Shoot Me!

The old wooden walls were lit by candlelight; even in daytime, candles burned in the dim swamp. People gathered in bars, prayer rooms, and secret churches, voices of different races discussing the same topic.

"Did you hear?" "I saw it with my own eyes." "The Doom Knight said herself that she would deliver judgment..." "The Holy Child was there too." "It's the end. The end of the swamp...!"

Within a single day, news that the Doom Knight would bring divine punishment had spread throughout the marsh. There was no need for deliberate propaganda; superstitious people eagerly became messengers themselves. First Light Poison, then divine punishment—what bitter news! The despairing atmosphere of an approaching apocalypse grew heavier, and even Great Shaman Adali's expression was several shades darker than usual.

"Great Shaman, please give us your orders." His confidant, the shaman Lande, was utterly at a loss. "Every settlement is in a panic. What should we do?"

Adali knew his confidants were placing their hopes in his "divine power," but mass mental control was not something the Cornerstone could accomplish so simply. Long-term psychological suggestion, the shaping of atmosphere, and cooperation from the environment—none could be lacking.

Even Adali had been caught off guard by the enemy's decisive move. Those two had raided the swamp's five great settlements overnight, proclaiming the prophecy of "divine punishment" before countless people. With such a powerful first impression already taking root, reversing the crowd's emotions had become an impossible challenge. That was not something the Cornerstone could achieve with a single Relic.

Adali's face was like still water. "Go to every settlement and deliver the divine oracle. Tell the believers to prepare their weapons and endure the divine punishment under our guidance."

"This is..." Lande's voice trembled. "Are we... are we going to..."

Adali slammed his staff down heavily. "We are preparing for war! The City Lord's Manor claims it will bring divine punishment, does it? Then let them drink the blood of their own city."

Seeing the unease in his confidants' eyes, he laughed in anger. "Don't be idiots like those fools. It's nothing but young people putting on a show! We have operated in the swamp for ten years. How could they possibly settle this in three days?"

"What do you mean, judgment will descend in three days?!" Youyou flew into a rage. "Tell me what you mean by judgment descending in three days?!"

In the Central District headquarters' meeting room, Youyou coiled atop the table, hissing and flicking out his tongue. His snake eyes bulged as though they might fall out. In the corner, Jie An had printed out a thick stack of prescriptions and was muttering to himself as he compared them to old notes. At the head of the table, Ji Qiufeng watched his nose, his nose watched his heart, pretending he heard nothing. Chu Hengkong and Ji Huaishu stood side by side by the door, looking exactly like two unlucky children caught skipping class. At the questioning, both raised their heads and puffed out their chests.

"We had to establish our momentum first. We could figure out how to do it afterward." Chu Hengkong was perfectly justified.

Ji Huaishu refused to be outdone. "The enemy can play at gods and ghosts, so can we. At least no one dares lay a hand on our people now!"

Youyou shook his head without stopping, nearly rolling his eyes in fury. Seeing things turning bad, Ji Qiufeng hurriedly cut in. "When it comes to war, momentum is very important..."

Youyou roared with his snake mouth, sounding like a dragon's bellow. "Ji Qiufeng, shut up! It's not your place to interrupt when I'm educating the children!!"

Ji Qiufeng lowered his eyes obediently, shut his mouth, and drank his tea. The two being scolded desperately held back their laughter. Youyou raised his tail and smacked their hands in rapid succession. "What are you laughing at?! Where's the plan? Where's the operation proposal? Did you submit a report before making such a major decision? Anything that comes out of your mouths represents the City Lord's Manor! Now the whole city knows divine punishment is coming in three days. What will you do if something happens then?!"

Chu Hengkong waited for the bad-tempered snake to finish before speaking unhurriedly. "The plan has been made, and there's an operational proposal too. We only need to confirm a few key points. Last night's situation was urgent, and we had to make a prompt decision. Please forgive us."

"Besides, our City Lord's Manor lost its credibility in the swamp ages ago. Even if we botch it, there's nothing to lose." Ji Huaishu continued butting heads.

Youyou had no way to deal with these two bastards. He leaned into Ji Qiufeng's teacup and gulped down a mouthful of tea, then spoke after calming himself. "What's the plan?"

Chu Hengkong had come prepared. "The earlier appraisal document for the pill said, 'purges unorthodox contamination of particle level 4 and below.' From the way you spoke at yesterday's meeting, I think Light Poison falls within that range too. Even unfinished, the pill is still a proper level 4 Relic. One pill should be able to save many Light Poison patients."

"Not merely many." Ji Qiufeng added with a smile. "The power of particle level 4 is as far apart from levels 1 through 3 as clouds are from mud. This one pill can save several thousand Light Poison sufferers. Even if they have completely become Glowing Corpses, it can bring them back from the dead."

Youyou tapped his tail irritably. "I have a way to lure out the source of the Light Poison. The original plan was to kill the chief culprit and then treat the patients, purging the poison at its root. But after what you two pulled, who would dare take our medicine... What are you laughing at?"

The two field agents both broke into smiles. Those smiles were so wickedly sly that Youyou, as their elder, felt instinctively wary.

Ji Huaishu placed a small object on the table. It was a weapon commonly seen in Dragon's Return City. Rubbing her hands, she came to Youyou's side with a sweet smile. "Lord Youyou~ Could I trouble you to spend a little time modifying our equipment~~?"

Youyou stared at the thing, his expression somewhat blank.

"...You two really are geniuses." Youyou turned toward Jie An. "Little An, take a look. Can this work?"

Jie An, who had been buried in his books, suddenly stood up, his eyes shining. "I know where it is! The dense forest north of Deeproot Settlement—it should be somewhere in that area. We need to set off quickly!"

After all that commotion, this fellow had not listened to the discussion at all. From the moment he received the prescription, he had immersed himself in his own world, deciphering it through some tacit understanding only he and his father could comprehend.

The moment Chu Hengkong heard that description, he recalled the little mountain covered in blooming flowers. Rather than answer immediately, he asked first, "You found the gold? What is it?"

"Medicinal ingredients, of course!" Jie An said animatedly. "Why do you think Panacea lost its usefulness?"

"Uh... did it get distorted as it was passed around?" Ji Huaishu guessed.

"My dad wrote this prescription only a little over twenty years ago. That's not enough time for it to get garbled beyond recognition. The prescription itself is fine, so where did it go wrong?"

Ji Huaishu finally understood. "It's the medicine... No wonder. The medicinal properties changed."

Most swamp herbs had been brought by immigrants from the various Dust Islands. Once transplanted, their environment changed drastically from their places of origin. Though the fertile soil still let them thrive, their medicinal properties were also influenced by the swamp environment. What began as a tiny effect deepened over generations, then erupted collectively in recent years, turning what had once been a fine remedy into a beverage.

"Some medicines become worse in the swamp, so there should also be medicines that become better in the new environment." Jie An's expression was focused. "The moment I heard that message from Dad, I understood. The gold he spoke of was medicine about to take shape... a new variety that would appear in the swamp!"

Jie An wanted to collect prescriptions so he could determine the distribution of altered medicines through comparison, thereby locating the regions where the changes occurred most often. That would be the most likely place where gold was buried. Once Chu Hengkong understood this, he focused on another matter. "Then you should be able to write a new Panacea prescription?"

"Of course I can!" Jie An said. "I probably can. Really, it's just figuring out the changes in medicinal properties. It's like switching to a different brand of seasoning when you cook... It should work. I know what I'm doing, but..."

He clutched his hat uneasily, his voice gradually lowering. "Sorry. I probably... can't do it. That was Dad's prescription, after all. Don't count on me. Can we talk about something important? I mean, we can find the gold first and deal with those assholes afterward, right?"

"That is the key." Chu Hengkong said, "What you described is Adali's herb field. It's on a hilltop and heavily guarded. I suspect he is cultivating Glowing Corpses nearby."

"Fuck him, kill him!" Jie An cursed loudly.

"We need your assistance with this..."

Chu Hengkong explained the plan. Jie An listened intently, then scribbled for a while in his notebook.

"It will be difficult," he repeated. "To achieve the effect you want, simply diluting the pill in water will not be enough. We need to increase the viscosity of the diluting liquid... We may need to add floating melon seed fluid and algae paste. I need time to experiment..."

"We have two and a half days from now." Chu Hengkong patted his shoulder. "We're counting on you!"

Three days was a very reasonable deadline. The Glowing Corpses would spread, Ji Qiufeng urgently needed treatment, and there was not much time to waste. Thus, the entire Resurrection Corps began moving. From the workshops on the sky islands to the pharmacies in the Central District, members racked their brains over the hastily issued requirements and followed their superiors in urgently producing the necessary equipment.

Two days before judgment. Youyou's workshop.

"Huaisu, does this thing meet the requirements?"

"The power is just right, but it might be a little lacking against a crowd... Wait, Chu Hengkong said we can add a few more tubes!"

"...Isn't that a little immoral?"

"How is it immoral? We're in the life-saving business!"

One day before judgment. Cafeteria kitchen.

"It's done~ See if it has the effect you wanted."

"...It looks a little strange. And this smell..."

"Oh, there's no time to fine-tune it. This will do! We still need to hurry up and catch some geese."

Half a day before judgment. Resurrection Corps command room.

"Grandma Sang Jia replied that if this method works, she would be happy to assist."

"Excellent! With a local snake helping us, things will be much easier. Everyone, go over the plan once more. That concludes the special operation to be carried out tomorrow. Is everything clear?"

"Captain... isn't this a little..."

"Throw away all your mental burdens. We're carrying out a mission."

"Yes!"

And so, the day of judgment arrived!

Like a white river, the waterfall descended from the Central District, and the outline of the Rising Dragon Ship could faintly be seen in the water. The shaman Lande lowered his binoculars and relayed a signal with hand gestures. White-robed believers hurried at the news. The faithful picked up pitchforks and meat cleavers, ready to resist the Doom Knight to the bitter end.

No one had set up a stall at today's market. This area near the harbor had been arranged as the foremost battlefront. Lande and the armed cultivators waited in the rear for their moment, ordinary believers formed the central force, while at the very front of the line stood a group of fluorescent people like walking corpses—the Glowing Corpses the believers had brought from their homes at the command.

This was Adali's poisonous scheme. He had preached to the believers that if they contributed their strength, the sick could also receive salvation from the gods. This way, they could use the Glowing Corpses to delay the enemy's advance. The Resurrection Corps did not want to be infected, yet they had to force their way through, meaning they would inevitably have to deal with these corpses. And once the government men pulled the triggers, they would personally shatter the swamp's order.

The evil dragon without order would lose its power as well. This false divine punishment would only bury them all.

"My lord, they're here!"

Lande saw the Doom Knight as well. She and her subordinates were riding together in an armored off-road vehicle. The vehicle drove from the Rising Dragon Ship into the harbor, its roaring engine outrageously brazen. Everyone aboard held modified firearms, and Lande was overjoyed at the sight. He led his guards to the front of the battle line to raise morale, lifting an arm as he shouted, "The Doom Knight refuses to leave the swamp a path to live, so let us deliver true divine punishment upon her! Believers of the swamp, charge with me!!"

"The gods protect us!!" the crowd answered.

Confused believers and Glowing Corpses ran together toward the vehicle's wheels. Lande quietly activated the Relic he carried for protection. All he needed now was to see the enemy fire their weapons themselves, and his task would be complete. He stared hard at the Doom Knight's fingers, praying they would not be so composed. Things progressed even more smoothly than he expected. Everyone in the vehicle pulled their triggers.

The evil dragon's lackeys had fired!

Lande cheered and leaped with wild joy. He waited for the coming blood and screams, for howls and slaughter amid despair. But suddenly, something felt wrong. He did not hear the jetting rush of Water Bullets firing. Instead, dull popping sounds came one after another... And the ammunition looked strange too. Its smell and color were both...

Everyone, including the armed cultivators, was utterly bewildered. Hundreds of eyes watched the ammunition streak through the sky. Those "Water Bullets" were as large as fists, yellowish-green in color and uncannily like mud in texture. When they struck someone, they made a wet, muffled splat, then burst apart into a puddle of muddy filth that gave off an utterly horrifying stench!

Lande's mind went blank on the spot. He could not describe the smell in words. Durian seemed far too friendly by comparison, while rot somehow felt like an understatement. It was only when a second "Water Bullet" struck his head and the yellow-green sludge covered his entire body that familiar memories were finally awakened.

Trembling, he wiped his face and stared at the yellow-green smear on his hand as he screamed, "Shit?!"

That was... that shape, that color, that feel—without a doubt... it was shit!!

"Fuck, shit!" "Help, they're throwing shit!!" "Have they no shame?!"

The hard-won fighting spirit plunged to rock bottom. The believers wailed one after another, while the armed cultivators led by Lande vomited violently on the spot! Some strong-willed souls forced themselves to issue moral condemnation. "You're throwing shit at patients... You'll suffer retribution! Go to hell, you bastards!!"

On the off-road vehicle, Chu Hengkong extended a tentacle and pointed at the foremost line. "Is that so? But I don't see any patients."

The people looked where his tentacle pointed. The Glowing Corpses at the very front wore blank expressions, their faces covered in yellow-green sludge. Their mouths had been wide open, so they had swallowed most of the ammunition in the first barrage... The patients' families were so grief-stricken and furious that they were about to collapse, but they also sensed that something was wrong. There was only yellow-green filth and a foul stench, yet...

There was no light.

The glow could no longer be seen. The light spots beneath their skin receded at a visible pace, and life returned to their confused eyes. Those glowing corpses had actually come back to life! They looked around in delighted surprise, asking with the curiosity of newborns, "Where did all this shit come from?"

But no one answered them anymore. The believers were so shocked that they nearly lost the ability to think. They watched the Doom Knight climb onto the roof of the off-road vehicle, holding a light shield in one hand and a loudspeaker in the other. Her voice carried throughout the market, reaching every ear.

"I said it before! Our Dragon's Return God's Judgment Day punishes evil and rewards good. Only evil people will die in sickness, while the good will be freed from the light. It seems all these patients are good people, so there's still hope for them... But those deliberately blocking our way might not be so lucky."

She deliberately drew out her words, sweeping her gaze over the crowd. "Who else wants the Dragon God's blessing?"

Weapons clattered to the ground everywhere, and Lande was kicked flat by two large feet. Believers with glowing spots on their bodies were the first to raise both hands and rush into the stinking mire, their cries rising and falling like waves.

"Lady Knight, shoot me!" "Shoot me, shoot me!" "I have the courage to receive the blessing!" "Get out of the way, I dare eat the blessing!" "I've been a believer of the Dragon's Return God for twenty years!!"

Splat! Splat! The specially made Water Bullet guns fired one after another. People happily collapsed amid the yellow-green sludge, while the few believers who failed to catch any dropped to the ground and grabbed the blessings off the floor, stuffing them into their mouths. The Judgment Day operation codenamed "Spray" officially began at that very moment!