Chapter 172: Flesh Chunks
Recently, the flow of guests has been stable, and Lin Ling hasn’t checked his Weird Tales Tieba account for a while. Thinking about how he, as a diligent boss who intensely self-searches and posts watered-down threads, suddenly ignores an account he’s already registered, his behavior is like a scumbag who abandons his wife and child, which feels a bit irresponsible.
So, Boss Lin decided to surf Tieba for five minutes today, but he couldn’t delay his time watching the show.
Just as he was about to enter his account password, the wind chime inside the door rang, and a guest arrived.
“Boss Lin!” The person rushed in recklessly, with a hurried expression, running to the counter and asking Lin Ling, who was tapping on the keyboard, “Boss, please, do you have any medicine that can heal wounds?”
Seeing Chen Xiaolin’s anxious appearance, Lin Ling’s smiling corners lifted a bit higher, he closed his laptop, and laughed: “No such medicine, after all, this isn’t a pharmacy, but there are props with similar effects.”
Hearing this, Chen Xiaolin gritted her teeth secretly. She clenched the broken straw in her hand and said forcefully: “Boss, you once gave people whose lifespan was ending a longer lifespan and health, right? Can you sell me those directly? I’m willing to trade.”
Lin Ling blinked, “Sure, do you want it to save Li Duojin?”
“Yes.” Chen Xiaolin placed the broken dry straw on the counter, lowering her head and murmuring, “The life-saving straw is very useful, but it also has limitations…”
Just half an hour ago, Chen Xiaolin gave her life-saving straw to Li Duojin. However, after that, the seriously injured Li Duojin suddenly faced life-threatening danger again and was rushed for emergency rescue.
This surgery was also performed very timely and smoothly, and Li Duojin picked up his life again, but the newly given life-saving straw dried up and broke.
The doctor also said that Li Duojin, undergoing surgery again, seemed to truly have the protection of a deity, with some luck involved. Combined with the doctors’ and nurses’ abilities and efforts, plus Li Duojin’s own strong will to survive, he endured the second surgery.
But there won’t be a next time. Li Duojin’s body can no longer hold up. If a similar emergency arises again, Li Duojin will definitely not survive; death is certain.
Looking at Li Duojin on the hospital bed, barely breathing, Chen Xiaolin couldn’t bear to see him die like this, so she thought of the forest cabin that sells the “life-saving straw,” and the story Li Duojin had mentioned.
The forest cabin has countless anomalous items, and Boss Lin is the venerable one Li Duojin spoke of. Boss Lin had also granted him a second life of returning to youth. Chen Xiaolin felt that if she asked Boss Lin for help, she should get a response, right?
And now, as expected, Lin Ling gave Chen Xiaolin an affirmative reply.
“The life-saving straw does have limitations, after all, it only saves lives but not people… Wait a moment, I’ll prepare something for you.” Lin Ling nodded, then turned to rummage for things. Soon, he found a strangely shaped piece of meat. The top and bottom were like blooming flower petals, the center was pitch black, but on closer look, there were patches of tiny black bubble-like structures reflecting light. The middle body part extended dense white tentacles, and the entire piece of meat seemed to be breathing, contracting and twitching.
“This… what is this?” Chen Xiaolin widened her eyes. She didn’t think this eerie thing was anything good.
“King oyster mushroom.” Lin Ling opened a pair of eyes full of sincerity.
“Who would believe that!”
“It’s true.” Lin Ling scratched his head, “It’s just a king oyster mushroom that has become refined. It doesn’t look like a regular one on the outside, but the taste is absolutely the same when eaten.”
Why confirm the species by taste!? Chen Xiaolin was shocked.
“Can this thing be eaten?” Chen Xiaolin gasped, looking at the living piece of meat. She only felt it was eerie, not edible; instead, she felt that eating it might turn one into a pervert.
Lin Ling: “Of course it can. Its efficacy is about the same as the divine medicine you need, and eating more can even grant immortality.”
Chen Xiaolin: “…Immortality isn’t necessary, as long as it can save a life.”
“300 per tael, at your service.” Lin Ling said with a smile.
“Still cash?”
“Otherwise WeChat or Alipay transfers are fine too.” Lin Ling is still an excellent boss who keeps up with the times and won’t make payment complicated or troublesome for guests.
Seeing Lin Ling about to cut a slice from the meat piece, Chen Xiaolin immediately reached out to pause him and cautiously asked again: “Um, how much is needed to save Li Duojin’s life?”
“One slice of meat is enough.” Lin Ling said cheerfully.
“Good, then cut me two taels.” Chen Xiaolin said through gritted teeth.
Money and goods cleared, Lin Ling watched Chen Xiaolin’s graceful figure leave the forest cabin. He lightly tapped the table with one hand, as if playing some music, and the arc of his raised corners became even more filled with inexplicable meaning.
At this time, while cleaning the shelves, Wei Jiang, who had been observing secretly for a long time nearby, came out and asked puzzledly: “Boss, why are you suddenly so happy?”
“Hehe, I’ve always wanted to know one thing: how many times do humans have to make mistakes before they truly correct them.” Lin Ling looked at Wei Jiang and smiled, “No statistics yet, but based on this case, it takes ten lifetimes…”
……
Yu Lianyun arrived at the villa in the suburbs where Song Lu, the decision-maker of Lihua Group, currently resides in Magic City. The atmosphere was strange.
To ensure the operation went smoothly, Yu Lianyun still had people follow the established plan step by step. However, when they rushed into the villa, they found a scene inside the silent villa that humans could never comprehend.
The villa wasn’t empty; it was just that Yu Lianyun and the others couldn’t determine if those things could still be considered human.
The people who originally lived in the villa were now covered in frost. Their backs, from under their pants along the spine up to the crown of the head around the baihui acupoint, had been cut open by some powerful sharp blade. The internal flesh, organs, and bones had all disappeared, leaving only a frozen skin bag maintaining a human shape, as if the things usually hiding inside these humans had jumped out on their own.
Were these people all monsters wearing human skin?
Unable to guess the answer. But what Yu Lianyun could be sure of was that the abnormal god Kong Mo, who had been missing for a long time, should be nearby. These people’s manner of death was the manifestation of being attacked by Kong Mo.
Kong Mo’s influence on humans, besides twisting their reason into obsession and distortion, also allows Kong Mo to summon those who have been brainwashed for a long time and fully catalyzed by Kong Mo’s power. Their skin bags become like Kong Mo’s, like a shell, but unlike Kong Mo itself, those humans bewitched, after jumping out of their skin bags, only die and cannot transform into another body like Kong Mo.
Today was too tormenting, so sleepy…
