Round 11: All In Your Name

Foreword:

This city is like an open sewer, full of garbage and scum.

--Martin Scorsese

[Part 1: The True Name Curse of Death]

Backstage at the Human Museum, Sandra John sits cross-legged before the shrine of the Madness Butterfly.

He was an exceptionally gifted spiritualist who had lived for over 130 years. Unlike George Joshua, this little old man was not an immortal monster; he was nearing the end of his life and was just a stone's throw away from death.

If your memory is good enough, you should remember that Thumb Mana asked Manager Todd to deliver a message to George Joshua.

--Among these pieces of information is Mr. Sandra's name.

He is the Fifth Seal of George Joshua, a psionicist whose power is renowned. There is a terrifying legend in Lieyang Fort that anyone who opposes the White Shark Association and reveals their true name will suffer a vicious curse.

This bizarre True Name Curse spell comes from Sandra John's Soul Power [All In Your Name]. To do business in Lieyang Fort, one must deal with the White Shark Association.

No matter how arrogant a dealer is, or how domineering a nouveau riche is, once they come to Lieyang Fort, they have to talk about feelings and gratitude with George Joshua, this local bigwig, or they won't have an easy time.

The power of [All In Your Name] is extremely domineering. It's like the Book of Life and Death of the King of Hell, the scythe in the hand of the Death God. As long as Sandra John knows the other person's name, she can keep casting curses, causing inexplicable "misfortune" to befall the cursed person.

At this moment, Sandra picked up the incense burner, muttered incantations, and shook her head wildly, appearing insane.

The target of the previous curse was 9527. Reciting the names Bai Ziqing and Bai Qingqing together, the soul power failed to lock onto the servant. It seemed the woman had forgotten her own name; this method was ineffective.

The target of the last curse was the only survivor in the Yangjiang Ferry case, a child who was not yet an adult and was also a witness who could confirm the White Shark Association's crime of drug trafficking. This child died suddenly in prison, breaking his neck after stepping on a bar of soap while bathing in the detention center's public bathhouse.

This time, Mr. Sandra is unleashing a barrage of curses on Radish Bro!

--Manager Todd revealed Radish's real name, which puzzled Mr. Sandra greatly.

"Todd wanted Radish to do things for the chairman, and he even assigned the tasks. Why did he still kill this kid?"

The elderly Sandra rested his chin on his hand, somewhat reluctant to let go. He yearned for life and admired young people. Serving George Joshua was also a way for him to become a member of the Immortals Alliance.

Just then, a plump cloud of black smoke gathered behind Sandra, revealing a kind and plump elf—the spirit of [All In Your Name].

It was five feet tall, short in stature, and almost as fat as a ball. There was no hair around its head, only a small bun sticking up on top of its head, and the hair was shiny.

It has eyes that emit ginger-yellow flames, a wicked grin on its face, and holds a palm-leaf fan in one hand and a treasure bottle in the other. The palm-leaf fan is a ritual prop used to send away evil winds and bad luck, and the treasure bottle can absorb the victim's "qi"—this "qi" refers to luck and fortune.

George Joshua once said that Lady Luck might be on his side, but that's utter nonsense. No matter how Ming De was, he wouldn't allow Immortals to roam freely on the train through the Nine Realms.

The fifth seal is the "strong luck" that Sandra John continuously supplies to George, which is why War King Glory was unable to kill George Joshua in a short time.

The bullets always seemed to avoid the Eagle Falcon- like freak's vitals, missing his eyes, failing to inflict a critical hit on his weak point, and unable to kill him quickly in one blow—it was like a video game.

--If it's not a fixed value, but rather a random number of ATK (Attack Power), Sandra John can reduce all the damage George Joshua receives to the minimum.

At that very moment, the chubby elf that [All In Your Name] had transformed into floated to the side of the original body and spoke with a grin.

Like Fragrant Dream and Cold-Blooded Killer, [In Your Name] possesses extremely high intelligence.

Why did Todd kill the carrot? Isn't that a simple matter?

The Smurf grinned, its expression sinister and terrifying.

"This kid messed things up; half a ton of goods ended up in Guangling Zhixi's pocket. Do you think he still has a chance to atone for his mistake?"

"Manager Todd spared his life as a show for the other warbands; otherwise, how could he lead this team?"

"Sandra, Sandra! You are so naive."

"There's this worthless lackey pleading with you, who lost hundreds of millions worth of goods but is still loyally seeking a chance to atone for his sins—he's a good candidate for winning people's hearts."

"How could Todd tolerate such a mistake? So he made up some excuse, gave him a task, and commissioned us to kill someone, absorb all of this idiot's [energy], and send it to Chairman George Joshua. That's a simple and efficient way to make use of waste."

Sandra suddenly realized--

"--Young people really do have sharper minds. So that's what Todd was thinking?"

The Smurf kept rubbing its chin; the folds of skin could hold several cards.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! The steward is only in his thirties or forties, yet he's already gained George Joshua's trust. You and Damien are just tools, simply because you don't understand people!"

Sandra was filled with remorse. She had become George Joshua's killing machine, but how could a master develop feelings for the weapon he wielded?

I'm afraid I'll never be able to come into contact with the holy blood of the Immortals in this lifetime.

"Let's get back to work," the Smurf said. "Keep cursing this radish to death. Stop thinking about all that nonsense. I've come to terms with reality. My true self, you're someone who's content with the status quo—even if your soul is fully aware of these things, asking you to carry them out, to take action, is a pipe dream."

"You can't do it, you're not Todd."

"Let's do what we're good at, let that kid Radish be plagued by bad luck, let his bad luck dissipate, let the stairs collapse as soon as he touches the railing, let an earthquake happen as soon as he walks into the building, let the cars he rides in have tire blowouts and engine failures, and let the small animals he touches get sick and die suddenly."

"Anyone who has come into contact with him is going to have terrible luck!"

"He's a cursed star!"

Sandra John, following the guidance of the spirit, prepared to continue chanting and casting spells.

At this moment, another elderly man with a white beard, Damien with a hooked nose, walked in from backstage to pay his respects.

"Two people need you to cast a spell for them."

"One order after another." Sandra's face was full of displeasure, and she was not in a good mood. "If you want to report to the underworld, you'll have to wait in line too."

Manager Damien looked serious, clearly very nervous— the Ming De Detective King had personally come to his Curiosity Museum, which worried him greatly, and he had to find a way to kill David Victor.

His animal-creating abilities were not lethal, and when dealing with multiple targets, he also had to maintain the balance of the Holy Blood within George Joshua, leaving him no time to kill.

"I recognize this kid, but he doesn't remember me."

[Part ② - Urgent Need for Materials]

Sandra John immediately became interested; she loved hearing gossip.

President Joshua sent him to the Curiosity Museum, where he remained an over-aged recluse for five years.

"What do you mean? Did you meet David Victor once?"

In Damien Katz's slow, somber voice, he recounts a small story from over two hundred years ago. It's about Joe Rank's experience coming to the Sloth Town, outside the Grand Canyon, to confront the Perfume Bottle Gang's Curiosity Museum.

Wen Bucai, David Victor, Jack Martin.

Damien once faced these three young men, fought them, and eventually escaped.

This wasn't the first time Damien and Victor had met; they had been rivals for over two hundred years. Damien had changed his name several times, enduring humiliation and keeping a low profile. Perhaps Victor had long forgotten the curator of this Human Museum.

Damien could still remember the three brothers' superpowers and the shame he felt when he was brutally beaten and abused.

These old and new grudges combined enraged Damien, who went to Mr. Sandra in an attempt to use the curse of Death God to attack David Victor.

"They're about to enter the museum. I want Mr. Sandra to immediately use the power of [All In Your Name] to curse David Victor."

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, much better than that radish!"

Damien became so excited that he could barely speak.

"If you could kill Victor, I'd put in a good word for you with President Joshua, Manager Todd would also do you a favor. I'm sure the President would grant you even more powerful holy blood! I... I... I feel..."

Damien, that old dog, felt a deep-seated fear. He had witnessed the power of the drunkard, and if Wen Bucai were also in Lieyang Fort, if Jack Martin were also in Lieyang Fort, he couldn't imagine what kind of beating he would suffer.

Victor must be killed! And no word of this can get out! No one can know about this!

Only [All In Your Name] can do it! And only [All In Your Name] possesses the special ability to kill without leaving a trace.

"I understand." Mr. Sandra nodded and began to burn incense and perform the ritual.

Clark and Victor walked past the registration desk toward Hall One of the Human Museum.

Under the bright lights, they arrived at the front of the booth.

--On the display stand was a tall chair, and on the chair sat a dwarf doll.

Victor, in his fox form, stared curiously at the exhibit notice board, carefully examining the descriptions of the exhibits.

"A case of congenital malformation discovered in the secular world in 1989 was named Anderson Brook by his parents."

Clark didn't dare look at the thing; the doll was too creepy, it had a sinister feel to it.

The little fox stared wide-eyed with curiosity and perched on the pole of the display stand's notice board.

"Little Anderson was discriminated against. After his parents had a second child, they treated him like a monster, and Anderson died not long after."

"The Brooks proactively reported the incident to the police. The Ohio State Police could only find part of Anderson's body. Later, according to the State Police's investigation, parts of Anderson's organs were found in a neighbor's house, a school, and a public bathhouse."

"Due to insufficient evidence, state police were unable to arrest and convict these individuals, making it a cold case."

"Six months later, a series of murders began in the county, and according to witnesses, the killer was Anderson Brook, who had been dead for a long time and was a short, dwarf-like man."

"The FBI reopened the case file and contacted the TRG psychic team to investigate—and finally the truth came out."

"The Brooks were the main perpetrators, along with twelve students from the local school, their parents, two teachers, two firefighters, and a garbage truck driver. They all participated in killing Anderson Brooks. The whole process resembled a cult-like dismemberment and sacrifice ritual."

"Nearly two hundred villagers believed that Anderson Brooke should die. His ugly appearance disturbed the people, and even the villagers' pet dogs were frightened by him. So they asked the Brooke couple and other suspects to commit the crime together."

"The spirit of Anderson Brook began to Spirit Calamity, collecting organs from the living to recreate a doll-like body for himself. Previously kept at an auction house in the Northland Granary area, it was purchased by Dashan, an assistant at the Human Museum, and is now on display for visitors in Hall One."

"Dear guest, distinguished VIP of the Curiosity Museum-- "

"--If you don't see this dwarf figurine in the display case, don't worry."

"Mr. Anderson doesn't seem to be completely dead; he's just looking for some fun, perhaps a walk elsewhere, or some time with his guests."

"He was a kind, gentle, and understanding boy. The prejudice and discrimination he suffered in his lifetime wouldn't have brought him much resentment. He was the type who would settle scores and never harm the innocent."

"If Mr. Anderson is still sitting in his chair, please do not disturb him. No one will be in a good mood or temper if they are disturbed while they are sleeping."

"Your good friend— Damien Katz."

The little fox Victor was beaming, as if he had taken some kind of stimulant. His eyes were wide open, almost as if he wanted to cross the warning line to take a closer look. He had absolutely no resistance to objects full of stories!

"It's new material! Clark! Let go of me! Stop holding me!"

Clark Sean clung tightly to Victor: "My esteemed VIP! Wake up! I'm turning into an animal! Please be sensible! This is not the time for material!"

Just then, Clark frantically pressed down on Victor's fox head, shoving the fiery red cutie into his arms.

The dwarf doll remained motionless, silently watching everything.

They tugged at each other, stumbling and falling as they made their way deeper into the exhibit. When they reached booth number two, Clark accidentally stepped off the stairs and fell, breaking his head and bleeding profusely. The little fox Victor in his arms tumbled over and rolled into the cage in booth number two.

In that instant, a strange, giant snake sprang out of the grassy nest at Platform Two!

Before I could even read the booth description, the little fox was swallowed whole by this giant python!

"No, no, no, no! No, no, no, no!" Clark Sean turned pale with fright.

He killed Victor? It's that simple? He was swallowed whole by a snake?

Why doesn't this damn Curiosity Museum even have glass cases? Are they just letting these bizarre and ferocious creatures attack visitors?

What the hell is wrong with me?! Why? Why did just two or three steps have to make me fall? Why did they have to throw Victor into the Animal Pen? Why?

"Fuuuuuck!"

The next second, golden flames burst forth from the python's throat.

A string of characters appeared in the basilisk's belly and flesh, and in the blink of an eye, the little fox Victor, covered in slime and with filthy fur, was spat out by the giant basilisk.

Beneath the giant snake's throat, a wrinkled human face emerged, cursing at the visitors before sullenly slithering back into its burrow.

"This city is like an open sewer, full of garbage and scum. I'm talking about disgusting scum like you!"

Victor ignored this rude snake brother.

--The little fox waved its smoking paws, its black claws still bearing the psychic flames produced when the [Hell Highway] was written with demonic commands.

It vomited, so disgustingly it vomited all over the floor.

"So this is what it feels like to be swallowed whole by a cold-blooded animal? Like being wrapped in a plastic bag by soft, bloody, frozen meat, Clark! You want to try it too?!"

Clark ignored Victor. Like the perfect boyfriend, he took off his shirt, baring his chest, and told Victor to clean his fur properly, since the giant snake's stomach acid might still be highly corrosive.

Little fox Victor tilted his head, holding the sweat-soaked clothes, and glanced at Clark.

Thank you.

Clark sat down next to the little fox and said seriously, "Mr. Victor, I think we need to find Damien immediately, crush that old guy, make him obediently dispel his soul attack, and then we can stroll around the exhibition hall a few more times, okay?"

Victor wiped the fur off his body and rolled around on the carpet a few times.

It twitched its ears, shook its head, and its spine cracked. It scratched its chin hard with its hind paws.

"No problem, I'll do as you say."