Short, Light, Free

Chapter 74: Choice (Part 2) II

Xiaohong stopped his car outside the slum since the muddy ground made it impossible for him to drive.

He got off after stuffing the head mask into his pocket.

He followed the directions in his phone and walked into the slum area. It was 6:30 pm.

No one noticed that he was wearing a leather jacket.

He even bought a bag of scones in the market along the way.

He got closer and closer to his destination.

It was an unfinished building that looked as though it could collapse anytime.

After finishing his food, he entered the building and looked for unit 202.

Upon locating it, he looked into the windows.

There were cracks in the glass and it looked like it had been held in place with adhesive tape.

It was a simple house. The ceiling lamp had a yellowing bulb that filled the room with a dim light.

Beneath it was a man reading a book with a slight hunch.

There were all kinds of books around him. Language, math, art... all subjects it seemed.

It seemed impossible that the man before Xiaohong was that very same deputy mayor who swallowed 630 million.

Xiaohong took out his head mask and put it on before retrieving a flashlight from his back pocket.

It was a unique flashlight because it had three bulbs.

Its glass cover had been cut into a rhombus shape, which allowed light to gather.

Holding his breath, Xiaohong kicked the door open.

In the instant that the man turned around, Xiaohong switched his flashlight on.

A blinding light shone into the man’s eyes, making him scream.

Xiaohong rushed over to hold him against the ground.

“It hurts. I can’t see!” the man yelled.

“It’s temporary. You’d better shut up or I’ll make it more permanent,” Xiaohong warned with a bitter smile.

With his eyes shut tightly, the man had a distorted look on his face

“You’re the cause of our misery, dear deputy mayor,” Xiaohong started.

“How do you know who I am? I know I was wrong. Look at me. I’ve been teaching over here for ten years in hopes that I can compensate for my mistake. I’m very sorry,” he responded.

“Do you think your sorry can bring back lives?” Xiaohong asked as he flipped the table before him.

Books came crashing down together with the shattering of a glass cup.

The noise attracted a few observers.

Xiaohong took his shotgun out and pointed it at them. “Look and you’ll join him.”

The crowd immediately retracted their gazes, but an elderly stepped forward and said in a low voice, “Ding’s a good man. Why do you want him dead?”

“Why? Ask him yourself. Ask him what he’s done and why I’m here today.”

The mayor took over with a trembling voice, “Just leave, everyone. I’m at fault. I’m the deputy mayor, Ding Yizhen. Do not call the police. I’d rather die in his hands than to be spurned by the whole world.”

The elderly fell silent before stepping back without another word.

The rest, too, could only sneak glances from behind the wall.

“Do you know? The northern region wouldn’t be in this state if not for you. If not for you, my friends would still be alive. Aside from the tooth fairy, you’re the only person I abhor.”

“Tooth fairy? You know him too?” Ding asked nervously.

“What has the tooth fairy got to do with you? You have the superpower too?” Xiaohong quickly held his fingers against the mayor’s eyelids.

“I’m in this state because of the tooth fairy,” the mayor answered as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Xiaohong was taken aback. He pulled out a black net and covered the mayor’s eyes.

He wanted to know the details so bad but he was afraid that the mayor had the same power as him.

The fact that the mayor knew about the tooth fairy made Xiaohong really suspicious.

“Tell me everything you know about the tooth fairy,” Xiaohong demanded.

“24 years ago, when I was pondering over our nation’s situation, the tooth fairy descended and told me that building the best sports stadium would change things for the better. As long as I did it, I would only rise higher and higher in status.”

“And you believed him? And everything happened because of that?”

“No, that was just the beginning. The whole nation was in support of my proposal. I only realize that the whole thing was the tooth fairy’s plot after handling the northern region. And he’s not the only devil in this world. There are many others...” the mayor continued.

“What? Many others?” Xiaohong repeated in surprise.

“There’s Headless Horseman, Jersey Devil, Mothman, Bigfoot and so on... many, many kinds. They go around giving kids superpowers and letting them do whatever they want with it.”

“Why didn’t you say all these earlier? Why are there so many devils?” Xiaohong was uncomprehending.

For three years, Xiaohong had been chasing down those with the superpower the tooth fairy gave. It was only now that he realized that that was merely the tip of the iceberg.

“I only found out after. These devils can’t harm humans but they can give them abilities. They each have a region to administer and can only give superpowers to those within their areas. The tooth fairy suggested that I build a sports stadium to push those with his superpower to other parts of the country, either to the next city or somewhere even further. I only found more information about these devils a long time later. They’re more or less doing the same thing. It’s like a game,” the mayor finished.

“Do you know how many people the tooth fairy gave power to?”

“He told me that each devil had 50 people. It was a game for them, almost like a bet. I don’t know what’s at stake but I’m like this today because of him. He took away the funds and I fell into this state.”

The sirens sounded outside.

“They’re here to arrest me. Kill me, quick,” the mayor shouted.

Xiaohong sighed. “They’re here for me. I’ve caused a disturbance.”

“Don’t go. Kill me first,” the mayor requested.

“No, you have to accept your punishment,” Xiaohong said before getting up.

“Only you understand that the devils are real. The cops are going to treat us as madmen,” the mayor yelled.

“This has nothing to do with me,” Xiaohong stated before rushing out of the door.

The sirens got increasingly blaring and voices rang from below, “Raise your hands up, everyone inside!”

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