Three powerful beings walked through the rainy night, headed towards the villa district of Jiangcheng.
It was another night like this, another moment filled with the intent to kill. And again, that rooftop where it all ended.
Yan Zhihai was on the rooftop, admiring the torrential rain.
Wen Xishu and Tang Rui seemed to have returned to the past.
Upon seeing Yan Zhihai’s face again, seeing the bruised, helpless girl hiding in Yan Zhihai’s house—
Jiang Ke’Er silently... disappeared.
At that moment, time and space seemed to intersect. Tang Rui clearly felt as if she truly returned to the past, to Jiangcheng.
Returned to the moment she became the Rainy Night Butcher.
But everything was different. At that time, she had clearly noticed the little girl, yet chose to ignore her.
Because she was there to kill Yan Zhihai.
But with Jiang Ke’Er’s disappearance, Wen Xishu and Tang Rui both understood what they needed to do next.
"Sister... you finally found me. You shouldn’t have left me here."
The girl suddenly raised her head, looking at Tang Rui with a resentful gaze.
It seemed as if she had waited here for many years, until this moment, when her wait finally bore fruit.
Tang Rui didn’t say much, just felt a complex rush of emotions in that instant.
"Go and kill him."
Memories, feelings, started to exchange at that moment.
Wen Xishu could feel the change in expression on Tang Rui’s face. The girl’s expression changed too. He guessed they had some sort of exchange?
"So, this is how you were back then."
The girl and Rui, at that moment, seemed like twins, saying the same words in sync.
At that instant, Tang Rui felt the girl’s helplessness and humiliation.
Before the call was hung up, Yan Zhihai inflicted unspeakable torment upon her.
She wasn’t the one who suffered the most under Yan Zhihai’s torment in this world.
In his early years, Yan Zhihai was hesitant. Over the years, as Tang Rui grew up, Yan Zhihai became well-versed, clearly knowing which parents he could control, which children he could bully.
This child suffered more horrendous, prolonged pain for over six months compared to her own experience.
And after that, Yan Zhihai suddenly died.
But the resentment inside wasn’t resolved by his death; the girl gradually grew up and started leading a normal life.
After that torrential rain, after killing, Tang Rui moved on to hunt others she needed to settle scores with.
The helpless girl, walking in the heavy rain of Jiangcheng, eventually collapsed from exhaustion in the storm.
When she woke again, she had a high fever. Her brain, out of self-protection, had made her forget some experiences.
But the fact of physical harm was irreversible.
As Yan Zhihai died, his crimes gradually got exposed, becoming big news and causing a stir. The girl’s parents finally understood what their child had endured.
This world always holds malice against those violated, as if everyone should hate the abuser, but the victim is branded "dirty" alongside.
The parents’ attitude towards the girl didn’t change much, but she slowly became aware of the odd looks from people around her.
She often dreamt, and in her dreams, endless filth covered her body, even though the city was drenched in rain, it couldn’t wash away the dirt on her.
One day, she even overheard someone behind her using the word "slut" to describe her, claiming she was no longer pure.
Her temperament underwent many changes, becoming withdrawn and reluctant to communicate with others. She began to slowly look for things.
Eventually, she found out about Yan Zhihai and knew everything.
She thought she had found a target for vengeance in her life, but Yan Zhihai... was already dead. The killer was a woman named Tang Rui, who that night killed many people.
The girl couldn’t even remember how she should hate, how she should seek revenge—even if Yan Zhihai were still alive.
The apocalypse came, constant rumors spread, but she didn’t leave Jiangcheng with her parents to take refuge.
Hospitals, streets, schools...
Many scenes in Jiangcheng became bizarre and terrifying, but she liked to act with the "misfits" who were labeled by society.
Here, everyone was a failure in life, despised and spurned by others, they stayed together for warmth and comfort.
Sometimes, listening to others’ tragic pasts, the girl felt a twisted sense of pleasure.
It seemed that only with more people like this, her inner pain would ease a bit. She collected many twisted stories here, but no amount of them could change her past experiences.
She refused to leave Jiangcheng because she believed Tang Rui hadn’t left. She always felt the woman named Tang Rui owed her a debt.
Her strong obsession and special experiences led her to be chosen by a certain force.
...
...
"I’m sorry. If only I had noticed you then..." Tang Rui’s voice carried guilt.
After all the experiences finished, after exchanging their pasts filled with mixed emotions, Tang Rui, after so long, finally felt the urge to cry.
She wanted to hold the child tightly.
By this time, Yan Zhihai had long been dismembered, and the girl, face covered in blood, stood emptily in the rain, letting it wash away the bloodstains.
After a long while, she turned back, looking at Tang Rui with a complex gaze.
Wen Xishu knew that Tang Rui had felt the girl’s past, and correspondingly, the girl would feel Tang Rui’s past too.
Judging by the girl’s gaze, she seemingly hadn’t forgiven Tang Rui. It seemed there was some completion rate for their exclusive mission, right?
Killing the girl here wouldn’t be a good ending either, it might complete the mission, but the reward for themselves, the improvement for Tang Rui, would certainly be minimal.
Wen Xishu knew he had to do something.