Caribbean coastal village.
Zhao Manyan walked up to Oni, bound in a provocative pose, and deliberately leered at her from head to toe. He stroked his chin and said, "Tell me, isn't it a pity to just hand this thief over to the city authorities?"
He urged, "Why not take advantage of the moment and execute this female demon on the spot?"
At this, the female comrades in the team, Jiang Shaoxu, Mu Yingtian, and Nanrong Nibai, all rolled their eyes at him, secretly showing disdain even knowing Zhao Manyan was pretending to intimidate.
Mo Fan echoed with righteous severity, "Exactly. If I do not descend into hell, who will? Let me feed the demons with my own body."
Even Guan Yu joined in, casually adding, "We should take all their wealth too."
At these words, Xige froze for a moment. Who's really the bandit here? The villagers, initially about to step forward to show gratitude, hesitated, realizing these young people didn't exactly look like harmless benefactors.
Finally, the village chief stepped forward, trembling as he thanked them:
"Many thanks, masters of magic, for assisting us. Our resources are thin; we cannot pay you."
Jiang Shaoxu immediately stopped and said gently, "Sir, we do not seek payment from the villagers."
"But…" the chief hesitated, sighing, "Be cautious. Xige and Oni are members of the Red Ornament Society. Their leader, Casso, is powerful; even the local government and military have to give him face."
Guan Yu, eager to show off, jumped up and pounded his chest, promising, "A few petty pirates? We can handle them with ease."
The group remained unconcerned. Zhao Manyan, however, gave a few sinister chuckles, stretching his hands toward Oni with an impatient gleam.
Seeing this, Oni cursed inwardly. She swore that once the authorities released them, she would exact revenge on these outsiders, especially the few young and beautiful girls. Whatever torment she suffered, she would repay a hundredfold, even selling them to brothels.
Outwardly, however, she boldly batted her eyes and, with a seductive lick of her crimson lips, said, "Blond young man, I don't mind spending a night entwined with you."
Then Oni glanced at the handsome males of the National Institute Team, each unique in style. With a glint of desire, she added, "And a few more handsome men, joining together is fine too. How thrilling!"
Zhao Manyan froze at her lascivious demeanor, suddenly realizing that if they actually went through with it, they'd be the ones losing badly.
"Damn it!"
Seeing that intimidation failed on Oni, Zhao Manyan's face darkened with displeasure.
As the group decided to hand the pirates over to the local authorities, Lu Jun remained calm. He stepped forward and yanked Oni by the hair.
"Ah!" Oni cried out in pain, cursing internally, wanting to strike him down, but given the situation, she could only force a coquettish smile: "Handsome, you're too hasty, aren't you?"
She fully understood Lu Jun's terrifying power. Even with her defensive magic and artifacts activated simultaneously, she had still been instantly defeated, not daring to provoke him.
Whoosh!
No sooner had she finished speaking than Lu Jun's eyes flashed with platinum brilliance. From his body shot forth a three-foot-long black-gold sword light. With a mere thought, the Tai-A Sword slashed down fiercely toward her.
Pchh! Oni's beautiful head was lifted high into the air, her delicate features frozen in disbelief. Her headless body's neck spurted a yard-high stream of blood, splattering the ground.
Immediately after, both her head and body collapsed lifelessly.
"Ahhh!" Zhao Manyan, Mo Fan, Guan Yu, and others' eyes widened in shock. The girls on the team paled, empathizing with the scene, feeling waves of phantom pain.
Zhao Manyan's body stiffened, swallowing hard: "Old Lu, what are you doing? Destroying a flower so ruthlessly!"
Lu Jun replied coldly, "When hesitation remains, chaos prevails! Do you really think handing the Red Ornament Society over to the local authorities would restrain them? Ask the villagers—if the local government and military were truly capable, pirates in the Caribbean wouldn't run rampant."
"I figure that once we hand these people over, they'll be released in no time, retaliate against the villagers, and leave future troubles behind. It's better to act decisively and cut the weeds completely."
The group pondered. All present were young and clever. In situations like this, even in Kyushu… ahem… much less in foreign lands with weak order and authority, capturing and then releasing is normal.
Lu Jun knew that in the original timeline, Mo Fan and Jiang Shaoxu did exactly that: handing them to the authorities. The Red Ornament Society then boldly emerged, the villagers were punished, and Jiang Shaoxu almost met disaster.
With that precedent, he resolved to learn the lesson—he would show no mercy.
Moreover, Oni might appear delicate, but she was guilty of arson, murder, and looting. Killing her was no loss.
"Say what you will," Zhao Manyan admired, "but you are truly ruthless—like the characters in novels who sever kin to ascend."
Jiang Shaoxu glanced at the other terrified bound bandits and asked, "And these ones?"
"Kill them all," Lu Jun said lightly. "Why keep them?"
Ah? The National Institute Team froze. Xige, already terrified by Oni's brutal death, now frantically struggled, begging for mercy: "Sir, I've surrendered, don't kill me! There's an old saying in China: killing the surrendered brings misfortune."
The others tried to persuade him as well: "Captain, so many people… maybe that's too much?"
"What's that? I've killed more back at the Lu family. These I'll kill too. Not to mention a bunch of scum bandits. If you won't strike, I will!"
Lu Jun's murderous intent flared, and he acted immediately. The black-gold dragon-patterned flying sword floating beside him suddenly swung, splitting into hundreds of sword-light afterimages, weaving through the densely packed crowd.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In an instant, dozens of Red Ornament Society mages' heads fell high into the air, bodies collapsing. Blood flowed in streams, forming tiny rivulets across the ground.
The Red Ornament Society answered to the Gang of Rogues. Over the years, to collect enough infant hearts for Su Lu, they had committed countless cruel deeds. None of these deaths were unjust.
Seeing this brutal scene, everyone broke into cold sweat, suddenly remembering exactly what kind of man their captain was—an unparalleled ruthless killer.
Nearby villagers were already terrified. Just moments ago, they had thought these young people were gentle, descending from the sky to carry out justice—truly good people.
How quickly did the Red Ornament Society seem benevolent in comparison?
Lu Jun, cold and merciless, addressed the village: "If the Red Ornament Society comes asking questions later, you say it was us. And if they take you hostage, I will not save you."
In the original story, these small-village villagers were equally infuriating—ignoring their saviors Jiang Shaoxu and Mo Fan, siding with the Red Ornament Society, obedient and submissive.
"How can you do this?"
Someone couldn't help but stammer, stepping forward.
"Hmph! You dare teach me how to act?!"
Lu Jun snorted coldly. Curse energy surged, striking the man like a heavy blow. He instantly collapsed, unconscious, sending hundreds of villagers into panic.
When the villagers fell silent, Lu Jun spoke seriously: "You must understand, only you can save yourselves."
With that, Lu Jun led the National Institute Team away, heading toward a city not far off to reside.
Along the way, the team remained silent. They were exceptionally intelligent, understanding that Lu Jun's actions were best for both sides.
When the Red Ornament Society came chasing, seeing the villagers' plight, they realized it wasn't the villagers' fault—thinking it was just black-on-black conflict—and focused their attention entirely on Lu Jun and his team.
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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