As soon as Lin Feng crossed the motel's threshold, he was assaulted by a rancid bouquet of odors, including sweat, blood, cheap booze, and that ever-present hint of moldy rotting, as if the air inside was clinging to him like a festering parasite. The hallway was dark and had flickering lights throwing strange shadows against the cracked walls. Room 103 was at the end of the hallway, and it was familiar, all too familiar. That door was a witness to more horror than any prison.
He entered quietly.
Boss Zhou was slumped in the corner, shirt soaked crimson, half his stomach wrapped in bloodied gauze as a back-alley medic did a hasty patch job.
The real focus, though, sat in the center of the room.
A man in his early thirties, strapped down to a reinforced steel chair with military-grade straps around his arms and legs, was in quite a state. His combat vest was gone, exposing his undershirt, still stained with blood, with bruises and burn marks. His mouth, bloodied and with a missing tooth or two, caused a swelling on one side of his face, but still had life in his eyes.
"You'll pay for this," he spat as best he could while unable to lift his head. "You fucking animals... attacking civilians, ruining the city. We will burn you all down."
Lin Feng's gaze swept over him coldly.
He didn't look like a random rebel. The man had the build and posture of someone trained. Military? Special Forces? Maybe one of those underground resistance cells that had formed in the wake of Bo City's decay.
Zhou let out a groan as he waved off the medic, his voice hoarse but firm. "Caught a squad trying to sneak some supplies out. Hit us hard. This one's the leader. And lucky for us…" He motioned toward the prisoner. "He's been stationed near the old government district."
Luo Ye stepped in from the side, a cigarette between his lips, eyes gleaming with that rat-like glint he always had when torture was involved.
"The Holy Spring," Luo said. "Rumors say it's hidden somewhere beneath the old mountain ruins. This bastard's group was running protection for evacuations from that area. He knows something. Coordinates, access tunnels, anything."
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed slightly.
The Holy Spring… he'd heard whispers.
Some cities had a precious source of magic power which was used to increase the strength of their mages. For Bo City, it was a source of incredible magical power. According to the official story, it was a sacred site sealed off by the Magic Association and the government for the city's protection. But Lin Feng knew better.
Power like that? It never stayed protected for long.
The Holy Spring of Bo City had supposedly been locked deep beneath the old mountain , guarded in secret by mages selected by the Goverment and the city's military branch. During the chaos of the monster outbreaks and political collapse, the protective circle weakened—rumors started surfacing. Everyone wanted it. Rogue mages, military defectors, black market warlords.
Even Boss Zhou.
"Why not just raze the place and dig?" Lin Feng asked, voice low.
Zhou chuckled darkly, then winced from the pain. "You think we haven't tried? The whole military protected by ancient barriers. You walk in blind, you're a dead man. We need someone who knows the cracks in that fortress."
He gestured toward the bloodied man again. "That's where he comes in."
Luo flicked ash onto the floor. "We get the location. we go in, we find it, we steal it. We sell the spring to whoever bids the highest."
Zhou gave a thin smile. "And if you do this, Lin Feng, I swear—you'll never have to take another shitty job again."
Lin Feng remained silent for a moment, staring at the man in the chair.
Even now, even with his body mangled, the prisoner looked up at him with loathing. Not fear. Just hate. That kind of hatred came from loss. He'd probably watched people die—his comrades, maybe innocents he tried to protect—because of scum like Zhou… and now, Lin Feng.
But Lin Feng didn't flinch.
He stepped forward, cracking his knuckles as the door creaked shut behind him.
"Let's see what kind of tune you'll sing once we start peeling away the layers."
The man spat blood at his feet. "Do your worst."
Lin Feng smirked. "Oh, I intend to."
....
Zhou Hao grunted as the medic finished tying off the fresh layer of gauze around his abdomen. The pain throbbed like a second heartbeat, every breath dragging fire through his side. Blood loss, cracked ribs, probably some internal bruising. Nothing fatal. Nothing worth slowing down for.
He'd suffered worse back in the south.
He waved the medic away, leaned back against the wall, and lit a cigarette with trembling fingers. The first inhale grounded him. It didn't dull the pain—but pain reminded him he was still alive. Still in control.
He cast a glance across the room—Lin Feng prepping his tools with surgical calm, Luo Ye pacing like a dog who hadn't eaten in days, and the rebel bastard still tied to the chair, spitting curses through broken teeth.
Children. All of them.
They thought they were sharks. Zhou smiled bitterly around the cigarette.
They didn't know what real oceans looked like.
A few hours earlier when he was transporting some prohibited items into the city as usual.
He was attacked by a band of mages and just by looking at it once he could tell that they were from military of the Bo City.