Chapter 263: Chapter 257 – Official Declaration of War
In the resonance of the witches, Ji Ma held the arm ring with both hands.
The connection between the arm ring and George could be said to be entirely non-existent.
Thus, Ji Ma merely used it to evoke memories of her time spent with George.
She gazed at the arm ring, and memories flowed through her like water—the night in Shalin City when he rode through the water on horseback, their first intimate moment, his celebration of her birthday… and the moment he killed Miss Green Dragon in front of her, expressing his hatred for Ji Ma without any reservations…
Fifteen years had nearly passed since she came to Earth, and she didn’t expect these memories to be so vivid, as if they were from yesterday.
Using these memories as a medium, countless invisible hands lifted and spread outwards, searching for George.
She sensed something was wrong; first, she felt a layer of protection on many individuals, especially from the direction of Huaxia.
Cold sweat ran down her face, pooling at her chin, where it congealed into a drop of sweat that fell to the ground.
Finally, the invisible hands broke through layers of obstacles and pierced through a barrier, returning with the divination results:
“Name: George”
“Occupation: Huaxia police officer, politician….”
Only these two pieces of information, but they hit her like two 152 caliber shells. This occupational description indicated that, according to law, George had the right to arrest and judge her, which was different from the disturbance in Marin City.
And George could wield the power of the law.
How long had he been preparing? As a champion of order, he must have already built a tightly organized force against me… and it seemed he had found a way to sever my curse.
Ji Ma’s hands trembled as she ended the blasphemy ritual.
This blasphemy ritual had drained too much from her; as soon as it ended, many witches raised their hands to touch their heads.
Lian Xi asked, “Master, what’s wrong?”
“George, he’s coming,” Ji Ma said. “He might have been coming for four or five years now.”
“That disgusting man is coming?”
Ji Ma shook herself back to reality, saying, “Yes, he’s here to kill me.”
Some witches questioned, “What happened?”
“A dragon-slaying hero is coming to slay this evil dragon.”
“Ah?”
“Get ready mentally, my dears. Rest well and prepare for the next blasphemy ritual quickly; I need to deal with trouble first.”
As Ji Ma spoke, she withdrew the arm ring, returned to the dream palace, then flapped her wings and took off, striding barefoot onto the terrace and into her bedroom.
Ji Ma’s mind was a tangle of chaos, but her main concern was not George’s blade. A sense of dread, like a venomous snake, clutched at her heart, injecting poison within.
George would definitely investigate my past. Would he uncover… the sordid tale of Wan Ziqi?
Although Ji Ma had severed ties with her past and refused to acknowledge that she was Wan Ziqi.
But George certainly wouldn’t think that way.
The thought of Wan Ziqi’s disgusting, pitiful, and weak image flashing in George’s eyes, associating her with herself, clawed at her.
Would George have memorized Wan Ziqi’s past thoroughly?
Ji Ma couldn’t help but bite her own tail, leaving a bright red mark.
She would rather George think of her as a bald, muscular man.
With that thought, Ji Ma couldn’t help but put her hands together and pray, “Cunning and ever-changing Master of Deception, please bless the lies I set up to obscure the damned truth.”
After that, she prayed to the Blood God: “O Master seated upon the brass throne, as a former champion warrior under you, I beg you to share half of your wisdom with George, so he won’t be so clever.”
Naturally, there was no response. If the Blood God knew, he would probably give her an axe.
Although there were traps set upon Wan Ziqi’s remains, Ji Ma would rather George didn’t trigger them; if he did, it meant he had learned things he shouldn’t know.
For this, she would willingly leap bare-skinned across the skies of America, hoping that George wouldn’t know anything at all.
With her brain buzzing, Ji Ma sat in her computer chair.
Although she said a dragon-slaying hero was coming to chop heads, Ji Ma still hoped for some negotiation.
As for begging for forgiveness, Ji Ma hadn’t even considered it; she was already prepared for this step.
“I speak to the hero George the Hammer, I know you’ve come to Earth, gathering a horde of ants ready to chop off my head in the name of justice.” Ji Ma’s hands trembled, but the English she spoke was filled with defiance:
“Neglect is the greatest disdain. If there is no response within ten minutes, such disdain will be intolerable for me; I will immediately fly to New Xiang metropolis, implant greed within every heart to destroy order. I will watch from atop the burning Empire State Building as people below kill each other; you know I can easily destroy this metropolis, this is my strongest weapon against mortals. This time, an army won’t help, for I am not what I used to be.”
Ji Ma snapped her wrist at the arm ring, sending an image:
“By the way, you might consider throwing some magical interferences like in Hollywood movies to intercept me, but I warn you.
“This is the Cradle System; you can think of it as linking my heart with yours, if my heart stops, yours will perish too.”
“Every American, every citizen of developed countries has been cursed. I have linked your lives with mine, we live and die together. If I bleed, you bleed; if my head falls, nearly a billion heads will follow. I do not die alone.”
At this moment, it was like throwing a bomb into a pond, creating a tremendous upheaval.
A blast that stirred a thousand waves—no, even more than a thousand waves, as the water from the pond was nearly dried up.
“What’s happening?”
“%#%&#, why is she going crazy?”
“Where did this hero come from? Please stop the chaos!”
In summary, it was a scene of panic, the entire internet trembling.
Ji Ma was also trembling.
With her understanding of George, after so many years, this chosen son must have long ago devised perfect strategies.
Thinking of this, Ji Ma felt cold sweat trickle down her back as she looked back at the bedroom door.
She dreaded the knock at the door, George entering while dressed in women’s clothing, resolutely proclaiming, “Wan Ziqi! Your good days are over!”
For mortals, to infiltrate her palace was akin to riding an electric bike to the moon—almost impossible. Therefore, she hadn’t bothered to set all sorts of rules to prevent intrusions.
Realizing this, Ji Ma’s hairs stood on end.
She didn’t even bother to make a call to the big president of America who played the accordion.
Immediately, she snapped her fingers, and a titanium alloy breastplate appeared out of thin air, which she put on and felt somewhat safer.
Almost simultaneously, the exposed information reached the upper echelons of the Spark Organization.
It scared everyone out of their wits.
“How did she discover us?”
“Damn! Is it a traitor?”
“Calm down! Calm down! Comrades, we have a contingency plan; we’ve prepared for many years, the advantage is mine!”
“Operation Spring Thunder, start Operation Spring Thunder, officially declare war on her!”
On the Huaxia side, it was still daylight.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the New Summer Association, etc., all issued declarations of war: “…In the past fifteen years, it is estimated that there have been a total of 1,453 deaths directly or indirectly caused by the Demon King Ji Ma….”
“..Our country is prepared for protection against her vile curses, and the multinational Spark Organization is also ready to lift her shameless life-binding curse….”
This caused the Huaxia internet to explode.
“What’s happened?”
“Are we declaring war on the Demon King?”
“Are we all going to die together?”
“No, the official said they have found a way to deal with her.”
Time ticked by.
Ji Ma could see that nine minutes had passed.
She was more anxious than the worried netizens; this long without a reply meant what?
It meant George was definitely confident.
She immediately decided to dream-walk to New Xiang metropolis, first leaving the beautiful palace.
As long as she could gain her freedom and exploit her mobility advantage, who could catch her?
“Crack.”
A faint sound slipped into Ji Ma’s ears.
Ji Ma’s back was slick with sweat; she recognized this sound well—it was the camera shutter of a phone.
“Who?”
She called out, instinctively reaching for her hands, only to realize they were empty; she hadn’t kept weapons nearby for a long time because that “straight branch” had been clamoring for blood, incessantly noisy.
On a social media account in the English-speaking world, there was a reply from a profile with a helmet icon, revealing a clear image that Ji Ma recognized—it was the door to her bedroom.
The accompanying line read: “Ji Ma, I’m George. Guess how long I’ve been standing in front of the bedroom door?
“The answer will be revealed in ten minutes.”
In that moment, her heart and lungs stopped.
To open the passage to the dream palace, it required six seconds; just six seconds, and she could slip into the dream, going wherever she wanted.
Upon seeing this message, Ji Ma immediately activated her ability.
One second.
The bedroom door opened.
Two seconds.
Ji Ma felt a tremendous force at her horn, lifting her entire body, throwing her onto the large red bed, a hand pressing hard on her horn, face down on the bed.
She could only let out muffled sounds.
Three seconds.
Ji Ma sensed a weapon capable of piercing her soul resting against her neck, and she could hear the sizzling sound of her skin.
Without needing to look, she knew it was the Holy Sword.
Ji Ma wanted to use a substitute doll.
“Judgment!”
A surge of scorching power penetrated her soul, and for a moment, Ji Ma felt an invisible, repulsive force sealing her means of escape.
Is it… over this simply?
Four seconds.
“Criminal Ji Ma, I represent the Spark Organization and all innocents to arrest and judge you.”
George’s icy voice, devoid of much emotion, came from behind: “You have betrayed me, betrayed many oaths; you know how much evil you’ve done. The moment I approached you, you had already lost. I will loosen my grip shortly; be dignified.”
If this were a game, the vulnerable number piled up on my stats would probably take up half the screen.
The hand on her horn relaxed.
Ji Ma straightened up and saw George’s cold face, comparable to an Arctic iceberg, on which lost polar bears would surely find a new home.
“The Polar Bear Protection Organization will be pleased.” Ji Ma laughed and said, “Ah, look who it is; long time no see! Who is she?”
She saw a young version of herself, holding a camera.
“Take a picture of her.” George reached out, grasping the long horn of that shameless woman, pushing Ji Ma’s head back down onto the bed, “Everyone will feel reassured.”
“Understood.”
“Click.”
A flash of white light passed, and Ji Ma felt like she was being pressed down by the police during a crackdown on prostitution.
“Use her account to publish it.”
“Alright.” Young Ji nodded and skillfully operated the computer.
George only slightly loosened his grip; Ji Ma sat up, putting her hands together to tidy her black hair.
Looking at Young Ji’s silhouette, she asked, “How long have you been together?”
“Almost five years?”
“Are you still dating?”
“Not everyone’s mind is filled with filthy yellow things.”
“What a pity.” Ji Ma said. “Too bad. What do you plan for me?”
“Confess and accept human judgment. I will arrest you and take you to Huaxia, where you will face a public trial in an international court.”
“Will I survive?”
“Maybe yes, maybe not. You can defend yourself,” George said. “You at least need to be mentally prepared to atone.”
“Translate for me; what does atonement mean?”
“Make a concerted effort to compensate for your transgressions.”
“Be specific.”
“All your curses must be lifted; at the very least, you need to kneel and apologize to all victims. Secondly, you will live in prison, bidding farewell to your lavish palace; you will continuously use your abilities to benefit the public, as compensation for your colossal sins, and that’s only a part of it.” George continued, “These are just part of your work, which will be evaluated by specialists.”
“What about my personal property?”
“Are you referring to the wealth from your plunder and deception?”
“No, it’s my sacred personal property.” Ji Ma insisted. “Legally, they were acquired reasonably and legitimately; they are all my personal property, including the land beneath my feet. According to this nation’s laws, you are presently illegally breaking into my residence.”
George replied, “Your wordplay won’t save you. Ji Ma, you are beyond redemption. I’m saddened. Years of indulgence and debauchery have turned you into a dull-witted lamb, numbing your senses.”
“Someone has to help me save myself.” Ji Ma fixed her gaze on Young Ji’s back, her body slightly trembling. “Have you seen my signature on Zhihu?”
“Don’t disregard small goodness.” George said, “Years ago, my signature was to never earn blood money.”
“Hayek, the one who wrote ‘The Road to Serfdom,’ said something I liked and also disliked. The gist is that I, a primitive man, spent days in a cave crafting the first stone axe to hunt and chop wood. The tribal chief happily came over to announce that this stone axe was collectively owned.”
“What’s to dislike?”
“Dislike the latter part.” Ji Ma said, “The essence is that if the axe were collectively owned, I might still be a primitive man in that cave.”
“Why?”
“Because he advocates that ‘not a dime should be taken’ must be tied with collective and civilized frameworks, claiming this is the only way to do good for everyone.” Ji Ma said, “Of course, he didn’t say it that way, and the doctrine isn’t liked by anyone.”
“So, what do you mean?”
“I will never work for free for others; what difference does that have from being a slave?” Ji Ma said. “Distant and others have nothing to do with me. I’ve worked hard to become powerful, risking my life, getting bruised and on the brink of annihilation multiple times; why should I serve others?”
“You are simply beyond salvation.” George said. “But I understand you.”
Ji Ma’s smile vanished.
“The evils done by Fang Shiyun have pushed you into the depths of wickedness—”
“Shut up!” Ji Ma exploded, “Put away your cheap sympathy; I don’t hate her anymore; on the contrary, I want to thank her. She taught me a lesson; she inspired me!”
George looked at Ji Ma and said, “You can still be saved, Young Ji.”
“Let her shut up too.” Ji Ma said coldly, “Darling, you wouldn’t think this is over, would you?”
