Encore ① · Listen to Your Mother

Foreword:

All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows.

July 17, 2006--

--It was a rainy season. For Eleventh District, the environmental pollution from primary and secondary industries required a large amount of condensate water circulation system to clear the smog. This godforsaken place was raining almost all the time.

The young and promising Mr. Lawrence has just gotten off the train and is on his way to visit the local nightlife leaders and promote products at local bars, nightclubs, and entertainment venues.

The trees on both sides of the road exuded a warm, moist air; everything felt so familiar and natural.

Until a strong sense of déjà vu pulled him back to reality, something seemed wrong, yet everything seemed right.

Has this scene already been witnessed? Has it already happened? Has the story already been told?

Lawrence stood frozen at the station's disembarkation gate, unable to move forward any further.

What's going on?

"I was just... I was just in the multi-purpose room, living in a hellish state where I could neither live nor die! But why..."

He looked down at his hands, then glimpsed his young and handsome face through the floor-to-ceiling window of the snack shop next to the radiator pipes—not as deep as his nasolabial folds, almost identical to Hasben Madison's.

Everything was so real that he had no room for doubt.

Whether touching an object or kneading flesh, the familiar yet unfamiliar sensation is almost indistinguishable from reality.

"Milik!"

Lawrence turned around immediately--

He longed to find his dearest friend from his youth! Overjoyed, he was utterly lost in this sweet illusion the moment he ascended from purgatory to paradise.

Milik followed Lawrence calmly, just as he took out a cigarette and handed his older brother a kerosene lighter, his arm around his shoulder.

"I'm here."

Lawrence almost wept with joy. Although he didn't know what had happened, the joy of reuniting with his old friend made him lower all his guard. However, the Cult Leader didn't notice that his good friend was not only offering a hand to light a fire, but also hiding a gleaming meat cleaver behind his side.

The sudden sharp pain brought Lawrence back to his senses!

He had been viciously stabbed in the abdomen.

--The desolate station was deserted, with only a few people around; all that remained in their eyes was Milik's bloodstained hand.

Lawrence's eyes widened in surprise and doubt, before finally turning into profound sadness.

He couldn't imagine what kind of hatred could drive a flat-headed cleaver into his abdomen, or how much force it took for Milik to make such a firm decision!

"Me, me."

Lawrence backed away little by little, glancing down at his friend before looking up at his good brother's blank and indifferent face.

"I"

He was in so much pain he could barely speak; his body was weaker and more sensitive to pain than he had imagined.

"Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"

A series of "why" questions formed another sentence, another meaning.

Lawrence's heart was almost broken.

"I love you, I love you. I really, really care about you Milik. I..."

The Cult Leader of the Little Brotherhood regarded Milik as the most important person in his life. Milick was the first saint to voluntarily sacrifice his life to God, and the only person he could absolutely trust in his life.

The word "love" is the most fitting word to describe this feeling, and it completely transcends romantic love, gender, and friendship.

"Did the Unborn Alliance offer you a higher price?" Lawrence was lost in his reverie, seemingly believing he had transcended the shackles of time and returned to the past. "Or are you better at business than me? Are you going to use me as a pledge of loyalty, selling me to someone else?"

Milik shook his head; the young man was very honest. He smiled at Lawrence.

"This stab is what you owe me."

Lawrence looked down in surprise and saw that the knife wound on the liver corresponded to the injury that had caused Milik to bleed to death.

When Lawrence looked up again, he was terrified!

Milik's face! His face had turned into a rotting corpse!

A hoarse howl came from the corpse's throat.

"Mr. Lawrence, welcome to Niflheim, the infernal hell—"

A rotten, foul-smelling hand was teasing the Cult Leader's chin.

"I think the real God has already given you many chances."

Milik has recovered completely, his smile as warm and radiant as an angel's.

"How utterly depraved and inhuman must a person be to become like you! Time and time again, I've tried to pull you ashore, to help you escape this sea of suffering, but you wouldn't listen."

Lawrence was in so much pain he couldn't speak. His thigh was burning hot, and blood stained his respectable suit, flowing down his shirt and trousers.

Milik helped his older brother walk out of the station. Pedestrians came and went, seemingly oblivious to Lawrence's injuries.

"Help! Help! Save me!" Lawrence screamed hoarsely, feeling his life slowly slipping away from his body.

Milik kindly reminded them, "Keep your voice down, they're even more ruthless than me."

"Help! Help!" Lawrence hadn't quite grasped the meaning of those words yet, looking at his once incredibly familiar best friend with a puzzled expression.

At this moment, Milik skillfully pulled out his cleaver and slashed out an even deeper and more horrifying open wound.

Lawrence immediately saw his intestines spilling out—

Milik handed the knife to the young man who approached him from beside the curb.

"Do you know who this guy is?" Milik straightened Lawrence's head. "His name is Mark Leslie —an American. He died from a heroin overdose. His son is the East District Manager of Silver Bay. Even if you killed this boy's father, he will still suffer humiliation and work for his father's killer."

Lawrence cursed in terror, "Damn it!"

Before any more profanities could be uttered, the young Black Brother swung his knife and cleaved Lawrence's head open.

The Cult Leader felt a splitting headache but did not die immediately!

His mind was in a state of delirium and confusion, as if he couldn't even grasp the concept of death.

Milik pulled the cleaver from Lawrence's skull and continued carrying the mangled flesh forward.

Arriving at the settlement next to the intersection of Xiaoximen Street, a child was playing soccer; those were the Black Gloves he wore when he was a child.

"After I die, every candidate you choose for the Swordholder bears my shadow. You give them plastic surgery, change their skin and faces—" Milik handed the cleaver to the young Black Gloves and said to Lawrence, "—control them with drugs, teach them to fight, teach them to kill. Their first assignment upon entering school is to be like you, kill their own parents, and recognize you as their godfather."

Milik kicked Lawrence in the knee, forcing the devil to kneel.

The Black Gloves, wielding a cleaver, chopped off Lawrence's fingers one by one.

Meanwhile, Milik spoke calmly during the execution phase.

"You hypocritical and cowardly scum, you talk to me about brotherhood, yet on the most important day of your life—you killed my most respected and beloved uncle and aunt! They were your own parents! Lawrence Madison!"

His tone shifted from calm and gentle to furious and manic.

"I had no parents to discipline me, and I came from a family of thieves. My uncle told me—it's okay for a person to commit crimes while alive! If it's for survival, then it's not my fault! It's the governor's fault!"

"You're my only friend, yet you don't even want to be a human being! My aunt told me—children are all treasures in their parents' eyes, and they can forgive anything! It's their fault for not disciplining them properly!"

"Why did you kill the person I couldn't have, the person I valued most, the person I cared about most! Why? Lawrence!"

"And you still want to talk to me about friendship? Is it all just because of that one parable from the Bible?"

"Was Jesus to be executed alongside a thief?"

Milik dragged the weak and powerless Lawrence for more than 200 kilometers, bleeding all the way, walking extremely slowly.

As they walked through the city and its outskirts, each person who came up would take the cleaver from Milik and deliver the final blow to the demon.

Arriving at the nameless village Sweet Lake City, the two returned to the infirmary. Lawrence's body was covered in sores that not a single patch of healthy flesh remained.

"This time I've prepared an extra Universal Elixir," Milik said as he healed his elder brother's wounds.

Lawrence was almost naked, and had lost a few fingers, but he didn't let go of the Fire Fox aphrodisiac and still gripped the box tightly.

"You fucking... you... you..."

The Cult Leader's mental strength was completely drained by these fierce and menacing figures, and he couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

All that remained in his heart was fear and regret, and eventually even the regret dissipated, leaving only pure "horror".

Sunny Booker came to him again, always with that worried look on her face, like a naive little girl.

The nurse took Milik's cleaver but didn't harm Lawrence.

" --Sunny." The Cult Leader's eyes lit up. He thought that women were always weak and would always show leniency to the weak. He was already in such a sorry state. Even if it was for Hasben's sake, perhaps he would be spared as his biological father, and he wouldn't have to have another scar on his body!

"Leave it to me," Sunny and Milik said, and together they carried Lawrence, who was trapped in the Gate of Death, into the ward.

"What are you going to do? What are you going to do?" Lawrence hadn't even finished asking his question—

The moment I entered the ward, I saw all sorts of torture instruments.

This sacred and warm medical clinic, a sanctuary meant for healing and saving lives, now resembles a torture chamber for hellish succubi.

Lined up from left to right are the brothers of the Unborn Alliance, divided into left and right guards and the Red Flower Double Staff. Each of them wears leather loincloths, and their muscles look great.

The older cousin, who was in the lead, grinned and exclaimed, "Lawrence! It's Lawrence!"

Left Guard toyed with his thick, imposing rod. "You smell so good!"

Sunny Booker smiled knowingly, took all the Fire Fox aphrodisiacs from Lawrence's hand, and handed them to her cousin.

"He even brought back the medicine! I knew this kid was something special!" The priest performing the ceremony sat upright under the Buddha altar, striking the wooden fish drum as he praised Lawrence for his meticulousness and thoughtfulness, "We must take good care of him!"

Sunny opened her eyes wide and saw Lawrence Madison being lifted onto an iron platform by four burly men, bound with leather belts and sticks, and suspended in mid-air.

She wasn't in a hurry or angry at all; she just kept handing out toys to the men coming and going.

"Wait a moment!"

At this very moment--

Xue Ming, quick as a flash, pulled out Universal Elixir injection from his backpack and plunged it into the Cult Leader's heart.

After a while, the Big Sister breathed a sigh of relief. She explained to Hasben, who had come to visit her.

"His blood pressure spiked just now, his ventricular valve ruptured, and he almost died."

Hasben had no idea what this demon was going through, but unfortunately, he wasted one of his Big Sister's medicines.

When Lawrence woke up again--

--The perfume shop was filled with a hazy, ethereal atmosphere. He lay on a chair by the door, seemingly having a terrifying and bizarre dream.

He clutched his head, feeling a splitting headache. Seeing the rare astral beings passing by on the street, each with a bizarre appearance, he finally remembered the purpose of his trip.

It seems they Little Brotherhood, seeking talent from this alien community that lacks human morality and values, regardless of good or evil.

Looking into the perfume shop, all sorts of medicinal herbs, animal materials, sachets, tinder, and wood were neatly arranged on the counter, and two young girls had kept the place spotless. Those were Duran and Cici.

Short Cici liked to slack off, so she sat outside the store watching the TV in the flea market next door. It was showing an old Chinese drama, a very famous love story—"The White Snake".

After finishing his work, the tall Duran gave his boss a few instructions and then took the opportunity to go out and watch TV with Cici while buying food. However, they only watched a rough overview and didn't have much time to get into the story.

Duran pointed at Cici and mumbled something in broken Chinese towards the television.

"What's so great about Xu Xian! Bai Suzhen would be better off with Xiaoqing!"

Cici: "Because she loves him!"

Duran: "Doesn't Xiaoqing love Xiaobai?"

Cici: "That's true."

Duran: "A monster is a monster! These two monstrous creatures can do whatever they want with each other; these bald monks have no right to interfere! They're living a carefree life!"

Cici: "What if monsters wanted to be human too?"

Duran slapped Flavia's forehead. "What are you thinking! A bad thing is a bad thing! The scriptures all say that good and evil will eventually be rewarded. If a monster wants to become human, it probably has to be more clever and ruthless than humans. It has to use thunderous methods but a compassionate heart, and do more good deeds to offset its evil!"

Cici: "You're right! I don't want to be a newbie! It's too much trouble!"

Duran: "So you want to be Xiaoqing?"

Cici shook her head, her face full of disdain. "Those two are too weak! They can't even beat a bald monk! I'll be the most powerful demon! I'll turn into a giant, black, venomous snake! I'll throw Xu Xian and Xiao Bai onto my bed! And if that Fahai is handsome, I'll throw him there too!"

"Hahahaha!" Duran burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. "What kind of pipe dream are you having!"

Lawrence remembers it perfectly clearly--

This part was never in his memory.

This can't be real!

This is definitely not the real world!

He wanted to escape, but he couldn't escape at all!

Flavia and Duran, her two goddaughters, have already come to see!

It wasn't just them! Hundreds of monsters and demons lined the entire street, and all these astral beings of various shapes and sizes were staring at Lawrence Madison!

The Cult Leader was still reeling from the shock of the "Ultimate Insult" he had just received, and was gripped by a powerful fear that could nearly rupture his heart.

At that moment, only a miserable roar remained in his mind.

"Don't come any closer!"