Taste (End of Volume)

"Spinal type identification has been completed..."

War assessment complete...

"Because the apostle exhausted his spinal cord during his self-affirmation, his mental connections are unstable, and the Service Ritual will be postponed."

A wave of scorching heat enveloped his body.

A series of unclear words echoed in my mind.

But all of this vanished with a sharp pain in his back. Luo Di suddenly opened his eyes, trying to sit up, but found that he couldn't move his body at all.

This awakening is different from any other.

The ceiling is no longer in front of you.

Instead, it's the floor.

Luo Di's body was suspended in the air, and hooks were attached to his back, with hooks that went deep into his bones.

Not only that.

There are also some transparent tubes inserted between the spines through needles, into which a special substance is injected.

"Don't move, it should be ready in about three more hours."

Judging from your expression, you've just returned from dealing with the Spineborne, haven't you? The Service Ritual ended so quickly, and you don't seem to have changed much.

Mr. Hook's voice came from below; they were currently in the preaching room of the torture chamber.

"No, I vaguely heard something about service being postponed."

"That's alright~ In your current state, you really can't accept the Service Ritual; your body will break down immediately. Fortunately, you have the Pain attribute, otherwise there would be no use for you staying here with me."

"What's on your back?"

"Approximately 0.3% of the ' Essence of Suffering ' produced daily by the prisoners in the torture chamber has been allocated to you. It can be used for your physical recovery, especially to replenish your spinal cord."

"How did I get here..."

"A special human sent you here."

"Yu Ze?"

Luo Di's last memory was of the Yellow Talisman falling from the sky. Seeing the Yellow Talisman, he knew that the person he had notified in advance by phone had arrived, and his consciousness relaxed. His subsequent physical actions were almost entirely accomplished by willpower.

"I don't know his name, but he saw through the connection between the torture chamber and the Fifth Hospital and specially brought you here."

I never imagined that your seemingly ordinary, low-level world could cultivate so many talented individuals. That person isn't much older than you, but their strength completely surpasses yours.

"A very interesting young man... It's a pity we couldn't bring him over for a medical check-up."

Mr. Hook showed a perverted expression for a moment, but immediately restrained himself.

"Cough cough~ You're really willing to risk your life, kid!"

Even I could sense that you almost died, and your connection with my torture chamber was almost severed. I never expected that you would be able to complete the final spinal feeding through self-killing, and even accidentally transfer your consciousness from your brain to your spine.

As a Spinebearer, you are now even purer than some of the Hell Creature.

I bet the HR people over there were thrilled to see you!

Luo Di seemed to have thought of something and quickly changed the subject, "How long have I been here?"

"31 hours."

"So long..."

Luo Di's body began to sway on the ceiling, which surprised Hawke. He had inserted the hook into a vital part of Roddy's body to seal it, so that Luo Di could remain still and recover properly.

"What's the rush? Getting well now is more important than anything else."

How long will it take to recover at the earliest?

"Seeing that you can already swing the hook, perhaps your body is repairing itself faster than I expected. Come down now~"

Hawke waved his hand, and all the hooks and needles inserted into Luo Di's back were pulled out.

Luo Di had indeed recovered. After adjusting his body in the air, he landed steadily on the ground.

"Mr. Hook, do you have my things?"

"Oh, I thought you'd forgotten... If you really had forgotten, such a wonderful pituitary gland should be mine."

Hawke gently hooked his little finger.

A small hook descended from the ceiling, its end hooking onto a miniature torture device created by Luo Di, inside which was sealed the reward he had won through this desperate struggle.

"While you were unconscious, I conducted a small test on this substance. Both its quality and concentration far exceed the pituitary glands you gave me before."

Most importantly, this thing is a perfect fit for you, as if it were custom-made for you. I knew you were lucky.

"Are you planning to integrate this into your body?"

Luo Di was somewhat surprised, after all, he dared not listen to the monster's one-sided story.

But the test results from Mr. Hook must be correct, so it seems the other party really didn't deceive me. This is indeed a better reward than the Wanted Poster.

However, even if he were to accept it, Luo Di would still have to take it to the City Investigation Bureau, or even the Capital Investigation Bureau, to give a statement and complete the relevant compatibility tests.

"They should be able to combine, but they still need to go through various tests."

Mr. Hook immediately became extremely interested.

"That's fantastic! Remember to come back and let me see you after you've accepted me... I've never seen anyone like you who manages to be part of two different systems in two different worlds, and who also holds the dual identities of Spineborn and Order in the True Hell."

Oh, right!

In that case, you'd better wait until you accept the pituitary gland, acquire and master the system of your world, before going to the Spine People to perform the Service Ritual.

Give them a little bit of human awe!

Go take care of your own affairs first, and come back as soon as you're done... I'll temporarily stop the Thought Projection towards the Spineborne, otherwise, once you fully regain consciousness, you'll be forcibly projected there to begin your service."

"Okay, Mr. Hook, I'll be going now."

"Go on, go on, don't linger too long!"

Mr. Hook found the young man in front of him more and more pleasing to the eye, especially when he searched his memories and discovered that Luo Di had relied on "pain" to turn the tide in a desperate situation, which was enough to show that the other party had engraved suffering in his heart.

Moreover, he also saw the all -Metal Spine, which was simply too perfect.

[Fifth Hospital]

Luo Di suddenly sat up in bed, just as the IV drip was finished and the needle was being removed.

Dean Hawkins was also personally stationed here.

He was about to offer a few words of comfort when Luo Di's hand was already on his.

"Dean, do you have a car? Could you lend it to me?"

The dean handed over his car keys and then asked, "Can you drive?"

"I've seen others drive it."

Upon hearing this, the dean immediately and forcefully snatched back the car keys, saying, "Where are you going? I can give you a ride."

"Jupiter City".

The dean wanted to ask why, but then swallowed his words. "Let's go. I have some friends there. We can visit them and learn some authentic acupuncture and Tai Chi."

During the drive, the dean wanted to have a detailed talk with Luo Di about the recent events, but Luo Di in the passenger seat had already fallen asleep, clearly indicating that he had not fully recovered.

The dean also switched the chair to sleep mode and turned on the heater.

When Luo Di woke up, the car was driving through streets filled with Chinese atmosphere. It was exactly nine o'clock at night, and many people were having late-night snacks outside.

"Go to the Research Bureau or your old home?"

"Fourth Middle School... Also, don't tell anyone about my schedule."

The dean gave an OK sign like a young man, saying, "Give me a call before you go back, and I'll come pick you up."

"Thank you, Dean."

Under the cover of night, the Fourth Middle School was as silent as a coffin. The campus, which was about to be demolished, was deserted, and no one dared to approach the street where it was located.

This place will be completely demolished soon.

Luo Di never expected that he would come back for "one last time".

Instead of entering the school through the gate as an investigator, he leaped over the wall.

Although it is not certain,

Although so much time has passed

But Luo Di still decided to come and take a look.

As Luo Di climbed the cold stairs, he stopped several times at the corner, but did not find what he expected.

Class 5, Senior High 12

Pushing open the cold classroom door again, I looked at the scattered desks inside and the outline of bloodstains on the floor. There was no one inside as I had expected.

After all, so much time has passed, and the sorority's investigation has been ongoing; the other party has most likely already left this world.

He let out a soft sigh.

Luo Di did not step into the classroom, nor did he intend to linger.

Just as he turned to leave, he bumped into someone head-on... smack!

A pile of books and textbooks scattered on the ground due to the impact.

And the lights in the corridor had all been turned on at some point.

A high school girl with long, black hair was squatting on the ground, quickly picking up books. Luo Di also slowly squatted down and picked them up with her.

"Luo, why are you wandering around here instead of going into the classroom? Your physical condition almost sent me flying."

"Class monitor."

"Um?"

The Girl picked up her textbook again, looked up with curiosity, and pushed up her frameless glasses, which she had bought from who-knows-where.

"So, the day before the Wanted Poster was issued, you came back to school not to catch up with me, but to choose the [entrance]?"

"Yes." The class monitor walked into the classroom with his textbook in hand. "The echoes left by Teacher Guo still linger in No. 4 Middle School. It is the best hiding place. Any long-distance perception infiltration will be disrupted by the vortex here."

Moreover, using this as the entrance is the best choice for me.

Perhaps this will allow us to follow in Teacher Guo's footsteps and go to a place where the sorority cannot track us down.

Of course, being able to do it alone is the best.

Luo Di followed the class monitor into the familiar classroom.

The class monitor stood on the desk and placed the books in his hands on the ceiling fan in a certain pattern.

Next, she arranged the desks under the ceiling fan into a corner-like structure, but due to the size of the desks, even if it was arranged into a corner, it did not meet the conditions for forming a "Physical Corner".

After setting up the desks, the class monitor dusted herself off, stood up straight, and looked at Luo Di, who was three meters away from her.

"I'm leaving."

"Um."

The class monitor wanted to say something, but didn't.

She simply maintained her signature smile, controlled her slightly trembling hands, and tried to keep the final memory as beautiful and natural as possible.

Goodbye, Luo Di.

Goodbye, class monitor.

Upon receiving the response, Wu Wen did not hesitate and snapped her fingers to control the classroom space.

Click! The lights are off, and the condition for darkness is met.

The books that had been placed on the ceiling fan beforehand also began to fall.

As long as the book is placed securely on the desk, the additional space will form a "Physical Corner".

Snap!

The book fell.

The class monitor remained standing in the classroom, not drawn into the corner, but instead smelled a sweaty odor emanating from the locker room—the same smell of boys that could often be detected during Physical Education Class.

Luo Di stood in front of him and reached out to take the book.

at the same time.

Hunger-induced stomach activity produced loud sounds in the abdomen that echoed throughout the classroom.

This untimely remark made the class monitor unable to hold back his laughter.

Haha~

Luo Di, however, kept a composed expression, suppressing the hunger pangs from not having eaten for several days, and said calmly, "By the way, I saw quite a few late-night food stalls on my way here. Shall we grab something to eat? And Anna too..."

On the same night,

The same classroom,

The same pitch black,

Even Luo Di's movements were similar to those of that night, except that what he held high in his hand was not a knife, but a book.

The Girl no longer huddled in the corner, but pressed herself against the boy.

Rise up on your heels and lean forward.

The interruption brought silence to everything, leaving only the exchange of coldness and heat, moisture and dryness.

I don't know how long it took before we finally parted ways.

"... If you eat something, your sense of taste will fade."

Now is when you are hungriest, so please remember my taste and be sure to come find me again in the future.

"Good."

Turn on the lights.

Luo Di was still standing there, his arm holding the book hadn't moved an inch, but the class monitor in front of him had already disappeared.

I thought the other person had already left.

But a familiar voice soon came from behind.

"What are you still standing there for... Come on~ I've already texted Anna! Let's go have a barbecue tonight!"

Luo Di turned around.

At the Back Gate the classroom,

A small hand, hidden behind his back, was gently waving at him...

[Volume 2 - The Taste], End.