The latter continued, “It was Samuel, you should have seen him at the bar.”

“Oh.” The person nodded thoughtfully and said, “I think I vaguely remember. He’s dead?”

“Yes, he was killed by Edward King.” Speaking of this, James Carter was both sad and angry, his eyes blazing with hatred. He clenched his fists and said in a low voice, “Last week, Samuel and Little Jane went to the dance hall. There, they had an argument with Edward King. Nothing happened at the time, but when Samuel and Little Jane left the dance hall, they were kidnapped by Edward King and a group of people to an unfinished building nearby. Right in front of Little Jane, they pushed Samuel off the roof. Samuel... fell to his death. Little Jane is still lying in the hospital…” At this point, his eyes turned red, his voice choked, and he couldn’t go on.

“So, you came tonight for revenge.” The person said, half asking, in a calm tone.

“Yes.” James Carter gritted his teeth and said, “Samuel was clearly pushed off the building by Edward King, but the police said Samuel fell by accident. Since the police are covering for him, I’ll take matters into my own hands.”

The person shrugged and let out a snort of laughter, saying, “With your watermelon knife? Luckily, you’re inexperienced and didn’t actually stab him to death. Otherwise, your life would be ruined.”

“You saw everything?”

“You think I just happened to be passing by? Never believe in coincidences—there aren’t that many coincidences in the world.” He said with a smile.

James Carter blinked. He wanted to ask why the man was there, but after a moment’s thought, he swallowed the question.

He said seriously, “I’m not yet sixteen, so I’m only partially responsible for my actions. Even if I killed someone, I wouldn’t get the death penalty. By law, I’d get a lighter sentence. Trading a dozen years of my life for Edward King’s life is worth it to me.”

The man was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. He turned and gave him a deep look, laughing, “You know quite a lot. Looks like you did your homework in advance. But you’re so smart, yet what you did was really stupid.”

“You think I shouldn’t avenge my dead friend? Just let the murderer go unpunished?”

“I think a person only has one life. If you’re not absolutely sure, don’t risk your life so easily.” The man shrugged again and said with a slow smile, “For example, what you did tonight was a completely unnecessary act of stupidity.”

Thinking about it now, James Carter also felt a lingering fear. He had overestimated himself and underestimated Edward King. He swallowed and asked, “Then… what should I do?”

“I’m not anyone to you, so I can’t really teach you anything.” The man chuckled and asked, “Where do you live? I’ll drive you home now.”

James Carter was, of course, not satisfied with this answer. He might not have much experience, but he could tell that this regular at his brother’s bar was no ordinary person. Maybe he really could help him get revenge.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt excited. But when he looked up at the man, he saw he was focused on driving. James Carter thought for a moment, then didn’t press further and simply gave his home address.

For the rest of the ride, the man said nothing, and neither did James Carter. The car was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Fortunately, the awkwardness didn’t last long. There weren’t many cars on the street late at night, and the man drove fast. In less than half an hour, they arrived at the gate of James Carter’s apartment complex.

“Do you need me to walk you in?” The man turned his head, smiling at him.

James Carter shook his head and said, “No, I can go back myself.” With that, he opened the car door and got out. As he was about to close the door, he suddenly remembered something, bent down, and said to the man inside, “Thank you.”

The man still wore that mask-like smile and nodded slightly.

James Carter patted his own head and said, “Oh right, I still don’t know your name.”

“My name is better left unknown. You’re not yet sixteen, and I’m more than twenty years older than you. Just call me ‘uncle’—you won’t lose out.”

Hearing this, James Carter obediently said, “Uncle, goodbye.”

The man laughed twice, waved at him, and then drove away.

Staring in the direction where the car disappeared for a long time, James Carter finally let out a long breath.

To him, what happened tonight was both thrilling and unbelievable. Fortunately, he made it through unscathed.

When he got home, it was almost two in the morning. Before entering, he wiped the blood off his face as best he could, making sure there were no traces left. Only then did he take out his key and open the door.

The room was pitch black, not a single light on. He let out a sigh of relief—his brother must already be asleep. Good thing, too; otherwise, if he saw him in such a sorry state, who knows how long he’d nag.

He slowly took off his shoes and tiptoed toward his own room. But he had barely taken a few steps from the entryway when—snap—the living room light suddenly came on, and at the same time, a deep voice said, “Why are you coming home so late?”