John He walked up to Jason Zheng, patted him on the shoulder, and then smiled.
"Jason, now I will give you your final trial. If you pass, you will officially become a member of the Immortality Society."
Jason Zheng nodded with delight.
Then I saw John He take out a laptop.
"Jason, what do you think is the most important thing to a person?"
I was getting impatient, wanting to rush out and grab this guy from the Immortality Society, but I held back—I wanted to see what he was really up to.
"Family, I suppose."
Jason Zheng tried to answer, but in an instant—smack—John He slapped him across the face.
"Wrong. Those meaningless things should be discarded early. It's yourself, Jason. Didn't you betray friends for your own sake before? Didn't you ignore your family just for yourself?"
Jason Zheng looked grave, head lowered, silent.
"I just..."
Suddenly, I saw John He grab Jason Zheng's head.
"Did you really think you could get over a hundred thousand in just a few months to save your friend? Don't be naive. Even if you tried robbery, with your build, do you think you'd succeed and not get caught? Give up on those things. Live only for yourself—money, power, women. Jason, you're a man too, aren't you?"
The more I listened, the angrier I got. The Immortality Society really was like a cult. I remembered yesterday, when Li You killed himself without hesitation. This is the Immortality Society—they're all mad, a group of raving lunatics with no humanity left.
At that moment, I saw Jason Zheng start to tremble with fear, and John He continued speaking.
"If a man doesn't live for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him. Our Immortality Society exists to pursue immortality and to serve ourselves. That's why we've gathered together, for this grand plan. Jason, as long as you join us and undergo certain training, you can live decades longer than the average person. And now, our plan is nearly complete. Soon, you'll be able to gain immortality."
As John He spoke, Jason Zheng began to tremble uncontrollably.
Then I saw John He take out the laptop and, after turning it on, something began to happen.
"Sister... Grandma..."
Jason Zheng cried out. I immediately sensed something was wrong—he dropped to his knees.
"Brother He, I don't dare anymore. Please let me go, let me go. I don't want to join the Immortality Society, okay? I'm begging you."
"Jason, it's not up to you anymore. Here, this is your final trial. Either they die, or you die. Choose. When you're ready, press this button."
As he spoke, John He handed a remote control to Jason Zheng.
"As soon as you press the button, the two people inside will die. The poison gas set up around them will kill them, and you can officially become a member of the Immortality Society. You won't have to die."
I couldn't hold back any longer. Jason Zheng was already crying and begging nonstop. Suddenly, John He looked in my direction.
"You finally couldn't hold back and showed yourself, Ethan Zhang. Don't move. Until this trial ends, you are not allowed to interfere. Otherwise, the old woman and the young girl on the screen will die early."
I stared blankly at the screen. A girl of about ten and an old woman in her sixties or seventies sat tied to chairs, unconscious, blindfolded. Around them, I saw a spray pipe.
"What are you trying to do? You monsters—if you have the guts, come fight me! I'll kill you myself."
I roared in anger. Instantly, John He started laughing.
"Human nature, ha. Human nature is just like this—people will do anything for themselves. Once you join the Immortality Society, you're no longer human. Ethan Zhang, it's because you're shackled by these meaningless things that you're so weak."
As John He spoke, he clenched his fist, then squatted in front of the crying, pleading Jason Zheng.
"Alright, make your choice. Is it you who dies, or is it them? Jason, you have five minutes. If you still can't decide, you'll all die together."
I could no longer suppress the rage inside me. I glared at John He, gritting my teeth.
"Ethan Zhang, don't be impulsive—if you still want them to live."
John He kept talking. With a bang, I couldn't suppress my fury any longer—I turned around and punched out. Black Deathbane Aura shot out in a torrent, instantly shattering a mountain-like pile of scrap cars behind me, making a screeching noise.
I started watching everything on the screen in detail. At this moment, John He seemed to read my thoughts.
"It's useless. This place is in another city. Even if you know where it is, it's too late. Everything is part of the Immortality Society's trial. Just watch quietly until it's over."
I squatted on the ground, glaring viciously at John He. At this moment, Jason Zheng had already placed his thumb on the remote.
"Don't press it."
I shouted immediately. Jason Zheng turned to me, his face covered in tears, looking at me in despair. I kept shaking my head, but now, I had no idea how to resolve the crisis in front of me. I just couldn't think of a way.
Bing—at that moment, I remembered that app. I tried to turn on my phone, but it was dead. I gripped it tightly, making it creak, and then suddenly, the phone vibrated.
The screen lit up. There wasn't much time left.
"If you want to resolve this crisis, you need spatial movement—create a Ghost Domain and use it to reach the scene instantly. But right now, you can't create a Ghost Domain, so your chances of solving this are zero."
After a beep, the app's voice prompt finished, and the phone screen went black again.
"Damn it!" I shouted, throwing the phone to the ground.
"Jason, you have one minute left. Don't think Ethan Zhang can save you. Even if I die here today, the Immortality Society will crush you like a bug."
"You..." I raised my hand, pointing at John He. He started counting down, and I shouted again.
"Don't press it!"
Finally, I couldn't hold back and charged forward. My whole body released a massive surge of Deathbane Aura, gathering in my right fist. I couldn't wait any longer—Jason Zheng was about to break down.
With a bang, my fist slammed into John He's raised right palm. Green smoke billowed out, and the raging Deathbane Aura blew everything around us away. I shouted out.
"Monster..."
On the flying laptop, I saw white gas pouring from the spray pipe. Looking back at Jason Zheng, his face streaked with tears, he'd already pressed the remote.
I screamed in rage, immediately raising my Deathbane Aura Blade and slashing at John He. My anger had reached its limit—my only thought was to kill him.
I kept swinging, slashing again and again, but John He blocked every strike with his hands.
"Speed is power, Ethan Zhang."
Just then, John He shouted. I swung my blade at him, but in a flash, he vanished from in front of me and reappeared at my side. A side kick sent me flying; I hit the ground and turned into a cloud of mist. Suddenly, I saw John He walk over.
It was Jason Zheng—his eyes wide, tears streaming down his face. Then he started laughing, a look of madness in his despair. He kept laughing, as if his soul had suddenly been ripped from his body.
"Well done, Jason. The Immortality Society welcomes you. Here, car keys—the Benz downstairs is yours. Go ahead, leave for now. In a few days, someone will come for you."
Jason Zheng took the car keys, then started crying and laughing, yelling as he ran off.
"Why did it have to be this way? Why?"
I was burning with rage. The Wailing Ghost and Resentful Ghost had already appeared at my sides.
"This is the baptism every new member of the Immortality Society must go through. Jason did very well—he has great potential. He won't be shackled by these things in the future. Ethan Zhang, do you really think you can beat me? Like I said: speed and power are absolute."
John He raised his right fist, making it creak. I kept suppressing my anger. My Deathbane Aura couldn't pierce his body—his skin was like steel, and he was faster than me. Every blow was heavy.
With a swish, John He took off his suit and then tore off his shirt, revealing scarred, black skin and bulging veins. His muscles looked as hard as steel.
Just then, John He's phone rang.
"I need to teach Ethan Zhang a lesson—let him know the Immortality Society isn't to be messed with."
"0785, get back here now. That's an order."
I heard the person on the line shout. I could hear it clearly. With a crunch, John He crushed the phone and threw it to the ground.
In an instant, I raised both hands—streams of Deathbane Aura rose from beneath John He's feet. Suddenly, he was right in front of me, smiling.
All I saw was a blur of fists, then those fists hammered into my body like a machine gun—I couldn't defend myself at all.