Act.10 Through the Gates the Gates

[Part 1: A Radiant Smile]

[Fragrant Dream] Tears open Bailu's bulletproof vest, removes her tattered shirt, takes out the shrapnel, and immediately fills the wound with White Lady's products.

"Bailu, I have a question for you." Xue Ming's face was hidden in the darkness. Under the light of the lantern from the outpost, he carefully completed the surgery and casually asked, "Why didn't you wait for me?"

Jiang Bailu gritted her teeth, almost vomiting from the pain. Her expression was contorted as her blood pressure spiked due to the intense pain, and bloodshot eyes threatened to seep into her dark pupils.

She struggled to breathe, breathed—until new tissue grew back from her kidneys, granulation tissue emerged from the wound, and her skin was not yet fully healed.

"I didn't know you'd come here, brother."

Bailu Speaks Truth--

"--Besides, I can't just sit here and wait to die. You told me that relying on heaven, earth, or parents is not as good as relying on yourself."

Jiang Xueming: "What about the other students?"

Bailu pointed to the distant tunnel and cave. "They're all inside, no one's injured."

Jiang Xueming made no movement and said no more lines.

He seems to have gone offline--

--More than a minute later, Bailu realized something was wrong.

Behind them, Little Robert, whose lower body was gone and whose two thin, frail legs had just grown back, was being carried away by Hasben, his bottom bare. But what was his older brother thinking?

When Bailu raised her lantern and shone it on Xue Ming, she suddenly froze.

The gunsmith's face was covered in blood, and two clear tears streamed down his face from the crimson mud.

In Bailu's eyes, her brother looked like a worried little father, frowning and unsure of what to say. He hid in the darkness for a while, and when Bailu tried to shine a light on him, he didn't flinch or avoid it, looking at his loved one who had almost been separated from him forever.

"Brother, why are you crying?" Bailu suddenly felt inexplicably wronged, as if her adrenaline had finally subsided, and her nose started to sting. Seeing her brother's expression, she finally came back to reality from her dream—she finally caught her breath and her feet touched the ground.

Jiang Xueming thought for a long time and came up with an unreliable answer, "Eliminate the salt."

"Pfft. Hahahahahaha" Jiang Bailu laughed for a while, then hugged her older brother tightly.

She burst into tears and clung to Xue Ming's shoulder, her sobs carrying far.

"I almost thought I wouldn't be able to go back. Brother... I... I'm so scared. I'm really so scared."

Jiang Xueming hugged Bailu tightly and apologized softly.

"I'm sorry, they came for me, they were supposed to come for me."

Linden Van Persie and Shi Cun Tuozhen demand that the gunsmith lose his loved ones, suffer pain, and die a horrible death.

Further away, Hasben finally managed to find a clean pair of pants among the corpses and told Tang Ning to change into them himself.

Tang Ning looked at the gunsmith teacher and Jiang Bailu with a horrified expression. He found it hard to understand what was happening and asked his senior brother in English.

"Why do they kill without blinking an eye, and then cry and say they were scared afterward?"

Hasben reached out and slapped the black stone man's face hard.

"You have a strong self-destructive tendency, bro, you don't understand."

The veteran knelt down and helped the weak and powerless Tang Ning put on his trousers.

"I am a soldier, and I have been through many battles—battles of life and death."

Hasben tightened his belt while brushing the mud off Tang Ning's body.

"Rookies like you have the highest casualty rate in the military. This is Bailu's first combat mission, she's really lucky to have survived."

Tang Ning's eyes widened, and she finally began to understand the preciousness of life.

Hasben switched to Chinese and said, "I've cried many, many, many times. Human hearts are made of flesh Universal Elixir, yet unfortunate comrades can still die in an instant. Humans are such fragile creatures."

"Robert, my squad in the Rangers originally had a full complement of ten men, not counting the new recruits—but after I was promoted and transferred, there are only three left."

Hasben patted Tang Ning on the shoulder and helped his brother up.

"The battle between the rapid reaction force and the Madness Butterfly Sect has lasted for decades without ceasing. Unpredictable terrorist attacks, cultist sacrificial rituals, and Zero Platform entrenched in various locations—they are powerful, cunning, and ruthless—using a variety of methods to kill."

"Not everyone is like a teacher— Robert. Teachers are not gods. Teachers also need to eat and sleep. Teachers also have families and weaknesses. Teachers also grow from insect eggs into butterflies step by step."

Tang Ning lowered her head, like a child who had done something wrong.

Hasben: "You followed Bailu out from the front of the first outpost, and she called you an idiot."

Tang Ning: "I'm just not convinced, I don't want to lose."

Hasben: "Don't die, brother—our teacher taught us martial arts so we could survive. Have you ever thought about it? The reason the gunsmith and Sister Bailu are so powerful is because their will to survive is incredibly strong. They dare not have any contemptuous thoughts. They have no concept of winning or losing."

Tang Ning: "Is that so?"

Hasben: "She cares about you and never looked down on you. She wants you to run forward and escape the M2's firing range. She wants you to follow behind her just to protect you."

Xue Ming squeezed his sister's arm, examining it from top to bottom, to check for any Bailu injuries. He then opened FOB's screen recording to review the battle log again.

"Bailu, what's going on?"

Jiang Xueming pointed to the combat log, which happened to play a scene where Jiang Bailu raised her gun and shot the enemy at the first outpost.

The moment the Type 92 rifle unleashed its power to kill the enemy, a barely perceptible cold smile appeared on Bailu's face.

"You seem very happy?" Jiang Xueming immediately became alert; this characteristic had also appeared in the Big Sister before.

Jiang Bailu looked at her own reflection in the far distance through the forklift's perspective—

That smile was so unfamiliar; she had no recollection of it at all. It was as if the smile was possessed by an evil spirit, and it looked particularly eerie, like that of a murderer.

"I don't know." Bailu shook her head. "I don't know."

Jiang Xueming opened the logbook, sketched the still image, and drew his sister's smile.

"Think about it carefully."

"At that time," Jiang Bailu's eyes were fixed as she tried hard to recall the scene, her words blunt and harsh. "I was very nervous, so nervous that I was sweating."

"I was afraid that sweat would affect the feel of the grip, so I started to berate myself for being so weak."

"But when my mind started to wander, I realized I hadn't even gotten my hands on any bullets, so what was the point of thinking about killing the enemy?"

"I recall Galahad's [Gun God Magic] - a kind of magic that involves praying to the Gun Jesus for protection. Many soldiers from Guangling Zhixi also liked this ritual. It was sometimes effective and sometimes not. The instructor said the success rate was 66.6% - as long as the ritual was completed, one could receive temporary protection."

"I killed the patrolman, slit his throat with a knife, cutting open his trachea along with him, so he couldn't breathe and would die quickly."

"I hugged his body as a human shield, burying my head in his chest. At that moment, I felt ashamed. For a split second, I felt—how cruel I was, as if a life had been lost in my hands. The living person who was just cursing and humiliating me was dead."

"I feel like there's a door blocking my way; I can't get through."

"But the next second, I thought of all the younger brothers and sisters in the cave. These people probably wouldn't let us go. Just like they said, the boys would be captured and made into sausages, and the girls would be played with, violated, killed, and eaten."

"Soon! Really soon! My hands stopped trembling instantly, and as I stepped through the door—even the sound of the blood spurting from the corpse sounded good! Good riddance!"

"I used a 92F magazine, fired seven bullets, and killed six animals."

"It was in that instant that I felt it."

Unbeknownst to Bailu, she grabbed her brother's hand and revealed that strange smile again.

"I feel that all my training was worthwhile, brother—all my training was worthwhile."

Tears welled up in her eyes; she was overwhelmed with gratitude.

"My training wasn't in vain; this old friend responded to me."

She picked up the Type 92 rifle. The various parts of the rifle were loose and flimsy, and years of firing had caused great wear and tear on them. This was also the reason why the magazine of the Type 92F could be smoothly chambered and locked.

"It's like my brother, it's like..." Bailu described awkwardly, "It's like practicing martial arts for so long, just for those few short seconds. It didn't disappoint me, and I was really, really happy at that moment, so I couldn't help but laugh out loud."

Jiang Xueming recorded these details in his log, and planned to talk to a psychologist about it when he had time at the special teahouse.

The Big Sister also has this symptom; she feels satisfied when eliminating enemies, experiencing a very strong positive neural feedback.

Jiang Bailu asked, "Is this an illness, brother?"

"It's alright," Jiang Xueming said. "You're fine, you're not sick."

Time is up--

--The watch begins its countdown.

With only two minutes left, following the half-hour agreement made by Shi Cun Tuozhen, Xue Ming led the students on a short rest before retracing their steps through the tunnel.

[Part②·The way of heaven is clear]

In the abandoned distillery, Shi Cun Tuozhen didn't find Kang Que, but instead seventy-seven unharmed students and a gunsmith covered in blood. There were too many people, so the students headed to the distillery at the other end of the abandoned building.

Xue Ming a burlap sack, just like the previous sack of dumplings, which was filled with fingers.

"It's all here."

Shi Cun Tuozhen asked anxiously, "You killed them all?!"

Xue Ming: "I'm not sure. Should I go back in and look for any survivors?"

Shi Cun Tuozhen: "Where's the director?! Where's Trofovsky?!"

Xue Ming: "He was determined to die."

"You!" Shi Cun Tuozhen rolled his eyes, fuming with rage. "He was an artist! How could you bear to kill a cultural worker! Gunsmith!"

Xue Ming immediately bowed and switched to Japanese, saying, "I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry."

Thinking to myself, could this Trofovsky be a high-ranking employee of the Mercy of Eros? I need to check the TV station!

The boss, who was still filing his nails, suddenly coughed twice.

"Cough cough cough! Hmm"

Mr. Ishimura immediately smiled obsequiously, "Boss! How was it? The matter was handled perfectly! I cooperated with you the entire time! There wasn't a single mistake!"

Upon seeing Ming De, the students cheered and jumped for joy, like fearless little rabbits, about to run and shout all over the place.

To save trouble, the Hunter King stuffed some Red Mountain Stone into his mouth, which slightly calmed down the already not-so-low-level Madness Index of the dolls.

Xue Ming glanced at the BOSS with a puzzled look on his face. "You're going to spare his life, BOSS?"

"We can't kill him now," the good cat said. "At least not now."

Shi Cun Tuozhen nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, yes! Yes, yes, yes! Yes!"

Ming De shows no mercy to these Madness Butterfly Sect lackeys. He is by no means a faithful little baby when it comes to enemies. He must have other uses for sparing Shi Cun Tuozhen's life.

Xue Ming glanced at Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi nodded slightly to reassure her lover, so he didn't ask any more questions.

He pointed his gun at Lan Yinglong.

"--What about this one?"

Shi Cun Tuozhen: "We can kill him."

Lan Yinglong immediately let out a bloodcurdling scream like a pig being slaughtered, "No, no, no!~~~ No!"

The BOSS gestured with its claw. "Wait a minute!~"

Lan Yinglong breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm still useful! I'm still useful! Not just the accounts and keys to New Paris! I know who has spent money in New Paris! Not just the consul! There are others! There are others!"

Shi Cun Tuozhen glared fiercely at his good-for-nothing godson, his teeth itching with hatred.

If he were to implicate the chaebol's cronies and other leaders of the Mercy Society, how would he gain merit? Oh no, how would he protect his brothers, ensure their safety?!

Xue Ming said to the BOSS, "Next time, please tell me to hurry up, I almost fired."

BOSS: "You're so eager to kill?"

"Xiao Qi and I saw more than twenty hostesses at his nightclub, all around seventeen or eighteen years old," Xue Ming explained. "They weren't just the ones working there; they also offered delivery services. I wish I could cut him into five pieces from the bottom up and mince him. Shooting him to death would be too easy for him."

The boss looked embarrassed and didn't know what to say.

Xue Ming asked another question, "You told me to stop just now, was it for some other reason?"

BOSS poked at his little paws. "Uh, I think with so many kids here, I can't kill someone in front of them, at least the lights should be off."

"You're overthinking it," Xue Ming said frankly. "I'm their knight combat instructor. I just gave a live demonstration of how to kill Armadillo Hunters in [KINGDOM]. These little Madness Index might be a little more frenzied, but they're probably used to this kind of scene by now, right?"

As he said this, Xue Ming called out to those behind him.

"How are the students?"

The students responded in unison, "Hello, teacher!"

In short, Lan Yinglong's life was spared.

At this very moment--

--The piercing wail of sirens came from outside.

"You are surrounded! Drop your weapons! Drop your weapons immediately!"

The militia of Eureka Volcano City mobilized and finally arrived at the scene of the crime.

The militia's full name is the Snow Owl Mobilization Troops. The soldiers are under the command of the Consul and are also the escapees from the New Paris nightclub. At this moment, this corrupt official, who serves the Madness Butterfly Sect, finally remembers that his partner has fallen into the hands of unknown terrorists and must come to his rescue.

"I command!" The leader of the Snow Owl Mobilization Troops, gripping a megaphone, roared, "Release the hostages immediately! This is the final warning, or we will deploy our forces and, with the Snow Owl's imposing might and overwhelming strength, kill you all on the spot!"

"Lay down your weapons! Accept the sanctions! There's still a glimmer of hope!"

"Violent resistance to law enforcement will only lead to death!"

Xiao Qi glanced at the troops outside the window; there were about three hundred people and more than twenty military vehicles.

"This militia organization is quite cultured?"

Shi Cun Tuozhen said with a grin, "Chinese idioms are profound and complex; we only know a little bit about them."

Having said that, the Mercy Society's officials practically wore their arrogance on their faces.

There are still seventy-seven students here. To save the children's lives, even the Ming De himself would have to bow down at this juncture.

BOSS jumped off the Cat Tree Lady and rolled her eyes.

"Let me handle it."

Just then, the governor arrived at the abandoned distillery with several reporters. He was wearing a bulletproof vest and a helmet, as if a stray bullet might take his life if a real battle broke out.

He spoke passionately to reporters about the atrocities committed by these terrorists.

"--The New Paris nightclub has offended some unknown people! The girls are innocent! They work hard and live honest lives. How much tax revenue does the entire seaside promenade contribute? How can I hide in my office and live a life of ignominy! I must go to the front lines! To the front lines of the anti-terrorism operation that the citizens care about most!"

The governor waved his large arm, and the surging wind pressure nearly swept the reporters away.

"These bandits! Robbers! Terrorists! We must fight them at any time! The counter-terrorism operation cannot stop! Only by completely driving the bandits out of Eureka can the citizens have a peaceful and good life!"

"Mr. Ishimura was one of the twelve seats in the previous House of Representatives and is an outstanding entrepreneur in the eyes of the citizens. It is an outcome that the vast majority of the people do not want to see! Our Snowy Owl Defense, Area 51, and the entire council are closely monitoring this case!"

The consul raised his hand, raised his arm, and shouted excitedly.

"Please rest assured, citizens! Justice will prevail! No one can escape the law!"

"Heaven's justice is clear, and no one can escape the law!"

"The way of heaven is clear."

The BOSS squeezed through the crowd, jumped onto the governor's arm, and grabbed the microphone.

"Ahem, everyone look at me, I have something to announce."

The elder brother, the governor, had a drastic change in expression.

The boss pointed at the fat, chubby man with a big head and ears in front of the camera.

"He got fired; he's an idiot."