"I never expected that the traitor who betrayed me would be you."
Jiulong's voice was icy, each word piercing Mark's heart like an ice pick.
He continued, "Mark, you're a veteran at our 'Drunken Bar,' the top performer, a status and position that others can only dream of. I've always treated you like a brother, never letting you lack food or clothing. What reason do you have to betray me?"
Mark turned his head to the side, not wanting to meet Jiulong's gaze.
"Brother Long is asking you a question!"
Seeing this, Zhuang Qiang angrily kicked Mark again, sending him rolling on the ground and groaning in pain.
Mark winced in pain, but suddenly sneered and mustered his courage to look Jiulong straight in the eye: "Brother? Bah! I split the money I earn from prostitution with you nine-tenths. Is this how you treat a brother?"
He became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice gradually rose.
Mark was now desperate. Knowing he was doomed, he decided to unleash all the pent-up resentment and anger he had been holding in: "They dare not speak, so I'll make it clear to you today. It's one thing to get less money, but the three of you using public funds for food, drink, and entertainment were all paid for by us underlings. We've been working in the red-light district for so long, and we don't even earn as much as a dealer who's only been at the Red Peach Casino for a few days."
"That's right! I envy them. Yao, the 'God of Hands' at the Red Heart Casino, only worked out for a short time before becoming the 'Two of Hearts.' And me? They call me the top hostess, but all I get to do is serve customers. If I didn't have this face, I'd be completely useless!"
For a moment, the "drunk bar" was silent and desolate. Even though Mark had spoken the minds of most people, no one stood up to support him.
The word "Mark" now represents death.
They quietly vacated the space.
He Da Dong frowned and retorted matter-of-factly, "Mark, what you're saying really disappoints me. You clearly had the most opportunities at 'Drunken Bar,' and I even made a point of having you stay by my side. Won't I give you even more opportunities in the future?"
Mark, enduring the pain in his body, his eyes flashing with anger, retorted, "Opportunity? The opportunity you're talking about is the opportunity for me to disappear, isn't it? Don't think I don't know that those people who are no longer of use to you for various reasons, those who are disfigured, those who owe debts, those who have rebelled against you, they have all mysteriously disappeared. Do you dare say that these disappearances have nothing to do with you?"
He Da Dong's eyes turned wary. He glanced at Susan sitting to the side, then said in a deep voice, "Mark, don't make false accusations! We just fired people who were no longer suitable to stay at 'Drunk Bar.' As for where they went, how would I know?"
Mark stared intently into He Dadong's eyes and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Do you dare swear? Swear that you don't know their whereabouts, swear that you have nothing to do with their disappearance!"
The atmosphere at the scene began to become subtle under Mark's incitement. The originally calm air was filled with a hint of tension, and the surrounding crowd began to communicate in hushed tones, with whispers rising and falling.
Faced with Mark's accusations, He Da Dong was speechless for a moment, choked with emotion and unsure how to respond.
Just before the situation was about to spiral out of control, Jiulong, who had been observing from the sidelines, spoke up again.
He turned to Susan, who was sitting beside him, and a forced smile appeared on his lips: "Hehehe, Susan, you're really laughing at me. This ingrate is starting to talk nonsense and distort the truth."
Susan looked away and met Jiulong's gaze, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
She pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, “The organizational structure of the red-light district has indeed always had some problems, and you managers are to blame for these disputes. What this young man said is not entirely without merit.”
Jiulong twitched his facial muscles, ignoring Susan's words, and instead changed the subject, asking, "In Susan's opinion, how should someone who steals company secrets and then tries to shift the blame be punished?"
Susan kept her lips tightly closed and didn't speak.
Jiulong hadn't expected to hear a woman's answer. He stood up and walked over to Mark.
The man looked down at Mark, who was pinned to the ground, and slowly squatted down. He gripped Mark's chin tightly with both hands like iron clamps, forcefully lifting him up to force him to look him in the eye.
"Has anyone caused this for you?"
Mark kept his mouth shut and didn't say anything.
Susan stared intently at Mark, unconsciously swallowing hard.
Jiulong sighed, "You've disappointed me too much."
Mark was in pain all over his body and his face was pale.
Jiulong swung his hand violently, throwing Mark's head to the side, and then took a wooden stick from the guard next to him.
Jiulong swung the wooden stick in his hand, striking Mark mercilessly each time. The dull thud of the stick hitting flesh and Mark's heart-wrenching screams echoed in the empty room, making it unbearable to listen to.
"Enough!"
Susan could no longer bear the cruel scene. She stood up, her voice filled with a firm determination to stop it.
Jiulong paused for a moment at Susan's words, but did not stop for long.
"Jiulong, that's enough!"
Susan reiterated, her voice filled with reluctance, and said in a rare soft voice, "He's still your underling, give him a quick death."
Mark was on the verge of death. His vision was blurred, and blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth. He looked in Susan's direction as if he wanted to say something, but could only cough up blood weakly.
Susan thought her words would move Jiulong, but to her surprise, he sneered, tossed the wooden stick in his hand to Zhuang Qiang beside him, and coldly ordered, "Keep hitting him."
“Jiulong!” Susan’s voice became urgent and angry, but there was an unspeakable anger in it.
Jiulong, however, didn't seem to care. He wiped the blood from his hands with a handkerchief, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Sister Susan is kind and compassionate, we admire that. But this is a matter between our 'Drunk Bar,' and how we handle it is none of your business."
Looking at Mark's mangled body, Susan felt utterly helpless. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and refused to witness this cruel scene any longer.
Suddenly, the sound of the wooden stick hitting the man stopped.
Jiulong raised his eyes in displeasure. "Why did you stop? Keep going!"
Zhuang Qiang said in a puzzled voice, "Long, Brother Long, look."
Mark was already lifeless, and a sharp dagger was stuck in his ribs, which were torn open.
The knife being stuck in that spot, combined with Mark's exhausted state, led to the fatal outcome of this attack.
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