Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

The music room at the top of the hill, at the entrance of the apartment.

"Click".

As the door lock clicked shut, the warm, jasmine-scented apartment was left behind.

Xie Wang stood in the corridor, holding the long-handled black umbrella in one hand and the bag of clothes that Lu Wen had given him in the other.

The motion-sensor lights in the corridor turned on, casting a cold, white light on his face.

He looked down at his feet.

Just one step away, behind you lies heaven, and before you lies the human world.

"We can't stay under the umbrella forever..."

Xie Wang muttered to himself in a low voice, a self-deprecating smile curving his lips, but his eyes held a clear and cold glint.

If he wants to be able to openly and legitimately knock on this door in the future, he must first clean up that muddy house.

He turned around and strode into the elevator.

……

It's 1 a.m. in Xingfu Community.

The rain stopped.

Xie Wang returned to the downstairs of the attic.

Before even going upstairs, I could hear deafening noise, the sound of smashing bottles, and the crude shouts of several men coming from my broken window.

"That scoundrel Xie Zhengyang has found his way here!" Xie Wang gritted his teeth.

"Old Xie! Hurry up and give me the money to try and win back your losses!"

"Drink! We're not leaving until we're drunk! Anyone who leaves is a coward!"

It's Xie Zhengyang.

Not only did he not stop, he also brought his group of cronies home to gamble and drink excessively.

Xie Wang stood in the shadows downstairs, listening to the piercing sounds, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

In the past, he might have rushed up and overturned the table, or swallowed his anger, put on his headphones, and hid in a corner.

But today, having just returned from Su Qinghe's pristine world, he felt an unprecedented physical aversion to this muddy, stagnant life.

He did not go upstairs.

Instead, he turned around and walked to a public phone booth outside the residential area.

He took a coin out of his pocket, dropped it in, and skillfully dialed a number: 110.

"Hey, I want to report this."

Xie Wang's voice was frighteningly calm, like that of an emotionless bystander.

"In apartment 402 of building 3 in Xingfu Community, there are people gambling together, and someone is drunk and threatening the safety of neighbors with a weapon."

"Yes, I was just a helpful citizen passing by."

hang up the phone.

Xie Wang leaned against the phone booth, peeled a mint that Su Qinghe had given him, and popped it into his mouth.

It's very cold.

Ten minutes later.

The flashing red and blue police lights pierced the darkness of the neighborhood.

Several police officers rushed upstairs.

Immediately afterwards, Xie Zhengyang's panicked shouts and curses, the sound of tables and chairs overturning, and finally, the wailing of someone being led into a police car came from upstairs.

Xie Wang stood in the corner, coldly watching the handcuffed man, his face flushed, being shoved into the police car.

Gambling in a group, coupled with provoking trouble, warrants at least 15 days of detention.

15 days.

This house can finally have some peace and quiet for a while.

……

Midnight, attic.

Finally, it's quiet.

Although the room was a mess, with bottles and cigarette butts scattered all over the floor.

Xie Wang spent half an hour, expressionless, sweeping all the trash out the door and even mopping the floor three times with bleach until the nauseating smell of alcohol was gone, leaving only the pungent smell of disinfectant.

At least, the taste is clean.

He took a shower and changed into the clean T-shirt and sweatpants that Lu Wen had given him.

Then I sat down at that rickety, broken table and turned on the computer.

"Next, we need to raise some travel expenses."

Xie Wang's eyes were sharp.

He didn't want to spend Su Qinghe's money.

The train ticket to Beijing, the accommodation, and the respectability I need to maintain when I'm by her side all require money.

He logged into the gray "White Hat Bounty Zone" with practiced ease.

My fingers flew across the keyboard as I filtered through the tasks.

Orders that are too large take too long, and he doesn't have the time; illegal black market activities are quick money, but he promised to do them "cleanly."

Finally, he settled on a medium-sized bounty:

[Urgent request to patch a vulnerability in the underlying logic of a tech company's database. Bounty: 10.]

Difficulty: S-level.

Many people tried to access it but gave up because the loophole was very tricky.

10.

"It's rare to get such a big order."

Xie Wang chewed on a candy, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

"It's more than enough."

For the next four hours, the only sound in the attic was the frantic pounding of a keyboard.

The code flowed across the screen like a waterfall.

……

Six o'clock in the morning.

The sky was beginning to lighten with the first light of dawn.

As the last Enter key was pressed, a line of green text popped up on the screen:

The vulnerability has been submitted, approved, and the bounty of 100,000 has been credited to your account.

Xie Wang looked at the extra number in his account and breathed a sigh of relief.

Although it wasn't much, it was a huge sum of money in the eyes of a high school student.

He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his aching temples.

He stayed up all night, but he wasn't sleepy at all.

The thrill of controlling his own destiny made his blood boil.

He picked up his phone.

Click on the rabbit avatar that's eating a carrot.

After hesitating for a moment, he didn't say anything too sentimental.

He just wanted to tell her that he had cleaned up his surroundings.

My finger is moving; I'm sending it.

X: [My father's troubles have been resolved. Thank you today, Su Qinghe.]

After sending the message, Xie Wang got up, walked to the window, and pushed open the dilapidated window.

The morning breeze swept in, dispelling the last traces of musty smell in the house.

He looked at the rising sun in the distance, his eyes brighter than ever before.

Starting today.

He is clean.

He is free.

He could finally walk towards the girl cleanly and neatly.