"The meat grinder will start, and the iron hooks hanging from the ceiling will gradually lift the white pigs suspended there, sending them into the grinder to be pulverized. Is there a way to hook the butcher himself with those ceiling hooks? This plan can be executed by Jiang Tian. She can lower one of the hooks from the ventilation shaft above, while I lure the butcher into running into it."
"But…"
The memory of the butcher chasing him before, throwing a knife that struck his back, the cold, deadly sensation of the blade cutting into his flesh, made Yu Jing tremble all over. He instinctively reached back to touch the still-aching wound.
"To survive, this is the only chance! If I don't fight for it, death is certain."
Yu Jing gave himself no way out. He pressed the switch with his finger immediately.
Rumble!
The sound of the large meat grinder starting echoed loudly. The white pigs hanging from the iron hooks on the ceiling began slowly moving along the conveyor belt toward the grinder, turning into minced meat and bone fragments.
The loud noise distracted the butcher, who stopped paying attention to Jiang Tian above and strode toward the meat grinder to investigate. Seizing the opportunity, Yu Jing moved under the ventilation shaft to explain the final plan to Jiang Tian.
"Jiang Tian! Lower the hook next to you a bit. I'll find a way to lure the butcher over. Then we'll try to hook him with the iron hook. The meat grinder is the only way to kill him."
Yu Jing controlled his voice carefully from the other side of the room, speaking to Jiang Tian above. Unexpectedly, the butcher sensed something and didn't intend to hide anymore. Yu Jing had already prepared himself to face death head-on.
"Come on!"
But when Yu Jing looked directly at the butcher this time, he noticed something different from their previous encounter in the corridor.
The butcher held the cleaver in his right hand as before, but his left hand—previously empty—now gripped a special tool Yu Jing had chosen upon entering this place: the bloodstained hand axe.
The butcher seemed even more frenzied, his aura more dangerous than last time.
"Is it because of the tool's effect? Jiang Tian's blood crystal ring locates the 'dangerous entity,' and the hand axe in the butcher's injured hand has triggered a fundamental change?"
Yu Jing's thoughts were instantly confirmed. The butcher tore open his leather apron strangely, revealing a prominent stitch running straight down from his neck.
One by one, the thick stitches began snapping. The butcher's abdomen gaped wide open, and countless hands reached out from within—beyond any normal understanding.
"What kind of monster is this?!"
Yu Jing, having resolved to face death, suppressed his fear as the butcher took a step toward him.
"Jiang Tian, drop the hook!"
Just as the butcher was about to reach him, Yu Jing leapt backward suddenly. As expected, the butcher, seeing his prey flee, rushed forward faster, coinciding perfectly with the hook lowering from above.
The rushing butcher was hooked right under his jaw, the iron hook piercing straight through his brain. The effect was even better than anticipated; this blow would be fatal to an ordinary human.
"Did the hook pierce his brain? Is he dead?"
Only a moment of stillness passed before the butcher swung his cleaver and cut the hook free. With his other hand, he forcefully pulled the hook out and continued his attack toward Yu Jing.
Desperation!
...
The scene shifted to the research facility's monitoring room.
The testing area for the seven test subjects, as Yu Jing had guessed, was tens of kilometers away from the research facility.
After the seven had eaten dinner and fallen into a deep sleep, they were immediately transported by vehicle to a secret underground testing base in the suburbs for completely covert testing.
Additionally, there was a hidden rule for this round of tests: only those scoring above 90 points would survive.
Even if the subjects eliminated the 'dangerous entity' during the test, the final decision depended on the order of elimination and overall evaluation. Anyone scoring below 90 points would be eliminated.
As Yu Jing suspected, the research facility held the authority to access all the test subjects' records from B-level and C-level counties at will and fabricate causes of death. The government would then provide compensation to the deceased's families to quietly cover up the incident.
The first fat man was dead, leaving six research groups monitoring and assessing the remaining test subjects in different zones, evaluating their psychological states, decision-making, and methods of confronting the 'dangerous entity'—all recorded on a hundred-point scale.
Currently, on one team's screen:
A middle-aged woman who chose the "Broken Mirror" was inside a gloomy villa. She stood before a mirror showing a figure in the Clothing Master Realm, and, with a fruit knife, cruelly cut the skin off her body to paste it onto the mirror, piecing together her own image. She soon died from excessive blood loss.
"Pro—034 test subject deceased. Observation terminated. Data reset."
On another research team's screen was a white-collar man who had previously shown interest in Yu Xiao Xiao's chosen item but was stopped by Yu Jing. His special item was a "glass container holding an eyeball."
On the screen, the man was placed inside a small, enclosed room. The so-called "dangerous entity" — a creature covered entirely in eyes — wandered slowly through the space. Yet, the man appeared unable to see the strange being with his naked eye. Likewise, the entity did not engage in any physical attacks.
Whether it was due to psychological pressure or some subtle compulsion, the white-collar man began, during the test, to insert the eyeballs from the "glass container filled with eyes" into his own eye sockets one after another.
The third surveillance feed shifted to a middle-aged migrant worker with a strong sense of justice. He had chosen the special item "a lock of black hair" and had been transferred to a gloomy wooden cabin.
The man's originally robust body was now covered in fine cuts, as though from thin wires. He held a katana of unknown origin in his hands, and was currently controlling his breathing as he crept toward a specific room on the second floor of the cabin.
Under dim lighting, in the corner of that room sat a woman in a white kimono, facing a mirror with perfect posture. Her long black hair completely obscured her face in the reflection.
The woman combed her hair meticulously. Upon closer inspection, one could see a small, bald patch on the top of her head—exactly matching the size of the "lock of black hair" the man held in his hand. The scene was deeply unsettling, eerie to the core.
Of the remaining two surveillance screens, one monitored Yu Jing and Jiang Tian, whose actions overlapped due to their cooperation. Compared to the previous three test subjects, Yu Jing's evaluation scores were significantly higher. His calm analysis, his pain tolerance in ripping the hook from his body, and his fearless confrontation with death were all scoring bonuses.
However, if Yu Jing didn't survive in the end, all of it would be wiped clean.
What stunned the observers most was the final surveillance feed—belonging to the most enigmatic participant of all: Yu Xiaoxiao.
Quiet and reserved, Yu Xiaoxiao had chosen the special item "purple fleshy plant." In the hands of the researchers, her evaluation scores were nearly perfect—except for a 60 in "problem analysis," every other category showed a full score of 100.
On-screen, Yu Xiaoxiao stood in a massive greenhouse garden. At the heart of the garden, atop a gigantic purple plant, a seductive woman whose lower body merged with the flower's stem sat among blooming petals. This creature was controlling the entire garden's vegetation to launch a full assault against Yu Xiaoxiao.
Though she appeared frail, the girl revealed an almost inhuman side during the test.
Any plant that came within two meters of her was instantly shredded into fine strips. With swift, agile movement, she had already bypassed layer after layer of botanical defenses and was rapidly approaching the core.
The killing intent in Yu Xiaoxiao's eyes was so fierce, even the "dangerous entity" at the top trembled with instinctive dread.
This was the current state of the testing operation.
However, an unexpected external event had just disrupted the operation—a major incident in the desert.
A powerful collision had occurred against the outer wall of the testing facility, catching the attention of all personnel in the central monitoring room. The impact took place near the area where Yu Jing and Jiang Tian were being tested. The pressure sensors showed a clear and powerful force.
"Director, Area 6 has registered a significant external pressure. A single impact has caused more than 30% structural damage. We've detected a plant-based entity attempting to breach the test zone. It appears to be exhibiting a simple drive to absorb biological organisms from the testing area to replenish its own energy. I suggest we temporarily terminate the test and coordinate with the government to eliminate the invasive plant forms."
The head of security reported the facts to the director seated at the center of the room.
This director had initially placed high hopes on Yu Jing, and so far, his performance report had been impressive. The test project had cost the research institute over a billion yuan—this wasn't something they could simply abandon.
"No need to overcomplicate things," the director said as he stood. "I'll personally deal with the scattered plant forms. The test will proceed as planned."
His eyes lingered on Yu Jing's monitor. The director was visibly pleased with how the duo had managed to injure the butcher by targeting his head. Had the butcher not acquired the special item—the bloodstained hand axe—he might have been killed by the blow. But now, the mutated, berserk butcher could no longer be classified as a mere mortal.
"If he survives," the director muttered to himself, "he'll surely be a good seedling."