Chapter 154 Corpse
At first, the meat was not so fresh.

Doctor Jia took them into a storage room next to the machine room. The dust accumulated on the door and the small spider webs in the corners proved that this place was rarely visited.

A freezer stained with dark yellow stains, with a thick black cable at the back leading to the socket and the door tied with an iron chain, looks very suspicious.

The doctor untied the chain and opened the cabinet door, and a ball of “zombie meat” shrouded in mist came into view. The color of the meat was no different from stone at that time, so Song Yutang was just confused and did not find it difficult to accept.

Until the doctor unplugged the cable behind the freezer, the lights went out, and the mist from the cold room dissipated into the dark air…

“First, the freezing procedure is lifted.”

He said there was a subtle hint of joy in the doctor’s tone – the joy of sharing his discoveries and achievements with strangers.

This secret, which should not be told to anyone, was now revealed to two people he had known for less than a few hours. The doctor felt relieved that someone would share this dark secret with him and he was no longer alone.

He turned on the light in the storage room. The dim light enveloped the dust floating in the room and the strange pieces of meat lodged in the freezer. After a few minutes, the frost marks on it slowly disappeared… no, it was more like it was absorbed. The color became vivid and even began to move.

At first, it was a small muscle pulsation similar to that of a dead frog, and then it began to wriggle like an insect. After being frozen at a temperature of more than ten degrees below zero, it showed incredible vitality and actually came back to life.

Its color was extremely uneven. Some areas were a sickly grayish white, as if it were a corpse that had been dead for a long time; some areas were covered with dark red bloodshot, as disgusting as fresh wounds.

The skin of the flesh was covered with densely packed bumps and protrusions, each of which looked like a swollen pustule, emitting a shiny luster, and one could imagine that it was filled with corrupt fluid; and in some areas, these pustules had burst open, oozing out yellow-green sticky mucus, which slowly slid down the surface of the Tai Sui, making a creepy “hissing” sound.

“What the hell is this…”

Song Yutang covered her mouth, her face pale.

“It looks so disgusting.”

Cen Dongsheng nodded in agreement.

Fortunately, he has a big heart, which was forged after seeing too many disgusting, bloody, bizarre, or hideous things in his previous life.

And Dr. Jia’s subsequent behavior pushed this disgusting feeling to the extreme:
Unlike them, he was not disgusted by the rotten meat in the refrigerator. Instead, he was as surprised as if he saw ripe fruits on the tree. While muttering to himself, “It’s finally grown”, he picked up the collection equipment in his hand and moved forward.

The doctor performed his manual operation carefully and attentively, collecting the pus flowing out of the rotten flesh cyst into a glass test tube and then covering it tightly; then, he used a scalpel to cut off a small piece of rotten tissue and placed it in a culture dish.

“No way……”

At this point, they could already guess what would happen next.

“Okay, the collection is complete.”

After working for a while, the doctor put the things in his hands aside and turned on the power to cool down again.

“Here, this is it.” He turned around, shook the turbid yellow sticky substance in the reagent bottle in his hand, and smiled strangely.

The truth came out.

The facial mask used by that group of female college students, which is said to be extremely effective, is made from the raw materials collected from the “flesh” of the leader in the morgue.

Song Yutang never let go of the hand that was covering her mouth, fearing that she would vomit if she moved her hand away.

A thought came to her mind: If the girls knew the truth, I wonder how they would feel…

Maybe some people will still insist on using it. After all, for some girls, appearance is really the most important thing. Without this face, they might as well die. Then the raw materials or ingredients don’t matter.

“Did you raise it?”

Cen Dongsheng asked.

“Yes. According to the method Ke Junchen taught me, the first step is to raise the ‘corpse radish’.”

“Corpse vine” – this seems to be the real name of the rotten meat.

“In fact, the oil extracted from corpses can also be used as raw material, but that would be too wasteful. Although I am a doctor, I don’t have access to so many cadavers that can be used. The risk is too great, so he asked me to use the cultivated ‘corpse radish’ instead.”

Dr. Jia began to talk incessantly.

“The initial ‘seeds’ are just the tissue fluid that seeps out of a corpse that has been left for a few days, and then add some moss and grass seeds. Then cut off a small piece of tissue – it has to be taken from a living person, preferably a diseased tissue. With these things as the base, you can start to cultivate the ‘corpse vine’.”

Cen Dongsheng listened carefully.

No matter how evil or disgusting it sounds, knowledge is knowledge and it always has irreplaceable value.

For example, the method of cultivating this “corpse vine” can find other uses even if it is not used to make a facial mask to deceive little girls.

Spices can be extracted from feces and cockroaches can be used to make medicine. There is nothing worthless in this world, only secrets that have not yet been discovered.

“Once the Corpse Radish is grown, it will be able to produce raw materials continuously. We just need to harvest it regularly.”

Doctor Jia spoke his mind without reservation. At the end, he said with regret:
“The effect is amazing, right? If it could be made public, it would definitely cause a sensation and achieve great academic success… Unfortunately, Ke Junchen told me that everything that happened here is a secret that cannot be told to the public.”

“Warnings need corresponding punishments in order for people to obey them.” Cen Dongsheng said, “Besides sending you dreams, does the deceased Ke Junchen have any other way to restrict your actions?”

“I just… don’t want to have nightmares anymore…”

“But now that you’ve told us, it looks like this nightmare will continue.”

Seeing the doctor’s face fall into silence, Cen Dongsheng smiled and reminded:
“But if you’re willing to cooperate, we might be able to help you solve it.”

The other person suddenly raised his head, stared into the two people’s eyes, and his voice was hoarse.

“Who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter who we are. What matters is whether you can make the right choice.”

The young man still had that relaxed look on his face.

“——Leading us to this place was your original plan, right?”

……

“Eh?”

Song Yutang, who had been listening silently beside him, couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

Master, what is he talking about?
“Lead here”—is there a trap?

But Cen Dongsheng had no intention of explaining and continued speaking.

“That ghost of Ke Junchen should have told you something, such as what to do next once your secret is exposed.”

He watched the man in front of him as his expression changed rapidly and his breathing became rapid.

“Should you stand on the side of the living or the dead, Dr. Jia, I hope you can think carefully about it.” Cen Dongsheng made a final reminder.

……

The doctor clenched his fists and just looked at him in silence.

Song Yutang glanced at her master’s profile, then at Doctor Jia. She quietly moved her wrist, consciously began to adjust her breathing, and mobilized the new energy in her body.

It is called “True Qi”. When it circulates around the body, the hair on the girl’s forehead begins to float upwards quietly without wind.

In the silent and dim air, there was a slight “buzzing” sound of electricity, and indigo electric sparks flashed on Song Yutang’s clothes.

But Dr. Jia did not notice these details. He just stared at the man in front of him who brought him great pressure, and suddenly became ruthless.

“Noisy!”

he yelled.

“If it wasn’t for you…if you hadn’t come to my door, the truth wouldn’t have been revealed! Even if you die, it’s your own fault, don’t blame me!”

As he spoke, he suddenly reached out, tore off the cable and the sticker on the corner of the freezer, and rushed in the other direction.

Song Yutang saw that what he was holding in his hand seemed to be… a bright yellow talisman paper?

“boom!”

Although the doctor closed the freezer door, he did not tie the chain again; the usefulness of the chain soon became apparent to them:
There was a violent noise coming from inside the freezer. Something was ramming hard from inside, trying to break free from the narrow cage.

“Boom!”

There was another collision from inside to outside. There was a raised outline on the cabinet door. The freezer that could not hold up slowly fell forward. A thick layer of dust floated in the air, making a dull echo.

“Kakaka-“

The freezer was shaking as if it had gained life. Dark yellow liquid flowed out from the cracks, through which deformed flesh could be vaguely seen expanding, trying to support the weight of the entire cabinet.

“Corpse vine”… the monster that looked like a mass of rotten flesh, woke up from being frozen. Ever since the doctor peeled off the talisman paper, it had changed from its docile state of lying in the corner and squirming slightly, allowing itself to be harvested, to its ferocious savagery all of a sudden, and was about to break out of the cage!

“Master…!”

Song Yutang quickly turned her head, only to see Cen Dongsheng lifting up Dr. Jia, who was trying to escape, with one hand. The man wanted to resist, but he was easily grabbed by the shoulder. He let out a short scream, and his whole body seemed to be dislocated and falling apart, with his hands and feet hanging down.

The tall young man carried the thin middle-aged man as if he was carrying a chick.

It would be incredible if an ordinary person with no one to rely on could escape right under his nose.

But he had no intention of taking action at this moment.

“You…you are dead…the corpse…is about to come out…”

Dr. Jia endured the pain and laughed intermittently.

“Oh? What will it do?”

“Need I ask? It’s a carnivorous plant…it eats humans! You will all become its nutrients!”

“Yeah.”

Cen Dongsheng smiled indifferently and turned his attention back to his apprentice.

“Did you hear that, Yutang? You have to work hard, or you’ll end up being eaten.”

“…”

Song Yutang didn’t say anything.

She knew that this was another “test” given by her master.

The master had made it very clear to her about the growth she could gain from fighting and the risks she would face. Since she had agreed to it then, she had no excuse to evade it now.

The girl took a deep breath and stared intently at the shaking freezer on the ground, waiting for the monster called “corpse vine” to come out.

In the darkness, time passed by minute by minute. She seemed to hear the sound of a clock hand ticking by her ear; after she calmed down, she realized that it was her own heartbeat.

“Boom! Boom!”

The sound of struggle inside the freezer intensified until the entire device was completely blown away, and the noise that reached the climax suddenly disappeared.

…That thing escaped.

Indigo electric currents leapt from the girl’s body, and the light grew stronger as her true Qi circulated, covering her entire body and also illuminating the dark corner not far away:
A monster that looked like a mass of rotten flesh, with sharp tentacles growing out of it, was clinging to the ceiling. Sticky traces were flowing, and the mass of flesh was wriggling as if it was breathing, looking down at its “prey” from above.

This was her first official battle, she thought, her master was watching from behind, she must not… let him down.

A dazzling flash of lightning suddenly jumped up. Song Yutang posed with her feet naturally forming a T-step. Her ponytail swayed behind her head. The girl’s eyes were fixed on the monster on the ceiling.

When humans and monsters confronted each other, she was not afraid at all, and her momentum was not weakened at all.

When Dr. Jia saw the electric flashes on the female college student, his eyes widened in shock.

Just like the monster created from corpse oil and corrupted matter, this young girl also possesses “supernatural” powers that are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people!

“—?!”

A black hole suddenly opened in the center of the meat monster, which seemed to be its mouthpart. After letting out a sharp roar, its tentacles stood up and the corpse vine pounced fiercely at the novice curse-master below, at such a speed that it almost turned into a black shadow.

A fishy wind blew in my face.

Song Yutang did not dodge. She forced herself to open her eyes wide. With her inexperienced combat skills and the initial athletic ability of a monk, she could not see the monster’s movements clearly. But she just needed to know that the other party was coming for her!
The blazing electric light focused on one point along with her will, and an indigo spear was thrown straight out.

No matter how fast the corpse vine hunts, it can never be faster than lightning. Song Yutang’s attack arrived first and hit the meat monster.

“squeak–!”

The corpse let out a sharp scream like that of a mouse. The lightning seemed to have a natural effect of restraining demons and monsters. The wriggling flesh was knocked down, and its skin was charred black, emitting a strong burnt smell.

Faced with the monster that fell to the ground and stopped moving, Song Yutang didn’t dare to hold back at all. He pursed his lips and once again put all his strength into it.

The true Qi in his body surged, accumulating electric light that was even more dazzling than the previous one. It fell like a waterfall and hit the flesh ball vertically!
Suddenly, the originally dark space was filled with light, and only indigo light could be seen running around. The monster didn’t even have time to struggle, and quickly turned into a ball of charcoal in the scorching heat…

(End of this chapter)