Heroes

Round and round, again and again.

The Megaloceros fell from the tree.

He is still a newly created man, a ghost in the cracks of time.

The Mobius loop created by [A Way Out] is so solid that most of the soldiers in Scout Third Squad, represented by Squad Leader Jefferies, are trapped in this terrifying and bizarre loop.

The psychic powers of the three guardian feathers are all related to time and space. They resonate with each other, and their powerful psychic qualities converge on the alliance leader, forming a stable triangle.

[Sing For Me] grants Judas the ability to change his destiny and divine his fate.

[A Way Out] grants Judas the ability to move quickly, heal from injuries, and escape to the cracks of time and space to survive.

[Skyborn] grants Judas the ability to reinvent himself and live a second life.

This is the terrifying enemy that Ming De encountered: religious idols with wings of light and sacred eagles as totems since the birth of slave society, who have been secretly manipulating society and changing the course of history.

The only weapons Ming De wielded, besides Universal Elixir, were ideals, freedom, and love. These evolved into more abstract nouns—the inevitable path of life. Those who walked this path would gain courage, be favored by Lady Luck, and be able to change their destiny.

But the brothers and sisters trapped inside the Mobius never wake up.

--Just like the story paradigm itself carries a strong fatalistic element, these drowning people are unable to save themselves no matter what.

Jefferies will still shoot himself in the past.

Tom will still fall in love with Cui Yun rescued him.

The intertwined fates of the two are bound together in a knot that seems to have no end, caught in the cracks of time and space. Mobius's ingenious design is like a dream.

Everyone has a vulnerable side, and the Dreamland targets these weaknesses, creating a warm and comfortable haven that makes people unconsciously let down their guard and gradually become immersed in the dream world.

After cleaning up the remains of Judas, Jiang Xueming resolutely walked towards the boundary marker of Aizong Mausoleum.

He looked at the eight-character relief "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees" and the detailed inscription on the sixteen-line stele of the mausoleum, which marked the date and the order for its construction. After taking this step, he would face a completely different spiritual pressure and the power of the unknown spiritual energy.

He knew nothing about the "A Way Out" that Teacher Su Ling described, including the term itself, which he had only heard from local folklore.

Things must be done one at a time, and problems must be solved one by one.

In his view, Judas was already dead, and the remaining protective feathers were no threat. Now, with the gold as a bridge, he could borrow the power of his defeated opponent and had no worries. He could act boldly.

"I won't go in with you." At this moment, your Aya was surprisingly composed.

Jiang Xueming: "That's what I thought too. Did you leave me a photo?"

"I've kept it for a long time." Su Ling pulled a photo out of her tattered basketball jersey.

She had originally thought that if anything went wrong during the gunsmith's assassination of Judas, this photo could serve as a record, allowing her to safely evacuate the gunsmith from the roads surrounding the boundary marker. [A Way Out] could also be used to their advantage—the enemy's strength is often the most useful strength.

Now that the Gunsmith needs to venture deeper into the area of Aizong Mausoleum, this photo becomes an insurance policy. If the Gunsmith also mysteriously disappears, perhaps the power of the Polaroid camera can bring him back—after all, the symbol of [A Way Out] is a photograph and a camera. The ritual to activate the superpower is the action of "taking a picture," and if an enemy presses the shutter button on the Gunsmith, it will only send him back to the previous save point.

Without saying much, Jiang Xueming, fully armed, told Teacher Su Ling to stay on guard, while he himself made his way towards the farmland surrounding the Aizong Mausoleum area.

The sunlight gradually became scorching, and the environment gradually brightened. In just over ten minutes, he found some clues.

In the courtyard of a farmhouse, around the vegetable garden, there were many footprints.

--No matter how careful the brothers of Quick Knife were, they were still anxious and restless in the process of hunting down Judas, leaving these traces.

"Shoes size 44, weighing between 88 and 95 kilograms, these are the footprints of Megaloceros."

The gunsmith crouched in the vegetable garden, carefully examining every trace.

Tom is a little late.

"And then there are the observers from Group A of Third Squad, here they are."

He found fragments of the grenade.

"An explosion occurred here, confirmed to be a bomb from the Megaloceros, judging from the blast point."

The concrete floor was left with radial smoke from the explosion, along with charred burn marks and particulate matter, telling a silent story.

Did he accidentally trigger a grenade?

The gunsmith couldn't understand it at all, and had no idea what had happened at the scene. He followed the trail all the way to the farm's storeroom, and when he got to the window, he followed the tracks left by the Megaloceros and leaned against the small window.

"Judas's caravan came out this way, Jefferies —you observe the enemy from here."

"Someone's coming."

The gunsmith tilted his head, looking at the dent on the side of the haystack—a depression made by his elbow.

--According to the mission execution standards, when maintaining a prone alert position, the body's center of gravity should be evenly distributed between the two arms. Even if it is only one arm, the entire forearm must be used to support the body and maintain a stable gun muzzle pointing.

Jefferies suddenly elbowed the haystack; clearly, the foreman had been adjusting his prone position and had noticed a new target behind him.

"What is it? There are no danders, only the footprints of the Megaloceros and a little bit of dampness left by the rain."

The gunsmith returned to the warehouse entrance, pressed himself against the wooden floor, and found a few black cat hairs.

"Did the pheromone mixture used to ward off the calamity beasts not work?"

He exclaimed in surprise—

"--You were discovered by the residents here because of a house cat?"

As Xue Ming gradually reconstructed the scene of Jefferies' encounter, he found it increasingly strange that the common people of the Aizong Mausoleum could actually stop the elite soldiers of the Quick Blade Army—this seemed simply unbelievable.

Although the Nameless Ones lacked popular support in Shambhala, these elite soldiers were battle-hardened warriors with distinguished service, and naturally knew how to handle such emergencies. Given the tight schedule and urgent task, Jefferies should be able to manage this minor issue.

Xue Ming's doubts were soon answered--

--Two Polaroid cameras are enshrined on the shrine in the main room.

"They actually gave their Soul Might to commoners? This kind of superpower can be bestowed without blood donation?"

Wood Abby is a scholar with a background in sorcery. In order to meet Judas's survival needs, he must share his sorcery talents and make the power of [A Way Out] universal and accessible to the common people, without using blood donation.

To put it more intuitively—

--There was once a very popular horror movie called "The Ring".

If we consider Sadako's psychic curse as a kind of spiritual power, its ritual process is complex, requiring seven days to curse the target to death, but the activation conditions are very simple, and the caster does not need psychic talent. Any ordinary person can use this videotape to complete the ritual of cursing death.

Wood spent the first half of his life focusing on the universalization of [A Way Out]. It was this universalization that made him Judas's protector. Whenever Judas was in a life-or-death crisis, even an ordinary person could take a picture for Judas and send the leader of the alliance to a safe place.

The common people in the Aizong Mausoleum area, whose families mostly work for the Ultra-Deep Hole Complex, are able to unconditionally receive protection from [A Way Out].

The Haoshou Tianzun has become a revered deity in the hearts of the locals, and Polaroid cameras can help these farmers drive away wild beasts and demons.

Conflicts can arise among residents, even neighbors and relatives—but by taking Polaroid photos of each other and creating Mobius, Wood, as the master of the Soul Power, acts as a peacemaker, able to immediately sense changes in the spirits.

For example, Xiao Wang from the east end of the village takes a liking to the eldest daughter of the Zhao family from the west end of the village. Using his [A Way Out] ability, he creates Mobius and sends the entire Zhao family into a time rift. He then takes the opportunity to commit a crime, intending to rape the eldest daughter of the Zhao family. It's possible that when the whole process reaches the point of taking photos, Mr. Wood has already sent the Fishman Vanguard to the scene to stop the crime.

If the villagers wanted to use Polaroid cameras for personal gain, they would not be able to get past the gods. However, as a tool to protect their homes, Polaroid cameras are a rare and top-tier treasure. That's why Jiang Xueming was able to find these cameras in the shrine; they had become a symbol, a religious belief.

Jiang Xueming felt a sense of bewilderment, leaving him speechless.

--Seeing the Polaroid photos in the shrine, this transcendence of time and space seems to have a certain quality in the slave society of Shambhala.

"Homage to the Air Conditioner God! The air conditioner saved my life in the sweltering summer heat."

"I pay homage to the God of Video Games; video games heal my rotting soul."

"I pay homage to the Bodhisattva of WiFi Router; wireless networks have elevated my spirit."

It sounds bizarre, but it really happened right before my eyes; it felt so real.

This Feather Lord is completely different from the Cult Leader Xue Ming has dealt with before. No capitalist is willing to share their core assets and means of production with ordinary people, let alone those with Soul Might Superpower.

"You are the most generous Blood-giving Monster I have ever seen."

He was engrossed in watching, his dog-brain still unable to figure it out—what exactly was Master Feather planning? Where had Quickblade's brother gone?

A villager slowly walked over from the other side of the farmland. Jiang Xueming was prepared; he hid in the side hall to avoid the camera—he wasn't sure about the mental state of these ordinary people.

Xue Ming initially thought that perhaps the farmer of this family was also Blood-giving Monster, and that the soldiers of Quick Knife had been captured after fighting to exhaustion.

Now it seems all the clues point to one conclusion: the Quick Knife Squad was defeated by these civilians. Jefferies's Team A of Third Squad entered the farm area and never left. They were wiped out by these civilians with their cameras.

He waited in the side hall, maintaining absolute silence.

Even after the male homeowner stepped into the room, Xue Ming was still deep in thought.

This method of using photos to subdue enemies is very similar to a horror game.

Although he had little experience with video games and computer games, A Xing often played games on the first floor of JoeStar.

There's an exorcism game called "Zero: Crimson Butterfly" where you use photos to drive away ghosts. Perhaps for these ordinary people, a Polaroid camera can also ward off soldiers with swift blades.

He finally figured out some details and found the complex nature of [A Way Out] from the scattered clues. As long as he wasn't photographed, nothing strange would happen.

"Master."

He spoke first, questioning the farmer the moment he put down his basket. He had already taken the "idol" from the shrine—he wanted to get to the bottom of things.

"Don't come any closer. I took the camera from the shrine. I won't hurt you."

"You... you... you... you're a demon too?" The man's voice sounded terrified.

Unlike Tom's experience in the time rift, the real world never has these complex time-travel scenarios.

The farm owner was a local resident of Aizong Mausoleum, an honest and hardworking farmer.

For this family, three strange men in black had come to visit a while ago. The youngest daughter heard the cat meowing and ran to the warehouse to check.

The couple went out to look for their child and found strangers in their home. So, following the instructions of the Haoshou Tianzun, they used the "magical treasures" in the shrine to lock up the intruders—it was that simple.

The area around the Aizong Mausoleum known for its simple and honest people. The area is brightly lit during the day and doors are left unlocked at night. For the residents of Baibei Port, it is a paradise on earth, a true abode of the gods and a pastoral fairyland.

As for the "demon" mentioned by the male protagonist, it is a religious story told by the Heavenly Palace.

The nameless warriors were often equipped with carrying gear, MOLLE systems, various types of bulletproof plates, night vision goggles, and multimedia centers. These modern protective gear became part of the religious art paintings in the Heavenly Palace, becoming symbols of "evil." And the Flash Butterfly Armor worn by the gunsmith was the armor of the demon.

In this way, if Quickblade wanted to infiltrate Aizong Mausoleum fully armed, the defense forces they would face would no longer be the Blood-giving Monster or the elite merfolk, but rather every ordinary citizen living around the complex.

Upon hearing the term "demon," the gunsmith had already guessed most of it. Without popular support, it would be almost impossible to capture Aizong Mausoleum in a short period of time.

"I am not a demon."

He quickly tried to curry favor, and the primary goal of the mission became bringing his brothers home.

"I want to know what happened. I came from Baibei Port and heard the waiter in the restaurant say that the Haoshou Tianzun wanted to Earth Mother —I was curious, so I followed him."

"Oh," the male host said, his mood softening upon hearing the title "Haoshou Tianzun." His tone became more friendly upon hearing the words "Earth Mother," "Then why were you hiding in my inner room? I won't chase you away; I'll just call the two immortals, Nulei and Nutao, to come and fetch you. Put the magic weapon back."

Nulei and Nutao were fish-man officers responsible for collecting grain and managing the Tusi chieftains' militia within the area surrounding Aizong Mausoleum. They were also the parents and parents of these farmers.

The gunsmith didn't immediately show himself, but slowly placed the two cameras that the family kept as offerings back onto the floor of the main hall.

He took the medicine packet and the photo of the luminescent material, while simultaneously calling upon Fragrant Dream to extend its spiritual arm.

The farmer's shadow was reflected from the giant cat's forearm armor; he often used his spirit form as a mirror to observe targets outside his field of vision. Now that Fragrant Dream had changed into a set of golden armor, the image reflected in the gauntlet's mirror had become blurry—but some things could still be seen clearly.

The farmer carried no weapons or camera, and appeared simple and honest, showing no signs of spiritual power or Inspiration. Even when Fragrant Dream stretched out an arm, the farmer did not react at all.

Jiang Xueming breathed a sigh of relief and slowly poked half of her head out.

"Brother, I'm leaving all my things here."

The farmer pulled out a long bench and sat down against the door frame. He was still very nervous, but not as afraid as he had been at the beginning. When he saw Jiang Xueming's face, he felt a sense of familiarity.

What are you doing in my room?

Jiang Xueming replied, "How many people did you arrest a while ago?"

The farmer waved his hand and replied, "That's a demon."

At this point, the burly man, who had spent years hunched over tilling the fields and harvesting vegetables, straightened his back and replied with a sense of pride.

"My wife and I used our magic weapon to subdue them! The Nutao Waves even praised us for doing a good job."

Jiang Xueming: "Take them in?"

"And two more were caught in Tianjia Lane, and Old Zheng from Hutaoli, he caught two too." The farmer replied casually, "They're all demons mentioned by the Haoshou Tianzun. You..."

Because Xue Ming was wearing a monk's robe, the farmer didn't think too much of it, and it wasn't as dangerous as his previous encounter with the demon.

--Jefferies, a newcomer, bumped into the family's youngest daughter without any opportunity to question or communicate.

"Are you a monk?" the farmer asked.

Jiang Xueming continued the conversation along this line, telling one lie after another.

"Yes, I am a monk, a disciple of the Lingguang Buddha."

"Oh! Oh! The Great Buddha of Lingguang!" the farmer exclaimed in delight. "These evil spirits came with the Great Buddha of Lingguang!"

Jiang Xueming walked out of the side hall and into the main hall, where he began to earnestly persuade him.

"Brother, if you have a way to catch them, could you release them?"

"Release them? Why would you release them?" the farmer asked in confusion. "Why should I? The Nulei God hasn't even given me a bonus. Are you going to release them? I don't know how to release them. Is the Great Buddha of Spiritual Light going to release demons?"

"That's how it is," Jiang Xueming continued, trying to deceive them. "Our Buddha is merciful. He said that even Mara, the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, can form a karmic connection with Buddhism and attain good results. These heretics and evil spirits also have the opportunity to achieve enlightenment—I want to take them back."

"Ah!" The farmer was taken aback; he had never heard of such a saying before.

--Usually, it was the Nulei God who handled these matters on behalf of the White-haired Haoshou Tianzun, because Wood Abby's psychic powers also had their limits, and continuously operating the Mobius would consume his mental energy. If the villagers took pictures of birds and beasts or drove away snakes, rats, and poisonous insects, they were also required to report them regularly.

"Hey, hey, wait a minute, Arhat." The farmer called Jiang Xueming "Arhat," just as the giant offspring beside the Lingguang Buddha were Vajra Arhats, so he naturally addressed him the same way. "I'll call the Nulei Immortal to help you."

"Sigh," Jiang Xueming didn't know how to respond. If he continued to make up stories after saying this much, he might give himself away.

As for this Nulei God, he should also be an elite fishman from the Aizong Mausoleum area. If they get close, he might reveal his true colors. The Heavenly Palace has repeatedly warned the locals about the "Heavenly Demon" image of the gunsmith. As long as these fishmen smell the scent of Fragrant Dream or feel even the slightest bit of spiritual pressure, they will immediately become alert.

Xue Ming couldn't very well point out the merit list and say, "Yesterday I killed six of your star official brothers, and this morning I took the Lingguang Buddha's disciples and grandchildren with me," could he?

Things will get awkward when everyone's face to face.

Communicating with the farmer brothers was too difficult, so Xue Ming decided to get straight to the point and try a different approach.

"Brother! How did you subdue these demons? I'm very curious!"

Seeing the Arhat's enthusiastic expression, the farmer became even more pleased and revealed the secret of [A Way Out] and all the conditions for activating Mobius.

"My wife just got up! She got up late."

"Then she saw Little Darling, and after she went out, she chased after her into the granary."

"The demon crouched by the window and stared intently at the palanquin of the Lingguang Buddha."

"I was scared, so I immediately grabbed my little darling and pulled her inside."

"Let the evil spirits chase after me and kill my cat!"

As he said this, the male homeowner suddenly clapped his hands.

"Snap!"

"In an instant! So fast, so fast, that flame shot out of his hand!"

The residents here have never seen modern firearms. The fishman vanguard is equipped with a rather primitive iron gun, the appearance of which is quite different from the secondary weapon in the hands of the quick-blade.

"My little darling started crying immediately, but my wife is quick-witted; she screamed!"

"Gengsheng! Gengsheng! She's calling my name! Gengsheng! It's a ghost! It's a ghost! Bring me the magic weapon!"

The gunsmith listened while taking notes in his logbook.

Seeing how earnest the Arhat was, the farmer grew increasingly excited.

"I thought to myself, it's time to be a hero! I'm going to step up!"

"After obtaining the magic weapon, I chanted an incantation to the demon, repeating what the Heavenly Venerable taught: 'Beginningless and endless, beginningless and endless,' three times. First, I pressed the shutter."

"The demon suddenly stopped moving, as if it were afraid."

When Mr. Jefferies first saw a Polaroid camera, he mistook it for a gun and instinctively flinched, mistaking the flash for a gunshot.

The farmer continued, "The magic artifact creates photographic paper, and then you press the shutter button on the paper—that's how you seal the evil spirit inside the artifact."

Jiang Xueming remained silent, pondered for a long time, and finally understood the specific abilities of [A Way Out].

The Quick Knife Squad found themselves in a strange, unobservable state, squeezed into a crack in spacetime.

The photographs in [A Way Out] can determine the past and foresee the future.

Teacher Su Ling once took a Polaroid photo of Madam Luo.

--The photos transported Madam Luo back to the previous shooting location, while also rewriting her age and altering her physical condition. Signs of this time travel can also be found in the two young workers at the Luo's Bathhouse.

The development results of the photolithography foreshadowed the tragic future of Mrs. Luo, who would be served at the dinner table of Judas.

Using the analogy of a large intestine wrapping around a small intestine, if you take another picture of the original photograph, these two pictures become Mobius Ring that locks together their temporal and spatial states, determining the past of the past and the future of the future, endlessly repeating and influencing both cause and effect.

Judas was able to temporarily leave the material plane and hide in a spacetime rift that no one could find through this mysterious state of "disappearance".

Jiang Xueming believes that if the photos can be found, perhaps these lost soldiers can be located through them.

"Is the photo still here?"

"The photographic paper is still there! It's still there! We're offering Earth Mother today!" The farmer hurriedly searched under the shrine in the main room. "Nulei isn't coming, so I don't have time to deal with this. I was planning to save it for the end of the month—to hand it in with the other photographic paper."

Suddenly, a little girl ran into the bedroom. She was the "little darling" the farmer had mentioned, his beloved daughter.

"Good boy, call him Arhat!" the farmer instructed, turning around.

The little girl replied, "Arhat! Arhat is good!"

"Hmm," the gunsmith smiled, not wanting to disturb the family's peaceful life, and prepared to leave after receiving the photo.

When the farmer handed the stack of photos to Xue Ming was stunned.

According to the farmer, these thirty-six photos are the items to be submitted this month.

There are indeed quite a few things hidden in the space-time gap created by [A Way Out].

Xue Ming looked through the photos one by one.

There were six weasels that came to disturb the chicken coop in the middle of the night, each with shiny, glossy fur.

There was a calamity beast resembling a North American gray wolf, with eyes that glowed golden in the night. Xue Ming confirmed the species again: judging from the high, arched fleshy growth on its back and the serrated, sharp teeth like a wolf's snout, it was indeed a calamity beast.

The two drowning victims appear to be downstream of the Baibei port area.

The farmer quickly explained, "I saw them. These two look like they're from Luojia Hutong in Laibei. They like to wear purple clothes. They come out to play in the water in the summer. They must have been electrocuted by an electric eel. So I took a picture of them, sealed them in a photographic paper, and will save it until the end of the month to ask the Heavenly Venerable to help rescue them."

Xue Ming continued reading.

A swarm of bees flew from the neighbor's beehive onto the main road.

The farmer continued, "These are Old Liu's beehives. A few days ago, his silly wife was cooking, and the firewood was too damp, creating a lot of smoke that chased all the bees out of their hives. I quickly told him to take pictures! He was stunned and too scared to move. So I helped him out."

These thirty-six photos have become a foolproof method of "sealing out" evidence.

There were also livestock belonging to the farmer. Two water buffaloes were captured in the photo, their heads and horns appearing injured. Xue Ming guessed that they must have been fighting and bleeding. Since he didn't have time to take them to a veterinarian this month, he preserved them in a photo and would deal with them at the end of the month.

Finally, there are four photos of demons being sealed away.

The first picture shows the moment Mr. Jefferies fell from the tree trunk.

The second photo shows Tom Crad looking at Megaloceros while a grenade explodes on the Megaloceros.

The third photo shows two people supporting each other, looking terrified at the camera. The scene appears to be the back door of a farmer's house, right next to the pigsty.

The fourth photo shows Tom Crad lying on a country road, covered in wounds and blood.

The future predicted in [A Way Out] is this scene: four photos superimposed and repeated in a loop, Jefferies and Tom simply vanished into thin air.

After looking at these photos, the gunsmith developed a strong curiosity about this Feathered Man.

This religious leader extended his psychic abilities to every household, covering all aspects of daily life.

For the common people Aizong Mausoleum, and for the fish-people who migrated from elsewhere seeking a living—

--Feathers are their heroes.