Round 19: This Is It
Why does God always hide behind half-truthful promises and miracles that never come true?
--Ingmar Bergman, the Seventh Seal
[Part 1: The Holy Son]
The combat officers on Cruise Ship One were a very strong and elite unit, some of whom were direct descendants of George Joshua, the sons of that bastard.
But the immortal lion will never hand over power to these offspring. They possess the blood of the Immortals, but not the honor of the Immortals, nor can they inherit their father's property. Like their deformed and perverted mother, they must wear a fig leaf and wear an ugly face, and must never covet the power of the lion's leader.
These children formed a highly effective fighting force of thirty-one men. They were George Joshua's private army left behind at the military exhibition on Cruise Ship One, and they were the most formidable fighters in the White Shark Association.
At this moment, these young men in their twenties, giants eight feet tall with waists five feet around, and fully armed elite soldiers were terrified by the War King's performance. They immediately abandoned the rescue operation, completely disregarding their fathers' lives.
There are no emperors who live forever. For these illegitimate sons, if George Joshua and the War King fight to a standstill, then their time is coming, and the best days are yet to come!
The clever eldest prince led several core brothers back to the No. 1 cruise ship, intending to seize all the weapons. However, they did not expect that the moment they left the War King, they would face two other terrifying opponents with formidable psychic powers.
After Wen Bucai and Jack Martin boarded the No. 1 cruise ship, it was a one-sided massacre. They destroyed these blood-supplied units almost effortlessly, like two sharp knives piercing the heart.
From the eleventh prince onwards, all the others had to stay around the No. 1 cruise ship. There were also a few posthumous children of low status who could only go to the No. 2 cruise ship to "guard" their mothers—under the guise of protecting prostitutes to monitor these means of production.
They ran into 9527, who had just gained his Soul Power and was unleashing his full power, along with a group of ordinary people who had lost their daughters and mothers due to the various dirty dealings of the White Shark Association.
--These ordinary people are anything but ordinary; their knightly combat skills can turn the mundane into the extraordinary.
Previously, people from Wulong Fortress and Lilan Avenue had engaged in a bloody gunfight with armed thugs from the Zhan Gang in the streets.
The classic texts of the Six Arts state that, between victory and defeat, life and death, what is the most important thing?
It is the will to fight, the unwillingness to lose, the belief that one will lose, and the determination to never compromise or surrender to evil!
His Majesty Joshua of Lieyang Fort has fled. The scattered soldiers left on these ships are unable to unite and mobilize other warbands for reinforcements. The militia's guard forces and warbands were initially hesitant—seemingly wondering if there were other variables. With a formidable enemy at hand, they were thinking that their mortal enemies, who were currently engaged in a passionate exchange of fire, might become their next business partners.
The gunsmith's death dampened and weakened the peripheral war zones of the Bay Area, especially the dangerous urban combat.
The skirmishes and skirmishes around the area didn't result in many deaths. Both the militia and the White Shark Association mercenaries seemed to be playing it by ear, until a scorching gust of wind blew away the morning mist, clearing away the confusion of the world.
Bu Liuxing was caught in a fierce battle on the deck of cruise ship number three.
George Joshua's twenty-fourth to thirty-first princes, these eight blood-soaked monsters with figures resembling Vajra Arhats, surrounded the General of Tears.
The other siblings were immediately driven away by War King Glory. Only after the ferocious Grim Death God chased them off the cruise ship did the cubs dare to return to Cruise Ship No. 3 to vie for power and obtain their father's official documents and asset certificates from his casino office.
The lion pride set its sights on the Teacher San San arriving "General of Tears."
--This is a very tempting target. Killing him would boost the morale of the War Gang, and perhaps we could turn the tide of the battle with Bu Liuxing's head.
Meteor exerted tremendous effort, fighting alongside the offspring of these Immortals, battling from the glass terrace to the observation deck, running and fighting at the same time. After the battle of Shinto City, he had no good weapons at hand, and after running out of bullets, he could only rely on various terrains, the high temperature of the boiler room, and the high-pressure pipelines of the electric steam system to kill the enemy.
After going around in circles like this, the three princes became increasingly alarmed as they fought.
A Xing was exhausted and covered in injuries. Looking at the infrastructure of the No. 3 cruise ship, there were corpses everywhere. The five brothers in the pride had died in all sorts of strange places. Besides the deep crater Glory blew out with the gas pipe, he was strangled by wire and crushed to death by iron blocks in the gym, blinded by boiling water and buried by coal in the boiler room, and he was electrocuted by Lei Gong while lying on the electrical box. All of them were wronged souls in Meteor's hands.
The most tragic fate befell the 27th Prince, who was ambushed by a meteor and fell into a trap, ultimately getting caught on the anchor and sinking into the river to feed the fish.
It was like a gust of wind, blowing out from the mouth of a meteor, with a panting roar, with the boiling blood of fists and chests, proclaiming the ironclad truth that justice will never lose to evil.
"Give up!" The Twenty-Fourth Prince, his forehead covered in cold sweat, still tried to persuade the General of Tears under the cold, pale lights of the cruise ship. "You have no strength, no gunsmith, you are nothing. If you want to stand up for justice, you need a knife in your hand!"
The 25th Prince, gun in hand, cautiously approached. "You're at your limit, you've run out of options! Bu Liuxing! A person's abilities have their limits!"
The casino's Halloween decorations hadn't even been taken down yet when, in front of the music festival stage, Meteor's Flash Butterfly Armor was already torn, her armor's durability had reached zero, and the inner corundum plate armor was also tattered.
This outfit saved his life once again, enabling him to launch a desperate counterattack against eight armed units that were pursuing and intercepting him. Together with Bailu, one in the light and one in the shadows, they defeated these massive, noble-blooded monsters.
The 26th Prince said with a grin--
"--I admit, you're quite capable, you've eliminated so many competitors for us. Only someone like you can be of use to us."
"Big Brother isn't dead!!!" Bu Liuxing raised the microphone stand and roared in the dark night, his voice echoing through the heavens and earth. "What nonsense are you bunch of bastards spouting?!"
For a moment, the three princes were stunned by the General of Tears's wailing.
They stared at the Homo sapiens on the stage—
Meteor's right shinbone was cracked, his skin torn and flesh ripped open. His wolf mask was dented by the enemy, and his body was riddled with bullet holes. Mr. Wei Meng could protect him for a while, but in this nearly hour-long chase and battle, he had exhausted his mental strength.
He spoke the truest truths, but to the children of the Madness Butterfly, they sounded like a joke.
"My older brother never died!"
Bu Liuxing pointed at the three brothers below the stage, calling them over one by one.
"Trees grow from the soil; if you break off a branch, new buds will sprout."
He said absurd things and spoke naive and childish truths.
"My clothes, my life, I can still stand here, I'm breathing, my heart is beating."
Like a rock singer, a global superstar.
"Because my brother is with me! The gunsmith is with me."
When I heard the term "gunsmith" again--
--The three lion cubs trembled with fear, their fiery red fur receding behind their heads like dogs tucking their ears and tails between their legs.
That was a fear that even the War King couldn't instill, or rather, the War King Glory was just a cruel and cold-blooded executioner, a carnivore with extremely high killing efficiency.
But gunsmiths are completely different. The prey they used to manipulate and abuse at will are transformed into terrifying monsters with long teeth and claws under the gunsmiths' weapons. In this era, even if a group of guys go out to bully a woman, they have to worry that the girl might use a knight's combat skill to rip off their manhood.
If the gunsmith were still alive, he could not only provide the local militia and warbands with a complete set of weapons, but also transform that into an exceptionally strong fighting spirit for the entire team. Because the gunsmith knew how to make a living, he understood the difficulties faced by every ordinary person in an area infested with Madness Butterfly, and he was willing to come to people's side to understand his comrades and enemies.
"Please believe this voice!"
"Please believe this voice!!"
Holding the microphone, Bu Liuxing roared from the speaker toward the distant riverbank and the even more distant city. This was the thing he had done most often during his expeditions over the years. This was his ordinary war cry, the fundamental reason why the morale of the soldiers in a certain war zone would boil when the nameless man arrived.
"He lives inside me! He's holding my hand tightly! He's still pushing me forward!"
The rose ruby has been burning for over an hour, far exceeding the meteor's maximum combat time.
"Please believe this voice!!!"
[Part ②: Reason and Emotion]
At this moment, Assistant Dashan was rushing between the exhibit counters in the Human Museum, sweating profusely and no longer as composed as before.
The destruction caused by Victor and Clark had far exceeded his expectations. At this moment, he could not contact the curator Damien, but he also had to take care of the battle situation on other cruise ships.
The psychic energy fluctuations emanating from the No. 3 cruise ship were extremely strong, which was the result of the Inspiration Pressure from the General of Tears. Almost at the same time, the business districts in the bay area went from a quiet and desolate minor skirmish to a heated battle with guns blazing.
The third cruise ship's subordinate gang leader immediately ordered the Dashan manager to call for reinforcements from the White Shark Association's arms ships. These militiamen suddenly seemed to have been injected with chicken blood, as if they had inexhaustible strength. They wanted to use them to test their knightly combat skills. They had learned a few more grappling techniques and immediately wanted to find a blood donation unit to test their skills.
"Assistant! Contact the Black Key militia leader right now! They've gone mad! I was chatting happily with the sergeant in our district yesterday, agreeing to go out for drinks and fun next week. Just now, he suddenly yelled and screamed—saying he wanted to be a good person, that justice would surely prevail over evil—and then he and his entire squad came charging at us like madmen! Has he lost his mind?!"
"Dashan, you're the only one online in the entire channel's management team. Does Cruise Ship No. 3 still have weapons? I need backup."
"Damien! Come here! Come here! Damien! Help me!"
Amidst the sounds of gunfire, explosions, and desperate cries for help, Dashan was overwhelmed. He was just a junior assistant, and it seemed he was the only one left managing the radio system between the five cruise ships.
The last few messages sounded very strange.
"Damn it! He still has the strength?!"
Damien! I need a lifeboat! I need to get out of here!
It was the scream of the Twenty-Sixth Prince.
"--Holy crap! I only heard this guy yell a few times, then suddenly he started talking about his bond with his older brother and stuff! I couldn't even take his punches! Is this what Red Stone People are like? Are they all like this? This is illogical!"
Dashan was covered in sweat when he saw the second section of the Human Museum, where an orangutan riding a horse, carrying a small fox on its back, crashed through a wooden wall and rushed into the theater.
The incoherent Mr. Sandra was hanging on the horse's head, the old man's sternum caved in from the impact, clinging to the horse tightly and refusing to let go. The white horse Mercedes-Benz freely inside the ship, leaping back and forth between the stands, and every now and then the little fox Victor could be heard neighing and barking.
You're in deep trouble!
Manager Todd and Glory stood on the torch of the Statue of Liberty.
They had no weapons; they were all empty-handed.
The War King had no time for a chat with the bandit leader's steward; he was ready to take action immediately.
Todd immediately shouted, "No, no, no! Let's set the rules first!"
Glory: "You challenged me to a fight, I'll set the rules: unarmed combat, let's begin."
Todd then shouted, "No, no, no, no! I'm allergic! I have a weakness! You can't bully me!"
Glory: "There's no point in talking about fairness with a scoundrel like you."
Todd cried out anxiously, "So many people are watching! War King! You can't bully the weak!"
The Statue of Liberty is a landmark building in the river bend, surrounded by numerous shops, and countless eyes watch as the Ming De messenger of God unleashes divine punishment.
Glory rolled her eyes--
What are you allergic to?
"You're not allowed to put peanut butter on your fist." Todd, like a schoolboy, tried to stall for more time by being cheeky. "I'm allergic to peanut butter, and soy, and some dried fruit too. Let me think about it."
The sudden punch sent Todd flying through the air!
His jaw was broken! The vicious fist, like a drill, pierced through his tongue and palate with a twisting, sinister force, almost driving the rotten flesh of his neck into his nasal cavity!
"Die! I don't have time to entertain you!" Glory was enraged and her killing intent surged. "Next is George Joshua! You've been using his skin to bully others and act like a fox borrowing a tiger's power! You'll suffer his punishment too!"
Pankrasin's battle tactics once again sounded like a loud bird call, like a nightingale singing.
The surging air currents sliced through Todd's face, melting his bones and muscles! That one punch cleaved his head open!
Meanwhile, Glory's right arm was further injured; her pancrass was destroying the nerves in her arm, but it wasn't enough! Absolutely not enough!
To kill this incarnation of evil in public! He must be executed!
Her fists rained down on Todd, striking his chest and back with explosive force, creating gusts of wind!
The illusion of the soul's power lashed out along with the physical body, this eerie and terrifying sonic attack shattering metal and breaking stone. The scattered shockwaves sliced through the stone of the statue, like invisible sword energy lashing out at the face of the Statue of Liberty, cutting a wound more than four meters wide.
The goddess's magic book was sliced in two by a gust of wind, and the stone slowly slid down, crashing onto the bay's platform and billowing smoke and dust. The torch had turned to dust, turning into mud under the morning dew.
Todd was first brutally beaten by Pankrasin, his flesh and blood mangled. The punches from Pankrasin's soul power and flesh impacted his head and upper limbs, turning him into a piece of roasted meat, tumbling and rolling in mid-air.
He couldn't even scream before he quickly transformed into his original form as a withered tree spirit. The lush green plants tried to flap their wings and escape as birds, but the sound waves that occasionally flashed through the air shattered his wings, causing him to fall back onto the torch platform. The even more intense and surging punches knocked him unconscious.
In the end, only half of his body fell down.
--Only the lower half of Manager Todd's body remained; he was completely dead!
Crimson blood, mixed with bone fragments and pieces of flesh, rained down on Glory's face and body.
Without hesitation, she ran towards the city to find George Joshua's true location. She had already lost him once, and she couldn't let that beast escape.
With her invincible fists and undefeated War King, the battle horn was sounded once again. Some of the battle groups and militia who had previously stood by were finally willing to join the war zone. It was an overwhelming victory. Unlike the gunsmith, War King seemed to have never aged—she had only grown stronger.
Why does God always hide behind half-truthful promises and miracles that never come true?
Four-Eyed Banner has encountered a major problem and only hopes that the divine can give him guidance and revelation.
"--You mean this lady is George Joshua?"
Facing the gun barrel, Radish Bro knelt on the ground.
"Yes! It's George Joshua! I swear on my life! I swear on my honor, my..."
It seems that the lives and reputations of the war gang cadres are worthless.
"My parents! My parents are my witnesses!"
It seems that the parents of the war gang leaders are merely bargaining chips for their future prospects.
"My future wife! My future children! If I've lied to you, may my children be born without an anus!"
It seems like none of these things matter.
Banner would never believe anything a suspect says, something that comes out of the mouth of a wanted criminal who fled the crime scene.
On the other side, George Joshua knelt with Radish, having never suffered such humiliation—wait, not counting the time she slept with the young male artist after the Black Hawk Down incident.
But at this moment, in order to survive, she had to be flexible and endure humiliation.
"Sir! This guy must be insane! I'm a woman! How could I possibly be that devil George Joshua?!"
"Who doesn't know that the leader of the White Shark Association is a ruthless bully who preys on men and women? How can he be like this?"
At first, Joshua felt a little awkward saying these words, but he got more and more comfortable with them.
"How could I be associated with such a depraved beast! How could I possibly be... a filthy, smelly man?"
Making her say these things herself would be worse than killing her.
--She felt that this was the ultimate mental torture, that the most truthful, beautiful and benevolent God was making her go through a tribulation, that the gods were testing her!
George Joshua wants to live!
I want to survive!