A Honest Man
Downstairs, Harry waited for over half an hour before Jenny's almost-transparent figure finally floated out of the building.
Vin frowned and quickly held up his black umbrella, covering her.
Jenny opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
Harry glanced at Vin, who shook his head.
"Her last attachment has faded. She's about to disappear completely."
"I'll make sure to send your parents two talismans. They'll keep them safe during the day and help them sleep peacefully at night."
Hearing Vin's words, Jenny gave him a grateful bow, then turned to Harry and did the same.
Her form gradually faded, becoming more and more transparent until she vanished completely.
"She's gone…" Harry muttered, a trace of sadness in his voice.
"This is the best outcome. She died a tragic death and was trapped in the domain for so long that it had already affected her. Now that the domain has collapsed, she would have faced a worse fate if she remained. It would not have ended well."
"Thanks again for your help."
"No need to thank me. I'm just building up my own karma," Vin replied with a wry smile.
They exchanged a few pleasantries before walking out together.
After only a few steps, a commotion caught their attention. Several security guards were rushing toward the noise.
—
"I can't help you even if you keep following me. You've chased me all the way here, but I don't have any money. I'm at my wit's end!" A middle-aged man in a crisp pink shirt, holding a briefcase in one hand and car keys in the other, complained bitterly.
His hair was slicked back, and his face was full of frustration.
Across from him stood a dark-skinned man with a receding hairline and an honest, unassuming look about him.
Hearing the pink-shirted man's complaint, the honest-looking man's face grew even more distressed. He spoke hesitantly, his voice full of desperation.
"Boss, I'm really out of options. My family needs money for medical treatment. Can't you pay me some of the wages you owe me?"
"I really don't have any money."
The man in the pink shirt tried to leave, but the honest-looking man grabbed his arm, unwilling to let go.
The frustration on the boss's face deepened, but after thinking for a moment, he reluctantly opened his bag.
"See for yourself. I'm in just as much trouble. My bag's cleaner than my face—I've even stuffed it with tissues to keep it from looking too empty. It's not that I don't want to pay you; it's just... How much do I owe you again?"
"Six thousand five hundred," the honest man replied.
"Right, a bit over six thousand. Do you think I wouldn't pay you such a small amount?
"The factory project was funded entirely by me. Now that the factory's been shut down, the boss's problems are getting worse, and I don't even know who to ask for payment. The tools, materials, and labor—you guys were all paid out of my own pocket.
"I can't even afford the property fees."
"Boss, I'm really in a tight spot. If I weren't desperate, I wouldn't have come all the way here. Please, anything will help. My child and elderly parents are in the hospital; this is literally life-saving money. I can't borrow any more. If I had any other choice, I wouldn't have come all the way here." The honest man, becoming increasingly anxious, held onto the pink-shirted man's arm tightly, afraid that if he let go, he'd never find him again.
"Let go! I told you, I don't have any money!" The pink-shirted man tried to push him away but couldn't shake his grip.
"Boss, please, I'm begging you. My family is depending on this money to survive."
"Pete, let go! I said I don't have any money!"
As their argument escalated, their voices grew louder. A small crowd began to gather at a distance, and someone had already notified the security guards.
The security team, spotting the commotion, quickly rushed over.
This residential area had the highest property fees in the neighborhood, home to many officials and prominent figures. Several leaders lived here, and complaints would lead to penalties for the guards.
Seeing the guards approach, the man in the pink shirt gritted his teeth and shouted angrily.
"Get him off me! What kind of security is this? How can someone who doesn't live here get in so easily?"
The guards immediately moved in, two or three of them pulling Pete away.
"Boss, please! This is life-saving money."
The pink-shirted man straightened his clothes and spat angrily on the ground.
"I don't care how you found me. I've told you—there's no money!"
With that, he turned to the guards, his face darkening even more.
"And you guys, what kind of security do we have here? Just letting anyone jump in. And you expect us to pay property fees? Ridiculous!"
He took out his phone, shot a short video, and sent it to the residents' group chat.
"Everyone, take a look. This is the kind of security we're paying for. They let anyone in. If I hadn't reacted quickly, who knows what could've happened? Our fees are absurdly high, and for what? Whoever pays is a fool!"
After sending the message, he turned and walked away.
Pete, looking utterly defeated, sat down on the ground, his face drained of life and spirit, an expression of despair and numbness plastered on his face.
One of the guards, watching the pink-shirted man leave, helped Pete up.
The group of guards escorted Pete out of the complex. Once outside, a young guard lingered for a moment, then quietly pulled him aside.
"That guy's no good. I know him. He's always causing trouble, filing complaints about this and that. He hasn't paid his property fees in over a year."
"Just the other day, he was fighting over someone else's parking spot, claiming it was his just because they weren't using it. And to save money, he parks outside the complex."
"If you want to catch him again, wait by the roadside. Don't say I told you."
The guard pointed out the spot and quickly left.
Pete, now sitting on the curb, looked utterly lost, his eyes filled with confusion. He couldn't think of anywhere else to turn for money.
Not far away, Harry, who had been quietly observing from the gate, frowned as he watched the scene unfold.
After defeating Diana, his "I'm Your Father" ability had finally risen from 1% to 2%. Along with that came a new temporary ability that he hadn't yet had the chance to understand.
But now, suddenly, the ability was reacting.
A moment ago, everything had seemed fine, but now, when Harry looked at Prte, it was as if he could see blood slowly seeping out from the man, gradually covering his entire body.
A chilling feeling crept over Harry, and the system, which hadn't reacted even to Diana, now flashed a warning.
He saw Pete's name hovering above his head, but the white letters were slowly being stained with blood. Little by little, the name "Pete Tucker" became "Pete The Butcher".
Especially the word "Butcher," which glowed ominously, radiating a murderous aura. Just looking at it made Harry's skin crawl, sending chills down his spine.
"An honest man."
"Never push an honest man too far, and never corner one."
"Temporary ability... Do you really need a Nemesis-class ability to deal with an honest man? Is he so dangerous?"
Harry was speechless.
He'd been standing nearby and had witnessed the whole thing. He understood what had happened—this guy had come to collect a debt, and the boss had refused to pay.
This man's whole demeanor screamed honest, even his profession seemed to be just that—an honest man, through and through.
'Why on earth would I need to become this man's enemy?'
As Harry pondered, the "None" displayed under "Temporary Ability" twisted and distorted for a moment, but then reverted back to "None."
Still, Harry could see blood continuing to seep from Pete, covering his entire body. His name still shone with that ominous glow, and the feeling of danger only intensified, growing stronger and more unsettling.
Harry sighed inwardly, 'Honest man...'
He went into a nearby store, bought three bottles of water, handed one to Vin, and then walked over to sit beside Pete on the curb, offering him a bottle of water.
Pete, snapping out of his daze, looked at Harry in surprise. The sight of Harry's smiling face and the bottle of water left him unsure of what to say.
"Here, brother. Drink some water first," Harry said kindly.
Pete, still a bit flustered, looked at the bottle in his hand, at a loss for words.
"This... this..."
"I overheard a bit of what happened, but not everything. Can you tell me the whole story?" Harry asked.
With just those two sentences, the ominous feeling radiating from Pete began to dissipate.
Even though Harry could still see blood staining the man's body, making him look like a butcher fresh from a slaughter, the oppressive aura around him gradually faded.