Gun of Ashes

The melodious whistle interrupted the conversation between Bola and Blue Jade. Looking at that stunning profile, Bola lowered his gaze, lost in thought.

The woman before him was so mysterious. You might think you know her, but it’s only a beautiful facade—like her codename Blue Jade, the vibrant kingfisher soaring through the forest, never caught by anyone, free like the wind.

”Looks like our guest has arrived.”

Bola glanced out the window towards the direction of the whistle.

”Guest?”

Blue Jade couldn’t figure out who would come to this godforsaken place—cold, desolate, and filled with tons of weapons and soldiers. Even criminals wouldn’t dare touch this place.

”It’s my good detective, Lorenzo Holmes. Red Falcon reported via radio earlier; he is on the train.”

Turning back to Blue Jade, Bola said.

”Is it the Lorenzo Holmes I know?” Blue Jade asked.

Bola nodded, confirming Blue Jade’s question.

Thinking about the detective gave Bola a headache. He still didn’t want to reveal the identity beyond ”gang boss,” especially since Lorenzo was too clever. Even this would be enough for him to deduce a lot.

The upcoming mission was equally important. Lorenzo was a dangerous and uncontrollable asset for Bola, a sharp double-edged sword that, if mishandled, would cut him as well.

”So, how are you going to deal with him?”

Blue Jade gazed behind Bola, towards the direction the Radiant was coming from.

”Leave it to you. My advice is to grab him and knock him out immediately, then wrap him in iron chains and toss him anywhere. Though it won’t kill him, it’ll trouble him for a while.”

Bola had experienced Lorenzo’s elusiveness first-hand. Ever since he learned acting, he stealthily infiltrated Bola’s side, making Bola extremely wary of him.

”Why me?”

Blue Jade was puzzled.

”Very simple, I don’t want to see that lunatic.” Bola showed disdain.

”Hmm... Actually, I think you might have no choice but to see him.”

Blue Jade raised a finger, pointing towards the dark direction outside the window behind Bola.

Bola seemed to realize something, turning his head to see a burning serpent speeding along the tracks under the pitch-black night. The blazing white fire was stretched by the fierce winds, like a brush painting a burning picture on the earth.

What was even more hellish was that this burning train was still blowing its whistle, like a merry Thomas.

”Everyone, get moving!”

With Bola’s roar through the communication channel, all soldiers on the abandoned platform sprang into action. As the Radiant approached, the Geiger Counter started emitting a piercing sound, the distance between them shortening, the sound becoming more violent and eventually a prolonged scream.

...

”Looks like we’ve reached the destination.”

Gazing at the specks of light in the darkness, the lights on the soldiers’ helmets, Red Falcon was right; there indeed was a mysterious troop here, ready for confrontation.

”No... We have to go back!”

Seeing the burning carriage and the demons continually surging forward and perishing, Red Falcon remembered something, his expression somewhat panicked.

”What’s wrong? With me here, they can’t get over.”

Lorenzo raised his blade, pointing at the burning carriage in front of him, full of confidence. But clearly, Red Falcon wasn’t referring to that, he shouted.

”I’m talking about them! They’re equipped with the Mechanical Institute’s new weapons; standing on the roof will have us turned into sieves!”

Before his words fell, daylight-like light hit the train from the highest point of the platform. Under the light, the twisted demons had nowhere to hide.

Everyone felt a slight suffocating sensation at that moment—a swarm of dense demons, still burning with white flame, issuing greedy growls toward the warm, fleshly creatures.

”Fire!”

That was the command from the commander, Bola.

So all the soldiers raised the new weapons in their hands, accurate to say, weapons against demons.

Where the stars rose, intense gunfire ensued. Hundreds of scarlet bullets under the night sky traced fiery trajectories, heading directly here after a brief flight.

Lorenzo had almost no time to think; he grabbed Red Falcon, both jumping off the carriage. By this time, many bullets had already reached the carriage.

They were burning bullets, igniting fiercely upon impact with the demons’ bodies. Unlike Lorenzo’s mysterious Purifying Flame, they seemed just simple flames but could reach extreme high temperatures instantly.

The people inside the carriage realized the danger as well, the door opened wide, the two rushed in without pause, followed by a rain of fiery bullets pouring down like acid rain, leaving melted, glowing pits on the sturdy steel.

Inside the carriage, Eve clutched the handrail beside her tight; she could only hear sharp whistles, followed by countless crashes from outside the carriage’s metal plates, one after another, it seemed like countless craftsmen hammering the carriage.

The temperature inside the carriage began to rise instantly, and everyone noticed the slight heat.

On the platform not far away, fully armed soldiers fired at the train. When their attacks on the carriage proved futile, the demons turned their attention to the soldiers on the platform. They roared and charged along the railway, but they all died under the dense rain of fire. Even the lucky ones who made it past the defense line were killed by Bola’s silver spear.

The roars of the demons mixed with the sound of gunfire, resembling a battlefield in Hell.

Wherever the blazing bullets reached, whether it was steel or flesh, they melted under the extreme high temperature.

This was the power of technology. If there was a god of all technology, every time the soldiers pulled the trigger, it was like praying to him.

”So what kind of weapon is that?”

Inside the carriage, Lorenzo wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling like he had narrowly escaped death. Those burning bullets could even melt steel; the consequences of being hit were unimaginable.

”A creation from the Mechanical Institute, the Aluminothermic Rifle.”

Red Falcon also panted heavily, and the air inside the carriage was unprecedentedly scorching. The enclosed space, combined with the burning carriage, had caused some people to start fainting.

”You can think of it as a launchable thermite agent. The muzzle is equipped with an igniter, completing the thermite reaction during firing. It releases a massive amount of thermal energy upon hitting the target, capable of penetrating even heavy armor.”

The history of human technology is a history of weapon evolution, constantly advancing and iterating in lethality.

”Damn, is this why you won the Radiant War?”

What a hellish weapon. Lorenzo didn’t know what to say for a moment. He knew the pressures of war would push a country to progress, but he hadn’t expected such rapid advancement.

”No, we use it just to kill demons.”

In the darkness, as Red Falcon’s voice sounded, a metal object was pressed against Lorenzo’s chest.

”Mr. Holmes, I hope you’ll cooperate next.”

The brother who had just been through life and death turned against him in an instant, or perhaps he had been planning this from the start.

”How ruthless, without me, you would’ve died out there.”

”One thing doesn’t negate another. I will plead for you... at least make sure you’re comfortable while being under supervision.”

The situation changed in an instant.

”So what are you going to do? Do you think ordinary weapons can kill me?”

Once Lorenzo ignited the Purifying Flame, he no longer hid anything. The Demon Hunter’s radiance was fully unleashed in the night, driving away all the demons. His identity was exposed, but there was nothing left to hide.

”I know, but aren’t you too confident? Is it because of the Secret Blood technology of the Demon Hunting Order?”

Red Falcon stared intently at Lorenzo’s reaction in the darkness. He had expected some emotional fluctuation from Lorenzo, anger or shock, but there was nothing. He maintained absolute composure.

”It seems you know quite a bit.”

He didn’t care about the exposure of his identity at all.

”Yes, unlike the Order, we don’t have the miraculous Secret Blood technology, so we’ve been striving to develop technology. And this is our result; even without Secret Blood, we can still combat demons.”

”Are you bragging?”

”No, just trying to make you behave.”

Lorenzo didn’t resist; he maintained a delicate silence, seemingly contemplating something, until the girl stood up with a revolver.

”It looks like we’ve maintained a dangerous balance.”

Eve brushed her sweat-soaked hair back and pointed the silver revolver at the back of Red Falcon’s head.

In her view, everyone in this carriage was strange, lacking the insignia of the Ingwig army but possessing lethal armaments, and they had some connection to the demons. This made Eve extremely cautious.

Since that crazy night, she felt like a fawn in the forest, constantly hunted by foes from the shadows. She wouldn’t trust anyone in the short term except Lorenzo.

”So can everyone put down their guns and have a good talk?”

At this point, Lorenzo said somewhat helplessly, the temperature inside the carriage hadn’t dropped yet, and every word felt exhausting.

”You all can actually have your conversation outside.”

Another voice sounded, and then the heavy iron door opened from the outside. A cold wind rushed in, causing the sweat-covered crowd to shiver.

The man wasn’t wearing a mask, his expression stern, standing with a weapon at the door. Behind him was the scene of the burning, ravaged battlefield.

Lorenzo was momentarily stunned, then spoke teasingly.

”Bola, I always thought you wore a mask because you were too ugly. Seeing you now, it’s not so bad!”

Bola seemed not in the mood to deal with Lorenzo. He gritted his teeth and whispered.

”I really didn’t want to see you here, Lorenzo Holmes.”