"Help... me..." "Kill... me..."
As they walked into the Garden of Flesh, the moans became a deafening chorus of agony.
Nine was shaking so hard she could barely stand. Up close, the scene was even more nightmarish. These weren't just people buried in the dirt. Green, pulsating vines had grown into their bodies, entering through their mouths and ears, pumping a glowing green liquid into them. They were being used as living fertilizers to grow crimson fruits that smelled like blood.
"Iron Leg," Jiang Daolin stopped in front of an old man whose face was half-covered by bark. "Do you see the energy flow?"
Iron Leg scanned the area with his thermal vision. "Holy sh*t... boss. The vines... they are connecting all these people to the main gate of the Manor. They are using human life force to power the energy shield!"
"Correct." Jiang Daolin touched a crimson fruit gently.
"This is the 'Soul-Sapping Array'. As long as these people suffer, the shield remains impenetrable. To open the gate, we must stop the flow."
"You mean... save them?" Nine asked with a glimmer of hope.
Jiang Daolin looked at her with sorrowful eyes.
"Look at them, Nine. Their organs are gone. Their spines are replaced by wood. If I cut the vines, they die instantly."
"They are already dead. They are just... forced to dream."
He took out his black ruler.
"I cannot save their lives." "But I can set their souls free."
Jiang Daolin closed his eyes and began to chant a low, ancient melody. It wasn't a spell; it was a Requiem.
He raised the Corpse Suppressing Ruler and slammed it into the earth.
Stitcher's Art: Great Release.
Hummm—
A ripple of black light spread from his feet, covering the entire garden.
The moaning stopped. The people buried in the dirt suddenly stopped struggling. The pain vanished from their twisted faces, replaced by peace.
"Thank... you..." The old man whispered his final words.
Poof. Poof. Poof.
One by one, the bodies turned into dust, dissolving into the wind. The green vines withered and turned black instantly.
But the energy didn't disappear. The resentment of hundreds of tortured souls, now freed, gathered in the air. It formed a massive, swirling black cloud above Jiang Daolin's head.
"You used them as batteries," Jiang Daolin looked up at the towering steel gate of the Kylin Manor.
"Now, taste their anger."
He pointed his ruler at the gate.
"GO."
SCREECH—!
The black cloud screamed. Countless ghostly faces emerged from the smoke, rushing toward the manor like a tsunami of vengeance.
BOOM!
The impact was cataclysmic. The impregnable blue energy shield flickered for a second, then shattered like glass. The massive steel gate groaned, twisted, and was blown off its hinges by the sheer force of the soul impact.
Inside the manor, alarms wailed.
"Intruder! Shield down! Sector A breached!"
Soldiers in heavy exoskeletons rushed out, firing heavy machine guns.
"Iron Leg," Jiang Daolin didn't stop walking. He walked through the dust of the dead. "Clear the trash."
"With pleasure, Boss!"
Iron Leg roared, activating the thrusters on his back. He launched himself like a cannonball. CRUNCH! He landed on the first soldier, crushing the exoskeleton like a soda can.
"Nine, stay behind me," Jiang Daolin walked into the fire.
Silver needles floated around him, creating a deadly barrier. Every soldier that got within five meters simply dropped dead, a tiny red dot on their forehead.
They were in. The harvest was over. The slaughter had begun.