101 Worshipping the Cauldron Lid (1/2)

The core members of the Red Salamander Gang were once eradicated by Leon, but stability was never returned to the Lower North District. Whether the tumor was rid from the district or not, the damage was already done. The Lower North District was like a long-term ill patient. Even if the illness was cured, they still required time to be nursed back to health.

While the core members were gone, the outer members still plagued the district like a pack of headless cockroaches without their leaders. Not all the Red Salamander Gang's outer members were wicked beyond redemption. There were also good people among them, but for the sake of their own survival, they were forced to join.

However, throughout the years of servicing the gang, the blood on their hands and crimes piled on their heads were enough to condemn them to death like any other wicked members of the gang. It was not easy to revert to their normal lives.

Within a seemingly large abandoned warehouse, many innocent commoners were held and locked behind ironwood cages. There was no discrimination among the people kept inside the ironwood cages as they came from all ages and genders; young and old, men and women. The smell within the cage was especially nauseating.

They were the merchandise of the Red Salamander Gang. No one knew when or how the organ harvesting business started, but it was a lucrative business and there was always a demand, they find it hard to extricate themselves from the business. Although what they gain was dirty and bloodstained money, it was the least of their worries. They moment they entered the gang, they had already been prepared to leave their morality behind.

Since the fate of these captive commoners were to have their 5 organs harvested and become  cold corpses, they were barely fed to begin with. They have gone a few days without food now that no one was assigned to feed them. They were still fortunate to have some drinking water from the rain that seeped through the cracks of the worn-out building, otherwise they would not even have the strength to move.

While these poor souls still had the strength to move, there were no movements within the cage. A gloomy and bleak mood filled the cage. These people knew what fate had in store for them, but they still choose to refrain from wasting any energy as every bit of energy saved was every extra second of life gained. They only move when they need to drink from the rainwater puddles around them.

Their situation was precarious and could even be considered hopeless, but they had not given up on living as they cling to their life tightly. Death was easy, but living was not. Death was also the end, while there was still hope if they were alive, no matter how grim it seems.

On this one fine evening, their efforts and stubbornness were finally rewarded. As if the divinities in heaven had noticed and took pity on them, a divine object was shot down from the high heavens, tearing straight through the building and smashed apart the cage that kept them in captivity.

Surprisingly, no one was injured. The people had the illusion that they had received divine protection. The divine object had dropped down before them with incredible force and heat. The puddles of rainwater were vaporized by the heat and the area was engulfed in thick dust and water vapors.

”W-What happened?”

Everyone's eyes were snapped open in shock and panic following the sound of the explosive crash. With their vision impaired, nothing could be seen afar. Only the closest parts of themselves could be seen.

”Where did all this mist come from? I can't see anything.”

”Oh no… w-where did all the water go? How can we go on without the water to drink?” A person noticed the disappearance of the rainwater they relied on.

”Does the heavens also want to doom us all?” An old lady despaired

Amidst the panic and confusion, despair gripped everyone's heart as the last trace of their hope started diminishing.

However, the panic and confusion did not last long as the dust and vapors started to disperse, and the surroundings became clear. The ironwood cage was destroyed.

”Oh, my Freya… the divinities above must have finally answered our pleas. The cage is no more, we are free! We can escape!” Light shined from a frail woman's eyes.

”Yes! We need to quickly escape before those fiends return!” A middle-aged man added.