Slaughter

Milo stood stiffly, slowly uttering a few words: "Where is the Son of God?"

Upon hearing this, Steven felt as if a godsend had fallen upon him, and immediately turned around and rummaged through the innermost part of the box to retrieve the priceless jewel.

The pendant shone brightly under the light, shining on Steven's pinky ring, seemingly indicating that they were still the twin stars of Wan Yang back then.

Steven looked up and murmured, "What else do you want? What do you want? Just tell me. I have everything I have, and I'll give it all to you."

Milo took the necklace calmly.

Steven was momentarily stunned, and in that instant, he felt that the person before him was Theo. The way his eyes were lowered, the compassionate expression… Theo was the kindest, the gentlest; he wouldn't have the heart to hurt anyone. Now, Theo had no family left, and considering the years they had spent together and the closeness of their relationship, Steven was perhaps the closest person to him in the world who could be considered "family."

At this thought, a series of strange yet self-consistent logics surfaced in Steven's mind. He even felt that Milo's arrival tonight was to prevent him from escaping alone. In short, it was all about trying to keep him here. Otherwise, why would he ask for this necklace, which held such profound meaning for both of them?

With a surge of emotion welling up inside him, Steven tentatively asked, "Theo, come with me, okay?"

Milo's gaze shifted from the jewelry to Steven; he neither nodded nor shook his head.

Steven was secretly pleased. As was customary, Theo's silence meant acquiescence. He quickly turned around, gathered his belongings from the ground, and began calculating the necessary arrangements for his escape to America.

When the time comes, we must move to a suburban villa by the lake, with a large lawn, close to the horse farm and winery, and we also need to raise more ugly cats and dogs, so he can accompany Theo to walk the dogs and play...

Steven turned his back, and out of Steven's sight, Milo slightly tightened his fingers, and with a "click," a sharp thorn popped out from the tightly sealed bottom of the cross-shaped Son of God, gleaming coldly in the dim light.

Every word Steven said sounded like maggots crawling over his ears, leaving a foul stench and festering sores wherever they went.

Why are there people in this world who, after committing unforgivable crimes, never reflect on their sins and shamelessly consider themselves the center of the world? Even if such people are sentenced, will they truly receive the punishment they deserve?

A chilling thought suddenly crept into Milo's mind.

He didn't want to wait any longer.

Steven suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He instinctively turned around, grabbing the sharp blade that was thrusting towards him, and exclaimed in surprise, "You!"

Milo pressed down with both hands, and as Steven dodged to the side, the tip of the cross grazed his ear and pierced the wall.

As Steven staggered backward, he tugged at the gauze on his left ear, revealing his half-damaged ear, and instinctively reached out to cover it. In that moment of hesitation, Milo slashed back, slicing across Steven's forearm.

Immediately, drops of blood splattered onto the wall.

A flash of thunder, and Steven was suddenly filled with rage. He had seen and understood that Milo's right hand was almost crippled, so Steven grabbed Milo's right wrist and locked it in place.

The two were locked in combat and soon smashed the decorative mirror frame on the wall.

Steven freed one hand and pulled a sharp shard of glass from his waist, holding it against Milo's jaw. But looking at the face before him, he couldn't bring himself to stab it. Memories of the past, along with old and new grudges, flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, and a tragic thought suddenly arose in Steven. When exactly had things come to this, and he and Theo had reached this dead end?

"Theo, you shouldn't be pushing me like this!"

Milo's head slammed against the wall, his vision blurred by the spray of blood. Despite Steven's forceful attempts to pry his hands off, he refused to let go.

In the struggle, the barbs of the cross somehow caught on Steven's collar. The damp rainwater spread on the indoor floor, and Steven slipped. As he tilted his head back, the spikes pierced his skin and flesh with a sudden, sharp thrust, precisely embedding themselves in his throat bone.

The gushing blood drained all of Steven's strength. In excruciating pain, Steven stumbled backward, tripped on the sofa armrest, and fell back onto the sofa, clutching his neck wound and panting heavily.

Milo leaned against the wall and slowly slid down.

Everything before him had far exceeded his expectations, just like his life, where he didn't know when he started making mistakes, and no matter how meticulous his plans were, unexpected changes always occurred. He suddenly remembered the earnest advice Old Ruan had given him before he decided to go to Gangu.

"Once you set foot in that place, you won't have a say in what you do. You'll regret it when you look back."

I will not regret it.

Milo suddenly laughed.

I will absolutely not regret it.

Soon, Milo stood up, his eyes bloodshot. He kicked Steven hard in the shoulder, and Steven slid to the ground.

“Logically, I should have killed your father first. But I would rather see him hear the news of your death, know that you died a mangled corpse and that your family line has ended… After that, wouldn’t it be better for him to close his eyes in peace?”

Steven had no time to react and could only laugh in despair: "How could you..."

“Why wouldn’t I!” Milo’s breath was unsteady. “I was the one who tipped off the police, I was the one who collected evidence and leaked it to your company to force you to flee south, I was the one who arranged for you to bid on this piece of jewelry, and even the owner of the bar you frequented was me. I’ve wanted you dead for a very, very long time.”

Steven slowly closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face.

Have you been thinking about it for a very, very long time...?

“But you shouldn’t kill me here. This is the old drug lord’s territory.” Steven suddenly opened his eyes, his voice gradually losing strength. “What are you going to do with me? You’re not keeping your job clean; you’ll leave a trail.”

He was still used to the way they interacted back then. His first reaction to doing anything was to think of a way out for Xiao, and he always felt that he was Xiao's everything, habitually supporting him.

A sudden surge of intense disgust flashed in Milo's eyes, and he forced out cold words: "You really think I need you?"

In one sentence, Steven's last shred of self-respect was precisely destroyed.

Yes, does Theo really need him? He's extremely intelligent and kind to people. Once he's allowed to make friends all over the world, he'll see the vastness of the world. At that time, not only will Blaze be a threat, but many intelligent and beautiful men and women will flock to him. And there will always be one person who will marry Theo, stay with him, and perhaps even bring a child.

That's terrible.

He was the one who needed Theo to find meaning in his boring life. So Theo's feigned ignorance and innocence were just a result of seeing through his awkward pride early on, and then turning around to tolerate and pity him.

It turns out, Theo never needed him; it was Theo who needed Theo.

However, his needs could never be made public like that ill-mannered mad dog, so he hated Blaise from the beginning, hated that he could do things that he couldn't, and feared that his feigned weakness would take his place.

Steven closed his eyes, his heart pounding with fear, a feeling worse than death itself. He felt he couldn't continue speaking; another word might expose things he himself couldn't bear to think about.

Let's stop here, let's stop at the fact that everything that happened between them was due to power, money, and the resentment between two generations.

“Don’t go back to Wudong Port. Miles… he’s dangerous.” Steven felt himself growing colder and colder. “And my cousin… you absolutely… you absolutely mustn’t mess with him…”

Steven's gaze gradually became unfocused, and he suddenly realized that the sound of the raindrops seemed to have become louder.

Who opened the door? Is anyone else in the house?

Steven turned his head with difficulty and saw a figure standing in the doorway.

In the last second before losing consciousness, he suddenly felt sadness. He both mocked the cruel twist of fate and was relieved that he could still have his wish fulfilled in his dying moments.

Ironically, after all that, it was Blaze who got Theo.

Thankfully, after all the twists and turns, it was probably only Blazeken who risked his life to protect Theo.

Actually, Theo is very clever. He knows who he can extract the most value from while also hurting them the most.

That's fine too.

It's good that someone will take his place.

A fierce wind and torrential rain howled.

"You saw everything?" Milo slowly turned around, mechanically opening his mouth to speak, "Are you going to report me to Sigon?"

According to the original plan, if Steven remained unrepentant, Blaze's role was to abduct him back to Wudong Port. As one of the people most familiar with the Bethlehem, only Blaze could accomplish this task.

But now, the plan has gone awry... However, it doesn't matter... Is there anyone in the world more suitable to handle a crime scene than the person in front of you?

This is someone he carefully selected and painstakingly cultivated.

Blaze, who had been following closely behind, froze in place as lightning, like a snake, streaked across the sky, illuminating his deathly pale face.

Milo wiped the bloodstains from the hem of his clothes around the Son of God, then wrapped it three times around his wrist. He looked up, glanced at Blaise, and coldly said, "Now think about it, six years ago, no, it should be sixteen years ago, you shouldn't have come to St. Seville Cathedral, and I shouldn't have given you that crystal ball. I shouldn't have assumed you were a devout believer, and I shouldn't have foolishly chased after you to play the piano, thinking we were friends... From the very beginning, I shouldn't have even glanced at you. Wouldn't both of us be better off this way?"

Blaise was struck dumb; those repeated "it wasn't him"s in his mind were nothing but self-deception.

He had never understood why Milo possessed that quality he was so fascinated by, something he himself couldn't explain. Now, he preferred to call it destiny.

It is fate that led to the fleeting glimpse of youthful innocence, the unforgettable separation of life and death, the agonizing torment of the unfulfilled dreams, and now, the heart-wrenching pain of regaining what was lost.

Giving everything for Theo Green was always destiny.

Blaze stepped forward, grabbed Milo's shoulders with both hands, and pushed him away from the blood-soaked Steven.

Milo did not struggle.

But Blaze released his grip almost immediately, took a step back, and distanced himself from Milo.

All of this seemed like a terrible dream, one he would probably never wake up from.

Seeing Blaise's reaction, Milo burst out laughing.

That's really absurd.

A ruthless executioner could actually feel fear and unease.

“It’s too late.” Milo said calmly, almost numbly. “I have to finish this.”

After killing someone, the next step is to bury the body; once he has torn open a wound, he must sew it up.

Blaze turned around, facing Milo who stood indifferently before him, pointed his index finger at himself, and then pushed both palms forward in front of his chest: I'll do it for you.