a Jinhua ham that Xie Pang had acquired from southern sent-down youths at great cost. Unfortunately, being unfamiliar with southern cuisine, the northern cooks had boiled it with vermicelli.
Zhang Xiaolan was deeply moved. Whatever caution remained in her heart dissolved under the hospitality. The men toasted her often, and she drank freely, thinking it was just mild fruit wine—barely alcoholic and more like sweet juice. What she didn't know was that while she stepped away to use the bathroom or turned her head, someone began secretly adding hard liquor into her wine. At first, the amounts were small, but as she adjusted, they increased.
Before long, Zhang Xiaolan felt nauseous. Naively, she thought she had simply drunk too much fruit wine. She began to refuse further toasts. But then, a few younger men from the Xie family began "playfully" forcing her to drink. That's when she realized something was wrong.
Several of them held her down. One of Xie Pang's nephews pinched her nose shut and forced strong liquor down her throat. Half a bottle of baijiu later, her consciousness began to fade. The room spun. The chairs, tables, everything swirled before her eyes. The Xie men no longer looked like they had earlier.
Xie Pang ordered all the women and children to leave the room. The women went without protest—as if they knew exactly what was about to happen. Some even cast Zhang Xiaolan a disdainful look before being shoved out by their husbands. The same young man poured yet another half-bottle of baijiu down her throat. Unable to resist, Zhang Xiaolan blacked out completely.
The last image she retained before losing consciousness was of the Xie men beginning to remove their clothes.