The two players didn’t know what they were supposed to do and were dragged out without much resistance.
In the end, the middle-aged woman chose three men and three
women, totaling six people.
The three women were wearing the same clothes, and the three
men were also wearing identical outfits.
Zhu Shuangshuang said, “We are all wearing matching clothes.
Is this clothing a symbol of identity?”
To be honest, the clothes were quite nice, especially the
wide belt, which made the waist look slim and the legs long. The overall
appearance was tall and thin.
The boss had a good eye for choosing people. The six
individuals had harmonious proportions in terms of weight, height, and body
shape. Standing on the platform on the lake, they were very pleasing to the
eye.
“It must be a symbol of identity or a low-class identity that
can be bought and sold,” Su Wangsheng said.
Ning Su replied, “No, I am not low-class. I am good-looking,
and they all want to have me.”
“...”
The players were all watching the people outside.
After entering Furen County, they were confused all along,
wanting to see what they were supposed to do.
The boss asked the middle-aged woman, “Do you want us to
help?”
After thinking for a moment, the middle-aged woman said, “You
guys have good skills. You can handle it. Just make sure they are fresh and
alive the day after tomorrow.”
The boss said confidently, “Don’t worry, our techniques in
Furen County are among the best. We guarantee a minimum of seven days, and the
day after tomorrow is the peak time.”
The water prison suddenly became quiet.
If the words before were still somewhat unclear, the terms
“fresh and alive” and “the day after tomorrow” were probably understood by them
to some extent.
The two players who were dragged out immediately became nervous,
looking around with a guarded expression.
In this vast courtyard, apart from the four large water
prisons capable of holding thousands of people, there was also a warehouse next
to the artificial mountain.
That building was different from the water prisons they were
in. It was a sealed, lightless warehouse with only a small, closed window.
The boss clapped his hands, and several strong men in white
clothes rushed out of the room to grab the six people.
The other four people were numb and obediently dragged away,
but the two players resisted. They realized the danger and struggled
desperately.
Whether numb or struggling, the people in the front who had
experienced the water prison seemed accustomed to it and watched calmly.
The boss and his men were prepared for this. When the female
player was about to grab a weapon, a long knife suddenly appeared and severed
her foot.
The long knife was in the hands of one of the white-clothed
men. Before several players could react, it effortlessly sliced through the female
player’s ankle bone as if cutting through tofu.
As the female player lost her feet and her body was about to
topple, a piercing scream echoed through the courtyard.
Then, the sound of a “plunk” replaced by a splash into the
lake.
The lake water was clear, and her writhing figure in pain at
the bottom of the lake was clearly visible to every player. Her screams became
muffled underwater.
The bright red blood diffused in the clear lake water,
resembling the gradually fading red glow on the horizon.
The middle-aged woman shouted, “Oh dear! Bring her up
quickly. So much blood wasted!”
She only cared about the waste of blood, not about a life
lost or a person disabled without legs.
The white-clothed man immediately lifted her from the lake
bottom and half-dragged, half-carried her towards the warehouse.
Blood and water dripped from her body, and she kept
convulsing in the man’s grasp, unsure whether it was from pain or cold.
The other male player dared not struggle anymore and was
stiffly taken to the dark and mysterious warehouse for unknown purposes.
There was silence in the fourth water prison.
In the game base, there were players like Ning Su and Zhu
Shuangshuang, Su Wangsheng, who, in a dazed state, entered a newly opened
secondary dungeon for the first time. However, there was definitely no newcomer
who would dare to enter a level 5 dungeon for their first time.
The players here were all experienced players, or at least
they considered themselves to be fairly strong. Each time they entered a
dungeon, their bodies and minds would be tempered. Most of the players here had
robust bodies and quick reflexes.
Suddenly, without anyone expecting it, someone’s feet were
cut off like tofu.
Although they all knew that they shouldn’t resist the NPCs
unless absolutely necessary, the fact that an ordinary NPC was so powerful made
the players more serious.
The door of the warehouse was closed, and they had no idea
what would happen inside. However, based on the scene just now, it was certain
that something bloody was about to occur.
Zhu Shuangshuang asked, “What do they want to do with us?”
Su Wangsheng replied, “When we were outside the city gate,
the person in gray said they could only attack the lower legs. Just now, the
person in white severed the ankle of that female player, and the boss seems to
care a lot about our faces and bodies.”
Fang Qi added, “Our lower legs and feet are not important;
they can be cut off at will. But the upper body is important, especially the
face.”
Zhu Shuangshuang pondered and listed the strange words they
encountered along the way. “Soil, grade, flower arrangement, freshness, and
blooming period. Feet are not important, the face is important.”
Ning Su suddenly made a sound of realization.
The three of them looked at him, about to ask what he had
figured out, when suddenly they heard a series of miserable screams coming from
the warehouse.
One after another, the wailing echoed through every corner of
the courtyard, filled with despair, hoarseness, and agony.
The warehouse seemed like a hellish place, where some kind of
torture was taking place.
Just the horrifying cries were enough to send shivers down
the players’ spines, making their expressions grave and serious.
Meanwhile, the people in the third water prison ahead
remained calm, as if they had become accustomed to it. Even those crying in the
corner showed no significant emotional fluctuations.
The players stared intensely at the warehouse, listening to
one agonizing scream after another, unable to remain as composed as before.
They had only been in this instance for less than an hour,
and already two players were on the verge of death.
The boss must be involved in trading them, and people would
come to select them from time to time. No one knew when it would be their turn.
Zhu Shuangshuang remarked, “They don’t see us as humans at
all, treating us like livestock.”
Su Wangsheng: “Hmm.”
Fang Qi stared blankly at the small warehouse, not knowing
what he was thinking. He said, “They are torturing them.”
Indeed, if they were going to kill those six people, there
would only be six screams, and it wouldn’t have lasted until now.
Su Wangsheng said, “They won’t kill them. That woman
mentioned wanting them fresh, and the boss said they are very skilled in
keeping them ‘fresh’.”
What kind of skills were they talking about?
It’s unbearable to have this feeling of not being able to
see, only guessing from the screams. The more one imagined, the more terrifying
it became. It’s even more frightening to think that they might have to go
through the same thing.
It wasn’t until nightfall that the screams from inside
stopped.
A black sedan was carried into the warehouse, and shortly
after, the sedan came out again with the boss and the middle-aged woman
following behind.
Many players had good hearing and could hear what they were
saying.
Middle-aged woman: “Boss Qi, you have to guarantee that they
will still be fresh the day after tomorrow.”
Boss: “Rest assured, we all know. It needs to ferment a bit
to be at its best, and the day after tomorrow is perfect.”
The middle-aged woman expressed satisfaction. “I knew I could
count on you. I’ll come again next time, so make sure to keep some good
products for me.”
As she said that, she glanced over in this direction.
Ning Su: “...”
He didn’t want to get involved with wealthy women.
After the woman left, the sedan also departed.
As they left, a gust of night wind blew, lifting the thin
black veil of the sedan curtain. In the dim red light of the lantern at the
door, a glimpse could be caught of something large and white inside, gleaming
with a gentle porcelain shine.
The other details remained hidden in the darkness, unable to
be glimpsed.
The black sedan curtain fell, and the red runes on it
appeared eerie in the dark night. At first glance, they seemed like ancient
symbols, invoking a sense of mystery. Staring at them for too long would cause
a physiological discomfort, inexplicably leaving one unable to explain the
reason behind it.
Ning Su lowered his head and looked at the red belt around
his waist. The black runes on the tightly bound red belt were the same.
After the boss saw off the guests, someone came to bring them
food.
The boss didn’t have any intention of mistreating them. He
kept them locked in this water prison with a beautiful view outside and
personally brought them food. He even brought a box of ointment for Fang Qi.
“Apply it on the scars on your face and see if it can fade
away. Otherwise, you’ll be in a miserable state in a few days.”
Everyone had a wooden box containing food, except for Ning Su
and Ning Changfeng.
Ning Su leaned forward and asked, “Boss Qi, where’s my meal?”
“Don’t worry,” the boss was particularly kind to him and
smiled, saying, “You have something better.”
Ning Su’s eyes brightened, and he looked at the boss with a
smile.
The boss took out an exquisite porcelain bowl from the food
container held by the servant and placed it in the young man’s outstretched
hands with a smile.
His slightly curved peach blossom eyes widened.
Such a large and beautiful bowl, yet it only contained a bowl
of water.
Even if it was water as enchanting as the shimmering
moonlight.
No matter how beautiful it was, it was still just a bowl of
water!
The boss patted his head and said, “Drink up quickly.
Drinking it will make you even more beautiful.”
Retracting his hand, the boss’ smile became even more
satisfied. The world’s top beauties had no flaws, and even their hair was
superior.
Ning Su didn’t want to become beautiful; he just wanted to
eat well.
Ning Su felt like he had been deceived by Ah Fei. This was
definitely not a good instance.
He listlessly drank a bowl of green water. Thankfully, it
tasted sweet, but it still couldn’t uplift his spirits.
He squatted in the corner, feeling dejected at the thought of
having 50 more days to go on like this.
Zhu Shuangshuang approached to tease him and engage in
conversation.
Su Wangsheng also came over, knowing well that this guy would
only make a sound if provoked. He directly asked him, “When we were discussing
earlier, did you think of something?”
Ning Su responded, “When was that?”
“It was when Shuangshuang mentioned those words, and you made
a sound.”
“I remember,” Zhu Shuangshuang said. “I was talking about
soil, grade, flower arrangement, freshness, and blooming period.”
Ning Su said, “This instance is called ‘Flower Servant,’ and
the system also mentioned the Flower God. Try replacing the [花]
(flower) in your words with [人] (person).”
Zhu Shuangshuang paused for a moment and said, “Soil, grade,
flower arrangement, freshness, blooming period...”
The surrounding people were stunned.
With this change, everything felt harmonious.
Zhu Shuangshuang’s previous statement had another half: “Feet
don’t matter, face matters the most.”
Those six individuals finally began to understand why they
were brought here. By comparing it to a flower arrangement, replacing flower
heads with human heads made it clear.
They now understood the meaning of “人束“ (human arrangement),
comparing it to a flower arrangement. They also understood “blooming period.”
“Freshness” was now clear to them.
They even began to grasp the meaning of “starting in seven
days.”
“Fermentation” seemed to make some sense as well.
The more they understood, the colder their hearts became.
What kind of beautiful and peaceful world was this, for
heaven’s sake?
Thanks for the update
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