212. Beno Alder
The next few chapters are a digression from the main story. They aim to give readers a feel for the Martial Order.
The main character of this short story lived in the heyday of the Red Party, before the time of John Kane. It's a prequel of "Hunt In Reverse" if you will.
After the short story, I will return to write the main story, the life of John Kane.
… …
The European Headquarters of the Red Party, Zermatt, Old Switzerland.
Layer upon layer of clouds surged like waves of fury. Countless magnificent mountain peaks stood like islands in the sea of clouds, densely scattered, resembling pieces on a chessboard.
At the outermost edge of this chessboard, at the foot of a mountain peak, a long line of people stretched all the way to the horizon, waiting for inspection.
Beno Alder was one of them.
Every three years, the Red Party European Headquarters changed its location, screened the local population, recruited those who had broken through or edged towards the First Realm, and reorganized the rest into People's Communes.
It was advertised as a better way of life—communism in reality. An ideal society conjured up by Karl Marx, it was the dream of the forefathers of the Red Party ever since they founded the People's Republic of China.
Personal property was confiscated and now belonged to "the people," distributed according to need. Only, whether you needed something was not up to you, but to the Party.
To the Party elites, this was truly a dream come true—wielding unchecked power, with an iron grip on everything produced by the masses. In the Old Republic, they could only implement a semblance of such a society. When they pushed too hard, the country plunged into such inefficiency that millions of people starved to death.
People were never brainwashed thoroughly enough to willingly sacrifice for "the good of the nation." Despite controlling all media and indoctrinating children from kindergarten, they still couldn't completely eradicate those "vices" of Western influence: self-determination and the pursuit of individual happiness. These inclinations seemed to be born rather than learned.
As it turned out, the apocalypse was a blessing in disguise. The West descended into chaos, its spoiled populace fighting as individuals. This stood in stark contrast to China, where the brainwashed population readily surrendered their rights, allowing themselves to be neatly organized into a farm that grew Realm Breakers.
Unfortunately, one outlier didn't fit into their neat calculation. Ideally, they would have preferred to replace a generation every three years. However, humans simply didn't reproduce fast enough.
The good news was that people could be found everywhere, without even the need to cross the perilous oceans. The Red Party expanded its influence rapidly—first to India, then to Europe.
To the locals here, however, the Red Party was not entirely unfamiliar. They'd heard plenty about them from surviving Hungarians and Greeks. The most abysmal news was that, once allocated into People's Communes, only one out of five individuals could hope to stay alive before the Red Party European Headquarters relocated again—a survival rate much lower than hunting in the vampire-infested Alps.
As a result, Beno felt incredibly fortunate that he had ventured deep into the mountains against his parents' advice just days earlier. He touched the crystal core in his pocket, still warm to the touch. It had belonged to a Marmot (groundhog) Vampire that was already half-dead when he discovered it.
Rather than asking for help, the vampire begged to be killed. Beno didn't comply. He was cautious, and he despised vampires too much to grant them their wishes—they had murdered his sister and brother.
Instead, he extracted the crystal core from the dying Marmot. Though he couldn't distinguish between crystal and beast cores, he understood the risks of consuming one before breaking through to the First Realm. Yet he might have no other choice—the core would either help him cross the threshold or kill him. Either outcome was preferable to entering the People's Commune.
As Beno steeled himself, the line continued to move forward. Soon it was the turn of the boy standing just ahead of him.
"Name?" asked a man in green army uniform.
"Loris Meier."
The boy was exceptionally good-looking, with bright eyes that seemed to speak, and most importantly, an aura of spiritual energy perceptible even to ordinary people.
His demeanor and posture revealed intelligence beyond his years—in the secular world, he would undoubtedly become a promising scholar sought after by all major academies.
Sure enough, upon seeing him, the man in green displayed an expression of amazement. "What a naturally gifted spiritual child!"
"Thank you, sir—warrior brother. I have broken through to the First Realm." The little boy bowed respectfully, his childish voice making him irresistibly likable.
The man in green smiled even more cheerfully. "Excellent, excellent. The Party truly needs talented individuals like you!"
As these words were spoken, the man in green casually crossed out the name "Loris Meier" in the register he had just written.
Thud!
In the next second, without warning, the previously spirited boy rolled his eyes upward, collapsed to the ground, and instantly lost all signs of life.
After finishing this task, the man in green nonchalantly instructed, "Send his blood and flesh to the Hall of Elixir, bones and brain to the Hall of Weaponry, and internal organs to the Hall of Beasts. Do not waste such excellent material."
These few words left everyone in line both indignant and utterly dumbfounded.
Seeing their reactions, the man in green cackled. "Fellow citizens, do not misunderstand."
"The Party has always valued 'contribution,'" he explained. "The measure of a member's excellence lies solely in whether they can create sufficient value for 'the People'."
"That boy just now—a natural spiritual child with a strong physique—could only provide maximum value for 'the People' after death. That is precisely why he died."
"As for all of you, with your mediocre gifts, you can create value for 'the People' only while alive, so naturally you need not worry about such matters."
His explanation did nothing to quell the anger or dispel the confusion of those waiting in line. Each time he mentioned "the People," the real people in the queue winced with disgust.
The man in green didn't care. "Next," he smiled and nodded to Beno Alder.
A storm of sensations swirled inside Beno. His blood boiled, his skin burned, and his heart pounded like a wrecking ball.
While the man in green was focused on the boy, Beno had already slipped the crystal core into his mouth and swallowed it. The core immediately released a surge of energy throughout his body, making him feel as though he might explode at any moment.
As he shut his eyes waiting to die, he saw a bright light before him that quickly expanded into a screen.
[You have obtained an upgraded version of the blood gift of the Alpine Marmot Vampire: Hundred Rebirths. Chances remaining: 100.]
[Hundred Rebirths: Upon death, you can return to your initial starting point and begin a new life.]
[After rebirth, you may choose to retain one element from your previous life—treasures, realm, or lifespan—or you can forfeit all previous gains to awaken a special talent.]
… …
"Next!" the man in green called again, this time without smile, his patience clearly wearing thin.
Beno stepped forward, his internal turmoil subsiding as quickly as it had erupted.
The man in green's gaze fell upon Beno's handsome, elegant face—first showing delight, then carefully examining his physique. However, he soon shook his head in disappointment.
Evidently, in his view, Beno Alder was handsome but otherwise worthless.
Beno lowered his head, examining himself. The core and the panel had helped him break into the First Realm, but clearly hadn't cured his disease. Beneath his sleeves, he could still feel his rash.
"Go to the Hall of Harmony." The man in green gave his verdict.
Beno didn't dare ask questions and quickly replied, "Yes."
After the assignment was complete, Beno received a palm-sized metallic badge with a small screen and his name engraved on it. The back side was almost translucent, with what appeared to be a flame sealed within.
Additionally, he was assigned a training manual.
The manual was called "The Pleasure of Kama Sutra for Males."
What kind of technique is this?
Inside the cover was a brief introduction: the basic training manual of the Hall of Harmony—practice with a female partner to collect essence and fill the twelve major chambers.
… …
"Let's go." After a number of new members gathered in the reception area, an elderly man led them to a train platform. The platform clung to the mountainside like a ledge suspended in time. Wooden beams and stonework echoed pre-apocalyptic Swiss architecture, while the crisp mountain air carried the distant clang of cowbells.
The rails glinted in the sun, curving upward into the clouds, hinting at the steep ascent ahead. A crimson cogwheel train hummed softly as it approached the platform, its polished sides reflecting the snow-dusted peaks—ready to scale the winding path carved into the heart of the Alps.
Once aboard, the elderly man explained casually, "Inside the back of your badge is your life flame. Remember to carry it with you at all times. The doors, traps, and sentry animals recognize the badge, not the person. If you forget it one day and die here, don't blame me for not warning you."
Beno and a few others disembarked halfway up the mountain, where the weather remained pleasantly warm.
As they walked down from the platform, they saw a voluptuous beauty standing before them. She wore a long dress with a plunging neckline and slits on both sides reaching to the tops of her thighs, exuding charm and allure with every glance.
"Gulp."
Beno clearly heard someone swallowing beside him.
Seeing everyone's gaze, the beauty showed no shyness. Instead, she let out a melodious laugh and gracefully lifted the side of her skirt with her delicate hand.
Beneath the skirt hung a metallic badge, swaying gently against a backdrop of soft, white skin.
The name on the badge read: Reka Varga.
"Welcome to the Hall of Harmony. I am Reka, and I suppose I am your senior comrade."
In the next moment, Beno noticed the beautiful woman's eyes brighten slightly, her gaze falling directly upon him, staring intently without any attempt to conceal her interest.