Heaven Butcher

"Phew."

It took Liu Zheng a full half minute to swim out of the oily fog.

"I thought you were going to drown in there."

Cow-Horse said with obvious glee at his misfortune.

"Drowning, probably not. Dying of grease, maybe."

As he replied, he surveyed his surroundings.

There was none of the bustling scene he had imagined. The black market was still utterly silent.

Only faint light seeped through the cracks of the doors lining both sides of the road.

"Which door do we go through?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"That depends on how you plan to raise your startup capital."

Cow-Horse said.

"You don't have any money?"

"I spent every last bit buying red wine last time. Did you really think I stole it?"

Cow-Horse yelled.

"You paid for it and still got beaten up that badly?"

"A discount means you get beaten first, obviously."

Cow-Horse said as if it were only natural.

"Oh. So what are our options?"

He asked.

"Two. First, you can pawn the persona you're wearing, make some money, then redeem it later."

Cow-Horse said.

"No."

Liu Zheng flatly refused.

Without the buffs from the Legendary Deliveryman Persona, his strength would drop by at least two-thirds.

"Then we can only go with the second option. You sell Flesh."

Cow-Horse shrugged.

"Sell Flesh?"

Liu Zheng's expression shifted.

Life was precious, but dignity cost even more.

"Let's be clear, I'll only work as a male escort."

He gritted his teeth.

"Keep dreaming. I'd like that job too. The lowest-ranked escorts in the black market are male succubi. A tentacled freak like you doesn't qualify."

Cow-Horse said disdainfully.

"Then what did you mean? Oh, you meant literally selling Flesh."

Liu Zheng suddenly understood.

He remembered the security guards asking him for "Flesh."

"That's right."

Cow-Horse said.

"You're too fat right now. It'd be a good way to lose some weight."

Amid its mockery, the two headed toward the third door on the right.

The moment they entered, a wave of heat hit them head-on.

Liu Zheng narrowed his eyes as the scorching firelight inside stung his eyeballs.

More than a dozen furnaces stood in a row, each with a large iron pot on top.

Countless chunks of Flesh hung from the ceiling on iron hooks, suspended above the pots.

There were thighs, arms, spines, and even half a human head with its eyes still open.

Behind the iron pots, a towering figure stood with his back to them, intently turning the skewers in the fireplace.

He was so enormous that his body nearly blocked all the firelight from the hearth.

Pink masses of Flesh bulged high beneath a web of crisscrossing scars.

It was hard to imagine anyone bearing so many scars, as though he had endured every punishment in the world.

"Oink."

Cow-Horse greeted him.

Its voice was unusually polite, making Liu Zheng glance at it in surprise.

Hearing his name, Oink turned around.

He had a pig's head, apparently that of a Yorkshire Large White.

Yet his eyes were unmistakably human, even deeper and more resolute than those of most humans.

"Long time no see, Cow-Horse. I thought you'd already been turned into takeout."

Oink said calmly.

His voice was deep and powerful. If one ignored his face, one could easily imagine a charming, mature man.

"No one but you can turn me into a dish."

Cow-Horse said proudly.

"So you've come to sell Flesh again? Where are you cutting this time? Your hooves, horse intestines, or ox tongue?"

A faint smile appeared on Oink's face.

"I don't have anywhere left for you to cut. He's the one selling Flesh."

Cow-Horse pushed Liu Zheng in front of itself.

"Oh, that looks like good Flesh."

Oink propped his chin on one hand and examined him.

"A little humanity, a little deformity, and the musky stench of a black goat."

He spoke unhurriedly, like a chef appraising a fine dish.

"Have you heard the Gospel too?"

Oink suddenly asked.

"Probably."

Liu Zheng replied.

That memory was somewhat hazy, as if something had washed over it.

"Not bad. I haven't seen ingredients of your quality in a long time."

Oink nodded, looking somewhat excited.

"So, how much are you selling?"

He stared at Liu Zheng.

"What price are you offering?"

He asked.

"For Flesh of your quality, I can give you two thousand per pound."

Oink thought for a moment before answering.

"How many pounds do I have?"

Liu Zheng did not know his own weight.

"Fifteen pounds."

Oink replied.

Thirty thousand yuan—equivalent to two and a half years of his salary.

"Is that a fair price?"

Liu Zheng asked Cow-Horse.

"You should be secretly celebrating, kid. I only fetch fifteen hundred a pound."

Cow-Horse said somewhat jealously.

"Turning into an empty shell for two and a half years' salary doesn't sound worthwhile."

He shook his head.

"You can eat the Flesh back. Your restaurant employees should have plenty of opportunities like that."

Oink said.

Liu Zheng knew he meant the foods that could compensate for physical defects.

"I remember that if someone sells all their Flesh at once, the purchase price doubles, right?"

Oxhead suddenly spoke.

"That's right."

Oink nodded.

"Madness born of despair makes the Flesh firmer and gives it a more distinctive flavor."

He stuck out his grayish-white tongue and licked his pig snout.

"Then he'll sell all of it."

Cow-Horse hurriedly said.

"When did I—"

Liu Zheng was about to object when he saw Cow-Horse frantically signaling him with its eyes.

He froze for a moment, then remembered the item French Plane Tree had advanced to him.

So that's what this is. It really is a huge gamble.

Still, it could work.

"Why?"

Oink looked at Liu Zheng with interest.

"He—"

"Shut up."

Cow-Horse had just begun to speak when Oink cut it off.

Pig-headed Man slowly rose to his feet and faced them both.

A whole foreleg was skewered on the iron rod in his hand, its skin already roasted golden.

Fat continuously dripped from it, sizzling as it struck the coals.

"I was asking him."

Oink said in a deep voice.

Standing up, Pig-headed Man looked even taller, his head nearly reaching the ceiling beams.

Liu Zheng noticed an old ligature mark around his neck.

Cow-Horse shrugged and closed its mouth.

It was clear that it did not want to oppose Oink.

"Why?"

Pig-headed Man asked again.

"Because I need money, obviously."

Liu Zheng looked at him strangely.

Who would sell Flesh if they didn't need money?

"What will you do with the money?"

Oink did not get angry and continued questioning him.

"Buy Bloodstained Restaurant and make it work for me."

He pointed at Cow-Horse.

"Hey, you little—"

Cow-Horse glared and was about to hit him, but Oink's gaze stopped it.

"You've been exploited to the point of selling Flesh. Once you make money, you intend to use it to exploit others?"

There seemed to be a trace of chill in Oink's tone.

"I was bragging. It's hard enough just staying alive right now. I need some practical ambition to keep me going."

Liu Zheng said with a smile.

"Interesting. I'll take your Flesh."

Oink laughed three times, then casually tossed the iron skewer into the fireplace.

The orange flames suddenly surged, reducing the foreleg to ashes.

"What a waste."

Liu Zheng swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

He could tell that had not been a foreleg.

"Want some? Pick one."

Oink pointed at the iron pots.

"Every customer who sells all of his meat gets a bowl of soup from me."

"Now, let's see how lucky you are."