No. 005 A Void Devoid of Love
“Hahahahaha, did you hear that? An order? Don’t make things difficult for her.”
Under the bright, almost blinding sun, The Red Hair huy walked towards me step by step, reaching out as if to grab my chest. I dodged deftly.
And then, I landed a roundhouse kick to his head.
“Thud!”
The Red Hair guy was hit square in the face and collapsed.
The attack was so sudden that for half a minute, no one reacted. They just stared blankly as one of his lackeys rushed to help him up. Only then did the rest of them realize that their 1.7-meter-tall buddy had been knocked down by a girl.
“You…”
After the initial shock came anger and bewilderment. They all looked at me as if I were a monster.
Even Hua She, who had brought me here.
“Yi Yao, why…”
Humans are such predictable creatures.
Power, authority, money.
“Do you know the consequences of messing with our Jiang Nan Gang?”
Perhaps because they were used to being on both sides of a beating, the shock quickly faded, replaced by instinctive threats.
But their words had no effect on me.
I had heard it all before.
From relatives, friends, colleagues, and even my boss.
What makes a beast a beast is the countless wounds it carries.
“I gave you a chance.”
That kick would probably put The Red Hair guy in the hospital for a month or two. I was quite good at controlling my strength—of course, it wasn’t entirely my own doing. I was simply utilizing the wealth of experience Yi Yao had left me.
“It’s not too late to apologize.”
“Go to hell! Who would apologize to that loser? Get her, boys!”
As expected, seeing their comrade fall only fueled their rage. They pulled out their weapons and charged at me.
Hua She was about to step forward, but I stopped him.
“Someone’s called the police. Stay out of this.”
With that, I lashed out at the closest delinquent, two swift kicks connecting with sickening crunches. He clutched his right hand, face contorted in pain, the steel pipe clattering to the ground.
“Honestly, I admire your spirit. I hope you can hold onto it when you enter society.”
Ignoring the boy’s cries, I pivoted, delivering another kick to the guy on my right. Using the momentum, I spun, my left leg connecting with another attacker.
Most Taekwondo techniques relied on legwork, which was disadvantageous in a real fight. But any skill, when mastered, could unleash its true potential. The same applied to Taekwondo. Through six years of rigorous training, Yi Yao had honed this martial art, originally intended for fitness, to a level beyond her years. Dealing with these punks was child’s play.
In Yi Yao’s memory, the Jiang Nan Gang was a small faction under a more powerful organization. It was only because of that organization’s backing that this gang of mostly minors could survive amidst the numerous other gangs in the area.
The same went for the Black Dragon Society. Without a true leader backing them, small gangs like theirs wouldn’t last long.
Two minutes. It only took two minutes for seven or eight teenagers to lie groaning on the ground.
The shrill siren of approaching police cars pierced the air.
A few elementary school students, drawn by the commotion, pointed at me from the entrance of the internet cafe.
Lowering my guard, I walked over to Hua She. “Let’s go.”
“Nobody move! Everyone squat down!”
However, I had underestimated the police’s efficiency. Before we could get far, a police car screeched to a halt in front of us.
…
At the police station, Hua She, a few members of the Jiang Nan Gang, and I were held in a small room.
A small, windowless room with whitewashed walls.
“Talk. Why were you fighting?”
A portly police officer sat in front of us, his tone impatient.
“I…”
Hua She started to speak, but the officer cut him off. “You delinquents, if you don’t value your own lives, don’t drag us down with you!”
“Where are your parents? How did they raise you scum? Especially you, weren’t you just in here for robbery? What, itching for another beating?”
The officer pointed his baton at one of the Jiang Nan Gang members, his face full of disdain. “Can you please get out of Upper Capital City? It’s because of trash like you that society is in such a mess!”
He looked at them like they were cockroaches in a sewer.
Back in university, our counselor had given that same look to one of my roommates. Yet, ten years later, that roommate became a famous actor. When asked about his counselor, he simply said, “I’m grateful to my teacher. Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
It wasn’t strength, courage, or kindness that kept us going. It was jealousy, anger, and the scorn of others.
“You tell me. You’re the only girl here. Why were you fighting?”
Perhaps wanting to close the case quickly, the officer turned his attention to me.
Fighting?
I looked up at the middle-aged man, his beer belly threatening to burst out of his uniform.
My friend was bullied, and we retaliated. Was that reason enough?
“We weren’t fighting. She had nothing to do with it.”
Just as I was about to stay silent, one of the Jiang Nan Gang members, his face still bruised, spoke up. “We were just messing around, officer. It had nothing to do with her, really.”
I turned to look at him.
It seemed they understood the gravity of the situation. If they admitted that their entire group had been taken down by a single girl, the Jiang Nan Gang’s reputation would be ruined. Better to settle this quietly than make an enemy of me.
Which meant that Liang Zhenyi’s matter was more or less settled.
“Messing around?”
The officer slammed his hand on the table. “Messing around? One concussion, one broken bone. That’s what you call messing around?”
The boy flinched. “We got carried away…”
“Fine, fine. Whatever.”
As if prepared, the officer pulled out a document from his pocket. “Messing around, huh? I like messing around too. Sign this, and you’re free to go.”
The boy took the document. I snuck a peek at its contents. It was basically a waiver stating that they were “responsible for their own actions” and “medical expenses.”
“Here.”
After signing, the boy returned the document.
“Go home and study hard. Be good to your parents. And stop getting into fights, you hear?”
The officer waved us away dismissively. “Get out of here.”
We left the police station, relieved.
“Yi Yao.”
As we watched the Jiang Nan Gang members walk away, Hua She suddenly stopped.
“Hmm?”
I brushed my hair away from my forehead and turned to face him.
“You…”
Hua She avoided my gaze. “Did something happen?”
“What do you mean?”
He fell silent as the setting sun cast long shadows on the street.
“It’s nothing.”
After a while, he waved at me. “Go home early. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Without waiting for my reply, he led the other boys across the street.
I knew what he wanted to ask.
Probably something like, “Why are you acting so different?” or “Did something happen at home?”
But they could never guess the truth.
Yi Yao was dead, dead in this, the best of times.
My name was also Yi Yao, but I came from another, identical world.
If that incident hadn’t happened, perhaps our fates would have been the same.
The Yi Yao of this world, the girl, was too fragile. If things continued this way, she would eventually end her own life.
Heh… who was I to judge?
When I returned home, the empty house was as quiet and cold as ever.
I remembered that Dad had to stay at the hospital to take care of Mom and wouldn’t be back until late.
As I changed into my slippers, familiar scenes flashed through my mind like a dream. Everything around me suddenly felt unreal.
This home… this world would soon crumble, wouldn’t it?
I looked down at my slender feet. Apart from the slippers, which used to be blue but were now pink, nothing had changed.
It seemed that whether I was a boy or a girl, this home remained the same.
Taking a deep breath, I walked into the living room, took off my jacket, tossed it onto my small bed, and turned on the computer.
I had made up my mind. No matter what, I would save this family from falling apart.
Let the relatives scold me, let the friends misunderstand me. If I could change everything, I would bear all the blame.
In the fading light of the setting sun, the old, pre-2016 LCD screen flickered to life.
Most computers in this era still ran on the notoriously vulnerable Windows system. The Heavenly Fire Forum was probably still in its infancy. Which meant that if I played my cards right, I might be able to influence the entire internet landscape.
No, I had to do it.
After spending about an hour browsing the current internet forums, my initial anxiety gave way to elation.
As I had guessed, the internet and computer systems of this era were unbelievably fragile.
At least, in my eyes.
About ten years later, the “Queen Bee Algorithm” would be made public, exposing numerous vulnerabilities in the Windows system. In those chaotic three months, countless companies would have their systems paralyzed by hackers, even the supposedly secure Linux systems. A new wave of cybersecurity crisis would grip the world, and the “Queen Bee Algorithm” would become a hot topic.
Although that crisis would last less than six months, and Microsoft would eventually release a patch, for me, this algorithm was more than enough to crack any software in existence right now.
I had only learned about cybersecurity after graduating from university in my past life. To pay off my debts, I had studied day and night. I knew that in this society, without eloquence or connections, only true skill could make up for my shortcomings.
And I had succeeded.
“Heavenly Fire Forum… found it.”
I opened the familiar website. It was a barebones forum with minimal design and only a handful of posts. I registered an account named “bee.”
No one could have imagined that this insignificant forum would, in ten years, become the world’s largest platform for cybersecurity exchange.
I answered all the questions on the forum one by one. Looking at the quiet homepage, I figured there was nothing else to do for now and shut down the computer.
I needed to pee…
A familiar yet strange sensation in my lower abdomen sent me scrambling for the toilet paper on the coffee table. However, as I pulled down my pants and squatted down, I suddenly realized the problem.
This…
Right. Sorry, Xiaoyao.
Images of Yi Yao’s usual bathroom routine flashed through my mind.
They felt so real, so natural, as if they were my own memories.
Hmm… this would take some getting used to, especially considering the one week of every month… Based on Yi Yao’s memories, those were particularly troublesome days.
Well, it was my body now.
After finishing my business with mixed feelings, I returned to the living room and heard a knock on the door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Dati.”
A deep voice answered from outside.
Dati?
I rummaged through Yi Yao’s memories for a while before recalling who it was and opened the door.
Ouyang Dati, a man Long Fei had once saved and now a member of the Black Dragon Society. He had short, dyed white hair, a muscular build, and a rather mysterious aura. He rarely showed up at their usual hangouts.
“Yo, Xiaoyao.”
Dati greeted me casually. “Have you eaten?”
“Not yet,” I replied with a smile. “Dad’s still at the hospital. I’ll eat later.”
I wasn’t that familiar with him, so I decided to play the good girl for now.
“Perfect timing,” Dati said, waving me over. “Come on, those guys from the Jiang Nan Gang are throwing a dinner party. They asked me to invite you. We can talk about Lao Liang’s situation there.”
