Round 16: On the Line-On the Brink

Foreword:

It is the beautiful woman who kills the beast.

--Peter Jackson

[Part 1: Beauty and the Beast]

When George Joshua awoke again, it was already dawn.

--Yes, you heard me right.

A dark red light emanated from the riverside promenade in downtown Westbrook, a sign that Lord Maddes was attempting to initiate his ascension ritual. He hadn't fully ignited yet; only powerful radiant energy, accompanied by violent psionic tides, was spreading throughout the city.

Lady Joshua struggled to her feet from the mud, her body reeking of a foul odor. This was a side effect of [B·Side], where the transformation leaves behind a layer of hair and dead skin, naturally metabolizing excess fat.

He has completely transformed into a woman and regained his health; it is a complete "rebirth."

The sacred blood and Vita Imprint within her belly found a delicate balance. Ms. Joshua could still feel the source of her power, but the dramatic changes in her hormone levels made her immediately realize that something was different.

Wearing her Fosis police uniform, she rolled over in the filthy mud, lifted the bumper of the Ford SUV, and escaped from the wreckage.

She limped, still not quite used to her new legs, and finally made her way back to the main road in the Northland Granary area. When she saw the militiamen on duty and the ambulance by the roadside, she suddenly felt a pang of anxiety and immediately hid behind the low wall of the shops next to the railway.

"They're like a persistent ghost! How come there are pursuers everywhere?"

Ms. Joshua's eyes were sinister and fierce. She felt energetic and in incredibly good physical condition, but why? Why did her voice sound so effeminate?

"Is my throat injured?"

She hid behind the low wall, went to the side window of the shop, and looked through the glass, trying to find the wound on her throat. Then her expression changed drastically.

"You filthy old hag! What are you looking at?! How dare you meddle in other people's business! I'll sell you to a brothel!"

She thought the reflection in the window was of people in the shops on the other side of the glass.

After seeing the specific images clearly, George Joshua was deeply shaken.

"--how so!?"

She was a young, red-haired woman who looked to be under twenty.

Her face was that of a typical country girl from a North American redneck farm, with freckles on her nose and cheeks, large pores, bright eyes, and very rough skin.

Her physique was not as robust as a man's, but it was still very sturdy, and her height had shrunk from a giant of more than two meters to 187 centimeters.

"This is me? This woman is me?!" For a moment, George Joshua couldn't accept this absurd fact. She mistook it for some strange illusion, so she unbuckled her belt and reached into her crotch.

"Oh no!--"

Ms. Joshua finally came to terms with reality.

"--I've become a woman? Why?"

The stench emanating from her clothes made her delirious, and she grew increasingly disgusted with her female body. Her mind became fragile and sensitive under the influence of hormones, and she was no longer as arrogant, conceited, or neurotic as before.

"Calm down! Joshua, calm down."

"In short, we need to find a way to leave this place now, and the most important thing first is to summon the power of the soul."

She said this to herself--

"--Psionic power is my very foundation. Without it, I am nothing. To hell with manhood. Now you don't even have a stick to stand on. You have to figure out how to survive."

The red-haired village girl clapped her hands together, calling upon the spirit.

"No Man's Land - The Unmanned Zone's Land!"

A tuft of gray feathers emerged from its body, and the once robust and full-winged bald eagle was gone, replaced by a voluptuous, sexy, and alluring harpy.

Ms. Joshua had difficulty controlling her spirit; her physical body seemed to be fighting against her, making it impossible to maintain a state of unity between spirit and body. The harpy only appeared for a moment before bouncing back into her body.

"Damn it!" she cursed, so enraged by her own spiritual power that she nearly vomited blood. "Useless trash!"

Just then, a mangy dog remembered Joshua's scent—

--What smells like foul ammonia to Homo sapiens is the sweet smell of food to scavengers.

When Joshua completed her transformation, the mangy dog followed her scent and stayed in her arms. Without Joshua, it might have frozen to death in the cold, rainy night.

It has always kept these "temporary owners" in mind, including everyone in Huimin Supermarket.

It desperately hopes someone will adopt it, otherwise its fungal infection is incurable and it might die before next spring.

But people came and went, and it seemed that there was no place for this stray dog to stay in Lieyang Fort.

"A dog? It's that damn dog again?!" Ms. Joshua lost control of her emotions, ending up in this state all because of a dog.

She still felt that her failure was entirely due to a dog; if the assassin sent to the Council of Five Kings had done a better job and wiped out the gunsmith's entire family, there wouldn't have been so many unexpected events.

But these useless allies only took away one dog's life!

Because of this dog's life, the gunsmith's wife came to their door in person.

It all seemed like an absurd joke, with an unseen and intangible god of mischief secretly tormenting and mocking her.

Now she's been given a new look, a new body, and has become the woman George Joshua despises, hates, and looks down upon the most.

In her eyes, the world was built by men, their horses, and guns.

Horses are loyal subordinates, and firearms are reliable violence. This is the structure of society: women are equated with money, gold, and silk, can be bought and sold as commodities, and are a reproductive resource.

At that moment, George Joshua let out a miserable laugh. She felt both angry and amused, staring at the mangy dog.

"Hahahaha! Hahahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!"

She was almost delirious, laughing hysterically while tears streamed down her face.

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

He laughed until he was breathless, until his stomach cramped, until he couldn't laugh anymore. Finally, George Joshua's face hardened, and he cast aside all the resentment and bitterness in his heart.

She has processed her emotions and is ready to embrace a new life.

Just then, the story turns to the next page.

Unveiling the life story of a shop owner.

This store is located at the border between downtown Westbrook and the Northland Granary area. The railway was built here, and many illegal immigrants would jump off the train here.

This is a general store owned by a man named Heisenberg. He took over the shop four years ago and later turned it into his secret hideout for human trafficking. He talks about gratitude to smuggled criminals and White Shark Association.

Due to its unique geographical location, neither of the militia forces in the two jurisdictions wanted to get involved or cause trouble for the White Shark Association.

Heisenberg hesitated for a very long time.

He knew there was a crazy woman behind the low wall of the store, but she was wearing a police uniform, so he couldn't interfere. These days the world was in turmoil; he couldn't rashly kidnap anyone again. He'd better just be a dutiful middleman.

After all, even if the White Shark Association gone, new demons, new gangs, and new criminals will still need work.

Heisenberg sat at the shop counter, repeatedly glancing at his watch, finally unable to contain his excitement.

After much thought, he realized that he had never done anything truly earth-shattering in his life.

--Human trafficking, corpse disposal, organ harvesting and selling, and job placement.

These petty thefts sound and look like they're bullying children.

He's not young anymore, and no woman has ever wanted to live with him.

"That is to say! Is there any possibility?"

Heisenberg decided to do something big.

"I'll tie this crazy woman up, train her into a slut, lock her in the basement, and have her bear me a few children. After a year or two, I can sell her for a good price."

"Just thinking about it is exciting! Heisenberg, you've really made something of yourself."

"As George Joshua said, you just need to conquer, and leave the rest to fate—if a woman forgives her abuser afterward, it's not a crime."

"That's fucking true! This is the first time I've ever taken action against militia! I'm getting excited! My body's getting hot!"

[Part ②: A Dog Without a Home]

A pair of rough, large hands reached out from the windowsill. Heisenberg had been involved in countless kidnappings. He naturally knew how to strangle someone unconscious without killing them.

Before Joshua could react, she felt layers of supple stockings around her neck, lifting her entire body upwards—she couldn't speak, her entire focus was on the patrolling militiamen on the street, and that damned dog.

At this moment, Hunwei couldn't help her. She had lost the ability to turn into a rubber man and was no longer the Straw Hat Boy. Her eyes were wide open, and she lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen to her brain.

Heisenberg felt his heart pounding, a powerful sense of happiness washing over him.

--As expected, President George Joshua was right!

Defeating a powerful opponent brings happiness! Conquering a powerful woman brings joy!

He grabbed the female soldier's arm and pulled her towards the window, nearly vomiting from the stench emanating from her. Heisenberg found it unbelievable; how much had this woman drunk? Had she vomited on herself? Had she jumped into a cesspool? How could she emit such a strong stench?

He had intended to kiss this trophy and get intimate with the female soldier, but all his thoughts vanished in the stench. He cursed and stripped Joshua naked, only to be surprised to find that the woman wasn't wearing underwear.

He threw the woman into the bathtub where he was harvesting organs and kidneys, then locked the basement door, and, clutching his filthy militia uniform, prepared to find a suitable place to destroy the evidence.

At that very moment--

--Brother Radish Bro pushed open the door and greeted Heisenberg.

"Hey bro! Want a pack of cigarettes?"

Radish is a member of the Bug Eye Gang and comes from a wealthy family in the city center.

Heisenberg acted as an intermediary between the two regions, maintaining contact between them.

Heisenberg chuckled and said, "Pay first, then give me the cigarettes."

Radish pulled out crumpled banknotes from his pocket. He had been soaked in the rain all night, and this money was the spoils of the two monkeys, obtained from Huimin Supermarket.

"Not bad, you can even afford cigarettes." Heisenberg chuckled, removing his hat as a sign of respect, immediately revealing a greasy, balding scalp. He looked like a white gorilla, his face full of wrinkles under the incandescent light. "Do you know that Manager Todd has been looking for you?"

Radish seemed lost in thought, then suddenly felt a sense of crisis.

"Why did you contact me? Todd asked me to do him a favor, to buy medicine for Chairman Joshua, because..."

Heisenberg poured wine for his good friend, pushing the glass towards Radish.

"--I'm just a middleman, it's not my place to say anything, brother, think it over carefully."

"You lost the White Shark Association's goods, not just a little bit, but a full five hundred kilograms."

How many heads do you have? How much is your worthless life worth?

"Who do you think you are? What kind of backing do you have that makes Manager Todd go easy on you?"

"Take my advice, don't go back. Let's work independently in this little shop in Westbrook. You can change your appearance and become my assistant. You'll live a life of luxury, and women and money won't be a problem."

"It's so pathetic to fight to the death for a great White Shark Association! I see you're a decent guy with plenty of strength, why don't you..."

"Stop talking, Heisenberg," Radish interrupted. "I'm here to make something of myself, not to hide behind a counter and give orders—I can't stay idle, no matter what."

Radish paused for a moment, then drank the wine that Heisenberg had sent.

"No matter what, I still have to work for Manager Todd. I went through a lot of trouble to get this packet of aphrodisiacs. I can't just let it go like this! Are all the grievances I've suffered these past few days, all the misfortunes I've encountered, and all my efforts going to be wasted?"

Heisenberg counted. "One, two, three."

Three seconds later, Radish let out a burp and realized something was wrong.

He felt dizzy and disoriented, unable to even stand up straight.

He was sustained by the holy blood of Manager Todd, and still possessed the physique of a blood-granting unit. However, this potent drug was Heisenberg's trump card for murder and robbery, capable of killing anyone, whether ordinary or hybrid of monsters.

"What a pity, brother, you're too naive." Heisenberg shook his head, expressing his regret. "Your head is better left to me! You've already become a traitor to the White Shark Association. Giving it to Todd to curry favor with Joshua is not as good as giving it to me!"

"You have at least 160,000 yuan hidden in your belly. Your heart and liver are still usable, and your kidneys, after processing, should fetch a good price."

"Your blood is an extremely rare treasure in the secondary market; we can't let it go to waste like this."

"And this packet of aphrodisiacs, if you don't talk to me about this..."

Heisenberg smiled slyly and mischievously.

"I don't want to kill you yet! What do we do now? In such a critical time, if Chairman Joshua can use it, it's worth at least a million or two."

Right under the noses of the militia, Heisenberg kidnapped two victims. He was just one of the middlemen in Lieyang Fort; there were over four hundred such middlemen scattered throughout the city.

George Joshua is a very good role model.

--It is precisely because of these "businessmen" as role models that this group of cannibals has been bred.

The effects of the drug lasted only a little over a minute, and the holy blood within Radish's body protected him.

When he woke up, he was already tied up tightly and hanging naked on the meat drying rack in the basement, along with Ms. Joshua.

Ms. Joshua angrily retorted.

"Do you know who I am?! I'm the president of the White Shark Association! I'm Immortals! Even your Grandfather would kneel down and lick my shoes if he saw me!"

"I am George Joshua!"

Heisenberg also stripped naked, just like the couple, ready to do something embarrassing and exciting.

He brought over a chair, as if he had found the ultimate pleasure that is hard to find anywhere else in the world.

"Radish! I didn't kill you right away! All because of this crazy woman! Hahahaha!"

"I want to share some funny stories with you. She's been talking nonsense ever since she woke up, and she actually thinks she's George Joshua?"

Radish's eyes reddened. "You fucking betrayed me?"

Heisenberg squinted, his face full of enjoyment.

"You should really thank this lady. It was beauty that made the beast gentle, beauty that killed the beast, she saved your life! Silly boy! Otherwise, you would be six packages by now, sent to different pharmaceutical companies! Hahahaha!"

At that very moment--

--The mangy dog remained crouched in front of the grocery store, afraid to leave, lest it never find a suitable owner again.

Banner Four Eyes, waited for a very long time on the No. 4 cruise ship before finally driving to the intercity highway to take up his post. At the border of Westbrook, along the railway line from the city to the suburbs, a sudden train accident forced him to stop temporarily and implement traffic control on the section of the road.

This mangy dog caught Banner's attention.

--Because the mangy dog was carrying an arm in its mouth.

When Banner approached, the mangy dog became frightened. It tried to escape into the grocery store by following George Joshua's scent, but the door was already locked.

So it quickly fled over the low wall and squeezed through the window.

Banner wasn't sure; he couldn't quite make out whether it was a human hand—after all, his eyesight wasn't good.

Back at the front door of the grocery store, Four Eyes was preparing to head home and continue his duty.

The mangy dog rushed to the front desk and started rummaging through everything.

Banner stopped and shouted, "Hey! You bad dog! Don't cause trouble for others!"

The mangy dog rummaged around and pulled out a bloodstained bundle. It held a swollen, rotten paw in its mouth and tore open a set of blood-stained clothes with its claws.

It was Fosis's duty uniform--

--At this point, Four-Eyes' expression changed.