Outside the Prison, anxiety was written all over Clerk Zhao's face. He paced, wanting to enter the Prison, but turned back each time he reached the iron gate.
'By now, the Fireworkers should have been bringing back the first batch of corpses.'
But there was little he could do, so he had no choice but to wait patiently.
A moment later, dozens of Government Constables came scrambling out from behind the iron gate.
Clerk Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to berate them, he noticed they were all Black Slaves; not a single Fireworker was among them.
He strode forward, grabbed one of them, and asked, "What in the world happened in there?"
The Black Slave's legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees. His voice was hoarse. "From below… there were… screams. Qian Han went to look… All the Fireworkers are dead!"
"Where's Qian Han?!"
The Black Slaves pushed a scrawny figure forward. "Here, he's here…"
Clerk Zhao hauled him up and demanded, "Speak."
Qian Han muttered, "The human skins… they came alive. They're eating people. None of the Fireworkers who tried to get out made it."
"I understand."
Clerk Zhao turned and walked toward the Forbidden Guards, seething with fury. 'Didn't they say the aberrations in the Prison had been cleared out? How could there be so many deaths and injuries?'
But when he stood before the three Forbidden Guards and saw the cold, indifferent eyes beneath their Conical Hats, he swallowed the words he had been about to say.
The Forbidden Guard in the center spoke, his voice tinged with age. "It is not yet time to make a move. As for the dead Government Constables, their compensation in silver coins will be doubled when this is over."
"Ah… alright."
Livid, Clerk Zhao stormed away.
The Veteran Forbidden Guard waited for Clerk Zhao to walk away. Then, he turned to the Forbidden Guard beside him, his gaze chilling and his voice filled with killing intent.
"Li Yaoyang, just how many more aberrations are hidden in the Prison?"
Li Yaoyang chuckled and spread his hands. "Elder Song, how would I know…"
Before he could finish, Song Zongwu viciously punched him, knocking him to the ground. The pressure emanating from him was so immense it felt tangible.
Li Yaoyang showed no anger at all. Instead, he continued, "Elder Song, the restricted zone in the Prison was formed by the Human Skin Book. The aberrations inside have the ability to possess people."
"If something were to happen to us and the restricted zone kept expanding, there's no telling how many people in Sanxiang City would die," the Forbidden Guard holding the Longsword said. Judging by the voice, it was a woman.
Song Zongwu did not strike again. He calmed himself and asked, "So, what is the situation in the Prison right now?"
"Just a second."
Li Yaoyang sat cross-legged on the ground. A moment later, a rustling sound came from beneath the earth, and a centipede emerged.
The centipede was as large as a man's palm, its carapace a deep purple. It looked highly venomous.
Li Yaoyang gently picked up the centipede, placed it in his mouth, and swallowed it without a moment's hesitation.
"I can confirm there are three fragments of human skin remaining."
The sound of grinding bones came from Song Zongwu's body. Like a starving old wolf, he bared his teeth and snarled, "When do we make our move?"
"Patience. The face hasn't shown itself yet. It could be hiding in the cracks between the floor tiles. If we don't find the source of this aberration, we'll never be able to break through the restricted zone."
Song Zongwu's expression darkened. "Are you afraid I'll die in there?"
"Not at all. I'm just afraid you'll lose control and go on a killing spree, Elder Song."
After speaking, Li Yaoyang looked at the woman. "Miss Bai, whatever you do, don't draw your sword. We wouldn't want to harm any innocents."
"I didn't realize my Swordsmanship was that formidable."
......
An air of despair filled the Prison.
The crowd's expressions were numb. Though no one felt it was Bo Feng's fault, they didn't have the mental energy to comfort him.
They might die at any moment, becoming nothing more than dried-out husks of skin.
Ren Qing had no intention of just waiting to die. He closed his eyes, recalling the details he had seen earlier.
'Skeletons, human skins, dry straw, and a few centipedes on the walls…'
'Centipedes?!!'
'He hadn't even seen a single rat in the Prison, which meant no living creatures should be able to survive in the restricted zone. So where did the centipedes come from?'
'Ren Qing thought of the Forbidden Guards outside. Could they be spies, created by some sort of Magic Technique?'
"Human skin… human skin… human skin…"
Ren Qing muttered the words a few times. Suddenly, a thought struck him: he realized the pieces of human skin could probably be assembled into a complete one.
'Could it be that the human skin isn't complete, and that's what the Forbidden Guards are waiting for?'
'It seemed the skins weren't holding back for any reason. They were simply cornering the survivors to devour them one by one.'
Having vaguely guessed the answer, he decisively called up his Information Flow. He was just about to spend Lifespan to select a branch of the No-Eyes Technique when someone next to him cried out in alarm.
Xiaowu couldn't suppress his terror. He grabbed Ren Qing's arm. "Brother Qing, I just saw the human skins! They're still close!"
"Don't let them see you're scared."
Ren Qing narrowed his eyes. 'There's no time to advance to Repeater. The skins have already targeted me… the only real threat here…'
'The advancement process would plunge him into darkness. Even a moment's vulnerability would be exploited.'
"Remember, stay on the stairs."
Ren Qing drew a short knife that glinted coldly from his waist. He scanned every corner, guarding against a surprise attack.
The others were completely oblivious, most of them lost in a daze.
Time ticked by. Ren Qing had already eaten the pig's eye to preserve his strength, yet the human skins remained incredibly patient.
'I have to seize the initiative.'
Ren Qing closed his eyes, feigning exhaustion, and listened intently.
A human face slowly slithered out from the cracks between the wall tiles. It seemed to have caught the scent of blood and couldn't resist revealing part of its body.
Just then, Ren Qing's eyes snapped open. He locked onto the face and kicked off the ground.
He lunged with his knife, pinning the face to the wall.
The face twisted with extreme malice. The blade opened a gash, and blood oozed out.
HISSSS…
The face instantly lunged toward the crowd. Ren Qing's eyes could follow its speed, but his body couldn't quite keep up.
One Fireworker was dead before he could even react. After consuming a life, the face's wound healed.
It fixed its gaze on Ren Qing again, as the other human skins began crawling up the stairs.
The Fireworkers fled in a blind panic, and a stampede began, trampling and injuring people.
Dozens of figures thrashed about.
Ren Qing felt a chill on his arm. The face had already merged with it. But instead of absorbing his flesh and blood, it began rapidly burrowing toward his head.
"Shit."
Ren Qing stabbed himself several times with the knife, but it didn't stop it. He could feel the face had already reached his neck.
At this critical moment, the Information Flow appeared before his eyes.
[Human Skin Book]
[Created by Eunuch Huang Ling. To cultivate this method, one must be completely flayed alive, then consume a specific medicinal catalyst to regrow the skin. This must be repeated seven times to achieve mastery.]
[Can consume one year of Lifespan to master, waiving the cost.]
Ren Qing didn't even think about how much Lifespan it would cost; he immediately confirmed his choice. A tingling, numbing pain instantly spread throughout his body, growing more intense as Time passed.
When the face detected a new, familiar aura emanating from Ren Qing, it hesitated for a moment.
In that brief instant, a white-haired old man smashed through the wall and rushed in. He grabbed the face on Ren Qing's neck and tore it away.
Thankfully, the face had not yet merged with his flesh, or he would have been gravely injured.
"Everyone, back up half a meter. I am Song Zongwu."
Song Zongwu's form was like that of a Demon Fiend. Six eyes adorned his face, and an extra pair of arms sprouted from beneath his own. His entire body bulged with solid muscle.