Act.15 Point Zero
[Part 1: Irredeemable Calamity]
If A Jie's debt collection team is just a bunch of annoying little devils...
--The violent groups of different levels and armed forces within the Mercy Society, these demons, will now also suffer annihilation.
It takes ten hours to drive out of the canyon pass of Eureka Volcano City to return to the civilized world of Ming De, a city that is just the negative example that Wood Plark once described.
It is relatively isolated and inconvenient to travel to, making it difficult for regular armies with heavy firepower to deploy their forces here. The Madness Butterfly Sect colludes with local rulers to bully the villagers. Even if they put on a cloak of civilization, they cannot hide their cannibalistic nature.
More than two million people were immersed in this bustling Dadu. Trade with Shambhala made everyone here eat lard, and ocean-going cargo ships, far exceeding the freight volume of trains, brought endless wealth to this port.
The president of the Mercy of Eros had indeed considered that one day, utter annihilation would come. He had done his homework, prepared many contingency plans, and was ready to deal with Ming De, continuing to play this hand on both sides of the gambling table, trying to delay the arrival of that day as much as possible.
Conquering a city is an incredibly difficult task; every general who has read <The Art of War> knows this throughout history.
The highest form of warfare is to subdue the enemy without fighting; the best strategy is to win their hearts and minds.
Choosing to outnumber the enemy soldiers and attack them is a moderate strategy.
Choosing to attack a city defended by soldiers with fewer troops is a very poor strategy.
Ming De would lead the way, taking the nameless into the city to kill people—this was something Kang Que Johnny never imagined, a scene that would never even cross his mind.
He had always only made predictions—the worst-case scenario was that a group of a dozen assault teams would form an army, with some VIPs skilled in hunting acting as surprise troops, in conjunction with armored vehicles to attack Eureka.
Faced with this city of over two million people, and with its natural defenses that are easy to defend but difficult to attack, these soldiers were like a joke.
VIPs are merely survival experts exploring the unknown wilderness, never combat experts. They may be able to deal with monsters, possess strange superpowers, create tools, and explore new maps for assault teams—but when faced with real guns, trenches, and sentry towers, they still have to consider their weak Homo sapiens bloodline; a few machine gun bullets can shatter their skulls and kill them on the spot.
The maritime trade between Eureka and Shambhala would bring a steady stream of supplies, making it entirely self-sufficient.
The Ming De will inevitably be dragged down in this protracted war. This vast plain of more than 700 kilometers, which serves as a logistical supply line, is far too fragile and dangerous to build a railway through the harassment.
The Lord of Cinder will destroy all communications at military outposts and radio stations, and will attack the electronic equipment of radar vehicles indiscriminately. He wants to go toe-to-toe with the Mercy of Eros. Ming De simply doesn't have the qualifications. That's exactly what Kang Que thought.
Only now does he realize that he was completely wrong.
He had no idea where this gunsmith, or the nameless warriors, had come from.
Judging from the anonymous members' achievements, their activities and combat records over the past two years show that they single-handedly stormed into the lion's den, cleanly and efficiently severing the brain of the Madness Butterfly Sect.
In the complex urban environment, their abilities in infiltration, intelligence gathering, assassination, sabotage, and direct combat are unbelievably strong. Gunsmith and Big Sister seem to come from another era, surpassing the previous version in strength. In the annihilation operation against Clearwater Bay, the light infantry units of the rapid reaction force, under Big Sister's tactical command, demonstrated world-class combat skills, both on the surface and underground.
Describing him as a special forces king from a novel is inappropriate, because a special forces king lacks mature tactical coordination, doesn't have an expensive individual weapon like the Flash Butterfly Armor Suit, doesn't possess the all-encompassing offensive and defensive psionic power, and doesn't have such tenacious willpower and execution ability.
During the era when Kang Que Connor was active in the assault team, any one of the nameless warriors would have been a leader in the assault team, and would have been respectfully invited as an honored guest by the district governor, with a status and power far exceeding that of ordinary people.
But Kang Que couldn't understand why such a talented person would be at the forefront.
Someone like a gunsmith could easily find a business unit, earn a salary, build his own team, and run his own business; he would have been a boss long ago. Why would he do such dirty and tiring work?
Why would he willingly charge into battle for Ming De? These kinds of decapitation missions are extremely dangerous, with each mission a perilous one, where life hangs by a thread and one could lose their life at any moment!
Didn't the gunsmith and the Big Sister ever consider that a person only has one life? Once you die, you have nothing left!
How much do they earn a month? Why are they working so hard?
What evil magic did Ming De cast on them?!
Is it really love? Is it compassion?
There's no turning back now.
Kang Que Connor was perfectly clear-headed. The moment the BOSS arrived in Eureka Volcano City, it meant that this black cat was going to overturn the table and had no intention of negotiating any terms. He was going to use the Nameless One as an external trump card to directly attack the heart of the Mercy of Eros.
It doesn't care whether, after the flesh is severed, other malignant tumors will emerge and become new evil dragons.
It fears that the nameless man hasn't killed enough, or hasn't killed fast enough, and wants to take all his accomplices—those who the Mercy of Eros— and skip the trial process to carry out the death penalty directly.
Kang Que weighed the pros and cons in his mind; this time, he couldn't escape the Mercy of Eros.
He is a member of the Immortals Alliance and one of the few leaders of the Madness Butterfly Sect who can challenge and defy Ming De.
Lawrence Madison and his ilk may appear to be powerful drug lords, but in reality, their entire team is limited by the type of drug they operate in. The huge profits bring expensive management costs, and the competition for advancement in talent recruitment is extremely fierce. This Cult Leader attempted to use drugs as a shortcut to overthrow the governor of Forty-Eight District, and his failure was to be expected.
The Mercy of Eros is different. Apart from its name, this Madness Butterfly Sect has been completely whitewashed in Eureka Volcano City. Even the governor of Area 51 is seen as a high-level worker by the Mercy Society's cadres. Their actions are limited to this one free port, which is almost equivalent to house arrest and kidnapping. Except for the Human Meat Factory related to White Lady's products, ordinary citizens cannot feel the presence of the Vita Imprint at all.
If they encounter the Nameless Ones, the Mercy of Eros scatter like birds and beasts, unlike before when they used the governor's tiger skin to deal with inspections. Once the Nameless Ones have wiped out all the tertiary and illegal industries, and swept the governors and Snow Owl Mobilization Troops into the dustbin of history, Madness Butterfly will forever lose control of the city.
On the other hand, the disastrous failure of the Mercy of Eros will become a whetstone. This precious sword will be honed and sharpened, gaining divine edge. In the future, when it encounters other Madness Butterfly Sect, it will be invincible and unstoppable. Wherever it goes, believers in the Blood Butterfly will tremble in fear.
Among the various Blood Butterfly factions, few can rival Kang Que Concord in combat, and even fewer have the opportunity to seize a land as fertile as Eureka. Whether considering the combat capabilities of the Blood Butterfly Chapter's soldiers or the leader's personal spiritual power— the Mercy of Eros —they occupy the apex of the Madness Butterfly Sect's ecological niche.
If Kang Que Connor falls here—no red Morpho will ever be able to stand against the Nameless One.
The next fifty years or so, before the next harvest season.
This era belongs to the Ming De.
[Part 2: Gunshots Ring Out]
Two figures in gold and blue burst into the gambling den, where the voices were fading.
After entering through the main gate, Xue Ming and Xiao Qi split up and searched the building to eliminate enemies in the front hall and back hall directions.
The three security guards standing by the main entrance on the first floor were originally sitting on the sofa smoking and playing on their phones. In the dim environment, the strong light from their phones and the striptease dancers on the Eureka online TV live streaming platform dazzled their eyes.
Xue Ming squatted down next to the sofa and glanced at the live stream screen again. In the distance, Xiao Qi, who was rushing backstage, gave her fiancé the middle finger.
"These ordinary women are not as good-looking as you. I'm waiting for the signal from the two students. I'll take action when the TV station crashes."
Xiao Qi responded over the radio, "I'm not upset that you're watching pretty girls, I'm upset that you're not watching with me! You have to share good stuff with me!"
Before he could finish speaking, the three young men sitting on the sofa finally snapped out of their daze and looked at the strangely dressed gunsmith beside them.
They didn't recognize the Flash Butterfly Armor, nor did they know what the IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) light on the V-shaped helmet represented. They were almost blinded by the bright light from the phone and it would take them a while to regain their vision.
The live stream on the phone suddenly stopped.
--Hasben has already begun his operation.
Xue Ming pulled out the high-pressure GAS dagger and stabbed at the neck of the first person who was in the line of fire.
The high-speed airflow instantly ruptured the unfortunate man's trachea in his neck, slit the blood vessels in his throat, and then the gas was released rapidly, creating a thick cloud of blood mist that almost blinded his two buddies beside him.
"They're all level 3 armor, but the helmets look like they were made in Yiwu."
Xue Ming quickly informed his lover of the enemy soldiers' armor configuration.
The other two young men strained their bodies, screaming in terror as they tried to get up from the sofa.
The dagger pierced the hand with swift, decisive strokes; even without the gas cylinder's support, it was still a one-hit kill.
The enemy soldier in the middle of the sofa didn't have time to stand up. His head suddenly tilted back, revealing a hole the size of Thumb on his neck. He had contracted incurable cervical spondylosis and was already dead.
The last one managed to get up and put up a fight, but his cut-resistant gloves weren't very secure. The dagger pierced his metacarpal bone like a steel nail, breaking through his throat and remaining in his flesh. He was now barely alive and unable to make a sound, and died within seconds.
"They have guns." Xue Ming picked up two M92F rifles, as if the Mercy of Eros enough to appreciate retired US military equipment. "Honey, open the door."
Xiao Qi emerged from the backstage fire escape, her Flash Butterfly Armor now covered in blood.
Xue Ming tossed the gun and bullets, along with the waist belt, over. Xiao Qi caught them, put them on, and went back to work. It must be said that the couple were both very career-oriented; they never chatted while working.
After counting the ammunition and checking the condition of the firearms, Xue Ming carried the Hunting Goddess and Jingguang on his back, and took the 92F as a makeshift weapon as he made his way to the main stage.
There were eight people gathered in the main hall of the gambling den, four more in the VIP lounge, and according to Tang Ning's intelligence, there should be two more behind the scenes.
The three brothers guarding the front door died without being able to pass on any useful early warning information to their comrades. Xiao Qi went to the back to search for the enemy, and his movements were quite swift and silent.
--This is the combat environment that Xue Ming is most familiar with.
Looking southeast from the side of the stage, the gunsmith's figure resembled a cheetah, swiftly approaching the unsuspecting enemy soldiers who were still eating their midnight snack.
The old man, who was crawling in front of the gambling table and slurping noodles, suddenly slumped to the ground, his helmet rolling off, and a loud bullet explosion immediately followed!
Without hesitation, Xue Ming finished off the attacker, turned the gun around, and shot a nearby unfortunate man who didn't have time to draw his weapon. At the same time, the table overturned, covering the man's body.
The enemy soldiers reacted immediately, drawing their guns to search for the enemy in the darkness. Their flashlights were focused on the overturned gambling table, bullets sending up layers of wood chips, but the enemy made no other move.
In an instant, the shadow silently slipped back into the darkness. The concentrated flashlights created a stark contrast between light and shadow, making it clear that the gunsmith was no longer in cover from the first round.
When the enemy was distributed in a semi-circular angle and their field of fire was focused on one point, they appeared so fragile and easily broken in Xue Ming's eyes.
He stood almost shoulder to shoulder with the enemy, in the same line. All that was left to do was raise his arm, draw his gun, and fire a few shots.
The bullet shattered the helmet of the first lucky man, and the nylon straps, propelled by the kinetic energy of the bullet, sliced his jaw apart. Before the armor even hit the ground, his head was torn apart by the bullet.
The monster lurking in the shadows embraced the corpse.
The accomplices of the gambling den wanted to retaliate, but in the instant they turned their guns around, they were surprised to find that their comrades had blocked part of the firing line.
The sounds of heads exploding and helmets shattering echoed intermittently.
In this position, the gunsmith only needs to pull the trigger according to the proximity principle, hit one target, and then quickly move to the next nearest target to continue shooting.
The feeling of being calm and collected, like a target practicer at a shooting range, was wonderful—it was like being back in the training ground at the Nine Realms Station, where the feeling of a pistol bullet blasting through a helmet and smashing into a brain was inexplicably reassuring.
Gunshots rang out, and a murderous aura filled the air.
Physical salvation, amidst the raging winds and thunder.
Everything happened too fast. After the brief but intense shootout ended, the gunsmith threw away the riddled corpse in his arms. The Flash Butterfly Armor had been hit in two places by pistol bullets, leaving only two white marks—it was incredibly tough, yet also highly damaging.
Eleven more bodies were found at the scene.
There were two more standing, headless idiots, still standing and steaming even in death.
The other one, still with his head intact, was so frightened that he forgot to fight back and couldn't even hold his gun. He kept groping his body and chin, and once he was sure that his head was still there, he started to cry and speak in Japanese.
"Don't kill me! No! No, no, don't kill me!!!!"
Xue Ming didn't intentionally spare this guy's life; it was just that both magazines of bullets were empty, and in the short time he was reloading, he heard the last person start talking about life and ideals, seemingly very unwilling to give up and wanting to go through everything on a revolving lantern.
"Don't kill me! I'm innocent! I have so many things I want to do! I want to take Miss Yuko to Shambhala! I want to eat an elixir! I want to buy a house in the Second Ring Road! I have two younger sisters to support! I want to eat braised pork with tofu! My gym membership hasn't expired yet. I..."
Xue Ming had already reloaded his gun; he held it up, waiting for the grumpy young man to finish reciting all his "unfulfilled desires."
"I haven't reached the highest level in PUBG Mobile yet, and my friends in the game are probably waiting for me to come back."
The unhappy young man, with tears streaming down his face, unleashed an astonishing desire to express himself under intense stimulation and the threat of death.
"They'll be so sad if they can't see me anymore! I disappeared forever without leaving any last words. They must find it strange! It's so impolite!"
"So please don't kill me! Please don't kill me! Why am I the last one? Why leave me until the very end? This is so cruel!"
"The other senior members of my team can die instantly, without even feeling the terror before death! It's an enviable experience, but am I not worthy of it? I can only..."
"Bang!--"
Gunfire drowned out all hope.
Xiao Qi's question came through the radio, "You're so cruel! Why didn't you let him finish what he had to say?"
"Sorry, I actually wanted to listen a little longer." Xue Ming tossed aside the 92F and picked up the nearest one. "The barrel overheated and it accidentally discharged. It's really not my fault."
At that very moment--
--Right now.
Xiao Qi dealt with her two enemies backstage and walked out from the main stage, ready to reunite with her lover.
A man emerged from behind the prop curtain of the Japanese-style stage, looking restrained and disheveled.
The man appeared to be around forty years old, thin, and without armor or protective gear. He stared intently at Xue Ming and Xiao Qi.
At first, both of them assumed the guy was a customer at the casino and ignored him completely.
About ten seconds later, two thick candles lit up on the stage, and the light gradually revealed the man's true appearance.
"You two guests, are you just going to leave like that? I'm afraid I'll have a hard time explaining this to Lord Takuma."
Xue Ming turned around, ready to draw his gun and finish off the head.
Xiao Qi preemptively answered, "Who are you, sir?"
In the candlelight, the man's appearance was very similar to that of Shi Cun Tuozhen; he was likely the manager the Ishimura family had placed in the casino.
He knelt in the center of the stage, like an old general at the end of the Edo period, looking sternly at the two uninvited guests.
"I am the owner of this shop and Lord Takuma's nephew. You two killed all my retainers, and I don't think my uncle will let me off the hook. He will insist that I commit seppuku to atone for my sins."
He slowly took two exquisitely decorated katana from the stage and held them horizontally in front of him.
"I am by no means a coward who fears death. I only hope that one of you will fight me on stage to the death."
Xue Ming: "Are you sick?"
"You bastards!" the eldest nephew of the Ishimura family roared. "I only want to die on stage like a warrior, like cherry blossoms falling to the ground! I don't want to bear the shame of defeat and running away! Are you two not even willing to grant me this little bit of dignity?"
Xiao Qi rushed onto the stage in three quick steps, shouting, "Come on, come on! I'll fight you!"
The eldest nephew of the Shi family was quite pleased, and his whole face lit up. He wasn't wearing armor, and he already knew his fate. The armor worn by the two intruders was so fine that even bullets couldn't leave a mark on it. He had indeed come to die, only seeking a sense of ritual, and was a man of principle who didn't want to commit seppuku.
The eldest nephew picked up one of the knives and solemnly handed it to Xiao Qi.
"Please!"
Xiao Qi took the knife, immediately took eight steps, turned around, and stood ready, facing his opponent from afar.
"Please!"
In the candlelight, the two men stood frozen, sheaths in hand, both in resolute, unwavering stances.
A fierce duel is about to begin; amidst the flickering flames, even the light seems to begin to distort.
"It's on fire!" The eldest nephew of the Shi family glared, brimming with exhilaration. "Thank you! Thank you, my opponent! Your valiant figure is like a war god slaying demons! You're about to burst into flames!"
Xiao Qi crouched low, gripping the hilt of his sword loosely, ready to draw it at any moment.
"They're about to go!"
Shi Cun's eldest nephew drew his sword.
"Ah! Let's settle this once and for all!"
Xiao Qi took the M92F from the scabbard and then emptied the magazine.
That's incredibly fast!
Very fast!
Mr. Ishimura suffered almost no pain, collapsing and dying after being shot fifteen times.
Xue Ming watched from below the stage for a long time. He raised his hand and then lowered it, wanting to rub his nose to ease the embarrassment, but he couldn't because the mask of the Flash Butterfly Armor outfit was too thick and blocked his fingers.
He thought for a long time, but still didn't say anything.
Xiao Qi tossed aside the knife, changed to a new magazine, tapped the camera on her helmet, and spoke to her lover.
"The boss will definitely love watching this."