Chapter 34 Shoot Me!
The old wooden walls were illuminated by candlelight, and candles were lit even during the day in the dim swamp. People gathered in bars, prayer rooms, and secret churches, and the voices of different races discussed the same topic.
"Have you heard?" "I saw it with my own eyes." "The Knight of Disaster said he would punish..." "The Son of God was there too." "That's the end of the world. The end of the swamp...!"
Within a day, word of the Scourge Knight's impending divine retribution spread throughout the swamp. Even without the need for specific propaganda, superstitious people took the initiative to act as messengers. First, light poison, then divine retribution—what tragic news! The atmosphere of despair, the imminent doomsday, thickened, and even the great wizard Adari's expression seemed darker than usual.
"Great Wizard, please give me some instructions." His confidant, Wizard Rand, was extremely confused. "Everyone in the settlement is in panic. What should we do?"
Adari knew that his confidants placed their hopes on his "divine power", but the mental control of a group was not something that could be accomplished easily by a cornerstone. Long-term psychological suggestion, atmosphere and environment coordination were all indispensable.
This time, the decisiveness of their attack caught Adari off guard. The two raided the five major settlements of the swamp overnight, proclaiming the prophecy of "divine punishment" before a large crowd. With such a strong preconceived notion, swaying the crowd's sentiment became an impossible challenge. That wasn't something that the Cornerstone could accomplish with just a single relic.
Ada's heart was as heavy as water. "Go to each settlement to convey the oracle. Tell the believers to prepare their weapons and survive the divine punishment under our guidance."
"This is..." Rand's voice trembled, "I need to open..."
Adari slammed his cane. "Prepare for war! The City Lord's Mansion claims to bring divine punishment, right? Then make them drink the blood of their own city."
He saw the uneasy eyes of his confidants and laughed in anger. "Don't be as foolish as the fools. These are just young people's bluffing tricks! We have been operating in the swamp for ten years. How can they solve it in three days?"
·
"What do you mean by 'a verdict will be handed down in three days'?!" Youyou was furious. "Tell me what you mean by 'a verdict will be handed down in three days'?!"
In the atrium headquarters conference room, Youyou Pan hissed and spat on the table, his snake eyes bulging out. In the corner, Jie An printed out a pile of prescriptions, muttering to himself while comparing them to his old notes. Ji Qiufeng, seated at the head of the room, pretended not to hear. Chu Hengkong and Ji Huaisu stood side by side at the door, looking like two hapless children caught skipping class. When they heard the question, they both raised their heads, their chests puffed out.
"Let's show our momentum first, and we'll figure out how to do it later." Chu Hengkong said confidently.
Ji Huaisu refused to give in: "If the enemy plays tricks, we can do the same. At least no one dares to attack our people now!"
Youyou couldn't stop shaking his head, almost rolling his eyes in anger. Ji Qiufeng, seeing the situation was not good, quickly interrupted, "Momentum is very important in war..."
Youyou opened his snake mouth and roared like a dragon's roar: "Ji Qiufeng, shut up! It's not your turn to interrupt when educating a child!!"
Ji Qiufeng lowered his head, sipped his tea, and the two men being scolded tried hard to suppress their laughter. Youyou raised his tail and slapped their hands. "What are you laughing at! Where's the plan? Where's the action plan? Did you submit a report before making such a big decision? Every word you say is the City Lord's Office's statement. Now the whole city knows that there will be divine punishment in three days. How will we deal with any trouble then?!"
Chu Hengkong waited for the bad-tempered snake to finish speaking before he said calmly, "We have a plan and a solution, but we need to confirm a few key points. Last night, the situation was urgent and we needed to make a decision immediately. Please forgive me."
"Anyway, our City Lord's Mansion has long lost its credibility in the swamp, so there's no loss if we fail." Ji Huaisu continued to argue.
Youyou had no idea what to do with these two bastards. He leaned over to Ji Qiufeng's teacup and gulped down a large gulp of tea. After calming down, he said, "What's the plan?"
Chu Hengkong was well prepared. "The pill's identification document previously stated 'purifies foreign contamination of particle 4 and below.' Judging from the tone of your voice during the meeting yesterday, I think light poison also falls within this range. Even if the pill isn't complete, it's still a legitimate Level 4 relic. One pill should be able to save many light poison patients."
"It's more than that," Ji Qiufeng added with a smile, "The power of particle 4 is far superior to particles 1-3. This single pill can save thousands of patients suffering from light poisoning. Even if they are completely transformed into glowing corpses, they can be brought back to life."
Youyou tapped his tail anxiously. "I have a way to draw out the source of the light poison. Our original plan was to kill the culprit and then treat the patients, completely eradicating the poison. But after what you two have done, who would dare to take our medicine... What are you laughing at?"
The two expatriates laughed together, and the wicked smile made Youyou, the elder, feel instinctively alert.
Ji Huaisu placed a small object on the table. It was a common weapon in Huilong City. Rubbing her hands together, she approached Youyou with a sweet smile, "Master Youyou, could you please take a moment to modify our equipment?"
Youyou stared at the thing with a dull expression.
"...You two are truly geniuses." Youyou turned to look at Jie An, "Xiao An, do you think this will work?"
Xie An, who was buried in a book, suddenly stood up, his eyes sparkling. "I know where it is! The dense forest north of Shengen Settlement is probably in that area. Let's go!"
After all the commotion, this guy wasn't listening to the discussion at all. Ever since he got the prescription, he'd been immersed in his own world, deciphering it with some tacit understanding that only he and his father understood.
When Chu Hengkong heard this description, he thought of the hill covered with flowers. He didn't rush to answer, but asked first: "Did you find gold? What is it?"
"Of course it's medicinal herbs!" Xie An beamed with joy. "Why do you think the panacea has lost its use?"
"Uh...it got distorted as the story went on?" Ji Huaisu guessed.
"My father wrote this recipe only twenty years ago. It's not long enough for him to have memorized it incorrectly. There's nothing wrong with the recipe itself, so what went wrong?"
Ji Huaisu finally figured it out: "It's the medicine... No wonder, the medicinal properties have changed."
Most of the medicinal herbs in the swamps come from immigrants from various Dust Islands. Since transplanting, the environment has changed significantly compared to their original habitats. While they thrive thanks to the fertile soil, their medicinal properties are also affected by the swampy environment. This initially minor influence has deepened over generations, reaching a peak in recent years, turning the original remedy into a beverage.
"Some medicines will become worse in the swamp, but some medicines will also become better in the new environment." Jie An said with a focused expression, "I understood it after hearing what my father said in that message. The gold he mentioned is the medicine that will take shape... It is a new variety that will appear in the swamp!"
Jie An's purpose in collecting prescriptions was to determine the distribution of the changing drugs through comparison, thereby pinpointing the areas where the changes occurred most frequently. That would be the most likely location for the gold. Chu Hengkong understood this and turned his attention to another matter: "Then you should be able to write a new panacea prescription?"
"Of course I can!" Xie An said, "I probably can. It's just a matter of understanding the changes in the medicinal properties, just like changing the brand of seasoning when cooking... It should be possible. I have an idea, but..."
He gripped his hat nervously, his voice dropping. "Sorry, it's probably not going to work. It's my father's recipe after all, so don't count on me. Let's get down to business, okay? I mean, it's okay to find the gold first and then deal with these idiots."
"That's the key," Chu Hengkong said. "You described Adari's herbal medicine fields, located on a mountaintop and heavily guarded. I suspect he's cultivating glow corpses around there."
"Fuck him, beat him to death!" Jie An cursed.
"This requires your assistance..."
Chu Hengkong explained the plan. Jie An listened attentively and sketched on his sketchbook for a while.
"It's difficult," he repeated. "To achieve the effect you want, simply diluting the pills with water isn't enough. You need to increase the viscosity of the diluent... maybe add floating melon seed liquid and algae paste. I need some time to experiment..."
"We still have two and a half days from now." Chu Hengkong patted his shoulder, "It's up to you!"
Three days was a reasonable deadline. With the spread of the Glowing Corpses and Ji Qiufeng in urgent need of treatment, there wasn't much time to waste. So the entire Resurrection Team began to bustle, from the workshops on Sky Island to the pharmacy in the courtyard. The team members pondered over the impromptu requirements and worked with the person in charge to urgently produce the equipment they needed.
Two days before the verdict. Leisurely studio.
"Huaisu, do you think this thing meets the requirements?"
"The power is just right, but we'll be a little weak against the crowd... Wait a minute, Chu Hengkong said we can add a few more tubes!"
"...That's a bit unethical."
"How can this be so unethical? This is a life-saving business!"
The day before the verdict. Canteen kitchen.
"Alright~ Let's see if this is the effect you want."
"...It looks a bit strange. And the smell..."
"Oh, no time for fine-tuning. Let's just leave it at that! We have to go catch some geese."
Half a day before the judgment. Resurrection Force Command Room.
"Granny Sangjia wrote back saying she would be happy to help if the method worked."
"Very good! It will be much easier with the help of the local tyrants. Let's go over the plan again. The above is the special mission to be carried out tomorrow. Is everyone clear?"
"Captain... isn't this a bit..."
"Throw away all your psychological burdens, this is a mission."
"yes!"
…
So, the time has come for the day of judgment!
A waterfall cascaded down the courtyard like a white river, the faint outline of the rising dragon boat visible in the water. The wizard, Rand, lowered his telescope and signaled with hand gestures. White-robed followers rushed to the scene, their followers picking up pitchforks and cleavers, ready to fight the Scourge Knight to the bitter end.
Today's market was deserted, and this area near the port was designated the front line. Land and the armed monks waited in the rear, while the ordinary believers served as the center. At the forefront stood a group of zombie-like fluorescent figures, the glowing corpses that the believers had brought from their homes upon command.
This was Adari's wicked scheme. He preached to his followers that if they contributed their strength, the sick could also be saved by God. This way, they could use the glowing corpses to delay the enemy's advance. If the resurrected troops wanted to break through without being infected, they would have to deal with these corpses. And if the officials pulled the trigger, they would personally destroy the order of the swamp.
The evil dragons without order will also lose their power, and this false divine punishment will only bury themselves.
"My lord, here we come!"
Rand also spotted the Scourge Knight. She and her men were riding in an armored off-road vehicle as it pulled into the harbor from the Rising Dragon Ship. The roar of its engines was almost insane. Everyone on board was armed with modified firearms, and Rand was overjoyed. He led his guards to the front of the battle line to boost morale, raising his arms and shouting, "If the Scourge Knight refuses to let the Swamp survive, then we will inflict true divine punishment upon her! Swampland faithful, follow me and attack!"
“May the gods protect us!!” the crowd responded.
The bewildered followers and the glowing corpses ran towards the wheel. Rand quietly opened his own protective relic. From then on, as long as he saw the enemy fire a gun, his mission would be accomplished. He stared at the Scourge Knight's fingers, praying they wouldn't be so patient. But things went smoothly beyond his expectations, and everyone on the car pulled the trigger.
The evil dragon's lackeys opened fire!
Rand leaped for joy, anticipating the blood and screams, the desperate howling and bloodshed. But something suddenly felt off. Instead of the spurting sound of the water bullets, there were only dull "puffs"... And the ammunition looked strange, too. The smell and color were...
Everyone, including the armed monks, was stunned. Hundreds of eyes stared at the ammunition streaking across the sky. The "water bullets" were roughly the size of fists, tinged with a yellowish-green hue, and resembled mud. The ammunition made a muffled "puff" sound upon impact, then disintegrated into a pool of muddy filth, emitting an utterly horrific stench.
Rand's mind went blank. He struggled to put the smell into words; durian seemed too friendly, while rottenness seemed a bit exaggerated. It wasn't until the second "water bullet" hit his head and the yellow-green mud covered his body that the familiar memory finally awoke.
He wiped his face tremblingly, looked at his hands covered in yellow and green and screamed: "Shit?!"
That’s exactly it…that shape, that color, and that feel, without a doubt…it’s X!!
"Fuck, X!" "Help! They're throwing X!!" "Are you still shameless?"
The fighting spirit that had been so hard-won plummeted to its lowest point. The believers let out wails one after another, and the armed monks, led by Land, vomited violently on the spot! Among them, the strong-willed ones forced themselves to issue moral condemnation! "You actually threw X at the patient... You will be punished! Go to hell, you bastards!!"
In the SUV, Chu Hengkong extended his tentacles and pointed at the front line: "Is that so? But I don't see any patients."
Following his tentacles, people looked over. The front row of glowing corpses had glazed expressions, their faces stained yellow-green. Their mouths were wide open, having swallowed most of the ammunition in the first wave of attacks. The patients' families were filled with grief and anger, nearly collapsing. But they also sensed something was amiss. There was only yellow-green and a foul odor, and yet...
There is no light.
The light disappeared, and the spots beneath their skin receded at a visible speed. A glimmer of light returned to their bewildered eyes. The glowing corpses had actually come alive! They looked around in amazement, asking with the curiosity of a newborn, "Where did X come from?"
But no one answered. The believers were so shocked that they almost lost their ability to think. They saw the Knight of Disaster standing on the roof of the off-road vehicle, holding a light shield in one hand and a loudspeaker in the other. Her voice was transmitted to all parts of the market and reached everyone's ears.
"I've said it before! Our Dragon God's Day of Judgment is to punish the wicked and reward the virtuous. The wicked will die in pain, and the virtuous will be liberated in the light. It seems that all of you patients are virtuous, so there's still hope... but those who are deliberately blocking the way may not be so."
She deliberately dragged out her voice and glanced at everyone: "Who else wants the Dragon God's blessing?"
The sound of weapons crashing to the ground resounded, and Rand was instantly knocked to the ground by two large feet. The believers with light spots on their bodies were the first to run into the stinking mire with their hands raised high, their shouts rising and falling like a tide.
"Sir Knight, shoot me!" "Shoot me, shoot me!" "I have the courage to accept the blessing!" "Get out of here! I dare to take the blessing!" "I've been a follower of the Dragon God since twenty years ago!!"
Puff! Puff! The specially designed water guns fired in quick succession, sending people tumbling to the ground in a haze of yellow and green. The few believers who hadn't caught the water in time fell to the ground, grabbing the blessings from the ground and devouring them. Operation Judgment Day, codenamed "Spray," officially began from this moment!
(End of this chapter)
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