Sir! Don't close the net!

That is the earth.

"Damn it—how dare a homeless man swagger around on the street like that!"

Both men and women raised their arms and kicked Lorne, who was curled up on the ground, without any mercy, as if they wanted to vent all their humiliation on Lorne.

Lorne's clothes certainly didn't look like those of a homeless person, but so what? These days, people who walk around on the street carrying guns are either homeless or members of the Self-Defense Forces, and since Lorne didn't have any Self-Defense Force insignia, he could only be a homeless person.

Of course, there's really not much difference between homeless people and Self-Defense Force members anymore.

"Who did this?"

Puss crossed his arms, staring at William, who was being bandaged, with a gloomy face. The blood-stained gauze on the ground was extremely glaring.

“Who knows, now… anyone could be involved, someone I know or someone I don’t,” William couldn’t help but gasp because the person bandaging him had moved a little too roughly.

"Also, I'm sorry, the amulet and the gun you gave me have been stolen."

After a moment of silence, Puss sighed, "It doesn't matter how things turn out. It's just something that was bound to happen, and it happened as it was supposed to happen. That's all."

The moment Ryan fired the shot—no, it should be said that Nemo had already foreseen this outcome when he made his declaration.

He naively thought that such an incredible thing couldn't happen.

As a result, Ryan got the gun.

As a result, William was attacked and had his gun and bullets stolen.

It's pointless to investigate who did it. As William said, anyone could have done it: homeless people, residents who wanted guns, acquaintances, or strangers all had ample reason to attack armed members of the self-defense force.

A short while later, two more members of the Self-Defense Force staggered back to Diagon Alley. Although they didn't say anything, the scratches on their faces said it all.

Puss took off his hat, rubbed his forehead, and looked up. After a long pause, he gave a bitter smile. "We...didn't do anything wrong, right?"

Everyone remained silent and avoided eye contact.

Puss understood.

They shouldn't have to go through this.

"tomorrow……"

Puss raised his hand and pulled his cowboy hat down on his head, pulling the brim down forcefully. "No, go home right now, lock the door, lock the windows, and no matter what you hear or what noises you make, don't come out. Lie in bed, cover your head with the blanket, and sleep until the next day."

William jolted awake, stood up, and stared into Puss's eyes. "Puss, what...do you want to do? What about the Self-Defense Forces? Everyone's hiding at home, what are they going to do?"

"Now, in this triple circle, who needs..."

"The Self-Defense Forces?"

Faced with Puss's question, William remained silent. No one present could answer. William's head was still wrapped in bandages, and many people had bruises on their faces. Every now and then, someone would stagger back. Some had managed to keep their guns, while others had their clothes torn to shreds.

How many of these injuries came from the back and how many from the front is no longer so important.

The important point is that they can no longer bear, or even find, the responsibility of being a self-defense force.

It was too short, far too short. They officially began their operation as the Self-Defense Force, protecting the residents of the Sanjiu area for less than a day, just a few hours. A few hours—it was impossible for them to develop a sense of responsibility as members of the Self-Defense Force. They were still just a group of people who stood up because they couldn't stand it anymore, because they felt this was abnormal, meddling in other people's business. And the residents of the Sanjiu area… before they could even realize how glorious it was to be a member of the Self-Defense Force, they were dealt a heavy blow.

They were scared...

The reaction of the Triassic Circle also revealed a harsh reality to them: time was too short. Faced with pressure from the Wasteland Aristocracy, the residents of the Triassic Circle completely distrusted their self-defense force, and all they wanted was to get their own guns.

Therefore, no one rejected his proposal to stay at home.

However, he could still clearly see his responsibilities and the weight of them. He could no longer allow these people, who could have protected themselves but were hurt because of their trust in him, to suffer even more. He could not bring himself to tell these people in front of him to continue patrolling the streets of San Die Quan, risking attacks from behind.

Just then, several Self-Defense Force members, bruised and battered, limped in, bringing very bad news.

"Those few nominal members who didn't get their guns spread the word that we have a lot of extra firearms!"

"Mr. Puss! I see a lot of people wandering around outside Diagon Alley! What should we do?!"

William's face darkened completely. "Those bastards!"

This undoubtedly worsened their already dire situation.

The claim that there are many surplus firearms is too ambiguous, but one thing is certain: it is impossible for everyone in the San Die Quan area to have one. Both residents and homeless people in the San Die Quan area would target this place.

Chapter 152 Fog and Darkness

Puss recalled the reading notes Dante had sent him. The formation of the Jurassic Circle's gangs was based on a major premise: the power of the wasteland's royal family and nobility was restrained by the Cult of Steam and Steel. They were high-profile, very bastardly high-profile, but they would never dare to be as high-profile as when demonstrating against the Cult of Steam and Steel.

This bastardly and consistently high-profile approach united the residents of the Jurassic Circle, pushing them to their limits and forcing them to cooperate tacitly, refrain from betraying each other, secretly develop the arms industry, and then launch a surprise attack through the Cretaceous Circle to reach the capital, Millennium, forcing the wasteland royal family to acquiesce to the establishment of a new Triassic underworld within the Jurassic Circle's new social ecosystem.

Puss thought he could emulate the Jurassic Circle, but when he actually started, he realized that whether it was establishing a self-defense force or maintaining order in the Triassic Circle, it was all wishful thinking on his part, as the Triassic residents were stirring up trouble among the homeless.

From the very beginning, there was no distinction between Triassic residents and vagrants here. Whether they were commoners, merchants, or vagrants, they were all residents of Triassic and part of Triassic society. What he was facing now, and what most of the residents disliked, was not the Wasteland Royal Family and Nobles, but the vagrants who started to riot and act recklessly after being ordered around by the Wasteland Royal Family and Nobles.

Fighting with oneself is a never-ending battle, and this infighting will never threaten the wasteland royal family or nobles, forcing them to back down, reclaim their dignity, or gain respect. Especially now that the Cult of Steam and Steel is suspected of fleeing, these bastards of the wasteland royal family and nobles have completely let loose. Most of the residents of the Triassic Circle simply don't have the courage to face the source of the conflict—the wasteland royal family and nobles.

So they ambushed them, indulging in the contradictions created by the wasteland royal family and nobles, and pursuing self-esteem and freedom in the empty palm of others.

Looking at the injured people in front of him, Puss suddenly felt very tired and guilty.

Continuing to function as a Self-Defense Force is undoubtedly the right thing to do.

Puss believes that the vast majority of people have not given up, but have simply chosen to give up. He believes that as long as he speaks up, he can always get some people to continue doing the right thing.

However, as the founder of the Self-Defense Forces, that's a different story.

However, there was one thing he was certain of: protecting those who believed in him and were willing to do foolish things with him was the right thing to do.

So Puss, without hesitation, once again emphasized this loudly to the people in front of him.

"Go home right now, lock the door, lock the windows, and no matter what you hear or what noises you make, do not come out. Lie in bed, cover your head with the blanket, and sleep until the next day!"

"This is not wrong."

"You have your own families and your own lives!"

William, who had wanted to say something, didn't know what to say. Although he hadn't seen the attacker, he had heard the panting sound, like that of an irrational beast. Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine. The thought that his family might suffer something similar made William feel as if someone was choking him.

"So, go home... tell everyone else to go home too. Don't overthink it. This can't possibly be your fault."

Puss slumped his shoulders and casually raised his hand to wave.

Some were unwilling, some were bewildered, and some breathed a sigh of relief without even realizing it. One by one, the people with red ribbons tied to their heads left, and gradually, the once crowded Diagon Alley became extremely deserted. A road leading downwards, seemingly to the abyss, appeared in Puss's eyes.

That was a darkness that even starlight could not penetrate.

William hesitated for a moment, then patted Puss on the shoulder and turned to leave.

In the end, only Puss was left facing the downward road.

The location of the weapons has been exposed. Move them? Impossible, there are so many eyes watching outside.

As the priest said, go home, lock the door, seal the windows, close your eyes and wait for the event to pass?

It's a very simple thing; he can reach the door of the clothing store with just one hand.

But he cannot give way on this road.

The others trusted him and that's why they formed the Self-Defense Force with him; they did nothing wrong.

But if he stepped aside, he would be wrong.

Feeling an indescribable desolation and silence, Puss took a deep breath, the cold air rushing into his nostrils. He turned his head slightly, and his side profile revealed the stick getting closer and closer.

"Mr. Dante, I'm sorry, I couldn't keep your good intentions..."

who is it?

I don't know, and it doesn't matter anyway.

All he saw were pairs of bloodshot eyes.

Then, the whole world started spinning, the sound of noisy footsteps rushed into my ears, and the narrow clothing store appeared in my gradually reddening vision.

“Little…Miss Anne…”

Lorne struggled to open his swollen eyes. As he regained consciousness, unimaginable pain struck him. Lorne immediately contorted his face, wanting to howl, but felt a viscous liquid blocking his throat. He immediately turned to the side and coughed, spitting out several teeth along with blood.

Lorne clutched his shoulder, curling up little by little in an attempt to alleviate the pain throughout his body, tears streaming down his swollen eyes.

"Why did it turn out like this... I, clearly, did nothing wrong, I just wanted to..."

"They are all—"

Lorne raised his hand and slammed it heavily on the ground, his fingers tightening little by little, blood seeping out from between his fingers. In the flowing smog, Lorne propped up his battered body, clutching his head, his pitiful wails instantly turning into a venomous roar.

"It's all the fault of those Self-Defense Forces! It's all the fault of that Pus who formed the Self-Defense Forces! If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have encountered this situation!"

"And those homeless people! Ryan! It's all those bastards' fault!"

"Carly! Uh—Carly, if it's not you!"

Lorne, leaning against the wall, muttered curses under his breath as he staggered forward. He was like an insect walking into a spider web without realizing it. The smog clinging to him was no longer just a faint wisp, but gradually enveloped and covered Lorne's body like a cocoon.

The footsteps gradually grew heavier, and the places the cocoon had moved left behind incredibly glaring cracks.

Lorne felt his body growing heavier and his consciousness becoming increasingly blurred. The past flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern, and the last thing he saw was Sherry and Sitch working.

Like raindrops falling into sewage, Lorne snapped out of his daze. What he saw was not an illusion. He had unknowingly walked across from the shop where he had been given a new lease on life. Behind the shop window, where the gaslight was still on, Sherry and Sitch were working.

Lorne instinctively raised his hand towards Sherry and Sitch, but an incredibly ugly monster hand blocked it. Lorne screamed and raised his other hand to try to knock away the monster in front of him, but what appeared was another monster hand that was still dripping with viscous liquid.

Lorne stiffly lowered his head, and the pool of water beneath his feet reflected a hideous monster.

That's him.

"No! That's not how it works! This can't be! I'm human!"

"Shirley! Sitch! Help me!"

Lorne strode toward Sherry and Sitch, reaching out his hand and calling for help, but before he could run more than a few steps, the surging smog pressed him to the ground like a giant hand, dragging him back little by little.

Shirley jolted awake and turned to look out the window, but all she saw was swirling smog.

"Is that guy alright...?" Sitch couldn't help but ask.

“Ha…he’s not a little kid,” Shirley shook her head and touched her heart.

Chapter 153 Heroes of Justice

"Father, you were looking for me?"

Ashley peeked out from the door frame, looking timidly at Tipole sitting in front of the bookshelf.

Tipole closed the book in his hand and saw his daughter looking so cautious. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Ashley, am I that terrible? Even when you knocked over the precious vase or lied, I never scolded you."