To Zhang Qiang, Wen Xishu was no longer an ordinary human being, and he immediately began to feel fear.
Because Wen Xishu had already grasped all his secrets, and he was completely helpless against him.
No new knocks on the door; now is the true moment of judgment.
"On the eve of the apocalypse, the world became chaotic and disordered, and thus, you unintentionally overheard the secret about the harbor. Your gang was about to leave, believing the sea could escape the apocalypse."
"After all, at that time, the Free Country's Ark Plan could no longer be hidden. You believed staying here was a dead end."
"So, as an informant, you fed your boss false intelligence, inviting him to meet at the dock, thinking you could use him as a bargaining chip to curry favor with the captain."
"But unbeknownst to you, in his eyes, you were also a traitor. On the eve of the apocalypse, his enemy was no longer the police but this bizarre world. He didn't kill you but abandoned you in this city."
"Of course, you should be grateful your captain and his crew couldn't survive at sea either."
"Finally, the apocalypse arrived, and the world lost order. You lived by impersonating an officer, donning the gear of a slain cop, deceiving and exploiting others under the guise of a law enforcer's uniform. Especially since you had a gun."
"But now, your end has come."
Wen Xishu had confirmed his suspicions.
When the truth is known, the ghost does not harm others but seeks revenge with resentment.
The water stain on Xiaoya started to gradually fade away.
And the features of that "officer" began to reappear, with water seeping from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.
Soon, he fiercely grabbed Zhang Qiang.
Zhang Qiang tried to break free, but he couldn't; he felt as though he had fallen into deep sea.
He couldn't breathe; any attempt to do so faced water all around.
Gradually, he realized the surrounding space had changed.
Everything in sight was no longer a bar but a murky… seawater.
In the bar, Zhang Qiang indeed vanished.
When the Water Ghost hugged him, he and the Water Ghost simultaneously transformed into a puddle of seawater.
Zhang Qiang died just like that.
Li Wei's sin was greed, Zhang Qiang's sin was betrayal.
Xiaoya's sin was recklessness, Ah Fei's sin was peeping.
The remaining one is Old Zhou.
Wen Xishu looked at Old Zhou:
"The next knock on the door will be from your children."
Old Zhou's knees weakened, and he already knelt on the ground:
"I was wrong... I was wrong!"
Although wearing a priest's garb, in reality, he believed in Buddhism.
Wen Xishu knew Old Zhou's past through Ah Fei's computer, so he truly didn't expect...
Old Zhou's sins were unrelated to faith but trust.
Simply put, Old Zhou represents the quintessential, the epitome of "Longxia-style parents."
Greedy for small benefits, enjoying imposing unattainable tasks and unrealistic expectations onto his children.
Despite his own incompetence, driven by greed, believing as a father he should hold the family's core power.
Thus, he believed in everything: online experts, neighbors' absurdities, but never trusted his children.
In a strict sense, Old Zhou hadn't committed a crime,
On the eve of the apocalypse, his children told him a certain health product was a scam. He'd immediately scold them, asking whether they knew better than experts? The neighbor also bought it, and he's a teacher—are they more knowledgeable?
When the children warned against accepting free eggs, saying free things are the most costly, he'd mock their ignorance on living. In the end...he'd spend a fortune on useless stuff, delighted to receive two boxes of eggs.
He was not guilty but foolish, arrogant, trusting a roadside dog over his children.
But when the apocalypse came, his foolishness worsened his children's tragic fates.
As the apocalypse unfolded, alongside traders like Li Wei and escape-seeking traitors like Zhang Qiang.
Naturally, there were those exploiting faith.
The supernatural descended; people acknowledged ghosts and thus, acknowledged God.
The ignorant Old Zhou began joining various churches, brainwashed into believing God would save him.
As long as he regularly handed over household supplies to the church, God would bless him.
His children desperately tried convincing him that this world had no God, claiming if God existed, the apocalypse wouldn't have happened.
Old Zhou retorted:
"Doctors from major hospitals, even Principal Wu from the primary school, they're all in the church—do you understand more than them?"
This classic reply left his children heartbroken.
They brought some supplies hoping to convince him to leave, but Old Zhou accused them of unfilial conduct.
Eventually, the two children could only leave with minimal supplies, their fate unknown.
As for Old Zhou…he never awaited the arrival of God. Soon, the church he attended, called the All Gods Church, accepting all beliefs, was taken over by Li Wei's armed forces.
Those unable to regularly contribute supplies were unworthy of God's protection, unworthy of worship.
Old Zhou became a homeless wanderer.
The day he was cast out from the church, he still cursed his children for taking away those few supplies.
If he had contributed a bit more, maybe God would have blessed him.
And that was Old Zhou's story.
A not bad person, but foolish enough to seem bad.