In the overly massive Control room, more than 900 men and women sat or stood by, watching the chaotic scenes via the monitors.
The room was vast, with spring ceilings of open space 3 stories high.
The Space was Hexagonal, with its front 3 out of 6 sides having nothing transparent wall screens to see the outside world while flying.
The back wall had several elevators and doors leading into the space, while the last 2 side walls were floor-to-ceiling monitors showing hundreds of images.
The Captain smoked his pipe, looking at the many images projected on the wall monitors. "There... Enlarge."
"Yes, Captain,'' replied one of the men, enlarging the image as instructed.
Seeing it, the Captain smacked his belly in delight. "Look at how these scallywags run about. Fear, greed for survival, thrilled, expectation, excitement... It's all on their faces!"
The Captain seemed to be paying attention to a few. These should be the ones with the highest kill counts this time. Soon, Bain's image was enlarged.
"Captain, he seems not to be phased."
Many stared at the boy, feeling a tad bit insulted. At least show an expression on your face, especially after listening to the Captain's devilish warning.
Hmph!
To them, this was a form of silent provocation from a despicable criminal. But how would they know that Bain's silence was because he was momentarily dazed and thinking of what to do next?
As someone who has always wanted to carry his deceased brother's dream of being an Oven country military Defender, he had developed the ability to adapt to any changes. So his brain quickly went over all he had learned, assessing how to save himself now.
The Captain stared at the scene, with no one knowing what he was thinking. But soon, his wicked smile curled out.
"I thought we would give them a little more time from the kindness of our hearts… But since some don't appreciate it, then why wait any longer? Get ready to push the button!"
Everyone glanced at each other, snickering excitedly. "Eye-Eye, Captain!"
The button… Their favorite part of drop-out.
How many would die or get injured before reaching the shores?
Hehehehehehe~
Good Captain. Let the games begin!
Punching in 3, 2, 1…
.
Whoosh!!!!
The massive wall on the back end of the space suddenly opened, and many standing prisoners were blown out of the aircraft by the invading winds.
Bang!
Several heads crushed hard on the walls, with a few slamming so hard their heads turned into crushed melons.
What? Did you want to say that these people flying the ship didn't care whether they lived or died before beginning their sentences?
Yes. That was the truth. To those flying the ship, provided these criminals were within Mainland air, it was qualified as them completing their job of bringing these people here.
Every time they did this job, it wasn't a lie to say they also killed a few… If one knew what a 'few' was.
~Brummmm
The wind was loud, and the pressure on Bain's ears was near-deafening. He held onto an unbuckled safety belt, dangling in the air with all his might.
Luckily, he wasn't as quick to stand when the buckles strapping them came undone.
Several prisoners were dangling too. Some were too calm, while others were hot-headed, cursing loudly against the deafening winds.
At most 30 people had been thrown out crazily, some dying on their way out and some falling with their status still unknown.
Dead or alive, Bain had no clue. But when he thought things would carry on in this nature, the aircraft suddenly slowed its speed and finally stopped twirling about in all directions.
~Bam!
Bain's legs finally touched the floor, recalling the Captain's words.
[Last group to get off will be killed]
Such a threat could only mean they had done this severally. This meant they had many ways to dispose of them within the space.
Hidden weapons?
~Pah!
Blows of all sorts were exchanged, and sneaky people began slithering towards the opening. What were the prisoners thinking? Of course to reach the opening fast!
In the end, though the aircraft's speed had slowed, one could still lose balance if not careful.
The scene was chaotic, with prisoners crawling on each other, greedily pressing their victims down. Some even went as far as bashing others to death or using their seat buckles to strangle and kill any who tried to prove tough.
They hadn't touched Mainland soil yet, but Bain was again reminded he was a sheep amongst the many wolves.
"Damn you, kid! You dare to cut this master?"
With a vicious glint, the man stretched his hand for Bain's collar. However, in that very second, someone else smashed into the man again. And soon, the aggressive duo began fighting, leaving Bain to crawl away sneakily.
~Phew.
Bain breathed in relief, thanking his luck in times like these.
'I have to be careful. Many people here are hard, cold criminals with proper upper body strength... I don't have the power to tackle them now.'
He thought, carefully making his way to the gang of diving prisoners at the very end.
.
To Jump or not to jump!
They only had one choice here. And though the waters below surrounding the many Mainland islands were normal, from their current height, it was hard to say if a majority of them could survive this fall.
"Hah!... Would you look at that~... Kid, not going to jump yet?"
Bain turned to the side, looking at the middle-aged person talking to him.
If the man looked middle-aged late 30s, then he was likely around 110~150. The man had very short red hair with an eye patch over his left eye.
"The name's nine-toe Sam, at your service younging."
"You can call me Bain, mister," Bain replied, not feeling any evil intent from the man.
"Bain~... I like it! It has a nice ring to it!" Nine-toe Sam complimented, massaging his red-haired chin. "Look over there, Bain. You see that fool at the bottom? He's sinking. And that one over there has his insides now out… Dead... He won't be waking any longer."
Bain shuddered, looking at the few prisoners dying below.
For a moment, Bain felt the atmosphere too heavy.
"Bahahahaha~... "
Nine-Toe Sam smacked his back playfully. Bain felt lucky he was holding onto something… Or wouldn't he have fallen out just now?
"Hahahahaha~... I didn't mean to scare ya lass. No need to be so stiff around me."
Bain was only feeling more and more uncomfortable, looking at the dead below. And by the way, where was Kaizu?
The guy seemed to have vanished into thin air before the chaos began.
Could he?… No!... Bain shook his head. This wasn't the time for him to worry about others. The sun was setting, and staying in the waters later than that was dangerous.
Nine-Toe Sam stared at him, no one knowing his thoughts. "Younging, I'd love to stay and chat, but maybe some other time… Kid, see you on the other side."
Splash!
The strange red-haired man survived, swimming like a skilled professional to the shores.
.
What a great technique!
Bain had observed his jumping technique, making his conclusions. He felt enlightened, knowing how best to dive in. But when he was about to take his leap of faith, the screams of many echoed from behind.
"Ahhhh~... You motherf***ers! You dare shoot at us?!"
It was just as Bain guessed. In the space, several small rectangular openings appeared above the walls, and out came the horrors.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets rained like water, shooting many prisoners in the foot or other non-lethal parts.
The crew knew they couldn't kill more than 25% of the prisoners here. That was the line they couldn't tow. However, this leeway allowed them to have fun with these scum criminals.
Seeing the annihilation left by the rain of bullets, Bain's pupils dilated.
Jump! Jump! Jump!
Bain's body moved faster than his thoughts, falling into the waters at the nick of time before several bullets could scratch his skin.
Alive!!!!!
Bain rose to the surface, realizing he was now on Mainland property. And the scenes he saw next were enough to keep his mouth hung open.
Welcome to the Mainland.
…
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!All remaining prisoners were shot dead.The Captain tugged on the tip of his hat, masking the discerning trace of malice in his eyes. And very subtly, he headed into his office space overseeing the Control.Click.He locked the door and reached for the phone on his desk.[Is it done?] A rich but cold voice sounded out from the other end."Affirmative, sir... The kid is off the ship. Now, he's Mainland property."[And what about the rat?]The Captain thought of one of the prisoners he shot during the mass shooting.During the final shooting round, they killed the last few remaining prisoners aboard. But that wasn't when he killed the rat.During the first shooting round, he and his crew targeted non-lethal body parts, causing many of the prisoners to leave the ship hastily. But amidst the chaos, he killed the rat before the bastard could make it out of the aircraft. Even the crew members didn't know of his actions.To keep the matter confidential, he had to limi
Bain shivered, quickly leaving the scene and heading for the nearby hills and bushy terrain. And in a blink of an eye, he had already moved a great distance, rustling past several bushes, trees, and open fields with tall stalks of wheat a few feet taller than he.~Bang!His heart skipped. Not good!"Come out, boy… We know you're in there." Said a deep and playful voice belonging to the burly lead figure amidst his gang of ruffians.They stopped leisurely, snickering and jesting at Bain's unfortunate situation.Hehehehe~"Boss, I reckon he has wet himself.""Pff!~ What sort of criminal would wet himself from a gunshot?" A man they called fatty, couldn't help mocking."Heh… A newbie like him won't be able to survive a day out in these parts," another added.He had seen a close-up on Bain back in town, feeling the boy should be one of those scaredy-cat criminals.One could find all sorts of criminals on the Mainland.There were those bold and hot-tempered, those who always used others as
The popular tunes from the night crickets and the low rustling leaves were the only sounds that resounded in Bain's ear.One boy with a sharp stone in his grasp, stared at the many circling him. 'I'm almost at my wit's end.'Bain quickly caught himself from falling, looking at the person the rest referred to as Boss.The gang of miscreants wore boots, baggy pants, and different styled tops. Some wore tank tops, others wore light jackets, some stuck to tee-shirts, and others went shirtless.He stared at them in scrutiny, realizing that no one was pointing a weapon at him. This was an important hint!'It's either they deem me so worthless that they don't bother raising their pistols at me… Or they need to capture me intact.'Come to think of it, why did they chase after him so much when he never offended them? In any case, he felt his thinking was smart.'I'm valuable.'Bain concluded, finding leverage over the situation. And the one they called boss, slowly lit a cigarette amidst the t
Mmm~~~Bain moaned softly as nature's quiet sounds registered in his brain.Where am I?He opened his eyes abruptly, examining the strange wooden cabin he found himself in.Hiss!~~He had a headache.'What happened? I remember that he was surrounded with no way out... But then someone... Someone… Someone!'Bain was about to spring up when a calm voice echoed out."I see you're up."Who?Bain quickly turned his attention to the cabin door. And there he was… The silver-haired stranger!With unhurried steps, the man stepped into the cabin in full farming attire with a hoe in his hand and a basket of wheat on his back."Easy boy... You don't have enough strength in you." The silver-haired man said, slowly putting his hoe and basket.Bain placed his hand on the mat he rested on, trying to pull himself up and lean against the wall.With a skeptical look, he gazed at the good-looking man who was now taking out the many stalks of wheat from his basket."Relax."The man gave him a brief yet la
That red mark…Bain's eyes glowed with a fiery light.The thin piece of paper was sticking out from underneath several books. He could see particular characters and symbols that, wouldn't you know it, belonged to none other than the Absolutes!Them again? Bain's interest was more than piqued.What did they want from the Silver-haired man? Though the man looked trustworthy, the Absolute court was another matter.Bain carefully moved his hands, still keeping his head stiffly facing the man.Could he do it? Would he eventually succeed?~Tack. Tack. Tack. Tack.The flames once again danced underneath the heated pot.The space was obviously hot. But when the Silver-haired man spoke, it suddenly grew heavy and frosty."Mainland 01… Violence, murder, chaos, and freedom to do whatever criminals want… That's what you ordinary folks think. However, you're all forgetting one simple fact. Even in Hell itself, there are rules."~Pang!The Silver-haired man swung his blade once more, giving the ill
Bain listened attentively.The silver-haired man referred to himself as Ryu.From his tale, he used to be an ordinary worker, that is until his newly wedded wife betrayed him. And the finishing blow that broke him was when she married another, bringing her lover and her greedy family into the house.Yes… Her lover was with his good friend.Ultimately, the woman managed to secure all his savings and all he had ever worked for.They say revenge was a painful dish served best when cold. But in his case, he decided to turn up the heat on his betrayers.He drugged them, tied them together in the basement, waited for them to wake, and gave them a piece of his mind before setting up a gimmick designed to blow the house up 10 minutes later.Sadly, because the buildings on his street were built too close to each other, his revenge act led to the burning of 2 neighboring homes.It resulted in the death of a neighbor's newly born children and the death of another neighbor's son playing in a room
It was a trap!... It was all set up!But why? Why had Ryu kept him alive rather than killing him previously?Bain felt his chest rise and fail speedily. But despite the pain, he knew the first principle of escaping was to do it as quickly as possible.The longer he remained in the enemy's control, the less likely his chances were of fleeing.His body was on fire, with a gushing wave of dizziness slowly eroding his consciousness.No!'I can't afford to fall asleep. Before my body gives way, I must take Ryu down.'Get up!Bain stabilized his staggering body, putting off a defensive stance. Seeing this, Ryu, who had always been calm and collected, burst out in cruel laughter."Boy!... If you think you can escape, you're much more foolish than I thought." Silver-hair Ryu smiled, reaching for his inner chest pocket with a sly smile on his face."Now, now, little one… Since you're new here, you probably haven't heard of me much. Some call me the silver Mad Hatter, others the Silver Maniac…
Judging from the boy's stance, a single blow from him should send the boy fast asleep. Good boy… Ryu maniacally inched closer with the syringe, not taking Bain seriously. But then, something happened. What?!!! Ryu crossed his hands against his chest in defense. But it was already too late. Boom! He smashed into the fireplace, burning his ass on the fire below and having the boiling hot broth pour on his body. Part of Ryu's face was burnt to a peel, with his mouth oozing blood. This… This can't be! He recognized the force that pushed him back. The boy… The boy was an enhancer! But the boy had no weapon on him. So how could he release enhanced powers? Wait! Ryu's eyes darted about in transfixed shock. The boy didn't need a weapon… His body was the weapon! Terrible! Terrible! Ryu squirmed amid his pain but soon revealed an excited smile. Hahahahahaha~ It must be the world's will for him to run across such a perfect subject. So how could he let him go? Pain? What pain? R