Chapter 14: The Truth Revealed (Part 1)
The car sped along the road. Nora Zhao kept pleading with me, but I refused to soften.
She broke down completely. "Marcus Zhang, if you keep this up, I swear I'll take you down with me!"
"You won't..." I said coldly. "I thought you weren't a good person, but it turns out you're not even a proper villain."
She froze for a moment, then covered her face and sobbed.
The car left the city behind, winding up a mountain road as dawn painted the sky. Sunlight broke across the horizon, illuminating the wide road ahead.
When I finally brought the car to a stop, we were surrounded by gravestones and funeral wreaths. Tables had been set up across the open ground, somber music was playing, and Victor Li's portrait sat amid a cluster of wreaths.
This was Victor Li's funeral.
A three-day extravaganza—and even at this early hour, there was no shortage of guests. The crowd buzzed with activity, though most people weren't gathered near the grave.
I could see Tai Sun's parents, still kneeling before the portrait, chanting sutras to bless Victor Li's soul.
I could see people rushing toward the commotion at the center of it all.
And at the center of that commotion, a man was hefting a bucket, scooping up something brown and sloshing it, and hurling it at a sports car.
I recognized him.
That was the hero's face—the man who had once dealt a ruthless blow to the unscrupulous developer with unyielding pride.
A three-day detention hadn't broken his spirit. Heroes never bow their heads. Under the sun, he tossed sweat and manure with the same fierce dignity I'd always admired. Let the world judge him—he was magnificent, being exactly who he was.
Good for him!
I cheered for him again in my heart.
The guests didn't understand heroic acts. They grabbed the man and cursed him. Howard Li rushed to the car, screaming, "Are you out of your mind? Why are you throwing stuff at my car? What is that?"
He leaned close to the car and took a whiff, then doubled over retching.
The man shouted, "Rogue developer! Bloodsucking father and son! Victor Li is dead, but does that mean the building stops? You're his son—you inherited his wealth, so you should finish the stalled project!"
"It's called 'debts die with the debtor'..." Howard Li fired back. "My father is dead. What more do you want? The stalled project is a corporate liability, not a personal one. Don't you understand the law?"
"I don't know the law. All I know is you live in a mansion, drive a sports car, and everything you have comes from our blood, sweat, and tears!"
"Then go after Marcus Zhang and Nora Zhao! They killed my father. You've got the guts to yell at me, but no guts to find them? I want to find them too!"
I opened the car door and said coolly, "You little bastard. You looking for me?"
The crowd went silent.
Everyone stared in disbelief. Someone pointed a trembling finger. "F-fugitive!"
"Watch your mouth."
I sat on the hood of the car and surveyed the bustling funeral. "What a turnout. Howard Li, your father died a violent death. According to custom, he shouldn't have a grand funeral—it should have been simple. So why did you go all out?"
"Marcus Zhang, you've got nerve showing up here! How I bury my father is my business—he deserves it!"
"Deserves it? This is about publicity. Three days of mourning isn't about honoring your father—it's about letting your creditors know he's dead. But I'm telling you, your game is over!"
He sneered. "My game is over? You're insane. Someone grab the fugitive and hand him over to the police!"
"Greatstride Transport, Shunfei Studio, Haoruyi Limited..."
I recited the company names, and Howard Li's face went pale. "What are you talking about?"
"These are all companies linked to you and your father. Either you hold shares, or they're connected to Victor Li's business. In just a few months, these accounts showed far more outflow than income, and everything purchased was wildly overvalued."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You two were transferring assets, you little punk. There are plenty of your father's creditors here today. Let's see if you can walk out of here."
The crowd went quiet, then several people recognized trouble and closed in around Howard Li, cutting off his escape.
Howard Li muttered, "You're crazy. I'm calling the police right now."
He pulled out his phone and tried to push his way out, but the creditors blocked his path.
"Let him finish talking first. With this many people here, even if the police don't come, he can't escape!"
"That's right. What's this about transferring assets? His father still owes me for construction!"
"You're not leaving. Listen to what he has to say."
Howard Li panicked. "You're going to believe his nonsense? He's a fugitive! The police are already looking for him!"
"If he's a fugitive, why isn't he running? Why is he standing in front of all these people?"
"He knows he can't escape, so he's dragging me down with him. Can't you see that? Marcus Zhang, if you know so much, where's your evidence?"
I said evenly, "The evidence has already been handed over to the police. They'll soon discover you were involved in asset transfers. You call me a fugitive, but soon enough, you'll be a criminal too."
"Anyone can make claims. Stop trying to fool people."
"August 12, purchased a used Ferrari 458. August 16, bought seven hundred thousand yuan in aged pu'er tea cakes. August 19..."
The more I spoke, the paler he became. "I'm not listening to this garbage. I'm going to the police station. Nobody stop me—I'm calling the cops!"
He was trembling now. He didn't even mind the filth anymore and headed straight for his manure-covered sports car, but a creditor yanked him back, roaring, "You're not going anywhere until you explain yourself!"
I walked up to Howard Li and stood before him. I said coldly, "Bet you didn't expect me to hook up with Monkey Drake, did you? He accidentally lost the gold your father gave him, then wanted to check whether the 'big client' was really the dead Victor Li. And guess what—the DNA matched the body, the transaction records matched, everything should have been perfect. But something didn't add up. Can the dead come back to life?"
"Marcus..." Nora Zhao spoke up quickly. "I killed Victor Li. I set the fire and burned him to death!"
"You're lying. You lie to me every single time."
"I'm not lying. Tai Sun and I conspired against him, wanted to steal his gold, but now Tai Sun has fled the country..."
"If I hadn't tracked down Monkey Drake myself, I'd still be in the dark. Monkey Drake knew Victor Li's surveillance passwords, knew about the asset transfers and smuggling routes, knew every detail of how to get someone out of the country. Tai Sun was supposed to be a disposable pawn—Victor Li set him up precisely so he'd take the fall. Would I really give you that much information if I intended to hurt you?"
"Everything I've said is true."
"Who killed Wendy Xu? You were tied up—how could you have killed her?"
"Tai Sun came back before she locked the door. I silenced her to cover our tracks..."
"Liar! You push everything onto Tai Sun, but that wasn't Tai Sun!"
I grabbed Nora Zhao and dragged her in front of Tai Sun's parents.
The elderly couple still looked bewildered. I said to Nora Zhao, "These parents traveled thousands of miles to come here, believing their son had turned his life around. They came with grateful hearts. Now tell them—tell them what kind of person Tai Sun really was. Tell them!"
Nora Zhao couldn't speak. She covered her mouth and sobbed.
The old woman asked timidly, "What happened to my son? Did he do something wrong?"
A creditor couldn't hold back. "What's going on here? I can't follow this anymore. Who killed Victor Li—Nora Zhao or Tai Sun?"
I gave a cold smile. "He killed himself."
"Himself?"
I got back into the Land Rover, stepped on the gas, and rammed it straight into Victor Li's grave!
With a deafening crash, the grave caved in. Everyone present went pale with shock.
The tombstone shattered into pieces. I got out, stomped on Victor Li's portrait—stomped on it again for good measure—and spat on the ground.
I grabbed the coffin and started dragging it out. I couldn't lift it, but I could drag it.