Chapter 139: Chapter 17, Episode 8: Sahelâs Night Sky
The northern central region of Chad was prone to endless sandstorms from the Sahara Desert. It was so frequent that the UN reported 200,000,000,000 grams of dust was sent over to the Atlantic Ocean from the Sahara and Bodele deserts each year.
A research report also stated that the organic matters from Africa sent into the Amazon by the sandstorms were the reason why the Amazon Rainforest sustained itself. There was another statement from the north-eastern regions of the Sahel, which said that there wasnât a day whereby the sandstorms took a break.
In December, the Bodele and TIbesti regions consisted of strong winds and high-temperature differences. A temperature that reached beyond 30 degrees Celsius during the day would be lower than 10 degrees Celsius at night. Some regions faced negative temperatures. While it caused heat-induced headaches to some, death by hypothermia was also frequent.
The tired members were prone to sleeping in their sweat-soaked clothes.
The wet clothes absorbed their temperature, and their temperature continued to fall as the water from the clothes evaporated.
Ombuti and the Captain, who were bright in desert survival, always checked in with their conditions and minded their body temperatures. Sun WooHyun was similarly skilled at maintaining his condition. The problems lied with the rookies, Emil and Jang Shin. The two believed in their youth and strength, which led to lazy habits.
Emil and Jang Shin had been kicked awake and were even sworn at as chicken heads by Bellman, several times during the mission.
Bellmanâs face darkened.
Emilâs heartbeat wasnât picking up despite the epinephrine injection.
âThereâs no effect.â
The team membersâ faces darkened at Bellmanâs words.
âWhat the hell! The one on fire is fine, but the normal one is freezing to death? Ugh, this damned Africa! F****** hell, Sahel!â
The Captain grabbed his head with both his hands.
Black Mambaâs face was similarly frozen. Emil was his partner. He felt as though heâd go crazy just watching him die. How good would it be if he could press the blood vessels on his hand and direct some life force, just like those martial arts novels! However, a novel remained a novel.
He searched through his memories with determination. He felt as though heâd remember something.
âSoul-Returning Pain Administration!â Black Mamba exclaimed.
It was his masterâs whip, also known as Soul-Returning Pain Administration. It referred to the high degree of pain unleashed to call back a soul once it received its shock. It was a torment that caused one not to pass out as it tore through the skin and vibrated the organs.
It was a type of whipping that he didnât even want to recall, but his teacherâs whipping had been a form of an Interrogative Blood Pacer. After being whipped, the body felt hot, and the muscles relaxed. After several rounds, all the bad substances in the body seeped out.
Compared to the Muchi sibariage, which was a torture technique, the Soul-Returning Pain Administration was a healing technique. In retrospect, an evil manâs whip would be poisonous while a good manâs whip would serve as medicine.
His body remembered his teacherâs point of targets, time, and strength control. He couldnât forget even if he wished to, as heâd been hit until his soul almost dissolved with blood splattering all over. Heâd never tried it before, but he was confident in hitting someone. It was better to try something rather than sit back and watch.
He was looking for a suitable weapon until the tentâs supporting rods came into sight. He took out two rods without a thought. The rods were bendy as it was made out of aluminum and coated resin. He felt as though it would wound right around the skin when hit. It was perfect for whipping.
âEveryone, move back!â
His comrades, who were attached to Emil, flew back like thrown stones. He swung the two rods in the air several times before hitting Emil without restraint.
Two rods moved as fast as raindrops. It was a whipping that moved 10 times in a second. Emilâs naked body soon turned bright red.
âBlack Mamba, what are you doing?â
Surprised, Valboir and Bronin grabbed his arms. Black Mamba shoved them away.
Valboir and Bornin were flung outside the tent and rolled to the floor. They looked like soccer balls, which had been kicked away. The mercenaries, who were surprised by his immense strength, were unable to step up.
Still, there were some brave people who didnât know their place at all times.
âYou damn b*stard, are you trying to kill Emil?â
Centienne grabbed the metal pipe used for the carâs jacket grip and aimed for Black Mambaâs head.
âYou, what are you!â Bellman shouted in surprise.
The sound of metal clashing against each other rang.
Centienneâs mouth fell open. He exchanged looks with Black Mambaâs head and the metal pipe several times. The one-inch diameter metal pipe had been bent like a rice stick. Centienne entered into a mental breakdown.
âSergeant Centienne, do you want to be beaten to a pulp?â
A fierce warning echoed in Centienneâs head. It was the sound of a monster growling.
Centienne, who was washed in primitive fear, threw the pipe away and rushed backward. Even then, Black Mamba didnât stop his whipping.
Ombuti wasnât the type to stop his masterâs actions. No, he was rather gawking in admiration at his masterâs health. Jang Shin and the Captain didnât stop Black Mamba either. There was always meaning to Black Mambaâs actions. Even Bellman had stepped back to watch the strange happening.
Several impactful sounds rang. The rods began to move even faster. The whipping sped up to 1,000 hits of revolutions per minute. Several parts of the skin were torn open at the immense whooping. Blood splattered like aerosol. Those were indescribable injuries.
Black Mamba flipped Emil over with the tip of his toes. He had whipped Emilâs front enough, so now the back had to be whipped equally.
Those who didnât know what was going on slowly lost their color. That was an evil person lashing out at his partner like he was cooking fish.
Sun WooHyun experienced a new sensation with an emptied head. A psycho lashed out with two rods as the fireplace lit in the background. That was the b*stard who had the Kanma, reincarnated within himself.
He knew how painful it was from experience. He hadnât been able to pee after being pummelled by that damned b*stard. It was a horrible whipping that damaged the hidden muscles of the body. That b*stard who was whipping his comrade to a faster death was truly the devil.
Centienneâs face wasnât any different.
He had known that he was a crazy b*stard, but now it was certain. Black Mambaâs face, which reflected the fireplaceâs light, looked like the devilâs. The scar on his cheek, which flashed in between his attacks, made him look more vicious.
âI must be mad. Iâve hit that guy!â
Black Mamba had been hitting Emilâs front for five minutes and was currently at the three-minute mark for his back. Even Black Mamba sweated as he whipped. It wasnât easy to control the degree of pain, time, and target points.
Emil, who was just about to cross over to the underworld, was at peace. He had never felt like this in his entire life. Would his motherâs womb be as comfortable? Would Catherineâs chest be as nice? He felt as though he could whistle freely.
He saw a faint light at the tip of his nose. The light called to him.
[Welcome, this is the place for the unfeeling. It is a place where you can relieve all sadness and pain. You will be comforted. You will truly be in peace.]
His peace shattered the moment he was about to step into the light. A monster was hitting him relentlessly. It was painful. It was beyond painful. The light continued to call him over, but he couldnât move. The monster frowned. It seemed like it was saying itâd murder him if he didnât return. The monster resembled Black Mamba very much.
He begged for his life, but his mouth wasnât moving.
Black Mamba heard a small groan by his ears. He didnât stop his whipping.
It was a thin voice, only Black Mamba could hear, but it gradually became louder. He threw the rods away and listened carefully.
The heart was beating. He could feel the cardiac muscles moving and gathering strength. Black Mamba called Bellman over with his hand. Bellman hesitated but ended up walking over. Looking at the whipping made his knees weak.
âItâs done? You didnât send him over, but itâs done?â Sun WooHyun mumbled with suspicion.
Bellman, who had plastered his ears onto Emilâs chest, shouted.
âHe did it! Heâs alive!â
âWhat! Heâs alive?â
Bronin, Jang Shin, and even the Captain rushed forward and massaged Emilâs limbs.
After 10 minutes, Emil finally opened his eyes.
âIt hurts. It hurts so much.â
That was all Emil said before he fainted.
It was only right that he fainted. Emilâs body did not remain fine. His body was covered in red and blue bruises as though heâd been shoved into a chimpanzee cage. Several areas of his skin were torn and bleeding.
âBlack, is that an eastern healing method?â Bellman asked.
âNo. Just dying and dying by a beatingâtheyâre the same thing.â
Bellmanâs eyes grew wide.
âThatâsâŠthatâs impossible!â
âBut, you canât die if youâre in immense pain.â
Black Mamba, who didnât have anything more to say, left unbelievable words before leaving the place. He felt embarrassed to see his partner in such a state.
The Captain and mercenariesâ faces turned white.
âDid he beat him up so that Emil would wake from the painful shock?â
âItâs basically âWake up if you donât want to die.â What a horrible guy,â Centienne and Maxim whispered.
âJust dying and dying by a beating is the same thing.â
At Bellmanâs words, everyoneâs eyes turned to Black Mamba.
âI shouldnât associate with him.â
âKanmaâs not enough for that guy.â
Their common thought, however, was that a sadist had appeared in their group. Ombuti was in a different world of his own.
âAs expected of my master. He brings the dead back alive.â
Sun WooHyun slid next to Centienne.
âSergeant, I want to tell Black Mamba youâve been complaining about him behind his back.â
âAh! What are you saying? Youâve no idea how grateful I am to Jang Shin and Emil. What complaints can I have against Black Mamba, who saved me so many times? Iâve been praying for Black Mambaâs revival this whole time!â Centienne leaped in his place.
The distrust and complaints between the two groups had disappeared like a washed-out stream with a single performance. It was like how a runny nose was nothing compared to pain-inducing diseases.
Emil had woken up. Hypothermia offered no after-effects as long as he didnât die. He recovered instantly.
Emil woke up in perfect condition except for his chattering teeth. He had seen hell in the moment of awakening. Black Mamba, with the moving firelight in his background, was the devil.
The relentless whipping had sucked out his senses and left pain, which twisted his brain. It was the first kind of torment heâd felt since his birth. He had wanted to faint once more, but he couldnât. He had only been able to faint once the whipping was over.
Emil made his statement as he described the comfort of death and shining light with stutters.
âSo, you see, I was about to head into the light, when a monster that looked like Black Mamba started to hit me all over.â
âIt was so painful. I realized such pain existed for the first time in my life. I couldnât even die because of the pain.â
The mercenaries, who were listening, shivered in fear. How painful had it been for a dead person to jump back to life!
âBlack Mamba isnât my partner. Heâs a crazy Charon.â
Emil ended his story with that sentence.
Charon was a boatman who carried dead souls on a boat across the rivers Styx and Acheron. Black Mamba, who pulled Emil out of hell, became a crazy Charon.
Emil glanced at Black Mamba.
The shocked mercenaries were unable to fall asleep. Only Black Mamba was sleeping peacefully on the reed bed Ombuti had provided.
He was a b*stard who had fallen asleep without a word of apology after beating his partner half to death. Emil made a fist and shivered. He wanted to land a punch, but the after-effects were too fearsome. He recalled the scary whip and tormenting pain. Simply looking at his partner was enough to send him into shock.
âBut why does my body feel so light?â
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His body should have been aching all over between his bones and muscles, but it felt light enough to fly. It made him want to fight against Black Mamba for once.
âStill, thatâs something not to be done.â
He could almost imagine himself sitting by the Champs-ĂlysĂ©es, begging for money with a hat and broken limbs. Emilâs cheeks trembled as he looked at Black Mambaâs sleeping face.
âThat s***âs complaining when I saved his life!â Black Mamba complained with narrowly-opened eyes after Emil left.