Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 149 - 149 69 Returning the Soul to the Shell

149: Chapter 69: Returning the Soul to the Shell 149: Chapter 69: Returning the Soul to the Shell Before, Xiang Shan had made a trip outside the city to retrieve the Sonicon Blade and to house one of the sword bodies in the Sword Case Shield.

It was precisely this sword that instantly severed Tang Shagu’s external armor and framework.

Immediately following, Xiang Shan delivered a kick that coursed strength through the trunk.

Because the external armor and framework had already fractured, the other fragile parts were directly pulled down by the inertia.

Because Xiang Shan used an exaggerated swordsmanship maneuver to disguise it, Tang Shagu thought his opponent had made a forceful slash, rather than just a light tap.

It could be said that the “misjudgment” caused by this sword was the reason Xiang Shan gained such an advantage.

For this reason, Xiang Shan would rather endure some electrical pressure to carry this device around.

Besides that sword, Xiang Shan also brought another spoil of war.

A Green Forest common memory storage device.

But of course, it wasn’t from Wild Myth.

The shared memories of Wild Myth’s Green Forest, like those of Organization Z and the Excavator Group, had all been smashed by Xiang Shan into a pile of electronic components.

Only after deciding to enter Pine Eagle City and assassinate a key figure did Xiang Shan feel this device might be useful.

Therefore, on the way to the city, he additionally wiped out another Green Forest Stronghold and set up a treatment device, treating both Cui Hai and the young one.

And incidentally, he confiscated this device.

But Tang Shagu probably couldn’t distinguish between Wild Myth and another group’s “Green Forest collective memory” either.

Having this device, the biggest advantage is…

No one would suspect you were truly a Green Forest member.

Xiang Shan smiled and said, “A few days ago, a hero burst into our stronghold and killed our leader.

I was just lucky enough to be entrusted by the experts, taking with me the stronghold’s only treasured blade and this collective memory, and I escaped.”

Tang Shagu said, “So that means, today in the underground area…

it wasn’t you who had the conflict with my Meng Hand Gang?”

Pretending to be confused, Xiang Shan asked, “What?

Underground?

Where?”

As long as the parameters were preset, then the “tone” wouldn’t reflect emotions in real-time.

Of course, a master of internal strength who is very knowledgeable about behavioral studies and familiar with someone’s character might discern one’s insincerity from the differences between body language and electronic voice, but clearly, Tang Shagu was not one of these masters.

Not to mention that he was not at all familiar with Xiang Shan.

Tang Shagu said, “Today, in the underground river, a madman flipped several of our strong points…”

Xiang Shan nodded, “Oh.

It wasn’t me.”

Tang Shagu said, “Hmm.”

Tang Shagu simply believed him, because in his understanding, he and Xiang Shan had visited brothels together, shared dirty profits, and carried guns together—everything in the Green Forest collective memory was this sort of content.

Thus he was emotionally inclined to “believe someone with this shared memory.”

Though Xiang Shan was just pretending to have it.

This was also why Xiang Shan had wanted to take this device from the Green Forest Stronghold.

There would definitely be some remaining Jianghu forces in the city, but government heavily guarded these forces.

So, he needed to use some tactics to find an unpredictable “force of life.”

Using this shared memory to gain the trust of the gang’s upper echelons was indeed a viable option.

Xiang Shan said, “I’m not very interested in the affairs within Pine Eagle City.

What I really want is to rebuild the stronghold and re-establish the flag of ‘Wild Myth’.”

Tang Shagu nodded.

Though his arms and legs had been detached, as soon as he heard about “raising the flag,” he still felt an intense urge to stand up and raise his right hand to swear allegiance.

Such was the power of shared memory.

Unless the hatred for the brainwashing stronghold surpassed this shared memory, you would inevitably feel an affinity for this stronghold.

No, some heroes, even after being forced to convert and become a part of Green Forest, despite slaughtering the stronghold that gave them their Green Forest rites, would still raise the flag of that stronghold elsewhere.

The flag of the stronghold lasts longer than personal names.

Xiang Shan looked at Tang Shagu and said, “Your previous pursuit was to ‘become a Green Forest,’ right?”

Tang Shagu nodded, “Exactly so.”

“Now that you are a Green Forest, how does it feel?”

Hahaha Tang Shagu burst into a fierce laugh, “Very good!”

“So, how do you feel about your former self now?”

“Trembling with hesitation, showing no sign of the spirited rivalry typical in the Martial World!” Tang Shagu laughed: “If I had had these tricks earlier, what would I have feared from the Capacitor Gang or the Alloy Sect!

I would have wiped them out clean long ago!”

Xiang Shan said with a smile, “I originally just wanted to recruit a few martial artists in the city at random, but I never expected to encounter a high-ranking member of your organization.

It’s quite fateful.”

“Isn’t that the truth?” Tang Shagu said.

“Brother Shell, if it’s not too much trouble, please help me with changing my limbs…

Just the arms will do, I can handle the legs myself.”

Of course, Tang Shagu truly believed Xiang Shan’s reasons.

After all, someone living near the hundredth floor of a skyscraper could only be a famous martial artist, an athlete, a successful small businessman, or indeed a gang leader.

Yet Xiang Shan said, “However, hang on a moment.

I think we should first discuss the matter of reviving the Great Stockade.”

“This…

I’m already one of the stronghold’s people, wouldn’t go back on my word!”

Xiang Shan lowered his voice and said, “On me, I have the stronghold’s finest treasured blade, several sect leaders’ martial arts moves, a system of inner strength and its cultivation methods, as well as technology for modification surgeries.

Did you know?

These are resources our stronghold accumulated over decades…

and now it seems they were prepared especially as gifts for you.

The experiences of the sect leaders and some annotated techniques of inner strength are laid out right before you.”

“And me, Shell, I once ventured deep into the wilderness searching for former lackeys of the Green Forest—an old White Paper Fan—how do you think I view you?

I am jealous of you…

you gained effortlessly what I once dreamed of obtaining.”

For some reason, these words sent a chill down Tang Shagu’s spine.

He said, “Big Brother Shell, let’s talk this out nicely…

we’re all on the same side…

our own people!”

Xiang Shan said, “I just think that if you want to join the Great Stockade, you ought to contribute something to it first.”

Tang Shagu said, “I will certainly exhaust every effort for the reconstruction of the Great Stockade…”

“That is still not enough.

It doesn’t match up to what I’m about to give you,” Xiang Shan leaned in and whispered: “I want you to help us get revenge for the Great Stockade.”

Tang Shagu was stunned, then anger welled up within him.

The anger quickly burned through his self-control.

He exclaimed, “The one who destroyed our Great Stockade, is he here?

In this city?”

Xiang Shan nodded, “He destroyed our Great Stockade and also severely wounded several of the sect leaders.

I’ve chased and fought with him several times in the wilderness.

He’s been injured in his nervous system, his biological brain—it’s not something a simple change of a prosthetic body can fix.

Now is the best time to kill him.

I need you to spare no cost in surrounding and killing this hero!

Do you understand?

Spare no cost…

kill him!”

Tang Shagu nodded.

“Perfect!”

If the gang really intended to join Green Forest Stronghold under Wild Myth, indeed, an action was required to forge unity through iron and blood.

He nodded and said, “Alright, whatever Brother Shell says!”

Xiang Shan then took limbs from a backup prosthetic body and fitted them onto Tang Shagu.

“We are now in the same boat, striving forward.”

After that, things were very simple.

Tang Shagu summoned all his gang’s high-ranking members over.

Then, Tang Shagu and Xiang Shan together subdued them and imprinted them with the collective memory of the Green Forest.

A next person followed.

It was merely a matter of a few hours before the Meng Hand Gang’s four Double-Flower Red Sticks, three White Paper Fans, one Straw Sandals, and eight Hall Masters all became members of the newly formed “Wild Myth” of Green Forest Stronghold.

The brothers who had mixed in the gang looked at each other, their hearts now harboring an unprecedented level of understanding among them.

Now they truly became one group.

Being the only one without this shared memory, Xiang Shan effortlessly became the leader of these men.

He said, “This time, we have two goals.

First, to rebuild the Green Forest Stronghold.

Second, to find and kill those heroes who broke our stronghold.

These two points must be met, do you understand?”

The gang members nodded.

“Since I also don’t know which vacant area in the wilderness is suitable for establishing a stronghold, we’ll need to stay in this city for about a year.

During this time, we absolutely must not reveal any changes in our behavioral patterns.

So, about killing…

let’s not do it rashly…”

A former Double-Flower Red Stick complained, “But…

if we want to kill…”

Xiang Shan shook his head subtly.

This collective memory of Green Forest really does seem to dull their intellect.

He said, “If you want to kill, pick those from other gangs, pick those without protection and those who are blood-stained!

Aren’t there plenty in the sewers?

Tsk, seeing your performance, we now can’t expand the range of Green Forest memory just yet…”

Tang Shagu nodded, “With just this few people, we can keep our own people under control.

If there were more, it could actually cause problems.”

Xiang Shan nodded, “Exactly so.”

Brainwashing is brainwashing, but if the gang went mad harming people, he couldn’t let that happen.

“Then, next, we need to discuss the matter about that hero,” Xiang Shan said.

At the same time, he unreservedly shared Deborah’s visual data with them.

After a moment, a White Paper Fan suddenly exclaimed, “Big Brother, this hero is active locally!

She also destroyed one of our outposts!”

To penetrate the Jianghu Sects, local protectors earnestly put Deborah’s information into the wanted database.

After all, Wild Myth could rightly blame this woman for their losses.

Although the memories these gangsters received can’t exactly be called those of Wild Myth.