Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 169: A Pitch-Black Heart

There was indeed a delay of a few seconds before the massive explosion.

It was only because he sensed something was wrong that he lunged for cover, narrowly escaping with his life.

If Wang Kang hadn’t gotten clever and modified the fuse himself, he probably wouldn’t have even left a complete corpse behind.

’So it was Wang Kang’s stupidity that ended up saving my life!’

Fury churned within him, but he forced it down and remained hidden.

Song Qingya’s face was ashen, not from fear, but from absolute rage.

’This Wang Kang... he’s rotten to the core!’

’To think he’d attack his own comrade for power, and then stand there looking so smug, without a shred of remorse!’

The room fell silent. The air seemed to solidify, and even breathing felt heavy.

Wang Kang gradually sensed that something was off about the atmosphere.

Song Qingya’s gaze grew colder and colder, sharp as a knife.

He wrung his hands, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. His heart began to pound nervously.

He had originally thought that with Fei Jin dead, Song Qingya wouldn’t be able to stir up any trouble.

But now, she was like a volcano on the verge of erupting, suppressing an astonishing amount of power.

He cleared his throat twice, trying to ease the tension. "Song Qingya, I know you hate me, but it couldn’t be helped. If he had just listened to me and obediently handed over command, he wouldn’t have ended up like this. A military order is absolute. Anyone who disobeys should be prepared for the consequences! Don’t you agree?"

He tried to pin the blame on Fei Jin, as if the dead man had brought it all upon himself.

Listening to him, Song Qingya was so furious she could feel her teeth grinding, her chest heaving.

She let out a cold laugh, her voice like ice spreading across the ground. "Wang Kang, you’ve really got some nerve! To kill someone and then stand here trying to reason... I should have known. A person like you must have done plenty of despicable things behind everyone’s backs, right? Bullying subordinates, framing comrades... which of those haven’t you done? It’s just that no one ever dared to expose you before!"

Her words made Wang Kang’s face turn pale, as if he’d been stripped naked in public.

He shot to his feet, pointing a trembling finger at Song Qingya. "You... you’re talking nonsense! Don’t think I don’t know you and Fei Jin had a special relationship. Now that he’s dead, you want to sling mud at me? In your dreams!"

But then a thought occurred to him. Who here could possibly stop him?

This was his territory. His power here was deeply entrenched.

Fei Jin?

He’s long since turned to ash!

He leaned back in his chair again, crossing one leg over the other with a "what-can-you-do-to-me" expression, and stared flippantly at Song Qingya.

"Song Qingya, drop the act! Might makes right now! Fei Jin? He’s dead, and no one is coming to stand up for him!"

Song Qingya’s chest ached with anger, as if a red-hot piece of charcoal were tumbling around inside her.

She stared daggers at Wang Kang’s arrogant, domineering face, a cold fury igniting in her eyes.

She stared at Wang Kang and said, enunciating every word, "Wang Kang, don’t celebrate too soon! They just haven’t found Fei Jin’s body yet. Who said he’s definitely dead? Maybe one day he’ll come back, and the first thing he’ll do is cut the flesh from your bones and feed it to the wild dogs!"

Her voice wasn’t loud, but each word pierced the air like an icicle.

Hearing this, Wang Kang’s heart skipped a beat, and a slight chill went down his spine.

But then he remembered the dozen or so men standing behind him, armed with guns and knives. With superior numbers, why should he fear one woman?

So he stiffened his neck and yelled, "Trying to scare me? Who’s afraid of you? If he dares to come back, I’ll make sure he never leaves this room!"

His voice grew louder and louder, laced with a hysterical arrogance.

It was as if Fei Jin, the man who had once terrified the region, was now being trampled under his foot.

Song Qingya gave a cold smile.

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, but her eyes were as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice.

’A person like him will never admit he’s wrong until he’s completely exposed.’

"Wang Kang, you’re so confident. Have you forgotten that what goes around, comes around? Do enough evil, and you’ll eventually have to pay the price!"

As her words fell, the air around them seemed to grow heavier.

When Wang Kang heard that, his heart jolted as if he’d been struck by something.

But he refused to back down, forcing a calm he didn’t feel as he roared, "Song Qingya, I refuse to believe that nonsense! I dare anyone to try and lay a single finger on me!"

He needed to prove he wasn’t afraid, even if it was just a facade of toughness.

His voice suddenly rose, filled with threat and killing intent. "If you don’t do as I say, none of the people you brought with you will leave here alive!"

He no longer held back, dropping all pretenses and tossing his last shred of decency in the trash.

He waved his hand, and the thugs behind him stepped forward in unison. Knives were drawn, and guns were cocked.

Song Qingya just smiled lightly, not taking him seriously at all.

Her posture was calm and composed, as if she were standing on a mountaintop looking down into an abyss.

"Wang Kang, stop wasting time. Hand over my sister."

Her tone was calm, as if she weren’t making a request, but delivering a sentence.

Wang Kang was taken aback. He had expected her to test the waters, to show a sliver of weakness.

Instead, she had flipped the whole table with a single sentence, getting straight to the point.

But he still wanted to assert his dominance, to let her know who was in charge now.

"Song Qingya, you want her back? Fine. First, hand over half of Fei Jin’s men to me, and I’ll consider letting her go. Otherwise..."

He deliberately dragged out his words, his gaze shifting to the shadows in the corner.

From there, a faint sob could be heard.

"Your sister is such a delicate little thing, and my brothers here are all hot-blooded young men. What might happen to her then... well, that would be out of my hands..."

As he spoke, his face was a mask of lewdness, his eyes filled with naked malice and depravity.

Song Qingya stared at his face and suddenly smiled.

She looked at Wang Kang as if she were looking at a dead man about to descend into hell.

"Oh, Wang Kang, Wang Kang. Always resorting to the same old tricks. Is bullying women the only skill you have? It’s truly ’impressive.’"

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was as cold as a winter wind, stinging one’s face.

Fei Jin stood behind her, every muscle in his body tensed like a fully drawn bow, ready to rush forward and protect her at any moment.

His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles had turned white. His eyes were locked on Wang Kang and the two brutes restraining Song Chenglu.

"Bring Song Chenglu up," Song Qingya said, her voice as cold as ice, each word landing with indisputable weight.

"Otherwise, you won’t touch a single one of Fei Jin’s men."

Her words were like a sharp blade striking a vital point, making his heart sink.

He snapped his head up, his gaze fixed on Song Qingya’s frosty face.

He gritted his teeth and turned to bark at his subordinate, his voice filled with anger and reluctance, "Go. Get the girl over here."

In a pitch-black little room, Song Chenglu sat with her arms wrapped around her knees, curled into a tight ball.

Two burly men with heavy footsteps burst in to grab her.

She looked up in terror, her lips trembling, her voice so faint it was barely audible. "Is... is my sister here? Is she here?"

As she spoke, she desperately shrank back, her back pressed against the cold wall.

The two men didn’t answer. They grabbed her by the arm and roughly dragged her up from the floor.

Her legs gave way and she nearly fell, but the two men just held her up and forcibly dragged her outside.

When they reached the main hall, the glaring light made Song Chenglu instinctively shut her eyes.