Hunger

Wu Wen was merely standing at the door of the preaching room, without even taking a single step inside, when the hook hanging high on the ceiling began to clang.

It seemed that the moment she stepped into them, these hooks would lock onto her and attack, piercing every inch of her skin and tearing her flesh and bone.

Even though her head was reconstructed in the preaching room, she was still regarded as a heretic.

Wu Wen didn't care. She stood on tiptoe and looked into the depths, at the bald man in the leather jacket.

"Luo Di's luck has always been pretty good. As a 'Connector,' he actually encountered such a high-ranking being right away. Even though I had disguised myself, I was still seen through at a glance."

As long as I remain trapped in the category of "Pseudo-Human," no matter how skilled I am at disguise, or how long the years drag on, I will never achieve a true qualitative change.

To go further, we must go there... I originally planned to stay for another year or two, but now it seems I'll have to shorten the time.

The squad leader stood quietly at the door, his hands folded in front of him, watching silently.

Deep inside the sermon room,

A stone platform resembling an altar was placed at the top of the steps.

Luo Di had already taken off his shirt as instructed and lay down on his back.

Mr. Hook stared intently at the body, or more precisely, at the spine hidden beneath the skin, with increasing doubts surfacing in his eyes.

To unravel this mystery, he must conduct a more in-depth observation.

Whoosh!

He tore off the hooks from his own back to use as surgical instruments.

Cutting,

Make a quick cut along the midline of the spine to fully expose the vertebrae inside.

"How did you do that, you bastard?"

"What's wrong?" Luo Di was also full of questions, wondering what Mr. Hook had seen.

"Your spine wasn't fully saturated, yet you were allowed to complete the 'spinal opening'... Your duration must have been short, right?"

Moreover, your body will likely suffer a very strong backlash after the spinal surgery.

I said, how could you have "opened your spine" so quickly?

Based on our local chiropractors, the proportion of those who undergo chiropractic surgery is around 70%, but their average time for chiropractic surgery is at least one year, or even longer.

This year, they also need to fight and battle constantly to provide enough nourishment for their backbone.

You, on the other hand, although you accomplished some killings, probably didn't even reach 1/5 of the spinal saturation level, and were forced to have your spine opened under conditions of malnutrition.

Perhaps it was good luck.

Perhaps it's because you underwent grueling training with me, which improved your physical endurance.

Or perhaps you were maintaining a high level of intensity during the spinal surgery, with a continuous supply of nutrients being fed to you.

This prevented the worst possible outcome.

What was the result?

"When the spinal cord is drained, the body collapses and the soul is annihilated."

However, this is the first time I have ever seen a case where the spine is not fully fed, or even half-fed, before the spine is opened.

You have an incredibly high compatibility with the spine; no wonder your world is so far removed from ours, yet we can still connect.

"You must have had a very strong urge to kill lately, right?"

"Yes, I almost lost control today."

"That's right. To put it simply, your premature spinal surgery not only completely depleted the limited nutrients inside the spine, but also overdrawn some of the spinal cord components."

It's starving and desperately needs nutrition. If I were to remove its spine now, it would probably hunt and kill for food in the form of a live worm.

If you don't replenish its nutrients, its influence on your consciousness will become increasingly severe, eventually destroying your consciousness and reducing you to a worthless, starving being.

"You need to kill, right?"

"It doesn't necessarily have to be killing. Any extreme form of war and catharsis is acceptable. Even the simplest physical combat can nourish the spine."

Hey! Why aren't you an apostle on my side?

"It's so convenient for me here. All I need to do is suffer and feed myself. I can whip myself a couple of times, swallow a few razor blades, or give myself a couple of whacks with a branding iron, and I'll be full in no time. It's so convenient."

On the stone platform, Luo Di had already begun to think about the matter of nutrients, planning to return directly to the Investigation Bureau later to take on the two "Fresh Event" with relatively low difficulty.

Even Fresh Event require investigation and follow-up, which may take several days.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Luo Di.

"Mr. Hook, you have quite a few tortured people here, don't you?"

"Hiss~ You've got a quick mind. You could kill a few of these convicts as temporary tonics."

But even the worst criminal can generate painful energy, which requires you to exchange for something, to add a few more debts to what we owe each other.

Just as Hawke was about to ask for more pituitary glands, Luo Di suddenly rejected the idea.

"No, I can't kill someone here."

The torture chamber is directly linked to the real-world hospital; if I kill the prisoners here, the real-world hospital will likely kill the patients as well.

Mr. Hook didn't insist, saying, "You have so many rules and regulations over there."

However, since these are the rules of your world, it's best to abide by them. You're just starting out now, far from being able to challenge the rules.

"But your condition is very bad right now. If you're not fed nutrients, you'll probably completely lose control in no more than three days."

Luo Di then deliberately changed the subject, "Mr. Hook, you just said that without killing anyone, the simplest physical combat can replenish the spine with nutrients, right?"

That's right.

However, there are prerequisites: you must face an opponent who is equal to or stronger than you. You must be completely immersed and fully engaged in the fight.

Within the forces corresponding to the Spine Warriors, there are places like the [Colosseum], where Spine Warriors can obtain sustenance by fighting each other.

Unfortunately, you can't connect to the past right now, so you don't have that opportunity.

As for me here...

Most of the criminals brought to the torture chamber had already undergone "preliminary treatment," leaving them extremely weak and devoid of even the most basic will to survive, let alone the will to fight you to the death.

so..."

Luo Di suddenly interjected, "So, Mr. Hook, can you help me?"

Hawke was taken aback by the question, but immediately understood Luo Di's intention.

"What? You want to fight me?"

"Didn't Mr. Hook say that it only works against opponents of equal or greater strength? Right now, it seems you're the only option."

Upon hearing such a request,

Hawke's face suddenly took on a completely different expression, as if two invisible hooks had pierced the corners of his mouth and lifted upwards.

"It is indeed a good suggestion, and it seems to be the only way to quickly solve your nutritional deficiencies."

Due to my unique identity, no Hell Creature has made such a request to me for a long time, and I myself have almost forgotten the word "combat".

You need to think this through.

Since I haven't fought in a long time, I have difficulty controlling my strength when I strike, and I might accidentally kill you.

Once your consciousness projection here dies, your real-world self will also become a Walking Dead.

Without a moment's hesitation, Luo Di nodded affirmatively, "Thank you for your help."

"Come on, let's just treat this as a bit of entertainment!"

However, don't try to open your spine during our fight. If you do, you'll die instantly.

In addition, my fighting style may be completely different from any creature you have ever encountered, and the whole process may be very painful.

This pain might make it difficult for you to concentrate, to immerse yourself in the fight.

"Okay, let's give it a try."

The exchange took place in the central area of the preaching room, which was spacious enough.

As Luo Di, now dressed in his Investigator uniform, walked down the altar steps, he suddenly noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

"Squad leader?"

Mr. Hook also noticed an anomaly in the preaching room.

The Girl, who was considered a heretic and left outside the door, actually stepped inside while the two were talking, without attracting any attacks from the roof hooks.

Although the Girl only took one step, it meant that she was no longer seen as a threat by the preaching room, and that her identity was recognized.

The Girl's appearance has also changed quite a bit.

The stitches from Hell ritual reappeared on her fair face, as if she had returned to her original, reconstructed state, and an aura of True Hell emanated from her.

Hawke was incredulous at the ingenious disguise, which also reminded him of the Hell Faction he hated and found most repulsive.

"A bad joke..."