Chapter 104

"How did I end up here? I only remember Jin being stuffed into a bloated sack by the village chief, and I rushed to rescue her immediately. After that, everything’s a blur.Did I lose? Why am I still alive?" Dangling upside down, Yi Chen lowered his head to examine his body. He quickly noticed a massive hollow in his chest, where the blood had long since coagulated. "My heart!?" "Hey! Why panic? It’s just your heart being dug out. Lucky for you, as long as your brain isn’t damaged, this grape here can act as a temporary replacement." The familiar voice of Little Grape echoed, accompanied by a faint tremor from the right side of Yi Chen’s chest. Controlling the plants within his body, Yi Chen guided them toward his right chest to investigate. Little Grape had transformed into a hairy black heart-like structure, seamlessly connecting to the main blood vessels and perfectly taking over the heart's function. It even felt more powerful than his original heart, as his body felt lighter than ever. Little Grape continued: "Good thing the village chief was fast enough to deliver you here within five minutes. Any longer, and your brain would’ve suffered from oxygen deprivation and started decaying. At that point, I would’ve been forced to eat your grapes with tears in my eyes, then turn you into a controllable undead to bury yourself at Easton Cemetery." Yi Chen gently stroked the black hairy heart with the plant tendrils, as if caressing Little Grape. This action thoroughly disgusted Little Grape, who retaliated with a one-second cardiac arrest. "Whoa! Don’t mess with me! Speaking of which, if I do die, I’m counting on you to handle my burial." "Cut the crap! Your body’s about to be chopped into pieces. Figure out a way to escape already! With so many corpses hanging here, one missing probably won’t be noticed." But Yi Chen remained indifferent. "Why should I leave? Hanging here feels pretty comfortable." Realizing Yi Chen’s intent, Little Grape was visibly annoyed and snapped back: "If you keep talking to me like this, I’ll stop your heart again!" Yi Chen shrugged nonchalantly, then shifted to another important question while waiting in line for the slaughter. "Little Grape, how was my heart removed?" "So you really don’t remember the last part, huh? Besides the village chief and you, a third person was involved—the one who had been spying on you two in the forest. Likely connected to the church. That person was highly stealthy and pulled out your heart from behind." ????????ℕŏ????Êʂ "The church? If they’re involved, the one observing us must be interested in Jin. Their attitude toward me, on the other hand, was completely different; otherwise, I wouldn’t have ended up hanging here. It seems that if Jin were captured alive, they’d try to kill me outright. As for why they need Jin, it’s probably closely related to internal church matters. It’s possible that the church has been testing us since we stepped into the forest—evaluating our physical qualities, perhaps to train us as clergy members or use us as sacrifices. I’ll need to encounter someone from the church to figure out the truth. If I can kill the village chief, I might get some answers as well." While Yi Chen pondered, the pig-headed butcher approached him. With a massive hand, the butcher easily grabbed Yi Chen’s legs, lifted him off the hook, and threw him onto the blood-soaked processing table a few meters away. The butcher rotated the cleaver in his hand as he approached, his pig eyes calculating the optimal "dissection lines" based on Yi Chen’s body proportions. The cleaver was raised, aimed at Yi Chen’s abdomen, and swung downward. But just as the blade was about to land, Yi Chen’s corpse abruptly raised its left arm. His palm struck the pig-headed butcher's chin, sending visible ripples through the layers of flesh. The impact reverberated up to the butcher’s brain, causing it to slam violently against the inside of his skull. Dizzy and disoriented, the butcher staggered and almost fell. "Root Pierce!" The palm strike was merely an appetizer. From the hand pressed against the butcher’s chin, sharp roots sprouted and pierced through the pig’s mouth, stitching it shut. At the same time, a web of plants sealed the butcher’s throat and nasal passages to prevent any noise that might attract trouble. But that wasn’t all. The roots burrowed down the butcher’s throat, quickly searching for the "pathogenic core" within his body. As a top-tier induced catalyzed infected individual qualified to work here, the butcher was naturally no ordinary being. Even while suffocating and reeling from dizziness, the butcher relied on his instinctive combat senses to detect living organisms and swung his cleaver. The strike was swift, precise, and even predictive. It cut into Yi Chen’s shoulder, leaving a terrifying gash over ten centimeters deep, but the blow was ultimately stopped by the plant webbing within Yi Chen’s body. "Found it!" At this moment, the roots had already locked onto and enveloped the pathogenic tumor nestled between the gastric pouches. The glint in the butcher’s pig-like eyes dimmed rapidly, and his hefty body collapsed to the ground. Sitting on the edge of the workstation, entirely naked with a gaping wound in his chest, Yi Chen held the gash on his shoulder with a wry, self-deprecating smile. ‘Without a gentleman’s attire and weapon, my combat effectiveness drops significantly. Even resorting to such ambush tactics, I still ended up injured. If this butcher hadn’t been suffocating and dizzy, his last swing could’ve easily taken off my entire left side. Am I really so dependent on weapons and clothing? Well, I suppose this is a good chance to hone my own abilities.’ Yi Chen showed no emotional turbulence despite surviving such a close call. He calmly accepted the situation and pondered how to continue his investigation alone. One hand pressed against the wound on his shoulder as tender, thread-like buds sprouted and began to stitch the gash. The other hand touched the butcher’s neck, absorbing nutrients while also extracting information about the “Meat Factory.” This information was crucial for Yi Chen, who was trapped inside. “A factory with multiple layers of control and a sophisticated regulatory system... Trying to sneak out unnoticed seems highly unlikely. This leaves me with no other choice.” He hoisted the butcher’s corpse onto the workstation, reversing their roles. Stripping the body of all unnecessary organs and tissues, he preserved just enough of the muscular structure to craft a thick, fur-lined leather coat. Donning the skin, sewing on the pig’s head, putting on the black leather apron, and equipping the butcher’s cleaver, Yi Chen completed his disguise and even let out a few grunts for effect. Following the butcher’s residual memories, he attempted to escape the Meat Factory. The factory was vast, situated in the northern part of the village. Most of the “meat” here came from pathogenic rapid-growth patients. These patients aged quickly due to their accelerated growth rates. Typically, after completing three to five patrol missions, they would voluntarily come to the factory to fulfill their “final purpose.” The harvested meat served two primary purposes: 1. It was compressed into rations distributed to every household in the village, supplementing nutrition and enhancing reproductive efficiency. 2. It was boiled into nutrient-rich broth, easily absorbed by plants, and used to irrigate the outer tree walls. This accelerated their expansion, provided vitality, and deterred external intrusions. In short, the factory was the most vital place for the village. The village chief often came to inspect its operations, ensuring everything ran smoothly. However, recently, the chief’s visits had become infrequent, likely due to other pressing matters. Yi Chen devised three potential escape plans: Plan 1: Walk through the factory wearing the butcher’s disguise, taking the route: “Slaughterhouse → Resting Area Corridor → Production Workshop (No. 1) → Inspection Gate.” This path stretched over 1,000 meters to the factory’s main entrance. However, if stopped by higher-ranking staff or even the factory chief, Yi Chen would need to bluff his way through. If exposed, he’d have no choice but to shout worker slogans and charge through by force. Plan 2: Stay and continue the butcher’s duties, processing all the corpses and clocking out after the shift. This was the safest option but would take at least four hours. Meanwhile, the situation in the village and church was deteriorating, and Jin, who had been captured, could be in immediate danger. Plan 3: Take the route: “Slaughterhouse → Resting Area Corridor → Production Workshop (No. 2).” Workshop No. 2 handled “liquidized meat” production. According to the memories, there was a drainage channel for waste fluids leading to an underground area. However, lacking information about the underground layout, this plan involved significant uncertainty. ... Searᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Ten Minutes Later] Yi Chen, with his bloated disguise, stood at the rancid sewage outlet. The writhing, fleshy walls challenged his limits of tolerance. Gritting his teeth, he seized a gap during the workers’ shift change and leaped into the channel. If this process were to be described metaphorically, it would be akin to an obese hermit overeating alone, collapsing from gluttony, and rotting for three days. Then, a cockroach accidentally crawls into the corpse’s mouth and slides through the food-filled intestines, embarking on an unforgettable, gut-wrenching adventure. Yi Chen landed in a pit of indescribable sludge. He swam furiously toward the edge, shedding the filthy pigskin disguise as soon as he reached dry ground, suppressing his overwhelming nausea. “Finally, I’m out... oink oink~” The pig’s head remained stitched to his neck, so his voice carried an involuntary grunt. After some thought, Yi Chen decided to keep the pig’s head stitched on. First, he found it amusing and enjoyed such role-playing games. Second, if he encountered villagers or others below, he could explain that he accidentally slid down while disposing of meat slurry.