Chapter 34: Shoot Me!

The old wooden walls were illuminated by candlelight. In the dim, murky marshlands, candles were lit even during the day. People gathered in taverns, prayer rooms, and secret chapels, their voices from different races discussing the same topic.

"Have you heard?" "I saw it with my own eyes." "The Disaster Knight said personally that judgment would be passed..." "The Son of God is there too." "It's the end. It's the end of the marshlands...!"

Within a day, the news that the Disaster Knight would bring divine punishment had spread throughout the marshes. There was no need for deliberate intelligence operations; the superstitious populace acted as messengers of their own accord. First the light-poison, then divine punishment—what sorrowful tidings these were! The atmosphere of despair grew heavy, as if the end were near, and even the High Wizard Adari’s face appeared several shades gloomier than usual.

"High Wizard, please give us your instructions." His confidant, the wizard Land, was utterly bewildered. "All the settlements are in a state of panic. How should we handle this?"

Adari knew his confidants placed their hope in his "divine power," but mass psychological control could not be achieved simply through the Foundation. Long-term psychological suggestion, the cultivation of atmosphere, and environmental coordination were all indispensable.

This time, the opponent's decisive move had caught Adari off guard. Those two had raided the five major settlements of the marsh in a single night, proclaiming the prophecy of "divine punishment" before a multitude of people. With such a strong, preconceived impression, reversing the public's mood became an impossible challenge. That was not something the Foundation could achieve with just a single relic.

Adari’s face was as cold as water. "Go to every settlement and relay the oracle. Tell the believers to prepare their weapons, and under our guidance, we shall survive the divine punishment."

"This is..." Land’s voice trembled. "Are we, are we going to war..."

Adari slammed his staff down heavily. "It means prepare for battle! The City Lord’s Mansion claims they are bringing divine punishment, do they? Then let them drink the blood of their own city."

Seeing the unease in his confidants' eyes, he was so angry he laughed. "Don't be as foolish as the commoners; it's all just a bluff by some youngsters! We have been operating in the marsh for ten years—how could they possibly solve this in three days?"

·

"What do you mean, judgment will be passed in three days?!" Youyou was furious, hissing and flicking his tongue on the table in the central conference room, his snake eyes bulging as if they might pop out. In the corner, Xie An was busy printing out a stack of prescriptions, comparing them to old notebooks and muttering to himself. At the head of the table, Ji Qiufeng looked at his nose and his heart, pretending not to hear. Chu Hengkong and Ji Huaisu stood side by side at the door, looking like two unlucky students caught skipping class. Hearing the interrogation, they both raised their heads, chests puffed out.

"Establish the momentum first; we'll figure out how to do it later," Chu Hengkong said righteously.

Ji Huaisu refused to be outdone. "The enemy is playing god, so we can play the part too! At least now, no one dares to lay a hand on our people!"

Youyou couldn't stop shaking his head, his eyes rolling back in frustration. Seeing the situation spiraling, Ji Qiufeng quickly interjected, "Momentum is indeed very important in warfare..."

Youyou let out a roar from his snake mouth that sounded like a dragon’s cry: "Ji Qiufeng, shut up! It’s not your place to chime in on educating the children!!"

Ji Qiufeng lowered his gaze and obediently sipped his tea, while the two scolded ones struggled to hold back their laughter. Youyou raised his tail and swatted their hands. "What are you laughing at! Where is the plan? Where is the action scheme? Did you file a report for such a major decision beforehand? The words out of your mouths are the official statements of the City Lord’s Mansion. Now the whole city knows there will be divine punishment in three days—how will you handle it when things go wrong?!"

Chu Hengkong waited for the bad-tempered snake to finish before saying calmly, "The plan is made, and the scheme is ready; there are just a few key points that need confirmation. The situation last night was urgent and required immediate action; please forgive us."

"Anyway, our City Lord’s Mansion has long since lost all credibility in the marsh; there’s nothing to lose if we mess it up," Ji Huaisu added defiantly.

Youyou had no way to deal with these two scoundrels. He dipped his head into Ji Qiufeng’s teacup, took a big gulp, and after catching his breath, asked, "What is the plan?"

Chu Hengkong was prepared. "The identification document for the pills previously stated that they could 'eliminate foreign contamination of Grade 4 and below.' Judging by your tone during yesterday’s meeting, I assume light-poison falls within this range. Even if the pill isn't perfected, it’s still a legitimate Grade 4 relic. A single pill should be able to save many light-poison patients."

"More than many," Ji Qiufeng added with a smile. "The power of Grade 4 is worlds apart from Grades 1 to 3. This single pill could save thousands of light-poison patients. Even those who have fully transformed into fluorescent corpses could be brought back to life."

Youyou tapped his tail anxiously. "I have a way to draw out the source of the light-poison. The original plan was to kill the culprit and then treat the patients to thoroughly eradicate the poison. But with you two pulling this stunt, who would dare eat our pills... What are you laughing at?"

The two envoys laughed in unison, their smiles so wicked that Youyou, as an elder, felt a surge of instinctive vigilance.

Ji Huaisu placed a small object on the table—a weapon common in Huilong City. She rubbed her hands together and approached Youyou, smiling sweetly: "Master Youyou~ could you please take some time to modify our equipment for us~~?"

Youyou stared at the thing, his expression slightly dazed.

"...You two are truly geniuses," Youyou said, turning to look at Xie An. "Little An, take a look, is this feasible?"

Xie An, who had been buried in his scrolls, suddenly stood up, his eyes shining. "I know where it is! The dense forest north of the Deep Root Settlement—it must be in that area. Let’s go, quickly!"

It turned out this guy hadn't been listening to the discussion at all. From the moment he got the prescription, he had been immersed in his own world, decoding it with a tacit understanding that only he and his father shared.

Hearing the description, Chu Hengkong recalled the small hill covered in flowers. Without rushing to answer, he asked, "You found the gold? What is it?"

"It’s medicine, of course!" Xie An exclaimed excitedly. "Why do you think the panacea lost its efficacy?"

"Uh... was it distorted through word of mouth?" Ji Huaisu guessed.

"My dad wrote this prescription only twenty years ago. That’s not enough time for it to be remembered incorrectly. The prescription itself is fine, so where did it go wrong?"

Ji Huaisu finally understood. "It’s the medicine... No wonder, the medicinal properties have changed."

Most of the medicinal herbs in the marsh came from immigrants from various dust islands. After transplantation, the environment changed drastically compared to their place of origin. Although they grew vigorously due to the fertile soil, their medicinal properties were affected by the swamp environment. This initially minor impact deepened over generations and culminated in a concentrated outbreak in recent years, turning a once-effective remedy into little more than a beverage.

"If there are medicines that get worse in the marsh, there should be medicines that get better in the new environment," Xie An said with focus. "I understood as soon as I heard my dad’s message. The 'gold' he spoke of is the medicine that is about to take shape... it’s a new variety that will appear in the marsh!"

Xie An wanted to collect the prescriptions to determine the distribution of the changing medicines through comparison, thereby identifying the area where the phenomenon was most frequent. That was the most likely burial place for the gold. Having understood this, Chu Hengkong 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. Actually, it’s just a matter of figuring out the changes in medicinal properties; it’s like changing the brand of seasoning when you cook... it should work. I have an idea, but..."

He clutched his hat uneasily, his voice dropping. "Sorry, it probably... won't work. After all, that was my dad’s prescription; don't count on me. Can we talk about business? I mean, it’s fine to find the gold first and then deal with those idiots, right?"

"That is the key," Chu Hengkong said. "What you described is Adari’s herb field, located on a hill, heavily guarded. I suspect he is cultivating fluorescent corpses in the surrounding area."

"I'll be damned, kill him!" Xie An cursed.

"This requires your assistance..."

Chu Hengkong explained the plan. Xie An listened intently and sketched on his notebook for a while.

"It’s difficult," he repeated. "To achieve the effect you want, simply diluting the pills with water isn't enough. We need to increase the viscosity of the dilution... maybe add floating melon seed fluid and algae paste. I need time to experiment..."

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

Three days was a reasonable deadline. The fluorescent corpses would spread, and Ji Qiufeng was in urgent need of treatment; there was no time to waste. Thus, the entire Rebirth Unit began to bustle. From the workshops on the floating islands to the apothecary in the central courtyard, team members racked their brains over the temporarily issued requirements, rushing to manufacture the necessary equipment under the supervision of those in charge.

Two days before judgment. Youyou’s studio.

"Huaisu, look, does this meet the requirements?"

"The power is just right, but it will be a bit weak when facing a crowd... Wait a moment, Chu Hengkong said we can add a few more tubes!"

"...That’s a bit unprincipled, isn't it?"

"How is it unprincipled? This is a life-saving business!"

One day before judgment. Canteen kitchen.

"Done~ See if this is the effect you wanted."

"...It looks a bit strange."

"Oh, there’s no time to fine-tune it, just like this! We still need to go catch some geese."

Half a day before judgment. Rebirth Unit command room.

"Granny Sangjia replied that if the method works, she would be happy to assist."

"Very good! It will be much easier with a local expert helping. Everyone, go over the plan one more time. That is the special task to be executed tomorrow. Is everyone clear?"

"Captain... is this a bit..."

"Throw away your psychological burdens, all right? This is an official mission."

"Yes!"

……

And so, the day of judgment arrived!

The waterfall cascaded down from the central courtyard like a white river, and the silhouette of the Rising Dragon Boat was faintly visible in the water. Wizard Land lowered his binoculars and gestured to signal. The white-robed believers ran to relay the news, and the congregation picked up pitchforks and meat cleavers, prepared to fight the Disaster Knight to the end.

The market was empty today; this area near the harbor had been turned into the front line of battle. Land and the armed monks waited in the rear for the right moment, while the general congregation acted as the main force. At the very front of the battle line was a group of fluorescent people, walking like living corpses—these were the fluorescent corpses the congregation had been ordered to bring out of their homes.

This was a poisonous scheme devised by Adari. He preached to the congregation that as long as they contributed their strength, the sick could also be saved by God. In this way, he could use the fluorescent corpses to delay the enemy’s advance. If the Rebirth Unit didn't want to be infected but insisted on breaking through, they would inevitably have to deal with these corpses. And the moment the government officials pulled the trigger, they would personally shatter the order of the marsh.

The Evil Dragon without order would also lose its power, and this false divine punishment would only bury them.

"Sir, they're here!"

Land also saw the Disaster Knight. She and her subordinates were riding an armored off-road vehicle. The vehicle drove from the Rising Dragon Boat into the harbor, the roaring engine sound reaching a peak of arrogance. Everyone on the vehicle held modified firearms. Seeing this, Land was overjoyed. He led his guards to the front of the battle line to boost morale, raised his arms, and shouted: "The Disaster Knight refuses to give the marsh a way to live, so we shall inflict true divine punishment upon her! Marsh believers, follow me and attack!!"

"May the gods protect us!!" the crowd responded.

The confused believers ran toward the wheels together with the fluorescent corpses, and Land quietly activated his defensive relic. All that remained was to watch the enemy pull the trigger, and his mission would be accomplished. He stared intently at the Disaster Knight’s fingers, praying they wouldn't be so composed. But the progress was smoother than he expected—everyone on the vehicle pulled the trigger.

The Evil Dragon’s lackeys had fired!

Land cheered in ecstasy, waiting for the blood and screams to come, waiting for the wailing and slaughter in the midst of despair. But he suddenly felt something was wrong. He didn't hear the jet-like sound of water bullets being fired; instead, there were dull "pfft" sounds... and the ammunition looked very strange, the smell and color were both very...

Everyone, including the armed monks, was bewildered, hundreds of pairs of eyes watching the ammunition traverse the sky. The "water bullets" were the size of a fist, yellowish-green in color, and their texture resembled sludge. When the ammunition hit someone, it made a muffled "splat" sound, then disintegrated into a puddle of mud-like filth, emitting an utterly terrifying stench!

Land’s mind went blank on the spot. He couldn't find the words to describe the smell; it made durian seem friendly, and rotting matter seemed like an exaggeration. It wasn't until the second "water bullet" hit his head, covering his body in the yellowish-green sludge, that a familiar memory was finally awakened.

He wiped his face with trembling hands, looked at his hands covered in yellow and green, and let out a miserable cry: "Shit?!"

That was it... the shape, the color, and the feel were unmistakable... it was poop!!

"Holy crap, shit!" "Help, they're throwing shit!!" "Have they no shame!"

The morale that had been painstakingly built up plummeted to the bottom. The believers let out waves of wailing, and the armed monks, led by Land, began to vomit violently on the spot! The strong-willed among them managed to force out a moral condemnation! "How could you throw shit at the sick... You will suffer retribution! Go to hell, you bastards!!"

On the off-road vehicle, Chu Hengkong extended a tentacle, pointing at the front row of the battle line: "Is that so? But I don't see any sick people."

People followed his tentacle, and the fluorescent corpses in the front row stood with dull expressions, covered in yellow and green. Because they had their mouths wide open, they had consumed most of the ammunition in the first wave of impact... The families of the patients were so grief-stricken they were on the verge of collapse, but they also felt something was wrong. There was only yellow-green sludge and stench, yet...

There was no light.

The light was gone. The fluorescent spots under their skin were fading at a speed visible to the naked eye, and a new glimmer of life appeared in their previously vacant eyes. The glowing corpses had actually come back to life! They looked around in surprise, asking with the curiosity of newborns: "Where did this shit come from?"

But no one answered. The believers were so shocked they were losing the ability to think. They saw the Disaster Knight stand on top of the off-road vehicle, holding a light shield in one hand and a megaphone in the other. Her voice reached every corner of the market, into everyone’s ears.

"As I said before! Our Huilong God’s Day of Judgment is to punish the wicked and reward the good. Only the wicked will die in pain, while the good will be liberated from the light. It seems all of you patients are good people, so you’re still savable... but those who deliberately block the way, that’s not certain."

She deliberately dragged out her voice, scanning the crowd: "Who else wants the Dragon God’s blessing?"

The sound of weapons hitting the ground resonated everywhere. Land was kicked to the ground by two large feet on the spot. The believers who had fluorescent spots on their bodies were the first to raise their hands and run into the foul-smelling mud, their cheers rising like a tide.

"Knight, shoot me!" "Shoot me, shoot me!" "I have the courage to endure the blessing!" "Get out of the way, I dare to eat the blessing!" "I’ve been a believer of the Huilong God for twenty years!!"

Splat! Splat! The modified water-bullet guns fired one after another. People fell happily into the yellow-green mess, and the few believers who didn't manage to get hit scrambled on the ground, grabbing the blessing and devouring it greedily. Operation Day of Judgment, codenamed "Jet," officially began at this very moment!