Unprofessional Funerals, Professional Escapes

Ren Qing narrowed his eyes. He knew he couldn't have been mistaken.

No matter how dim the lamplight in the prison was, the Eye-less Method had already granted him a rudimentary ability to see in the dark.

Besides, the Human Skin had faintly left behind traces of blood.

Ren Qing signaled Li Mian and the other two to be cautious with a glance, then moved to the edge where the Fire Worker's corpse lay.

He carefully recalled—the Forbidden Guard they'd encountered earlier had been clutching a piece of Human Skin in his hand. The two were definitely connected.

That meant there was likely more than one living piece of Human Skin in the prison.

Ren Qing dared not indulge in even a shred of wishful thinking. His eyes kept shifting, using the motion to survey his surroundings.

After a brief moment of panic, the group began handling the corpse with practiced skill.

They took out the needles and thread they carried on them and sewed shut the corpse's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. It was said this could suppress the resentment born from a violent death.

Ren Qing felt utterly unprofessional. He had no idea what taboos existed.

"Ma!!!"

One Fire Worker couldn't help but cry out in alarm. He'd just tried to lift the corpse when he discovered that touching its skin caused it to slough off like tofu.

And beneath the skin, what emerged was stark white bone. The flesh had vanished without a trace.

The earlier rumors in the prison had already stirred everyone's nerves. Now, seeing a corpse with such a bizarre manner of death, fear took hold of them all.

A few of the younger Fire Workers even began to sob quietly, and the scene descended into chaos.

Just then, a Fire Worker in leather armor stepped forward, cursing under his breath.

"The sooner we move the bodies out, the sooner we can leave. You all understand that much, don't you?"

Though the Fire Workers all had their faces covered with headscarves, Ren Qing recognized the voice—it was the middle-aged Fire Worker from the Council Chamber earlier.

He hadn't expected this man, a supervisor, to personally venture into the Forbidden Zone.

The crowd quieted down. The middle-aged Fire Worker spoke in a loud voice: "This Humble One is Bo Feng. You've probably heard my name more or less."

Ren Qing was taken aback. Even someone as cut off from news as he was knew of Bo Feng. It was said that very few of the Fire Workers under his command ever died.

And he liked to handle things himself, standing out among the Yamen's supervisors.

Bo Feng let out a mouthful of turbid breath, then continued shouting: "If you want to get back alive, calm down and listen to me."

"Now, everyone tie the Red String."

The group seemed to find their anchor. They took out Red Strings, tied them to the corpse's limbs, and then lifted it steadily.

Some of the Fire Workers were clumsy in their technique, likely only taught right before departure.

Ren Qing and his three companions didn't even have Red Strings prepared. Surrounded by these professional funeral handlers, they felt distinctly out of place.

Seeing this, Bo Feng walked over and handed Ren Qing a few Red Strings.

"Do you know how to tie them? Do you need me to—"

"No need. Thank you."

Before he could finish, Ren Qing had already bound the corpse's limbs, relying on the observational power granted by the Eye-less Method.

Bo Feng nodded slightly and went to help other Fire Workers.

Ren Qing and his three quickly got the hang of carrying the corpse. The others were making their own preparations, and nothing happened in the meantime.

To prevent accidents, they usually worked in groups of five—four carrying the corpse, with one person ready to take over at any moment.

But this naturally slowed things down considerably. It would take at least three round trips to move all the bodies outside.

Ren Qing declined Bo Feng's offer to temporarily reassign some hands. He didn't want to expose the strangeness of his eyes in front of outsiders.

He said to Xiao Wu and the other two: "When we're carrying the corpse later, no matter what sound you hear, don't turn around."

"Got it, Constable."

"And one more thing..."

Ren Qing swept his gaze over them with a serious look: "Unlike the groups of five, there are only four of us. If one person has a problem, the rest of us die."

"Keep your spirits up. Understood?"

Xiao Wu and the other two answered in unison: "Understood."

Once all the Fire Workers were ready, Bo Feng led the way toward the exit, with the others spaced half a meter apart.

Ren Qing's position was near the edge, theoretically more dangerous, but it allowed him to take in the whole scene.

As they moved slowly, he noticed that besides the Human Skin, there seemed to be a few crawling insects in the hidden corners of the prison.

Ren Qing glanced at them but didn't dwell on it, focusing instead on keeping the corpse balanced.

Heavy footsteps echoed continuously.

What should have been only a few minutes' walk now felt, in their eyes, like it would take years. Every step was filled with dread.

Fortunately, they made it through without incident. The Stairway Entrance leading to the upper level was not far ahead.

Just then, a group of five quickened their pace, breaking away from the line in an attempt to enter the staircase first.

Bo Feng couldn't help cursing under his breath—any action in the Forbidden Zone was fraught with risk, and one move could set off a chain reaction.

Those five had clearly coordinated, but when they sped up, their individual footfalls fell out of sync, causing the corpse to stumble.

Just that tiny disturbance was enough to make the corpse's entire Human Skin slough off, and a skeleton clattered to the ground, making no small noise.

Like dominoes, the group collided into one another, even tearing each other's clothes and exposing bare skin.

Ren Qing's eyes went wide—he distinctly sensed several afterimages flickering nearby.

Then, before anyone else could react, the five who had broken away from the group all collapsed at once, their deaths identical to the Fire Worker at the Stairway Entrance.

The Human Skins, having tasted blood, clearly had no intention of letting the remaining Fire Workers go. They hugged the ground, crawling swiftly and stealthily.

Seeing this, Ren Qing gritted his teeth and whispered a warning: "Slow your pace. Move three meters to the left."

Xiao Wu and the other two didn't hesitate for a second, following Ren Qing's lead to dodge an incoming Human Skin. The few people near them weren't so lucky.

"Three meters to the right."

"Five meters, front-left."

Ren Qing directed them calmly, making them look like headless flies wandering the prison cell, but every step was a heart-stopping gamble.

The Fire Workers scattered in panic, trying to use their numbers to break free.

But as soon as a Human Skin touched a living person, it burrowed into their body, and within a few breaths, all their flesh and blood was gone.

Ren Qing couldn't help the tears streaming down his face; his eyes stung with a burning pain.

He noticed the Human Skins were subtly forming an encirclement, the only gap pointing toward the stairs leading to the third floor.

"Drop the corpse!"

The four of them let go at once, and then Ren Qing shouted at the top of his lungs: "The only way out is the Third Underground Floor. If you want to live, follow me."

Ren Qing turned and charged ahead with Xiao Wu and the other two.

The rest saw this and copied him, wishing they could sprout five legs.

Ren Qing wasn't just trying to save people—if only the four of them broke out, they'd be too obvious a target.

Once Ren Qing entered the Stairway Entrance, he noticed the Human Skins seemed wary and made no move to follow.

"We're safe here for now. Rest a bit."

Ren Qing swallowed several Pig Eyes in quick succession before the weakness subsided.

People trickled into the stairwell, twenty or thirty in total, sitting on the ground in a daze, not yet recovered from the shock.

Ren Qing counted—of the original hundred, fewer than forty remained. That said it all.

Bo Feng had reacted in time and survived, but he lay half-propped on the ground, his eyes vacant.