Chapter 31: Return and Preparations
Vinayak forcefully tossed the dough doll, its enticing aroma carrying as it flew out of the flour circle and landed at the very edge of the lair.
Hastar, tormented by hunger, instinctively pounced.
Taking advantage of this moment, the drone swiftly flew in a straight line along the passage. Noticing the Prosperity Goddess's pouch was about to disappear, Hastar, carrying the dough doll, climbed up the inner wall in pursuit.
Wealth and food—it wanted both.
The moment the drone reached the well opening, Marcus abruptly opened the well cover, reached in, grabbed the pouch, and forcefully flipped the drone over.
Hastar, having caught up, also reached the well opening, extending its bloody hand to grab the drone's rotor, while simultaneously baring its fangs to bite Marcus's hand.
Marcus didn't want it to bite him and turn him into a wretched, slug-like creature.
The instant his right hand left the well opening, his left hand slammed the metal well cover down heavily.
CLANG!
The closed metal well cover struck Hastar's head, producing a deep, resonant ring that echoed in the well for a long time.
"What a beautiful sound!"
Marcus exclaimed.
His right hand had been scraped raw by the well cover, revealing clear blood vessels and metacarpal bones, yet no blood flowed out, which seemed somewhat eerie.
He took out a bag of blood plasma from his personal space, tore it open, quickly restored his hand, and stored the remaining plasma back in his space.
Only then did he begin to examine the wealth pouch in his hand.
This pouch of the Goddess of Prosperity was deep red; it looked more like an empty heart than a money bag.
Marcus gently pulled open the pouch, and a small pile of gold coins instantly poured out, clattering to the ground. Marcus quickly closed the pouch.
He peered inside through the tiny crack; countless miniature gold coins occupied most of the pouch's space. Judging from the reduced size of the coins, the space was approximately 1,750 cubic feet.
The gold coins were piled up at an angle, forming a small mountain. Marcus noticed a new coin emerging from the ground at the bottom edge.
These coins seemed to have been generated by some kind of supernatural power within the money pouch, not simply gold from the outside world being placed inside.
Crucially, from the angled view, he observed an opaque, water-like black membrane beneath the gold coins.
Marcus was familiar with this; the entrance to the spatial vault in the Lighthouse's private space also had this membrane.
This indicated that there should be a deeper space within the money pouch, but Marcus currently had no way to open it.
Marcus pondered for a moment. According to stories from his previous life, these supernatural items should require a master.
Local legend said that Hastar stole the money pouch of the Goddess of Prosperity, incurring the wrath of the gods.
If the money pouch belonged to the Goddess of Prosperity, the gods wouldn't be so enraged. Therefore, if the money pouch truly possessed the ability to recognize a master, then Hastar was likely the current owner.
Marcus thoughtfully touched the lighthouse mark and checked the second story mission of "Tumbbad": Kill the Son of God (completion reward 3000 survival points).
"Hey, Raghav, it hasn't disappeared, the flour circle is almost gone!"
Vinayak stood inside the lair. Hastar, having lost his money bag, frantically attacked the flour circle, and he shouted anxiously at the camera.
Marcus glanced at the monitor, took out the flour bag Vinayak had placed by the well, filled a dispenser device with flour, and attached it to the drone.
He opened the well cover, threw the flour bag directly down, and simultaneously placed the drone inside, quickly closing it.
Hastar below heard the noise and tried to climb up, but finding the well cover closed, could only frantically pound outside the flour circle, but all his movements had no effect on the flour.
The dark-skinned middle-aged man and the yellow-haired man quickly picked up the flour bag that had fallen directly into the circle and replenished the surrounding flour circle.
The drone, carrying the dispenser device, flew above Hastar and released its mechanical claws.
The dispenser exploded as it approached Hastar, scattering the flour inside and covering a twelve-foot radius.
Hastar roared in agony and turned to ashes.
Marcus, outside the well cover, wore an expression of complete certainty.
Since the system hadn't indicated the completion of the mission to kill the Son of God, it meant Hastar hadn't been killed.
Sure enough, a new Hastar emerged from the inner wall of the God's Well, but this time it lacked its money pouch and was extremely agitated, its saliva dripping onto the ground with each roar.
Myths and legends are generally exaggerated and fabricated based on historical facts.
Marcus carefully reviewed the local legends about the Goddess of Prosperity and Hastar. One thing was certain: the so-called 'God of Greed' Hastar was definitely not that powerful.
After being torn apart by the gods, it was revived by the goddess using her own womb, but it could never leave the womb for the rest of its life.
Therefore, Marcus suspected that Hastar's resurrection was not due to its own power, but rather related to the Goddess of Prosperity's womb.
He naturally wouldn't let go of the suspected goddess's flesh and blood. After completing the plot mission, he tried to use his absorption ability on the flesh and blood passages around him, but he couldn't absorb a single bit.
So he speculated that it was either due to the Goddess of Prosperity's divine power, or that the so-called goddess's womb was itself a living thing.
But no matter what he guessed, the problem was that relying solely on flour in the God's Well wouldn't be enough to kill Hastar.
As darkness fell, Marcus decided to return to his residence in Pune first, find some helpers and tools, and then try to deal with Hastar.
After deciding to leave, he glanced at the surveillance camera. The three people at the bottom of the well were arguing anxiously and in a panic.
Hastar continued to circle and roar around the three people inside the God's Well, showing no sign of disappearing or falling asleep.
"I need more dough and flour. You guys take turns guarding it. I'm going back,"
Marcus's voice came from the monitor by the passageway, and the three stopped arguing.
"Boss, don't forget about us!"
"Old friend, I hope you're trustworthy. I only sold you the gold coins I had earlier at a discount."
"Boss, you must save us! My sister says she admires you a lot."
The dark-skinned middle-aged man's words made Marcus pause. Habib's sister was a 200-pound, dark-skinned woman.
He tightened the well cover, locked it, looked around, found a large rock weighing over a hundred pounds, and carried it to weigh down the well cover.
Before leaving, he glanced at the monitor screen again, seeing the three helpless figures at the bottom of the well, and thought to himself: People must rely on themselves!
Marcus gathered his belongings, climbed back up to the surface using the rope, retrieved the rope, and returned to Pune.
He rode his motorcycle along the gravel street toward Raghav's house, intending to change his clothes first.
"Shopping in town?"
A green military jeep was parked by the roadside, its door ajar. A young, handsome British soldier sat reclining in the seat, his arm resting on the window, chatting with another bearded middle-aged soldier outside.
"It's a gift for my girl."
"Never seen you so generous."
The young soldier was halfway through his sentence when he saw Marcus riding up on his motorcycle.
"Hey, Raghav."
He got out, adjusted his green peaked cap, and walked over to Marcus, stopping the motorcycle.
"Cooper Harker?"
Marcus tentatively replied.
"That little bird that often visits your house, does he work for you?" Cooper Harker took out a cigarette, lit it, and looked around.
Marcus knew he was referring to Vinayak, who sold gold coins.
"No, he doesn't work for anyone; he's his own man."
The young soldier, Cooper Harker, glanced around, then whispered to Marcus,
"I don't care about that. You can have the goods operation, but it's temporary; it won't last forever."
"Listen, I'm getting reassigned in a month and leaving this godforsaken outpost. Then no one will square things with the Superintendent for you. You have a month."
Cooper Harker finished speaking, turned, got back into his jeep, and drove away.
Marcus had no interest in Raghav's smuggling operation and went straight back to his residence.
Time to plan his next move. Hastar wasn't going anywhere, and those three men could wait a little longer.
After all, patience was a virtue—especially when you held all the cards.
(End of Chapter)
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