Chapter 83

Street District - Upper AreaIn an area with well-planned streets, straight roads, and various signposts lies the [Temporary Residential Area]. Every gentleman who arrives in Zion is granted one year of free accommodation. (If enrolled in the Alfarostik Academy, the free accommodation period is extended during the boarding period.) After the first year, monthly rent is required. Initially, the rent is very affordable. If the resident completes one task per month, the rent remains unchanged. However, if a task is missed in any given month, the rent increases by 30%, with no upper limit. Due to a recent dormitory altercation, Jin is currently living alone. He pulls out a long, rectangular key and inserts it into the lock. The door, located in the most secluded corner on the top floor, swings open, and a strange stench immediately wafts out. The source of the smell isn’t just from neglecting hygiene—it’s more like someone had died inside. And not just recently, but days ago. "I’ve been out lately, almost a week since I last came back. The smell’s a bit strong, but don’t mind it," Jin said casually. "Mm." Upon detecting the foul odor, Yi Chen instinctively lined his nasal passages with a plant-based filter. The apartment is a unit, and the “interior design” seems to reflect Jin’s personality to some extent. The walls, ceiling, and even the floors of the living room are painted with plain white paint. A mattress that should belong in the bedroom is carelessly tossed into a corner of the living room. There are no bedsheets, blankets, or pillows on it. Aside from this mattress, the entire living room is barren. Judging by the faint humanoid imprint on the mattress, Jin likely sleeps here regularly. "Jin, doesn’t the place where you train have accommodations?" Yi Chen asked. "It does, but the space is small and shared with a bunch of boring people. I don’t enjoy that. Of course, you’re an exception. Why don’t you leave that rundown school of yours and move in with me?" Yi Chen quickly surveyed the bleak environment before him. "I still have a lot to do at the academy. Plus, there’s a specialized mentor for physical training. For now, I’ll stay where I am." "Such a pity~ Come on, let me show you my workshop." Following Jin’s direction, Yi Chen’s eyes landed on the bedroom door, which was tightly shut. The foul odor seemed to be seeping through the gap beneath the door. The wooden door had been replaced with a high-security metal one. Jin retrieved another key and unlocked it, revealing a scene that made one feel uneasy. The bedroom, originally meant for rest, had been converted into a special refining room. The source of the stench was a large black cauldron that had been boiling its contents for an entire week. The substances inside had already turned into a thick meat paste. Additionally, there was a peculiar piece of machinery resembling a hybrid of a meat grinder and a compressor. Powered by electricity, it appeared capable of turning imitation meat into "compressed meat cubes." A large workbench stood nearby, equipped with measuring rulers, though its exact purpose remained unclear. "Been boiling for a week? The consistency looks just about right," Jin remarked. With practiced ease, he attached a suction tube to the cauldron, extracting the meat paste for filtration and centrifugation. he discarded the remaining waste and carefully collected the purified liquid into samples, which he then stored inside his outfit and backpack as elegantly crafted meat-based injection syringes. "Isn’t this something only you could use?" Yi Chen asked. "Of course. Aside from a few secret potions, I’m not interested in the potions available on the market. These homemade meat syringes allow me to kill efficiently, earn more money, buy more meat, and make more syringes." "Is your profession related to meat?" When Yi Chen posed this question, Jin instantly closed the gap between them with a swift step, pinning him against the bedroom door. "So, you’re curious after all~ Want to see my profession emblem? I think I mentioned before—it’s hidden somewhere deep. If you show me yours, I’ll show you mine. How about it?" This time, Yi Chen didn’t outright refuse. Instead, he pointed to the back of his head. "My emblem is here, inside. Profession: [Student]." "A emblem engraved in the brain? Wow, I’d love to open it up and take a look... My emblem is here," Jin said, gesturing— The golden-masked figure slightly lifted their seven-colored mask, revealing a sharp, fair chin and soft, pale pink lips. Their lips parted, and an abnormally long, curled tongue extended outward... When the curled tongue fully unfurled, a sigil was revealed, branded deep at the hidden base of the tongue. The sigil was a diagram of a human body in perfect proportion, detailed to the point that even the muscles and blood vessels could withstand scrutiny. The tongue retracted. The mask was adjusted back in place. "Did you see it? My profession is called [Human Weapon Artisan], perfectly aligned with my pathogenic characteristics. As far as I know, I’m the only one with this profession in the organization right now. According to my instructor, there was someone decades ago, but they were executed by the organization for committing a heinous crime." "Human Weapon Artisan." Yi Chen silently repeated this peculiar term in his mind, sensing the inherent aggression and danger it conveyed. "The last mission consumed quite a lot of my syringes and flesh fragments, and I still didn’t manage to collect a 'patient body' that met my expectations. I’ve yet to create a long-term weapon I’m satisfied with—it’s incredibly frustrating. Oh, by the way! William, I saw you walking around the lower streets earlier. Were you heading to the Gentlemen’s Hall to pick up a mission? I happen to have some free time right now. Why don’t we team up and pick out a particularly unique mission?" "A unique mission?" "Exactly—the kind that obviously seems off and could very well lead to death. If we’re lucky, we might encounter some unexpected pathogenic phenomena. That would be quite interesting, wouldn’t it?" Under normal circumstances, Yi Chen would have declined. But today, for some reason— perhaps due to the excitement from new weaponry, perhaps because of the relentless coaxing from the Little Grape inside him, or perhaps due to a certain instinct within him gradually surfacing— he said, "Let’s first take a look and see if there are any suitable missions." "Wait a moment. Since I don’t yet have a long-term weapon, I need to prepare as many temporary weapons as possible." Searᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With that, Jin began processing the synthetic flesh he had just purchased. He grouped them into sets of ten, fed them into a meat grinder, compressed them, and shaped them into cube-sized "compressed meat chunks," which he then stored in a specially designed metal box. When needed, a press of the metal box’s button would eject a chunk directly. "Alright, let’s go." Jin adjusted his flamboyant suit. It was entirely different from the initial attire he had worn upon entering the city, which had been haphazardly splattered with various paints. The suit, custom-made by Mr. Ivan, featured a multi-colored pattern. Although equally ostentatious, its seemingly chaotic design exuded a subtle sense of cohesion. Moreover, it appeared that Jin’s suit had undergone numerous "upgrades," now containing a notably high amount of skin materials. As they walked through the streets, Yi Chen quickly noticed that their path seemed slightly off. "Aren’t we going to the Gentlemen’s Hall?" "What’s the point of that? Those babysitter-level newbie missions are too boring. Let me take you to a better place. At our location, they occasionally offer some unique missions. Let’s try our luck." "Alright." Yi Chen didn’t refuse. He understood what Jin meant by "our location." He was genuinely curious about the unit Jin belonged to and eager to see the secret facility dedicated to cultivating "Black Letter" candidates— a greenhouse for executioners.