Ren Qing narrowed his eyes. He knew he could not have seen wrong.
No matter how dim the prison lights were, the Eye-less Method had already given him rudimentary night vision.
Besides, the Human Skin had faint bloodstains on it as well.
Ren Qing signaled for Li Mian and the other two to be careful, then headed toward a Fire Worker's corpse near the edge.
He carefully recalled that the Forbidden Guard they had encountered before had been clutching Human Skin. The two were definitely connected.
That meant there was likely more than one living piece of Human Skin in the prison.
Ren Qing did not dare harbor the slightest luck. His eyes kept shifting as he observed the surroundings.
After a brief bout of panic, the group began handling the corpses with practiced skill.
They took out the needles and thread they carried and stitched shut the corpses' eyes, ears, mouths, and noses. Supposedly, this could suppress the resentment born from a tragic death.
Ren Qing felt thoroughly unprofessional. He did not know what taboos there were at all.
"Mother of—!!!"
A Fire Worker could not help crying out. Just as he tried to lift a corpse, he discovered that the moment he touched its skin, it fell away like tofu.
Beneath the skin were stark white bones. The flesh and blood had vanished without a trace.
The earlier rumors in the cells had already left everyone on edge. Now that they had seen corpses in such bizarre states, fear rose in every heart.
A few of the younger Fire Workers even began to sob quietly, and the scene descended into complete chaos.
Just then, a Fire Worker in leather armor stepped forward, cursing under his breath.
"Get the bodies out sooner, and we can leave sooner. You understand that much, don't you?"
Though all the Fire Workers had their faces covered with headscarves, Ren Qing recognized the man from his voice. He was the middle-aged Fire Worker from the Council Chamber.
He had not expected this man, a manager, to personally enter the Forbidden Zone and brave the danger.
The crowd quieted down. The middle-aged Fire Worker said loudly, "My name is Bo Feng. You should have heard my name, more or less."
Ren Qing froze. Even someone as cut off from information as him knew of Bo Feng. It was said that few Fire Workers under him died.
Moreover, he liked to handle matters personally, standing out like a lone peak among the Yamen's managers.
Bo Feng exhaled a breath of foul air, then continued shouting, "If you want to return alive, calm down and listen to me."
"Now, tie Red String onto them."
It was as if the crowd had found its backbone. They took out Red String and tied it around the corpses' limbs, then lifted them steadily.
Some of the Fire Workers were rather clumsy with it. They had likely only been taught before setting out.
Only Ren Qing's group of four had not even prepared Red String. Amid these professional funeral workers, they felt utterly out of place.
Seeing this, Bo Feng walked over and handed Ren Qing several lengths of Red String.
"Do you know how to tie it? Do you need me to—"
"No need. Thank you."
Before Bo Feng could finish, Ren Qing had already used the enhanced observation granted by the Eye-less Method to tie up the corpse's limbs.
Bo Feng nodded slightly, then went to help the other Fire Workers.
Ren Qing's group of four quickly adapted to the techniques of carrying corpses. The others were making their preparations as well, and nothing happened in the meantime.
To prevent accidents, they usually formed groups of five. Four carried the corpse, while the remaining one stood ready to take over at any time.
However, this naturally reduced their efficiency greatly. They would probably need to make at least three trips to carry all the corpses outside.
Ren Qing politely declined Bo Feng's offer to temporarily assign him more hands. He did not want to expose the abnormality of his eyes before outsiders.
He said to Xiao Wu and the other two, "When we carry the corpse later, no matter what sound you hear, do not turn around."
"Understood, officer."
"And..."
Ren Qing swept his stern gaze over them. "Unlike the five-man groups, we only have four people. If one of us has a problem, the rest will all die."
"Keep your spirits up. Do you hear me?"
Xiao Wu and the other two answered in unison, "We hear you."
Once all the Fire Workers had finished preparing, Bo Feng led them toward the exit, with the others spaced half a meter apart.
Ren Qing's position was close to the outer edge. In theory, it was more dangerous, but it allowed him to survey the entire situation.
As they walked slowly, he noticed that besides the Human Skin, there seemed to be several insects lurking in hidden corners of the prison.
Ren Qing glanced at them without paying much attention, focusing instead on keeping the corpse balanced.
Heavy footsteps echoed without end.
What had originally been only a few minutes' walk now seemed as though it would take years. Every step was filled with trembling dread.
Fortunately, there was danger but no disaster. The stairway leading upward was not far ahead.
At that moment, five people quickened their pace and broke away from the group, trying to enter the stairway first.
Bo Feng could not help cursing under his breath. Any action in the Forbidden Zone was fraught with risk, and one tug could move the whole body.
The five had clearly discussed it beforehand, but after speeding up, their paces did not match, causing the corpse to stagger.
At such a tiny disturbance, the corpse's entire Human Skin fell away. A skeleton crashed to the ground, making no small amount of noise.
Like dominoes, the line collided with itself. Some even tore their clothes, exposing their skin.
Ren Qing's eyes widened. He clearly sensed multiple afterimages darting past nearby.
Then, before the others could react, the five who had broken formation fell to the ground at once, their deaths identical to that Fire Worker by the stairs.
Having seen blood, the Human Skin clearly had no intention of sparing the remaining Fire Workers. It clung to the ground and crawled swiftly through concealment.
Ren Qing gritted his teeth and quietly warned, "Slow your steps. Move three meters left."
Xiao Wu and the other two did not hesitate in the slightest. Working with Ren Qing, they dodged an incoming piece of Human Skin, while several people near them met with terrible misfortune.
"Three meters right."
"Five meters to the front left."
Ren Qing directed them calmly. They looked like headless flies circling the prison, but every step was fraught with peril.
The Fire Workers scattered in panic, hoping to escape alive through sheer numbers.
But the moment Human Skin touched a living person, it burrowed into their body. Within a few breaths, all the flesh and blood would be gone.
Ren Qing could not help shedding tears. His eyes burned with searing pain.
He discovered that the Human Skin was deliberately or inadvertently forming an encirclement. The only gap lay in the direction of the stairs leading to the Third Underground Floor.
"Drop the corpse!!"
The four released their grips at once, then heard Ren Qing roar, "The only way to live is on the Third Underground Floor! If you want to survive, come with me!"
Ren Qing turned and rushed over with Xiao Wu and the other two.
The others immediately followed suit, wishing they could grow five more legs.
Ren Qing was not simply trying to save people. If only the four of them broke through, they would be far too conspicuous targets.
After entering the stairway, Ren Qing noticed that the Human Skin seemed wary of it and had no intention of following.
"It's safe here. Rest for a while."
Ren Qing swallowed several Pig Eyes in succession before suppressing his weakness.
Twenty or thirty people gradually poured into the stairway. They had yet to recover from the shock and sat on the ground at a loss.
Ren Qing counted them. Out of a hundred people, fewer than forty remained. The carnage was plain to see.
Bo Feng had reacted quickly enough to survive. He lay half-reclined on the ground, his eyes vacant.
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