Chapter 15
Shattered
Humans are strange creatures, specialized in nitpicking those who make mistakes, quietly whispering about right and wrong, full of sarcasm and mockery. One passes it on to the next in hushed tones:
"I'm only telling you, sir/madam, please don't tell anyone!"
A hundred times, it's the same. Every time this sentence is heard somewhere, the whole village will surely hold a "discussion party," eagerly discussing those matters "told only to one person." A lower class than the nitpickers are those who call themselves moralists; they condemn everything from earth-shattering affairs to making mountains out of molehills.
Another type of accomplice, not belonging to the 'gossip syndicate,' is a group addicted to sarcasm and cynical remarks, always putting others in awkward situations. Whenever they are retorted sharply, they immediately transform into shrewish women, spewing a pile of filthy words and calling those who embarrass them 'women' just like the ceaselessly chattering mothers in a fish and shrimp market.
A bunch of people who love to lecture others mistakenly spread civilization to a group of people who are all brawn and no brains, yet those burly individuals whose minds can't seem to grow up, still think they're smart, more talented than superstars who portray characters that are foolish but affect danger.
If they were actors, they would become a monument possessing the talent of acting as if they weren't acting at all. Humanity has lost the legend of legends, because the only pleasure of the timeless ones is: hiding behind virtual spaces, sneering and despising those who are led by the nose like oxen.
Proud of their satirical skills, 'profound' people immerse themselves in the psychological massage of self-deluded grandeur, always fantasizing that those they troll are so enraged they spit blood. Their physiological mental satisfaction ascends to the ninth heaven, so no one notices that the ox you lead by the nose, nodding at your nonsense, is imagining enjoying this song:
"You don't know, you're not clear!"
Every time you display that classic and familiar performance, it recalls its favorite song, only remembering the melody without needing to memorize the lyrics. The lyrics cannot make it giggle as much as your words, which are like singing; singing is like acting, and acting is like 'not acting,' but in reality, there's no acting at all.
All sorts of people crane their necks, idolizing those who love to see the world in chaos and take pleasure in others' suffering. Yet, when they face the consequences themselves, they go mad. Those who mocked others yesterday will be mocked by others the day after tomorrow. This time, the people who mocked yesterday are afraid of being mocked themselves.
JK, exhausted, returned to his private room in the villa. The room was quiet, with only the sound of the wall clock ticking. It was 6:30 in the morning. An hour earlier, JK had forbidden all television stations and newspaper reporters from coming to Hoang Kim's home. The old man claimed that since mother and son were reuniting after a long separation, the media shouldn't disturb their family conversation. In reality, JK was afraid the media would notice Hoang Kim's sorrow, and the strong scent of a woman mixed with a sexual odor on him, which could raise suspicions.
If Ngoc were JK's biological daughter, once this shocking story came to light, the old man would lose both his offspring and his career. JK slumped exhaustedly onto the tiger-skin chair, hand pressed to his forehead, meticulously replaying everything that had happened three hours earlier.
On the four-kilometer journey, joy, anger, love, hatred, and the fear of inverse retribution intertwined, making JK feel as if he were sitting on a pile of fire. He felt the road stretched for ten thousand miles. JK vented his anger through the driver who had insulted Anh Dao, then dialed Zero's number:
"Tell me everything, from the moment they got into your car until they returned home!"
JK needed to know the feelings of the mother and two daughters. If they truly were his descendants, the father and grandfather would still have a chance to apologize. Zero didn't understand this, nor did he need to. Whatever JK commanded, he simply did. The bodyguard narrated in a emotionless voice:
"At that time..."
Ngoc and her daughters huddled together, trembling as they secretly glanced at Zero, who calmly watched the girls through the rearview mirror:
"The boss ordered me to bring you back; he didn't order rape."
Ngoc and her daughters knew what "kind of person" Zero was, but they still remained highly alert. Zero focused on bringing them home. Soon after the girls entered the house, Zero heard a loud argument coming from their family.
Agonizing screams erupted simultaneously with thunder, tearing through the night sky. The husband unleashed his fury on his debauched wife, whom he believed had seduced their daughters into incest. The echoes of slaps reverberated in the air. Ngoc had lost count of how many times her husband had hit her. At this moment, she had received only one slap, but its pain was more agonizing than any torture.
"My daughters and I don't beg for your forgiveness, but please, listen to me just once!"
A shattered family, sick children, a wife and daughters involved in incest – all these nightmares fueled his urge to wash away their sins with blood. But before he died, he had to know the truth:
"Speak up!"
Nhat Binh couldn't accept Ngoc's truth. He had to accuse his wife and daughters of using sophistry to defend the pleasure found in their sin. Only then could he, as a husband and father, barely comfort himself.
"Blaming a dying child! - Nhat Binh scoffed contemptuously - I didn't think you'd be so shameless! Aren't you embarrassed in front of Luu Ly?"
The two sisters were disheartened, listening to their father scolding their mother. The daughter couldn't help but speak up to defend her mother. Nhat Binh rolled his eyes like a beast, glaring fiercely at his daughter. The mother feared her father would vent his anger on their daughter. Ngoc was on the verge of madness, worried her daughter would be hit. She frantically slammed her head against the ground until blood flowed:
"Please believe me!"
Nhat Binh roared in a frenzy:
"Shut up, you whore! You drown yourselves in desire, groaning like prostitutes under that dog's groin, and now you still dare to talk back!"
The husband fiercely struck Ngoc's head. Ngoc was heartbroken by the insults. Throughout all the years of living together—through arguments, conflicts, and abuse—her husband had never once humiliated her with such degrading words. She was no longer pure enough to defend her honor.
She didn't close her eyes. This was the last time she forced herself to witness every moment of their sins being punished. The Lan sisters couldn't stand by and watch their father beat their mother. Although they knew they might die tragically at their father's hands today, the daughters still decided to protect their mother. Lan, in tears, tightly hugged her father:
"Please, stop hitting Mother!"
Suong tried her best to pull her father's hand. Their defiance against their father caused their sins to pile up like mountains, yet the daughters still felt wronged by the unjust treatment their mother received. Suong was indifferent and emotionless, exhausted and disappointed by the violence. The wife and daughters were unrepentant; they even wanted to blame their father for being incompetent, for not cultivating happiness for the family, thus forcing the mother and daughters to bury themselves in the mud, leading to the family's disintegration.
Hysterical rage ignited, and the father violently threw Lan, causing her head to hit a chair. His wife and daughters screamed, rushing over frantically. Nhat Binh blocked them; at this moment, he was like a beast that had completely lost its mind.
The mother and daughters knelt on the ground, slamming their heads against it, pleading with him to let them bandage Lan's wound. Nhat Binh responded with force, but this time, he was stopped by a suddenly collapsing object. Just as Nhat Binh was cursing his wife and children, the sound of a breaking door rang out, and thunder tore through the night sky. The four plunged into the depths of chaos, no one noticing that after each impact, the sounds of cracking and breaking grew louder. Nhat Binh was startled, turned towards the main door, and shouted:
"Who?!"
Nhat Binh was distracted. Ngoc rushed forward and tightly embraced her daughter, while Suong took out bandages from the cabinet, trying to give Lan first aid for her wounds. The wife and daughters bravely defied his threats, while the enraged husband brutally punished the incestuous group. He picked up the knife from the table and coldly approached, step by step. Everyone no longer wished to live, closing their eyes, waiting for their own family member to end this domestic tragedy.
The sharp knife blade slashed down, but was suddenly stopped. Nhat Binh's eyes widened, fixated on the man gripping his wrist. It was a young man in a black suit, tall and upright, with sword-like brows and starry eyes, exceptionally handsome, carrying the air of a fledgling youth just stepping into society. Nhat Binh was full of disdain for the one he considered a "sissy":
"Who the hell are you?"
Ngoc and her daughters had thought he had already left, unexpectedly, he was still here, appearing at a crucial moment.
"Zero!?"
The surprised voices in Nhat Binh's ears turned dubious. He looked contemptuously at his lustful and shameless wife and daughters. As a husband and father, he laughed through tears:
"You all committed incest with Hoang Kim, then secretly messed around with this dog, and how many others have you been promiscuous with?"
They were severely humiliated by their husband and father; every word that trampled on their dignity was like a blade, cutting into their hearts until they felt numb. Zero witnessed everything from beginning to end. He felt no pity for anyone, a cold machine that only knew how to distinguish right from wrong.
If Nhat Binh had given up believing them and directly killed his wife and children, he might have deserved sympathy, not condemnation. However, here, the brutality satisfied his beastly nature before he even moved to kill. The bodyguard threw a punch, making Nhat Binh's face snap sideways. The force of the blow slammed Nhat Binh into the house pillar; he clutched his chest, coughing up blood. Zero walked over coldly.
"Dead dog! - The bodyguard lifted Nhat Binh's neck high - Filth like you, worse than trash, the world would only have less stench if you all died!"
They had honored their obligations to the last. Despite Nhat Binh's heartlessness, Ngoc and her daughters could not be disloyal. They had endured humiliation, were almost killed, yet still pleaded with Zero not to harm Nhat Binh. The bodyguard forcefully threw the man out the front door.
"Get out!"
Nhat Binh was about to rush forward when he suddenly heard the sound of a car braking at the door. He instantly froze, his gaze fixed on the car door. JK got out of the car. JK appeared, completely proving that what Ngoc said was true. All the insults he had hurled at his wife and children, and all the violence he had inflicted, now turned into mockery aimed at Nhat Binh himself.
The incestuous video gave him phobia. His wife and daughters willingly indulged in carnal desires; the licentious wife was infatuated with Hoang Kim, feeling immense satisfaction from that night of pleasure. His two daughters also reveled in lust. Even in death, Nhat Binh would carry this shame with him into the grave. The husband detested the house filled with animals. He laughed wildly, tears streaming down his face, as he left this place of immense humiliation.
JK ordered his subordinates to quietly follow Nhat Binh. The old man adjusted his expression to appear benevolent, then went to meet the three who might be his descendants. Things were already very bad, but the mother and daughters were no longer afraid for themselves.
They worried the old man would break his promise, leading to the innocent Luu Ly's tragic death. Ngoc demanded that the old man fulfill the deal immediately. JK replied softly:
"Don't worry, I will save Luu Ly!"
JK's attitude and tone suddenly changed. He concernedly asked about Lan's head wound. The victims were bewildered, unable to understand why this mastermind had suddenly shifted and begun showing concern. Ngoc frowned, asking coldly:
"What new scheme are you plotting?"
JK realized he was too tense, subtly adjusted his emotions, and whispered:
"Whoever did it will bear the consequences. But I've already forced innocent people to endure so much humiliation and suffering!"
JK suddenly turned pale with fear; his demonic demeanor vanished, replaced by a gentle expression, like an old man yearning to reunite with his descendants. He muttered to himself, seemingly confessing to himself:
"Perhaps, in the next few days, I will regret it, and never be able to forgive myself..."
The old man revealed a look of fear, genuinely repenting, appearing to feel guilty towards Ngoc and her daughters. The three of them were weary of all this abnormal behavior; their hearts were full of confusion after the nightmare. Therefore, the girls just wanted to quietly stay together and fell silent. After JK expressed his intentions, he ordered Zero:
"Lan's injury was due to unavoidable reasons; I won't punish you! You stay here in case that bastard comes back!"
Zero bowed his head and accepted the order. The old man's behavior was difficult to understand, and Ngoc couldn't help but ask:
"You're suddenly concerned about us, and saying strange things. What exactly do you want in the end?"
JK placed his hands on his knees and slowly stood up. He observed the three of them quietly with a worried look, then left. The surrounding area contained only Ngoc and her daughters' house. They feared Nhat Binh would return and misunderstand again, so Ngoc hastily asked JK to order Zero to leave their home. The only response was the heavy sound of footsteps echoing in the cold space, JK's lonely figure disappearing into the glimmer of dawn breaking beneath the gloomy sky. As soon as JK got in the car, he immediately regained his brutal expression and dialed a number, ordering his subordinate:
"That bastard must die! Get rid of him, as usual!"
The seven o'clock pendulum clock struck, waking JK from his flashback. The old man picked up his phone and dialed Anh Dao's number. A few seconds later, he heard her voice:
- I just brought Hoang Kim home.
JK asked if she had encountered any trouble. Anh Dao replied that Hoang Kim's neighbors went to work early, and she hadn't seen anyone. JK detected something unusual in her voice, perhaps dissatisfaction with having given herself physically to save Hoang Kim, so the old man apologized in a low voice:
- Don't you dare forgive this man who doesn't deserve to be called a father!
Anh Dao calmly replied:
- Father wasn't the one who went to get the medicine.
JK heard a hint of suppressed anger in her words, so he chose comforting words, promising to compensate her. Anh Dao giggled at the prank. JK chidingly scolded her a few times, then gently said:
- Go back, take a shower, and get some good rest! I need your help.
- Yes! - Anh Dao replied, tightening her grip on the steering wheel - Father!
During the conversation, Anh Dao's eyes widened, staring at the rearview mirror inside the car. The pickup truck's impact had already shattered the rearview mirror, revealing the wires connected to a hidden camera. Anh Dao immediately understood why the car door had been jammed.
Someone had deliberately locked the car door from the outside with ultrasonic waves, as she discovered a sensor chip installed under the car. All of this explained why Anh Dao had suddenly experienced abnormally intense arousal. She began to recall details, from small to large, such as... the smoke from the cigarettes JK had smoked.
The camera wire swayed, as if provoking Anh Dao, mocking her for having discovered it too late. Fury burned on her dark gray face. She was angry at the "silly girl" mocking herself in the mirror. The girl slammed the steering wheel with all her might, unleashing a scream that carried every ounce of rage and humiliation she had bottled up inside.