Chapter 121

The man in his thirties was sobbing uncontrollably. He choked up and forcefully poked his chest.

Frank shouted, "I! Frank! Personally handed Laura over to others for their amusement. What could I do? I was just a teenager. Have you ever heard the most heart-wrenching cry? We couldn't defy Ronald. I could only endure, step by step. From that moment, I knew the world had collapsed. This world wouldn't get better. All the evils were clawing at me, and I was powerless to change anything!"

"Ronald finally ascended to his high position, like a vampire draining our blood! That day, I understood that power and wealth were the only ways to self-redemption!"

"I worked desperately hard, tried to please Ronald, studied and made money. I wanted to be a big shot. I wanted everyone to take me seriously. I wanted the person I love to live freely forever, without fearing any power. If she wanted to live in a stage play, then she would live! I would do everything for her. If she wanted to be a queen, then she would be! She could do everything she wanted. Whatever she wanted to get, it was what she deserved!"

"I want freedom, I want power, I want to return the pain I experienced to this world tenfold. I want this world to be buried with me! Ronald must die! Even if Jesus comes, it won't change my mind!"

Sitting in the flames of hatred for a long time, the burning pain made him no longer numb, always keeping him awake. One day, he exhausted all his blood and tears.

Frank continued, "I'm really afraid of dying. Things are not done yet. I can't die, but I don't want to live either. Every day when I open my eyes, the memories of the past gnaw at me like evil spirits. I'm tired of this world... What should I do?"

Alan lowered his head and said nothing.

Frank said, "A long time ago, you said, it doesn't matter what the world is like, what matters is how the world looks in your eyes. I took it as the truth of life. Whenever I was in pain, I would think of your words. Would it be better if I looked at the world from a different perspective?"

Frank slumped in his wheelchair as if the words he just said had exhausted all his energy. He stared blankly at the ceiling, the tear stains at the corners of his eyes already dry. He slowly lowered his head, looked at Alan, and said firmly, "You are wrong. The world is right there. It is already rotten to the core. What I need to do is to hold a funeral for this world and welcome the arrival of a new world!"

The room fell into silence, so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard.

Frank, like a dead man, slumped in his wheelchair motionless, his slightly heaving chest indicating that there was still a breath of life. Alan, who hadn't spoken for a long time, stared blankly at the corner of the wall, his eyes red. He wiped his tears intermittently and occasionally let out a sigh.

Alan said in a deep voice, "I'm sorry, Frank. Bob and Mike had mentioned your experiences in Shadow City more than once. The period in Shadow City was not much different from the old steel mill. It seemed like you were free, you could go to school, had a place to live, and could eat well, but Ronald's control over you became increasingly extreme."

Frank retorted, "So what did you do? Write a few letters, say some lukewarm words, and Mike, Bob, and even Laura believe you? I really don't know why. What kind of magic do you have that makes everyone lean towards you?"

Frank glanced at Alan and sneered. "I was the one charging ahead, I was the one making plans, I was the one busy with work after graduation. They had no gratitude, only memories of you. Lally and Tom, fine, you lived together for a long time. But why Bob, Mike, and Laura?"

Alan replied, "You're jealous. I have no feelings for Laura."

Hearing Laura's name, Frank's eyes twitched, not hiding his jealousy and anger at all.

Frank continued, "That's right, I'm jealous of you! Why does everyone listen to you, but not care about what I say? Alan, do you think you're so great? You couldn't win fights as a kid, always the last to grab things. If it weren't for me helping you, you would have been beaten to death long ago. After graduation, you hid in your little nest like a dog, drinking coffee, and reading newspapers and your poems all day. Why? Why does everyone like you, but what about me? Has anyone ever acknowledged me?"

"Where did I go wrong? I led everyone in revenge. Tom wanted to go into business, and I helped him with all my might, but in the end, he conspired with Tammy, Lally, and Tony to harm Laura behind my back?"

"Yes, Laura is guilty, but isn't Ronald the main culprit? A few years ago, when I was making this plan, Tony and Tom spent money to buy insurance for Tammy. To compensate, I also put money in, but Tom didn't even look at it and said no! He dared to refuse me! Why? Because of you!"

"That bastard Duke would have died from drug addiction if I hadn't helped him. Lally is such a good girl, I can now give her a decent job. After two years of training, I can even give her a company. She said she didn't want it. Why? Also because of you!"

"Laura... Laura always thought of you. Even when I was with her, I knew she still thought of you. No matter what she did later, I accepted it completely as long as it made her happy. Even if she slept with other men, I wouldn't hesitate. But I couldn't accept that she thought of you!"

"Tell me, Alan, compared to you, what am I lacking? Ability, money, power, you can have them all. Tell me."

Frank stared at Alan with an almost pleading look and grabbed his arm tightly.

"Frank, you are becoming more and more like Ronald." Alan looked at Frank's almost crazy actions with sadness and said tremblingly.

Frank was stunned for a moment as if he had thought of something and said no more.

Alan continued, "I always thought that you were stronger than me. Or rather, we shouldn't talk about strength between us. You have been competitive since childhood and have many ideas, not showing your emotions on your face. Maybe that's why Ronald chose you among so many children."

"It hasn't been easy for us to come this far. You are the most successful among us. How could the brothers and sisters not be grateful or acknowledge you? But Frank, you only said what you were willing to say."

"Frank, Joseph is already married. Why did you place him with a big shot in the state? This wasn't Ronald's idea, but yours. That high-ranking official was your tool to bring down Ronald, wasn't he?"

"The investor behind the Sand Village demolition case is Laura, that's true. But who are the shareholders behind Laura? You knew that Tony's family lived in Sand Village. The Thompson family once did you a favor. To please Laura, you organized thugs to cause trouble, making Tony lose his ability to have children. This can't be ended with just a word of compensation. You and Laura owe the Thompson family a lot."

"When you sent Joseph, did you think about how you felt when you sent Laura? You didn't. You only thought that Joseph did what he was supposed to do. When you secretly ordered the demolition of Sand Village, you didn't think about the difficulties of the Thompson family because you thought no one would know about it."

Frank's eyes widened, shaking his head slightly, looking at Alan in disbelief.

Frank said, "No... no... how do you know... all these years you've been investigating me. I understand now. No wonder Nancy could investigate all the way. You arranged it in advance. You gave her the hints. Alan, you're so scheming!"

Alan replied, "Frank, using the word 'scheming' on me makes me very sad."

Alan added, "Douglas was greedy, insidious, cunning, and brutal. He was bad, but he was sincere to Laura. Did you kill Douglas for revenge or for Laura?"

Frank started laughing, the laughter growing louder, almost maniacal!

Frank sneered, "What is sincerity? That poem?"

"If I say I love you, I will love your past, your unreasonable behavior, your flaws."

"If I say I love you, I will offer my heart, lungs, and all my organs to the god of love who has fallen into hell."

"If I say I love you, I will drain my blood, leaving only my skin to wrap your soul, avoiding the pursuit of death."

"If I say I love you, you and I will kiss passionately, tongues entwined, bodies merging, a fire dissolving sin and pain."

"We will eventually meet."

"Haha, does he deserve it? Alan, let me tell you, this poem was given to Laura by Douglas. How he wrote it is how he died!"

Alan's face changed dramatically, staring at Frank in a daze.

Alan asked, "You did it?"

Frank replied, "No... you wouldn't guess who."

Frank laughed even more happily, then said seriously, "Anyone in the world can love Laura, except Douglas!"