Interlude · Interlude

Zero Platform, belonging to the Mercy of Eros --

--Linden Van Persie talked incessantly with the chairman about a bright future and how to showcase innovative financial approaches for the new era.

"Money, money, money is such a wonderful thing."

"My esteemed president, since ancient times, people have considered money as a means of exchange."

"It is a lubricant, a manifestation of trust; it can be exchanged for food, clothes, guns and soldiers, beautiful women and houses."

"In primitive societies, goods were exchanged for money, and then the money was used to purchase the goods needed to complete the transaction."

Linden was beaming with pride. He was still recovering from the effects of the Heaven and Earth Turning and hadn't fully adapted to the complications of the gravity-induced reversal. Ulcers and swellings appeared all over his body, revealing scarlet sores on his bleeding flesh.

"Later, industrialization propelled human civilization forward, and our business owners found better ways to make money."

Linden squatted down next to Kang Que, showing him the simplest business model on the blackboard.

The original [goods → money → goods] has become [money → goods → money money money money money].

Kang Que was getting sleepy. He was ninety-nine years old, had lived through three eras, and fought in two great wars. He wasn't good at making money, but out of respect for the Immortals Alliance, he had to listen to all of Linden's complaints.

"Things are different now," Linden laughed. "Hey, President, listen up, things are completely different now."

The methods for making money on the blackboard have also evolved from the previous retro models.

From the agricultural era, from the industrial era, we have entered the financial era.

[Money → More Money]

It does not require labor production, nor does it require a business entity in the form of a company.

The Yellowstone People are the top predators in the underworld. Linden received an elite education from a young age. Apart from the Blood Ceremony, he learned all kinds of methods of cannibalism. As long as he did not violate the Nine Realms Charter or the most fundamental humanitarian issues, he did all sorts of ways to make money by skirting the law and colluding with officials and businessmen.

By giving Luo Ben Van Persie of Forty-Eight District the green light to deal with investigations, influencing the market trends of the Southwest Railroad Network, and making money along with his family, this is what Linden did as Attorney General.

These Yellowstone People are both referees and players.

The evolution and operation of the underground world are governed by laws similar to those of rivers and oceans.

--Ming De experienced feudal dynasties, different systems of governance and histories, and different social structures.

From the pyroxene standard to the silver standard, then to the cat-and-butterfly money based on Universal Elixir, and finally to the pyroxene paper money of today, each change in currency represents a power shift and a rise and fall of several powerful families.

When rivers cease to flow, trains travel to the deep underground world, but it is difficult to bring wealth. The wealth currents in each block are stagnant, like a pool of dead water. The turbid yet rich water source can nurture a relatively closed ecosystem—leading to the emergence of a huge, rotting family. These families will become terrifying behemoths, tempted by all kinds of human desires, and then fall into the embrace of the Madness Butterfly.

In ancient legends of gods and monsters, whenever a rotting behemoth appears, a knight-errant will always appear. They are either dressed in straw raincoats or cloth robes, or in iron armor and helmets, and carry iron swords and steel blades that emit a clear, cold light like flowing water. Time and time again, they will clear the rotting tissue from the railway system.

In the Arcane Library, their name is "[Anonymous]", not referring to any specific group of people or any particular historical figure. They always traveled between the railways, always rushing back and forth, punishing the wicked and eliminating evil, and then disappeared without even leaving their names.

They don't want money, fame, or status. They only care about momentary pride, driven by fierce courage and anger. They always want to meddle in other people's business and help the weak and punish the strong.

At this moment, President Kang Que did not hear a word of the bright future that Linden Van Persie spoke of.

Because he was fortunate enough to witness a new era—

There's a saying that goes, "If you live long enough, you'll be unfazed by anything that happens."

More than half a century ago, Johnny witnessed the first decline of the Ming De. Since then, the order of the underworld has been determined by the Senate, and the power brought by the large-scale production has driven various human forces further and further apart.

Later, Ming De suffered its second defeat. The disastrous harvest season left the BOSS without a bridge to communicate with the various councils, and the crown princes and princes all died under the terrifying spiritual pressure of the Taowu beast. Only one Hunter King survived as a candidate.

It was at this critical juncture that Kang Que chose to stand with the Madness Butterfly, or more specifically, with the Immortals Alliance.

The doctrine of the Madness Butterfly Sect strongly rejects the concept of "immortality," yet the masterminds who truly control the various parishes and sects are all, without exception, pursuing eternal life.

Any leader with a modicum of sense would not believe in the concept of "unity".

This is a classic pyramid scheme model; most religions sell things that even their own leaders don't believe.

The Skull and Bones sold dragon blood to the Redstone people, promising them power, but most of the cultists became the source of power for the corrupted dragon Fafnir, turning into a malevolent medium.

The Rose Sect sold the Blessed Holy Blood to the English nobility, promising them immortal bodies, but most of them became blood bags, turned into ashes in the sunlight.

The Heaven's Ladder was sold to people in exchange for their ideal of becoming the sun, but only Staff Cliff truly became fuel for it; the other frogmen and giant hybrids were merely pawns in a game of power.

The Little Brotherhood sell shortcuts to ordinary people. At first, they sell divination rituals that make people addicted to gambling, and later they sell drugs that open the mysterious door to happiness in the brain, but plunge people into an abyss of emptiness from which they can never escape.

The Mercy of Eros today sells love and compassion; it profits from the insurance industry and charitable activities. Insurance is used for financial planning, and charity is used to create loopholes for tax evasion.

--Kang Que's entrepreneurial team is very strong, and he himself has a very good strategic vision, choosing to start his business in Eureka, a region with inconvenient land transportation but well-developed water and sea transportation.

For more than seventy years, Eureka's influence has been felt in the Mercy of Eros sectors of people's livelihood, including water and electricity shops, clothing, food, housing and transportation. As it has carried out industrial transformation, corporate mergers and other operations, its team has grown larger and its membership has become stronger.

He eliminated the original core group, selected new members round by round, abandoned his fellow warriors, and donned the cloak of civilization.

Today, Kang Que made a horrifying discovery--

--Faced with the attack by the nameless man, none of his men could withstand a single blow.

This is a bottleneck that almost any Madness Butterfly startup team will encounter: if the Religious order wants to survive in civilized society, it must make money.

Without money, without any tangible power tokens, and with wages lower than even the basic salaries at train stations and in cities, who would be willing to risk their lives for you?

During this period of growth, President Kang Que has a group of very capable brothers--

Seventy years ago, with the support of his brothers in the assault team, he carved out a territory in Eureka and became the most powerful bandit gang in the area.

The industries they operate in have extremely low technical barriers to entry, mostly related to food, accommodation, and entertainment, requiring no technical talent and having very low management costs.

Later, they colluded with the governor to forcibly collect land taxes. Luo Ben had done the same trick before, as long as he told the story of the bandit suppression to the Transportation Department again.

Later, in modern times, Kang Que needed to abandon his previous entrepreneurial team because he no longer needed to use violence. The Armadillo Hunters he raised were enough to deal with the ordinary people in the Eureka region. To deal with Guangling Zhixi, who had no material support, he could completely sustain the war by fighting, threatening them with benefits and their lives, and forcing these cheap laborers to join the Mercy of Eros.

The main fighting force of the Mercy Society is constantly being updated and iterated, becoming newer and weaker. Military spending is also decreasing year by year.

Because they don't need to deal with terrifying monsters or constantly challenge powerful enemies. As long as they can oppress civilians, manage the security of the area, and at most suppress the psionicists who suddenly awaken in Eureka City, that amount of force is enough.

Therefore, he was fortunate enough to witness a new era.

--As the saying goes, if you live long enough, you'll be unfazed by anything that happens.

Kang Que Connor was lucky; he stood at the pinnacle of power.

In Eureka Volcano City, with a mere wave of his hand, the more than 2.8 million people dared not disobey or disobey.

Perhaps people won't kneel before Ming De, because everyone knows—this is a good cat, and there's no need to be afraid of beautiful things.

However, in this city, the president of the Mercy of Eros is an all-powerful deity.

Kang Que Connor was also unfortunate.

--He happened to witness the birth of a new era [of the anonymous].

He had specifically investigated the weaponry of the gunsmith and the Big Sister; their equipment had changed drastically in the last two years, transforming at a rocket-like pace, and the most terrifying thing was—

--Regarding the unique characteristics of their souls, no one knows what kind of soul power they possess.

Two senior members of the Madness Butterfly Sect sacrificed themselves to the flag, and all the video recordings and the psionic scholars invited by Kang Que could not find the soul power characteristics of the gunsmith and the Big Sister.

There were only a few clues during the harvest season, and the officials involved in the harvest season had all privately told Kang Que about something—according to the newly crowned king, Ouyang Yan, the son-in-law of the Yellowstone People.

"The gunsmith's soul power is very likely to reverse time."

This is also the main reason why Kang Que Johnny stayed hidden on Zero Platform and dared not go out.

Linden Van Persie paused for a moment, then suddenly fell into deep despair.

Kang Que's pent-up emotions finally found an outlet. He usually wouldn't show weakness in front of his subordinates, but at this moment, an indescribable feeling of impending doom enveloped him.

"Mr. Linden, there's no need to continue. Let's stop being blindly optimistic."

Linden: "President."

Kang Que was sweating profusely. "The gunsmith's soul power, his soul ability, is very likely to reverse time and go back to the past."

The projected images of street surveillance cameras came from the conference room.

--The nameless warriors were slaughtering the Mercy Society's army. Individually, they were fierce and skilled fighters, and when they formed fire networks of two or three, they were even more impenetrable. They searched for opportunities to strike in the complex alleyways and houses, and when they coordinated their attacks to kill the enemy, it was as if they knew the Mercy Society's deployment locations and routes in advance.

Six hours passed without a single person being injured or killed, not even a scratch.

Kang Que became even more convinced that the gunsmith's power was [time manipulation] -- otherwise, where would the nameless man have gotten the confidence to fight against overwhelming odds?

"The most important thing right now is to survive." President Kang Que was already pale with fright, and his voice was trembling. "We absolutely cannot expose the location of Zero Platform. O'Connor is dead, so be it. We can find new agents and rebuild the financial system—I only have one life, and I don't want to take the risk."

The divine power to reverse time and return to the past is an opponent that Kang Que wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Gunsmiths can make countless mistakes, but once they discover the location of Zero Platform, they can slowly dismantle the Eureka garrison, bring in naval guns, call in helicopter support, and try a million ways to destroy the Mercy Society.

Kang Que may have once harbored even a sliver of wishful thinking—

--If we could kill the gunsmith instantly, all the problems would be solved.

But the Flash Butterfly Armor shattered all illusions. This outrageous individual equipment transformed the Nameless Warriors into the world's strongest light infantry unit. Their mobility was extremely high. The Rose Sect had once broken through the Flash Butterfly Armor's defenses, but they still had the Universal Elixir as a life-saving insurance.

What can we use to fight them? Are we supposed to act like those reckless monsters in chivalric romance novels, barking a few insults and then getting our heads chopped off by these terrifyingly powerful nameless men?

Kang Que is a very self-aware person.

He knew that Lawrence's death stemmed from arrogance.

At this moment, all he wanted was to survive, retain some assets as capital for a comeback, and evade the search.

Linden Van Persie was displeased to see the chairman's pathetic state.

His family died at the hands of the gunsmith; how could he easily give up with his life unfulfilled?

"President Kang Que! You mean we're supposed to stay here and cower like turtles forever?"

He would never allow it, he would never compromise.

"My sister died at his hands! I came to you to escape the train station's pursuit, not to swallow my pride and lower myself to live a life of humiliation!"

Linden the Kid pulled down his shirt, revealing the scars on his body.

"This pain! This torment is all brought upon me by the Blessed Holy Blood! Why? Why must I live such a pathetic life?! What did I do wrong?"

Kang Que remained silent.

Linden continued, "Fuck you, God! Ming De! This world is essentially a dog-eat-dog world! What did my family do wrong?! Without us, where would the railroads be?! Where would the wealth be?!"

In Kang Que's eyes, Linden was like a young, naive child, pointing at the upside-down scenery outside the window.

"These thugs! These terrorists! They are disrupting order! They are slaughtering Eureka's heroes! The militia and community volunteers protecting the citizens are bleeding! Chairman!"

"Including families and all combat personnel, we have over ten thousand people. Why should we be afraid of these six?"

Even if it's just waiting in line.

Kang Que interrupted, "Line them up and shoot them. At this rate tonight, it will only take half a month for the Nameless Ones to wipe out all the armed personnel from the bay to the industrial park and the satellite towns further away."

Linden stammered, "Half a month? Half a month?"

"Your math skills shouldn't be bad." Kang Que's eyes dimmed. "Their close-quarters combat ability in urban warfare is unbelievably strong. I can't think of any way to stop them. Heavy firepower that can kill with a single shot, artillery and tanks—before they even find their firing range, the enemy will have already escaped—vehicles are very likely to be intercepted by them. Every single light armored vehicle we had before has become an accomplice in killing our own people."

Linden, who was "helping," also started sweating profusely. "An accomplice."

"The Flower Chess Bank next to the City Hall was completely looted." Kang Que covered his forehead, looking up at the sky. "They surrounded this printing press and killed more than 160 elite soldiers who came to reinforce and seize the printing equipment—we can't even find where they are, let alone command them."

"Hui Stone Currency doesn't need acid-free paper." Johnny was almost in tears. "People from the surrounding area came to collect the banknotes, the printing press ran for more than two hours, who knows how much money was printed. The citizens living on the seaside street are all high-quality people. Do you want to recruit them in a short time? The regional economy of Eureka will collapse, and the money will become worthless."

"Within two hours, the money flowed into all the surrounding shops."

"The Snowy Owl brought a cannon, intending to blow up the bank, but it was hijacked by some nameless people halfway there. I don't dare fire a single shot at the ground—"

Johnny slapped Linden's face.

"--Do you know how much I regret it? I watched this city grow little by little, witnessed the growth of four generations, and it was also my family's business for four generations, which vanished in an instant because of your decision."

"Generally speaking, when more than one-fifth of the soldiers in an army are killed or wounded, the remaining soldiers will begin to rout and desert."

"The captured assault team members are determined and may continue fighting."

"But the more than 10,000 armed men you mentioned, with their families, this rabble, will probably be quickly defeated by the nameless ones—"

"--The death toll along the theater boulevard, gambling dens, and City Hall, plus the power plant, has exceeded one thousand."

Kang Que clasped his hands together in a prayer-like gesture.

"In just one night, just one night—the nameless warriors and their students each had more than a hundred lives on their hands."

For Xue Ming's team, urban warfare in residential areas was the most familiar combat zone and the best combat environment.

Because of Eureka's well-organized social ecosystem, the Anonymous's move at midnight was the optimal time to attack.

The best targets are the power system and gambling dens, O'Connor Elizabeth's wishful thinking, and reinforcements to be wiped out in batches around high-value targets. The banking system should be attacked, the radio and television stations destroyed, the citizens' willingness to fight shaken, and the enemy soldiers' will to fight for the Mercy Society crushed.

One against a hundred—this sounds like an incredible achievement in modern warfare.

The disparity in equipment, the highly skilled troop deployment, the successive tactical arrangements, and the perfect combination of favorable timing, location, and personnel, along with the pre-battle preparations and the rest time for replenishing ammunition, allowed the anonymous team to achieve this result within eight hours.

Back in the Rose Sect's castle, when Xue Ming and Xiao Qi were dealing with the bat-like monsters in that complex environment, they used the protective power of the Flash Butterfly Armor to ignore most pistol and submachine gun ammunition. It was also more than enough to deal with rifle bullets. In this era, this expensive armor was a game-changer against similar light infantry units.

At this moment, Xue Ming has become a morpho butterfly.

His fighting ability is vastly different from what it was two years ago. All members of the Nameless Gang have received special training from Master Xue Ming. Except for Robert Tang Ning, who still needs more experience, any one of them, taken individually, is among the top fighters in the underworld.

He was like a magnet, constantly influencing his companions, assimilating them, and making their fighting spirit even stronger; Meteor was the best example of this.

Originally, this clumsy big guy had absolutely no shooting skills. Xue Ming, under the insanely jealous gaze of 9527, patiently taught A Xing how to control his gun, fire, and move around.

Originally, this savage who needed to tame his limbs didn't know how to fight. But Xue Ming, in the rage of 9527, rolled and wrestled with A Xing on the floor, teaching his good brother how to use his weight advantage to bully his opponent.

More than a thousand days have passed since then.

--The nameless sword, after enduring countless trials and tribulations, finally emitted a clear, cold, flowing luster.

On the other side of the sea, the sun finally rose fully, like a giant fireball at around nine o'clock in the morning, almost sweeping away all the gloom and terror.

Kang Que Connor looked out the window in horror, oblivious to the scorching sunlight that threatened to kill him.

Dozens of drones hovered outside Zero Platform, but upon witnessing the power of Lord Cinder, they were immediately destroyed by the powerful electromagnetic pulse.

Outside the theater, at the street-facing military post, behind a simple blast-proof wall, another reinforcement arrived at the scene.

On the screen at the military base's multimedia center, all of the dozen or so drone aerial shots in front of Jason Megan were destroyed, none of them spared.

"Damn it! My money!"

According to the battle plan, there are two hours until the next reinforcement arrives, and twenty-eight hours until the next reinforcement, Ye Bei, arrives.

Xue Ming had everything arranged. He was as steady as a defensive tower, tumbling down the theater's bricks and tiles. He kicked aside the corpses outside the blast wall and said to Jason, "I'll pay for the drone. See Zero Platform?"

"I'm not sure," Jason said immediately. "Those buildings look too strange, and I couldn't find any rails."

Jiang Xueming said, "It's very likely hidden inside the rock wall of the hollow dome."

Jason asked nervously, "What if that scoundrel gets away?"

"He can't escape," Jiang Xueming said. "The BOSS has already arranged armed trains along the railway line. There are only two lines from the Nine Realms to the London Underground [SW] line, and they have been blocked in advance—he's not Lawrence, he doesn't have that ability."

Jason: "What if we push him too far and he fights us to the death?"

Jiang Xueming: "Such a good thing?"

Xue Ming was eager for this coward to come out of his den, as he was worried about where to use the cannons he had just seized from the Snow Owl Armory.

Jason's waitress Katusha, followed her employer, fully armed with Flash Butterfly Armor and a backpack.

Right now, at this very moment--

--Meteor dragged a corpse across the roadside, preparing to pile up the enemy's bodies and burn them.

The "corpse" suddenly revived, picked up a gun from the ground, and opened fire on the nameless group.

A few scattered bullets flew out, leaving a few white dots on the Flash Butterfly Armor.

--That had no other effect.

Meteor was startled and quickly used his knee to clamp the enemy's head, then delivered two punches, sending the lucky guy to hell.

Only Jason Megan stared at the shattered tactical terminal and outpost radio, groaning in despair.

"Mine."

Xue Ming quickly interrupted, reassuring her, "Wait a minute, maybe I can fix it."

Jason's expression immediately changed; he rubbed his hands together excitedly and welcomed the leader into the outpost.

Xue Ming called out to Fragrant Dream. The two of them, a human and a cat, stared at the broken circuit board and the communication center for a long time before finally shrugging indifferently.

"Sorry, I can't fix it. I haven't learned how to repair radios yet. This is too high-end. I won't pay for it. You should contact A Xing."

Jason finally cried out in anguish.

"Damn it! My money!"