Conflux System: I Can Merge Anything-Chapter 45: Monsters Made By Monsters

A person who has been punished is not thereby simply less inclined to behave in a given way; at best he learns how to avoid punishment.

Zane was ready to punish Fork for destroying Mickey’s eye, but instead of fear and guilt, the man and the surrounding men laughed out loud.

And if that wasn’t enough, Fork called out men who had done something worse with their children and had no remorse for it as if it was normal.

Zane’s entire body shivered looking at their calm faces.

He knew the slums had no laws. He lived in a slum worse than Cinder row after all. But he wasn’t familiar with such things happening to children.

Yes, they were begging. But Zane didn’t know the extent of it. He couldn’t comprehend the fact that there was a place where it wasn’t given or natural for parents to love their child.

He had seen murders over bets, he had seen rapes and men selling their wives to others for money, he had seen the dark but he hadn’t seen the darkest shade of dark.

But today, he saw that too.

He stared at Fork after knowing what went on with children here and Fork presented a question to him that destroyed his speech.

"You have put me around a tire to punish me for my kid. But if you are so kind and a justice crusader, do the same with them. But, mind you, if you really found the compassion and strength and time to punish them as well, then I swear on the dirt of the slums..."

The man leaned forward and peered inside Zane’s soul.

"You will run out of tires."

He started laughing after that and Zane was left with no words.

Mickey stood beside him and looked up at Zane.

He saw the drops of sweat and confusion on his face.

"Big brother." Mickey held Zane’s finger.

The little fingers of the kid wrapped around Zane’s index finger as he looked at him with no words to spare.

But Mickey had words.

"It’s fine, big brother. Let it be. I am not in pain. Let’s go home and see Milo."

Zane heard the kid and he sensed his trembling fingers and voice.

The kid was scared.

But whenever Zane saw the destroyed eye, his anger knocked inside his mind.

"Don’t worry, Mickey. I will find a way. You go back."

"But—"

Zane put his finger around his lips and Mickey went silent.

He let go of Zane’s finger and stood with the crowd again.

Zane then darted his eyes on Fork again.

"All of you are monsters. You all deserve punishment. But right now, you are in front of me and your punishment will give them a message."

"Is it? What punishment? How will you punish me?"

"The same thing you did with Mickey."

Fork went silent.

The crowd had already forgotten about the last few seconds and again started chanting for blood.

But Zane only cared about Fork so his senses stayed on him.

And after a second, Fork broke his silence.

But with a...

"Pfft.."

Laugh.

Fork started laughing once more and Zane clicked his tongue.

"Let’s see if you can keep laughing."

Zane raised the stick and looked around.

"Does anyone have fire?"

"I have." A hand was raised.

It was a woman.

A light cloth was wrapped around her chest, barely covering her breasts. Zane only looked at her sunken and purple bruised face that conveyed un-treated past wounds.

"Give me."

The woman took a step forward and a man standing beside her snatched the cloth from her chest.

Zane’s eyes jolted right at that man, glaring at him.

"Here." The woman said and Zane again had no words.

The woman showed no reaction, discomfort, pain and expressions even after getting naked against her will.

They are accustomed to this.

Zane shook his head and raised the stick towards the woman.

The woman had no equipment to produce fire but Zane still believed she might do something.

He was right.

The woman brought her index finger under the end of the stick and from her finger, a little flame manifested.

It was smaller than a single blade of grass.

Zane figured this was the woman’s skill and it might look helpful but if it was, she wouldn’t be selling her body here.

The flame lasted for ten seconds and the woman stepped back to the crowd again.

The man didn’t return her cloth to her so she remained standing without it and the men ogled her.

Some tried to touch her and bring their mouths to her chest but she didn’t let them without any payment.

Zane shook his head as the woman had already done what he wanted with the stick. He was ready to punish Fork.

But when his eyes fell on the children and where they were looking, he changed his mind.

He looked at that woman again and felt glad that the men who paid weren’t latching on to her chest anymore.

Zane then looked at the man who snatched her cloth and it didn’t look like the man would return it. He was busy sniffing it.

Not wanting to create another scene, Zane let the man be and removed his own tunic.

His skinny frame and the red plus-shaped scar became visible to everyone as he threw the cloth towards the woman.

The cloth fell right above the woman’s head and the woman took it.

Zane gestured with his eyes to the woman to wear it and the woman with hesitation, wore it as well.

The tunic was dirty with dried blood but if anything, it wasn’t dirtier than the gazes of the men.

After all that, Zane finally paid attention to Fork and so did everyone else, including the children.

The other end of the stick had become bright red, and with that stick, Zane walked towards Fork.

Fork remained on his knees and watched the young man coming for him.

The crowd watched with full attention as they finally got something worthwhile to see.

Zane stopped in front of Fork.

"You are sensitive to pain, yes?"

"I am."

"Then make sure to think about Mickey with your every scream."

Zane brought the red end near Fork’s right eye.

The men waited with bated breaths.

The children squinted their eyes.

The woman watched with indifference.

And with everyone’s attention, with his trembling hands...

SHUP!

Zane shoved the burning stick inside Fork’s eye.

But instead of a soft impact, what Zane encountered was...

THUP!

A hurdle.

The stick stopped.

It didn’t go inside the eye at all.

All eyes widened with gasps ringing and amidst this...

"HahahahahaHAHA!"

Fork bursted in laughter.

Zane didn’t understand as he pulled the stick away.

He bent his knees and examined Fork’s eye.

And when he watched closely, his brows shot up.

He stared at Fork with wide eyes as the man smirked.

"Understand now?" He said.

Zane stepped back.

"You think you will send a message to them by punishing me? You think they will change? This is not happening from a few days ago, kid."

Fork’s voice reached higher.

"Your burning stick did nothing to my eye, do you know why?"

After a pause, Fork carried on.

"Because in the place of my right eye, there is only a stone."

A collective gasp took place and Zane’s frown deepened.

"Why?" He asked and Fork lost his smirk.

His eyes turned empty as if remembering an unforgettable memory and in only one sentence, he gave the whole answer:

"My father was just like Mickey’s father."