Act 14: Familiar Hell

Foreword:

If you want to win a girl's heart, you need to have a touch of sadness.

Leo Tolstoy | War and Peace

[Part 1 - Rest Area]

Organization and deployment are crucial aspects of combat. Soldiers who complete their deployment first gain the upper hand, are able to freely choose the location and time of the battle, and have a significant ambush advantage.

Pellegrini possesses very strong deployment capabilities, but lacks significant command abilities.

--This is the combat style of the Immortals Alliance, which is related to their long-standing practice of manipulating the overall situation from behind the scenes.

They are like mold and viruses in dark corners, sowing seeds of evil in the railway system, letting them take root and sprout, turning into uncontrollable lesions and tumors. The instigators can stay out of it, leave the place of trouble early, and not have to bear any risks themselves.

They do not participate in the combat process; they only need to assign the right responsibilities to the right people and ensure that the right disaster occurs in the right place to complete a series of chain explosions.

This kind of tactic is actually ubiquitous in our daily lives. The offshore balancing tactics employed by the United States of America in the mundane world also include various forms of counterinsurgency, information warfare, economic warfare, color warfare that incites regional unrest, and propaganda warfare that undermines public morale.

Generals at the Pentagon certainly don't directly participate in commanding combat missions; these operations are mostly handled by mercenary companies or other agents—a process commonly known as outsourcing.

Similarly, what Pellegrini needs to do is use human labor to complete orders one by one, put the right laborers in the right positions, create obstacles for the nameless, and create life-threatening crises for the members of the Fairy Tale Kingdom.

The total budget for this operation is fourteen elixirs.

Unlike the endless villains in comics, Pellegrini had very limited resources to use for recruiting soldiers.

They come from the trade routes of Eureka Volcano City, from Mr. Luo Ping'an's hometown, a place called "Great Xia". Its production capacity is low, and each elixir requires the accumulation of human lives and the washing of blood. It is the great evil power of the collective karma of all living beings that can allow ordinary Homo sapiens to shed their mortal bodies and become "immortals" after consuming the elixir.

Besides Mali Pero and the Bartons, several other Armadillo Hunters received this honor, gaining superhuman abilities through the elixir. However, a few unfortunate individuals also ingested the elixir, their weak primordial essence unable to withstand the spiritual pressure of the chaotic beasts, transforming into Flash Butterfly. These were destroyed by Pellegrini and disposed of as mindless scrap.

Returning to the crucial combat condition of operational deployment, this group of Armadillo Hunters included lone wolves recruited from various regions, as well as remnants of the Madness Butterfly War Cult. After six years of expeditions, these people were all seething with anger. They could no longer endure serving the Madness Butterfly Sect. For criminals to re-enter the railway system, they either had to be flogged and then perform forced labor, or be shot and then perform forced labor in hell.

As a well-known figure in the industry, the leader of the Crimson Fortress gang believes he has found a way out for his brothers.

He is eight feet tall, his industry code name is [CC] -- he is thirty-nine years old this year, his hometown is the Red Stone People family of District 15, and he has always believed that he has giant blood.

Looking at this gang leader from about twenty meters away, he was indeed a burly, strong man. He was straightforward, violent, and had a sinister aura. Before the nameless gang rose to power, wealth and life were all predestined and left to fate. The scene of gangs fighting for territory was extremely brutal. The winners usually had to investigate the three generations of the losers' ancestors and wipe out all the enemy's online friends before they could feel at ease, leaving no survivors.

When Mr. Pellegrini found the old followers of the Madness Butterfly at the Red Fortress, he had a long talk with C. C., reminiscing about the past of the Church and talking about the wonderful times six years ago, when there was no Nameless, Ming De was not as healthy as he is now. Everything was fine, like a fairy tale.

The two, sharing the same wicked tastes, hit it off immediately and decided to do something. In just one day, CC gathered more than sixty brothers and raised the flag of the Red Fortress again, determined to rediscover their old passion for cannibalism in their boring and dull retirement life.

"Brother CC! With your physique, your skills, and that Soul Power superpower!" The gang leader, spittle flying, gathered around the dining table in the gas station rest area, boasting to their leader, "I think that even if Cupid Kang Que came, he wouldn't be a match for you!"

At the head of the table, the tall and robust CC nodded, a simple and honest smile on his face, giving off a very approachable vibe. His dark red buzz cut and clean-shaven beard made him look as ordinary as the delivery guy who drives a tricycle downstairs.

CC simply instructed, "Eat."

The brothers at the table grew anxious and immediately grabbed their metal chopsticks and spoons.

--The atmosphere under the table was festive, but things weren't so normal on the table.

Those were the shop assistants and cashiers in the rest area. These cannibals had stripped them naked and prepared them in the kitchen. Even after skimming off the foam and grease, skulls and eyeballs were still visible—a horrific human flesh feast.

"You have become Lord Pellegrini's Wings of Light." The thin steward sat next to Brother CC, not in a hurry to pick up his chopsticks. He waited until all the brothers were full before touching the leftovers, focusing only on flattery. "If there is ever an opportunity for advancement in the future, I would be grateful if you could put in a good word for me with Lord Pellegrini."

CC, unhurriedly, used metal chopsticks to pick up two pieces of sliced beef and tripe from the owner's restaurant in the rest area, which were smeared with chili oil, and replied slowly and in a low voice, "It's my pleasure."

The manager continued, "Brother CC, how about the next spot for the elixir?"

Before he finished speaking, the leader of the battle gang turned his head, bent down and sniffed the scent of the steward, just like a wolf king in a pack checking the pheromones of its members.

The steward was terrified, his hair standing on end.

The way Brother CC chews his food is quite frightening; bright red chili oil oozes from his Barry, which he then swirls back with his rough, fat tongue.

"We've come from District 15, what storms haven't we weathered? All because of one thing, one nameless man."

"It seems like nothing's right, manager!"

"My Dave, tell me, why is this all so strange?"

The burly giant shrugged and spread his hands at the manager, looking completely innocent.

"The third brother went to work as a laborer in Jiukou Hutong, killing fish for people every day."

"The second brother died under the gun barrel of Guangling Zhixi."

"Ah Ba has given up his brothel business and gone to the new Wutai Mountain to become a monk. Just last month, he was still sending me messages on WeChat about a new temple promotion: coupons for making wishes and praying for blessings, buy three incense sticks and get one free, and if you kneel and kowtow twice while praying to Buddha, it counts as three acts of merit."

"I went back to find Fifth Brother. He has two daughters who are both studying in Galahad and are doing very well academically. They were working at the Nameless Man's Bar during the summer vacation. The two girls were so happy when they talked about the gunsmith!"

"Boss Dave, oh Boss Dave!"

CC never refers to himself as the boss, but instead has his managers and brothers form a network of personal connections within the gang.

"Who do you think should receive the next elixir? They've sacrificed so much for this war guild, so, so much."

Manager Dave, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, finally managed to stammer out a polite remark—

"--Let's not talk about that now! Let's eat!"

Brother CC nodded: 'Okay! Let's eat!'

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the staff in the rest area were summoned to clean up the remains of the owners, including the cashier and other colleagues, and remove their broken bones from the tables. The remnants of the War Gang arrived at the entertainment room, where Manager Dave finally couldn't suppress his greed and started talking to Brother CC about the elixir again.

As can be seen from the previous text--

--Pellegrini had no extra elixir reserves.

So where did this quota for the elixir come from?

We followed CC's strong arm to the decorations in the recreation room.

The wall is adorned with an air rifle, two large elk heads, and an unfortunate VIP.

It was Hasben Madison, a centurion with exceptional marching skills who worked in the Rangers and set off immediately upon hearing the Summoning Bell, without time to deploy.

He was no longer human; his skull was deformed from the beating, he was blind in one eye, his hands were chopped off by the enemy, and his body was covered with steel nails embedded in the wall, becoming a new decoration.

He had no chance to make any arrangements. The journey to the capital was urgent and fast. After leaving the railway line, the satellite signal became weaker and weaker. While borrowing a phone in the rest area to contact his teacher, he was suddenly attacked by these cannibals.

This was the surprise Pellegrini left for the Gunsmith. After the defeat at Haitang, Crimson Fortress became the second line of defense against the Gunsmith. Instead of following high-value targets, they ambushed at a gas station with relatively weak security procedures, intending to kill the Gunsmith there.

However, the gunsmith hadn't arrived yet, but Hasben had already done so.

--Now CC has added another achievement to his list, and he can ask Pellegrini for another magic pill.

Manager Dave naturally wanted to seize this opportunity. If he could become Wings of Light among the Immortals and control a region, like Eureka's Cupid, he could live a life like a god!

Wealth! Beautiful women! Power! These things are readily available! Movie stars line up to get into his bed, and regional governors kiss his toes!

He would be more low-key, at least more careful than that foolish Kang Que Connor. If he just became a little "kind," did some charity work, frequently attended social events in the station system, made everything seem legal and compliant, and carefully managed everything behind the scenes, he could live a perfect life without any trouble.

It wasn't just Dave who thought this way; many leaders of the Madness Butterfly Sect had believed they could harness the power of holy blood and elixirs, that their minds were strong enough to maintain their humanity, and that they could use this power to do good deeds—now all those with names and identities have gone to the Merit Forest.

[Part ② - Just the Right Time]

Brother CC is different; he's simply bad, bad in a simple way.

He made a video call to Mr. Pellegrini to show off the spoils and demand more payment.

He then ordered his henchmen to torture the painting of Hasben on the wall, attempting to completely destroy it.

Hasben is protected by the Canaanite life within him, giving him extremely high resistance to physical damage. Don't be fooled by his current JPG version; he might even survive a ZIP version.

"Don't contact me if things aren't progressing." Pellegrini's tone was somewhat impatient; he hated nothing more than idle chatter.

In this respect, this wise Immortals and Jason Megan have a striking similarity: they can't even stand any charades, lies, or absurdities, finding them irritating.

"Boss, look who I caught!" CC pointed the camera at the wall, at Hasben's mangled body.

"My God!" Pellegrini's eyes lit up, then he questioned, "How could you treat a prisoner like this?! What if he dies?! He has to live! He must live! As long as he lives, he's the gunsmith's Achilles' heel!"

The two henchmen, wielding chisels and sledgehammers, worked together to carve new holes in Hasben. Amidst the bloody wounds, one could vaguely see some brilliant starlight—the hemostatic gel woven from the primordial essence of Canaanite life, attempting to save its master's life.

Pellegrini shouted, "Why? Did he offend you? Did he insult you? Did he hurt you?"

CC scratched his nose with an innocent grin. "Boss, human nature is inherently evil."

Pellegrini was both annoyed and amused; he admired CC, yet also thought CC was foolish.

Are you hurt?

"No," CC frankly admitted, "This guy's soul power can't harm me; my spiritual energy and physical body are both superior to his."

"You can't do that again," Pellegrini earnestly advised. "There's an old Chinese saying, 'Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.'"

"You have to give it to others," CC immediately chimed in. "If I don't like something, I'll definitely give it to my enemies to annoy them."

Pellegrini felt refreshed and at ease; chatting with this subordinate was so much fun! "Hahahaha!"

At that very moment, Hasben regained some consciousness due to the throbbing pain in his torso—

He lost so much blood that he barely remembers how he got hurt.

How many enemies are there? How did I end up on this wall?

Where is the teacher? Did they lose? How did they lose?

His brain was injured, and he lost most of his memory of the attack. He only went into the rest area to ask the owner for a phone number and the Wi-Fi password so he could contact his teacher. He also wanted to buy two packs of cigarettes. Just as the cashier was promoting oden, he was suddenly hit on the head by a huge spirit, which almost killed him.

Why? We clearly didn't detect any pheromones from the Blood-giving Monster, so the enemy's range should be extremely long! And their destructive power should be very high!

Have the staff in the rest area become monsters' henchmen? I gave them a lookout warning, and I fell into their trap?!

He tried to struggle, to break free from the steel nails, but the more he struggled, the faster he bled. In just a few seconds, Hasben's consciousness drifted away again, and he sank into sleep.

"Boss, how are you going to reward me? We were just wondering if this guy could get a second elixir?"

CC held up her phone and spun around in the room, wanting to show all her relatives and friends to Lord Pellegrini.

But the next second, Pellegrini's expression changed drastically! He was covered in cold sweat, his face was so pale he looked like he was about to cry, as if he had seen the King of Hell!

"Ugh," Manager Dave muttered under his breath, "All you do is make empty promises, huh! What a terrible boss!"

"I'll ask one more time, how much does Marlboro cost?"

The gunsmith leaned against the glass of the cigarette display case at the front desk and asked the apprentice.

"And this bag of plastic cigarette holders, it should be worth twenty-one Hui Stone Currency. Cigarettes and smoking accessories are taxed differently in different districts, so the price will naturally be different as well. If you don't know, call your boss to see me."

The laborer looked anxiously towards the side door, towards the dining room and entertainment room, but there was no sign of the boss! He'd all been eaten by the hunters of Crimson Fortress!

"Me me me me me"

There's only one reason why Pellegrini was in such a hurry to hang up the phone—

--The victory celebration party is way too early! You useless bastards from the War Clan!

When CC's phone scanned the room, he spotted a gunsmith standing between two lookouts by the restaurant entrance.

Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!

Did he see my face?! Did he see it clearly? Pellegrini was sweating profusely and quickly pressed the hang-up button!

With a soft "pfft"

--The dagger ripped a piece of fresh, tender flesh from the gatekeeper's throat, cutting open the blood vessels and trachea together.

Like slaughtering livestock, the gunsmith's movements were quiet and swift; he stabbed the sentry on the left to death, and immediately sent the one on the right to join him in hell.

The splash of blood on the floor finally drew the attention of the resentful manager Dave, to the tragedy that had occurred at the restaurant's entrance.

The brothers were all intently focused on their phones, waiting for Boss Pellegrini to discuss the ownership of the elixir, until the manager let out a piercing scream, and Boss Pellegrini hung up the phone. When Brother CC sent the message again, the result was a cold and indifferent message notification: "[Please add the other party as a friend]". For a moment, they were somewhat dazed.

"Blocked?" the gunsmith shouted in a friendly tone, "What the hell is wrong with me?"

CC didn't turn around. The honest thug was still in a state of loss and shock, and didn't even bother to pay attention to the unfamiliar voice.

"Damn it!"

Gunsmith: "You need to be patient."

CC: "Damn it!"

Gunsmith: "It's just like pursuing a girl; you have to play the victim. To win someone's heart, start by talking about your sadness. Melancholy makes men attractive; that's how my wife used to target me."

CC: "I'm not miserable."

The short sword spun and struck CC's palm, causing his phone battery to catch fire and explode on the spot. In his panic, CC felt a gust of wind at the back of his head and had to summon his spirit to almost break his neck in order to avoid the deadly flying knife.

The gunsmith pointed at the room full of demons—

"Don't worry, things will get really bad soon."