Vol6: Hercules

Big B ultimately saved his leg and his manhood.

However, he could not find any chance to escape. The operating room was not only surrounded by assistants, but also by six militiamen who kept a close watch on the remnants of the War Gang throughout the entire operation.

After suffering physical pain and going through many twists and turns, Big B was sent back to prison.

A nameless anger rose within him, and he limped back to the cell to begin questioning Jiang Xueming.

"Clothhead Bro (Xue Ming shaved his head and hadn't introduced himself yet)! You're lying! You promised to help me escape from prison, but when I got to the operating room, good heavens, it was packed with people! Six guns were pointed at me, and a dozen pairs of eyes were staring straight at me, watching me take off my pants and be tortured!"

This former gang leader was once a very prestigious figure, but now he's fallen on hard times. All that remains of his former wealth and glory is his clown-like face paint.

Jiang Xueming: "I didn't lie to you, did I? Didn't you go out?"

Big B angrily shouted, "Why are you back again?!"

Jiang Xueming: "Yes, why are you back again? Shouldn't I ask you?"

Big B paused for a moment, then exclaimed, "Ah!"

Jiang Xueming: "What did we agree on before? I'll help you figure out a way to get you out, and then you can figure out a way to get us all out of jail together—right?"

Big B nodded. "That's right."

Jiang Xueming: "Have you thought of a solution?"

Big B paused for a moment, not answering immediately, seemingly having connected to the Moffett neural network.

Jiang Xueming: "Is there any chance?"

Big B secretly plotted --

--Is there a chance? Is there a chance? Am I going to have a show at the circus tonight?

His mind was completely occupied with stealing a car and escaping to save himself. He was driven to madness by the Spuantong ladybug before being taken to the operating table. How could he possibly come up with any feasible Prison Break plan?

The pain drove him mad, and Chief Inspector Maquire brandished a knife, threatening to cut off his manhood. These factors left Big B no time to think about anything else, let alone his good brothers in prison.

"I think we should leave this to A Jie," Jiang Xueming sighed, looking disappointed in him. But despite his words, he was actually very happy to see Big B come back alive. At least it meant that Doctor Maguire wasn't what he thought, and hadn't become a bloodthirsty monster.

Before the robbery, Xue Ming sensed Maquire's pheromones as soon as he entered the clinic grounds, so Xue Ming stole the bottle of waste liquid. However, he did not expect Doctor Maguire to be so determined to commit murder—which made him uneasy.

According to the militiamen, Doctor Maguire was renowned at Saladin Pass, and people in towns and villages within a radius of dozens of kilometers, as well as in the settlements of various hunting groups, had all benefited from Doctor Maguire kindness.

This chief surgeon was cleaning the hunters' blood, removing impurities, and setting up limbs to prolong their lives. But somehow, he suddenly picked up the knife meant for healing and saving lives and began killing the wounded on the operating table.

Jiang Xueming didn't know if Alfons was the first victim, nor did he know if Maquire had any personal grudges or old grievances with this injured man. But using his position as a doctor to kill someone, whether out of morality or law, Maquire had already embarked on a wrong path.

The fact that Big B survived the surgery shows that Maquire still retains some rationality and doesn't dare to kill in public. This indicates that he is not a criminal driven by mere interest and won't forget to conceal his true nature on a whim.

These robbers had just finished robbing the clinic and wrecked Maquire's car. But when Big B returned to the operating table as a criminal, the doctor still performed the surgery dutifully, even though Maquire had previously expressed animosity towards these suspects, hating them to the core and fuming with rage.

Based on Big B's experiences in the hospital, this psychological profile revealed to Xue Ming an extremely rational, patient, and somewhat morbidly eccentric killer.

Should we send A Jie to the operating table to test the waters again? Jiang Xueming had an idea. He walked to the window, intending to summon Ladybug to repeat the same method, using the Zhan Gang brothers as human cannonballs to continue the attack on Doctor Maguire.

He didn't care about the lives of these remnants of the war gang; compared to wild beasts in cages, devils disguised as Homo sapiens were far more terrifying.

--Maquire killed Alfons. Xue Ming didn't know what wrong the hunters in the hunting party had done. Perhaps it was just a random incident, Maquire's impulsive act of killing to test his knife. If this guy couldn't control his bloodlust, and under the protection of the militia, A Jie still shed blood on the operating table, that would be a good thing, since the innocent people in the hospital wouldn't suffer from Maquire's poison.

Xue Ming was very familiar with the euphoria that killing brought.

It was a wild horse, War King Glory used to conquer cities and seize strongholds, holding its reins firmly in her hand.

But once out of control, the horse becomes the master, riding upside down on the warrior's head. The warrior will never be able to turn the tables and will become a terrifying demon, indiscriminate in friend or foe, good or evil, without morality or law—to satisfy this desire, it will constantly seek out things to kill.

The Red Stone People are the closest to the Madness Butterfly, because these angry, brave, and passionate warriors are often immersed in the cycle of killing and eating.

Learn skills, defeat powerful enemies, digest flesh and blood, gain more memories, become stronger, and then seek the next goal.

A Jie, nicknamed "Honey Badger," saw the ladybug in the priest's hand, he suddenly chickened out. "I..."

"You don't dare?" Jiang Xueming held the ladybug and looked at Schopenhauer: "Why don't you do it?"

Schopenhauer couldn't even shake his head; his spine hadn't fully healed. Such a severe injury would take a long time to recover, even for someone with the constitution of a blood donor.

"Let me help," Andro said, standing up to help his brothers escape.

"You're not good enough." Jiang Xueming casually released the Spuantong ladybug.

He didn't want his good brother from the Tyrannosaurus Warrior Gang to put himself in danger.

Speaking of Andro's connection with the Brotherhood, it all started with the time at the Blackland Royal Hotel when the War King wiped out the Little Brotherhood.

This warband leader had no traditional vices; he didn't dabble in gambling, prostitution, or drugs, and was unwilling to risk his life for Lawrence. He was more interested in playing video games at the resort and acting as a witness for the warband. Later, during the pursuit of Lawrence, Hedland, which should have fallen into chaos without the warden's control, was led by Andro, who set an example for the other warband prisoners and prevented further violence.

He was a good person, not bad, just foolish. In his youth, he made a wrong turn, believing the Madness Butterfly, and could never return to the civilized society of Homo sapiens.

Although stupidity can give evil a significant advantage, and stupidity can very well become a tool of evil, stupidity and evil are very close and often confused—but stupidity is never evil itself.

Even after all these years, Xue Ming can still recall the scene when he first met Liuxing. He was a young man, untouched by the wisdom of society, with eyes that were both foolish and clear. Xue Ming was not as mature as he is today. Because Bailu's illness was constantly forcing him to make choices, extreme emotions of intolerance towards Liuxing surfaced in his heart, namely harshness and arrogance.

The underworld couldn't offer Andro a place to stay. He didn't want to be looked down upon, didn't want to live a subservient life, and didn't want to mingle with the monsters. So he had no choice but to come to a remote town like Saladin to find another way out, following the path of the Madness Butterfly Sect to build its fortune and looking for start-up capital.

In Xue Ming's eyes, Andro didn't even know what he was doing.

All previous indications suggested that this big, clumsy guy didn't follow Big B's orders, wanted to release the hostages, couldn't integrate into the team, and was in the most dangerous role of carrying out the gun attack, and couldn't even do that well. Faced with the suspicious person who suddenly pounced on him, Andro no longer had the determination to shoot and kill.

If left unattended, this elderly otaku won't live much longer and will soon die under Guangling Zhixi's gun— Andro might not even know why he's going to die when he's about to die.

Whether betrayed by his brothers or before the Zero Platform's battle gang business had even taken off, Silver Bay's informants gathered intelligence and immediately took him away according to the Nameless One's beheading procedure.

This shouldn't be Andro's fate— Jiang Xueming thought to himself, unwilling to let Andro become a victim of Maquire's knife.

The other three seasoned veterans could be used as human bait, but Andro couldn't; he had already paid for most of his crimes in Hedland. This time, the hospital robbery had to be conducted according to the inquisition's trial procedures; he absolutely couldn't die at Maquire's hands.

"Then tell me what to do! Why can't I do it, Honey Badger?" Tyrannosaurus Warrior asked impatiently, "Are you looking down on me?"

Jiang Xueming spoke the truth.

"--Big B and A Jie escaped, they were only thinking about their own safety, but you, the clever one, are really going to come back to break them out of prison. You won't live long."

After hearing this, Big B and A Jie wanted to argue, but they found the psychologist frighteningly calm, daring to have a verbal battle with the blood donation unit in a small cell, so they fell silent.

Almost instantly, they relinquished all their "territory," and the position of leader of a small criminal gang unknowingly became Dr. Zhang Congfeng's.

"Don't make false accusations." Big B had been holding back for a long time before finally bringing up the matter. His voice was weak as he spoke, and he dared not raise his voice.

Jiang Xueming calmly sat back down, believing that the most important thing now was to deal with Maquire.

Winter is not a good time to venture into the valley to search for the Elf Holy Land. During the period when the hunting party gradually returned to Saladin to recuperate, he could go to the meeting place to inquire about information and perhaps find some harmless spirits to resolve the troubles of Jamie and his daughter.

But Maquire is like a ticking time bomb. If left unchecked, the doctor could very well turn into a cannibal. He needs to figure out what exactly happened to Maquire.

Oscar is a VIP here. This lapis lazuli wolf always brings his family with him on missions, and he's bound to get injured sometimes. If Maquire were to put a knife in Oscar's head one day, it would be a huge tragedy.

He couldn't find evidence that Maquire had committed murder, nor could he expose the gunsmith's true identity. He had to find a way to cooperate with Saladin's militia to lure out this cunning fish.

"Big B, come here."

As Xue Ming said this, he beckoned to Big B with his finger.

Despite his extreme reluctance, Big B limped over to the priest and obediently squatted down.

"I have two questions for you." Jiang Xueming put his hand on Big B's shoulder, looked at the clown's hideous face, and slightly raised his hand.

Big B lowered his head, sensing something was amiss. The way this psychologist spoke was completely different from the panicked and obsequious manner he had displayed when he was a hostage.

"Okay, go ahead and ask."

Jiang Xueming: "Who gave you the idea to rob the hospital?"

Upon hearing this, Big B's expression changed drastically.

Xue Ming guessed that these four brothers had a master guiding them.

Judging from the team's behavior, they were not locals of Saladin; they seemed to be newcomers who had arranged to meet at a certain location.

They had no warm clothing, no means of escape, and were unaware that the mountains were blocked by heavy snow. They came here to commit the crime at a very inopportune time.

However, they knew that Saladin's hospital was extremely lucrative, with a clear division of labor, and that the pharmacy and cash register could be found as soon as you entered.

Big B's voice trembled as he replied, "Yes."

"Don't be afraid, think it through." Jiang Xueming slightly raised her hand, her velvet glove gently wiping away the sweat from Big B's cheek.

That was probably a ruthless, decisive, and exceptionally cruel cultist named Madness Butterfly. When the leader of the War Gang mentioned the person's name, his eyes were already trembling and unfocused.

Xue Ming hadn't expected Saladin to actually have such a powerful strategist.

Perhaps to escape the slaughter of nameless men, this demon sought refuge with Saladin.

"It's Hercules." Big B first stated the name of the Religious order before revealing his real name. "Hercules – Saint Josh Joris."

Hercules was a cult called Madness Butterfly, which was based in the District 18. It was wiped out six years ago by an anonymous person and Guangling Zhixi.

As for who Saint Josh is...?

"Never heard of it." Xue Ming didn't take the name to heart, not because he was arrogant, but because he genuinely had never heard of it.

There are many more like this who slipped through the net; it's impossible for him to remember the name of every fugitive. Even the lowly members of the Madness Butterfly Sect are considered powerful figures with extraordinary abilities by the brothers of the War Gang.

Seeing that the priest stopped asking questions, Big B became nervous. "Honey Badger, Saint Josh gave us this idea, saying that he would get a share after it was done. If things go wrong and he gets involved, he'll chop off one of our fingers—you have to get us out of here. I consider you one of my own. If we really have a chance to escape, you absolutely mustn't talk about this guy to anyone else."

Xue Ming then asked, "Is he very powerful?"

Big B immediately said, "He kills without blinking an eye."

Xue Ming waited for a long time without saying a word, not quite understanding the true meaning of "killing without blinking an eye".

Big B also waited for a long time.

Xue Ming: "And then?"

Big B immediately explained, "He liked to invite guests to his home for dinner, then cook some of their food into dishes, and only let them leave when they were completely satisfied—these guests would never dare to mention Saint Josh's atrocities."

Xue Ming: "Anything else?"

Big B nervously described, "His language has a kind of Magic Power. It was by listening to him that I gradually transformed from an ordinary person into the leader of the Red Jack Circus. He knows how to turn people into cannibals."

Xue Ming: "That's all?"

Big B: "He's killed at least a hundred people, including militiamen and warband fighters. He's a very good cook."

Xue Ming: "More than a hundred?"

Big B: "Hmm."

Xue Ming almost couldn't stop herself from blurting out, "Then yesterday... oh no, no, no, never mind I didn't ask."

Speaking of the Hercules Religious order, it's quite an interesting pyramid scheme.

This cult of the Madness Butterfly disguises itself as a social organization of the Red Stone People, spreading carnivorous beliefs and distorting the original intentions of the Red Stone People in hunting, cooking, and making medicine. It incorporates various rituals and mixes human essence into people's minds to bewitch them.

By the time the Red Stone People brothers, who had eaten human flesh, came to their senses, it was too late to turn back.

The religious idol of Hercules is Hercules, and the Religious order uses the imagery of the myth to endorse its rituals. For example, new members of the Religious order undergo the Twelve Trials.

This first trial was hosting a dinner party, and Saint Josh clearly carried over this outdated custom into his daily life.

In the first trial, the Religious order's warriors will duel with the local simpletons of District 18. As they fight, they become allies, sharing recipes and training tips. Eventually, they devour each other's flesh and blood, much like Hercules slaying the lion, gaining new power, and swallowing the lion's heart—this is the Hercules' initiation ceremony, called the Lionheart Ceremony.

The Skull and Bones Society, which once occupied the Mimir Hot Spring Market, was similar in its doctrines, but its Skull and Bones Society requirements were much higher. Jason Megan had to eat his waiter to join, so it had fewer members.

However, Hercules has grown into a powerful force entirely because of its passionate and dedicated spirit, and its entry requirements are relatively more accessible.

"I have a second thing to discuss with you." Jiang Xueming pointed at Big B's lower body. "Take off your pants."

"Huh?! A honey badger?" Big B was still a little surprised, but finally remembered that this was a priest. "No way? It can't be that bad, can it?"

Xue Ming patiently explained, "I'm not interested in your buttocks, but you've been limping all the way here. I thought Doctor Maguire's skills were superb and highly praised, so it's unlikely that such a strong blood donor like you would have such a limp injury—there must be something else wrong with your thigh."

Upon hearing this, Big B quickly unzipped his pants, revealing his right thigh.

The damage caused by the Spuantong ladybug has been completely healed. The flesh of this Blood-giving Monster is indeed very strong. In just a few tens of minutes, without the help of Universal Elixir, Big B's riddled body has almost completely recovered. As long as the bones and tendons are not injured, the Vita Imprint and holy blood in their bodies create proteins very quickly.

The reason Big B has difficulty walking is due to a red fleshy bump above his right knee. It was originally the outline of Spuantong, but the bug was removed surgically long ago.

But now it has become the shape of a cross.

"--It seems Doctor Maguire has a problem with me."

Jiang Xueming held Big B down, telling him to keep quiet. He waved to Andro immediately understood and became quick-witted, pulling a tooth out of his mouth.

Jiang Xueming grabbed Andro's canine tooth, cut open the soft flesh on Big B's knee, and took out the cross, which was the cross from his Bible.

This was like a demonstration; Maquire was declaring war. The doctor had already noticed Jiang Xueming's actions and knew that the meddlesome priest had stolen the waste liquid.

Jiang Xueming turned the cross over --

--An extra string of characters appeared on the back, seemingly carved with a scalpel. The characters were emotionally unstable, verbally abusive, and written in a chaotic manner, as if they didn't consider the brothers of the War Gang as intelligent beings at all, but rather as talking beasts.

"You can't save these four wild beasts; in the end, they'll all end up in my belly, including you."