Chapter Twenty-Nine: Where Loyalty Lies (Part 1)

Under the night sky, the starlight spilled down, illuminating everything so brightly that it seemed even more radiant than the full moon of Mid-Autumn Festival had ever been. One could not help but believe that everything had changed, that only the earth beneath their feet remained, though even it was undergoing strange transformations everywhere.

Six men, led by Iron Pillar, struggled to support the gravely wounded Jia Yujin, staggering and fleeing in disarray beneath the assault of the mutated bats. Yet the creatures were so swift compared to them that any attempt to dodge or escape seemed laughable. Worse still, one of them had to constantly shield the half-conscious, grievously injured Jia Yujin.

“Mouse, this can’t go on,” Liu Kui shouted, blood streaming from claw marks on his shoulder, dangerously close to his neck. Yet he showed no fear or concern for himself.

“If this continues, we’ll either be killed by these monsters or drop dead from exhaustion,” added a medium-built man, furiously swinging his blade at the bats swooping down like fighter jets. Unfortunately, he rarely landed a blow, and even when he did, the bats, though not well-defended for mutants, rarely suffered fatal wounds from their knives.

“We can’t just keep running. Let’s fight these beasts—are we really afraid of them?” snapped another, a short but stout man, his limbs and neck thick-set, his face twisted with rage.

“We need to stand together and fend off these bats as a group. Let’s see how things go before making another move,” said Mouse, a wiry, small man with darting eyes. Yet even his usually sharp mind seemed lost in this dire situation, beset on all sides by peril, with only the instinct to buy time left to him.

“Alright!”

“Let’s listen to Mouse. Only he and Boss Jin have any wits about them. Doing what he says is better than stumbling around ourselves,” a tall and burly man chimed in.

The six formed a tight circle around the half-conscious Jia Yujin, wielding their blades in a desperate defense against the relentless aerial assaults. Against the blinding speed of the mutated bats, their resistance looked pitiful. Again and again, claws raked their flesh, blood dripping, and sometimes the bats’ dive-bombing attacks sent them sprawling. Luckily, with two men breaking off to cover the flanks, and with the bats lacking much intelligence, the monsters failed to coordinate a mass charge that would surely have shattered their formation and ended them in moments. Thus, though battered and bleeding, Iron Pillar’s group gritted their teeth and endured, time dragging slowly by.

“Boss, should we go help out and slaughter those monsters?” said one of Black Snake’s lackeys, clearly harboring no fondness for the creatures.

“Help? You want to help? Why don’t you go take them on yourself? As long as those things leave us alone, I’d rather just enjoy the show and see how long they last,” Black Snake retorted, seeing that these monsters’ speed made any heroics pointless.

“Right, boss, you’re wise as ever! Those things aren’t to be trifled with. Best not to make trouble,” another lackey chimed in, shooing the first aside.

“Exactly! Where else do you get to watch a real-life drama for free? This is way more thrilling than any Hollywood blockbuster!”

Their jeers and flattery came in a torrent, mocking the earlier speaker. Amidst this chorus, Black Snake’s green, triangular eyes shimmered with satisfaction, their cruel excitement growing as he watched the men’s wounds multiply, blood trickling down their bodies. Some of the sharper lackeys, noticing his expression, seemed to hatch new ideas.

“Come on, Mouse, Iron Pillar, don’t embarrass us humans! Show those monsters what we’re made of—you’re representing all of us, you know? Get in there and kill them!” one called out with mocking encouragement.

“Yeah, why are you always the ones getting hurt? The monsters look just fine. Step it up, will you?”

“We’re watching, don’t let us down! Give us something exciting!”

“You bunch of fools, keep fighting. Let’s see how long you can last. In the end, you’ll never escape Black Snake’s grasp anyway.”

On and on the taunts went, as Iron Pillar’s group struggled on, looking more and more foolish. Even if the bats didn’t kill them, they’d be helpless before Black Snake when the time came. Their faces were grim, but they grunted in silence, pretending not to hear, focusing on survival and telling themselves that every moment gained was precious, and that if they were to die, they’d at least drag someone down with them.

Black Snake’s eyes gleamed with malice. The three mutant bat corpses, poisoned by his toxic mist, had already begun to decompose. He knew the bodies were now worthless, but as wisps of smoky vapor rose from the corpses, he opened his mouth wide, inhaling the strange mist into himself with an eerie suction.

The lackeys, who had until then been loudly jeering and egging on the others, fell silent at this sight, backing away from Black Snake as if from a ghost, clearly terrified of the vapor.

Black Snake ignored them. Once he had absorbed all the mist, his face, pallid from a night of exertion, flushed with sudden color. As for the greenish toxic fog that had repelled the bats, he didn’t spare it a glance; under the night breeze, it slowly dissipated into the air and vanished altogether.

Ever since his release from prison, Black Snake had been searching for a chance to take revenge on “Boss Jin”—Jia Yujin. Back when they were both in prison, Jia Yujin’s fierce loyalty and reckless courage had won him a band of loyal followers. Black Snake had been there too, and, as in any society, there were factions and feuds. He and Boss Jin had clashed fiercely, each suffering losses. In one particularly savage fight, Black Snake was beaten badly, his head stomped and face ground into the floor, and someone had even been arranged to kill him for good. Unexpectedly, at the last moment, a lackey whose life he’d once saved intervened, threatening and begging shamelessly until the other side relented and let Black Snake live. That lackey’s loyalty was widely admired, and though Black Snake survived, he felt his dignity was lost; the man who saved him became a hero in the eyes of all, and Black Snake, resentful of being upstaged, killed his own savior.

After his release, Black Snake found himself a powerful backer in G Province and built up his own following. But he could never forget Boss Jin’s “favor,” especially since word of his killing the loyal lackey spread, thanks to Jia Yujin and his people, ruining Black Snake’s reputation both inside and outside prison. Were it not for his connections and finding a patron, he would have been finished. His hatred only deepened, but in prison there was no real chance for revenge—the weapons available were limited, Boss Jin’s men were legion and fearless, and Jia Yujin himself was a formidable fighter.

Over the years, the name “Boss Jin” festered in Black Snake’s mind, his impotence to act only making his hatred grow more twisted and intense. He became increasingly gloomy and cruel, frighteningly unstable, though he never realized how much hatred had come to control him. When Jia Yujin finally left prison, Black Snake got wind of it in advance and made his preparations. His patron even ordered that Boss Jin must not walk away unscathed, which delighted Black Snake. Normally, getting close to Boss Jin would have been difficult and dangerous, but now, with his backer’s blessing, the consequences no longer mattered.

He also learned that his patron had his own old grudge against Jia Yujin, and only acted now because he’d learned of Jia Yujin’s release. Were it not for the recent leadership change and crackdown in China, his patron would have struck sooner, but instead sought out Black Snake for the job.

Ha! Boss Jin, some disasters are heaven-sent, but you’ve brought this one on yourself. Who would have thought you’d be so hated? Now, my chance has come.

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It’s here! If you have any suggestions or criticisms, please leave a review and let Taige know so I can improve.