The shock factor of this room far surpassed the outside. The stone platform worktable was piled high with chunks of meat, a sea of crimson where the original animal parts were unrecognizable. The thick, coagulating stench of blood was indistinguishable from breathing solid air for those with sensitive noses, the suffocating sensation shooting straight to the crown of one's skull.
Xu Huo walked in without batting an eye, rummaging through the meat piles until he surprisingly uncovered a piece with visible numbering—though the skin had been stripped away, these digits seemed embedded within the muscle tissue, clear as day.
"BANG!" The sound of a door being violently thrown open came from outside, followed by the Skinner Karl's voice: "Five-day probation period! Only those who meet my standards get to stay!"
"What about wages—"
"Wages during probation?!" Karl roared irritably. "Clean this place spotless! If I see a single cockroach when I return in three hours, you're all fired!"
Another door slam followed, then the sound of a car engine fading into the distance outside the factory. After a pause, voices emerged in the workshop:
"Yang Can was taken by the Skinner. Will he be okay?"
"The Skinner's just going fishing. Yang Can should be fine for now," another voice reasoned. "We've got three hours—this is our chance."
"Qin An's right," a female voice chimed in. "Stick to the plan—we split up."
"Fine, whatever you say," a fourth voice grumbled impatiently. "Just go already."
Two sets of footsteps departed the workshop, leaving the remaining pair. The first speaker urged, "We should get started."
"You buying their bullshit? Actual cleaning duty?" the impatient voice scoffed. "They're hunting treasures while we do grunt work."
"Can't be helped. Didn't Peng Fengnian say the Skinner's collection would be well-hidden? Our traits aren't suited for searching."
"Easy for him to say! This dump's tiny—how hard can finding a cellar or secret room be?"
"But Peng Fengnian said this Skinner dungeon has almost zero survivors. Surely it's not that simple?"
The other man snorted coldly, footsteps moving from the front workshop toward the rear.
"Zou Weichang, where you going?"
"Pigpen," Zou Weichang replied with a creepy chuckle. "With luck, we might find piglets skinned less than six hours ago."
"Peng Fengnian said that's impossible—special supply piglets require long-term rearing..."
"Peng Fengnian this, Peng Fengnian that—use your damn brain!"
"Wait!" The moving footsteps halted. "There are side rooms—wanna check first?"
Ignoring Xian Dazhi, Zou Weichang marched straight into the pigpen, forcing Xian Dazhi to hurry after him.
Silence reclaimed the workshop. Xu Huo remained in the room, unhurried.
These applicants differed from him—all were ticket-holding players who'd strategized beforehand.
Identified individuals: Qin An, Zou Weichang, Xian Dazhi, Yang Can, and Peng Fengnian.
Yang Can was taken fishing by the Skinner; Zou Weichang and Xian Dazhi were in the pigpen; Qin An and a female player searched for the collection room.
Unclear if the woman was Peng Fengnian, or if some players hadn't entered the Good Taste Fresh Meat Supply Plant.
From their conversation, ticket-holding players shared his mission objectives: 1) Steal the Skinner's treasured collection, 2) Rescue three children, or 3) Complete assigned work—choose one.
Option three seemed lowest-risk but wasn't.
The Skinner likely knew applicants were players, only permitting entry out of necessity—hence his hostility. The filthy workshop was probably left intentionally messy.
Under these conditions, completing his tasks was near impossible. Getting fired would be lucky—most players probably ended as minced meat in the slaughter room.
The second task involved rescuing three children. Dungeon clearance or return tickets were single-use—success required extracting the children from pigskin, nearly impossible without special items unless the Skinner released them.
The first task was most feasible, hence players abandoning the latter two.
Xu Huo's brow furrowed as he bagged several rats, used cleaning solution to remove bloodstains from his shoes, then exited through the window back to the pigpen's exterior.
Inside, kindly-faced Xian Dazhi patted a piglet's belly and shook his head at Zou Weichang. "Stitches are nearly invisible. Even freed, they'd live as pigs forever."
Zou Weichang unsurprised, lit a cigarette and exhaled smoke, murmuring dreamily, "Expected as much."
Xian Dazhi lamented, "Just little kids. So tragic."
"Tragedy? That's fate—blame their bad luck," Zou Weichang crushed his cigarette, turning toward the workshop. "We're no better—might die before them even."
Xian Dazhi followed when suddenly a large pig pressed its front hooves against the pen rails, viciously tugging Zou Weichang's sleeve.
"Rabid hog?" Zou Weichang kicked it away without a second thought.
I'M HUMAN! A PLAYER!
Sima Xiao Er was sent sprawling, screaming desperately—only producing loud oinks. Glaring furiously, he charged again only to be kicked down once more.
"They're salvageable!" Xian Dazhi intervened.
Zou Weichang shoved him off. "So what? Could they escape? This is a game world—even players live day-to-day! Normals would die instantly out there!"
"Don't drag me into your pity party! If the Skinner catches us freeing them, we're dead!"
Xian Dazhi had no rebuttal, turning away from the pen.
"Pigs might live longer anyway," Zou Weichang left.
"OINK! OINK!" Sima Xiao Er pressed against the rails desperately, but the departing figures never glanced back. He slumped down, eyes more desolate than the others.
Xu Huo vaulted into the pen, tapping the rails. "Red?"
Sima Xiao Er sprang up, charging headfirst.
Xu Huo stopped the pig's advance. "Don't wanna leave?"
"Oink?" Sima Xiao Er glared confused yet furious.
"Those two weren't wrong—freedom means death. Too many missing would draw attention."
Cutting two belly stitches, Xu Huo asked, "Get the game prompt?"