Act.14 The Lonely Shepherd

[Part 1: Civilized Society]

The story begins thirty-one minutes after the massive power outage on the seaside street.

Shimura Junichiro and O'Connor Elizabeth are both heads of venture capital finance and entertainment gaming arcades under the Mercy of Eros.

O'Connor is the White Paper Fan connecting to Eureka Bank's back-end. Upstream, she is the entire Abyssal Railway's exchange market; midstream, she is a private equity fund manager targeting large bank deposit customers and micro-enterprises; and downstream, she cooperates with the Ishimura brothers to turn illegal tax-evaded income into legal income through gambling revenue or other industries (Shi Cun Tuozhen's nightclubs, hotels, restaurants, special services, etc.).

Junichiro is the Black Gloves connecting the Eureka militia and municipal officials. His superiors are the private armed forces led by the Mercy of Eros, formerly the Guangling Zhixi Assault Group. The name of the Leopard Battle Group, commanded by Kang Que Connor, has been preserved. Survivors were selected through a TV show by Shi Cun Tuozhen, and through brutal competition, they became the elite soldiers of the Leopard Battle Group. Now, command of this group is in the hands of Moriti Lynn, an executive of the Mercy Society. In terms of combat, Kang Que has already stepped down to the second line.

Junichiro's downstream ranks consist of mercenaries from various war gangs and Armadillo Hunters, forming a working-class team. Below them are outsourced gangs and sub-gangs, which, after being started by an opinion leader, form small groups of three to five members. The main job of these people is to follow the orders issued by Junichiro and become violent organizations outside of the Snow Owl Mobilization Troops, which is what the general public sees as "lackeys" or "gangsters."

This is the organizational structure that Kang Que Concord created for the Mercy of Eros: a strict hierarchy, a tight arrangement, and a reasonable structure. Even if one or two important cadres are temporarily lost, new replacements will immediately take their place to prevent structural failure of the entire ruling system.

It might be difficult for us to intuitively grasp how terrifying the Mercy of Eros embodied by the Kang Que could be, so let's lower our perspective—

--Let's continue this story in the homes of ordinary people, stories that happen all the time in Eureka Volcano City.

"When I grow up, I'll definitely go work in the waterworks!"

This roar came from the workers' family quarters of the power plant in the industrial park of Eureka Volcano City.

A young man, no more than seventeen years old, lived with his laid-off parents and didn't want to go to school anymore.

"Bullshit!" The father slapped his son hard across the face. "With your cowardly appearance, you think you can learn to lend money at exorbitant interest rates?!"

One of the businesses of Shimura Junichiro at the gambling dens on the seaside street was lending money to gamblers. Since ancient times, gambling and drugs have always been accompanied by loan sharks. How could the Mercy of Eros possibly let go of such a predatory business with its compounding interest?

The elderly mother said, "You should study for a couple more years."

"What's the use of studying!" the young man roared angrily. "When we grow up, we'll still be hanging out with Brother Jie! Wherever they go, I'll follow! When they collect debts, I'll come and collect them! In this city, you have to be ruthless!"

"But," the elderly mother said, a sinister glint in her eyes, "If you don't study more, how can you compete with those highly educated people who are just there to help you out? Are you going to rely on your fists alone?"

The young man seemed to be deep in thought. He slowly walked to the door and saw that the door next door was wide open. It was Brother Jie who had brought people to check the accounts.

The neighbor is an old flower farmer who runs an agricultural, forestry, and animal husbandry business. He has his own small company and a seventeen-year-old daughter who is the young man's childhood sweetheart.

This perfect couple is loved by everyone in the neighborhood. All the neighbors say that they will definitely get married and fall in love when they grow up.

But things changed starting today--

The young man looked into his neighbor's house and saw that Brother Jie, who was collecting debts, was with nine of his brothers, a total of ten people, crammed into the living room watching TV.

The experienced flower grower knew what these young people were there for, so he took good care of them and told them the story from the beginning, trying to persuade them with both emotion and reason.

"A Jie, our line of work depends on God. If we can't repay the money, there's nothing we can do. I went to Flower Chess Bank to ask the manager for a loan, but they wouldn't let me go. So I went to Mr. Ishimura of the Mercy Society. He understands my hardship."

A Jie sipped his tea and ate some snacks while staring blankly at the television.

Why borrow if you can't repay it?

The old flower farmer, his back hunched, his face full of grievance, was thinking of—

--If the bank hadn't refused to lend him money, why would he bother borrowing from loan sharks?

Families around the power plant with any means who want to start their own businesses know that the bank's micro-enterprise loan managers are in cahoots with Shimura Junichiro. For every loan the bank rejects, a new high-interest loan is created in Ishimura's home.

"It's alright," A Jie said kindly and gently, "The house can be mortgaged."

The elderly flower grower said, "Our family of three all live here; this won't do."

A Jie: "I understand. You can wait a month or two if you don't have a place to live. Why don't you take your wife and daughter and find some public housing first? The Mercy Society has set up a lot of resettlement housing. You just need to pay the rent on time every month. Once your daughter has paid for twenty years, the house will be yours."

"I finally managed to move from the resettlement housing to the old factory area," the old flower farmer said in a strained voice, "You can't go back to the old ways as you get older, Ah A Jie."

The debt collector was stumped by the family's situation.

"You don't want to pay for the house, and you can't pay back the money either. What you're doing isn't right."

The old flower grower lowered his humble head, wanting to argue, but the contract in black and white was right there on the table, and he couldn't turn the tables.

"Okay, I'll think of something." A Jie glanced at the master bedroom and the second bedroom. "I'll introduce jobs to your wife and daughter."

The experienced flower grower interrupted in astonishment and fear, "No!"

"Let me finish speaking first." A Jie remained calm and unmoved. His henchmen were all well-behaved, even putting the trash from the fruits and snacks back into the trash can, showing great politeness.

"Let me finish speaking, brother."

"Mr. Ishimura has taken special care of people like you who are determined to start a business and have worked selflessly for the development of Eureka. Business owners like you also receive special treatment from your families. I assure you, your sister-in-law and younger sister will not suffer any grievances. They will return healthy and well, just as they left."

The old flower grower's heart skipped a beat—

--The business A Jie was talking about probably involved having his wife and daughter entertain clients. If his wife was too old and faded to be of any use, he would take her to White Lady's factory as live sex labor.

A Jie: "Brother, don't look at me like that. I'm really doing this for your family's good."

"Bullshit!" The old flower farmer glared angrily and finally cursed. Compared to the debt collector's composure, the angrier he became, the more powerless he felt, because apart from his mouth, he seemed to have no strength left.

Just then, two Snow Owl Mobilization Troops walked in from the elevator entrance—

--The old flower farmer felt as if he had seen a savior; his legs went weak, and he knelt before these local officials.

"I called the police! I called the police! Grandfather two soldiers! I called the police."

Two conscripts came in, glanced at the package, and, along with A Jie, offered a pack of cigarettes, personally lighting them for their good brother from the Mercy Society.

The older soldier leading the group spoke with righteous indignation.

"You can collect the debt, but don't cause any violence. This is a civilized society."

A Jie gave a standard militia salute, his face beaming with a respectful smile.

Before he could finish speaking, the conscript tried to leave.

A little girl rushed out from the inner room; that was the old flower farmer's daughter.

"Don't go! Don't go! Why won't you help my dad! Why!"

The girl clung to the conscript's arm, pulling him back into the house. She knew that no one could help her family except the army under the governor.

"Why? Why could they break into my house? Why?"

The two conscripted men exchanged a knowing smile, unsure of what to say, and greeted A Jie.

"Which nightclub will this girl go to in the future?"

A Jie: "It depends on what Boss Shicun arranges."

"What are you talking about?" The little girl couldn't understand what the adults were saying.

The conscript grinned and said, "Sure! We're all in the same district, we see each other all the time, so we have to take care of the neighborhood's businesses."

The old flower grower was pale. He watched as the two Grandfather outside the door walked further and further away, and soon they entered the elevator.

A Jie felt bad.

--Because we haven't received the cash for this debt today, and we don't know how much return this family's assets will bring in the future, it's fine if we can clear the debt, but if we can't, the losses will have to be borne by the helpers themselves.

"Brother, you are the head of the family, and I believe you have the judgment. Your daughter and wife working for Boss Shicun will definitely help you turn your life around."

The old flower farmer nodded blankly.

A Jie continued, "Don't live such a hard life. Living with debt is unbearable—and you have no way to get the money anyway. I can't force you to donate your liver or flesh. The Mercy Society can't bear to see poor people like you suffer. Think it over carefully. I'll come pick you up tomorrow, okay?"

The old flower farmer could only nod blankly.

A Jie concluded, "We won't force your daughter to do anything. It's all up to her own choice. At first, we might just let her work as a waitress, serving dishes and water. But if she asks to work as a hostess to earn more money and work harder, or if she's mature enough and wants to help you with your debts, we will never refuse. We definitely won't mistreat her, okay?"

[Part ② - Slaying the Monkey King's Heart and Cutting Off the Horse's Will]

The old flower grower breathed heavily, but felt there was no oxygen in the room.

A deathly silence filled the room, broken only by the woman's sobs and the man's silence.

These heartless bastards have long since learned their lesson. They've changed their ways and no longer use force to subdue people. When violence is necessary, they have professional thugs instead of spending huge sums of money to raise low-level henchmen like before.

The young man next door watched all this; he knew the girl he'd grown up with was leaving. As for where to send her? That wasn't his concern; he had no right to think about such things.

On the contrary, it was Brother Jie's strategic planning, gentle and kind demeanor that made people listen to his every word that deeply attracted him.

He also wanted to be the one who "lends money," the one who collects debts, and the one who could turn such a beautiful girl into a plaything in bed with just a few words.

"Alright! Brothers, let's go." A Jie stood up and told his gang to clean up the flower farmer's house.

The younger men changed their shoes one by one and went outside. The youngest one, who stayed at the end of the line, even took the time to wash the floor and mop the living room clean before smilingly saying goodbye to the old gardener.

A Jie said apologetically, "I'm sorry, brother, I've come to visit you today and may have bothered you."

The old flower grower said, "It's alright, it's alright."

"This contract," A Jie said, "I will personally return it to you once the accounts are settled."

The old flower grower was stunned for a moment.

A Jie reminded him, "Big brother? Are you listening?"

During this lull, the young man next door volunteered to press the elevator button for the debt collection team, hoping to strike up a conversation with Brother Jie.

He knew that if he could just say one word and make Brother Jie remember him, his future might be completely different.

Just then, the elevator doors opened.

--Hasben Madison walked out carrying two severed heads, with Tang Ning following behind his senior brother.

That was the head of Snow Owl Mobilization Troops. This veteran centurion had finished sabotaging the power plant and pulled the gate on the seaside road. He had also found out that the members of the War Gang were going out to collect extra money today, so he and Tang Ning came along.

Not a drop of blood was on the greatsword Berloberg; the cuts on the conscript's head and neck were sealed cleanly by the blade's high temperature.

In the narrow stairwell, the gang members turned around and saw the two strange and bizarre men carrying the head of a conscript walking slowly towards them. For a moment, they forgot to resist.

It was a minute later when the young man came to his senses.

Hasben asked Tang Ning to count the heads to make sure there were twelve people in total, and then looked at the young man next door to the flower farmer again and again.

He stuck out his tongue and licked the young man's face, finally confirming that this wasn't a cannibal. "He's not, although he looks like one, but he's not!"

Hasben grabbed a trash bag from the stairwell, packed his head into it, and, avoiding the dismembered remains in the stairwell, returned to the old flower farmer.

The man seemed to stand there, frozen in place, unsure of what to say.

The air smelled like a fireworks party or a barbecue feast; the Mercy Society's lackeys had all been reduced to a shredded human flesh platter.

Berloberg's power ensured that not a drop of blood was left at the scene. Hasben picked up a few scraps of paper and pieced them together to make out that they were IOUs.

He crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it at the old flower farmer's face, trying to wake the old man up.

"May I use your toilet?"

As he said this, Hasben rushed into the old flower farmer's house because he needed to relieve himself. Immediately afterwards, he heard a woman cursing from inside the house. Within seconds, the woman and her daughter came out and took a look. They both rolled their eyes back and collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Tang Ning stood outside the door, whistling as she waited for her senior brother to come out.

The old flower farmer, his hands trembling, settled his wife and children who had fainted from shock, thinking to himself—

What kind of devil did the Mercy Society offend to attract these two ruthless killers?

He brought a cup of water from the tea table; his family was so poor they couldn't afford tea anymore, but he wanted to give this meager gift to the hero who had cleared his debts.

Tang Ning glanced at the old flower farmer, remained silent for a long time, and ultimately did not drink.

"Excuse me, uncle, my teacher taught me that I shouldn't drink anything given to me by strangers."

As he said this, Tang Ning, acting as if he knew the flower farmer well, barged into his house, unlike A Jie's group. Oh, or rather, unlike A Jie's group of cultured people who knew how to be polite.

This blond-haired lad from the Angsa gang, hands in his pockets, took one step at a time, bringing all the mud from the power plant into the old farmer's house.

He pulled a copy of "Journey to the West" from the bookshelf, opened it immediately, and prepared to review the Chinese writing style.

The old flower farmer finally understood that the two brothers seemed to have only come to kill, and would not harm the innocent.

He asked, his voice trembling.

Where did these two heroes come from?

Tang Ning grinned and joked, "I've come from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East."

The old farmer, short of breath, gave an awkward laugh, unsure how to respond.

"--Are you here to subdue demons and monsters? Or to seek the true scriptures?"

Tang Ning shook her head, pouted mysteriously, and closed the Journey to the Journey to the West.

"Sun Wukong doesn't fight monsters with powerful backers, but we're different."

Before the old farmer could ask any more questions, Hasben pulled up his pants and rushed out.

"Let's go, junior! We still have to go to the TV station! The teacher is going to launch a coordinated attack; we can't miss this timing."

After the two nameless men left, the young man returned home trembling with fear.

--He felt a great terror in his heart, and finally changed his mind.

"I'm not letting the water out anymore! I'm not letting the water out anymore! I want to study! I want to study!"

A mound of Jingguan (a type of ancient Chinese statue) stands at the street corner where the power plant's residential buildings are located.

Eighty-eight heads were piled up to form a tower. Tang Ning and Hasben finished doing this, they got two Snow Owl Mobilization Troops' motorcycles.

--And so he rode off into the distance, leaving everyone else in the dust.