Time flies. It's been a month since the chaos in Steelbull City.
During this month, No One Under Heaven unsurprisingly took control of the entire area. In these eight districts, there was nothing left that could stop their advance, and they quickly restored order to the city.
Kimberly calmed the financial storm—looks like that bastard made a pretty penny this time. But anyone who profits off disaster eventually gets what’s coming, and Kimberly was no exception. So one day, while he was kneeling on the ground in an epic ORZ pose, sobbing his eyes out, Jill Young just whistled and took both the main and backup Strategic Brain away. Eternal Night Holdings shot up in status, becoming the new anchor of the financial world.
Next up was the war with the undead and mutant beasts. The song "Thriller" played for three days straight, and by the end, all the mutant beasts were wiped out and only a handful of undead remained. After three days and nights, even the undead couldn’t hold out and most of them collapsed. The few dancing zombies that survived were temporarily locked up—Four-Eyed Kid seemed super curious about why they could dance.
For safety, though, research must be done wearing a shiny little suit. As long as you put it on, even without music, those surviving dancing zombies will start moving along with you. That outfit seems to have become instinct for them.
Of course, Pierce has other ideas for these dancing zombies. He’s quit the drug business and switched to working as a TV producer and director. He thinks these dancing zombies are Steelbull City’s next big spectacle—perfect for a show. He’s even got the promo ready: "Hey, all you couch potatoes out there, want to lose weight? Then come dance along! Look at these dancers—they’re the real ‘skin and bones’ crew!"
Pure Lord and the Fox Sisters merged their businesses, forming a brand-new, higher-class organization. To sharpen their skills, these three now live together, starting a shameless, round-the-clock ‘professional career.’ As the saying goes, with enough effort, even an iron rod can be ground down to a needle—Jill Young figures Pure Lord’s tragic future is just around the corner.
There’s also a perfect couple who tied the knot—truly a match made in heaven: Plane and Lake.
"Under the witness of the sky, the sea, and our boss, today you two become husband and wife. As a couple, you’ll share each other’s memories and lives." Dressed as a priest, Amoeba shouted in Gunfire Angel’s Church, "But when it comes to ‘sharing,’ is there any couple who does it better than you two? Absolutely not! If there is, I’ll shove my own head up my own ass!"
Just as he finished yelling, Amoeba suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He turned around to see Jill Young stroking her chin, deep in thought. "Too bad that guy couldn’t make it. Otherwise, I’d really want to see you try to shove your head up your own ass."
Speaking of Amoeba, after slicing up the Devil Director, his symptoms got a little better—he can actually talk normally once in a while now. But you know how it is, old habits die hard. He’s still running around, showing up in random scenes as a walk-on. Today he’s the notorious thief stealing an old lady’s bra, tomorrow he’s a good Samaritan helping a stray dog cross the road. One time, during an episode, he thought he was the ultimate ladies’ man and went to hit on Xiao Di. Xiao Di grabbed him by the mouth and force-fed him so much medicine he finally chilled out for a while.
Because of Amoeba’s antics, Jill Young went to see Lazy Doctor to ask how to fix him. Lazy Doctor said he doesn’t do psychiatry, and if you really want him cured, you’d have to swap out Amoeba’s brain. 'If you don’t want surgery, you’ll have to leave it to Xiao Di. Remember, don’t stop the meds!'
So Jill Young just dumped the Amoeba problem on Xiao Di and went off to do something she’d been dying to try—picking a fight with Owen in the Quantum Network! Now, the root server of the Quantum Network is totally in her hands. With a single command, she could shut the whole thing down.
'Ahahaha, let’s see you try to disobey me now!' Jill Young pointed and declared, 'From now on, you’re a husky!'
Right across from her, Owen had lines all over his face and was sweating bullets. Even though he’s just a program, he’s a pretty advanced, smart program. So, mixing together the look of a toothache, stomachache, and—well, you get the idea—Owen morphed into a husky, just like those old-school special effects from Journey to the West.
'Hmm...' Jill Young pinched her chin and thought for a moment, then shook her head. 'Wait, a husky’s still way too cool for you. Let’s make you a chihuahua instead.'
'Hey, that’s just mean! Woof!'
Oh, and by the way, Steelbull City doesn’t have a separate Day City and Night City anymore—it’s all been taken over by No One Under Heaven. Jill Young is worshipped as the Queen now, and the calls for her to be the next generation’s overlord are getting louder. You can see her giant posters all over the streets. As the ruler and boss of this city, Jill Young’s reputation is at an all-time high.
After the Great Cataclysm comes the Great Rebuild. Sure, there are still some tough-looking thugs on the streets, but there aren’t any gang shootouts in broad daylight anymore. TV shows are still as weird and lowbrow as ever, but at least there aren’t any murder games or brainwashing videos. For the first time in a hundred years, Steelbull City is actually peaceful. This place, rotten for way too long, finally has a bit of fresh life.
One night, three women are chilling out in a neighborhood courtyard.
This was right when No One Under Heaven was just getting started—the first poor neighborhood they took over. During all the chaos in Steelbull City, this place was so worthless it didn’t get wrecked much. On the pirate ship, the three women gently swing on the playground swings: Jill Young, Night Doll, and Xiao Di.
'So basically,' Night Doll spoke up, her expression and tone both super chill, 'you’re leaving? After getting everything, you’re just tossing it all away? If you really didn’t care about power or money, why’d you fight so hard for it in the first place?'
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'Ehehe.' Jill Young kicked her feet back and forth with a carefree grin. 'Honestly, even though a lot happened later, the reason I decided to become a gang boss and take over Steelbull City was just for fun.'
'For fun? What do you mean?'
'Exactly what it sounds like.' Jill Young lay back on the ship, staring at the stars. 'I’ve never had high status before, so I wanted to see what it’s like. I’ve never had real power, so I wanted to try it out. Never been a gang boss, so of course I had to give it a shot. After trying it—yeah, it’s pretty cool, really fresh, and a lot of fun. But I’m off to my next big adventure, so I gotta go.'
'Unbelievable. Are you seriously an adult? Curious about everything, interested in everything, tossing away power like it’s nothing, while everyone else treats it like treasure. You’re just like a kid.' Night Doll sounded super unimpressed, her eyes drifting.
'Haha, can’t help it—I’m a Gemini! I crave freedom, travel, and wild adventures. I want to see the mountains beyond mountains, climb the skies beyond the sky. That’s just how I am.' Jill Young laughed with her arms behind her head, but the other two didn’t join in. After a couple chuckles, she quieted down, and everything went silent.
The silence stretched on, broken only by the creaking swings. No one moved, no one pushed, so the pirate ship slowly came to a stop.
When the pirate ship finally stopped, Jill Young sat up, ready to say something—when Night Doll suddenly beat her to it: 'You haven’t experienced what it’s like to be a god, have you?'
'You...' Jill Young stared at Elsie Nightwater in shock.
Elsie Nightwater turned her back to Jill Young, gripping the pirate ship’s iron chains. Her voice was steady, but her arms were trembling: 'You haven’t finished what you wanted to do, have you? You haven’t made everyone in this city worship you like a god, have you? There’s still so much you haven’t done, so many good things you haven’t enjoyed, right?'
Her hands trembled harder and the pirate ship shook with her. Jill Young stepped up and hugged Night Doll from behind, wrapping her arms around her chest. Something cold and wet dripped onto Jill Young’s skin.
'You’re too sneaky, way too sneaky! You finally brought life back to Steelbull City, finally started turning it into a beautiful place, made everyone here fall for you—and now you’re leaving!' Night Doll leaned into Jill Young’s arms, murmuring like she was half-asleep: 'I’m begging you, even if you’re a dictator, a tyrant, a totally shameless jerk who does whatever you want—just don’t go, okay?'
Jill Young hugged Night Doll’s head, patted her on top, then pulled out her phone. 'For a traveler, you never care about what you can’t take with you. The stuff I care about—I’ve got it right here.' On her phone was a photo: the day Lakewater married Airplane, with all their friends and family together.
In the photo, the giant Cangcang lay down, and everyone else was sprawled on the ground with their heads toward Cangcang and feet out. In the center, Jill Young lay on Cangcang’s back like the moon surrounded by stars. Everyone looked up at the camera—even Cangcang, that stinky rat, was grinning happily.
Night Doll stared at the photo, silent for a moment, then wiped her eyes and gave a small smile.
'Alright.' Xiao Di suddenly took a deep breath and spoke up. 'Let’s not make this look like someone’s dying. When are you leaving?'
'Now.' Jill Young looked at her right palm. 'I’m heading out any minute.'
'You really don’t mess around. Fine, you jerk, if you want to bail, then bail. The Queen’s throne of Steelbull City is just waiting for me to take over. But before you go, there’s something for you—go check it out.' Xiao Di pointed. 'Those idiots aren’t dumb, they figured it out and put together a little something for you.'
Hearing that, Jill Young hopped off the pirate ship and headed into the alley Xiao Di pointed at. Suddenly she yelled, 'Whoa!' With a thunderous roar, a badass motorcycle rolled out. This thing was so sci-fi and cool, it barely looked like a motorcycle—more like a super-slim armored car, or maybe a tank on wheels.
'It’s built from that Reverse-Flow Tank,' Xiao Di explained, smiling. 'I don’t know much about it, but it uses a power core so it’s insanely strong—top speed is seven hundred kilometers an hour. It weighs over six hundred kilos, so if you don’t want to crash and burn, take it easy. Oh, and there are all kinds of weapon attachments inside. Figure it out yourself. Anyway, it’s perfect for a "traveler" like you.'
Jill Young ran her hand over the bike, then flipped out the Flame Tide. She slammed the glowing orb into the power core, and with a deafening roar, hellfire blazed up—the already fierce bike instantly turned into a monster. Jill Young put on her sunglasses, suited up in her Hatred Mold, and grinned at the other two: 'Steelbull City’s all yours now, ladies. I’m out!'
Whoosh—Jill Young sped onto the highway, the trail of flames stretching out behind her, slicing through streets and alleys straight into the distance. And just like that, Steelbull City’s second-generation overlord, Jill Young, was gone.
Everything here is left to those who come after. Happiness or misery—it’s up to them to create. But no matter what, Jill Young’s story will be told forever.
Of course, that’s a story for another time.
Back to this day—at the end of that blazing trail, in the glow of hellfire, a shadowy figure slowly walked up. Well, 'figure' might be a stretch, because it looked like a giant mutant cat: Mr. Reliable. But this Mr. Reliable was a little different—no 'Reliable' charm stuck to his forehead, just the word 'Reliable' embroidered on his chest. This quirky Mr. Reliable looked at the flames, let out a couple of weird cackles, spun around doing a tap dance, twirled his cane, and swaggered off into the night.