In his deep sleep, Huai Shi felt like he was falling.
In the darkness, down, down, down. It seemed like there were many people accompanying him. Some of them were screaming in fear, while others were numbly struggling. But soon, they all disappeared.
He fell into the water, as if he had sunk into a deep pool. Then, as if he was weightless, he floated along with the current into the darkness.
It seemed like he was already dead.
But it also seemed like he was on the road to death.
It would be soon.
That was what a voice told him.
But death seemed to have no end, carrying him deeper and deeper into the darkness. Until he was carried to the muddy shore by the icy tide.
A stooped figure came out of the darkness, looking down at him. Then, the figure bent down and pulled at his legs, dragging him to the edge of a thatched hut on the muddy shore.
Someone knocked on the door.
The door opened.
The smell of rotting corpses filled the air.
In the thatched hut, only the blood-stained operating table was lit. A white-haired old man with a face full of wrinkles was wearing a mask. He was completely focused on dissecting the corpse in front of him, occasionally drawing a few strokes on a drawing on the table next to him.
Under the dim illumination of the oil lamp, the perfectly processed specimens on the hooks all around were dripping with antiseptic liquid. However, the faces of the humans who had been turned into specimens were still filled with the terror of death.
The stooped figure pointed at Huai Shi, reaching out to the old man behind the door as if asking for something.
The old man glanced at the youth on the ground with murky eyes and slowly shook his head. "He's not completely dead yet. Why are you selling a living person to me?"
"Soon, soon … …"
The stooped figure let out a strange sound, like a mix between a dog and a fox. "He's almost … … Origin Substance … … Origin Substance … …"
"I can only give you half. If you want, then keep him. If you don't, then drag him away." The old man folded his arms, watching coldly.
The figure seemed to be angered, and it began to scream loudly.
The old man didn't move. He stared at it indifferently until it reached out its hand in frustration. "Half, half … …"
An old copper coin was tossed into its hand.
"If there's nothing else, then get lost. Don't disturb my work."
The old man lowered his head and glanced at Huai Shi on the ground. He frowned and lifted one of Huai Shi's legs. With great effort, he dragged Huai Shi to the operating table and swept the broken corpse aside.
When the shadow left, the sound of the door closing caused Huai Shi's pupils to tremble. He tried his best to move, but when he opened his mouth, he coughed up a large amount of blood.
"Not dead yet?"
The old man lifted Huai Shi's eyelids and looked at the whites of his eyes in surprise. He pinched Huai Shi's bones with his withered hands and finally nodded with satisfaction.
"It's a very standard structure. Although it's not strong enough, it should be able to be used as a temporary spare part … I wonder if dismembering it while it's still alive can preserve the best effect."
He sighed and cut open the arteries on Huai Shi's hands and thighs without hesitation.
Huai Shi's throat made a gurgling sound, but it was to no avail. Warm blood quickly spread from his body, flowing along the grooves of the operating table and into the filthy cylinder.
"You have something to say?"
The old man looked at his trembling pupils and said somewhat helplessly, "You're about to die. Isn't it better to die quietly? I've seen many people like you. You've already crossed the border and fallen into hell. Isn't it natural for you to die? Right now, it's just that the Origin Substance hasn't dissipated yet. What's there to complain about? "
He pulled out a bottle of medicine and poured it into Huai Shi's bloody mouth. An intense spicy and strange sour taste stimulated Huai Shi's throat. A scorching sensation like copper liquid flowed down his throat, igniting his body like a raging fire. He could only let out a hoarse groan of pain.
"This is the medicine I bought from the kobold. It's used to mummify people. It can keep their organs active when they're about to die. But don't even think about living. It's just converting your remaining life into vitality and squeezing it out … This way, you can say a few more words before you die, and it'll be more convenient for me to work. How about you cooperate a little? "
The old man lowered his head and cut open Huai Shi's broken right hand. "Remember, don't scream. I hate noisy sounds."
Huai Shi struggled to suppress the sound of pain. His whole body twitched. As the old man said, he could actually make a weak sound before he died.
"… Where is this?"
"In your words, the twelfth level of hell. My corpse workshop, a place where I sell some small things to customers. You'll become one of those small things in a while. "
As the old man spoke, he continued to dissect Huai Shi's right hand without hesitation. The knife was very precise. It penetrated through the muscles, but did not hurt Huai Shi's bones. It was as if he was simply peeling the skin off a fruit. His movements were practiced and natural.
"How about we make a deal … …" Huai Shi swallowed the taste of pain and panted with difficulty. "I actually want to continue living. Let me go."
"No, I've already bought your corpse. How can you not die? Also, you won't live for more than a few minutes. If you die outside, I'll have to drag you back in. "
Under the dim light, the old man's two eyeballs moved around on different axes. One black eye stared at Huai Shi, while the other red eye stared intently at the place where the knife was cutting. "Look at your body. It's empty of Origin Substance. You don't have much time left … … Even though your life force is so strong, it's about to burn out like ashes. Wouldn't it be better if you just obediently died? You can even burn some of your remaining value … … "
Huai Shi's arm had already been completely dissected. The old man carefully extracted the bones and soaked them in a preservative solution. Every time he took out a piece, the old man excitedly waved it in front of Huai Shi's face.
Huai Shi stared blankly at the ceiling covered in dried blood. The pain had already been replaced by numbness. Even his voice had become dry and hoarse.
"I can't die here yet … …"
"Why can't you die?" the old man said seriously. "Everyone can die."
As if he had been hooked into a conversation, the old man meticulously dissected Huai Shi's left hand, chattering endlessly amidst the blood.
"I've seen many people. They all feel that they are very important, that they play a very special role in this world. But when they came here, they all died.
After they died, the world continued to move forward. The sun rose as usual. Reality didn't stop because they died. So they were wrong. In fact, they were no different from others. "
He pointed to the corpses hanging in the air waiting to be sold and explained to Huai Shi one by one. "This person was once a high and mighty figure. This person was once a messenger of justice who killed countless evil people. This person was once the teacher of a dictator. Under his guidance, the dictator turned from a tyrannical person into a wise leader of a generation. This is the dictator he taught … … But they are all dead.
Since they are already alive, death is irresistible. Even gods are the same. One hundred years, two hundred years, watching the world change … … When a thousand years have passed, even gods will feel that this world is very boring.
Compared to them, what are you? "
"But I still don't want to die."
Huai Shi tried hard to blink his eyes, not letting the uncontrollable tears blur his vision. "How about this? Don't look at me because I look weak. In fact, I'm also a tough guy. A man's tears are worth a thousand gold. I've already cried. Can you let me go? "
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