Round 18: Rock with You, Together

Foreword:

Why is it so difficult for humans to fathom God's intentions?

--Ingmar Bergman, the Seventh Seal

[Part 1: The Virgin Spring]

After director Ang Lee watched Ingmar Bergman's film "The Virgin Spring," the following meme came about. "I don't understand it, but I'm deeply moved."

"Have you seen this movie?" Victor the fox, holding the poster, stood on Clark's shoulder in the Human Museum on Cruise Ship No. 4 and asked his good friend, "It's a film directed by Ingmar Bergman in 1960."

"This film tells the story of a farmer's family tragedy."

"This farmer was a devout Christian. His daughter was raped by three shepherds who stripped her naked, assaulted her, and then killed her."

"She stayed overnight at the farmer's house and shamelessly tried to sell her daughter's clothes to her mother."

Ultimately, the farmer decided to defy God's will, transcend religious doctrine, and personally kill his enemy.

"For a very long time, I've been wondering, what is God thinking?"

Victor the little fox held the poster, full of doubt.

"If it truly exists, why wait until the perpetrators succeed in their evil schemes and the victims die in agony before offering any revelation, or simply remain indifferent and unwilling to manifest itself—is it an evil god? Does it incite people to hate and harm each other, demanding that a father whip himself with birch wood before seeking revenge as a sign of piety? Just to seek justice for his daughter? And to repent and atone to God?"

Clark, drenched in sweat, stood frozen in front of the cabin door. He slowly pushed the door open, wary of the monster inside, while reminding Victor.

"Honorable VIP, I believe these are merely the curator's collection. We don't need to delve into the provenance of each piece. I say—sir, you should seize the moment; we're about to overcome this hurdle!"

At that very moment, a dark arm emerged from the doorway—a monster created by the manager of the Human Museum.

The arm, gripping a rusty axe, cruelly severed Clark's finger!

Everything happened so fast and suddenly that Victor the fox didn't even have time to react. He immediately grabbed a pen and quickly wrote a short sentence on Clark's back.

The intense pain caused Clark to lose some of his fighting spirit, and he instinctively wanted to escape, but suddenly everything became quiet.

"The warhorse cannot retreat!" the little fox Victor shouted sternly.

Clark's palm was bleeding profusely, but he could no longer feel the pain.

His back and neck were inscribed with the devil's commandments; the Hell Highway had stripped him of his sense of pain and part of his hearing. Like a drunken rage, without the interference of pain and fear, everything became clear and natural.

A giant gorilla emerged from the house; this was the monster created by manager Damien Katz using his Soul Power.

"Judging from the furnishings of the house," Victor quickly read aloud the scene he observed through the crack in the door, "This family has two children, the mother is deceased, the front door is very close to the nursery, and the dining room is right next to it."

There were four sets of cutlery on the table, one of which belonged to my mother. Its tablecloth was dusty but not very oily.

"This gorilla is the head of the family, so where are its two babies? Clark! Don't back down!"

The little fox tugged at the warhorse's mane, urging Clark to charge headlong into the house.

--The entire family in this cabin has turned into wild beasts, mindless primate monsters.

In the blink of an eye, two baby gorillas hung upside down from the roof of the cabin's porch, holding ice picks and weeding sickles, trying to pounce on Clark's back to bleed the horse and cut its bones.

It was Victor's urging Clark to take those two steps forward that gave him a chance to catch his breath.

What was originally a perilous situation of being attacked from both sides has turned into a one-on-one duel between the gorilla and Clark because of the choice that the brave will win when paths cross.

In that instant, Clark mustered his courage to snatch the gorilla's axe and try to squeeze through the door.

The gorilla father, now a monster, raised his arms, the axe blade about to rise, when Clark tightly grabbed his thick forelegs. The strength of the horse seemed no match for this dark, giant gorilla. The little fox felt a sudden lightness in its body, and just as it used its sharp claws to deal with the tools in the hands of the two little gorillas, it was immediately thrown into the air.

In the instant he lost his balance, Clark used his teeth to grit his teeth and hold onto the door, then kicked hard with both legs against the gorilla father's monstrous strength—the gorilla father felt a sharp pain in his groin, as if he had been kicked in the groin by two horse legs, and his rough, broad feet slipped on the wooden floor of the cabin.

The monster staggered backward, but its face suddenly slid down to its knees. The axe blade and handle, stained with Clark's blood, became slippery. It swept across Clark's chest in a strange arc, slicing open his shirt!

In this extremely close and perilous hand-to-hand combat, Clark's luck turned incredibly bad—even Victor found it unbelievable. The enemy had clearly fallen, so why was his horse so badly injured?!

Clark, panting heavily, was momentarily stunned by the pain deprivation inflicted by the Hell Highway. He only felt a warm, scalding sensation in his chest, accompanied by the sound of water spraying out. It wasn't until the little fox began splashing White Lady's products onto his chest with a large water jug that he stumbled into the doorway and the cabin, only then realizing the severity of his injuries.

At the same time, two small animals lurking on the wooden beams waited for their chance to strike. The two baby gorillas failed to succeed, so they changed their route and went under the floor.

Clark clearly sensed their presence. His powerful horse stomped its leg hard on the floor, but it pulled out a sharp, rusty steel nail. The nail, as thick as a finger, pierced the bone in Clark's foot!

These should be foundation piles for the log cabin. There should only be eight, or at most sixteen, of these nails in the living room area, used to secure and support the main frame that holds the house together.

But Clark, by sheer bad luck, happened to step on one of those rare nails!

"Don't move! Clark Sean!" Victor the Fox shouted, "A mysterious force is cursing you! Your luck is truly terrible!"

The fox rider, riding a fine horse, dismounted and descended to a more dangerous floor. From this height, the two baby gorillas below could easily break through the wood and attack the weak and helpless canine.

"What happened, Victor? What are you talking about?" Clark felt no pain and couldn't see the blood-stained rust nails under the horse's hooves. He didn't know how serious his injuries were. The wounds to his heart and lungs had only just healed. He only felt his heart beating extremely fast, and his brain began to pound and throb with pain.

The little fox Victor clung tightly to the rusty nail, trying to pull it out, but the flattened nail head broke off as soon as he exerted force! It was completely embedded in Clark's bone—following the spreading signs of bestiality, it was about to penetrate deeper into the hoof!

If things continue like this, Clark will die from a series of complications, gangrene, tetanus, and severe infection!

Even White Lady's medical supplies couldn't handle this injury. He would need to undergo open surgery to remove the foreign object before any treatment would be effective. His leg bone was still changing, and the nail had pierced right through his ankle. As the ankle joint continued to deform, it was gradually penetrating deeper into his tibia!

"Watch out! Victor!" Clark screamed, but his tall frame made it difficult to reach the little fox on the ground. His stiff lower limbs prevented him from bending down quickly.

But the two baby gorillas had already arrived; they came so quickly and so fiercely.

Two dark figures suddenly sprang out from under the floorboards, wielding sharp weapons. In this terrifying and bizarre haunted house, they transformed into ruthless executioners and dismemberers from a horror drama.

With a sweep of his dark, thick arms, the two cubs were pushed aside, while the enormous gorilla father, prostrate on the ground, delivered a fierce blow to his children.

The troll seemed to be very affectionate towards Victor, while the little fox continued to try to remove the nails from Clark's wounds, remaining motionless as the raging storm swept past beside him.

"Become my dog"—these golden characters were already written on the gorilla father's arm.

At this moment, the powerful spiritual energy controlled the gorilla's mind, and he lay prostrate beside the little fox like a docile house dog.

A strange barking came from Victor's throat, making him seem like a real fox. To Clark's astonishment, this VIP seemed to be able to use canine language.

It can command this gorilla under the spell of Soul Power by using different tones!

The two baby gorillas were awakened by their father's affectionate slaps. Their eyes became clear, and they let out sharp roars. Their skulls were deformed and their faces were covered in blood. They looked fierce and intimidating, but dared not go forward.

"Clark Sean, you've been seriously injured. I have to do something to you!" Victor had long heard of the malevolence of the Lieyang Fort's [True Name Curse], and the misfortunes Clark was suffering were very likely caused by this special psychic power.

"Victor" Clark looked grave, as if he knew his days were numbered. "What should we do?! I believe in you!"

"Open your mouth! Stop breathing!" said Victor the fox.

[Part ② Face to Face]

Clark immediately opened his mouth wide, and the moment he stopped breathing, his two beast-like front teeth appeared. The instant his airway closed, his pharynx and esophagus were also exposed.

The little fox Victor hugged Clark's pouch tightly, and under the cover of his gorilla father, fiercely hurled the red stone into Clark's Barry!

That was a gift from the Human Museum, a catalyst given to Victor by Assistant Dashan to accelerate Damien Katz's Soul Power evolution. It could quickly transform humans into beasts, shortening the transformation process, which usually lasts more than an hour, to about ten seconds.

Clark never expected that the renowned VIP would be so reckless and willful!

Victor actually planned to use the enemy's soul power attack to break this predicament. His injuries would not be healed in a short time and would only continue to worsen, eventually taking his life.

To change your fate, you must turn adversity into advantage!

The sudden expansion of his cardiopulmonary system gave Clark greater strength. His 700-pound weight gave him a metabolic rate beyond that of humans. His muscles bulged, bursting through his clothes, his bones rapidly deformed, his back hunched, and his neck began to lengthen.

In just ten seconds, he transformed from a half-man, half-horse into a pure white steed.

The hoof keratin layer grows rapidly, and the newly formed bone is much harder than the rusted nail. This bone forcefully pushes the nail out of the ankle, turning it into a strong and healthy leg.

"Your current name is Matcha Mousse, and the Safe Word to dispel your soul power is -- Crackling Boom!"

The almost bug-like hypnotic abilities of Hell Highway gave Clark Sean a new "real name".

The gorilla father climbed onto the back of the white horse Clark, carrying an axe and holding the little fox Victor, and galloped out of the cabin, heading towards the next area.

Two baby gorillas, carrying tools, sat in front of the large crater created by Clark's horse. They scratched their heads, wondering what had gotten into their father, and dared not chase after him. They could only retreat dejectedly back into the nursery.

Meanwhile, the chase between the War King and Manager Todd has reached a fever pitch.

Glory initially thought she had almost killed George Joshua.

But this guy was as slippery as an eel, darting through the commercial buildings in downtown Westbrook.

This was the first time the War King had suffered a setback in street fighting, but it wasn't a major one. She didn't have time to conduct preliminary investigations of these buildings, while Manager Todd had been navigating these shops and food courts for years and naturally knew how to evade the enemy's pursuit.

But for Todd to fight back against the War King would be a huge joke— Glory was in her armored state, and six years ago, if we used the standard unit of combat power measurement for the Wings of Light, then in front of the current War King, Kang Que Cornelius was as fragile as an infant.

She was like a tank, relentlessly chasing Todd's tail, rampaging through buildings, breaking down load-bearing walls with her bare hands, and getting straight toward her target.

Todd could only use the height difference between the stairwells to create a cliff trap. He could jump and leap continuously to escape, using his rubber body to cross narrow pipes and escape over alley walls to another tall building. After Glory crashed through the wall, she would face a height of three or four stories, and a slight misstep would result in a broken leg.

This cat-and-mouse game lasted for more than forty minutes before the War King, following that familiar spiritual pressure, rushed into a casino.

That was Todd's deliberate act, leading Glory here. There were fourteen war gang leaders and more than sixty thugs here.

The gatekeeper, who had stepped forward with a knife to block the way, had his hands pried open by the War King, who punched him so hard that his elbow bone pierced through the skin and disarmed him.

Further inside the porch, twelve more thugs formed a crossfire formation, all fully armed.

Rifle bullets struck the Flash Butterfly Armor, creating dazzling sparks, but the impact couldn't hold her back. She charged forward, raising her rifle to strike the enemy's head, shattering a hood. Her eyes flickered as she saw the helmet, and as she moved swiftly, she turned her gun to shoot at the enemy's shoes.

Twenty-one thunderclaps rang out, and a storm of blood and gore swept through. The merciless bullets made the watchdogs stoop down in disarray. Glory snatched the rifle and executed them one by one, shooting as she went upstairs. The reinforcements from the second floor had just arrived at the side of the corridor when the sound of the rifle being reloaded and the locking mechanism Duo Hun back into place could be heard.

The long spears and percussion caps roared like thunder, and bullet holes were punched through the soft precast concrete ceiling of the corridor. The bullets shot upwards, passing over the feet of several enemies on the second floor, and piercing their perineums, exploding along with their testicles.

Blood flowed like a river, and the scene was one of utter devastation. The War King continued his ascent to the second floor without pausing for a moment.

He casually tossed aside the gun when it jammed, then, seeing the corpses scattered on the second floor, retrieved the gun and headed towards the casino's private room.

Two high-explosive grenades shot out of room 203, which she kicked back, slamming the door shut with a muffled thud.

She sidestepped, shifted her position, and turned her gun. Hearing the explosion and muffled groans inside the door, she raised her gun and fired at the colorful wallpaper, taking six more lives. Her KDA soared.

Leaping over the smoke-filled house number 203 and jumping out of the window, I saw Manager Todd, disguised as George Joshua, running towards the street corner, about to escape into the main street.

Glory summoned her Soul Power, grabbed the outer wall, and sprinted forward at top speed. She saw that George Joshua's escape speed was getting slower and slower. When he reached the landmark building of the Statue of Liberty, he seemed to have found a dead end and could no longer escape.

There is no other reason --

At this moment, the real George Joshua had lost the protection of the psychic powers. She had become a woman.

Naturally, the holy blood within Manager Todd was also affected. He lost the protection of the [Unmanned Zone] and reverted to his true form.

Glory became suspicious, sensing something amiss.

Why isn't this guy running anymore?

She came to the Statue of Liberty--

--Immediately, we heard Manager Todd shouting hoarsely.

"I challenge you to a duel, Glory!"

This Manager Todd seems to be a brave and fierce man, buying time for the guild master and fighting for a way out. In the end, even without the protection of Soul Power, he still wants to fight the War King to the death.

He stood atop the Statue of Liberty, on a torch platform less than two meters high, shouting to the War King.

"If you don't fight, I'll win! And if I win, I'll live!"