Chapter 38: Amulet
"Smack!"
The third slap hit his face. "I told you to stop being stubborn," Gao Fei cursed viciously.
"I really haven't done anything bad," Wang Wei's tears finally came, and the man in his thirties cried like a child.
"Smack!"
The fourth slap followed.
"I'm telling the truth, why won't you believe me?" Wang Wei cried out loudly.
"Smack!"
The fifth slap struck.
"Stop hitting me, please, I beg you, stop..." Wang Wei began to plead.
"Smack!"
"Smack! Smack!"
Gao Fei raised his hand and rapidly slapped Wang Wei several times: "I want to see whether your mouth or my hand is tougher." After saying that, Gao Fei gave him a few more slaps.
"I'll talk... I'll talk, isn't that enough..." Wang Wei finally broke down: "Stop it... don't hit me anymore... I'll talk... I really did do bad things... I did bad things..."
"Turns out my hand is tougher," said Gao Fei with a faint smile: "Now speak, lay out all the bad things you've done over the years. Dare to omit even one, and I will slap you a hundred times."
"Demon... you're a demon... demon..." Wang Wei sat on the ground, his face covered with tears and snot, looking utterly wretched.
"Three years ago, I went to a bar for drinks, got into a dispute with two young guys, and ended up having my bodyguards beat them up badly, leaving them with bruised noses and swollen faces."
"Two years ago, I took a liking to a female college student, sent her flowers every day, treated her to meals, bought her pretty clothes, and gave her spending money every week. Under the assault of my cash, she finally fell into my arms. After a few months of play, I got tired of her and kicked her out."
"A year ago, I drove my sports car for a spin and collided with a van halfway through. I beat up the van driver on the spot, then made him compensate me a large sum of money."
"Half a year ago, I went to a club to have fun..."
Under Gao Fei's coercion, Wang Wei had no choice but to spit out the bad things he had done, though they were all petty misdeeds.
"Smack!"
Gao Fei raised his hand and slapped Wang Wei: "Palm off insignificant trifles on me? It looks like you've grown tired of living!"
"No, I wasn't brushing you off..." Wang Wei shook his head hurriedly: "I'm a coward by nature, at most I bully the honest people, I wouldn't dare do really evil things."
"Go to hell." Gao Fei kicked Wang Wei several times fiercely, glaring: "Without teaching you a lesson you'll never learn to speak the truth." Having said that, Gao Fei stood up and launched into a frenzied attack on Wang Wei – hitting his face, head, and neck. In just a moment, Wang Wei's face was swollen like a pig's head.
"Stop hitting me, please, I beg you... I'm telling the truth, all of it..." Wang Wei cradled his head and rolled back and forth on the ground, crying out miserably.
Surprisingly to Gao Fei, no matter how he beat Wang Wei, Wang Wei insisted that he wasn't lying.
Wang Wei was not a fool; he knew what he could say and what he couldn't. Once he uttered what he shouldn't have, the consequences would be grave.
"It seems that without resorting to some ruthless measures, you won't tell the truth." Gao Fei extended his fingers, jabbed a few times at Wang Wei's chest, and then watched as Wang Wei began to convulse, with blood flowing from his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth.
"What... what have you done to me..." Wang Wei struggled to speak: "Why do I feel... such agony... ahh..."
"Do you feel as if millions of grasshoppers are tearing at you from the inside?" Gao Fei said with a faint smile: "It's painful, isn't it? Let me tell you! The worst is yet to come!"
"Ahhh!!!"
"It hurts so much, it's unbearable!!!"
"Please, I beg of you, spare me, spare me!!!"
"Ahhhh!!!"
Wang Wei screamed his lungs out, his hands incessantly tearing at his chest. His clothes were ripped, and his chest skin was lacerated, dripping with blood.
"I'll talk... I'll tell you everything... ahh..." Wang Wei could no longer endure, and it was more than Gao Fei had expected him to withstand.
"Pfft!"
Gao Fei pressed lightly against Wang Wei's chest, and Wang Wei calmed down, all the pain in his body vanishing instantly. What miraculous methods!
"Devil... You are a devil..." Wang Wei looked at Gao Fei with eyes brimming with terror.
"If you don't want to experience that pain again, speak truthfully," Gao Fei sneered. "I just don't believe someone arrogant, despicable, and shameless like you could keep to yourself."
After Wang Wei managed to steady his emotions, he finally confessed to several things that made Gao Fei furious...
"Ten years ago, I was still in high school. I had a crush on a girl in my class, so I confessed to her. But she rejected me. Out of anger and humiliation, I kidnapped her and played with her for an entire day.
Afterwards, I took loads of photos, threatening her that if she dared to report to the police, I would release them to the public, tarnish her reputation, and ensure that no man would ever want her. Under my threats, the girl finally gave in and didn't call the police... But later on, she committed suicide."
"Eight years ago, I led a group of henchmen in a gang fight and killed two people on the spot. The families of the deceased were relentless and determined to sue me, but in the end, my grandfather settled it. He paid them a sum of money and had some thugs warn and intimidate them. Eventually, they were scared off, and withdrew their accusation against me, and I was released without charge."
"That same year, I hit and killed someone with my car. The incident caused a big stir, even making the newspapers. I thought I was going to jail, but my grandfather somehow found a scapegoat to take all the blame and serve my prison sentence for me."
...
With each wrongdoing Wang Wei confessed, Gao Fei's expression grew darker. He had suspected Wang Wei of committing many wrongs over the years, but he hadn't imagined there would be so many appalling acts. Absolutely unforgivable!
It took over an hour for Wang Wei to finish talking about all the wrongs he had done.
"I... I've told you everything..." Wang Wei gasped for air, "I didn't lie this time..."
"Slap!"
Gao Fei lifted his hand and slapped Wang Wei hard across the face, the slap was resoundingly loud, and he struck with such force that Wang Wei was sent flying, flipping in the air before crashing heavily to the ground. Opening his mouth, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
"I... I told the truth... Why did you still hit me..." Wang Wei covered his face and wailed in agony, the fall having scattered all his bones, making him indescribably miserable.
"That's exactly who deserves a beating!" Gao Fei walked over and kicked Wang Wei viciously several times.
"Stop hitting me, please, I'm begging you," Wang Wei cried and sobbed for mercy. "This is a society of laws. If you kill me, the police won't let you go."
"Threatening me with the police?" Gao Fei chuckled coldly. "Do you think I'm so easily frightened?"
"No, no, no, that's not what I mean..."
"But your words do remind me, I can't let you die too easily. I'll torture you slowly, making your life a living hell every day. By doing so, I reckon I'd be getting justice for those victims."
"You..."
"See what this is." Gao Fei pulled out something resembling a pen as if by magic.
Wang Wei's body jolted, "Is that... a recording pen?"
"You're quite knowledgeable." Gao Fei's grin widened, "That's right, it's a recording pen! Every word you've said has been recorded." With that, Gao Fei waved the recording pen in his hand, "Tell me, what do you think the police would do if I handed this over to them? Or perhaps, what would the media do if I gave it to them?"
"You... you... you..." Wang Wei turned pale with fear. If the contents of the recording pen were disclosed, his life would be over, utterly ruined. Under public condemnation, no one could save him, not even his grandfather.
This was not just an empty threat. Previously, a scandal involving a prominent young heir was exposed by the media, creating a massive public uproar, resulting in condemnation from various quarters and, under the pressure of public opinion, the authorities promptly and severely punished the heir who is still in prison to this day.
In terms of background and power, Wang Wei didn't even compare to the prominent young heir.
Some might say, can the contents of a recording pen alone convict Wang Wei? He could simply deny everything when the time came and might even counter-sue Gao Fei for assault.
Of course, that scenario is possible, but don't forget how advanced our media is nowadays. With even a hint of a lead, they can turn things upside down. The content in the recording pen is coherent and detailed, with locations and names of victims. A determined investigation would definitely gather evidence.
Today's media journalists are formidable. If Gao Fei really released the contents of the recording pen, it would undoubtedly excite these reporters who would dig deep to collect evidence, and then Wang Wei would be in deep trouble.
Wang Wei was no fool; of course, he had thought of these scenarios. That's why his complexion changed, and he felt fear.
"Make your demands," Wang Wei struggled to remain calm. "What do you want in exchange for the recording pen?"
"The recording pen is my amulet; I definitely can't give it to you," Gao Fei's mouth curled up in a malevolent smile. "With this recording pen, you'll be wary and won't dare to call the police."
"Even without the recording pen, I won't call the police," Wang Wei stated solemnly.
"Trying to deceive a three-year-old?" Gao Fei snorted coldly. "If I believed you, I'd be the biggest fool under the heavens."