Shackles of Humanity

With an ear-splitting WHOOSH, Luo Kai became a black afterimage, charging into the crowd. The Severing Blade in his hand was unstoppable, and like a tiger among sheep, he sent severed limbs flying. The air filled with screams and the whizzing of bullets. His scarred body was riddled with even more bullet holes, but after so much blood loss, he was completely numb to the pain. There was only one thought in his mind: ’Kill every human in sight!’

When the chaos subsided, Luo Kai was half-kneeling on the ground, blade in one hand. He tried to stand but couldn’t, so he slowly began to crawl toward the Blood Monkey.

The Blood Monkey was also on its last legs. There was hardly an intact spot on its body; it was covered in a dense network of bullet holes. Even its large head had been blasted open in two places by bullets, its white brain matter clearly visible. Fortunately, these kinds of mutated species possessed an extremely tenacious life force, or it would have been long dead.

Its long imprisonment and the inhumane method of Blood Essence extraction had already drained its life potential. The Blood Essence not only condensed the energy from the blood fed to it but also contained its own Life Essence. Each extraction was equivalent to shortening its lifespan. It had only managed to escape this time by consuming the Blood Essence Luo Kai fed it and by forcibly overdrawing its remaining life potential. Now, it could no longer hold on.

The man and the monkey lay together against the wall, unable to muster even a shred of strength. They were waiting for death.

An unknown amount of time passed. The Blood Monkey struggled to move, turning to look at Luo Kai. Its large eyes stared at him, holding no violence, no anger. It suddenly raised its massive arm, its hand balled into a fist, and held it out to Luo Kai.

Luo Kai froze for a moment, recognizing this as a gesture apes used to acknowledge a friend. He, too, struggled to raise his fist and bump it against the monkey’s.

The Blood Monkey grinned at him, its wide mouth splitting its face. Then, it stood up, faced the bright moon outside the window, and let out a long howl filled with endless desolation and sorrow. Its massive body crashed to the ground, and it was dead.

Luo Kai struggled to his feet and looked at its broken body. Tears slid silently from the corners of his eyes as an indescribable sorrow filled his chest. ’The Blood Monkey could have escaped in the chaos,’ he thought, ’but it joined the fight to save me. Even an animal understands gratitude and friendship... but what about humans?’

Negative emotions—dejection, disappointment, anger, hatred—flooded his entire being. The little blood he had left began to boil like searing oil, scalding him until his very soul trembled. The blood flowing from his wounds suddenly turned from red to black, covering his whole body in the inky fluid. After being coated in the black blood, the two deadly weapons in his hands began to hum, broadcasting a frequency to their new master. They craved slaughter. They craved destruction. They craved to devour the Fear and despair of the living!

Luo Kai moved. He leaped straight down from a third-floor window and strode through the pirate camp. The bloody slaughter began.

At that moment, Luo Kai was like the Death God incarnate. The Severing Blade in his hand madly reaped lives. The dazed pirates had no strength to resist. He didn’t know how long he had been killing, nor how many had fallen beneath his blade...

Dawn’s first light touched the land. The blade stopped in front of a familiar face, and his muddled consciousness returned to him. The face was thin and young—it was Er Ga, the refugee who had joined the Dragon Shark Camp just to get a full meal.

Luo Kai dazedly sheathed his blade. Before him was a Corpse Mountain Blood Sea. Countless people had died by his hand. The entire Dragon Shark Camp had become a Purgatory in the Mortal World!

He stared blankly at the Curved Long Saber in his hand, then threw his head back and let out a long, agonized cry. He turned and broke into a sprint, only to fall after two steps. He scrambled up again, stumbling and staggering until he disappeared from sight.

...

News that the Dragon Shark Camp had been annihilated by a mysterious expert sent shockwaves throughout the entire Dragon Horse Kingdom. Of the three thousand soldiers, only a dozen or so survived. Such a massacre outside of wartime was extremely rare in the Xingma Kingdom, and all the major powers in Longyang County sent representatives to investigate thoroughly.

The Jiuyuan Farm Stronghold, Black Stone Heavy Industry, and the County Affairs Bureau’s Criminal Inspection Department all joined the investigation. Even the Body Technique Association sent a representative. The Defense Army had already cordoned off Tiger Head Slope, allowing only the representatives of the major powers to enter.

The scene was horrifying. Blood and severed limbs were everywhere. The ground of the entire camp was covered in a thick, Frozen crust of blood, leaving almost nowhere to step. The expressions of the representatives were all grim, and they eyed each other with suspicion, their gazes lingering particularly on the representative from Black Stone Heavy Industry.

The representative from Black Stone Heavy Industry was Zang Haisheng’s younger brother, Zang Haoming, a middle-aged man who bore some resemblance to his brother. He spread his hands innocently and said, "Gentlemen, please don’t look at me like that. My Black Stone Heavy Industry is hardly capable of something like this!"

The group entered the ruined logistics and equipment building. Their expressions grew even heavier upon entering the basement. When they saw the dozens of people lying in a vegetative state inside a room, someone finally couldn’t help but exclaim, "These are Blood Slaves!"

After looking around, they eventually gathered in front of the Blood Monkey’s corpse. The representatives exchanged glances. The situation was clear, yet no one dared to be the first to speak.

The Criminal Inspection Department specialized in criminal cases. The one in charge of this investigation was a forensics expert named Bao Yue, a sharp and capable man. He had been meticulously searching the scene for traces, his face expressionless the entire time. Only now did he speak. "I will report my deductions to the representatives."

"The water cistern was mixed with a large amount of anesthetic. Most of the soldiers were affected by it, leaving them with little ability to resist. Based on the wounds on the corpses, I deduce the attacker was one or two masters of Body Techniques. They didn’t use firearms, but rather a Three-bladed Military Dagger and a long saber. Nearly every corpse was killed in a single blow. The only exception is a dried-out corpse in the latrine. I surmise that this desiccated body is the Dragon Shark Camp’s Grand Commander, Pang Kun..."

The representative from the Jiuyuan Farm Stronghold, a young man with long, narrow eyes, suddenly cut in. "A Three-bladed Military Dagger? As far as I know, very few people are proficient with that kind of weapon!"

Bao Yue, clearly annoyed at being interrupted, fell silent. The scene quieted down once more.

The representative from the County Affairs Bureau was the Defense Army’s Grand Commander, Yuan Ping. He was a big, burly man with a rough exterior but a remarkably sharp mind. In a deep voice, he said, "That Three-bladed Military Dagger has always been a favored weapon of the military’s Punishment Department. However, all members of the Military Punishment Department are currently concentrated on the front lines. Besides, if the Great Lord wanted to deal with the Dragon Shark Pirates, he never would have reached a truce and offered them amnesty!"

Everyone’s expressions grew dark, and they remained silent. The annihilation of the Dragon Shark Camp had made the situation in Longyang County, and even the entire Xingma Kingdom, precarious. If the Dragon Shark Pirates decided to demand retribution, it would be a disaster for all of them.

After a moment, Zang Haoming walked over to a large, heavyset man standing to the side and asked quizzically, "Master Liu, have you discovered something?"

This portly man was none other than Liu Hou, who had come to investigate as the representative of the Body Technique Association. He was staring at a corpse on the ground with a peculiar expression. The body was shriveled from massive blood loss, and there was a small, oval-shaped hole where its heart should be. Hearing the question, he just shook his head. "It’s nothing. Continue."

Liu Hou held a high status and represented the Body Technique Association, so Bao Yue didn’t dare to defy him. He continued, "Pang Kun also had many wounds on his body, but none were fatal. He died by having his Essence Blood completely drained from his body while he was still alive!"

Zang Haoming couldn’t help but interject, "I’ve heard that Blood Monkeys are incredibly bloodthirsty. Could the Blood Monkey have done it?"

Bao Yue pointed to the fangs of the Blood Monkey on the ground. "I don’t know. The bite mark on Pang Kun’s neck was left by a humanoid creature, but one without long canine teeth!"

"Did the survivors leave any clues?"

"No valuable clues. They all said it was an Evil Ghost from Hell coming to claim their lives!"

Liu Hou pondered for a moment, a look of determination appearing on his face. "Normally, the Body Technique Association does not get involved in any internal human disputes. Conflict and war are, in themselves, catalysts for civilization’s progress. But this situation is different. The method of refining Blood Essence originates from an Evil Cult. We have reason to believe that remnants of this Evil Cult are hiding among the Dragon Shark Pirates.

Pang Kun was already a wanted criminal by our Body Technique Association. We only refrained from arresting him because we feared destabilizing the situation. But for the Dragon Shark Pirates to use such a wicked method to extract Blood Essence is a monstrous crime! I have decided to report this to the Body Technique Association and apply to have the Dragon Shark Pirates designated as an evil organization!"

Everyone’s expression changed drastically. The Body Technique Association had seemingly stayed out of worldly affairs for years, but no one dared to ignore its existence. It was well known that once a power was designated an evil organization by the Body Technique Association, it would face an all-out assault from the Body Technique Association branches in every human nation. The Body Technique Association located in the Dongyuan Upper Country would even dispatch special personnel to oversee the matter. In other words, once the Dragon Shark Pirates were labeled an evil organization, the only thing awaiting them was utter destruction—unless they never set foot on land again!

Zang Haoming let out a long sigh of relief, a faint smile playing on his lips. If the Body Technique Association intervened, the Dragon Shark Pirates wouldn’t be able to cause any more trouble. From now on, they would be nothing more than a band of exiled pirates, forever at sea.

The representative from the Jiuyuan Farm Stronghold, however, looked distraught. They had deep ties with the Dragon Shark Pirates. If the pirates were designated an evil organization, any subsequent investigation by the Body Technique Association would certainly implicate them. After a moment’s thought, he gritted his teeth and said, "Principal Liu, I think this matter requires further investigation. Pang Kun was a famous Martial Artist, yet he was mysteriously sucked dry and turned into a desiccated corpse. This doesn’t seem like the work of any human."

Liu Hou shot him a cold glance and said, "Using human blood to refine Blood Essence is a great taboo of the Human Race. The evidence is irrefutable. There’s no need for further investigation."

Then he turned to Bao Yue and instructed, "Compile all the evidence into a case file. Make sure the Blood Monkey’s corpse and that Centrifuge are properly secured. And see to it that the Blood Slaves who were turned into vegetables are well taken care of. I need to report the full details to my superiors."