...What?

Eliminate?

What sort of dumb joke is this?

Surely it wouldn't be meaning... that.

Hahaha.

...Surely.

Though Bu Cai had heard the words the voice had conveyed loud and clear, he refused to accept the reality of it.

For him, a modern man, who had staunchly stuck with the rigid moral code that had traversed with him all the way from his home world to this absurd realm, the mere thought of murder was something he deigned incorrigible.

Just the act of resolving himself to kill off Long Tian was something he had agonisingly pondered over for many days and nights, before succumbing due to the notion that it was for the greater good of multiple trillion humans and that it was his responsibility as a system holder.

After all, surely everyone else from his previous world would consider it a commendable action to kill a threat of such an extent!

But to wantonly kill other humans for his own sake?

No, absolutely not.

That would just highlight how hypocritical and shallow he was and would put him on the same level as those stupid and loathsome Xianxia protagonists with no bottom lines.

How could he possibly consider himself a self-respecting citizen if he could overturn the morals he had abided by for twenty or so years in his previous life?

Even as the robotic voice projected to him the various atrocities of his supposed 'opponent', Bu Cai merely flinched from disgust, however, still stubbornly refused to concede his ideals.

It was already determined that the guy was to be sentenced to a brutal death, and Bu Cai didn't consider it to be his job to enact justice or do the dirty work himself- That was up to the authorities which, in this case, were the Chen Clan.

That was how it should be, so that was how it will be.

Then, just as it had played out with Chen Fei, the exact same entrance of the 'opponent' and announcement of amnesty reverberated throughout the room.

(Bu Cai POV)

Gazing upon the gigantic man bald-headed man with a scruffy beard, I couldn't restrain my eyebrows from forming a large arch.

His mountainous figure was so bulky and tall, that I was certain he'd fit the description of an orc, and the huge chains which constrained him snaked around his body and dug into his flesh, digging further and further each moment he moved a muscle.

Following on with that orc comparison, the savage and primal look contained within his eyes unabashedly peered down on me as if he were a predator examining his prey. 

I'd already instinctively used [Analyse] on him, therefore it became clear to me that the prickly feeling that arose in me as the man stared me down was the product of his so-called 'Killing Intent'. 

Unfortunately for him, I'd already encountered far more potent 'Killing Intents' and from my mental fortitude brought about by being around double my actual age, his serious gaze looked like a bad joke to me- Though to his credit, his appearance was far more than enough to give me a scare.

After a couple moments of silence, I brought my hand up and waved it around as if I were 'shooing' him away, and said in a solemn tone,

"Though you are without a doubt a downright hideous son of a bitch that has committed many acts that are deserving of death, I will not be the one to end you.

"But you shouldn't even dream of killing me, you disgusting fucker!

"Just sit tight and wait till this nonsense is over, otherwise I'll beat you half to death!"

Presumably stunned by the fact that a mere brat had resisted falling into crippling fear from his killing intent, a subtle frown draped his otherwise stone-cold expression.

In the next moment, a cacophony of rattling erupted as an avalanche of thick, sturdy chains crashed onto the cold, stone floor- The man's flappy flesh jiggled after being freed further emphasising how tightly the chains were strewn on his body.

Mere seconds later, the bulky man unhesitantly charged towards me at a staggering speed, leaving behind small torrents of wind with each step and by the time I had realised what was even happening, the man had already taken numerous strides and was mere meters away from me!

My face didn't even have time to fall as I threw myself to the side, hurriedly dodging the living cannonball as if my life depended on it- And it really did!

Before I had a chance to even perceive what the man's next move was, the thunderous thud of flesh-to-wall action assaulted my ears!

Upon taking a curious glance back, I was nothing but horrified to see that the man who had just taken some wall to the face, was back on a fiery pursuit!

Fuck.

Cursing under my breath, I once again flung myself to the side... and so began a cycle.

Charge. Dodge. Thud. Curse.

This almost monotonous cycle continued a few times before the rhinoceros bastard realised this wouldn't work and promptly stopped, taking this moment of peace I shouted frustratedly,

"Stop making this difficult!

"I won't kill you and you won't be able to kill me!

"Just stay still until this is all over!

"Isn't this the best for both of us!"

Hearing my second plea for peace, the man finally opened his mouth- His voice husky and wretched.

"...Stop fucking with me, you brat.

"It's futile.

"Unlike a greenhouse flower like you who likes to sit on his moral high horse, as a slum rat, my entire life has revolved around killing to reach prosperity.

There is nothing else I know, so regardless of what meaningless drivel you want to spout, spout it.

"For it won't change that one of us will have to die here." 

His expression remained unmoved as he spoke, and his eyes still raged on with bloodlust.

Seeing this I couldn't do anything but bite my lip and prepare for whatever was coming.

I couldn't die here.

Definitely not.

...But I couldn't kill either.

I narrowed my eyes and focused all my attention on the enemy, honing in on him and only him.

Once again, he approached at the same ungodly speed as always but this time his steps seemed more controlled.

...Controlled?

I could think no more as my body screamed to block!

*BANG!*

It was a kick as swift as a bullet, yet the force behind it was more akin to a truck.

*THUD*

My body couldn't withstand the sheer force, and I was sent crashing into the wall behind me.

*Crunch!*

The next I opened my eyes, the world had been dyed a vivid crimson.

Pain.

Everything ached.

Yet I moved.

I had to move.

Because if not... I was going to lose everything.

No matter how shameful it was, I did my utmost to evade the devastating blows.

I rolled, I ducked, I ran.

With the dawn of this unprecedented crisis.

'It' appeared.

It began conversing with me inside my own head but was unlike any form of telepathic communication- Its voice seemed to stem from the centre of my brain, as opposed to it being transmitted externally.

It was as if it were... a product of my own thoughts!  

 Are we really going to let it end like this?

Are we really going to throw away everything once more?

Aren't we sick of this all, already?

Its initial phrases were alike the hushed murmurings of the devil, drawing me in a syllable at a time.

Whilst all this was occurring inside my head, the fight raged on unceasingly.

With each moment that ticked by my breath turned heavier and heavier, and as I became more and more fatigued the voice in my head increasingly got louder.

By the time a cold, familiar tingle crept up my back and an unavoidable fist was flying my way, the voice had conveyed one last head-splitting sentence.

Isn't it about time you move on from your inadequacy?

...

Inadequacy.

A word which haunted Bu Cai from birth to adulthood.

He'd always been inadequate.

He was abandoned, because his parents deemed him inadequate.

He forfeited his scholarship because he was inadequate to keep a hold of it.

He constantly lost his trashy part-time jobs because he was inadequate at it.

He was misfortunate because... he was inadequate.

Every step he took, every meal he ate, every shelf he stacked, the crippling feeling that he was incompetent, hounded him.

With each passing day, this torment intensified, wearing him down slowly and surely.

However, he was able to hold it together as no matter how inadequate he felt, he wasn't lonely just yet.

Though so many who he had encountered in life had rid him of their lives sooner or later, one person had still stayed by his side and cared about him.

His best friend, his only friend, Chen Xiao.

Throughout the entirety of high school, and the years following, Chen Xiao had been the only person Bu Cai could turn to.

He was the only one Bu Cai thought he could trust.

Yet even that, was ruined.

The last string that Bu Cai grasped as tightly as he could, had been cut that day.

It was a gloomy Sunday evening, the rain was pouring and a sombre mood was in the air.

Yet this particular, gloomy, sombre Sunday, was the day which marked the beginning of Bu Cai's second decade as a living being.

Sitting on the back of a dirty, empty bus, Bu Cai was dressed in his only remaining set of presentable clothes rocking in anticipation. His head was buried in his rugged old phone, staring at the chat logs between him and his best friend.

On the rectangular screen, the words that were within blue boxes were Bu Cai's messages, whereas the ones in grey denoted Chen Xiao's messages.

Big Chen: You ready for the surprise I have for you, eternal bachelor Bu?

Bu Cai: Stop messing with me, and tell me already what it is, you bastard!

Big Chen: Haha, don't be impatient bro and wait till you get to the restaurant and then I'll tell you about it.

Bu Cai: Fck off!

As he switched off the phone screen, he looked up at a screen which was at the front of the bus and realised his stop was just coming up.

Bu Cai hurriedly shot up and pressed the red button with the word 'stop' on it in bold, and shuffled up to the front of the bus while patting himself down to make sure he had no dirt or dust on him.

After the bus stop, he quickly said his thanks to the bus driver then hopped off the bus and then sprinted across the street over to a fancy building. stationing himself just outside the restaurant in a roofed area, Bu Cai pulled out his phone once more and shot a 'where are u' message to Chen Xiao.

Ten minutes passed, and no reply.

So Bu Cai called him, to no avail.

And then twenty minutes went by.

Confused, as Chen Xiao wasn't one to be late, Bu Cai thought that perhaps he should just wait for him inside the restaurant. Picture him surprised when Bu Cai found out there was no reservation to any name under Chen or Bu at all!

Then, to further his embarrassment in this situation, he was forcefully escorted out of the building under the scrutinous gaze of multiple passersby.

Feeling genuinely concerned now, Bu Cai started frantically messaging Chen Xiao and after a couple more minutes of spamming a reply came at last.

One image of his friend standing in front of a famous monument in a foreign land with the sun shining on his face, and a short string of text saying,

"I've moved, don't contact me again."

Reading this, it wasn't hard to imagine the range of emotions that flooded him.

Disbelief, anger, pain, and resignation.

In a span of fifteen minutes, he went through a stupor of emotions until all that was left was teardrops trickling down his cheeks. Despondently he went to book a taxi, only to be declined as his online payment was rejected.

Sullenly he opened up his banking app and cursed his shitty bank's incompetence until... life was kicked back into him in the form of panic.

His eyes were wide as he stared at both his personal account and savings account, which showed a heart-shattering zero in them. His breaths quickened and he instantly began phoning the bank requesting answers, until the grasp of his phone loosened.

The dots connected.

Chen Xiao... He had access.

Bu Cai wasn't sure how he got all his details, but considering the exposed nature of their relationship he wouldn't be surprised if he was able to find it.

His arms fell to the sides limply, his head drooped down as if a mountainous weight was pressing down on it, his eyes... blank as a fresh canvas.

At that moment, he felt true nothingness.

Absolute emptiness.

In the instance that the brain, the most complex and intricate part of a human, receives major trauma. It responds in certain ways depending on the person.

Some dwell in depression, as the trauma haunts them throughout their entire existence.

Some overcome the trauma and intrinsically grow as a person.

But in Bu Cai's case, when he met with this trauma, his mind shut down completely.

His very own ego shattered like a fragile pane of glass, forcing a new, fake, ego to arise in its absence.

One that was moulded in the standardised society, one that helped him receive job after job.

On the morn of the next day, Bu Cai became a brand new person.

A person that rigidly integrated himself into society, a person that always followed the agenda that was expected with uncanny optimism.

A person that bent to the will of the world that did not accept him. 

Though this made-up ego couldn't really further its staunch persona, at least it allowed him to function as a normal, acceptable, human being within a modern society.

Yet faced with this life-threatening situation that was out of pocket and one that he desperately desired to avoid, the ego that had moulded the current Bu Cai, crumbled. Revealing the ugly, inadequate, Bu Cai behind the mask, which couldn't do anything right.

Yet that very pathetic person was able to change the inevitable.

...

With stagnant eyes, Bu Cai sidestepped the lethal blow with spine-chilling precision that made one wonder if the dodge was a mere fluke. The dangerous fist was dodged with a few millimetres to spare.

Yet the young man's eyes remained unflinching- As if it was an expected outcome.

Using the knowledge that had been gathered by the system analysis earlier but couldn't be utilised due to the old ego's rigidity, the true Bu Cai ruthlessly struck the bulky man's liver with utmost precision and care, as if he were an artist at work.

The opponent hadn't even gotten a chance before numerous blows barraged his weak spot causing him to indignantly keel over and squirm in agony,

Yet the new Bu Cai did not stop.

He pounced on the toppling man and continued to pummel the man's skull repeatedly without an ounce of remorse.

*Thump* *Thump* Thump*

The sounds of grotesque, stomach-churning, blows continued until the fearsome prisoner's head was disfigured and crushed to a bloody pulp.

Finally, the man let out an exhausted sigh as if he'd just been through a hard day at work, and said with an abnormally wide grin, and crazed glee in his voice,

"Finally.

"Finally I've not had something taken from me."

...

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Author's notes:

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it.

Honestly, I've decided to accept that this may or may not come across as corny and cringey to some.

Yet this part is a necessity to continue the story as I intend to do so.

So please, in order for me to correct my mistakes if anyone who found any parts cringey at all could comment on what they found cringe, I could combat it for next time by avoiding it or improving on it.

However, if you did not find it cringey... then I'm happy you enjoyed the chapter.

As usual, any suggestions or feedback is appreciated.