The third man returned quickly, his jogging figure in the dim night resembling a rutting bear.

"Cigarettes, booze, vinegar! All bought, can we start eating?" He shouted excitedly as he entered the courtyard.

At the same time, Mu Zi ran to the large hole in the right wall, covering his nose to endure the stench of garbage, peeking through the hole into the yard.

"Look at you drooling like a bear!" Ma Liu jeered, standing up from his seat and saying to the boss, who was resting with his eyes closed, "Boss, it's time to eat!" He then walked slowly into the kitchen.

The boss casually acknowledged, stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and carefully washed his face at the tap.

Wash up... then go to heaven and apologize to my parents. Mu Zi thought bitterly.

Parents? I accidentally called that man my father? Mu Zi was surprised by his own thoughts. Did that man deserve to be his father?

While Mu Zi was lost in thought, the boss finished washing his face, drying it carefully with a towel, and said to the third man, who was eagerly looking at the table, "Hurry up and help Ma Liu, aren't you hungry?"

"Starving! Almost to death!" The third man quickly stood up and ran towards the kitchen, shouting, "I'll pour the drinks and vinegar!"

Soon, Ma Liu came out of the kitchen with a steaming pot of crabs, and the third man opened beers for each of them, deftly pouring the newly bought red vinegar into a bowl.

"Let's eat!" The third man rolled up his sleeves, looking greedily at the crabs, preparing to sit down.

"Eat up!" Ma Liu laughed and sat down with the boss, picking up his chopsticks...

Mu Zi squinted, closely watching the small green vinegar bowl placed beside the crab pot on the table.

Now is the time!

Mu Zi calmed his breathing and walked to the corner he had marked earlier, bending down to pick up the half brick he had placed there.

Holding the heavy brick in his right hand, Mu Zi took one last look at the small gecko in his left hand.

Just one throw of the brick, and this crazy plan would begin, with no turning back...

Am I really going to do this?

His hesitation lasted only a few seconds. Mu Zi's eyes became clear, deep, and determined!

Alright, let it all end tonight!

Without hesitation, he aimed at the car's rear window and threw the brick with all his might.

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The brick, like a missile, carried a whoosh of wind, hate, rage, and a resolute intent to kill, tracing a perfect parabola towards the car window! Simultaneously, Mu Zi sprinted towards the hole in the wall. Halfway there, the crisp sound of the brick shattering the glass and the car's shrill alarm rang out.

As Mu Zi crouched at the hole, the three men at the table finally snapped to attention.

"Damn, someone's smashing the car!" The third man was the first to jump up, grabbing a chair and rushing out. Ma Liu quickly dropped his chopsticks and followed.

The boss also stood up and dropped his chopsticks.

Mu Zi, hiding outside the hole, anxiously urged in his mind, Go out, why aren't you going out?

His plan was that once the car was smashed, the three men would rush out to check, leaving the dining table unattended, allowing him to enter the courtyard through the hole, finish his task, and retreat unnoticed.

But he hadn't anticipated this: the boss didn't leave the table!

This completely disrupted his plan, even rendering it a total failure!

Heaven is not on my side! Mu Zi felt a surge of despair.

As Mu Zi was wallowing in frustration outside the hole, Ma Liu returned.

"What happened?" the boss asked, frowning.

"The rear window was smashed, probably by some kids messing around. Didn't see anyone, otherwise, I would've broken their legs!" Ma Liu said angrily.

"What about third brother?" the boss asked.

"He's in the toilet. Probably had a reaction from eating persimmons and crabs, hehe... Let's just eat without him." Ma Liu said, sitting back down.

"Okay." The boss nodded and also sat down, picking up his chopsticks again.

"Ahh! A scorpion!" Just as they picked up their chopsticks, a hysterical scream came from the outside toilet. The boss and Ma Liu exchanged glances, their faces changing dramatically as they knocked over their chairs and rushed outside!

A godsend opportunity!

Mu Zi, who had been disheartened outside the hole, suddenly perked up!

This is the moment, go for it! You must succeed!

Mu Zi roared in his mind and quickly entered the courtyard through the hole, rushing to the table. He pressed the gecko into the green vinegar bowl. The gecko struggled desperately, but Mu Zi held it down firmly.

One, two, three!

After three seconds, Mu Zi quickly removed the gecko from the vinegar and retreated, escaping through the hole.

Just as he got out, the argument between Ma Liu and the third man started inside.

"You weren't even bitten, was all that fuss necessary?" Ma Liu scolded.

"You try having a scorpion nearly land on your... you know what, while using the toilet! You'd scream louder than me!" the third man retorted.

"Alright, let's just keep eating," the boss mediated.

"Eating, eating." The third man, knowing he was at a disadvantage, quickly calmed down and sat back down.

The three men finally sat down again, picking up their chopsticks.

Mu Zi watched carefully from outside until he saw all three of them put vinegar-dipped crabs in their mouths, then he stood up, reassured.

Before leaving, he couldn't help but take one last look at the three men still enjoying their meal.

This is the last time I'll see them... definitely.

Then, like a ghost, he disappeared into the thickening night...

When Mu Zi learned that his plan had been successful, he was already on the road from Phoenix City to the nearby metropolis, Wutong City. It wasn't until he saw a newspaper that he learned the real names of the boss and the third man.

But he didn't even glance at those names, tossing the paper away.

What interested him was a sentence in the news:

The police, after investigation, determined it was a very accidental death...

And about the core question of the plan, why vinegar with a gecko became a deadly poison, he never understood the scientific reason behind it. He felt it was no longer important. Rather than dwelling on these mysteries, he preferred to remember the cute little scorpion.

The sky was blue, clouds white, the sun bright, and the breeze gentle. Mu Zi suddenly felt reborn.

The towering skyline of Wutong City was now in sight...