Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon

...

"Watch closely, this is how to chamber a round!"

"Pull back the bolt, check if there’s a bullet inside."

"Next, you can raise the gun, aim, and fire! Alright, you go down, the next three come up to practice!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Cui Zhen’en and Zhou Zhi demonstrated the basic operations of firearms to the workers, who were very enthusiastic about learning—obviously, compared to the shovels and hammers they held, mastering the use of guns could give them a far greater chance of success.

In a corner lit by an oil lamp, only Zhang Zhiyuan and Chaoyang were left.

"That medicine, could it be..."

"Don’t worry, it’s the new generation of domestic Night Hawk pills, not the crude stuff used in World War II, there are no side effects with moderate use."

"I’m not concerned about side effects, after all, these people have bigger problems than that. I’m just surprised that Paradise can get its hands on such top-secret products." Zhang Zhiyuan, who was watching the training, said, "But I don’t understand, why don’t you give each of them a submachine gun? These antique things are certainly better than tools for digging stones, but they’re still only on par with gang weapons."

It was, of course, because ’wishing power’ was limited.

In order to control the loss, he hadn’t even provided bullets to these people.

However, these were things Chaoyang couldn’t directly tell the other person.

"The difficulty of the missions increases step by step, Paradise also has to consider the cost-benefit ratio. These muskets are the same model used by the gangs, which also means they can use the overseer’s weapons immediately upon capture."

Zhang Zhiyuan’s brow furrowed as he thoughtfully looked at Chaoyang and muttered softly, "Not enough resources, huh..."

Chaoyang responded with silence.

The world of Paradise games was already full of holes, but everyone would still implicitly agree to keep things unspoken.

"In that case, we’ll have to spend the points where they count. If the three of us, Cui Zhen’en, Qianyuan Mingzi, and I, were fully armed, that should be enough."

"And add Zhou Zhi. Although he has turned into a little girl, the bullets fired from his gun haven’t lost any of their power."

"Mr. Zhao... that’s a bit dangerous," Zhang Zhiyuan said, coughing uncomfortably.

"We have no choice, we’re short on manpower. Anthony is dead, and the only ones left who understand how to use guns and have combat experience are the four of you," Chaoyang shrugged. In theory, there should be warriors from the Royal Guards involved in this world, but they couldn’t be fully trusted, especially now that their own ’wishing power’ was diminished. "Furthermore, I can’t fully arm you either. Each of you will only get a type 95 handgun, 60 bullets, and two grenades."

"Only two magazines?"

"That’s right." Bullets, after all, were the biggest drain on ’wishing power’, "If you’re seriously injured or killed, you won’t be able to switch bodies immediately, so this armed uprising is closer to actual combat. Be sure to think of your own safety first."

For Chaoyang, it was also a considerable expense; after turning over five hundred and some points of ’wishing power’ into weapons, the remaining balance would drop to within two hundred points. Plus, he had to prepare a body; the points left were basically only enough for emergencies.

"What would happen to Paradise if the resources were depleted...?" Zhang Zhiyuan couldn’t help asking.

"Who knows? It might cease to exist," Chaoyang said with a feigned lightness to his smile.

He stared at the flickering light, his expression turning serious, "Is that so? Then we absolutely won’t fail. I can assure you, under any circumstance, I will complete the mission."

Chaoyang was clear that the other party wasn’t loyal to Paradise, he was loyal to his own job.

"Don’t worry, the situation isn’t as bad as you think. I wouldn’t come to the beach cave to find you all if I weren’t sure of success,"

"Let’s talk about Paradise’s plan," Zhang Zhiyuan withdrew his gaze and looked at Chaoyang again, "What you want definitely isn’t just a simple armed uprising. What’s our real goal? Tell me the mission, and I will make it happen."

...

July 29, 9:00 a.m.

On the Eastern Coast of the City of Defense, a row of gallows had been erected, and overseers were securing each of the five nooses to ensure they could withstand the shock of a falling body.

Thanks to the company’s aggressive PR, many onlookers had gathered around the execution platform. Compared to the ragged fishermen, these people were dressed much more decently; they entered the viewing stand—prepared in advance—and took their seats one by one, their hands holding a variety of snacks and drinks as if they were about to enjoy a theatrical performance.

"They are from the merchant associations and gangs..." Enkui clenched her fists and said, "A bunch of damned scoundrels, treating this execution like some sort of spectacle!"

The Lower City District had seen the arrival of numerous civilians as well, but they didn’t even have the privilege of getting close to the execution grounds. They were stopped by gang members a hundred meters away, gesturing that they could only watch from afar.

"Big sister, can His Excellency the Divine Envoy really save Mr. Franwick?" someone asked in a whisper.

"If the Paradise Sect doesn’t make a move, we’ll take action ourselves! Lord Yuss must not die here!"

These words were met with a chorus of agreement.

"No!" Enkui immediately vetoed, "Ransu Company stages public executions to lure us into the open! There are so many guards here, we can’t save Mr. Franwick if we rush the execution grounds, and we’ll end up burying all the brothers who dare to resist along with him! We agreed before leaving, if the Divine Envoy of the Paradise Sect can’t deliver on the opportunity she promised, we have to act as if we were never here!"

She had arrived, and in accordance with the arrangement, she had also gathered more than fifty brothers—although from different districts, they shared the same ambition: to overthrow the company’s rule and restore the City of Defense to its former state.

To avoid being caught all at once, Enkui had specifically instructed these people to arrive in separate groups, not to meet each other. They would signal an action with a red armband and a blood-stained flag.

At the moment, besides the company’s "honored guests" numbering over a hundred, there were also about four hundred civilians present. She scanned the crowd anxiously, hoping to spot His Excellency the Divine Envoy among these people, yet despite her searching, she couldn’t find any trace of him.

Just then, a disturbance rippled through the crowd.

Enkui’s gaze turned back to the execution ground. She saw a well-equipped squad of Royal Guards escorting about twenty prisoners slowly into the center, causing a succession of excited whistles and applause from the spectators on the stand.

Her heart sank further. The gangs maintaining order around the platform were already troublesome enough, but the appearance of the company’s security team made the feasibility of forcefully rescuing someone escalate to a nearly impossible level. To rush from a hundred meters away toward the platform, they would face crossfire coming from the front, the side, and the rear. Under such circumstances, the odds for the Paradise Sect would be no better.

Besides, would their followers truly be willing to lay down their lives to save others?

"Big sister, I see Lord Yuss!" Marei suddenly shouted.

Following the direction he pointed, Enkui’s heart tightened. The third in line amongst the prisoners was Franwick Yuss. Having been captured for five days, his situation seemed far from optimistic. His prison clothes were torn, and he was covered in bloodstains, obviously having been subjected to torture. Nonetheless, he hadn’t bowed his head but kept staring at the executioners with a look of contempt, in stark contrast to the other captured prisoners who showed signs of fear.

"...listen carefully," she gritted her teeth and said in a low voice, "If Franwick Yuss is to die here today, we must pay attention to every word he says, remember every move he makes. Don’t overlook any details during the execution, as they may very well be his final hint to us."

"Final... hint?" the people around her asked, puzzled.

Enkui nodded, "Yes, the Yuss Family has a treasure that can help us destroy Ransu Company and take back the City of Defense!"