Act 15: Big Gun
[Part 1: Men and Horses]
George Joshua was completely unaware of the arrival of the old Joe Rank era; their feud dates back to 1840, beginning and ending with the railroad.
This Immortals always believed that history was made by men, by men and their horses, and by their guns; without the gunsmith, the nameless man was nothing.
The morale of regional combat groups is low, and their will to fight will gradually fade. Endless peacekeeping missions and counterinsurgency battles will turn these soldiers into resentful neighborhood committee aunties. At this point, using a money and power offensive to undermine Guangling Zhixi from within is just like what the Madness Butterfly Sect did in the last era—it has never changed.
Let the right people do the right things. The decision-maker doesn't need to step into the limelight. They just need to learn how to spend money and how to get others to do the work. That's what a boss should be doing.
Joshua's troubles in the Wulong Fortress did indeed delay 9527. His harassment and provocations, along with various acts of sabotage, kidnapping, burglary, and theft, lasted for three days and three nights, causing widespread panic among the village's residents.
Xiao Qi has just awakened his soul power, and is already embroiled in endless trouble.
The day before yesterday morning, after dealing with the remnants of the Five Tigers of the Zhan Gang, I didn't even have time for lunch. There were more than twenty human traffickers surrounding the back gate of the kindergarten, and I sent them all away, killing or burying those who needed to be killed. In the evening, twelve reckless arsonists came to launch a sneak attack.
Grandfather Dongfang Hao helped organize the young people in the stronghold to crossbreed with the monsters, and together with Xiao Qi, they helped defend the city. Yesterday, they caught four traitors who were taking bribes from the security team. These low-level employees from the street office wanted to find a way out by going to the White Shark Association Society, so they led the Dongfang Hao to their deaths.
The Thumb originally spoke to the two anonymous people like this--
--Wulong Fortress is a stronghold, a safe place.
Now, it has become a weakness. If the White Shark Association cannot be eradicated, these harassing attacks will continue for a long, long time. These seemingly harmless and despicable tricks are nothing to Xiao Qi.
But when an ordinary family loses a child, a father or a mother, the disaster is devastating for the residents of Wulong Fortress.
At this time, Xiao Qi began to miss her husband.
--Glory doesn't need a stronghold; her individual kill rate is extremely high, and she doesn't need to worry about civilian casualties when carrying out clearing missions. She has a storm-like offensive capability and an incredible intelligence-gathering ability, capable of breaking the hands of these henchmen before they can even make a move.
Gunsmith was much more composed. If Xue Ming had handled this matter, his initial approach to dealing with the Xuanfeng Hu brothers would not have been as simple as just killing them.
The husband will torment them, control them with Fragrant Dream, and hypnotize them. He will bring strange messages to Manager Todd, using these methods to mislead the decision-making unit's deployment, and only after everything is fully prepared will he take the initiative to strike.
These days, Xiao Qi rarely gets a good night's sleep, as she's constantly busy preparing for the White Shark Association's attack. Just as George Joshua said—
--Dongfang Hao wanted to do something, so he assigned some tasks to the old man. He pointed the finger at ordinary people; if heroes couldn't protect ordinary people, then heroes would become cowards.
In order to imprison the nameless guest in Wulong Fortress, six war gangs from the surrounding area were mobilized, including the Five Tigers who had already died, totaling three major forces and more than four thousand gang members. Countless eyes were on this lucrative highland.
Xiao Qi was exhausted and dizzy. In order to send Bailu out, she had to take care of the able-bodied men and women in the village by herself, keep an eye on the elderly, women and children, and ensure the basic livelihood of the residents while also taking care of their safety.
The water wells in the walled city have been separated and must be strictly guarded. The surrounding power distribution cabinets have been vandalized three times by thugs, resulting in the deaths of several groups of people, yet there are still reckless criminals causing trouble.
The people in the walled city were also gripped by a brief panic. With basic necessities unavailable, it was difficult to support the Nameless One's actions. But should they simply drive him away? If they did, they would face the White Shark Association's ruthless forces—what recourse did they have to resist?
These are all problems that successive leaders of the Guangling Zhixi War Group in Lieyang Fort have faced. The reason why the gunsmith is so powerful is that he can guarantee the basic needs of the residents for food, clothing, shelter and transportation, while also using swift and decisive measures against the evil forces. This is all due to the wisdom of the people.
Meanwhile, Bailu Lu wanted to infiltrate Cruise Ship No. 2, the core of the White Shark Association's power base. She also needed an intermediary and a special VIP pass.
Thumb can no longer act as an intermediary; he has officially surrendered and can no longer be considered a worker operating in the gray area.
Xiao Qi held out desperately in Wulong Fortress, while Bailu was their only means of attack. If this punch couldn't hit George Joshua's sore spot, they could only take the beating one-sidedly.
Fahan Frodo dead. He could have vouched for Bailu and gotten the Jiali into the second cruise ship, but when SCK chopped off his head and threw it into the latrine, the whole plan died in the womb.
Everything was just as George Joshua said—
Women are often driven by emotion, and they are often burdened by unnecessary kindness and compassion. Their indecisiveness or recklessness in acting can lead to unexpected trouble.
If they could abandon Wulong Fortress and disregard the lives of its residents, 9527 could free up resources to deal with other gambling dens and entertainment venues, at least allowing them to formally confront Todd.
If Fahan Frodo had been spared, allowing this man-eating, bone-spitting hybrid to live a few more days, Bailu wouldn't have wandered aimlessly around the No. 2 cruise ship terminal for so long like a headless fly.
They were caught in a dilemma, each worried about the other. Xiao Qi, who stayed in the village, was concerned for Bailu's safety, while Bailu was also worried about her sister-in-law, a mother of four. If something happened to her, how would she face her babies?
The only reliable force they could depend on, Guangling Zhixi, was also unreliable. These warriors had learned a lesson from the past; a direct confrontation with the White Shark Association in their early years had wiped out all the men in the group. The new recruits were now constantly playing cat and mouse with the White Shark Association's company representatives. If they were to actually help Wulong Fortress, it would mean they were prepared to lose their lives.
The gunsmith is dead; who will stand up for them now?
The soldiers of the battle group would entrust their lives to the gunsmith and the General of Tears without complaint, but if they had to obey the gunsmith's wife's orders, the situation would be completely different.
On the fourth day of the gloomy weather, George Joshua revealed his only weakness.
"Todd, why hasn't this Jiali been sent to Cruise Ship Number Two yet? Why? Can't you find her?"
The lion-like leader of the White Shark Association gently flicked the photograph.
He was consumed by lust and couldn't wait any longer.
Todd replied in a low voice, "The middleman is dead, Fahan Frodo is dead, and there are no further leads."
George Joshua is becoming increasingly manic. The saying goes that what you can't have is the best, and this is very important to him. Just like the prize figures in his collection that he has never collected, these "Barbie dolls" can be left untouched or unplayed with, but they absolutely cannot be without.
"Couldn't you find any other middlemen?"
Besides Fahan Frodo, the White Shark Association has other talent scouts.
Those who were slightly kinder would use the excuse of introducing jobs to find suitable girls, while heinous scoundrels like Fahan would use violence and intimidation, along with the lure of money, to deceive weak civilians, ultimately deciding the fate of a family based on their mood— Lisa Krausa's family died at the hands of such scum, yet Lisa accepted the job offered by George Joshua without a second thought.
"Of course I have plans, boss!" Todd quickly replied, "We've located their position, but they're just loitering around Cruise Ship Number Two. This is the heart of the city, not a place where we can use force."
The area around Cruise Ship No. 2 is the most civilized area. It's not only the White Shark Association's money and power trading market, but also a gathering place for merchants and officials from all walks of life who crave violence. Therefore, the requirements for the security system are also the highest.
Arresting people in a place like this is not so simple. If things go wrong and a large-scale casualty incident occurs, alarming the regional governor, Ming De will have to mobilize the surrounding forces, and the nameless gang will be mobilized in full force, leading to another large-scale purge.
George frowned. "The price isn't right? We can't reach an agreement?"
"She's not short of money." Todd had contacted various intermediaries multiple times and learned that the mysterious woman's stance was. "She's just wandering around the area, on vacation, and has no intention of selling herself!"
"Useless! They can't even handle a woman!" President Joshua roared. "Have they never tried to pick up a girl before? They should respect women!"
Todd nodded repeatedly, unsure what to say, silently grumbling to himself.
--The idea of respecting women coming out of the president's mouth is just too unconvincing.
"They can pretend it's a date! And then arrange a romantic meeting for me!" George Joshua exclaimed. "Does any woman refuse an invitation just because she knows my name?!"
Todd: "Yes, yes, yes! You're right."
Joshua: "As long as I can meet her, my handsome appearance and extraordinary demeanor will surely win her over!"
Todd: "That's right! Yes, that's right!"
Joshua: "Who can do this, Todd?"
Todd: "I do have an excluded middleman who sent me this plan."
"Oh?! Tell me!" Joshua immediately became interested. "Why were you excluded?"
"Thumb Mana," Todd said, showing the information on his phone.
The loyal butler moved closer to George Joshua, still crouching beside the chairman like a loyal and obedient wolfhound.
"He surrendered to the station a long time ago, my guild leader. This time he brought news that he returned to Lieyang Fort two months ago. Four junior members of the War Clan testified to his whereabouts, but I still don't quite believe him."
Todd said this with a face full of doubt.
"Thumb and the Anonymous seem to be getting close, and I think the source of that information is unreliable. But if you're talking about arranging a date, no other middleman can bypass Thumb."
"He explicitly warned the other middlemen to keep these hunters away from our Jiali —this is a gift from Thumb Mana to Chairman George Joshua."
George immediately became alert. "Is that so?"
Manager Todd smiled and said--
"--This is like a ridiculously stupid phone scam. Nobody would trust a two-faced traitor, right, Chairman?"
George: "Explain the whole story clearly first."
"Mr. Mana means that he has two things to do upon returning to Lieyang Fort," Todd explained slowly and deliberately. "He left his true name here and has been suffering from a curse of misfortune ever since, unable to escape the Hand of Omnipotence. He has returned this time to break this curse and successfully save someone who wanted to commit suicide."
"The first thing is that he has reason to suspect that a wizard in the White Shark Association persecuted him using the [True Name Charm], and that he wants to cause trouble for Sandra John. This wizard would cast such a spell."
George Joshua: "A very interesting reason. He's incompetent, yet he blames my men?"
Manager Todd continued, "The second thing is that he brought out War King Glory's sister."
At this point, Joshua's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately became focused.
"The gunsmith just passed away, and the youngest of the three siblings was in a bad mood, so she entrusted Thumb with finding the mastermind behind it all." Todd presented Thumb's half-truthful story with seemingly plausible evidence. "Ultimately, Thumb led the way to Lieyang Fort."
George Joshua: "This information is reliable; this guy really is a scoundrel who will side with anyone and betray anyone."
"Now for the important part, my boss," Todd nervously licked his lips, explaining the whole story, "Thumb wants to sell this woman to you—"
"--Just as you thought, his spiritual power seems to be able to see through people's hearts. It seems to be aimed directly at your vital points."
"He arranged a date for you and lured this Jiali, Jiang Bailu, to this place."
"Now that the gunsmith is dead, he has to fight for a future for the other fingers. He doesn't intend to hand over the hostage to the middleman; he just wants you personally to give him a [man's promise], do you understand? He wants a promise."
"Oh!" George Joshua immediately stood up, his eyes burning with excitement. "A man's promise! I like this kid! Even if he's like a clown, selling himself to others, he's still trustworthy because he'll do whatever it takes to get the highest price!"
"Boss, I have to remind you, the arrival of the Nameless Ones seems to be all bark and no bite." Todd still couldn't figure out the situation in Wulong Fortress. He didn't even know how many Nameless Ones had come to the city. "This is no coincidence. Jiang Bailu is the War King's younger sister. They look almost identical. Although Bailu doesn't have many historical achievements, and a lot of credit has been forcibly attributed to her, there's definitely something fishy going on here."
"If, I mean if..."
Todd's speech slowed down.
"If it were Glory who came to see you, instead of Jiang Bailu."
"That would be even better!" George Joshua interrupted excitedly. "A warrior must always face challenges. After all these years, on my turf, I'll host a banquet and deploy my forces to deal with this woman—she might not escape unscathed!"
Todd cautiously repeated, "My leader, you really, really should get rid of this lecherous habit. I..."
"This is a test!" George Joshua declared confidently, pointing to his index finger. "If I'm scared off by a woman, that awful thing will become my obsession!"
[Part ② Planting the Sun]
There are three hotels next to the Yangguan Wharf of the No. 2 cruise ship. This scenic area is next to the Lieyang Fort River, the main river of Lieyangbao. The area is lush with green mountains and clear waters, but there is no sunshine, only beaches.
At the MacArthur Royal Hotel on Cruise Ship No. 5, Bailu and Thumb were located. They had already dismissed several intermediaries, and due to the special security environment, the White Shark Association members dared not come to cause trouble.
Thumb revealed almost everything he knew, talking openly with George Joshua about everything.
--This guy, who had just boarded the nameless pirate ship, was actually complaining bitterly.
He had just finished assigning him work after his last meeting with the gunsmith, and then his superior passed away. Before he could even process this, the nameless man's mistress asked him for help.
Although we don't know the details, Xiao Qi is taking care of four kids, and so is Thumb. Thumb always avoids this kind of life-or-death work as much as possible.
Several years ago, he met George Joshua, which is why he came up with this trick. His spiritual power allows him to see the various [noises] and [desires] phantoms within Joshua's body.
"Will it work, Uncle Mana?" Jiang Bailu was still uneasy. Every day she waited here meant her sister-in-law would have to stay for another day.
"To deal with this kind of straight man, you have to use a straight punch. Tell him the truth, and he simply can't resist. That's his weakness." Thumb said this, just as a new message arrived on his phone—
" --Todd contacted me, get ready! It's the deck party on cruise ship number two! We're going to have a showdown!"
The hotel along the riverfront scenic belt, near the No. 1 cruise ship, is called the Sunshine Coast Grand Hotel.
It carries beautiful wishes, blessing the people of Lieyang Fort, hoping that this land will be favored by the sun.
The area on the first floor near the food stalls was packed with people, except for one completely empty area—
--Humans and monsters mingled together in a fast-food restaurant. Wen Bucai sat down, the strange hybrid monsters around him actively avoided him.
Wen Bucai complained, "I really don't understand why in some B-movies, people can just keep talking and talking, as if the screenwriters didn't consider the flow of the story when they wrote those lines."
Jack Martin grabbed the porcelain bowl, took a bite, replenishing his body with a bit of silicon, and produced a terrifying crunching sound.
Wen Bucai immediately shouted, "Victor! Do something about this!"
"He's all grown up now." Victor covered his face with a headscarf, sitting in his wheelchair pretending to be a patient. "And he's not under my control anymore. Jack isn't part of the railway system. You want to give him orders—"
"--First," Jack opened his mouth, showing a mouthful of crumbs, then gulped them down, "You need to go to Tian Shu to report it, then to Feng Mao to fill out forms, and finally make a trip to the United Nations to see if there are any regulations for managing the dead."
Wen Bucai rolled his eyes.
Jack immediately said, "Don't be upset. I'm just here to keep things going and do my job for free. If I didn't come, would you expect this wheelchair-bound violin-playing warrior to scout the way and give you directions?"
"What did the violinist do to you?" Victor immediately cursed, "You ugly thing! That's called boosting morale!"
Wen Bucai no desire to participate in this childish bickering; he returned to the movie.
"--I still don't understand. Like I just said, some of the main characters or villains have so much trash talk to say. It makes the story drag on, Victor!"
Victor immediately replied, "That's a way of creating art that's close to real life; telling lighthearted jokes can draw the audience into the story."
"Oh! Wow!" Wen Bucai to be deep in thought.
Victor corrected him, "Besides, B-movies don't need a plot. They're like toilet paper; your ass doesn't care how smooth it is, since you only use it once."
Jack persisted, asking, "Who did you just call an ugly thing?"
"Some people look kind-hearted, some look like innocent victims," Victor frowned. "Anyone who feels offended by this statement must be feeling guilty."
Jack laughed heartily, "Professor Victor is so funny!"
"Stop arguing." Wen Bucai originally thought that these two old friends still had some filter on their relationship, and perhaps it would be better to live in the memories. However, after meeting in person and sitting down at the table, they could argue about the recipe for days. From clothing style to food, from personality to appearance, they couldn't find a single thing to talk about.
Time is a wondrous thing.
At this moment, the food delivery window for the hybrid monsters delivered packaged dishes.
Wen Bucai quickly pulled his two old friends back to their room, and once in the elevator, he started rambling on and on.
"I saw the news; Lisa Krausa died a few days ago, apparently killed by your student's wife."
Victor wheeled himself into the elevator, completely absorbed in the role. "That's right."
Wen Bucai: "I don't understand why this guy is so patient; he hasn't stepped in to deal with this matter at all."
Jack immediately said, "I did that too, and you were furious."
Wen Bucai whispered, leaning closer to Victor, "This guy really knows how to talk."
Victor: "He's always been like that, his face as vicious as his mouth."
Wen Bucai shook the lunchbox in his hand, watching the plastic bag spin around his fingers again and again.
"Joshua, Joshua, your lover has been murdered and ground into mincemeat, and you can still bear it?"
"Actually, he couldn't help it, he couldn't stand it at all," Victor continued. "Yesterday's news reported that a passenger on Cruise Ship Number Two got drunk and barged backstage."
Wen Bucai wait to ask, "And then?"
"He gets really excited when this kind of topic comes up," Jack said with a grin. "I know, I know."
Victor: "This guest has lost his mind; he wants to go and play with Joshua's harem Jiali."
Wen Bucai: "Oh! Wow! That's the Ultimate Insult! He's so talented!~"
Victor: "There was a very sensible girl who had plastic surgery to look like War King Glory. She had seen a lot, so she stopped this guest."
Wen Bucai: "Ah."
Victor: "She undressed the drunk customer, washed his body and face, and massaged him, which calmed him down and relieved the ladies backstage."
Wen Bucai: "Wouldn't Joshua have killed this girl? She's not exactly innocent!"
Jack cursed, "You stupid straight man."
The elevator reached the ninth floor, and Victor pushed the wheelchair while explaining what happened next.
"No, Joshua didn't punish her; instead, he gave her a raise."
"As for that guest, his eyes were gouged out, and following the girl's massage techniques, his flesh was cut off and he was hung from the anchor of the No. 2 cruise ship. He hasn't been lowered yet and should be dying soon."
Jack glanced out the window. "Oh! Dead! Just died!"
Wen Bucai: "So that means Joshua actually has a terrible temper, and he cares a lot about his women? He can even get furious while giving a massage to a customer?"
Jack: "What else? What would you do if your wife gave massages to other people?"
"Does our spray gun still have air?" Wen Bucai asked Victor.
Victor took out his room key and opened the door. "It's gone, what happened?"
Jack immediately blurted out, "He wants to burn my mouth into glass so I can't speak."
Wen Bucai rolled his eyes again. "He's really smart."
Soon, the old man in the house appeared. He was Leo Lakeberg, whom the Police Department had rescued. The frail old gentleman was holding a pizza and stuffing food into the hands of another stranger next to him.
The stranger was covered in bandages, all made of textiles resembling graphite and lead cloth; he was an old acquaintance.
Lord Maddes is hiding here, and JoeRank's mission this time is to carry out Maddes' sunrise procedure and bring a sun to Lieyang Fort.
While refusing Grandfather Leo's kind offer, Maddes received the mixed-breed meal from Wen Bucai's monster. He saw that the lunchbox, which had been spun around dozens of times, was covered in grease inside and out, and the food had turned into rotten mud.
The King of Cinder said, "I'm going to file a complaint against you!"
Victor, hands on his hips, glared angrily at Wen Bucai: "You can't mistreat prisoners. He's already served his sentence."
The Wen Bucai, resorts to sarcastic and insincere remarks.
"--Oh! Oh oh oh oh! You're going to speak up for him?! For a criminal?! And argue with me?!"
Jack Martin, meanwhile, was lying on the balcony, talking to several carbon-based beings bound by gravity.
"Should I go get another one? It'll be quick! Just jump down and fly back up."
Wen Bucai asked in a low voice, "Guess how many he can kill? I bet at least two."
Victor took Wen Bucai's wallet and pushed the wheelchair downstairs.
"I've quit gambling."