Round 1: Thriller

Foreword:

There is no turning back if you want to be a hero; it's either success or death.

--Alfred Hitchcock

[Part 1: The Drowsy Dog]

"You're fucking fired!"

The supermarket manager's shouts and curses echoed from the checkout counter to Lilan Avenue, a street notorious for its filth and disorder in Lieyang Fort. People who teeter on the edge of crime live here, struggling to survive.

Susie is nineteen years old and an orphan. Her first job after leaving Julian's capital was as a cashier at the Huimin Supermarket on Lilan Avenue.

She was a Black woman who had no parents to rely on. She grew up in an orphanage in the capital and received a basic education. The staff there had connections with officials in the Lieyang Fort district, so they sold these helpless children as cheap and readily available human resources to make up the numbers in remote areas.

They went to work in factories, they did sanitation work, they climbed onto rooftops to repair water pipes and patch tiles, and they worked in shops as cashiers and washed dishes.

All sorts of cheap labor are needed; Lieyang Fort has never lacked ogres, but it lacks people.

Today, Susie got fired because she gave two bags of flour that were about to expire to a homeless man.

The gifts were few and inexpensive, but this did not comply with the supermarket's regulations or the supervisor's procedural fairness.

"I don't understand! I don't get it!" Susie insisted, pointing to the goods on the shelf. "These foods will be thrown in the trash in a couple of days! People who can't afford to eat out will also throw them in the trash. What's wrong with me giving them away?"

"And also!"

"Take it off the shelf, it's spotless!"

Susie clutched a cardboard box containing her personal belongings; her dismissal was inevitable.

"But if they scavenge for food in the garbage cans, they'll get sick and die!"

The supermarket manager, a burly, older white man, asked, "What's it to you?"

Susie argued until her face turned red and her dark skin began to flush. "I'll pay! It's just two bags of flour!"

Supermarket manager. "You want to be a hero? You want to be a hero?"

Susie was trembling with anger. "Give them some dignity!"

"Ha!" the supermarket manager scoffed. "Let me tell you, these garbage parasites who come begging for food are criminals! They're thieves and robbers! You give them two bags of flour today, what if they come asking for money tomorrow? Are you going to open the counter and give money to these scumbags too?"

As he said this, the supermarket manager tore off Susie's employee badge, his ambiguous smile turning into a fierce and ruthless expression.

"Let me tell you! The goods in Huimin Supermarket, even if they're expired, rotten and stinking, and infested with worms inside and out, we won't give them to these social parasites for free—we'd rather let the Madness Butterfly eat them than let them have any!"

"No wonder you little wench seem a bit dim-witted!"

The supermarket manager looked at Susie's T-shirt, which had a titanium-plated steel stamp of an anonymous helmet as its logo. These peripheral products didn't care about intellectual property rights; any textile factory could print and sell them.

"In Lieyang Fort, you dare wear 'Nameless' on your body? Who do you think you are? Go catch a criminal, then? What kind of skill is it to bully a high-class worker like me? Standing on your moral high ground and pointing fingers at me?" The supermarket manager said sarcastically, "I just want to make money! There's only one thing on my mind! That's making money! If you feed all the poor people, who will spend the money?!"

Susie's face was contorted with rage, and she nearly crushed the cardboard box in her hand. All she knew was that she was all alone in Lieyang Fort. If she returned to the welfare home in the capital, she would have to ask her classmates for help to arrange a job, which would leave her with a mountain of favors and trouble for others. In addition, she would also have to suffer racial discrimination in the capital.

This naive and innocent little girl still wants to reason.

"They are not criminals! They are just poor."

The supervisor didn't give them a chance at all, and ordered other employees to close the fresh produce section and turn off the power and lights in all sections of the supermarket.

As night falls, although Sunless Lieyang Fort doesn't distinguish between day and night, people still need to rest and sleep. Traffic lights are turned off, road maintenance lights are switched off, and production activities completely cease, except for the industrial park which operates around the clock. This is when criminals become active, engaging in various illegal drug and gun transactions.

Only after all the other employees had left did the supervisor have time to go to the main entrance and point his finger at Susie.

"Poverty is a sin! Poor people will steal!"

"That's not right!" Susie exclaimed, just to prove a point. "That's not right! If someone steals because they're poor, then why are they poor?"

The supervisor sneered, "That's because of laziness and stupidity!"

Susie retorted, "No way! If everyone in Lieyang Fort were like that, it would be Lieyang Fort's fault! It's because there are just too many arrogant and conceited idiots like you! You're both stupid and greedy! You have no intention of letting anyone else live! If someone has hands and feet but chooses to steal, then it's society's fault!"

The little girl was both anxious and angry, frozen in place, unsure whether to leave or stay, and nervously stamping her feet.

"The capital city can provide an education for orphans like me, but what about here? You won't even give a few bags of flour that are about to expire to the poor! What if they had children? What if they had parents? Are they like me? Are they going to lose their jobs because of something worth a few dollars? -- You're driving people to commit crimes! You're killing people!"

At this moment, Susie still stubbornly believes that it's just a matter of a dozen or so dollars.

However, the supermarket manager never saw it that way. It wasn't about money; it was about Susie trampling on the rules of Lieyang Fort. It was this overly compassionate girl who was challenging the iron law of the jungle time and time again.

If Susie does this today, other employees will do the same tomorrow. Eventually, investors will all be laid off. He also has a family, children, and parents, and he has his own life—he doesn't want to become the next homeless person begging for food.

This system of rules harms everyone, but no one can defeat it. As long as money exists in this world, it will continue to force people to sell their flesh and blood to survive.

The supervisor pointed to the dark road and yelled, "Get out!"

"You're telling me to just go back to the dorm like this?" Susie's face was full of disbelief. "In the middle of the night? On Lilan Avenue? Walk back?"

This street is fraught with danger. For a woman to walk back like this is like a lamb entering a tiger's den. If nothing unexpected happens, her fresh organs will be found in White Lady's workshop the next day.

The supervisor, arms crossed and looking imposing, asked, "What's wrong? Scared?"

His large fingers pointed at the riverbank on the street, the alleyway next to the street, and the crossroads in the far distance.

"I originally intended to see you off on your final journey, but now I've changed my mind. Since you believe criminals are human, and the poor are human, then walk back down this poor and run-down street! I have no obligation to take care of you; we only have an employer-employee relationship, and now it's not even that—do you intend to treat me like a father? To take care of you for the rest of your life?"

A deathly silence enveloped the two of them.

Susie stopped trying to be tough, because in the face of violence, words become inadequate.

The supermarket manager hesitated. He only wanted to scare the young woman; he wasn't a racist, he just wanted to run the shop well, make a quick and easy living. If Susie would back down, perhaps there was still room for negotiation.

He just needed a little recognition and respect, and for Susie to obey these rules—in Lieyang Fort, money was far more important than people.

The two remained locked in a stalemate. In the latter half of the night, Lieyang Fort began to clear dust and fog, and the artificial rainmaking device sprayed out condensed water, turning it into a biting, icy rain in the dead of winter.

They were like two drowning dogs.

Susie did not step into the "sacred and inviolable" territory of the supermarket awning.

Even the supermarket manager couldn't shake the burning, hateful glint in Susie's eyes.

"Listen up, if we're going to get ahead, it all depends on whether this deal can win over Manager Todd."

In a dark corner, a Ford Explorer was parked, a militia patrol vehicle. Inside were two teenagers, no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. They were a good pair, a neighborhood gangster who had aspired to become crime superstars and leaders of the War Gang since childhood.

They all gave themselves catchy code names in advance; when doing business in Lieyang Fort, you always need a memorable name.

The older one was called Long-Armed Ape. He had worked with the pickpockets of the Zhan Gang since he was a child. He was clever and ruthless. He usually acted as a lookout in group crimes. While his companions were mostly caught, he, the lookout, always managed to escape the law.

The smaller one is called the Horse-Faced Monkey. He grew up in the same neighborhood as the Long-Armed Ape. Both are resilient kids on Lilan Street, but he has his own unique skills in stealing cars.

After three or four years of twists and turns, the two, once again, came together to work as a war gang under Manager Todd.

The Long-Armed Ape pulled a gun from the stolen patrol car. The radio light illuminated his dark, gaunt face. He excitedly stroked the slide of the gun, watching the golden bullet slide into the chamber. His face was filled with excitement and bloodlust.

"This is the first time I've ever touched one! ~ Horse-Faced Monkey! This time I'm sure I'll make a name for myself!"

The Horse-Faced Monkey, with its dreadlocks and like the Long-Armed Ape, is a Black animal. The young man looked bewildered; after helping his friend steal a car, he'd been following him around, saying he was going to cause some big trouble. But what exactly was this "big trouble"?

"Manager Todd said someone wants to be a hero!" The Long-Armed Ape, holding a gun, casually pointed it around. "Fine! We'll turn the hero into a coward!"

The Horse-Faced Monkey responded blankly, "Huh?"

The Long-Armed Ape continued, "They're dressed as nameless people, wearing clown masks, and sporting the helmets and steel stamps of the Flash Butterfly Armor Suit, and they're going against the War Gang! They're impossible to catch or find! So we'll also disguise ourselves as nameless people and rob and kill them!"

The Horse-Faced Monkey, still bewildered, replied, "Oh."

The Long-Armed Ape chuckled and said, "Heh heh! Let's smear them! Make them a mess! Turn them into a pile of mud! Stir up the waters! The militia and the warbands won't know who to help! That'll be hilarious! Even nameless people will become criminals! Become thugs! Become murderers! Heh heh heh!"

The Horse-Faced Monkey finally understood. "Oh! Oh!"

At this point, the Long-Armed Ape began to have a problem—

He had little experience in robbery and murder and didn't know where to start, so he discussed it with his partner.

"How about we rob a bank? That way, all the police in the city will come!"

The Horse-Faced Monkey immediately snapped out of it, its eyes clearing. "No! Bro! I'll die!"

The Long-Armed Ape exclaimed loudly, "So many brothers from the War Gang are doing this! If our case isn't big enough! Not exciting enough! How can we stand out from so many candidates?"

The Horse-Faced Monkey became incredibly clever, seemingly transforming into a different person when discussing matters of life and death. "No way! Damn it, no way! You're going to rob a bank! Isn't that going against the Great White Shark Association?"

Now it was the Long-Armed Ape's turn to be confused. "Huh?"

The Horse-Faced Monkey asked with feigned seriousness, "Who is the richest person in Lieyang Fort?"

Long-Armed Ape: "Of course it's Manager Todd!"

Horse-Faced Monkey: "Manager Todd works for George Joshua too! The richest group is the White Shark Association. Whose money is in the bank? Isn't it the White Shark Association's? If we rob a bank and fail, we'll lose our lives. If we succeed, Manager Todd will still take our lives!"

The Long-Armed Ape, dumbfounded, simply said, "Oh."

After a while, neither of them felt comfortable continuing the conversation.

The rain grew heavier, and the dusty raindrops pounded against the car windows, making a crackling sound.

The Long-Armed Ape flushed red; he felt he had to do something to prevent his glorious and great criminal enterprise from dying in its infancy.

"How about we rob a jewelry store?"

Horse-Faced Monkey: "In the city center? What jewelry store is on Lilan Avenue? This place only sells high-quality fakes. Lots of rappers come here to order jewelry from Madam Liu for their music videos. It's all copper-plated gold, worthless."

Long-Armed Ape: "Copper-plated gold is still gold."

The Horse-Faced Monkey scratched its head and suddenly fell silent.

--To survive on Lilan Avenue, especially for shops that make jewelry to support lower-class people like rappers, even if it's fake gold and silver, the shop owners usually have some skills.

Horse-Faced Monkey had heard of Madam Liu's reputation. She was 62 years old this year and had won the IPSC shooting selection competition in District 54 last year, becoming a six-time consecutive champion. She was of Chinese descent. Ever since the gunsmith began teaching her the Six Arts and Knight's Combat Techniques, this old lady had learned guns and martial arts as if she had a cheat code.

"I think, Bro, wake up!" Horse-Faced Monkey said cautiously, "If we call up a few of the guys in the neighborhood who steal diesel from trucks, and bring over your three old pickpockets too, they shouldn't be a match for Madam Liu —wasn't there a child kidnapping case last week? The manager of that jewelry store was definitely involved."

The Long-Armed Ape perked up. "Oh! She went to kidnap people too?"

Horse-Faced Monkey squeezed his partner's face, his tone hysterical. "She must have gone to a crime scene to kill someone, wearing the Nameless Man mask! What's the thrill of shooting a criminal compared to shooting a target at a shooting range? I've seen her! She's been radiant these past few days, like she's ten years younger!"

[Part ② Pulp Fiction]

Banks are off-limits, and it seems that gold and jewelry stores are also off-limits.

So the Long-Armed Ape adjusted the difficulty. "How about we start with places like coffee shops or general stores?"

Horse-Faced Monkey shook his head vigorously, swinging his dreadlocks like a rattle. "Bro!~ Now it's all about online and mobile payments, you can't grab much cash anymore. Besides, cafes and grocery stores have huge counters, either they have a bar that can hide a gun or be bulletproof, or they have short opening hours and they're all closed at this hour."

Long-Armed Ape: "There's another supermarket! The Huimin Supermarket!"

"That works!" Horse-Faced Monkey immediately agreed, "The Grandfather and grandmas who come to buy groceries on Lilan Avenue all pay in cash. Their eyesight isn't good, and they don't know how to use mobile phones. When it's closing time, we just need to grab one or two employees and force them to open the door!"

The two friends decided to do it right away.

--The Ford Explorer drove across the intersection and stopped in front of the supermarket.

Susie and the supermarket manager were still in a silent standoff when they saw a militia patrol vehicle drive by. The manager immediately changed his tune and his attitude was no longer as tough as before. Now it seemed that Susie could get a ride home in the militia vehicle. The only condition that could force this young girl to admit her mistake had also disappeared.

When Susie saw the militia vehicle clearly, she immediately made a face at her supervisor, like a victorious general. She raised her head high, but then immediately revealed her true colors.

"Who asked you to walk me to my dorm?! You're really shameless! Who do you think you are? I'll report you for sexual harassment!"

Two teenagers, wearing the raincoats of the militiamen on duty, got out of the car. The Long-Armed Ape immediately raised his gun and pointed it at the supermarket manager, firing a shot.

"Bang!--"

Before the supervisor could even speak, his head exploded, and he died instantly.

Susie forgot to scream, seemingly unaware of what had happened.

These two children dressed as militiamen, wearing nameless masks—are they here to kill criminals? Is the supervisor a criminal? It seems so! He's a bad guy!

"Holy shit!" Blood splattered all over Horse-Faced Monkey: "Bro! What are you doing!"

The Long-Armed Ape's hands trembled uncontrollably. "Walk, walk, walk, walk... It's gone off the rails!"

The Horse-Faced Monkey exclaimed, "You can even aim so accurately?! Bro, you're so talented! From now on, you're my Ape God! But wait! But you killed him! Who's going to open the door for us?!"

The Long-Armed Ape was so frightened it lost its mind. "Brother, give me a hand! I... I... I can't move!"

As the Horse-Faced Monkey supported the Long-Armed Ape, Susie finally realized that these were definitely not militiamen! Nor were they some nameless individuals! These were clearly two immature little devils! They were here to kill and rob!

"You!" Susie was about to cry for help.

The Horse-Faced Monkey grabbed the Long-Armed Ape's arm and glared fiercely at Susie.

"If you dare to shout, you'll be the next one to die! The rain is so heavy! The gunshots can't even be heard! Who do you think you can call for help?"

The Long-Armed Ape then threatened, "Open the door, you bitch! Behave yourself! Otherwise, you'll get a bullet!"

"Ape God, stop this, you've gone too far." The Horse-Faced Monkey -man was surprisingly kind. "She's a Black woman, she's not a whore, you can't insult her like that."

The Long-Armed Ape immediately changed its tune. "Oh, excuse me. Could you please open the door for me?"

Susie was too frightened to speak.

"What bad luck! It started raining as soon as we arrived!"

At this very moment, another pair of sleeping dragons and phoenix chicks are about to arrive at Lieyang Fort. The first road they will pass through is Lilan Avenue, which is a major transportation artery of the intercity expressway and a necessary route to enter the bustling city center. It is also the old settlement of Lieyang Fort residents.

Fuyanni kept cursing while driving. They were originally on a mission to crack down on counterfeits in District 39 when they received news of the gunsmith's teacher's death, which Billy refused to believe.

Coupled with Fay Foroisin's (FF) sudden departure, Billy's heart was shattered by a series of blows. In just a few days, the teacher who changed their lives passed away without them even having a chance to attend the funeral. Billy's older brother also lost his girlfriend. This forced Fuyanni to bite the bullet and take the self-destructive Billy out to clear his head.

They drove north, not wanting to see the railway again. When they received news that his teacher's wife had gone to Lieyang Fort, Billy wanted to do something, so he chose to drive along the railway line to this sinful city.

"This car was supposed to be given to FF. What happened to her? What did I do wrong?" Billy leaned against the car window, looking utterly dejected.

Fuyanni drove into the rain, and the wipers couldn't clear the water droplets from the windshield.

"Fuck! I fucking fucked him!"

Billy: "Are you insulting me? It must be because I haven't done well enough, I'm not good enough."

Fuyanni: "Brother, wake up!"

Billy: "I don't know. FF is so beautiful, I'm probably not good enough for her, right? She looks down on me? Is that right?"

Fuyanni: "Oh! Poor Tom! Being played like a puppet by a woman!"

Billy: "I really don't know. What's wrong with me? Is it because I've never valued my own life? I've been fighting with these bastards who sell counterfeit goods, cheat tourists, and swindle money, and she's afraid I'll suddenly die and she'll be a widow? Shouldn't I have done that?"

Fuyanni: "Small pits hanging over big pits, eyes closed! Small pits hanging over big pits, eyes closed!"

With a clatter, the car exited the highway and arrived at Lilan Avenue.

Billy: "Fuyanni, am I really that annoying? How come the gunsmith teacher is gone? Did he hate this world too, hate this human being? He was an angel! Angels really do go back to heaven."

"God!" Fuyanni continued to curse, "If the teacher were an angel, Lawrence would immediately fall from his God! He would respectfully tell the gunsmith—you take this seat!"

Billy: "Tell me, brother, is there something wrong with me?"

"No, no, no! You're fine! You're fine! I can't find anything wrong with you!" Fuyanni suppressed his anger; he had been driving for twenty hours straight, all because of the friendship between Billy and FF—

--This car was originally intended for FF, so we can't just throw it away.

"When you can't find your own problem, it must be that woman's problem!" Fuyanni tugged at Billy's clothes. "It must be that woman's problem! Billy! That woman has a problem! She's made you so depressed! She's driven you insane! She's clearly not a good person! She won't even say a decent goodbye! She has a problem!"

The instant Fuyanni's right hand left the gearshift --

They bumped headfirst into the rear of Ford Explorer.

I happened to park in front of Huimin Supermarket on Lilan Avenue. There were no other customers in the parking lot, and this was the only supermarket with its lights on in the 300-meter stretch of street.

Fuyanni had been hoping to try his luck and reach this rest stop to get something to eat. But in a moment of distraction, he crashed into a militia patrol vehicle!

"Oh no, oh no, oh no! Damn it!"

Billy also regained consciousness, and his eyes became clear.

"Damn it! This has nothing to do with me! I'm just heartbroken! It's you! Fuyanni! You're the one who hit the militia's car! You're so wicked!"

Just then, the two brothers, the Long-Armed Ape and the Horse-Faced Monkey, finished counting the money in the counter. They threw the supervisor's body into the freezer, changed into clothes that were easy to move in—supermarket employee uniforms—and prepared to change into a car to escape the scene.

Susie, the younger sister, stood guard at the door for the two brothers. There were guns pointed at her from behind, so she could only help the criminals.

When Fuyanni got out of the car to look around, he realized that the militia patrol vehicle had not engaged its handbrake, and the rear-end collision had caused it to crash into the road. There was no one inside the vehicle.

They were so hungry they were dizzy and wanted to go to the supermarket to find something to eat, but when they turned on their phones they found there was no signal; the rain was too heavy. The nearby cell towers were completely out of service.

Billy and Fuyanni, supporting each other, stepped into the supermarket.

Fuyanni was still comforting his good brother.

"She doesn't understand. Women are all like that; they always think men have a choice—but they don't. If you want to be a hero, you either succeed or die."