Act.02 Brown Sugar

Foreword:

Fools wait for opportunities; wise men create them.

[Part 1: Brown Sugar]

David Victor is trapped in Puxi Ferdinand's cell, suffering from sensory derangement and broken legs.

Not far away, in a dormitory building more than 50 meters away, there are only two cubicles, 519 and 521.

Xue Ming and Liuxing are waiting for the Little Brotherhood's contact.

The loop-shaped corridor had no surveillance cameras, and many workers' protective suits were drying there, suggesting it was a drug manufacturing site.

"This place produces brown sugar—very similar to serotonin, a mildly toxic stimulant, considered a small dessert." Duran stood next to Xue Ming, pointing to several large ventilation caps below the dormitory building, the exhaust systems for the underground workshop. "The goods here are sold to the yellow and green zones. In those places, people love competitive entertainment, like sports or video games. When they want to compete, some cheaters like to consume brown sugar."

Xue Ming: "What can this drug do?"

Duran: "It increases the rate of nerve reflexes, enhances your reaction ability, makes your fingers move faster, and improves your motor skills, but only for a short time, lasting only about ten minutes. If you keep taking drugs, you'll feel good for a long time, but the next day you're basically ruined—your mental constitution will suffer irreversible damage."

Xue Ming: "This is still called mild toxicity?"

"Of course it's mildly toxic." Duran shrugged. "You'd have to eat half a pound of brown sugar to cause irreversible damage to your brain—even if you ate white sugar, wouldn't half a pound at a time damage your kidneys?"

Flavia said with a smile.

"And it's not addictive."

All synthetic drugs produced by the chemical industry were initially used in the pharmaceutical industry to treat various mental illnesses, but in the end, they became deadly killers.

The same goes for brown sugar. Originally a miracle drug used in combination with other medications to treat Alzheimer's and ALS, it was transformed when Universal Elixir and products like White Lady squeezed out its market share. Merchants then marketed it as an invincible goddess of victory to athletes, gamers, gambling mathematicians who believed they could make a fortune through probability, and risk-takers who gambled in the stock market.

While the three were chatting --

--Meteor dashed out of the house and headed quickly towards room 521.

"I can feel it!"

The "feeling" that A Xing mentioned was the faint spiritual pressure that emanated when Teacher Victor invoked the Hell Highway.

Limited by H16T, although very faint, A Xing had a good memory and recognized the strong absinthe scent on Teacher Victor almost immediately. That was the hazy and dreamlike spiritual pressure characteristic of Hell Highway.

Because this spiritual pressure was so weak, when Xue Ming noticed it, she found it difficult to connect it with her teacher, Victor. After all, Victor was so powerful that the aura of his soul could not be so weak and powerless.

"Glory!" A Xing called out as she ran forward, "Teacher Victor is here!"

Xue Ming followed closely behind and asked in a deep voice, "I thought it was just my imagination, is it really true?"

"There's no mistake!" A Xing frowned, went to the room door, and began to knock loudly. "Victor- sensei without using the Shining Stone smells like absinthe. I remember all my friends' spiritual pressure signatures! I care about you all!"

Xue Ming had a bad feeling.

If David Victor were here.

Have their identities been exposed? Have they been discovered by the Little Brotherhood?

Why is Victor here?

Did the teacher learn about the anti-drug operation in Forty-Eight District from the BOSS, and, as before, come along worriedly?

Such a faint spiritual pressure activity is like a candle that could be extinguished at any moment, as if it has stepped into the Gate of Death! The teacher is in danger!

Flavia hurried to catch up. "521 is the interrogation room in Puxi —what do you want?"

Duran: "You guys just said the Detective King is right here?"

A Xing pounded on the door faster and faster, shouting fiercely, "Open the door! I know someone's inside! If you don't open the door, I'm going to kick this damn door down!"

Xue Ming, "Move aside."

A Xing immediately made way for the Big Sister.

Xue Ming stopped, held his breath, and kicked off!

With a loud crash, the iron gate flew five or six meters away, leaving dark red sparks on the cement floor.

Before Duran and Flavia could stop them, Xue Ming and A Xing had already barged in.

As they entered, they saw David Victor sprawled on the bed, and Puxi Ferdinand sitting beside the bed.

Puxi greeted them warmly, "Hey! Sister!"

Duran's expression was not pleasant; he felt slighted. When he glanced at Ms. Victor, his eyes held a hint of mockery, as if he were seeing a once high and mighty judge now reduced to such a state.

Although Duran could more or less guess the little finger's supernatural abilities, he still asked the question knowingly.

"What are you doing? Who is this guy?"

Puxi grinned and said, "It's Victor! David Victor! I've caught the Detective King!"

A Xing got emotional and was about to speak when Xue Ming immediately covered her mouth.

"Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh!"

Translate the star language.

[It's the teacher! How did he turn into a woman! Teacher! Say something!]

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

[Did this woman poison the teacher and make him mute?! Why isn't the teacher speaking?!]

Xue Ming didn't know what had happened, only that Teacher Victor was now weak and had a blank look in his eyes, as if he didn't see the other people in the room.

"Don't rush."

Flavia exclaimed excitedly, "Wow! You're really something, Puxi!"

Puxi said proudly, "Of course!"

Duran patted Victor's face. "This guy got hit by your Soul Might attack?"

At that very moment--

Victor suddenly realized something, looked around, touched his face, and rubbed his hair, as if he had been tapped on the head by thin air.

"Everything this guy sees, eats, smells, and hears is under my control," Puxi laughed. "My idol! She's become my plaything! She can't see you, Duran, he can't see you!"

In Victor's world.

An iron gate flew in from nowhere, first hitting the refrigerator cabinet, then appearing on the other side of the inquiry desk, and finally cracking the television set on the wall.

The room was empty. Apart from the sound of the television screen cracking, Victor couldn't hear any strange noises from the normal world. Her senses were confused. She only knew that there was an invisible hand that seemed to be gently patting her head, but she couldn't feel any touch. Her head was only slightly shaking, as if being pushed, swaying with that strange force.

[Hell Neighbor]'s abilities are terrifying, like the most potent hallucinogen in the world. Once the [Re-recording] ritual is completed, those attacked by the Soul Power will likely be trapped in this illusion forever.

Right now, at this very moment.

Meteor was frantic with worry, Xue Ming's eyes were icy cold.

Their every move aroused the suspicion of Ferdinand Puxi.

The manager of this drug manufacturing plant was experienced and extremely shrewd.

"You two seem to care a lot about this guy."

A Xing bit Xue Ming's hand and was finally able to speak.

"Of course I care!"

Puxi: "What is her relationship with you?"

A Xing shouted at the top of her lungs, "I love Teacher Victor's work! I love it so much! But why is she imprisoned in this godforsaken place? Will we even see any updates this month?!"

The intensely emotional outburst of his voice almost made the young woman from Puxi's hair fly back.

"Uh..." Puxi was a little dazed. "So that's how it is?"

The overwhelming spiritual pressure doesn't lie; it's the most sincere, passionate, honest, and courageous sentiment.

A Xing gritted his teeth and said, "That's it!"

"Don't worry!" Puxi put his arm around A Xing's shoulder, acting all familiar. "Teacher Victor will definitely write a fantastic ending!"

A Xing: "Is this the ending of <Sixteen Pieces of My Beloved Wife>? It's ending already? So soon!?"

Puxi immediately became interested.

"That's right, all because of that bitch Victor! She turned into a woman, and probably her brain went out of shape too! She actually tried to kill Margaret!"

"No, no, no! You can't!" A Xing grabbed Puxi's collar. "No! You can't do that!"

Puxi, also holding A Xing's face, said, "Right? I told you it wouldn't work! You think so too, right?!"

A Xing nodded vigorously. "No! Absolutely not! Margaret and Mr. Walker have come so far, weathered so many storms together! Are they really going to separate in the end?!"

Suddenly, A Xing's tears were about to fall.

"I knew it! I'd felt for a long time that Margaret wouldn't have a good ending, but even when Professor Victor actually wrote it down, I still felt an emptiness inside."

Before long, the powerful emotional impact moved Puxi so much that he almost considered the little girl as his own family.

"Yes, that's why I locked Victor up here! If she doesn't rewrite the ending, I'll..."

Xue Ming interrupted, "What do you intend to do?"

At this point, neither Duran nor Flavia understood what was going on.

The unexpected fan meeting disrupted all the planned schedule.

The group was originally supposed to go to Clearwater Bay to change clothes, as arranged by Puxi, to avoid being seen by other gangs. Then Xue Ming was supposed to find an opportunity to go to the train station to retrieve Yinhe and Jingguang, as well as ammunition. What followed was just a boring fight.

But now David Victor is here.

The fact that the Detective King of the Abyssal Railway had been captured by Puxi Poussin was already quite unbelievable, which made Duran more cautious.

She approached Victor again and poked her eyes at the blonde bombshell, as if afraid Victor was pretending to be stupid.

Perhaps the writer only pretended to be captured for the sake of a novel experience?

Perhaps this VIP only risked his life to come to Forty-Eight District for the sake of the students?

But when her fingers touched Ms. Victor's eyelids—

--Victor immediately looked up warily, seemingly completely under the control of [Hell Neighbor's] soul power attack, with no ability to retaliate.

While Puxi and A Xing were excitedly discussing the future direction of the story.

Ms. Victor remained remarkably calm, showing no sign of panic.

She could sense that several familiar people had come into the room.

[Part 2: Inspiration Doesn't Lie]

But Victor dared not speak out of turn.

Inspiration doesn't lie; Xue Ming and Liuxing are in this room.

The spiritual pressure signatures of the two students were so obvious, including Claudia Ars Duran. They had already returned to Forty-Eight District, and if they spoke carelessly at this critical juncture, it could kill these girls.

Even the strongest hallucinogens eventually lose their effectiveness.

H16T can seal the Hell Highway, but the duration of the seal is uncertain. Until then, she will neither eat nor drink. Her chance will come when she regains her Soul Power.

But Solomon said—

Fools wait for opportunities; wise men create them.

At this moment, any words spoken or written from this mouth, once transmitted outside the illusion, will be distorted and lost by [Hell Neighbor].

She thought to herself--

--I must never ask the students for help; that would expose their identities and my intentions.

"Can you let these people get out of here, Ferdinand Puxi?"

To onlookers, Ms. Victor did not speak.

But Puxi was able to hear the victims' voices through Soulway's recording tapes.

She turned around abruptly, staring intently at her idol.

Victor then said, "Don't I belong to you alone? Why did you bring so many people to see me? Are you going to punish me? Is there no point in talking about this? If I die, you won't see the end."

Puxi's attitude instantly changed. "I'll kick them out right now! Don't rush me!"

Xue Ming and Liuxing were still completely confused.

--Teacher Victor didn't say anything.

But Puxi seemed to have received an order to clear the space for the great writer and provide him with a quiet creative environment.

Xue Ming persisted, asking, "What are you going to do with her?!"

"Mind your own business, you little vixen! Just because you can fight doesn't mean I have to respect you." Puxi had heard a little about G117's record and, with a hint of apprehension, shoved A Xing and saw her best friends out the door.

A Xing, however, kept asking, "How are you going to treat Teacher Victor?"

When you meet like-minded people, Puxi is full of gentleness.

Don't worry, I won't hurt her.

A Xing: "You broke the teacher's legs!"

Puxi: "To prevent her from running around! That's what she deserves!"

When Puxi lifted the iron gate, used her superhuman strength to straighten the bolt, and put the gate back in place.

A Xing looked frustrated and helpless. She stared at the Big Sister, but dared not say anything more.

"Are we just going to watch? I can feel it! The teacher must be under her control."

Xue Ming: "She could hear the teacher speaking—the teacher could sense our spiritual pressure, so she told us to leave."

A Xing: "Aren't we going to do anything?"

Xue Ming remained silent. Just now—

--When A Xing and Puxi were excitedly discussing the plot.

She discreetly took the Summoning Bell from her doctor's bag.

This action is extremely dangerous and highly sensitive.

If Puxi found out, they would probably immediately identify them as spies for the railway and condemn them as lackeys of Ming De.

Just as A Xing was about to shake the Summoning Bell...

"Wait a moment!"

Ferdinand Puxi emerged from the house, his face grim.

She was carrying a doctor's bag, Victor's personal bag, with a highly recognizable checkered pattern. When they first met, Teacher Victor was carrying it, holding up books and dancing in the aisle.

A Xing's face turned ashen; his first instinct was to swallow the Summoning Bell whole. "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!"

Flavia and Duran, however, kept their emotions hidden, their expressions calm but their hearts pounding with panic.

Puxi said with feigned seriousness, "Just now, I put this doctor's bag next to the cabinet, and it turned around. Why?"

She pointed to the four people present, sweeping her finger across each of them.

"Did anyone touch this bag? Are you trying to steal something? What are you trying to steal?"

Xue Ming, "I tried to peek at Professor Victor's manuscript, but I couldn't find it."

Puxi cursed, "An author's manuscript is like her ass! How dare you peek at Victor's ass!?"

Then the tone shifted abruptly—

Puxi hugged Xue Ming's hands.

"I really admire that! I've always wanted to do that!"

A Xing just breathed a sigh of relief.

Puxi glared at A Xing and said.

"What's in your mouth? Take it out and let me see!"

A Xing's forehead was suddenly covered in cold sweat.

"Such strong pheromones." Puxi's eyes were like those of a fierce wild beast, as if he had spotted his prey. "Are you afraid? Afraid of what? Did you really find some important item in Victor's bag?"

A Xing, in a fit of rage, was about to swallow the Summoning Bell whole.

Xue Ming grabbed her best friend by the throat and whispered, "Show her."

"Those two women are suspicious!" Puxi said to Duran with a sinister look. "They dared to steal my things."

Duran, however, remained nonchalant. "What does it matter? I'd even dare to steal from you. The Cult Leader favors me, so who do you think you are?"

"I'll deal with you after I've identified these two bitches." Puxi pulled a Summoning Bell from A Xing's mouth, immediately seizing the evidence. "This is Victor's Summoning Bell?! You actually..."

The A Xing was about to take action.

Xue Ming, however, held her down.

"No, think it through before you speak."

Puxi looked at the dirty bell covered in saliva with suspicion.

She then opened her doctor's bag and found an identical bell inside.

"Oh, I see? Is that the little girl's Summoning Bell in her mouth? Is she a passenger?"

Xue Ming threatened, "If you can't make up your mind, try shaking it—you'll find out who comes after you."

Puxi would naturally not ring the Summoning Bell; such an action would only attract the attention of the station staff.

A Xing immediately shouted, "Give me back my bell!"

Puxi: "Is this yours?"

A Xing: "That's right!"

Puxi: "Why were you so nervous just now? Why were you carrying this bell when you were doing shady business?"

A Xing: "Because I'm not a carnivore at all! My waiter is perfectly fine!"

This statement made Puxi even more puzzled.

Why would a passenger be associating with a vampire like Glory?

A Xing mustered her courage, recalling Teacher 3301's sexy, blood-giving body, and said loudly.

"You didn't expect that, did you? She's my waitress! She wants to be a monster! Of course I have to spoil her! Wherever she goes, I go! If she wants to go to hell, I'll go to hell with her!"

He only told half of what he meant, and then Puxi immediately started licking A Xing's forehead to try and identify all the pheromones.

She took only half a step forward before Xue Ming immediately stopped her with a look.

In the end, Puxi had no choice but to give up, as she had no other desires as long as Victor was still in the house.

Let alone Victor's servant, even if the Hunter King beside Ming De came to Forty-Eight District and wanted to capture Puxi under the protection of the Cult Leader, it would be an impossible task.

"Alright, go rest next door first. There are still two hours before the H16T hallucinogen wears off. In these two hours, I'll take care of Victor. Then I'll take you back to Clearwater Bay."

Xue Ming and Liuxing breathed a sigh of relief.

But A Xing still couldn't understand: if the bell in her mouth belonged to Bloodhound Lady, then whose bell was in the doctor's bag?

--Is this your sister-in-law's? Does she belong to 9527?

"But we left so many things at the hotel and front desk when we went into Blackland Prison. Glory, how did you manage to bring the Summoning Bell out? We were only allowed to bring three things!"

Xue Ming thought about it for a while, but ultimately did not answer the question.

She just pursed her lips, shrugged, and muttered something in a very low voice.

"Children shouldn't ask."

Teacher Victor sat on the bed, motionless.

When she saw the doctor's kit in the cupboard fly from the windowsill to the bathroom, and then the Summoning Bell turn around, she knew that the students had succeeded.

All that's left is to wait quietly and then create the next opportunity within this hazy, dreamlike world.