NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23: Red Ribbon
One particular day, after returning to the hideout, Namu informs his master about the situation regarding water scarcity in his village. A drought seems to have struck the area.
Hearing his request for help, Shen provides Namu with some Hoi-Poi capsules, orders him to fill them with fresh water, and sends the boy to the village along with Giran.
After they return, Shen learns that the drought was actually caused by Giran's clansmen; who had blocked the river upstream with a dam. Shen had completely forgotten that Giran's clan was responsible for the drought.
The crucial connection between Giran and Namu... only now, after everything is well and done, is his mind; reminded of it.
This event also reminds Shen of his promise to Dr. Flappe. Months before the tournament, Shen had told the scientist that he would take him back to his village for a visit.
It is time to fulfill his promise.
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After coming to the village, The two men stay at the place for an unusually long time.
During this period, Dr. Flappe spends time with his family, which surprises Shen. To think he had a family was a hard thing to comprehend for the Crane Hermit.
Having nothing interesting to do, Shen spends his days idling about in the village.
Normally, the days at the snowy Jingle Village are extremely boring, that is until a specific incident happens in the village.
The Red Ribbon Army—uninvited guests—show up at the village, wanting to build a tower at the tallest peak of the mountain. They forcefully try to seize the land and conscript the men to build the tower.
Obviously, with Shen's presence here, they aren't able to do any of it. Accomplishing nothing and, on top of that, getting beaten up, they run away, swearing revenge as they go.
Shen wasn't letting them go that easily, so he stealthily trails them to their regional base...
'The Red Ribbon Army turned up at just the right moment. I had been wondering how I would accumulate enough contribution to train under Kaio-sama... These people must have committed all kinds of evils, so destroying them won't dirty my hands.'
Mind racing with the different courses of action he could take, Shen walks up to the main gate of the Red Ribbon base.
"You!! Stop right there. No one is allowed inside. If you don't want your head blown off, turn back and leave immediately," the two guards stop his steps.
'This looks to be a bigger facility than expected... excluding these two guards, i can also sense dozens of other people; ahead and around me.' —The men in question are currently pointing their gun at shen from hidden locations.
'Not only that, behind the fences; in the base itself, there are at-least a thousand more.'
Shen makes a serious expression. Strong wind flutters his wavy clothes... The two Red Ribbon Chums feel the temperature drop by half. Then he laughs. "Hahahahaha!"
"Y-You... why are you laughing? Who are you really, you bastard??... Answer us!" The guards grow nervous; the man doesn't seem to pay them any mind.
"I am justice. Residing in the dark, I slay evil, doing Heaven's work... Although I go by a plethora of names, you may call me Mr. Angel."
"W-Wha... at??" These two men would normally sneer at such a brain-dead psycho calling himself the defender of justice, but not this time... somehow these rash men didn't have the courage.
"Mr. Angel.., Oi! Have you heard of him?" One of the guards asks the other.
His partner next to him scratches his head. "I haven't... He must be new to town."
The townsfolk near the base are subjected to forced labor by the Red Ribbon Army, so these guards know pretty much all the able-bodied young men going in and out of the base for work-related matters.
Shen keeps quiet, scanning the base with his ki, firmly deciding in his mind to uproot this bothersome organization from the face of the Earth.
He starts with this place.
Today marks the beginning of the end for the globally emerging Red Ribbon Army.
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Some days later, he arrives at the main headquarters of the Red Ribbon Army; hidden amongst snowy mountains and dense forests.
He finally reaches this place after taking a high-ranking commander of the army as a guide. Initially, the commander wasn't compliant, but Shen made him compliant, using methods that are, of-course, civil and peaceful.
Shen gazes down from the sky, below at the well equipped and discipled soldiers; going about their duties in a uniform manner.
"Sure enough, this place has already become the headquarters of the Red Ribbon Army. At least the missile defense system hasn't been installed yet... not that it would be of any use against me."
Right away, a large-scale battle ensues between Shen and the Red Ribbon Army.
The whole place plunges into chaos. There had already been a rumor circulating around the base that two of their large outposts in the North and East had been decimated by an unknown enemy, and the higher-ups were struggling to suppress the rumor.
"The rumors were true, the madman really exists!" a soldier screams at the top of his lungs.
To the horror of the regular soldiers, the madman had arrived at their doorstep. The rumors weren't exaggerating his strength; rather, the information largely underestimated him.
Inside the base...
Soldiers are being summoned to the gates, on a moment's notice.
"Hurry! Hurry up, every fighter has been summoned."
"I said use your legs! Don't dawdle about," the prison warden, hastily orders around the soldiers of the underground prison, his face pale as sweat floods from his brows.
"Oi, you newbie, did you not eat any breakfast??... why are you this slow?"
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"What is going on?" From inside one of the cells of the prison, a curious feminine voice sounds, "What could be causing the warden to be so frantic?"
She speaks, not to anyone in particular.
"Is it related to all the shaking and explosive noises?... Hmm!! Must be... what is causing this?? Has the government finally declared war against these people?... Weird and dangerous things are likely happening outside."
"No wonder the soldiers have been restless for the past few days. This... So thrilling!! So exciting!! and here i am stuck in this stupid place."
The girl is leaning face-front on the prison bars, holding onto them as if she might slip without doing so. Her face isn't all that clear due to a lack of proper light in the vicinity.
"Oi, Gevo, or whatever your name is... aren't you the son of that scientist, whatever his name is..." She decides to converse with a guard.
"How can I help you? And my father is Dr. Gero, please try not to forget it." Replies; the Young man with a mohawk, guarding her cell... Because of the dim light, only the girl's silhouette can be seen, so it may look like the man is talking to a shadow.
"Whatever, names don't matter right now... You—you seem to be a hostage here... Aren't I right?"
"Please get straight to the point and refrain from putting your nose where it doesn't belong."
All the soldiers have already left, except for a few including Gevo, who remains here, deemed untrustworthy by the Red Ribbon Army, the prison hallway that, a while ago, was buzzing with activity, is now ghostly silent.
"Tch! You're no fun... just listen to what I have to say... They must have brought you here as insurance to make sure that, just in case the Dr. thinks about betraying the organization, they can use his son as leverage."
The hammer hits the nail perfectly, "What is your point in saying this to me?... in this dire situation, no less!!"
"Let me out of here, I can help you escape." The girl; smugly declares.
"No." Gevo doesn't budge.
"What's the problem? This way both of us can escape..."
"Firstly!... I came here of my own volition, to make sure a conflict doesn't arise between my father and the RRA(Red Ribbon Army). What's more, Father is receiving constant funding from the army... If not for them, our family would become bankrupt, like last time before we were taken in by the army."
"Aaah, you are so stupid," the girl holds her head in frustration.
"Oi, what about you, Robot-san?" She calls out to the burly man; guarding another cell. His looks are similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger.
It appears the girl isn't the only one imprisoned here.
However, no reply comes from the robot-man.
"Huuuh????!!!" Rather, a angry outburst comes from the girl "Are you deaf? Did a short circuit fry your brain, you hunk of junk??"
"Sigh!" She sighs in resignation.
"Hmph! You probably don't have a functioning brain..."
The prison quietens down, as the girl was in the process of coming up with a different idea, until she wasn't. 'Hmm!!! what about the guy the robot is guarding?...'
"Oi, you, inside the cell that the dumb robot is guarding... I overheard the guards say; you can bend metal bars with ease... that's pretty strong, right?! Why don't you help your big sis get out of here?"
For a few seconds, the man inside the cell is unresponsive. The girl is already losing it, starting to pull on her own hair.
Suddenly, the giant man jolts awake. He gets up on his feets. "This lady has done nothing wrong. It is not right to keep her here, i will help her." He mumbles in a heavy but dumbish voice.
The Girl become ecstatic "Ooooh, although the response came a whole lot late, you do know what to say, huh?!"
However, before the man could take any action... the underground prison, the place they are in right now, where just moments earlier, other then the young chatterbox girl, only the occasional squeaking of rats could be heard, begins echoing with someone's footsteps.
"I came here wondering what this place was... it turns out to be a jail. There are Ki signatures inside the cells.. Should I free them? The people imprisoned by criminals wouldn't be other criminals, right?..."