8:00 PM, Real World - Heresy Authority
The uniformed team members methodically loaded each 40 cm x 40 cm box onto the transport truck, while Su Yang stood at attention, his gun gripped tightly, his focus unwavering.
Tonight, these Extraordinary Red Heretics were being shipped by plane to Zone 3 for secure confinement.
It was a routine, yet dangerous operation, but one particular heretic made this transport especially high-stakes.
Su Yang shifted his gaze to the end of the transport line.
The boxes at the far end were made of darker metal and appeared considerably heavier. Several team members struggled under the weight, their backs bent as they carried the boxes with careful precision.
Su Yang stepped forward to offer his assistance and asked, "Are you sure all the body parts we recovered from the Rose Factory are accounted for?"
The team member, pausing to catch his breath, nodded. "Captain Su, we've done the count. Everything's here."
Su Yang gave a curt nod, his expression serious. "These corpses are unlike the other heretics. They can't be transported with the rest. They need to be handled separately."
As the team carefully loaded the last boxes onto the truck, one of the members, now leaning against the side of the vehicle to rest, remarked, "Captain Su is being extra cautious this time. He even applied for a special transport route for this batch."
A fellow team member, also taking a break, added, "You don't know how dangerous this batch of corpse heretics is. The team members who went to excavate the bodies at the factory—they all came back mentally broken. Some are still undergoing treatment. I don't know if they'll ever recover."
The first team member rubbed his hands together, incredulous. "It's really that bad?"
The second team member rolled his eyes. "Why do you think Captain Su is taking such extreme precautions? If this batch somehow influences the other heretics… a whole plane could be wiped out in an instant."
"But it's still dangerous to send this heretic by itself, isn't it?" the first member asked, looking concerned.
"Of course, it's dangerous," the second member replied with a mockingly casual shake of his head. "But when's it ever safe in our line of work? The real question is why Captain Su is splitting this batch off. They're trying to avoid a disaster, that's all."
The topic shifted with a sigh, the first member asking, "I get why Captain Su requested a special transport vehicle and plane, but a separate route too?"
It wasn't unheard of for the Heresy Authority to escort highly dangerous heretics, like Bai Liu, but this was the first time they had gone to such lengths, including planning an entirely separate route.
The second member lowered his voice, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. "Su Yang's application said this heretic couldn't be stored in Zone 3 or anywhere near a populated area. Something would go wrong. This heretic has too much influence—it could cause widespread fatalities."
"Finally, the Bureau approved the request yesterday," he continued. "They've contacted a polar research station in Antarctica. The plan is to make an ice core of the heretic and bury it beneath the ice cap, where it will be kept under 24/7 guard for the next 365 days. It's going to be the first heretic to receive this level of containment."
The first member whistled. "365 days of constant supervision... That's a big deal."
"Big deal?" The second member shrugged. "Have you forgotten Bai Liu? Tang Erda used to take care of things like this, but now it's all about guarding."
The first member grimaced at the mention of Team Tang's absence. "Right… so, where exactly in Antarctica are they sending this heretic?"
The second member paused, furrowing his brow. "I'm not sure… but I heard something about Ice Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic ice cap. It's isolated, cold enough, and thick enough to keep this heretic contained."
11:30 PM, Out to Sea Port
The soldiers carrying another batch of heretics headed straight for the airport, while the vehicle transporting the body parts arrived at the port. The items were transferred onto a small cargo ship for further transportation.
The freighter would first dock at another port, where a special plane awaited to escort the heretics to Antarctica.
Five escorts were assigned to the transport—a minimum number Su Yang had calculated.
Su Yang stood on the shore, watching as the boxes were loaded onto the freighter, the gangway retracted, and the ship was tugged into the water, disappearing into the night.
The five escorts on the hatch cover saluted Su Yang before waving goodbye.
Su Yang stood there, watching the ship sail away, a growing unease settling in his chest as the mist thickened around him.
When the freighter finally vanished from sight, an overwhelming sense of dread washed over him. His breath caught in his throat, and for a fleeting moment, he envisioned the snow-covered bodies of his team members—five lifeless forms strewn across the ice.
After the Rose perfume incident and the excavation of the bodies at the factory, Su Yang had begun experiencing signs of mental degradation. Hallucinations had become more frequent, and his mind often wandered to dark places.
Su Yang, more than anyone, understood the danger these body parts posed. When he first laid eyes on the corpses, he, a man known for his stoicism and steadiness, was shaken to his core. Had he not held his composure and taken control, the team members who unearthed the bodies might have fought over them.
These corpses weren't just dangerous—they were catalysts for a spiritual decay that amplified one's darkest desires, eventually erasing the boundaries of human morality.
Realizing this, Su Yang insisted that the body parts be moved far from any crowded zones. He knew that if they remained near a populated area, something catastrophic—worse than the Rose perfume incident—would inevitably happen.
In the end, it was decided that the body would be sealed beneath Ice Dome A, the coldest and most inaccessible part of Antarctica, 4,083 meters above sea level and untouched by human hands.
It was the safest place Su Yang could think of.
But he also knows that...
Su Yang's light-colored eyes reflected the swaying waves of the sea. A heavy weight pressed on his chest, stacking layer by layer from the lapping harbor to his heart. He closed his eyes, feeling the long-awaited pang of powerlessness.
He knew, without a doubt, that there was no promised land in this world where one could escape their desires.
He simply hoped no more innocent people would die in the process.
But how could that be possible?
Human desire, whether good or bad, becomes a destructive force when taken to its extremes.
After Tang Erda left, Su Yang began to understand, just a little, what Bai Liu had said to him in the interrogation room that day.
The clean, fresh-faced young man had looked up at him with dark eyes that seemed to hold the weight of the universe, and softly spoken, "Team Su, the desire to be too close and protective can kill you."
Su Yang gripped the solid octopus-shaped team crest on his right chest. With what seemed like a sigh, he turned away into the icy night air.
The small cargo ship behind them sounded a clear whistle of departure and moved out into the darker night.
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Game Pool
Bai Liu and his team had observed the Spades team a few times and figured out some of their routine. They usually visited certain subgroups regularly, but occasionally Spades would break away from the group and go off alone to work in one of the ice fields, much like Bai Liu had done during his last visit to the game pool.
Spades seemed to have a particular affection for this ice field, as if it had become his home—like a creature returning to its lair, bound to its biological rhythm of rest.
Bai Liu's target was this very ice field.
He wasn't so arrogant as to think that the Wandering Circus could take on the entire Killer Sequence battle group by itself. But with no lives at stake, Bai Liu believed they could attempt to team up and challenge a star player.
It was a risky move, but one with clear advantages.
For one, they could gather information about the star player, improve their own team, and if they were lucky enough to win, the victory would create a stir.
Shameless, but useful.
Bai Liu decided to test the waters with Spades first, driven by a curious instinct. He kept a close eye on the players coming and going from the pool, and when he spotted someone quietly entering—someone who had scared off a circle of players—he couldn't help but smile.
Spades walked over to the game pool, whip in hand, organizing the regulation bundle.
As the players around them realized it was Spades, they held their breath and backed away, not daring to enter the game for fear of picking the same one as this feared figure.
But Spades didn't seem to care about his surroundings. After a brief observation of the rotating posters in the pool, he simply selected one and dove in.
In that instant, Bai Liu wasted no time in hooking the whip around Spades' waist, pulling him and his team into the game behind Spades.
Spades cast him a cold glance—one as icy as water under thick ice—and was quickly swallowed by the game pool.
By the time the pool settled, the surrounding players stood in stunned silence, too shocked by what they'd just witnessed to approach the front for a long time.
It took a while before someone finally asked, "What... what just happened?"
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Snow and Ice
Snow and ice filled the sky, and the wind howled.
Bai Liu choked and coughed as he came to his senses. Instinctively, he curled up, his skin quickly freezing until it went numb, leaving him on the verge of unconsciousness in minutes.
It wasn't until a voice came from behind him that Bai Liu realized he wasn't on the ground but in someone's arms.
"You shouldn't have come into this game with me," Spades said, holding Bai Liu, whose skin trembled under his touch. "You're scared of the cold."
Bai Liu turned around.
Spades was so close that Bai Liu could almost feel the tip of his nose brush against his. The proximity made Bai Liu pause, his breath catching for a moment before he instinctively pulled away.
Spades seemed unfazed by the closeness. He stood up, lifting Bai Liu effortlessly, and expertly pulled a jumper from the wall, zipped it up, and handed it to him.
Once they were both fully armed, Spades opened the door and stepped out.
Bai Liu, with narrowed eyes, took the punching bag in his hands. "Aren't you going to ask why I came in with you?"
He had his reasons for dealing with the situation—perhaps to rub the first star player's nose in the heat of things, or for other purposes.
Spades, facing the powerful wind and snow, pushed open the door. His hair whipped across his forehead, but his eyes—black, pure, and emotionless—met Bai Liu's.
"You came in here with me to play games and try to win me over, didn't you Bai Liu?"
Spades pulled down his goggles and stepped out into the blizzard, his voice carrying strangely over the howling winds.
"Don't lie to me or to yourself. If you want to play a game with me, then play it well—and do your best to win, Bai Liu."