I revived the Demonic Sect in North America

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from deep within the passage, approaching from afar.

Elmer suddenly raised his head, his cloudy eyes reflecting light like a wolf's in the darkness.

His muscles tensed, and he silently raised his Colt M1911 towards the passageway.

A boy in a plaid shirt rushed out of the darkness, panting, and stopped in front of Elmer.

It was Li Ang.

Elmer's ferocious expression froze instantly.

This kid... he really came?

"Sir, sir!"

Li Ang was out of breath from running.

He was clutching a thick roll of twenty-yuan banknotes tightly in one hand.

In his other hand, he was carrying a white plastic bag.

"I'm so sorry I'm late! I've been selling goods since school ended, and I just ran off to buy some more things, so I might be a little late. I'm really sorry... Were you waiting long?"

Elmer lowered his gun, his chest heaving, and remained silent for a long time, his eyes fixed on Li Ang.

Li Ang shrank back under his gaze, his excitement turning to fear, and cautiously asked:

"Sir? Are you...are you alright? You don't look too well."

"..."

Elmer was silent for a moment, then finally spoke, his voice hard, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth:

"Good lad, I thought you weren't coming."

"How could I! I would never dare to break my promise to you. Even if I can't sell everything, I will definitely come back and get back to you!"

Li Ang quickly handed over the neatly rolled-up banknotes in his hand.

"We've succeeded in our mission; everything's sold out. Count them—a thousand dollars, not a penny less!"

Elmer took the money, his fingertips tracing the edge of the banknotes; the solid feel of the banknotes eased his inner rage slightly.

He counted the money quickly while coldly saying:

"You're smart to know what's good for you. Kid, do you know what I was thinking just now?"

"Wh...what?"

"I'm thinking..."

Elmer looked up, his gaze fixed on Li Ang's face like a nail:

"If you dare to play tricks on me tonight, I'll find that rat's nest you and your sister live in before dawn. I'll bring you both here. And then..."

He pressed his face close to Li Ang's and said fiercely:

"Then I'll show you how the Vietnamese abused prisoners of war."

"Do you know what's most lacking in POW camps? It's not food, it's clean water. The Vietnamese will tie you up and leave you to bake in the sun until you're driven mad with thirst, then they'll force you to drink their own excrement, making you drink that filthy stuff."

"They would use rusty wire to tightly wrap around your wrists and ankles, until the wire cut into your flesh and embedded itself in the bone. In the hot weather, the wounds would quickly fester, attracting flies and maggots. Then you would watch your hands and feet slowly rot away."

"That's considered mild. During interrogation, they'll slowly drive bamboo skewers under your fingernails. Or they'll hang you upside down, immerse your head in a bucket full of sewage and leeches, and only pull you out when you're almost suffocating, let you catch your breath, and then push you back in."

As the Vietnam War veteran spoke, he carefully observed Li Ang's reaction.

He hoped to see the fear and breakdown he expected on Li Ang's face.

These emotions give him an unparalleled, twisted pleasure.

However, the expression on Li Ang's face was not one of fear.

Instead, I felt sad.

A sadness that I almost felt as if I were experiencing it myself.

Elmer frowned and asked:

"Hey kid, what's with that look? Scared out of your wits?"

Li Ang shook his head, his voice tense, and whispered:

"No, sir... I just feel... you've been wronged."

"What?"

Elmer thought he had misheard:

"What the hell did you just say?"

"I said, sir, you've been wronged!"

Li Ang raised his head, his eyes revealing no pretense, only an almost manic indignation:

"I've seen the other POW badges on your jacket. I know you risked your life for the Union in Vietnam and even spent time in a POW camp. What you're telling me now is exactly what those despicable Vietnamese did to you!"

He sniffed, as if he felt indignant about Elmer's situation:

"I don't hate those Vietnamese, because it's war! I only hate those damned, ungrateful federal bureaucrats! How dare they mistreat a hero like you! It's so unfair, sir! If I hadn't heard your story, I would never have imagined that you had endured such suffering and injustice!"

Elmer was stunned.

He stopped counting the money and stood there, like a black silent film that had suddenly been paused.

Li Ang's words were like a fine needle, unexpectedly piercing the thick cocoon he had built with anger and fentanyl.

I touched a part of it that was already rotten, yet still hurt.

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a long time.

After a while, Li Ang seemed to remember something and quickly handed the white plastic bag in his hand to Elmer.

His tone returned to its previous eagerness and honesty:

"Sir, this is something I bought especially for you."

Elmer swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty:

"What...what is this?"

"This is medicine."

"medicine?!"

"Yes, sir."

Li Ang looked embarrassed and said:

"I didn't actually sell this batch of goods for a thousand dollars, but rather for a thousand one hundred dollars."

"The extra hundred dollars, did you buy these...?"

"Yes, sir. I used the extra hundred dollars to buy some anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, and sterile gauze at the pharmacy. The weather is hot now, so be careful to avoid infection of your wounds."

Elmer swallowed hard again, unable to utter a single word.

Seeing that he didn't react, Li Ang pointed to several old, festering scars on his exposed chest and arms, and tentatively asked:

"Sir, if you don't mind, how about... I apply it for you directly?"

Elmer remained silent.

Seeing this, Li Ang assumed that Li Ang had tacitly agreed.

He cautiously approached Elmer, took out ointment and cotton swabs from his bag, and applied the medicine to the scars on Elmer's arm.

The cool ointment touched his skin, and Elmer shivered almost imperceptibly.

Soon, Li Ang had applied the medicine all over Elmer's body.

Looking at the crisscrossing scars on Elmer's body, Li Ang couldn't help but sincerely admire him:

"Sir, you're a real tough guy. You remind me of a legendary hero from ancient times, Guan Yu, whom my parents often talked about, who had his bone scraped to remove poison. But I think you're even more impressive than him."

Elmer, who was in the Western Hemisphere, was certainly aware of the fame of Guan Yu, the God of War.

Hearing Li Ang's heartfelt praise, he couldn't help but feel a little proud.

I almost couldn't hold back my smile.

A rare touch of warmth appeared between the two.

Elmer hesitated for a moment, then took out two small packets of white powder from the inside pocket of his military jacket.

I ate one pack myself.

He handed the other package to Li Ang, saying curtly:

"Here you go. Try it, this is my own good stuff. It's much better than the junk they sell."