Turned into Pigs

"What's the situation?" Nie Xuan hurried back to the research institute and asked the others.

The red-haired man hadn't said a word after the call connected, but that alone was enough to alert the research institute. They immediately sent people to seal off the building.

"Forty-six people have gone missing so far. The entire 28th Floor has been wiped out, and half the people on the 27th Floor have disappeared. The Dungeon entrance is closed now," Team Leader Wu explained. "Only Xiao Er, who was already on the 28th Floor, went in. He's our only Player."

"I thought Sima Xiao Er was supposed to go to Happiness Residential Area today. Why was he at Golden Light Building?" Nie Xuan asked as he looked through the missing persons' files. But before Team Leader Wu could answer, he raised his head. "Were they there to arrest someone?"

Team Leader Wu nodded and pulled up a Photo. "We got a report this morning. Zhu Tao, general manager of Karen Building Materials Company, reported a Cannibal Evolver. Xiao Er brought twelve people and worked with the criminal investigation team to arrest him. This is the man they went after."

Nie Xuan stood up as soon as he saw the Photo. "Xu Huo? He's a Player—and someone I've been trying to recruit."

"Of course I know that." Team Leader Wu gestured for him to calm down. "There have been so many disappearances lately, and we also have to investigate Dungeon entrances. The arrest of an Evolver never made it to my desk, so I didn't know about it either."

"But this is good news. Take a look."

He handed over a file. "Hot off the press. In Luo City, they used the leads Xu Huo provided to catch the Cannibal Player Liu Mei. Liu Yuanyuan was an alias."

Nie Xuan opened it and stared in surprise. "A B-level rating, and she even got a Dungeon Boss's item?"

"That's not all. According to Liu Mei's statement, Xu Huo was the first to find the stranded Players. He also deduced that Hot Spring Villa might once have been a Non-Closed Dungeon. That matches the documents sent out by Capital City," Team Leader Wu said.

"So the game called Dimension Rift really did exist long before Evolvers appeared." Nie Xuan slowly sat down.

"The Head Chopper Demon Dungeon is further evidence." Team Leader Wu's expression was grave, but there was also some relief in it. "So Xu Huo stumbling into the game is an opportunity for us and for the missing people."

"On your Train 301 Preliminary, only one Player survived in Third-Class Seat. He's still in intensive care. Two people made it out of First-Class Seat, including you. Everyone in Premium-Class Seat died. But four survived from Second-Class Seat, and they even rescued a Player from Third-Class Seat."

"Han Ming, Liu Jia, and Wang Xiaohui aren't willing to say much so far, but you were on that train. It'll be easy to pin down Xu Huo. Based on how he acted on the Preliminary Train, he'll save people if he can."

Nie Xuan's brows remained tightly knit. "What I'm worried about now is that Sima Xiao Er troublemaker. He got through the Preliminary Train by bribing the cook. He has no Dungeon experience, and he's young and hotheaded. I'm worried he'll mess things up."

Team Leader Wu patted him on the shoulder. "All we can do now is wait."

*

Everything before him was dark.

The moment the Special Affairs Personnel disappeared, Xu Huo knew he'd run into a Dungeon. As he jumped out the window, his vision went dark. A moment later, it felt as if he'd been wrapped in a thick layer of airtight hide. He rolled down a sloping passage.

The stench of animal hide filled his nostrils. His arms were stiff, his legs bent backward, and all four limbs were bound so he couldn't move. He couldn't open his mouth or eyes, either. With no light to see by, he rolled for several minutes before finally coming to a stop.

More than ten heavy objects came tumbling down after him, one after another. They crowded into the cramped space, struggling and making muffled, indistinct whimpering sounds.

Unable to open his eyes or mouth, and trapped in such a small space, Xu Huo ignored the kicking and struggling around him and listened carefully.

About fifteen minutes later, footsteps approached. Someone opened the door, then let out a hoarse laugh. "This batch looks pretty fresh. Let's see... forty-six in all."

"We can't use them all in one day. Raise the rest for now."

Then came the sound of something being dragged. Amid the rising chorus of muffled whimpers, a blade began cutting through leather in a steady rhythm, three strokes at a time. With each stroke, one voice—whether crying, angry, or pleading—grew clearer. The muffled sounds gave way to high, piercing cries, but they sounded more like animals howling than people!

The work stopped once midway. The man carried all the ones he'd finished away, then returned after a while and continued.

Finally it was Xu Huo's turn. A hand lifted him up. Three quick swishes, and his eyes and mouth felt cool—he could open them now!

The first thing he saw was a tall, muscular Red-Nosed Foreign Man. The man held Xu Huo up with one hand and gave him a shake. "A mute," he muttered, then tossed him aside.

With his legs bound backward, Xu Huo had no choice but to land on his knees. His view dropped to below the foreign man's waist. Looking up, he saw the man grab a fat pig and swiftly cut a line across its eyes and mouth. The pig could then open its eyes and squeal, before being tossed back onto the ground.

Only then did Xu Huo get a clear look at the place. It was something like a Warehouse, with a square chute opening where they'd come down. Everyone must have fallen through it.

Everyone who'd fallen was wrapped in a layer of pigskin and penned behind a Fence, their eyes and mouths sealed shut. Only after the Red-Nosed Foreign Man cut open their eyes and mouths could they see again and make sounds. But they couldn't speak normally. They could only squeal—like pigs!

Had being wrapped in pigskin really turned them into pigs?

Xu Huo saw the words "Good Taste Fresh Meat Supply Factory" printed on the Red-Nosed Foreign Man's black apron. His eyelids twitched.

They hadn't just been turned into pigs. They were about to be slaughtered!

By then, the Red-Nosed Foreign Man had finished his work and was driving them outside.

Xu Huo followed the panicked crowd. As soon as they got out, two people tried to run. But wrapped in their hides, with their front ends long and their hind legs short, they were forced to crawl along the ground. They couldn't even stand up, so how could they outrun a healthy man?

"Got plenty of energy, don't you?" The Red-Nosed Foreign Man roared with laughter, chased them down, and smashed their pig heads with two punches. Before the red-and-white liquid could spill out, he grabbed one in each hand and hung them on meat hooks.

"Fresh brains. I'll add them to tonight's menu."

Two people in the crowd began vomiting. The Red-Nosed Foreign Man knitted his brows. "Don't tell me you're sick pigs. Nobody buys meat from sick pigs."

Everyone was startled. Even the ones who'd vomited instinctively held their breath. Just as they were at a loss, a pig beside Xu Huo fell to the ground, squealing as if it were on the verge of death.

From the sound, it was General Manager Zhu.

Then two more people copied him and lay down. Beneath the pigskin, the others' eyes lit up as if they'd seen hope.

Nobody buys sick-pig meat. Did that mean they might escape being slaughtered?

But before they could act, the Red-Nosed Foreign Man dragged the three of them away. "I'll slaughter you first today, so you don't die of sickness before we can eat you."