Slaughterhouse

Wang Xiaole lay in a pool of blood.

A short blade was plunged into his chest, and blood flowed continuously from his two completely hollowed-out eye sockets.

Li Wei walked slowly to his side. The boy, who had been sobbing and wailing, sensed the movement nearby; he gradually ceased his crying, reached out a blood-stained hand, and gripped the hem of Li Wei's robe.

Li Wei crouched down and took hold of the boy's hand.

The boy lifted his head, trying to look at the person before him with those bleeding sockets, but he could see nothing at all.

Yet, even so, he recognized who Li Wei was.

"I'm dying, sir."

The boy said timidly, his voice thick with tears.

Li Wei could not speak, nor did he know what to say.

He certainly had not formed any deep bond with Wang Xiaole; the two had only known each other for a few days, and the words they had exchanged could be counted on one hand.

It was just that this boy was the first person he had truly come to know in this world.

And he had lived too sorrowfully, and died too helplessly.

"I—I actually recognized you the first time we talked at The Church, sir."

He gasped violently; the short blade seemed to have pierced his lung, making every breath exceptionally difficult.

"You are my benefactor, sir. I will never forget your voice. But I knew I couldn't reveal your identity."

Li Wei remained silent, simply letting the boy hold his hand.

"...I know this is too much to ask. Could I beg you for one more favor, sir?"

Wang Xiaole lay flat on the blood-soaked ground, his request as thin as a thread.

"Speak."

"There is ten thousand left of my mother's compensation money, buried under the dead tree at 37, 2nd District. Could... could you use that money to help me get my eyes back?"

His voice grew thinner, his breathing weaker, and the words he spoke seemed less like a conscious thought and more like an instinctive reflex.

"Mother said the body must be whole, or else you'll be a broken person when you reach Twilight. I want to be able to find her in that world. To see her. I'm scared. I'm really so scared."

Before the plea was finished, he fell completely silent.

The pool of blood had spread across the entire shack, and the wind and rain outside continued to howl, causing the flimsy wooden structure to creak and groan.

Li Wei let go of the boy's hand. He stood up, looked at the youthful face missing its eyes, and gave his promise.

"I promise you."

The very second he responded, a panel of information suddenly popped up in his mind.

[Quest Triggered: "Eyes": The boy whose eyes were stolen wishes to retrieve them.]
[Quest Reward: 10,000 legal currency, unknown reward.]

Ignoring the sudden quest notification, Li Wei turned around, intending to have Feng Zi call for help, only to suddenly discover that Feng Zi, who had been following him, was gone!

At that same moment, a flurry of rapid footsteps echoed through the rainy night.

"Yes! The sound came from right here!"

"Hurry! Surround this shack!"

"Draw your weapons, just in case!"

As a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, Li Wei saw the people who were closing in through the rain.

They wore the dark blue uniforms of the Police Department, each holding a gun, approaching slowly with wary expressions!

Feng Zi had given chase the very moment that dark shadow fled.

Li Wei had been distracted by the familiar voice inside the shack, but at that moment, out in the heavy rain, Feng Zi's mind—chilled and sharpened by the icy downpour—had realized the truth.

This was a trap!

A murder had occurred in the shack, police officers were stationed at the mountain behind them, and with so many incidents happening lately, the killer had fled, and they had become the first to arrive at the scene.

Therefore, Feng Zi had chased after the shadow without a moment's hesitation.

The dark figure ran fast, and in the pitch-black, rainy night, Feng Zi—whose body had temporarily recovered but remained physically weak—had no chance of keeping up!

After sprinting a few steps, she stopped, gasping for air while clutching her knees, her gaze resolute.

She pulled out a bottle of medicine, shook out two small white pills, and swallowed them!

The moment she consumed the pills, the medicine took effect within her body!

The potent force violently repaired her battered frame, and at the same time, the scientific might that had completely vanished erupted within her once more!

The rain within a fifty-meter radius of her suddenly ceased its downward motion!

Within this domain, she controlled the laws of gravity. With a level of control far superior to Li Wei's, she easily discerned the residual force left behind by the person who had just passed through.

Feng Zi's movements became incredibly fluid and swift. The forces that usually acted as a burden on the human body now served as her aid. She moved as nimbly as a leaping cat, darting through the rainy night. She soon left the church area and reached the main street of the 2nd District.

She followed the street deep into the outskirts, where the labor shacks were sparsest and where The Council had drawn the boundary between Yaoguang and Yuguang, eventually spotting an abandoned shack built by the underground river.

The direction indicated by the lingering power was right here.

Feng Zi, whose identity had been restored to the most impeccable state, though her complexion remained pale—even deeper than before—held her breath and pushed open the dilapidated door of the small hut with all her might!

However, the scene inside left her stunned!

It was a room for which one could hardly find the right adjectives to describe.

From the rotting rafters hung countless shriveled human arms and legs on rusted iron hooks, and a dusty cabinet was filled with various organs soaking in transparent glass jars!

Severed limbs were everywhere; this narrow, cramped space felt like a slaughterhouse, and the damp wind blowing through brought with it the nauseating stench of air-dried cured meat.

And in the very center of the hut lay an old woman dressed in a black and white nun's uniform.

Nanny Cheng had blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, her eyes wide open, her breathing incredibly rapid.

"You lied to me... that was poison, you lied to me!!!"

She let out a shrill, mournful wail, after which her body lost all its strength, and she collapsed silently onto the floor.

Feng Zi, gripping the doorframe as she witnessed this scene, turned her head away and couldn't help but retch for a moment before stepping back into the room.

The sight before her was enough to prove many things!

She tried her best to suppress the chaotic thoughts in her mind and, refusing to look at the severed limbs filling the room, grabbed Nanny Cheng's arm, nullified the gravity on her corpse, hoisted her onto her back, and charged back into the pitch-black, rainy night, heading toward The Church.