Chapter 122

Shadow City.

Ronald ultimately did not fire the gun. The moment Zoey shouted "Dad," his hand holding the gun slowly lowered.

I had imagined what Ronald's expression would be when Zoey appeared. Would it be the terror of owing Zoey, or the guilt of a father whose image had collapsed?

None of that.

It was the love of a father for his daughter, the unbearable feeling of being in the same city but not seeing each other for years, or the panic of being discovered by his daughter for who he really was. It was like when a father suddenly raised his voice and scared his child, then quickly came over to gently comfort them.

In short, the moment Ronald saw Zoey, it was as if he saw her suddenly return home. With his eager eyes and gentle smile, as he threw the cigarette butt on the ground, he smiled and said, "Zoey, you're here. Don't worry, this has nothing to do with you. You are my daughter."

Ronald quickly calmed down and looked at Zoey for a long time.

He smiled and said, "I understand. Nancy won't die. She is your mentor. Your growth today is largely due to her, so she won't die. George is an old friend of mine. He didn't die over twenty years ago, maybe it's fate. Whether he lives or dies today depends on his luck. Bob, you are my adopted son. Do you acknowledge this?"

Bob showed a hint of fear, hesitated for a moment, and slowly nodded.

Ronald continued, "Good. Let me ask you, in the arson and murder case at the True Love Entertainment Club in November, do you know where Frank was and what his purpose was?"

Bob didn't speak. Somehow, he found the courage to straighten his chest and looked directly at Ronald with a resolute expression.

He didn't speak, but the meaning was clear.

Ronald said, "Alright, I misjudged you."

Ronald looked at Bob with a half-smile, not knowing what he was thinking, and said, "Among you all, you were the most timid since childhood, but I appreciate your attitude today. Like a man. Are you certain that because my daughter is here, I won't dare to shoot?"

Bob shook his head and said, "No, you would shoot at any time. No one in this world can threaten you."

Ronald turned his head and listened, sighed, and looked at Zoey across from him. She never came over, no longer like before, giving him a big hug when they met. He felt a pang of loss and sighed, "I also thought I would be like that, but I didn't expect things to change."

As he spoke, his lowered hand slowly rose, the gun pointed directly at Bob.

Bob remained unmoved, without a trace of fear on his face, in contrast to earlier. He faced Ronald calmly as if he was facing his destiny.

"Do you hate me?" Ronald suddenly asked.

It seemed like a very childish and somewhat shameless question. Ronald thought the harm he caused to these kids at the old steel mill was worse, but this question suddenly made Bob silent.

Bob replied, "It's a shallow question. If I say I hate you, without you, we would all be dead, either starved or overdosed. There would be no good outcome."

"But if I say I don't hate you, then we are just animals, not humans. You made us live the way you wanted, under the guise of nurturing and gratitude, stripping us of our right to choose. We are like vessels for your will and values, more like puppets with strings in your hands. I hate this feeling, and so does everyone else."

Ronald lowered his eyes, listening carefully. After a while, he responded.

Then he put the gun away and looked at Zoey with deep affection.

He said, "Zoey. Promise me one thing, you must live on your own, not depend on others, and not be used by others. For example, this time, you were actually used by your mother and Howard. Even though they meant well for you, as your father, I still feel angry. Not because they set me up, but because they tricked you into doing something impure."

I frowned slightly, glanced at Zoey, thought for a moment, and roughly understood what was going on.

"A few days ago, I called Howard and told him not to get you out of Silverlight City no matter what.  I knew that Howard took your car and Erica froze your bank card. But now I realize, they did it for me to see. They know you too well. You would definitely follow and see this scene. Thus, my fatal weakness would be exposed."

Sure enough, I was right.

Howard and Erica, one took the car, the other froze the bank card. The more excessive their actions, the more they attracted Zoey, forcing her to come to Shadow City to find me. After finding me, she would inevitably discover Ronald's true nature.

They knew that no one in this world could truly defeat Ronald, but there was one person who could instantly collapse all his carefully laid plans over the years.

That person was his daughter, Zoey.

The daughter who didn't share his last name, who lived in the same city but hadn't seen him for years, became the only remaining part of his humanity.

"Whenever you want to settle accounts, come find me. I also want to see how far you've grown." Ronald threw down a sentence and went downstairs without looking back.

Bob was drenched in sweat as if he had gone through a life-and-death struggle. He steadied himself and hurriedly ran over to check on the barely conscious George.

Fortunately, the knife was small and not long, and the place it was inserted was some distance from George's heart. Even so, the elderly George couldn't bear it, his consciousness gradually fading; no matter how much he was called, he didn't respond.

I held Zoey's hand while quickly calling the hospital.

Fortunately, the hospital was not far from here, and the ambulance arrived in less than ten minutes.

Including the accompanying doctors and nurses, there were clearly not enough seats for all of us. Bob and Shirley went with George to the hospital first, and Zoey and I took a cab to follow closely behind.

Since Ronald left, Zoey's state was a bit off.

She didn't react like other girls, after seeing their hero-like father turn into a ruthless killer, and felt a huge psychological gap, unbearable pain, and emotional breakdown.

Nor did she, as usual, argue logically, continuously analyzing the details of the case and sharing her thoughts, after all, it was her biological father.

She didn't stay silent, nor was she like a wooden person, slow to grasp things. When assisting the doctors in carrying George, she always ran to the front, constantly thanking the doctors and nurses, and begging them to save George.

When the doctor saw Zoey not getting in the car, he asked, "Isn't your daughter coming?"