Chapter 304: Chapter 219: Third Brother: I Told You He Was Our Indian Superhero, and You Wouldn’t Believe It
Someone shot back, "Hanuman is the embodiment of justice! He punishes evil and promotes good, and his power is legendary. This man in black who dares to openly slaughter monkeys can’t possibly be an Indian. He will definitely suffer the wrath of the gods!"
A minority of non-religious people also commented, "Those monkeys are nothing but trouble. The government should have ordered a cull long ago. The Black Armored Man did what we were too afraid to do. He’s an undeniable hero of our country!"
Soon, this person was flamed by some religious followers until he didn’t dare to post again.
However, the best way to fight magic is with magic. Someone proclaimed, "The mysterious Black Armored Man is a Divine Envoy sent by the Shiva God! He has the right to kill the monkeys."
The Shiva God is one of the three principal deities in Hinduism, known as the "God of Destruction," responsible for destroying the world. His status is naturally higher than that of Hanuman, the Monkey God. In an instant, the followers of the two deities launched into a fierce debate over whether the Black Armored Man had the right to kill monkeys.
It even led to several public brawls among followers. Because just trading barbs online wasn’t settling anything, and everyone thought they were right. Since they couldn’t win the argument with words, they decided to settle it offline with their fists.
Li Xiang was completely unaware of this. He had once again entered the Primeval Forest to hunt for potential Extraordinary Creatures.
The appearance of the Black Armored Man in India became a trending video and topic on the international web. Regardless of the internal controversies within India, their message to the outside world was unanimous: the mysterious Black Armored Man was their very own Indian superhero, a Divine Envoy sent by the Shiva God.
Luo Feifei had also been keeping an eye on the international web, especially for news about the mysterious Black Armored Man. When she saw these comments, she couldn’t help but let out a cackle.
"I’ll be free in a few days. I’ll go with you then. You can be the Divine Envoy of the Shiva God, and I’ll be the Divine Envoy of the Snow Mountain Goddess, Parvati. We’ll make a perfect pair, representing the gods of India as we walk among mortals."
However, Luo Feifei’s daydream didn’t last long before that wish had to be abandoned.
Because a flood of new reports emerged from within India: the mysterious Black Armored Man had looted the businesses of many of India’s tycoons. The stolen goods included, but were not limited to: jewelry, gold, carpets, shawls, saris, fabrics, Darjeeling tea, Fragrant Rice, and precious woods...
Darjeeling tea, hailed as one of the world’s four great black teas, originates from the Himalayan Foothills in the northern part of India’s West Bengal. Grown at high altitudes and perennially shrouded in mist, the resulting Darjeeling tea leaves are tightly rolled and fine, with a bluish-brown color and buds that have golden tips. It is not only beautiful to look at but also boasts a fragrant aroma and a delicate flavor.
Due to its origin and quality, Darjeeling tea is more expensive than Assam Red Tea. Assam Red Tea is relatively affordable, while Darjeeling is a high-end product.
India’s carpets, shawls, and saris are also exceptional. They are often made from materials like cashmere and silk, with a delicate texture, a soft and elegant feel, and patterns rich with Indian flair.
Indian Fragrant Rice, of course, is another fine product. It’s more expensive and of higher quality than Thai Fragrant Rice. Its grains are long, slender, and translucent, with a rich, nutty aroma. When cooked, the grains expand to two to three times their original length.
The yield for this "aristocrat of rice" is notoriously low, with an average output of only two to three hundred kilograms.
India is a major grain producer, with more arable land than even China. Of this Fragrant Rice alone, it exports four to five million tons a year. The more than three hundred thousand tons Li Xiang plundered was a drop in the bucket.
As for the precious woods, it was mainly India’s small-leaf rosewood, which came from Mysore State.
Many people who have been to Mysore State would say that their first impression of the place is how huge the trees are, blotting out the sky, especially the numerous Phoenix Trees and Bodhi Trees. All sorts of animals and birds roam the streets, particularly crows and eagles. The streets are filled with crowds in various attire, the air is thick with the scent of all kinds of fragrances, and the sound of religious chanting can be heard. All of this is closely linked to "Sandalwood," a wood intimately tied to religion.
India’s Mysore State is known as the "Sandalwood Holy Land," and the rosewood produced there is widely recognized as the "best in the world." The government regards Sandalwood as India’s "royal tree" and strictly protects it. From Sandalwood seed to Sandalwood tree, everything is controlled by the government. Felling the trees without a permit is illegal and requires government approval to proceed.
In India, Sandalwood is bought and sold exclusively by the government. Many families only buy a small piece of the wood; larger carved items are often ignored because the price is simply too high.
In China, the price of rosewood has also remained consistently high. Since 2013, the market price has already exceeded a million yuan per ton.
Much of the small-leaf rosewood in Mysore State is actually transported from other places, such as the Andhra Pradesh region. This is because Mysore State has a thriving timber processing industry, so wood felled in other regions is brought here to be processed and sold.
Li Xiang plundered the wood directly at the processing stage. It was all high-quality, ready-to-use timber, so he didn’t even need to do any pre-processing himself.
He had no intention of selling these precious woods. Instead, he planned to keep them to make furniture, install as flooring, and carve into things like bracelets and other crafts.
Furthermore, Indian small-leaf rosewood has a very pleasant fragrance and is often used to make herbal medicines and essential oils. It’s considered an excellent natural remedy for improving sleep, relieving stress, and promoting a sense of calm and relaxation.
India was in an uproar.
"The mysterious Black Armored Man is ruthless! Although the total losses haven’t been calculated yet, preliminary official estimates place them at over ten billion US Dollars!"
"Isn’t he supposed to be our own superhero? Why is he targeting us?" Some Indian netizens were baffled.
A South Korean netizen laughed and commented below, "I told you so! He’s the superhero of our great Korean people, the best in the universe! You wouldn’t believe me then, but you must believe me now, right?"
An Indian netizen retorted, "Dream on! He’s still our Indian superhero!"
This time, it wasn’t just netizens from other countries who were mocking them; even people from India started cursing, "Are you brain-dead? Would our own superhero rob us?"
"Did you get your head gored by a wild buffalo or slapped by a monkey?"
That Indian netizen posted a scornful emoji and replied, "Have you all forgotten? He’s the Divine Envoy sent to the mortal world by the Shiva God! And what kind of god is Shiva? The God of Destruction and Ruin! His Divine Envoy naturally wields that same authority. If he wasn’t causing destruction, could he even be considered Shiva’s representative?"
The Indians had a collective epiphany. "Ohhh, so that’s how it is!"
"No wonder! It turns out we’ve wronged the Black Armored Man and misunderstood this respected Divine Envoy."
The Shiva God also holds other domains, such as procreation. He has many manifestations, one of which, the Linga Form, is not suitable for children.
"Think about it carefully. Although the Divine Envoy used his precious authority of destruction, have you noticed who he punished? It was all those tycoons and high-and-mighty Upper Caste lords. He never laid a hand on ordinary people."
"The Divine Envoy has also saved villages attacked by Leopards and towns attacked by troublesome monkeys. Whether it’s saving people of lower castes or punishing those black-hearted masters, these are all god-like deeds, worthy of our utmost worship."
The South Korean netizens were dumbfounded. "Daebak! Holy shit, you guys are incredible. You can even spin it to sound like a good thing?"
A Japanese netizen couldn’t help but laugh. "Have you no shame? I already said it was a Chinese person who did this, but they just have to take the credit. Sigh, now I’m worried about the beautiful girls in Japan. Who knows, maybe one day the Mysterious Man will come for them too."
The people of the Southeast Asian nations felt a sense of relief. "Finally, we’re not the only victims."
An American netizen: "What are you talking about, a Chinese person? That’s America’s Batman."
"He’s Europe’s superhero, a messenger of the Twelve Great Gods."
Netizens from every country started trying to claim him.
Luo Feifei, who was lurking and watching her screen, suddenly started laughing again. She had thought her chance to play a Divine Envoy with Li Xiang was ruined, but to her surprise, Brother Xiang’s popularity hadn’t waned at all—in fact, it was stronger than ever.
