The Wicked System: Path of the Devourer Chapter 39 The Scapegoat

Zhang Wenbin smiled approvingly and said, "You do have some filial piety. In that case, I will give you an opportunity tonight."

"What opportunity?" Yang Qiang's eyes lit up.

"It's unclear who is trying to kill you, but it has to be someone close. If they couldn't see you regularly, they wouldn't be able to use the ghost infant to slowly drain your life force."

"They might have other methods too. Since they've already made a move, they won't stop. The next attempt will be even worse. So I need to find a scapegoat for you. Once something happens, your misfortune will transfer to them."

"Master, how do we find one?" Yang Qiang grew excited. For someone with power, nothing mattered more than preserving his own life.

"Don't rush. Let me calculate first. Drive to the Tianlong Hotel."

Zhang Wenbin pretended to close his eyes and sat cross-legged, his fingers forming seals as if calculating something. Yang Qiang did not dare to interrupt, quickly driving towards the Tianlong Hotel as instructed.

When they arrived near the hotel, Zhang Wenbin opened his eyes and directed Yang Qiang to drive to the other side. They continued until they reached a remote intersection. Looking around, Zhang Wenbin said, "This location is perfect."

Yang Qiang asked eagerly, "Master, what should we do now?"

"Wait here. I'll find a suitable victim. Once I've found one, I'll call you. You just drive the car directly into him."

Anyone who climbed to a high position was ruthless. Yang Qiang didn't hesitate. "Master, how hard should I hit him? Dead?"

This ruthless attitude pleased Zhang Wenbin. An ordinary person would hesitate at the thought of harming the innocent. Yet Yang Qiang agreed without a second thought, proving he had the audacity—and indirectly proving he had been scared out of his wits to blindly follow Zhang Wenbin's orders.

"That depends on your fortune." Zhang Wenbin stepped out of the car, flashing a sinister smile. "If he dies from the crash, it'll all be for nothing. If he walks away without a scratch, it's equally useless. If you can turn him into a vegetable or inflict severe disabilities, then it will be perfect."

Killing someone was easy, but leaving them half-dead... that required real skill.

Yang Qiang hesitated. "Master, could you give me some time? I'll call someone over to handle it."

Just as Zhang Wenbin pulled out a cigarette, Yang Qiang hurriedly got out of the car to light it for him. Smiling with satisfaction, Zhang Wenbin said, "You have a good eye for the situation. Seeing how obedient you are, I'll explain how this scapegoat mechanism works.

"Once the target is confirmed, the more miserable he becomes, the stronger your fortune will flourish. It's equivalent to seizing his luck to shield yourself from calamities. If he dies, all the effort is wasted. A car crash is the simplest and most direct method. Of course, if you have other means later, that's up to you."

Yang Qiang's eyes lit up. "Master, do you mean the worse off that person is, the stronger my luck, and those wicked entities won't be able to harm me?"

"The person raising the ghost infant is just a half-assed amateur anyway. It wouldn't work against someone truly powerful, but dealing with an amateur like them will be a piece of cake."

"Master, I'll arrange it immediately." Yang Qiang rubbed his hands excitedly. "Now, I'll have to trouble Master to pick the target for me."

Zhang Wenbin smiled and walked into a nearby alley. Approaching midnight, the urban village was still bustling. In this neon-lit metropolis, the urban village was a corner that never slept.

Having lived in Binhai City with his parents since childhood, drifting like a rootless weed, he had almost stayed in every urban village in the city. And this one left the deepest impression on him.

After his parents died, it was his first time renting a place alone. Deprived of their protection, he finally suffered the vicious beatings of society. His very first landlord had been a shameless scumbag.

The landlord would not only secretly open his door to steal things but also illegally tapped his electricity line, making Zhang Wenbin the fall guy to pay for his power usage. When confronted, he fiercely scolded Zhang Wenbin and nearly hit him.

When the lease expired, the landlord absurdly claimed Zhang Wenbin's smoking had yellowed the walls and demanded money for redecoration—even though Zhang Wenbin was just a kid and didn't even smoke back then.

For a ten-square-meter single room, the 500-yuan deposit was entirely confiscated. He even demanded an extra 200 yuan before letting him move out. At merely fourteen, Zhang Wenbin couldn't scrape together 200 yuan and could only cry while borrowing it from a close classmate.

Recalling those humiliations and the helplessness of his young, naive days, murderous intent flared in Zhang Wenbin's eyes. In the past, he was as weak as an ant. Now that he had the power of revenge, he would naturally make that man wish he were dead.

Following behind, Yang Qiang made a phone call, then smiled obsequiously. "Master, your servant presumes to ask—as long as he's left half-dead, it doesn't necessarily have to be a car crash, right?"

"Sure, what matters is the result." Zhang Wenbin said indifferently. "The more miserable he is, the better off you are. Bad luck doesn't just mean illness or injury; things like getting robbed or house fires are also manifestations of low fortune."

"Understood." Yang Qiang smiled somewhat sinisterly.

For him, currently terrified of death, the simpler and more brutal, the better. As for innocence—that was bullshit to deceive fools. Every man for himself, or heaven and earth will destroy him. Essentially, none of these so-called successful men were good people.

As they spoke, they arrived at a four-story building. It was a self-built village house. On the first floor was a grocery store, where four men could be seen playing mahjong inside.

Zhang Wenbin stopped, casually glanced inside, and smiled. "This is the place."

He checked the time on his phone. "You have a little time left. Have your men make a move immediately. It only counts if he's crippled before the hour of Zi ends. If you miss this window, finding someone this suitable will be difficult."

"Master, which one?" A fierce glint flashed in Yang Qiang's eyes. With less than an hour left before the hour of Zi passed, he quickly whipped out his phone to hurry his men.

"That balding guy yelling over there. He should be the owner of this house." Zhang Wenbin said lightly, "Running into you is just his bad luck. You can't say he's entirely innocent; it's simply a catastrophe destined in his fate."

Yang Qiang asked respectfully, "The men will be here shortly. Master, how should we perform the ritual? Do you need me to prepare anything?"

As a practitioner of vile arts, even deceitful tricks required a sense of ceremony. If you treated it perfunctorily, how could you fool anyone? Zhang Wenbin certainly had this awareness.

"It doesn't have to be that complicated. Come with me!"

Zhang Wenbin shook his head and walked into a dark alley. After having Yang Qiang stand still, he tapped Yang Qiang's forehead with a finger, then began waving elegantly in the air as if painting.

A rune mysteriously suspended in mid-air right before Yang Qiang's eyes. This scene was incredibly eerie, but Yang Qiang, having seen his share of strange things, didn't make a fuss.

The rune gradually transformed into four talismans. With a casual point of his finger, Zhang Wenbin commanded, "Rise!"

Though the four talismans weren't physical entities, they spontaneously ignited in a flash. After they burned away, a blank yellow paper appeared in Zhang Wenbin's hand.

"Done!" Zhang Wenbin said as he folded the blank talisman.

"That's it?" Yang Qiang was somewhat stunned. It happened in the blink of an eye—perhaps just a single second.

Looking at him with disdain, Zhang Wenbin sneered, "What, you think it lacks grandeur? Do you want me to pick an auspicious day, find a fengshui locus, set up offerings of three beasts and five fruits, revere the heavens, and then start the ritual like those orthodox sects?"

"No, no, I spoke out of turn. Please quell your anger, Master."

Yang Qiang smiled awkwardly and quickly apologized. Zhang Wenbin's displeased tone discouraged him from probing further. However, he secretly rejoiced that these unorthodox methods were unpretentious—simple and practical, highly commendable.

Zhang Wenbin pocketed the yellow paper. By then, the men Yang Qiang hired had arrived. The leader was an unremarkable man who wouldn't warrant a second glance in a crowd, dressed plainly like a migrant worker.

Yang Qiang pulled him aside to give instructions, then retreated to a safe distance to watch the show.

"Master, we have plenty of time; it's barely past midnight." Yang Qiang checked his watch, saying excitedly, "Originally, I was reluctant to use these people, fearing it would bring troublesome loose ends. But for this job, they are the most suitable. I guarantee they know when to stop and won't kill him."

The unremarkable leader raised his hand, and over ten dark-faced, ferocious-looking thugs gathered. They fast-walked toward the grocery store. Just before entering, they simultaneously pulled out small machetes. Before the people inside could react, they instantly yanked down the metal rolling door.

The panicked screams inside were silenced almost immediately. It seemed they efficiently controlled the scene upon entering. These individuals were exceptionally experienced.

In about five minutes, the door rolled up, and they dispersed as quickly as they appeared, clearly having planned their escape routes in advance.

"Call the police! Hurry, call the police..."

"Call an ambulance! There's so much blood, he's not going to die, is he?"

Hearing the extent of the blood, Yang Qiang cursed anxiously. "Fucking hell, I told them no money if they killed him. The money is one thing, but don't cause any absolute disasters for me."

Zhang Wenbin frowned as well. Even though it was a fabricated excuse, it would be too easy on that old bastard if he just died.

Soon, ambulances and police cars arrived, transferring the blood-soaked landlord to the hospital. Worried about his condition, Yang Qiang quickly drove after them.

Half an hour later, Yang Qiang gathered some information and returned to the car beaming with joy. "Master, it truly is more reliable to hire professionals."

"They broke all the old man's limbs—not just the bones, but even the sinews were severed and sections were ripped out. Even if he heals, he'll be a cripple confined to a wheelchair. They broke several of his ribs, but miraculously avoided his internal organs."

"That amateurish?" Zhang Wenbin furrowed his brows reflexively.

The unremarkable leader was quiet, but he radiated a bloody, yin aura. A man like that had to be a cruel and bloodthirsty brute. Or rather, his pleasure no longer stemmed simply from killing, but from torturing.

That kind of person was psychologically twisted. They either delighted in the sound of breaking bones, relished the screams of the living, or craved the scent of blood. Merely breaking limbs wouldn't satisfy him.

Sure enough, Yang Qiang received another call. He listened in shock, muttered a few agreements, and when he turned back, swallowed hard in fear. "I didn't get all the details earlier. I had someone ask the surgeon. The old man's life isn't in danger, but that guy was absolutely ruthless. Not only did he cripple his limbs, he also carved off a piece of his nose, sliced off both his ears, and mutilated his lips into several pieces."

"He's completely disfigured... He won't die, but even if cured, he won't look any different from an actual ghost. Moreover..."

"Moreover, he took the severed ears and nose with him, right?"

Zhang Wenbin instantly understood the source of the bloody, yin aura around that guy. He undoubtedly had a fetish for consuming human flesh, hence the distinct sensation.

"Yes, yes. Master truly is a divine prophet." Wiping his cold sweat, Yang Qiang said, "I thought that guy was just a bit eccentric; I never imagined he could be so savage. Guess the money was well spent."

Zhang Wenbin was more than satisfied. Thinking of the scumbag landlord's miserable state, his mood became incomparably delightful.

He pulled out the blank yellow paper from earlier and instructed, "Put this yellow talisman into a pendant and wear it around your neck. It must never leave your body. This is a ritual implement that will balance the yin and yang between you and that scapegoat."

"Balance?" Yang Qiang accepted it carefully, momentarily confused.

"To be precise, the more miserable the old man is, the better your fortune becomes, and the stronger the power of this talisman." Zhang Wenbin explained casually. "This is borrowing fortune to protect your body. With this on, it won't be easy for anyone to harm you. Moreover, I'll know immediately if anyone makes a move against you. So, this talisman must never leave your person."

"If you had this talisman before, never mind one ghost infant—even ten couldn't possess you."

"Understood. Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!" Thrilled to hear the talisman's immense power, Yang Qiang safely tucked away the yellow paper, eager to find a bag to string it around his neck.

Zhang Wenbin wasn't entirely fooling him this time. While the talisman indeed possessed some protective power, it also functioned as a surveillance tag. If this guy harbored any treacherous thoughts, Zhang Wenbin could end his life with a single thought.

Naturally, this wasn't out of the goodness of his heart. To completely subjugate Xu Fei, this guy had to die eventually. But before he died, all his value had to be squeezed dry.

With this thought, Zhang Wenbin pondered for a moment and said, "Let's get out of the car first. To be safe, let's test the potency of this talisman. I'm adept at killing and destroying souls, but I rarely dabble in gadgets that protect human lives."

"Lest it fail to work when real danger strikes. Whether you die or not doesn't matter much, but it would completely ruin my reputation."

"Thank you, Master!" Stunned, Yang Qiang was overjoyed. He probably didn't expect Zhang Wenbin to value him so much and actually felt somewhat moved.

Leading him into the hospital, Zhang Wenbin waved his hand casually. Yang Qiang felt a sudden blur before his eyes as that familiar sensation returned. To his naked eye, blurry, fog-like twisted black shadows lingered everywhere throughout the hospital.

Having prior experience, he wasn't afraid, merely puzzled that he couldn't see them clearly.

Zhang Wenbin said faintly, "They recently died and haven't accumulated any cultivation, so naturally, they can't coalesce their forms. Without sufficient cultivation, they can't solidify a ghost body or even display a specific appearance."

Seeing Zhang Wenbin's impatient expression, Yang Qiang dared not ask more. Clutching the yellow paper tightly, he mustered his courage and walked toward a patch of black fog.

Though he braced himself, he was covered in a cold sweat. His legs were so weak he could barely walk. The closer he got, he realized the blurry black fog had the rough outline of a human, yet he explicitly knew it wasn't human.

When he was about five meters away, the black fog suddenly turned its 'head', terrifying Yang Qiang so much he froze.

But in the next instant, the black fog shrieked as if it had seen a ghost itself and fled frantically. This stunned Yang Qiang for a moment. Overwhelmed with ecstatic joy, he immediately approached the other black fogs.

Without exception, those black fogs fled in terror. The slower ones seemed scorched by something and wailed in pain.

Yang Qiang ran around like a madman until he was too exhausted to continue. Returning ecstatically, he announced, "Master, the talisman works! It's incredible! Those ghosts flee like crazy when they see me."

"As long as it works, let's go."

It was enough as long as Yang Qiang believed in it unwaveringly. Since this guy was a high-ranking official, Zhang Wenbin could slowly squeeze everything out of him over time.