I picked up the pistol Boss Tong had dropped, fired a shot into the ceiling, and said, "There's no time for dawdling. If you don't want to die, do as I say."

Hearing the gunshot, these men finally cast aside the fear of unemployment and jail time, surging toward Boss Tong.

Seeing this, Boss Tong collapsed onto the floor, scrambling backward while waving his hands frantically. "No! I'll give you money! I'll give you whatever you want!"

These men couldn't hear a word; after all, life was far more important than money.

Boss Tong’s screams and pleas filtered out from the mass of bodies. For some reason, I found the sound more pleasing than the most beautiful music in the world.

Zhao Jiajia, standing beside me, gritted her teeth. "Hit him! Hit him hard, beat that bastard to death!"

As she spoke, she sank to the ground and began to sob uncontrollably.

I patted her shoulder, whispering a few soft words of comfort.

Unexpectedly, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around my leg, crying out loud.

I sighed, looking at her; seeing her like this, I knew that once she cried it all out, she would find release.

At this point, Boss Tong's screams were growing fainter, slowly dissolving into mere groans.

I watched the men, their faces flushed red, realizing that perhaps in the heat of the beating, they had recalled old grudges and were now venting.

If this continued, Boss Tong would inevitably be beaten to death.

So, I shouted, "Enough! Stop! Stop!"

To my surprise, the men seemed addicted to the violence, completely ignoring my words, as if they had gone completely berserk.

I quickly mobilized my psionic energy, yanking a few of them clear of the fray, which finally helped the others regain some composure.

Patting Zhao Jiajia's back to signal her to release my leg, I walked toward Boss Tong.

Upon getting close, I saw that Boss Tong had been beaten beyond recognition—swollen and bruised, not a scrap of his clothing intact, blood bubbles constantly seeping from his mouth and nose, his breathing faint.

Seeing his sorry state, I muttered under my breath, "He brought this upon himself..."

I grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up.

Boss Tong was barely clinging to life, but as if sensing my intent to kill him, his whole body shuddered. He managed to crack open his swollen eyelids slightly and pleaded, "Please, don't... don't kill me... I was wrong... don't kill me... I promise I'll change... I promise..."

I looked at his face for a long moment before speaking. "If you knew this would happen, why start it? You look pitiful now, but think of those people who died by your hand—weren't they pitiful too? Is only the life of a rich man worth living?"

Boss Tong’s eyelids remained slightly open, his lips moving, seemingly speechless.

I sighed, extended my hand, and a dagger lying on the ground flew automatically into my grip.

Then, holding Boss Tong by the collar with one hand, I raised the dagger high above him, preparing to thrust it into his throat.

At that moment, Boss Tong's eyes widened further, his entire body began to tremble, and a foul stench wafted up from his lower regions.

I knew he must have lost control of his bodily functions and couldn't help but frown slightly.

His current appearance was the most desperate manifestation of humanity’s craving for life; his distorted features and terrified expression were something one could never forget after seeing them once.

For some inexplicable reason, a wave of pity washed over me, and I slowly lowered Boss Tong.

He had shed all traces of arrogance and malice, now merely an ordinary man utterly terrified of death.

I thought that perhaps this lesson would bring some change to him.

He was already fifty or sixty, not destined to live much longer anyway; I decided to spare him for the time being, allowing him the chance to perform good deeds in the future.

So, I said to Boss Tong, who had slumped to the ground, "I won't kill you, but I will hand you over to the police. Whether they execute you or not is out of my hands. I only hope you remember one thing: if you ever get out, commit even one more evil act, and I will kill you immediately. Also, you are never to harass Zhao Jiajia again."

Though close to death, Boss Tong desperately nodded, stammering, "Thank you... thank you..."

Seeing that he appeared somewhat sincere, I swept my gaze across the accomplices surrounding us.

When they saw my eyes fall upon them, they all backed away.

Finally, my gaze settled on the woman who had betrayed Zhao Jiajia, fixing her with a cold stare.

The woman seemed to instantly shatter, shaking her head frantically and pleading, "It wasn't me, it wasn't my fault, I was forced!"

Seeing her so terrified she was on the verge of tears, I let out a cold laugh and commanded, "Come here!"

The woman froze, looking around uncertainly for a moment before finally deciding to approach.

When she trembled her way before me, I spoke in an icy voice, "Take off your clothes!"

The woman froze again, quickly covering her chest, tears streaming down her face. "No... what... what are you going to do?"

I boomed, "Did you think doing such a thing came without consequence? If Zhao Jiajia had been sexually assaulted and died today, you would be a murderer. Making you take off your clothes now is the mildest punishment you could receive!"

Hearing this, the woman shivered violently, finally beginning to sob softly while fumbling with the buttons of her outer jacket, mumbling, "Jiajia, I’m sorry..."

She wore a gray knit cardigan over a red and white patterned dress.

After taking off the cardigan and handing it to me, she reached for the zipper on the back of her dress.

But halfway through, she noticed all the men nearby staring intently, and her movements stopped as she burst into loud sobs.

At this point, Zhao Jiajia spoke in a weak voice, "Forget it, just let her go. We just won't see each other again; pretend we were never friends."

I turned to look at Zhao Jiajia, then coldly told the woman, "Get out!"

The woman, clearly relieved, scurried toward the corner of the shed, hoping to put as much distance between herself and me as possible.

I handed Zhao Jiajia the woman's cardigan and said, "Put this on. We're leaving."

Zhao Jiajia wiped her tears and asked, "Where are we going?"

I replied, "It’s all over. Go to the hospital, get your injuries treated, then finish university, find a job, and live your life well."

Zhao Jiajia stared at me blankly, and after a few seconds, she asked, "Can I?"

I nodded, then took her arm, helping her up from the floor.

Approaching Boss Tong, I asked Zhao Jiajia, "Do you want to kick him a few times?"

Zhao Jiajia looked at me, appearing hesitant.

Thinking she was waiting for my opinion, she instead brought her foot down hard onto Boss Tong's stomach, then began kicking him ferociously as if driven mad.

As she stomped, she screamed, "Animal! Scum! Give me back my father, give me back my mother!"

Seeing Boss Tong about to cough up blood from her assault, I intervened, "That's enough..."

Although Zhao Jiajia stopped beating him, she spat squarely onto Boss Tong's face, declaring, "You disgusting old man, I've been sickened by you for so long! Stay away from me from now on! Spit!"

Her sudden ferocity surprised me, but I knew she had finally vented.

I then said to Boss Tong on the ground, "Hand over the bank cards."

Boss Tong blinked, staring at me in disbelief.

I said coldly, "What are you looking at? Take them out—the one with the most money. Tell me the PINs. I need the money!"

Understanding my intent, Boss Tong's hands began to shake as if suffering from Parkinson's. He pulled his wallet from his pocket, threw it on the ground, and slowly said, "It's all yours. The PIN for all of them is... Jiajia's birthday..."

I paused and glanced at Zhao Jiajia.

Her eyes unexpectedly reddened, and tears began to fall.

I thought perhaps not killing Boss Tong was the right decision, as he seemed to have retained a sliver of humanity.

I reached out, and the wallet flew directly into my hand. Then, I hoisted Zhao Jiajia onto my back and walked toward the exit.

Reaching the pile of debris blocking the entrance, I merely flicked my finger, and everything flew aside, letting a strip of bright daylight stream in.

Startled by the sudden intense light, I needed a few seconds to adjust. I noticed everyone else was trailing behind me, ready to exit.

Perhaps fearing I would lock them inside after I left, they followed closely.

I sighed, leading Zhao Jiajia slowly outside.

As soon as we stepped out, I felt an immense, thousand-pound weight press down on me. All the pain and fatigue I had been suppressing rushed back instantly, and I felt my psionic power vanish completely in that moment.

Though I didn't know why my superpowers ceased outside the shed, I forced myself to maintain my composure so the others wouldn't realize I had become ordinary.

Just then, the distinct sound of a police siren erupted not far ahead of us.

Even though we had been kidnapped, I had injured so many people; it wouldn't be easy to explain to the police when they investigated. So, I tugged Zhao Jiajia's arm. "Let's go quickly! It's bad if the police see us."

Looking at the towering buildings ahead, I realized the shed was located somewhere in the urban district.

We found a narrow alleyway and slipped out onto the main street.

At that moment, a police car pulled up to the curb, and a dozen officers in uniform spilled out.

We kept our heads down as we walked; they didn't notice our injuries and hurried past us.

Once they had passed, we quickly walked along the street.

After crossing five or six blocks, we found an ATM and withdrew thirty thousand yuan from one of the cards.

Then, we went straight to the hospital.

Although I was also injured, I didn't stay in the hospital with Zhao Jiajia. After settling her in, I left on my own.

While she was still asleep, I placed one hundred thousand yuan in cash in her drawer and departed. While I decided to observe for a while longer to see if Boss Tong would return to harass her, I decided not to meet her again.

She was just an ordinary university student with one more year of college ahead. I knew that having any association with me was not a good thing for an ordinary person.