The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 237 The Slaughterhouse (15)

The factory manager spoke in a deep voice, his tone tinged with regret: "Child, you shouldn't have come in. We just want a home that can protect everyone."

Su Ninglong didn't react at all. They were different species; how could they possibly empathize with each other?

“Put my men down,” she said coldly, “or I’ll destroy this place right now.”

The factory manager shook his head: "I can't control them. If you're so capable, save them yourself."

Su Ninglong said no more, gripped the handle of the Guixu Umbrella and yanked it out, the Taixu Sword shooting out in response. The sword tip had barely been fully revealed when its sharp edge severed all the incoming hooks in mid-air, without even needing to make direct contact.

However, the severed hooks emitted wisps of black smoke, and the ropes at the breaks reconnected with the rising black smoke, rapidly restoring themselves at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The factory manager stepped aside and stood by, watching coldly, his words laced with sarcasm: "Don't waste your energy. He is the food chosen by the Lord of Filth; no one has ever escaped him."

Su Ninglong's face darkened. She was too lazy to listen to this person's nonsense anymore and swung her sword out sharply.

The factory manager, who was ten steps away, was instantly cut in two by the sword light.

But there was no sign of panic on his face. In the blink of an eye, his two halves of his body were put back together, completely intact.

It is neither a parasite nor a mutant.

Su Ninglong's mind raced, and she vaguely sensed his origins.

Since physical attacks won't work, we'll have to resort to "magic".

She ran her fingertips across the sword's edge, and drops of blood rolled down the blade. Instead of being absorbed or sliding off, the blood quickly deformed and expanded, eventually condensing into a blood-red rune.

The runes were completed, and the entire longsword instantly burst into flames.

She leaped forward and slashed horizontally towards the top of Xuanxi's head.

The hook hanging there snapped with a snap, flames flickered at the break, and the black mist could no longer spread.

The hooks on the ceiling seemed to be enraged, and their attack became even more ferocious.

Su Ninglong grabbed Xuan Xi, quickly pulled out the hook from his back, and dragged him into the Guixu protective barrier.

The moment the hook left his body, even Xin Yi's self-healing ability took effect on Xuan Xi, and the hole in his chest healed rapidly.

Xuanxi squeezed a fake spirit stone and crushed it, and spiritual power surged into his body instantly.

With a flick of his finger, a blinding ball of light suddenly appeared on the factory manager's desk, instantly swallowing up everything on the desk.

"Let's go!" Su Ninglong whispered.

Xuanxi rolled on the spot and rushed out of the factory manager's office.

The factory manager's expression finally turned ugly.

He never expected that Xuanxi could recover in such a short time; this was completely illogical.

Su Ninglong caught a glimpse of the surprise and doubt on his face, and then slashed out with her sword again.

The result was the same: the sword mark quickly healed, as if it had no physical form. The hooks in this space were also strange and unpredictable, and no flaws could be found for the time being.

She couldn't let things drag on any longer. Her mind was made up; she had to leave first.

She carefully noted down the layout of the office in case she needed to go back again, and then decisively turned and left.

Behind them, the hooks engulfed in flames were still crackling and burning, and it took a long time for the flames to gradually dim.

The factory manager stood there, his body fully recovered.

He stared at the charred hooks, noticing the intermittent, discontinuous black smoke swirling around them, and his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Xuanxi was still somewhat weak, leaning on Su Ninglong as he moved forward step by step.

He smiled wryly and whispered his thoughts: "I used to laugh at Lian Xinyi and Charlie, saying that they always ran into bad luck on every mission. But when it came to me, I realized how scary it was."

Moreover, those two people faced this not just once or twice, but almost every time.

If one's mental fortitude were weaker, they would probably have collapsed long ago.

Su Ninglong smiled gently.

Indeed, if their experiences were collected and written into a book, it would probably make people laugh as they read, and then burst into tears as they laughed.

"Are you still able to participate in tonight's operation?" she asked.

“No problem.” Xuanxi said firmly, “Something was off about that office just now. I couldn’t move those hooks, that’s how I got tricked. And they didn’t look like real objects, they were more like the form of ‘mysterious spirits’.” He paused, seemingly embarrassed by his earlier predicament, “Don’t describe me in too bad a way later.”

"Pfft." Su Ninglong agreed not to say anything, but a mischievous smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

How could Song Hu and Ying Gu not notice? This kind of thing can't be hidden.

She helped Hyun Hee back to lounge number 50.

Xuanxi rested, while Su Ninglong went through the things Xuanxi had moved.

Everything in the factory manager's office had been moved here; the floor was covered with yellowed old documents and a few scattered seals.

Large companies often have various types of seals, and Suninglong itself is no exception.

She had only ever handled official seals before, so she recognized the slaughterhouse's seal at a glance and picked it up.

The seal felt heavy in my hand. The surface was slightly faded, but there was no rust. It looked as if it had been repeatedly rubbed and used for a long time, making it very smooth.

"If I resign now, will it cause any unforeseen problems?" Su Ninglong hesitated. The unknown is the most terrifying thing. Although she didn't sign a contract, she filled out a form, and whatever name she wrote represented her.

If you really want to leave, shouldn't you write "resignation" on the form and get it stamped?

"Let's not fill it out yet, we need to ask HR first." Right now, they are secretly working against the clock, and it's not advisable to change the status quo for the time being.

Xuanxi was tidying up the documents on the floor when she suddenly remembered something and said in a low voice, "By the way, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but before I went into the factory manager's office, I always felt like someone was following me."

Su Ninglong then remembered that someone had indeed been following them, and nodded, saying, "They were gone when we came out."

"Could it be... that they also went to probe the factory manager's office?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Xuanxi felt that this was very likely.

"Ha ha……"

Su Ninglong smiled gently, and Xuan Xi couldn't help but feel a little schadenfreude.

The Star Alliance's attempt to storm the factory manager's office at this time is practically offering themselves up as nourishment. "Ignore them. If they can actually break into the factory manager's office, it'll save us trouble."

Just then, Tong Zi appeared in the lounge with a batch of meat.

Su Ninglong noticed that she looked a bit disheveled and immediately asked, "What happened?"

"It's just a few hunters from the Star Alliance trying to steal the meat."

I need to deliver meat to the other management lounges first, and I need someone to come with me. Tong Zi needs to mark the route, but this will reduce our fighting strength later on.

“I’ll go with you,” Su Ninglong said.

Tong Zi turned to look at Xuan Xi.

Normally, Xuanxi would be the one to speak first in a situation like this.

She sensed something was wrong: "Were you injured just now? Are you alright now?"

Xuanxi felt a little guilty: "You're injured, did it affect Ah Hu and Ying Gu?"

"No, Song Hu and Ying Gu only felt a slight pain. We'll talk about what happened later."

Realizing that he couldn't escape questioning after all, Xuanxi was a little discouraged and said that he would go with her, using a box to gather up the scattered seals.

His injuries hadn't fully healed yet; his chest still ached slightly. Staying by Su Ninglong and Tong Zi's side would allow him to relay information more quickly.

Su Ninglong took out a talisman and stuck it on the meat cart—it was a concealment talisman. She didn't know if it would actually work, but it could at least provide some cover. If they couldn't hide, they would have no choice but to take action. If the Star Glory Alliance noticed, they would only think they were "fishing."

Strangely, after the talisman was pasted on, the pig-headed people along the way seemed to completely ignore the cart of meat, only sniffing it a few times as they passed by before paying no further attention.

"This thing of yours is really useful," Tong Zi sighed softly, "but it's a pity that they're all disposable. It would be even better if they could be reused."

“If it were truly labeled as ‘sustainable’ and ‘environmentally friendly,’ the price would be much higher. Besides, if it were all replaced with sacred artifacts, wouldn’t it be covered in odds and ends? And we might not even be able to use them.”

Tong Zi chuckled: "That's true."

These talismans are indeed lightweight and don't take up much space when you carry a stack of them.

They brought the "meat" to visit the offices of the executives one by one, and the executives accepted it with a smile.

Although I had already eaten a lot in the morning, I accepted whatever was delivered to my door.

They swallowed the whole piece of meat without hesitation, right in front of Su Ninglong.

When it was the turn of Personnel Pig Manager Number Two, he was extra vigilant. Staring at the meat, his eyes were a mixture of greed and suspicion, both wanting to swallow it whole and fearing being poisoned again.

"I've already succeeded once, why would I need to poison you again? You seemed to enjoy your lavish meal earlier, didn't you?" Su Ninglong said calmly. These pig-headed people are sometimes incredibly shrewd, but at other times surprisingly dull-witted.

It seemed that Personnel Pig Manager No. 2 had finally made up his mind. "After much painful reflection," he thought, "I might as well eat it. At worst, I'll suffer the pain again."

After he swallowed the piece of meat, Su Ninglong said in a low voice, "I'll come find you tonight, let's go somewhere."

She said the same thing when she asked someone to clean up the bodies of the team leaders.

But upon hearing that it was a "feast," HR Manager No. 2's eyes lit up, and he clasped his hands in a fist and replied without hesitation, "I'll definitely be there!"

He was clearly tricked into going to his death, yet he was still so attentive and proactive. Tong Zi and Xuan Xi exchanged a glance and silently lit a candle for him in their hearts.

Su Ninglong carefully inquired about the resignation process. Now that she had asked everything she needed to know, this incompetent HR manager had lost his value and could indeed be sent to his death.

On the way back, Tong Zi suddenly spoke in a low voice: "In some contaminated areas... the things inside still retain their temperaments and habits from when they were alive. Looking at them, who are almost indistinguishable from humans, can you really bring yourselves to harm them?"

Xuanxi, who comes from a family of hunters, never shows mercy to the creatures in the contaminated area. He said firmly, "No. They are no longer human."

Su Ninglong's voice was calm: "I will make sure they die a quick and painless death."

Once someone becomes an appendage of a mysterious spirit, it means that these beings will only be manipulated by negative emotions and may even unconsciously harm humans. Those pig-headed people who appear normal on the surface have countless lives on their hands and are not worthy of any sympathy.

“You guys are quite insightful.” Tong Zi let out a soft breath. “For a long time… I couldn’t get used to it.” She didn’t continue.

Xuanxi and Su Ninglong did not press the matter further.

Almost every hunter who reaches the two-star level has gone through a similar mental struggle; it's a hurdle that must be overcome. Su Ninglong in her previous life had gone through the same thing, and once she got through it, everything was fine.

Just as the three were about to return to the rest area, they ran into a team of hunters from the Star Alliance.

There were about a dozen people, all covered in bruises, and the atmosphere was oppressive.

Two of the pig-headed men were already dead, their bodies limp and hanging down on their companions' shoulders, clearly having perished.

These people were wearing uniforms and could only be identified by the sacred artifacts; one of them was a dead pig-headed man.

Qian Rujin stopped in her tracks, blocking Su Ninglong's path, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion: "Did you deliberately lead us there?"

"Huh?" Su Ninglong's feigned confusion was quite convincing. To be honest, she had no intention of plotting against the Star Glory Alliance—they were all hunters, there was no need to make a mortal enemy of each other.

"You sent people to follow us to the factory manager's office?" she asked rhetorically.

Qian Rujin knew he was in the wrong, but with two people lost in the team and Su Ninglong unharmed, it was hard for him not to suspect that she had deliberately lured them into the trap.

"So you're admitting you intentionally misled us?"

Su Ninglong's gaze was calm and unwavering: "I disdain using such methods against a group of people who can barely protect themselves. Your people were the ones who followed us first, and now you're blaming me for choosing a dangerous location after you failed? Mr. Qian, one shouldn't be too greedy. Since this is a competition, the safety of your hunters should be your responsibility as the leader. Where they go and what they do should be your command and judgment."

These words left Qian Rujin completely silent. He felt conflicted because he didn't want to admit that he had made a mistake in his decision. Yet he knew deep down that it was he who ultimately gave the order to enter that office.

After this test, he already knew that Su Ninglong and Xuan Xi were far more experienced than them in dealing with someone like the factory manager. The unspoken implication in her words was also clear: ultimately, it was their own lack of strength.

"If you want to keep up with our pace, then practice some more." Su Ninglong said coldly. "Now, please step aside."

Qian Rujin tightened her grip on her cane and finally took a step back.

The other Star Alliance hunters stared intently at Su Ninglong, their gazes seeming as if they wanted to devour her alive.

Su Ninglong's gaze swept indifferently over the pig-headed corpses they were carrying on their shoulders. Without saying anything more, she pushed open the door to the lounge and went inside, then closed the door, completely shutting out those hostile gazes.

"She's too arrogant. She definitely lured us in on purpose. Teacher Qian, how can you just let her go like this?" one of the team members said indignantly.

"She didn't do it on purpose." Qian Rujin's voice was hoarse, as if something was blocking her throat.

Despite their reluctance to admit it, the fact is that they are less skilled than others.

To stop his men from further provoking Su Ninglong and inviting trouble, he explained in a deep voice, "Xuan Xi's clothes had two holes in them, and the edges were stained with blood. When he turned to go into the house, he had the exact same wound on his back, just like our dead comrade."