The Cthulhu-like murky ghost sequence formula went down his throat.
It traveled down his throat into his abdomen.
The pungent and foul stench couldn't be alleviated even after being chilled.
If he hadn't prepared himself mentally beforehand...
...and especially if he hadn't fasted for the entire day.
He would certainly be vomiting all over the floor now. But even with preparation, Jiang Jiuguo still felt nauseous, wanting to throw up bile.
Other than that...
There were no other sensations, just nausea; no other bodily changes or feelings at all.
But Jiang Jiuguo's expression was solemn.
Yesterday, Zhou Fengchun had guided him on the changes after consuming the ghost sequence formula. The first transformation doesn't start immediately upon consumption.
It takes some time to take effect.
Ten seconds.
Half a minute.
A minute passed quickly.
Jiang Jiuguo found a comfortable spot in the room to sit down, quietly waiting for the arrival of the first transformation after taking the ghost sequence formula.
Accompanied by the ticking of the electronic clock.
[00:04]
It's here!
Jiang Jiuguo, who had been waiting calmly, suddenly turned flush.
"Argh!!!!"
A heart-wrenching scream.
Jiang Jiuguo felt as if his entire body had been doused in gasoline and set ablaze at this moment.
Instantly.
Intense burning sensations wracked his entire body, stinging every part of his mind and soul, like water snakes slithering through him, occupying every cell.
"Argh!!!!!"
Jiang Jiuguo's screams echoed in the ears of No. 35 and Zhou Fengchun.
At the same time, in their sight...
Not only was Jiang Jiuguo's face flushed, but the skin across his entire body was turning red. His blood vessels looked like they were about to burst, bulging redly; blood could be seen flowing and rolling through the vessels with the naked eye.
At this moment.
According to the pain scale used by silly netizens online...
Level 1 is the pain of a mosquito bite.
Level 10 is the pain of a finger being severed.
Level 12 is the pain of childbirth.
Jiang Jiuguo was certain.
His current pain had reached level 12.
And it was everywhere—from his chest and back to the gaps under his fingernails—it felt as if every single part of him was giving birth.
In just the span of a single breath.
It went from level 1 to level 12.
He desperately wanted to pass out from the pain so he could endure it while unconscious.
But... he couldn't pass out.
Jiang Jiuguo was more lucid than ever before.
This was the effect of the ghost sequence formula. Right now, his body and soul no longer belonged to him; controlled by the effects of the ghost sequence formula, he couldn't lose consciousness, and the pain wouldn't stop.
The creaking sound of twisting bones...
...echoed in the room.
Jiang Jiuguo was contorted in a bizarre posture from the pain, his hands twisted backward like a metal clothes hanger being bent at will.
His neck turned more than 180 degrees.
The arc of the rotation had already exceeded the limits of a normal human.
Under normal circumstances...
For any normal person...
Jiang Jiuguo would have long since snapped his own neck and died, but a bizarre scene was unfolding.
He wasn't dead.
He was still breathing, still screaming.
As time passed...
Including his neck, his entire body continued to twist into eerie angles, just like a Mutated Species.
It was as if his limbs, head, and other body parts didn't belong to him.
Each seemed to have its own mind, acting independently; the left hand wanted to turn left, the right hand wanted to flip over, the right foot wanted to fold... Crack, crack went the sound of shattering bones.
Every time it sounded...
Jiang Jiuguo couldn't help but scream.
He also couldn't control his body to stop twisting.
His mind was exceptionally sharp, clearly feeling the pain from the contortions and the bizarre level 12 pain throughout his being.
The pain and twisting lasted for a full hour.
The symptoms finally eased somewhat.
Jiang Jiuguo gasped for air, sweat having unknowingly soaked his entire body.
He didn't know how pathetic he looked right now.
But he understood one thing: he could now personally empathize with how much pain Zhou Fengchun had been in during his transformation.
No wonder he didn't want to go through it again.
Imagine having your limbs and neck snapped over and over again while enduring level 12 pain... for a whole hour.
Who would want to experience that?
However... just as Jiang Jiuguo thought the first transformation from the ghost sequence formula was over...
Even...
No. 35 and Zhou Fengchun thought so too, and the door was opened.
"Hmm?"
Zhou Fengchun's sallow and haggard face froze: "Jiang Jiuguo seems a bit off."
No. 35 also noticed this.
"Don't... don't come over," Jiang Jiuguo spoke while enduring the agony.
As the person involved, he was the first to notice the changes in himself.
The twisting had stopped.
But the burning pain on his body continued, and the level 12 pain was even intensifying.
His previously red, blood-colored skin...
...now looked as if it were truly being set on fire.
His skin visibly tore open, and the flesh curled upward.
"Argh!!!! ————"
In less than three or four seconds...
Jiang Jiuguo's skin was shredded and his flesh mangled; blood stained the spot where he sat and soaked his entire body.
That bloody, mangled mess... if not for his faint breathing, any doctor would have declared him beyond saving and told the family to start preparing for the funeral.
"This... which Ghost Sequence does the fourth ghost sequence keystone contain?"
Seeing Jiang Jiuguo's miserable state, Zhou Fengchun subconsciously stepped back.
He had gone through the first transformation himself and seen his 'roommate's' first transformation, but never had one been so horrific.
This kind of transformation...
...should only appear after at least the seventh or eighth time.
No. 35 didn't say a word, pulling Zhou Fengchun out of the room.
His brow furrowed deeply.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"It seems the ghost sequence cornerstone we obtained this time contains something extraordinary."
He shook his head as he spoke and took out his phone to dial a number.
Before long, the call was connected.
"What is it, No. 35?"
"The first compatible subject for the fourth ghost sequence keystone has likely failed the transformation. The initial conversion situation exceeded expectations."
No. 35 paused.
He looked into the room.
There wasn't a single patch of intact skin or flesh on Jiang Jiuguo's body; only one eyeball was still faintly moving, as if it might stop at any second.
He then said.
"The condition of the first compatible subject for the fourth ghost sequence keystone is currently dire."
"The transformation situation is on a completely different level compared to ghost sequence cornerstones containing 'ghost sequence no. 21—Ghost Inviting Man' or 'ghost sequence no. 35—Ghost Blinding Eye'."
Zhou Fengchun, standing nearby, could clearly sense...
...the silence on the other end of the phone after No. 35 spoke.
A moment later.
A voice came through.
"Is the first transformation that difficult?"
"Yes," No. 35 said directly. "The first transformation is equivalent to the sixth transformation of 'Ghost Inviting Man' or the seventh transformation of 'Ghost Bewitching Eye'."
"The fourth ghost sequence keystone is not suitable for use on the people we've captured. Even someone with a resilient fate wouldn't be able to withstand it."
As he spoke, No. 35's stoic face became solemn.
"I suggest no longer using it for compatibility testing on captured subjects," he said.
There was another silence on the other end.
After a moment.
The voice on the phone said slowly.
"Fine, I understand. Continue to observe the condition of the first compatible subject for the fourth ghost sequence keystone and give me a detailed report afterward. I will consider your suggestion."
...