Chapter Fifty-Nine: Brothers

"You?" The old man's face turned a deep, purple shade with anger. "There is a road to heaven, but you refuse to walk it; there is no gate to hell, yet you force your way in. Your friends are likely finished as well. I had thought to let you live a little longer, but now, it seems best to send you to join them sooner."

"What?" Du Gu Ming asked sharply, his voice trembling with disbelief. "You actually attacked my friends? The reason you summoned me here today wasn't for me, but for them?" He could hardly believe it.

"So what if I did?" The old man was smug, seeing Du Gu Ming's panic. "I had meant to spare your life, let you go back to collect their bodies. But now, there's no need."

"No!" Du Gu Ming shouted loudly.

He had only left the dormitory minutes ago. He could still hear Zhang Liming's voice echoing in his ears, still see everyone happily playing cards, eating, drinking.

"Brother, are you tired? Want me to massage your shoulders?" Zhang Liming had said.

"Brother, play a round with me," Bai Hanwen had pleaded.

"Brother, how do you solve this problem?" Zhang Hongtao had asked.

All these memories—could it be true?

"No," Du Gu Ming screamed at the sky, his voice frantic. "I don't believe it. I don't believe it. They cannot be dead!"

"Hahahaha! Weren't you full of arrogance just moments ago?" Ximen Xiaokun stood up, delighted at Du Gu Ming's broken, lost expression. The muscles on his face twisted together, wild and terrifying.

"Old Wan, kill him for me." Ximen Xiaokun's sinister smile revealed his malice as he pointed at the devastated Du Gu Ming.

"Yes." The black-clad old man called Old Wan stepped forward, left fist clenched, right hand forming a claw, launching a ferocious Black Tiger Heart Strike at Du Gu Ming.

Meanwhile, in Dorm 108 of Block 19 at Ningxia University, three figures lay motionless.

Am I dying? Zhang Liming clutched his chest in agony, his consciousness fading. His chest felt weighed down by a mountainous stone, unbearable pain coursing through him. His skin burned as if seared by fire.

I don't want to die, Zhang Liming thought, recalling Du Gu Ming—his elder brother. He seemed to see the man he admired most standing before him. The words spoken by the middle-aged man echoed: "Blame your friend Du Gu Ming for this."

His mind began to fail him; breathing was a struggle. He remembered his past—though not born to a grand family, he was a wealthy heir, with assets worth millions. Had he not met Du Gu Ming, he would have studied, inherited his family's fortune, and lived a peaceful life.

Should he blame his brother, blame Du Gu Ming? If not for him, he would not be suffering so terribly, nor facing death so senselessly. No—I don’t want to die, Zhang Liming fought desperately within.

The pain was overwhelming; foam gathered at his lips. Brother, Du Gu Ming... He seemed to see Du Gu Ming crouching beside him, whispering. No, don't come closer. Zhang Liming could no longer hear any sound from the outside world; his ears buzzed with static, and only his inner voice remained.

Don’t come near, Zhang Liming cried to Du Gu Ming, urging him to flee. He could not utter a word, only scream in his mind. Without Du Gu Ming, he would not be dying now. Was this truly the end? Zhang Liming felt trapped in a sealed chamber, tears streaming from his eyes, his heart sobbing silently.

Suddenly, Du Gu Ming vanished, leaving Zhang Liming to face his own soul. Without Du Gu Ming, his life would have passed in dull mediocrity. Despite being in university, he would still have suffered under Fu Shixiao’s bullying, backed by powerful figures. Even if he started a company, leaders would torment him, wielding their authority. His millions could vanish in an instant if he offended the wrong person, possibly landing him in prison.

So, would he have spent his life in cowardice, bowing and scraping before everyone? Was that the life he wanted? Zhang Liming asked himself over and over. All that talk of harmony and prosperity was just being someone’s lapdog, groveling and pretending to be subservient.

Was this truly what he wanted? Once again, he questioned his heart.

...

...

Time seemed to pause—a moment of struggle within Zhang Liming. No. He shouted silently in his soul. This is not the life I desire. I want to stand tall, like my brother, fearless of heaven and earth. Let the sky never darken my vision, let the earth be mine to roam. Let all the world know that Zhang Liming is a man of dignity.

It was his brother who first taught him what it meant to be a man; his brother who revealed the value and meaning of life; his brother who let him live freely, without concern for the opinions of others, acting as he wished. His brother gave him a second chance at life.

What is brotherhood? This is brotherhood—no matter what happens, never abandoning one another, sharing heart and soul, placing life and death beyond self-interest. No matter what occurs, the bond remains unshaken.

"Believe that your strength will become the power to change your fate." His brother had told him this. Zhang Liming kept it close to his heart. He believed his brother would return to save him. He believed he would not die, for behind him stood Du Gu Ming.

Suddenly, Zhang Liming felt strength surge through his body. His brother’s words were like vitamins, reviving his fading consciousness. He remembered what his brother had told him before leaving: if anything happened, contact Lin Xiaowen.

Zhang Liming didn’t have Lin Xiaowen’s number, but he did have his wife Liu Cuilan's. He cried out, enduring the torment, and pulled his phone from his pocket. He had set Liu Cuilan’s number as a quick dial—his foresight had saved his life, for in his current state, he could not have dialed all eleven digits.

Beep...beep...beep...

Answer, please. The moment Zhang Liming pressed the call, he could no longer hold the phone; it slipped from his weakened grasp and fell to the floor.

Why hasn’t anyone answered? For Zhang Liming, every second stretched endlessly; each moment was torture. He listened to the phone ring, unanswered. Was this fate’s cruel hand? He wondered.

"Hello, what’s wrong?" The call connected. Seeing Zhang Liming’s name on the caller ID, Liu Cuilan assumed something urgent had happened.

"Find...find...Lin Xiaowen...save...save...me..." Zhang Liming, sprawled on the floor, used the last of his strength to utter these words before his eyes closed and he lost consciousness.

"Hello...hello..." In the quiet dorm room of Block 19, Dorm 108 at Ningxia University, three young men lay still. Whether they lived or died, no one knew. Only the phone on the floor continued to transmit Liu Cuilan’s anxious voice: "Hello...what’s wrong?...speak...what happened?"