Chapter 14: Special Bonus

Words : 2035 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

With nearly two thousand people to treat, the acupuncture he'd used on Ian Juggins earlier was no longer feasible. That's when Jason Yare came up with another approach: use juice from the stems of the Touchblight Bloom instead of needles. The bugs that made up the Viper Hex naturally behaved like snakes. The Touchblight Bloom's stems gave off a sulfur-like odor, a natural snake repellent. Smeared over key acupoints on the body, the juice could prod and drive the hex-worms away just the same. As for the chicken blood and Dragonbane Brew, their use was straightforward. Take a knife, make a cut at the Foot Base Node on the sole, dunk the feet in a basin of blood, then pour down a bowl of Dragonbane Brew. Driven from both sides by two things that naturally suppress them, the hex-worms would abandon their climb and flow downward to the soles. Chicken blood is rich in yang energy, which happens to be a snake's favorite lure. Once the worms swarmed into the basins, lacking any real wits, they would gorge on the blood until they were too bloated to move. After exposure to direct sunlight, they'd die for good. Jason went over the theory and steps, then grabbed a soldier to demonstrate on and repeated the process five or six times. Half an hour later, the training wrapped up. He paired the soldiers into teams of two to practice on one another. As soon as all supplies were ready, they would roll up their sleeves and begin for real. Meanwhile, Jordan was directing the remaining thousand-plus soldiers at work. Juicing, slaughtering chickens, portioning out liquor-everything moved like clockwork. Nine o'clock came fast. As the temperature climbed, the ice walls around the square melted faster. In many soldiers, the hex roused from dormancy and began to flare with a vengeance. Wails rose on all sides. Many convulsed in pain, foaming at the mouth. Jason moved among the worst cases, using acupuncture to keep the pain in check for the moment. But against nearly two thousand, his effort was a drop in the bucket. "Move, move, move! Hustle! Every minute faster, your brothers get a minute more of hope!" Jordan shouted while he hacked at the chickens, his cleaver a blur. "Report, Instructor! Juicing complete!" "Report, Instructor! Liquor portioned and ready!" "Then get over here and help kill chickens!" Jordan waved his arm, and several hundred more joined the slaughter detail. Seven birds made enough blood for one basin, so they needed to butcher at least thirteen thousand chickens. Counting the time to collect the blood, this would be the most time-consuming part. Even so, with everyone pulling together, half an hour later the blood collection finished without a hitch. Back at the square, Jason and his team had already finished smearing the Touchblight juice. Driven back by a natural repellent, the hex-worms abandoned their push toward the heart and massed along the meridians of both legs. Their calves and thighs ballooned before their eyes. Just then, Jordan arrived with his people. "Chicken blood's here!" More than a thousand men came in carrying basins of blood and set about distributing them. Three minutes later, all nonessential personnel cleared out. Jason grabbed a megaphone and took a deep breath, shouting, "Follow the steps from training! Make a cut at each Foot Base Node, then soak both feet in the basin!" At his order, blades flashed. They yanked off their stricken comrades' shoes, bared their feet, found the spot, and made a small incision with a single clean slice. "Hiss…" Those still conscious sucked in a sharp breath, but no one cried out. Once everyone's feet were in, Jason started the clock. The worms needed time to sense the blood. Only then could they take the Dragonbane Brew, a brutal dose. Outside the square, Ian Juggins and Garrett Zorn came over. They took in the scene, visibly impressed. "Kid's method is simple enough," Garrett said. "More than simple. It works, and that proves the young doctor's skill is something else," Ian said warmly. "Shame he won't talk about who taught him. Hard to feel at ease with that." Garrett rubbed his chin, eyes bright with admiration but shaded by caution. Ian chuckled. "If he's extraordinary, turn him over to the Special Office." "Turn him over to those lunatics?" Garrett grimaced. "I'd rather find someone reliable." "Their style is over the top, sure, but that comes with the territory for that unit. It's understandable." Ian shrugged, calm as ever. "Anyway, I already called them in." At that, Garrett rubbed his forehead without a word. When he looked back at Jason, there was even a hint of pity in his eyes. About five minutes later, Jason raised the megaphone and bellowed, "Drink!" The soldiers lifted their bowls. They pried open their comrades' jaws and poured the liquor in all at once. In that instant, the blood in the basins began to roil like boiling water. Bubbles burst and spattered the ground. Before anyone could marvel, the level of blood dropped before their eyes. In under a minute, every basin ran dry. In their place lay worms with swollen bellies, bulging grotesquely. Stuffed past their limit, they couldn't crawl back into human bodies; they could only writhe along the bottom of the basins. "Ugh!" Many gagged at the sight. "Get them on your backs and move! Tear down this canopy and give those things full sunlight," Jason shouted. Orders given, the soldiers hoisted a man each and fanned out in all directions. With the canopy stripped off, the worms lay bare to the sunlight. A staccato popping ran across the square, like pods bursting. The Hex Incident that had threatened nearly two thousand people drew to a close. Jason finally ran out of strength and dropped to the ground with a thump. Using talismans had already drained his mental energy; after a full morning on his feet, he was wrung dry. Ian Juggins hurried in, helped him up, and slipped a card into his pocket with a broad smile. "Here's a special bonus we pushed through for you. Not much, just a hundred thousand dollars. No PIN." At that, Jason felt energy flood back into him. He clapped a hand over his pocket as if the money might jump out and vanish. "If you insist, I won't say no." "You little rascal…" Just then, a chill crawled up Jason's back. His heart lurched hard, and he whipped around. Behind him lay the military camp. Beyond it, the Drakon range rolled away to the horizon. The next moment, Heaven's Eye opened. He thought he saw a few figures on a distant peak, but the distance was too great to be sure. "What is it?" Ian asked, startled by how out of character Jason was acting. "I think someone's watching us from over there, but I can't confirm," Jason said. Ian's face hardened. He turned to Garrett Zorn and pointed toward the ridge. "Garrett, handle it." With that, he steered Jason back to a tent to rest. Garrett summoned Jordan. "Assemble all artillery. Target that ridge. Pound it for an hour. Consider it clearing out our stockpile." "Yes, sir!" Within a twenty-mile radius of the military restricted zone, it's uninhabited. There was no risk of collateral damage. Meanwhile, high in the mountains, a group of eight was making its way downhill. "Ian Juggins and the military camp are both fine. How do we report to the Grand Executor?" "Stall. Dig up the doctor's background first." "I'm worried it'll slow the timetable. What if we just-" A ball of fire streaked out of the sky and struck not far from them. A heartbeat later, boom! The shockwave blasted them off their feet. Trees and rock shattered all around. Then dozens, then hundreds of missiles came in, indiscriminately carpeted the entire forest. Boom, boom, boom! The ground convulsed. Fire leapt to the heavens. It looked like the end of the world.

Chapter 14: Special Bonus

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