Caroline Laurie was a newcomer to Bloodfang Island, and his squad was assigned to the routine patrol that day. Normally, nothing much ever happened on patrol around the island, so Laurie decided to slack off and nap on the beach.
Laurie lay on the beach, basking in the sun and drinking beer. Life couldn't have been better. He was even tempted to hum a little tune from back home to pass the time.
Just as Laurie was thinking about how wonderful life was—and wondering which brothel he should visit and which girl he should pick once he got paid this month—the entire island shook. He got up and looked toward the camp. Seeing nothing amiss, he went back to enjoying himself. But not long after he lay down, the tremors grew more frequent, as if a giant were dancing on the island. That gave Laurie a real scare.
Laurie got up and muttered, "Is this an earthquake? Those bastards couldn't even bother to tell me to evacuate!"
He grabbed his musket and ran toward camp. Once he arrived, he realized he shouldn't have come at all. Laurie stopped a guard and demanded, "What the hell is going on? Why's Nautilus on the island? Doesn't he only attack ships that don't pay the tithe?"
The guard stared at Nautilus in sheer terror, unable to speak. Laurie slapped him awake, raised his musket, and shouted, "You bastard, if you don't tell me what's going on, I'll blow your brains out right now!"
The guard snapped out of his panic. Looking at Laurie, he stammered, "Captain Laurie, Spencer and I were on duty at the main hall today. A man showed up while we were guarding it. He said that with one snap of his fingers, half the people on the island would die. Spencer and I thought he was crazy and tried to drive him off, but then he snapped his fingers and said, 'You're the one, Nautilus!' Then Nautilus fell out of the sky and smashed into the main hall. Spencer and all the higher-ups inside were crushed into meat pies in an instant!"
After hearing the guard's story, Laurie's mind went completely blank. Some crazy-looking man snapped his fingers, and then Nautilus fell from the sky and rampaged across the island. Was it all because they'd called him crazy? No! It couldn't be that simple. A few days ago, the boss had taken a squad of elite musketeers to buy weapons and still hadn't returned. And this man had shown up at just that time. What were the odds? Laurie had never believed in coincidences. He watched Titan wreak havoc across the island, but the place where the children were held in the east had escaped all damage!
Laurie figured out the gist of what had happened. He let out a breath and said, "The Bloodfang Gang is finished..."
The guard steeled himself and said, "Captain Laurie, we've still got plenty of men off the island. We can gather them and fight back!"
Laurie slapped him and yelled, "You idiot, can't you see? Our child trafficking has been exposed! The boss and the others were surely killed by that man! He's probably got the weapons, too. Those kids could slaughter us if you handed them guns! Besides, against that damned Titan, no matter how many men we bring, they're just numbers!"
Laurie's words left the foolish guard trembling and shaken to the core. He stammered, "Captain, what do we do now?"
Laurie spat on the ground. "Those damned bastards! I did everything I could to stop them from trafficking children, but they ignored me and demoted me to squad leader! Now we just watch those damned scum die, then pledge ourselves to the new boss!"
Watching Titan rampage across the island, Laurie was no less afraid than the guard. Only one person could command Nautilus: Lady Beard. It seemed those bastards' crimes had angered the great Lady Beard, who had sent her emissary to punish the Bloodfang Gang!
After Jiang Chuan rescued the children, he had them wait for him in the basement. He told Kelly to calm them down, then went out to deal with the men.
Jiang Chuan stood on Titan's shoulder, gazing coldly at the camp.
When Titan had caused enough destruction, Jiang Chuan ordered him to stop. Standing on Titan's shoulder, Jiang Chuan shouted, "Everyone left, listen up! Anyone who gets in front of me within five minutes will be spared. Anyone who isn't here after five minutes will be treated as a holdout, and I'll wipe them out completely—even if you flee to the ends of the earth!"
Jiang Chuan climbed down from Titan. Titan was probably tired, too, because he plopped down on the ground. As soon as the children came out, they saw Titan. Many children from Bilgewater had heard stories about him, and the fact that they didn't start crying at the sight of the real Titan showed they were already pretty tough. Jiang Chuan gave Kelly a look, and Kelly immediately understood. He told the children, "The President came to rescue us by commanding the Titan from the depths of the sea. Is this how you repay him? The President promised that if you want to go home, he'll help you find your families and have them come get you. If you don't want to go home, or have nowhere to go, then wherever the President goes will be our home!"
Kelly was one of the oldest among the children. He was only fifteen, but his maturity was remarkable. Jiang Chuan looked at Kelly and gave a silent nod.
Most of the children believed Kelly. Jiang Chuan wasn't worried about those who didn't. The first thing he'd do after bringing them into the fold was find out which children still remembered their families or their addresses.
Five minutes later, a crowd had gathered on their knees in front of Jiang Chuan, muttering about Lady Beard and the like. Jiang Chuan said coldly, "Who's in charge here? Step forward."
Laurie came forward, trembling. "My lord, I'm the highest-ranking person here. All the higher-ups died inside the main hall."
Jiang Chuan frowned. "Your lord? Explain what's going on, or you'll lose your head!"
Laurie trembled as he replied, "My lord, everyone in Bilgewater knows that Nautilus only obeys one person: the great Lady Beard. Since you can command Nautilus, you must be Lady Beard's emissary, sent to punish the Bloodfang Gang."
Hearing himself called an emissary, Jiang Chuan's eyes lit up. He could use that title as a cover story. It would also give him an excuse whenever he summoned a hero in the future.
Jiang Chuan asked, "How many people are here altogether? From now on, call me President."
Laurie replied respectfully, "Yes, President. Everyone left in the Bloodfang Gang is here. There are eight hundred of us in all. You see..."
Jiang Chuan said coldly, "Now tell me who was involved in trafficking or capturing children. Include yourself!"
Laurie said nervously, "President, I used to be the deputy boss. They demoted me to squad leader because I tried to stop them from trafficking children. Most of the people here are my subordinates and knew nothing about it. They weren't involved in trafficking children."
Jiang Chuan narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?"
Laurie knelt on the ground. "President, everything I've said is true. I haven't told a single lie."
Jiang Chuan beckoned, and Kelly came over. Jiang Chuan smiled and said, "Now, pick out the people. Bring out everyone who guarded you or looked after you."
Kelly pulled fifteen people out of the crowd of eight hundred. One of them was an old man who had been kind to the children. Jiang Chuan waved at Titan. Before those people could react, Titan crushed them with his iron anchor.
Jiang Chuan helped the old man to his feet and smiled. "What's your name, old man?"
The old man hunched over and said, "President, my name is Edmund. I used to hand out food to the children. I'm sorry I couldn't get them out, but I managed to sneak them a little extra meat a few days each week."
Jiang Chuan smiled. "Edmund, you've done well. Starting tomorrow, you'll keep track of which children want to find their families. Record all their information. I'll oversee the matter personally."
Edmund wept with gratitude. "President, you can count on me. If any children want to go home, I'll help them get there, even if it kills these old bones of mine. I won't let you down!"
After patting Edmund on the shoulder, Jiang Chuan went over to Laurie and said, "So much for not telling a single lie?"
Terrified out of his wits, Laurie stammered, "President, I really didn't know about those people! The Bloodfang Gang's boss planted a lot of spies around me to stop me from betraying him. President, please believe me."
Jiang Chuan didn't want to take any more lives. He said coldly, "From today on, you're responsible for defending and repairing the island. If anything goes wrong, you know what'll happen."
Jiang Chuan leaned close to Laurie's ear and whispered, "If I find out you're plotting anything, I'll hand you over to Fiz or that greedy demon to play with. I always keep my word."
Laurie broke out in a cold sweat and shouted, "I, Caroline Laurie, swear to serve the President to my dying breath! I'll never betray you!"
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