Act. 6: You're Crazy · You Madman
[Part 1: The Cage That Imprisons the Demon]
The introduction to life at the Blackland Royal Hotel, including clothing and food, has now been completed.
In terms of [access], for criminals, prison is ultimately a prison; it is a cage through which no one can cross [the Heaven's Gate].
The warden can use this powerful spiritual force to trap all vehicles and personnel entering and leaving the [Heaven's Gate] inside, causing their deaths.
The old butler Edward, selected rooms for the Big Sister and A Xing, told them where the common areas were, and then left immediately.
Xue Ming and Liuxing shared a room on the 27th floor, room number 66, with their older sister Jielina living next door.
When A Xing arrived at the cell, it felt strangely familiar, like coming home. There were more people in the corridor. The women in the female ward were all heavy smokers, mostly discussing sports games in the mortal world and exchanging gambling receipts.
A Xing was leaning against the door, about to greet someone, when Xue Ming pulled him back inside.
"Meteor, we're not here for sightseeing."
A Xing pouted, sat cross-legged on the sofa, and said to the Big Sister, "I know! I know! We're here..."
The Big Sister squinted, leaned close to A Xing, and covered the fake younger sister's big mouth.
She took out a pen and paper from the bedside table, pointed to the surveillance camera in the living room, and quickly wrote something down.
[Everything you do here will be monitored and listened to.]
A Xing felt a chill run down her spine when she saw the electronic probe, and said in a panic.
"Why do they do this? Isn't the warden here supposed to be a champion of human rights? The prisoners are living like gods."
The Big Sister continued writing--
[--This is very likely related to the Soul Power ability of [Heaven's Gate]. The Soul Power of the Flash Butterfly requires the assistance of its eyes; it cannot perform precise operations in places where it cannot see. The warden can control all the "doors" of this prison by remotely operating surveillance cameras. The warden can use this ability to decide which room we go to and what we do.]
A Xing, feeling guilty, said, "So, I don't have any freedom? Will I be watched when I go to the toilet and take a shower?"
"I didn't find any surveillance cameras in the bathroom or toilet." The Big Sister shook her head. "But there's definitely some listening in. I had Fragrant Dream sneak into the ventilation ducts to check, and there were surveillance cameras in the ducts too."
At this point, the Big Sister's aura emanated from her body, and she slumped on the sofa looking aggrieved, which made Meteor quite envious.
Steel Cat had just sat down and caught his breath when he said to Meteor, "How can I stand this? You have to do something about it! You have to do something about her! Am I going to have to crawl through the sewers again later?"
Xue Ming had a thought and pulled the unruly soul force back into her body, but it soon came out again and made faces at the Big Sister.
A Xing exclaimed in amazement, "It actually came out by itself!"
"I don't understand its temperament either." The Big Sister said half of it, then wrote down the other half, and casually pressed Fragrant Dream into Meteor's arms.
[It seems like I switched character accounts; this Soul Weapon has become much more lively and active, slipping away from my body without me even noticing. Just like you, always running around.]
[A Xing, we have a mission, so give me a break. We need to find Duran and Flavia, and besides that, try not to get involved in anything related to this prison.]
A Xing hugged the big cat, very confused. "Why?"
Jiang Xueming immediately said, "Because this place doesn't feel like a prison, it's more like a resort—"
"--Do you know what prisons are for? They're for restraining and punishing criminals, and for making their prison life public as a warning to others. But the Blackland Royal Hotel offers such luxurious living and comfort. You can buy almost anything except freedom. It's really strange."
A Xing wondered, "Could it be like what old butler Edward said, that the devil is reluctant to leave this place and will obediently stay in jail?"
"That's one way of putting it," Jiang Xueming continued, "But I have a guess."
"What conjecture?"
"Those who have the opportunity to go to jail are all strong people; the weak have long been killed, or their will to survive wasn't strong enough, and they died during violent resistance to law enforcement. Therefore, those qualified to stay at the Blackland Royal Hotel are all pragmatic and shrewd individuals—those who are openly willing to accept the regional governor's ideological reform. These people have already moved away from the black market and into the gray market, and most of them are tainted witnesses. They still have some value."
"Oh! So we're all in the same boat?"
"That's one way to put it, but it's still not as simple as you think. A Xing - Madness Butterfly's battle gang is nothing more than a group of cult-like criminals. There are many scapegoats in prison, and the middlemen and money laundering companies connected to these scapegoats will create a complete chain of interests."
"Big Sister, what does this mean? I don't understand!"
"That means if I were a criminal leader, arresting just me wouldn't be enough! Absolutely not enough!"
Jiang Xueming drew a tree diagram in his notebook.
"If I need to spend money in prison, I have to find a way to get people to leak the information and send me money. The money I get from crimes is of dubious origin, so I have to find a way to make it legitimately enter the underground banking system. The middleman has to register a company, have a business entity, for example, under the guise of selling sugarcane—then get the local food and drug administration and agricultural department to approve the business license, and then inject capital into the sugarcane company under other names. Finally, under the guise of selling sugarcane, the money obtained from illegal crimes can be transformed into legitimate revenue and transferred to me, the criminal, through the middleman."
A Xing: "This is so complicated!"
"The BOSS has a kill list." Jiang Xueming looked up and said to the surveillance camera, "The Blackland Royal Hotel is like a department store. Criminals who want to live a good life will absolutely not be able to resist when faced with a dazzling array of goods on the shelves. They will spend money extravagantly, and once they run out, they will have to hire money laundering companies or old friends from the War Gang to launder their money. Warden! You're keeping criminals here so that you can find more people involved in the case through their transfer and spending records, and provide the BOSS with clues about corrupt officials. Is that right?"
The electronic eye couldn't speak; it didn't even move, staring straight at the Big Sister. To protect Duran and Flavia, the Big Sister still didn't confess to the warden or directly announce the two criminals' names.
She didn't know what the warden's temperament was like, whether he sided with Ming De or with the governor of Eleventh District.
However, Hedland has one ironclad rule: never Prison Break. To escape with Flavia and Duran, they must cross the Gates of Heaven's Gate and confront the warden.
In this gray area where right and wrong are blurred, Xue Ming and Liuxing cannot openly confess their undercover identities to the warden—this would affect the upcoming anti-drug operation in Forty-Eight District. Once their identities are exposed, Duran and Flavia will lose their value, and they may have to spend their lives in prison.
After thinking about these things, Xue Ming decided to go to the public area alone to gather information. In its current form, Meteor seemed too weak and too easy to be targeted.
Old butler Edward once said this--
If someone takes a liking to you, it's always easier to submit than to resist.
These words were very realistic, and they also served as a reminder to Xue Ming that there were different small gangs and cliques within the prison.
Or rather, the warden's biggest headache is that in this closed circle, without gangs or groups, everyone is of one mind.
For newcomers to integrate into the prison community, learning to choose sides is the first lesson; survival comes next.
That's why Edward took this matter so seriously, repeatedly talking to Xue Ming about these social dynamics, urging Xue Ming to find a powerful backer, even if it meant offering empty promises or favors, hoping this fellow vampire could rise above her circumstances. After all, in Edward's eyes, Xue Ming's performance was far too immature and naive, like an airplane that knew nothing but fighting and killing.
At 9:15 a. m., having just finished breakfast, the Big Sister decided to go and talk to Jielina about the mission objectives.
A Xing pressed himself against the door, eavesdropping on the sounds outside, until the Big Sister's loud voice rang out.
"Jielina."
A knocking sound rang out, followed by the sound of the door opening and a delighted welcome from Jielina.
"You guys actually live next door to me? Hahaha! That's great! Sister! Would you like to come in and have a seat?"
"To be honest, I want to ask you about two people."
As soon as the door closed, ten thousand ants crawled all over A Xing.
She nervously pushed open the door and tiptoed out, thinking to herself that Ming Ge had abandoned her again to run errands.
--I'm so indignant! I really want to do these things perfectly! And then surprise her!
Thinking this way, Meteor had no worries at all. She pretended to be mature and composed, putting on airs while being sneaky. It was hard to imagine that a woman could have so many facial expressions and body language features at the same time.
When the breakfast bell rang, the corridor was empty.
A Xing gently knocked on the stranger's door, eager to take on the important task of gathering intelligence!
Hello! Hello! Is anyone home?
After a while, the door to room 2765 opened.
A stern-looking, ruthless woman with a scarred face emerged from the crack in the door.
The man looked to be in his late twenties, with jet-black, lush green hair like seaweed. It draped over his shoulders, revealing only half of his shoulders, making it appear as if he were naked. His arms, face, and neck were all wet.
Her eyes were fierce, with a small amount of white showing in them. Her pupils were small, her nose was high and straight with little flesh on the tip, and her lips were full—a typical European or American appearance.
Both of her eyes had broken eyebrows, as if she had been slashed twice, and her eyes had been blinded. Even after being treated with Universal Elixir, her hair had not fully grown back, which was very strange.
She has two moles on her neck, one below her right ear and another near her lips on her chin.
She is beautiful; if it weren't for her fierce-looking face, she would be considered a very striking Eastern European.
A Xing said awkwardly but politely, "Excuse me, I'm sorry to disturb your rest, sister. I'm a new neighbor! Can I ask you something?"
"S272?" The woman stared at A Xing's prison uniform, momentarily lost in thought, as if trying to decipher its meaning. "Are you a new recruit?"
A Xing immediately replied, "Yes! I want to ask you about two people."
"The prisoners here address each other by their numbers." The woman pulled open the door, refusing to step outside. After checking that no one else was there, she continued to Meteor, "You can call me J76— Jacqueline, that's my real name. Little girl, you're too young. What crime did you commit to be sent to the hardened criminal section? Let's talk in my room."
As she said this, Jacqueline opened the door a crack, just wide enough for one person to squeeze through sideways.
At that very moment, the meteor heard a strange sound of water.
The sound of the water was very strange, like a slimy reptile rolling around in a mud pit, or a gurgling, crawling sound.
Despite this, A Xing wasn't afraid at all. She walked straight towards the crack in the door, intending to squeeze through the gap under her older sister's armpit and enter room 2765.
"Wait a minute." A Xing suddenly stopped, and the instant she stepped into the room, she looked up at her sister Jacqueline and said, "Sister, aren't you wearing any clothes?"
Jacqueline's body trembled slightly, her eyes filled with confusion, as if trying to grasp the underlying meaning of the question.
"What does it matter? I don't like wearing clothes at home."
A Xing immediately blushed and waved her little hands. "No, no, no! You can't! You absolutely can't!"
Jacqueline: "No?"
A Xing: "You must put your clothes on! J76! So I can go to your room!"
"Okay." Jacqueline walked away and went back to the living room to put on her clothes.
After a while, A Xing closed his eyes and stood guard outside the door, like a little knight protecting a princess's chastity, striking a fighting stance as if to drive away any non-existent lecherous ghosts.
Jacqueline went to the door again and saw S272's serious expression, which made her feel a little amused and exasperated.
"What are you doing?"
The A Xing, with its eyes closed, said, "I'm protecting you! Have you changed your clothes? A real man shouldn't peek at a girl's body!"
"Aren't you a girl too?" Jacqueline squinted, finding this little sister ridiculously naive.
A Xing shouted, "No! I'm a real man! A true iron-blooded hero!"
The shout immediately attracted the attention of the other visitors. Before anyone else could open the door to peek in, Jacqueline grabbed A Xing's arm and pulled the little girl into the room.
[Part ②: Secondhand Auction]
In room 2767, which is also Jielina's living room.
"You want to gather information?" Jielina poured her best friend a drink. "Looking for someone?"
The Big Sister showed no interest in drinking, and she didn't even take the cigarette that Jielina offered her, only saying coldly...
"Find two people."
Jielina, despite being met with a cold shoulder, remained unperturbed, still sporting that aggressively healthy smile, as if the more Xue Ming resisted, the more excited she became.
"Tell me about these two people. I'll help you as much as I can."
The Big Sister, "One of them can foresee the future, and the other can release venom, similar to snake venom. They're both Morpho Butterflies, and they're members of the Little Brotherhood."
"Then things will be difficult." Jielina rested her chin on her hand, leaning against the Big Sister, raising an eyebrow at the oriental beauty beside her. "Such powerful figures are being closely protected by the War Gang—according to you, these two possess extraordinary skills, capable of turning misfortune into good fortune and killing without leaving a trace."
The Big Sister: "Is there a way to find it?"
"There's always a way." Jielina offered the Big Sister cigarettes and alcohol again. "Take these and I'll help you."
The Big Sister didn't understand. "Why?"
"You have to fit in. If you can't drink or smoke, you're not qualified to be friends with criminals," Jielina said with a smile. "This is our friendship."
The Big Sister reluctantly brought out cigarettes, Jielina handed her a lighter, lighting the cigarette.
She had just taken a puff when the strong, pungent smell of the cigarette made her cough.
Jielina: "Hahahaha, you really have never smoked! Hahahaha!"
Big Sister: "Let's get down to business."
"I know Laifu from the Tyrannosaurus Warrior Gang." Jielina raised her glass, urging the Big Sister to drink. "Jello and Laifu are cellmates, and they're both connected to the Madness Butterfly Sect. They'll definitely be able to find the person you're looking for."
"Tyrannosaurus Warrior Gang?" The Big Sister didn't understand this kind of naming aesthetic.
Jielina: "It's a guild under the Madness Butterfly Sect. Their leader likes playing games, so that's his game ID. You can understand, he's a gaming addict. Anyway, whoever has the bigger fist gets to listen to him, and the underlings have to call themselves Tyrannosaurus Warriors—it's just a bit silly."
The Big Sister asked, "How much will it cost?"
"It's free." Jielina's eyes were suggestive. She raised her glass away from the Big Sister, immediately slipping her hand into the Big Sister's arm, as if to drink a toast together. "Isn't this the highest form of etiquette for drinking in China?"
"This is a ritual used when couples drink at their wedding." Xue Ming said expressionlessly, "Isn't it inappropriate? Jielina, if Jello knew you were doing this, he'd challenge me to a duel."
"No way! Hahahaha!" Jielina laughed, "What are you talking about! You're my best friend, we've robbed together and risked our lives together, how could he possibly be jealous of you?"
Xue Ming seized on the key point and asked, "No money? Then what do you want?"
Jielina: "You're a vampire, right?"
Big Sister: "Yes."
Jielina: "Vampires have excellent eyesight, with hearing and vision far exceeding that of ordinary people. They also possess extremely long lifespans and are first-rate at appraising valuable works of art. Laifu and Jello have been eyeing you for a while now— Glory, I've been waiting for you to say that!"
The Big Sister: "I'd like to hear the details."
"You need my help, so do us a favor." Jielina recounted a recent, enviable event. "Do you know our neighbor, the woman in room 2765?"
The Big Sister: "I don't know yet. I was planning to pay her a visit."
Jielina: "She attends the weekly flea market."
Big Sister: "A secondhand auction?"
"They're in some old rooms. When criminals finish their sentences, they can only take three things with them: artwork they made in prison, various tools, and miscellaneous jewelry they smuggled into the prison through intermediaries. These items are left in the rooms, like finding bargains in old warehouses in America or opening blind boxes. You can make a lot of money doing this, but some people lose everything. You need to have a good eye and a keen eye—and you also need to haggle and negotiate prices. You need courage and boldness."
The Big Sister: "What does this have to do with our neighbors?"
"Our neighbor, Ms. Jacqueline, is incredibly lucky. Last week, she bought a room full of secondhand goods. The owner of that house had been released from prison in 1917. Everything inside had gone moldy and rusty, except for a very valuable oil painting, which miraculously survived. She made a fortune—we've entrusted you with this task; just buy us a room. As for the people you're looking for, we'll naturally find those two good sisters from the Little Brotherhood."
"A very valuable oil painting?" the Big Sister asked hastily. "What kind is it?"
Jielina pursed her lips, licked them, and her eyes revealed a greedy envy. "The original of Van Gogh's '<The Starry Night>'."
The Big Sister: "That's definitely worth a lot of money."
Jielina: "Deal?"
Big Sister finished drinking the nuptial wine, she said, "Deal."
In room 2765.
As soon as A Xing sat down on the sofa, she felt a strange, chilling, and terrifying yet familiar spiritual pressure enveloping her.
Unlike the male character's account, her essence was not full of energy and could not withstand this strange pressure, so she soon began to tremble and shudder.
Jacqueline, the eldest sister, seemed like a different person; she began pacing back and forth in the room.
"You said you were looking for someone?"
A Xing hugged herself tightly, feeling as if she had sat on a block of ice. Her clothes gradually became damp. If she had paid closer attention, she would have seen the hygrometer next to the TV, which showed that the humidity had reached 100%.
"Yes, Sister Jacqueline, I'm looking for two people. They're both very pretty and easy to recognize."
The temperature was dropping, so the air conditioner was set to 16 degrees Celsius.
The valuable painting hanging on the wall was Van Gogh's "<The Starry Night>" —Jacqueline didn't sell it; instead, she treasured it.
The terrible humidity and temperature did not ruin this expensive oil painting; on the contrary, they made its colors even more vibrant, with uneven textures emerging from the golden stars and dark green night sky, as if something was coming to life from it!
I don't know if it's a hallucination or reality.
When A Xing caught a glimpse of this painting, it seemed to drain all his senses. The canvas writhed and undulated, emitting a wet, dripping sound.
"Then you have to pay me. S272 -- When you ask someone for a favor, you always have to pay them, right?"
A Xing immediately asked, "How much?"
Jacqueline walked over step by step to the sofa, bent down, and lifted the collar of her elegant dress to reveal her pale, greenish chest skin. Then she uttered seductive murmurs.
"I want you, I want all of you, I want you as a person."
"Hahahaha," A Xing laughed awkwardly, "I already have a girlfriend! Big sister! That won't do!"
So--
--Jacqueline's chest split open.
Divided in two at the position of the sternum, there is no bone inside, only dark gray, supple tentacles and clusters of glowing, flower-like stamens of hair, which slap outwards against A Xing's cheeks.
That moment came too quickly!
A Xing didn't even have time to react!
She was completely swallowed by Jacqueline.
In an instant, she was like a round, plump sesame dumpling, pulled into the body by this huge crack.
A Xing could still be seen terrified inside Jacqueline's belly. She was covered and imprisoned by the soft membrane, her hands trying to break free, pressing against Jacqueline's abdomen, letting out a muffled scream.
"Big Sister! Help me!"
Jacqueline sneered--
"Little sister, hasn't anyone told you not to knock on a stranger's door?"
But the next second, Jacqueline's smile vanished.
She felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, like a big bad wolf that had swallowed a stone and was about to be disemboweled!
Soups and liquids gushed out of its skin! The steel cat's fists were cannonballs that cleaved through the dawn!
Fragrant Dream, carrying A Xing, carved a bloody path through the darkness, leaving only Jacqueline's stiff, cold body beneath the famous painting.
A Xing watched this scene in horror, not knowing what to say.
She gripped Fragrant Dream's arm, her heart pounding from the near-death experience, watching the monster gradually slump and collapse.
What exactly happened?
Isn't this guy human?
Meteor didn't know what to say, but luckily the Big Sister had secretly hidden Soul Power beside her.
"Will she eat me up and digest me? Did the Big Sister already know I'd run off, so she kept you by my side?"
"S·H·I·T!" Fragrant Dream uttered each word with an air of international politeness. "In this treacherous paradise of bitches, of course I'll stay by your side!"
Immediately afterwards, two friends, one older and one younger, gathered around Jacqueline's "corpse," observing the tattered body.
Its blood is grayish-blue, and its skin is greenish.
All of this was captured on surveillance cameras, and armed men have already broken down the door.
"Hands up! Don't move!"
"Control your soul power! Let it return to your body!"
Five fully armed soldiers pointed their guns at the A Xing.
A Xing and Fragrant Dream simultaneously raised their hands in surrender, unsure of what to say.
"No! That's not how it is!" A Xing explained, "That woman tried to eat me! The security cameras caught it!"
She looked at the corpse behind her, and was immediately shocked!
Jacqueline's body looked...
Just like a human being.
Such a metaphor is insufficient to describe the landscape at that time.
To be precise—her skin and hair color had reverted to those of a typical Anglo-Saxon!
When we first met, that woman had black-green hair and bright green eyes.
But how did she revert to her blonde slut image?
And
"And!" A Xing screamed in terror, "Now things are really complicated!!!"
The blood, which was originally blue, has now turned bright red and smells of rust. The ripped open wound, along with fragments of organs, is splattered on the carpet, providing irrefutable evidence that A Xing used his Soul Power to kill.
A Xing grabbed Jacqueline's body and shook the witch violently.
"Monster! Come back to life! Come back to life! Explain yourself to them! I didn't kill you!"
A Xing is terrible with words and can't explain this at all.
"No, it was SD and me who killed you! But you're not human, are you? You're a monster! A monster like the White Bone Demon! You wanted to eat me! SD and I killed you to protect ourselves! Right? Come here and explain yourself!"
Until the armed men took the suspect away from the scene--
--The air humidity is maintained at 49 percent, and the temperature is 24 degrees Celsius.
The <The Starry Night> gradually calmed down, and there was no longer any sign of movement.
Jacqueline's body was placed in a body bag and awaited examination by the medical examiner.
Xue Ming's face turned extremely ugly. As the original form of Fragrant Dream, she too had to undergo interrogation.
This is my first day at the Blackland Royal Hotel.
The general affairs officer of the female inmates' ward sat in the chief examiner's seat and roared angrily at S272's incoherent testimony, saying only one sentence.
"You're insane!"