Chapter Fifty-Three: Madman

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Except for the moment when she heard the words "heretic" and "pyre" and briefly opened her eyes, Shuiyao Xian kept her eyes half-shut throughout James Sams's rambling recollections, her expression serene.

Yet Shuiyao Xian could not help but wonder: why was this legendary figure of the Minia army, this world-renowned intelligence expert, wasting his breath at such a moment? Was it out of sheer boredom? Was he utterly confident of victory? Or did he have some other purpose?

"At that point, the first target of my sniping career appeared," James Sams's tone suddenly quickened, betraying excitement. "It was a woman—or perhaps a man, who could tell? You know, those Budamia people all dress alike, in black robes, their faces covered with black cloth. With her was a child, very small, maybe only four or five years old. They walked out of a two-story building some fifty meters from a group of soldiers, heading straight for the marines..."

"The soldiers were assembling, preparing for a street patrol. Just as they were gathering," a trace of mockery flashed across James Sams's face, "the woman pulled a grenade from beneath her robe, yanked the pin, and charged at the marines!"

"'Grenade!' my sergeant Charlie shouted, 'Grenade! Shoot, stop her!'” James mimicked Charlie’s voice, the sound echoing far into the night. "But I didn't shoot. The sergeant grew frantic, shouting, 'Shoot! Kill her!' Yet I remained unmoved. He was so agitated, he tried to radio the marines, but couldn't get through!"

James Sams was undoubtedly a master storyteller, vivid and well-paced. Shuiyao Xian still kept her eyes closed, but her expression showed keen anticipation for what would happen next.

"I held my fire until the woman, dragging the child, was within twenty meters of the soldiers, just as she raised her hand to throw the grenade. Only then did I pull the trigger. Bang! My AP sniper rifle fired a 300 Winchester Magnum round, piercing the woman’s brow. The blood spraying from her head splattered the child’s face and body!"

Shuiyao Xian suddenly opened her eyes, glaring at James Sams, fury flashing cold and bright in her gaze.

James Sams was unfazed by the anger in Shuiyao Xian’s eyes, calmly continuing, "I saw the deep terror in that child’s eyes. Then, as he stared in horror, the grenade that the woman never managed to throw exploded. The massive blast and black smoke engulfed the child. That was a portrait of death—a scene I find beautiful..."

"Monster!" Shuiyao Xian could no longer restrain herself and spat out the insult.

"Monster? No, no, dear 'witch', you’re mistaken. This is not depravity, it is faith!" James Sams shook his head. "Many believe I hesitated to fire, even suspect I was afraid when faced with a living person. After all, I was only a rookie, three years into service, rigorously trained but facing battle for the first time. But only I know the truth: I meant to fire at precisely that moment!"

"When the woman drew the grenade, I recognized it instantly—it was a **, with a lethal range under twenty meters. I knew that at a certain angle, the explosion wouldn’t kill the boy, but would leave him gravely wounded, crippled for life," James Sams’s face twisted, "I wanted fear to haunt that child forever. I wanted him to always remember his mother’s blood splattering him with despair. I wanted him to always recall what fate awaits those who oppose our democratic, free people, those heretics who reject the Light of the Holy Emperor!"

Shuiyao Xian could hardly believe there existed such people in this world, spouting democracy, freedom, mercy, and love, while perpetrating horrors like these!

"Is your 'merciful Holy Emperor' teaching you to love the world in this way?" Shuiyao Xian could no longer hold back, sarcasm dripping from her words.

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James Sams seemed utterly indifferent to Shuiyao Xian’s mocking tone, replying calmly, "The Holy Emperor teaches us mercy, commands us to love mankind. The Emperor’s will is my faith. If He wishes the world to be filled with light, I will tear open the curtain of darkness for Him. If He desires a world of mercy, I will eradicate all evil for Him—even if it means defying the very creed of love and compassion. When the Final Judgment comes, the Lord will forgive my sins—I believe this utterly. That will be my ultimate redemption... Glory to the Holy Emperor forever!"

Shuiyao Xian looked with disgust at the devout face before her—there was no point in arguing. For a zealot lost in fanaticism, words were useless...

The small space was plunged into a suffocating silence.

But that peace did not last long. James Sams broke it once more, "Now, can you guess the answer to that question?"

Shuiyao Xian started, a chilling thought surging unbidden, making her spine go cold.

"It seems you realize where the problem lies," James Sams’s face briefly twisted with a sinister smile, then resumed its hypocritical politeness. "I must say, your makeup case is exquisitely crafted. Unfortunately, the back is a bit soft. Carelessly, I embedded a communication chip in its base. On the way here, I also happened to lose a chip of the same model..."

Shuiyao Xian’s face grew paler, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, her breathing growing hoarse. James Sams, feigning innocence, said, "You must know, snipers excel at designing traps. If your support team gets to this damned island before mine, if they open that beautiful case, if it works as you hope, a signal will be sent, passing through the chip I 'lost' and reaching this little remote in my hand..."

James Sams took a small remote from his suit pocket, finger hovering over a button. "Once my remote receives the signal, I’ll press this button," he grinned, "By the Holy Emperor—there’s a plane packed with explosives by those cruel terrorists! A flick of my finger—"

Watching Shuiyao Xian’s face drain of all color, James Sams raised both hands to his chest and suddenly spread them wide.

"Boom!" James Sams screamed, sending a chill through Shuiyao Xian, as if a violent explosion had erupted at her side.

Flames, smoke, flying wreckage, screaming crowds, severed limbs flung everywhere... it was hell.

Shuiyao Xian let out a desperate scream, "That’s more than two hundred lives—"

"Lives?" James Sams finally tore off his mask of civility, grinning like an owl in the night. "I spent nine years on the Budamia battlefield, personally killing two hundred fifty-five heretics. In the intelligence world, I strangled more than twenty enemy agents with my own hands. My orders are simply to retrieve or destroy that object—nothing else concerns me. Lives? Only devotees of the Holy Emperor deserve to live. Those who reject Him belong in hell—whether they are fanatical East Uguchat holy warriors or followers of your Taoist sect. And the faithful will gladly offer their lives!"

Shuiyao Xian’s eyes blazed with fury, but not a word could she utter.

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A double beep sounded from the remote. James Sams exclaimed, "By the Holy Emperor, your people really beat mine to the plane! But what does it matter? Your fate is hell, after all!"

No! She could not let him succeed—not even in death!

Seeing James Sams’s finger move toward the button, Shuiyao Xian summoned a surge of strength from nowhere. Her limp body suddenly sprang up two meters like a flying swallow. In midair, her hands shot out for James Sams’s eyes.

James Sams sidestepped, dodging Shuiyao Xian’s attack, and with a flick of his right hand struck her.

Bang! A powerful force slammed into Shuiyao Xian’s abdomen. She screamed as her body was hurled several meters, blood gushing from her mouth mid-flight.

Another bang resounded as Shuiyao Xian crashed hard to the ground, vomiting two more mouthfuls of blood. She could no longer stand. Her once-beautiful eyes glared at James Sams, blood streaming from the corners.

James Sams sneered, "Why bother? Wouldn't it be better to quietly enjoy the world's most beautiful explosion?" As he spoke, his finger pressed the remote.

Suddenly, the smile froze on James Sams’s face. "Impossible!" he shouted, frantically pressing the button several times. But nothing happened.

In the quiet, exhilarated gaze, James Sams finally gave up, cursing, "Damn!" He slowly turned to Shuiyao Xian, shrugged off his suit jacket, flexed his wrists and ankles, and stepped out from behind the statue, his voice chilling, "I underestimated you... But what difference does it make?"

Dozens of kilometers away, inside the plane, Bei Shiliang wiped sweat from his brow, looking at the mangled communication chip in his hand. He let out a long breath, still shaken. "I knew there'd be trouble..."

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