Act.18 The Chain

[Part 1: This Damn Hatred]

At 2:40 a. m., Billy the Kid had to rush to the second half of the game.

He was completely drunk and delirious, constantly burping, with acid rising in his stomach. He leaned against the balcony railing, gazing at everything in the distance.

This city that never sleeps possesses an astonishing vitality; it can fulfill any fantasy of Billy the Kid, as long as he has money, wealth, and the tokens of power.

Here, you can do whatever you want.

You can become a man, or you can become a woman.

You can take someone else's skin, limbs, vocal cords, or organs.

Nothing is off-limits; nothing is off-limits.

The phrase "[Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road lie frozen corpses]" doesn't quite capture the essence of Mount Eureka, because there are no frozen corpses on the road. Before they died, the remains were probably taken by professional scavengers to exchange for money.

O'Connor Elizabeth approached the prospective male favorite. She looked at Billy the Kid with tender, affectionate eyes. Her off-the-shoulder dress accentuated her perfect figure, and her auburn curls covered her collarbone. The perfume emanating from her beautiful body smelled of money.

She gently patted Billy the Kid's shoulder, then pulled hard on the little man's body, immediately revealing a round belly.

Billy lowered his head in horror. Those six-pack abs, which he had worked hard to build through exercise and a healthy diet, had turned into a tumor after just one meal of wine and meat!

"Don't worry, little darling," O'Connor Elizabeth took a perfume bottle from her glove and held it to Billy's lips, letting the boy sniff it.

Within seconds, Billy's eyes glazed over, and he suddenly vomited uncontrollably.

At first, the food that came out was still somewhat identifiable, mostly meat and vegetables that had been swallowed whole and bitten into pieces.

Then came a thin, clear liquid and broth, indicating that it had been completely digested, and it emitted a strong aroma of alcohol.

Billy the Kid vomited until his mouth and nose tasted bitter, his esophagus was being corroded by stomach acid, and the intense pain and sudden increase in intracranial pressure made it almost impossible for him to breathe. Only the pain after overeating reminded him, repeatedly questioning him—why did I eat so much food? Why?

Lady O'Connor gently patted her male concubine's back, her tone tender. "When you're starving for too long, you'll inevitably overeat when you find something delicious—besides, the chefs in Eureka Volcano City who prepare court banquets all have some unique skills."

Billy clung to the railing, watching his belly gradually shrink, the swollen muscle bulges slowly returning to normal, and the blood and flesh vomiting from his throat no longer looking so terrifying.

O'Connor continued, "And besides, how do restaurants make money if customers feel full? You agree, right, sweetheart?"

Billy was too busy vomiting to say anything.

"This chef is best at French cuisine." O'Connor crossed her arms and looked into the distance. "I've heard that there used to be large banquets where people would eat like a sumptuous procession, selling a feeling of fullness as a novelty. People would eat and eat until they were too full, then throw up and come back to eat more."

"This kind of chef is really amazing; he never makes you feel greasy—like other businesses, right? Whether it fills your stomach is secondary; what matters is the flavor."

At this point, O'Connor chuckled and tapped Billy on the head.

"Hey! Cutie! Do you know what this [flavor] means?"

Billy shook his hand vigorously, the vomiting growing louder and louder, and the red, bloody fluid gushing from his mouth and nose becoming increasingly terrifying—symptoms of a ruptured esophageal and gastric mucosa.

O'Connor removed her gloves, fiddled with her fingers, and looked down at [Lucky ⑦], scrutinizing her soul power.

"It's like when I go to buy clothes, most people always say, 'Buy big brands. Big brands are from big factories with high standards. Big brands are part of social circles. Big brands are a kind of popular culture.'"

"But when I had more money, I realized that designer brands couldn't compare to bespoke tailoring. It's something that the designer and the tailoring team made specifically for me, and probably no brand can compare."

"Later, there was the idea of 100% handmade, to transform clothing into cultural artifacts that commemorate a certain era. I think that's the feeling."

She bent down, lowered her head, and whispered in Billy's ear.

"It smells like human flesh, my little cutie."

"Clothes sewn stitch by stitch, imbued with the scent of human flesh, are far more precious than mass-produced, brand-name goods."

Do you know why I like you?

"Because I sense something emanating from you."

O'Connor reached down to Billy's lower back, slipped her hand inside his clothes, and kneaded his firm abdominal muscles, her fingernails digging into his dry, cracked skin.

"I smell something naturally bad!"

O'Connor said fiercely--

"--I know you really want to make something of yourself, unlike other young people who mostly make excuses for themselves, always feel guilty, don't enjoy eating human flesh, and like to pretend to be virtuous while being a prostitute."

I know you're different.

"There's hatred in your heart! I can feel it. You're hungry! You're angry! You're resentful! That's what you cherish most."

"Billy!~ Billy!~ Billy!"

"Those pretty little commodities, those lowlifes who come to me willingly as my dogs, I have no interest in them." O'Connor called for a servant to bring a bucket of water and wash Billy the Kid's face clean. "Only a born scoundrel like you can move my heart!"

Looking far into the distance along the seaside promenade, the neon lights between the buildings stretch out like a colorful ocean, connecting to the dreamlike city reflected in the Pompeii Sea.

Billy the Kid was delirious; the local delicacies of Eureka Volcano City, such as meat and wine, could make one forget the feeling of fullness, and his digestive system had almost stopped working. Without treatment, he might die from infection within hours.

But Billy showed no fear whatsoever.

He was dazed, gazing at the city from the high point of the theater's terrace. The food leaking from his stomach was like wealth and power; O'Connor only allowed him to lick it a few times, chew it, and swallow it, which was not something he could digest.

But how tempting and beautiful they are!

"Is it very painful? Do you feel the pain of having your heart ripped out?" O'Connor's fingers held a Universal Elixir solution, contained in a perfume sample bottle. "The most painful thing in the world is seeing what you want but not being able to have it—my little darling."

O'Connor walked step by step into the exhibition hall, gently touching Billy's chin.

"I know how much your throat and chest hurt, like they're on fire, right?"

Billy followed the beautiful woman like a walking corpse.

"Yes, Elizabeth, there's a fire."

O'Connor, her eyes alluring, lips red and teeth white, breath sweet as orchids, said, "If you come with me, come inside with me, I'll feed you this Universal Elixir, I'll feed it into your stomach—and end your suffering."

Billy obediently followed, going to the staff lounge by the side entrance of the exhibition hall. From there, they walked towards the theater's dome, following the corridor of fireworks props on the beams, until they arrived at a secret base—

This is where Ms. O'Connor had her affairs.

You might wonder why this leader of the Mercy of Eros doesn't even deserve to have love.

Because Kang Que Connor is such a perverted and twisted person, the Chairman believes that any emotion will become a weakness and a burden that hinders making money.

People like Shi Cun Tuozhen and Lan Yinglong have no lovers or families, and no sexual partners. Even the pimps and brothel owners under their command are strictly forbidden from having romantic relationships with the prostitutes—they have already psychologically castrated their subordinates.

O'Connor Elizabeth is the treasury manager of the Mercy of Eros, and Kang Que Comer would never allow such an important executive to act on emotion—that's what Chairman Johnny thinks. Once you're in the world, once you have attachments, love, and family, you'll immediately change your mind.

Therefore, the term "adultery" here is a proper description of the actions of Ms. O'Connor Elizabeth, who violated the wishes of the Supreme President of the Mercy of Eros by secretly having affairs with people.

Despite the numerous disposable male companions provided by Kang Que Johnny and O'Connor, for this Mercy Society executive, a consumable that satisfies physical needs does not constitute a complete person—hence, he is no different from Billy, who savors a theatrical court banquet.

She was also a wild beast that could never be satiated.

[Part ② This Damn Love]

When the Universal Elixir was swallowed by Billy, it was like a warm stream flowing into Billy stomach, and the boy immediately became alert and began to observe the surrounding houses and scenery.

He looked warily at Lady O'Connor Elizabeth, judging from the bright lights—this was a study, with bookshelves lining the hallway and living room. The bed in the bedroom was small, a single bed, not enough to conceal their private affair, and the two couldn't spend the night together.

A tiny sliver of light shone through the small window; it was the dim, yellowish light emanating from the theater's large clock face, like moonlight.

O'Connor drew the curtains, and the room immediately became much quieter, free from the noise of the banquet and the theater.

The beautiful and charming lady sat before Billy the Kid, her breathing sometimes rapid, sometimes calm. The thirst and possessiveness in her eyes were almost palpable.

She thought to herself—was this really something she could have?

An outsider, a complete person.

A handsome yet foolish, naive yet greedy person.

The young man, having taken off his coat, looked around nervously, seemingly both frightened and curious about the study.

--O'Connor, covering her burning cheeks, finally asked.

"Sweetie, would you like to kiss me?"

So solemn, yet so humble.

The owner of the seaside road gambling den, the estate manager of the Mercy of Eros, was able to ask Billy this question—

The young man felt flattered and overwhelmed.

"Oh! Mrs. Elizabeth."

O'Connor: "Please call me Madam, I have never been married."

Billy jumped to his feet in alarm, reaching for the bookshelf beside him. "Ms. O'Connor, what did you just say? I don't understand."

"What I mean is," O'Connor rubbed her hands, a hint of first love in her eyes, "Would you kiss me?"

"I'm afraid not!" Billy refused firmly, backing away as he spoke. "I accepted your invitation to dinner, and the banquet, your perfume, and your Universal Elixir all make me feel like I don't belong in this city."

That's what they say.

Billy thought the same thing.

You can pursue a rich woman, but never pursue a rich woman who is involved in the sex trade.

This is the gunsmith and Billy's [bottom line] and [principles].

People can be lazy, lustful, brainless, stupid, or weak.

--But we must never bow down to evil.

Because evil will never help lazy dogs, will not like ugliness and stupidity, and will not favor the weak.

Billy just vomited so badly that one of his souls left his body and the other ascended to heaven.

--But even so, he heard O'Connor's nonsense.

I love your natural, unadulterated badness!

Billy believed that his ability to take the shortcut of crime was not due to talent!

It was already a remarkable coincidence that he and Fuyanni could come together as the "Sleeping Dragon and the Young Phoenix."

As for joining Little Brotherhood, being able to make a living is already incredibly lucky, let alone becoming a gifted villain.

Some people are indeed born bad seeds, without parents or proper upbringing, but Billy is definitely not one of them.

So this woman is just like the [pyramid scheme] the gunsmith was talking about.

She never tells the truth, and perhaps many, many people have been lured here by her rhetoric.

Perhaps

"Hiss!" Billy the Kid retreated to the bookshelf and saw a horse bone specimen.

He turned his head away. Under the bright chandelier in the living room, the texture of the horse bone resembled that of white jade, warm and smooth to the touch, but Billy the Kid felt a chill run down his spine.

--Those weren't horse bones; they were more like handcrafted artifacts, meticulously crafted and waxed after being disassembled and reassembled from the skeletons of several people, exuding a human touch.

Billy had undergone two transformations, and he could sense that a soul seemed to reside in this work, just like Galahad's Thangka paintings. There seemed to be a terrifying tower spirit in it. When his paw accidentally touched the horse bone, the strange Inspiration Pressure, along with the synesthesia of his mouth and nose, made Billy smell and taste the stench and sweetness.

He was almost overwhelmed by the surge of psionic energy, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Billy stumbled a few steps to the side, placed one hand on the bookshelf, and when he touched the soft, supple cover, he looked closely and noticed that the handwriting on the book title had become distorted due to the sudden increase in the concentration of Spirit Calamity.

In his Inspiration vision, the pitch-black ink gradually transformed into the features of a man, screaming mournfully.

Billy turned deathly pale, leaning against the bookshelf, his heart pounding in his throat. He was filled with regret, no longer wanting to cover for the gunsmith's secret operation. His hand trembled, and he accidentally knocked the books to the ground, about to turn to the next page—

--The two books fell onto the tea table, their pages turning in the gust of wind. As each page passed, different faces flashed by, until finally they were closed by a pair of beautiful, fair hands adorned with bright red nail polish.

All the shrieks, all the psionic fluctuations, all the mournful howls vanished in that instant.

Ms. O'Connor closed the book and pushed the display stand for the horse bones toward the fireplace to prevent Billy from touching these precious artifacts again.

She shoved the book back into the shelf, and the way she looked at Billy was somewhat similar to the way she looked at Jiang Xueming in "9527".

If this is what you call being love-struck, I'd call Ms. O'Connor the Eureka Volcano City Couple Art and Food VLOG Blogger.

She finally sat down next to Billy, afraid of scaring the little cutie, and waited for Billy to speak first.

It stopped moving completely.