The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 224 The Slaughterhouse (2)

Just as everyone finished filling out the forms, the glaring trail of blood on the ground began to seep into the ground little by little, as if it were being greedily absorbed by some invisible force, leaving no trace.

A chill crept silently up the spines of the five men, and they couldn't help but feel a creepy illusion: as if they were standing deep inside the belly of the Filthy Feast Spirit, which was slowly digesting them.

The moment this thought crossed their minds, the disintegration indicator on each person immediately issued a warning: the SAN value had dropped to 95.

They shook their heads violently, trying to shake off the absurd yet chilling association.

After waiting a while longer, the security guard with the pig-headed head still hadn't returned. In the silence, there was only the faint sound of the wind and some indescribable sucking sound, as if it came from the depths of the earth.

After quickly filling out the form, Su Ninglong suddenly felt bored. Her thoughts began to waver: should she go for a stroll, or just wander around?

With the security guards not around, she jumped into the security room without hesitation, right in front of everyone.

A pig-headed man asked in astonishment, "What are you going to do?!"

"Mind your own business!" She turned back and coldly warned the pig-headed men who were standing there dumbfounded, "No one is allowed to say that I barged in. I'm sure I'll get the job, after all, I have someone backing me up. If any of you dare to tell on me, I guarantee I'll make you suffer first."

Another pig-headed man grunted anxiously, "What you're doing is wrong, huff! The security guards will be back soon."

"You don't need to worry about me, I'm not stealing anything." Su Ninglong nimbly climbed into the security room through the window, quickly looked around, and found it almost empty.

The monitor screen was completely black, with a simple four-poster bed sitting alone in the corner, everything clearly visible.

She opened the drawer and brazenly began rummaging through it.

Zhao Piku had never worked with Su Ninglong before and always assumed that she would be extremely cautious since she could advance to a two-star hunter within a year.

At this moment, he couldn't help but be surprised: "Is this always her style when exploring contaminated areas?"

“She has absolutely no ‘style’ to speak of.” Song Hu and Su Ninglong had been through several contaminated zones, and he carefully considered his words before answering: “How can I describe her? You’ll never guess what she’s thinking. In some contaminated zones, she goes in and immediately unleashes her ultimate attack, sweeping everything away, as if she wants to push the Mystic Spirit boss right in the face.”

"But in some contaminated areas, she will proceed with extreme caution and tread carefully."

Our experience in dealing with mystical spirits was basically ineffective against her. Perhaps it's because our cultivation systems are different.

As Song Hu spoke, he was also pondering how to break free from this dreaded polluted area.

Meanwhile, Tong Zi and Xuan Xi tried to communicate with the pig-headed people around them. When the pig-headed people saw that they were wearing the same clothes as Su Ninglong, they became wary and began to speculate about their origins, unwilling to reveal too much information.

Meanwhile, Eagle Bone and Zhaopiku secretly took several forms filled out by others. Zhaopiku hid behind Eagle Bone and carefully studied the stolen forms.

The paper looks no different from ordinary office paper and is not thick.

He tried folding it a few times, but the paper didn't react at all;
So he tried to tear it open with a little force, but to his surprise, it was extremely tough and he couldn't tear it at all.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Piku decided to do something "technical".

Based on the principle of "better to die than to die myself," he decided to try the other one first.

He took off his plastic gloves, and a cluster of eerie blue lightning suddenly shot up from his fingertips.

The form spontaneously combusted without warning, the flames glowing with an unnatural color.

"Ow."

A heart-wrenching scream came from behind, and a strange, meaty aroma wafted from a pig-headed man.

It frantically tore its own clothes apart, pounding its chest and stamping its feet.

Zhaopiku quickly waved his hand to extinguish the eerie blue flame on the form. Almost at the same time, the pig-headed man collapsed to the ground, panting heavily and trembling uncontrollably.

"Is this a trap?" Zhao Piku's expression turned grave.

Tong Zixin echoed this sentiment, adding, "It's a trap we can't help but fall into."

If you don't fill out an employment form, you will be kicked out of the factory;

But once the form is filled out, it becomes a handle that the Feast Spirits can use to manipulate them.

They didn't even know where the true form of the Filthy Feast Spirit was hiding, putting them on the defensive from the start. Dealing with a four-star secret spirit was indeed a headache at every step.

Meanwhile, Su Ninglong made a new discovery in the security room.

When she opened one of the drawers, she was greeted by a drawer full of employee badges.

The name tag itself didn't exude any ominous aura; it was just a blank, ordinary thing.

However, she was particularly concerned about the structure at the end of the lanyard. There were two interlocking barbs embedded there, shaped like a keychain, but the sharp part on the inside was no different from the needle of a syringe.

On the security guard's desk was a registration form listing names, identification information, job positions, and dates of departure... but all of these words were crossed out with two thick horizontal lines.

"The pig-headed security guard is coming back. Whew!" a pig-headed man whispered a reminder.

Seeing that she showed no intention of coming out, they watched with growing apprehension, breaking out in a cold sweat for her.

Su Ninglong quickly snapped a few photos of previous registration forms, then decisively stopped and nimbly climbed out the window.

The moment he landed and stood still, the pig-headed security guard strode over and asked in a gloomy tone, "What are you doing?"

"I climbed through the window," Su Ninglong admitted frankly, without any attempt to evade the question.

"You went into the security room?" Anger instantly surged in the pig-headed security guard's eyes. "That's a private place."

"If I climb through the window and don't go into the security room, where else can I go? The security room of the slaughterhouse belongs to the factory, not your private property." Su Ninglong's words were provocative, and she was even eager to make a move. This security guard was not worthy of drawing blood from the Taixu Sword, but he could be used to sharpen the Guixu Umbrella.

It's unclear whether the pig-headed security guard sensed the brutal thoughts in Su Ninglong's mind, was unable to refute her words, or because Su Ninglong hadn't truly crossed the line, but it didn't continue to act up.

Those dark, beady eyes quickly returned to a still, stagnant state, though something even colder seemed to be flowing silently beneath that calm.

His dark, rough hands suddenly pulled open the drawer and grabbed a handful of employee badges.

"HR manager told me to take you to the interview room. During the interview, it's best to answer the questions normally. Even if you have special connections, you still won't get the job if you don't meet the factory's requirements." It was obvious who he was warning.

"These are your employee badges. Once you pass the interview, your job title will automatically appear on them," the security guard with the pig-headed face said as he handed out the badges one by one.

Some of the pig-headed people hung their name tags around their necks without a second thought. The Star Alliance members, out of caution, didn't wear them immediately, nor did they put them in their pockets; who knew if the name tags might twist into something horrifying when no one was looking?

It's best not to carry any items from the contaminated area close to your body.

The pig-headed security guard walking ahead continued his incessant nagging: "After you pass the interview, your employee badge will be your identification for entering and leaving the factory. Losing it... will result in 'severe punishment'."

At this point, it raised its hand and wiped the corner of its mouth, the movement slow and deliberate, as if it was still savoring some "delicious food" it had just enjoyed.

At this moment, everyone clearly noticed that there were several bloodstains that had not yet dried at the collar of the pig-headed security guard.

Zhao Piku lowered his voice and analyzed, "This contaminated area has completely replicated the system of human factories. I never expected it to be like this."

Tong Zi smiled slightly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes: "Just from the name 'Filthy Banquet Spirit,' you can tell it's a mysterious spirit with a strong sense of 'ritual.' Before eating people, it always needs to find some fun."

Led by the pig-headed security guard, they finally crossed the invisible wall of air.

In an instant, the oppressive feeling of spatial shift returned. Su Ninglong's expression suddenly darkened.

One space nested within another, is this area entirely the domain of the Filthy Feast Spirit, or... are two high-star Mystic Spirits cooperating?

If it's the latter, then the situation is truly alarming.

Su Ninglong carefully examined the security guard pig-headed man from head to toe, not missing any details. Apart from the unusually protruding pig head, its limbs were also unusually long, and the angle of the twisted joints was slightly beyond the normal range, as if the skin was not bone at all, but something more twisted.

That scrutinizing gaze was like a physical X-ray, almost piercing through the skin and flesh to reveal the inhuman structure within.

The security guard with the pig-headed face didn't turn around, muttering to himself, "Will this woman ever stop?"

He led them to the factory gate with slightly stiff steps and stopped them there.

Inside the factory's glass doors stood a pig-headed man dressed in gray overalls.

Two sparse tufts of hair drooped on its head, while the middle was a shiny bald spot. Its body was broad and almost square, like a lump of meat stuffed into work clothes.

A pair of beady eyes mechanically swept over the crowd, seemingly quite satisfied with these "applicants." "Come with me!"

Its voice was sticky and cloying. "Before you arrived, dozens of new people had already come for interviews. The ridiculous thing is, they actually mistook the back door for the front door. What a bunch of ignorant country bumpkins..."

But your constant use of the word "country bumpkin" doesn't sound like you're a cultured person at all. Su Ninglong thought to herself.

A pig-headed man seized the opportunity to approach the personnel manager and fawned, "Manager, you're right! If you can't even tell the front from the back, you're probably from a remote planet. I'm a resident of this planet, and I've heard that our slaughterhouse has a great working environment and that the management is fair and just!"

A gentle compliment was delivered, and the HR manager clearly appreciated it.

It led the group forward. Surprisingly, there were no traces of aberration or contamination along the way, unlike the disgusting tumors that covered the "Throat of Convergence".

Everything in front of me looked exceptionally clean and tidy.

But all the curtains on both sides of the corridor were drawn tightly, blocking all outside views. Su Ninglong couldn't resist reaching out, wanting to lift a corner to take a peek.

The curtains remained motionless, as hard as stone, and icy cold to the touch.

"Hey! Don't lift the curtains!" the HR manager suddenly shouted, turning around.

"Why?" It's so well covered up, it's hard not to get the urge to touch it.

"Why else? Of course, it's to prevent outsiders from prying into the core secrets of our slaughterhouse. No pigs leaving our factory are of poor quality."

But this is just a corridor; there's a whole wall separating it from the workshop.

Su Ninglong's hand was still on the curtains. The HR manager was immediately anxious. This new employee, who had a recommender, turned out to be a troublemaker who had caused trouble even before joining the factory.

"You'll be the first one eliminated during the interview later."

The biting cold seeped through the curtains to Su Ninglong's palm. She slightly bent her knuckles and said nonchalantly, "That's perfect. Since we're going to be eliminated anyway, I'll smash a window to liven things up. I'll just pay for it."

Spiritual energy rapidly condensed at his fingertips, and then he suddenly unleashed a powerful gust of wind towards the curtains.

A cold, gusty wind swept by, causing the heavy curtains to flutter violently, vaguely revealing the pitch-black glass behind them, and the bewildered faces of pig-headed people distorted and reflected in the glass.

Su Ninglong narrowed her eyes, her knuckles tightening again, as if she was about to deliver another punch to completely remove this obstructive cover.

The HR manager's face froze. "No, no, no... I was just joking! Our interviews are the fairest; we would never eliminate someone arbitrarily!"

"Then, since I have someone who recommended me, remember to arrange a good position for me." Su Ninglong pressed her advantage, tilting her head and smiling, "I want to sit in an office, not on an assembly line."

"Having a recommender isn't a magic bullet. The office isn't short of people right now, except for the assembly line where there are still vacancies."

Su Ninglong's gaze drifted to the curtains once again, as if she was seriously considering whether to do it again when no one was paying attention.

The HR manager took a deep breath and finally compromised: "We'll allocate positions as appropriate! As long as you're capable, we'll... we'll put you in an office!"

"It's a deal." After agreeing on the terms, Su Ninglong slowly stepped back from behind the curtains.

Even when the pig-headed man came up to flatter him again, the personnel pig manager seemed distracted, his attention fixed on Su Ninglong in front of him, his beady eyes gleaming with an unfathomable light.

The rest of the pig-headed people were filled with anxiety and followed the crowd.

Caught between the pig-headed men, Zhaopiku clicked his tongue and exclaimed, "Awesome..."

Her distinctive personal style meant that even if everyone had a pig's head and wore the same clothes, you could recognize her at a glance.

"Little Su is as tough as ever," Eagle Bone murmured, recalling the majestic Bai Ze figure from six years ago. He hadn't seen it for so many years and truly longed to witness it again.

Everyone was brought into the interview room together; there was no need to separate them.

Before entering, Su Ninglong subconsciously checked her SAN value and found it had dropped by two points. She knew for a moment that she had probably been tricked when she moved the curtains.

But what exactly is hidden behind those curtains?
Hunters operating in contaminated areas often find that "curiosity killed the cat." But without this almost obsessive curiosity, it's difficult to truly find the key to breaking the deadlock.

However, the Filthy Banquet Spirit is a top-tier existence among the four-star Mystic Spirits, not only possessing extraordinary strength but also known for its cunning and difficulty in dealing with others.

Otherwise, the Star Alliance wouldn't have specifically asked Qi Shen to come and block all its possible escape routes.