See the Law of Deception

Chapter 48 The Long Street Slaughterhouse (9)

Having obtained the "meat," and with nightfall approaching, the remaining passengers quickly left the area.

Wei Ling walked beside Lu Jinzhao and suddenly said, "If I find the person with the snake on the hostage tomorrow and kill him, will I be safe?"

After she figured out the truth about the platform mission, her thinking changed.

On this street, in this slaughterhouse, it's impossible to find a complete set of 12 zodiac animals. When the butcher mentions an "animal" that is difficult to find in reality, others who realize this will turn their attention to the person whose zodiac sign corresponds to it.

They had sent the rats in earlier, but the slaughter didn't end immediately. When the passenger born in the year of the rat went in, the meat was produced very quickly.

This means that while a real rat is also the correct answer, it is not the butcher's favorite answer.

What the butcher really wants is people.

“When the person whose zodiac sign corresponds to dies, the butcher will also lose interest in that animal, right?” Wei Ling looked at Lu Jinzhao.

Lu Jinzhao nodded: "That's most likely the case."

This is the simplest, yet most brutal truth about this platform.

Why aren't humans animals?
As long as the species are matched, then the 12 passengers who were brought in are the 12 most correct animals.

The fact that the "animals" in the Chinese zodiac do not exist in reality will cause irreconcilable conflicts among passengers. Given that bloodshed and sacrifice are inevitable, what will the passengers do to protect themselves?
Is the Butcher really just that one that exists in the main building, a ghost restricted by the rules?
"Luckily, there were rats and calves in the slaughterhouse," Wei Ling remarked.

This means that, at least, the two of them don't need to kill anyone to complete their mission.

The two agreed on a meeting place for the next day and then went home.

As soon as she arrived at her doorstep, before she even opened the door, Lu Jinzhao's fingers, which were resting on the doorknob, paused subtly for a moment.

She felt a chill run down her spine as she touched the doorknob.

This is not due to the temperature of the door handle itself. No matter how cold an iron handle is, it will never be so cold that it feels like being pricked by needles when touched.

It's like the impending horror in a thriller, or a warning that there's a ghost behind the door.

Even though Lu Jinzhao understood this warning, he still had to enter into it.

As soon as the door opened, a putrid smell, along with a foul odor, rushed into the nostrils.

Inside the door, the old man's shrill yet weak voice reached my ears.

"Meat, has my meat come back?"

Lu Jinzhao couldn't tell whether the old man was asking her if she had brought back any meat, or whether she was the meat the old man was talking about.

The old man kept asking questions, his tone becoming increasingly urgent.

Seeing this, Lu Jinzhao could only quickly reply, "I brought it back."

The old man's voice disappeared immediately.

Lu Jinzhao dared not delay and walked towards the room with the meat in his hand.

The bedroom door was clearly closed when she left, but now it was opened a crack.

Through the crack, a bright red, bulging eye was staring at her with lustful eyes.

Lu Jinzhao was startled by the gaze, but remained calm as she approached the door. After gently pushing open the bedroom door, the ferocious yet eager look disappeared.

Instead, there are elderly people still lying in bed, seemingly unable to move.

Lu Jinzhao approached the bed carrying the meat. Before she could even ask the old man a question, the seemingly paralyzed old man suddenly jerked his upper body up as if in a twitch. His withered fingers violently grabbed the pungent, bloody flesh in front of him with such force that Lu Jinzhao almost stumbled. Then, a scene that would never be seen in civilized society unfolded before Lu Jinzhao's eyes.

The old man's withered, claw-like hands gripped the large piece of raw meat tightly. His teeth, which should have fallen out, were now tearing at the raw meat like the sharp teeth of a wild beast. Blood and bits of flesh splattered onto the bed, his clothes, and the old man's deeply furrowed face.

As his flesh and blood continued to be consumed, the mad old man seemed to gradually return to human form.

Once all the meat was eaten, her ferocious expression returned to calm.

She lay back down on the bed, covered in blood, and looked at Lu Jinzhao like a kind grandmother, saying, "Good child, you did a good job. Bring me back fresh meat tomorrow."

Lu Jinzhao finally understood what had contaminated the dimly lit room with its rotten stench and filthy quilt.

She closed the door and left the bedroom.

The old woman's words undoubtedly confirmed her suspicions, and the butcher's broadcast the next day completely confirmed Lu Jinzhao's guess.

That damned snake! It killed my pet!

Today, I'm going to eat snake meat!

After listening to the broadcast, Lu Jinzhao's expression became subtle for a moment.

"Is the order not based on the twelve zodiac animals, but on the sequence of events?"

The butcher's broadcast immediately reminded Lu Jinzhao that yesterday, Wei Ling, who was born in the Year of the Snake, was the first to go in and offer up a rat.

Moreover, the rats were caught inside the slaughterhouse.

"...Could the pets be those rats?"

If this speculation is true, then whoever presents an animal from the slaughterhouse will become the target the next day.

Yesterday was the first time, so the ghost set its sights on Wei Ling, who was the first to enter.

Wei Ling's zodiac sign is the snake, a secret known only to her and Lu Jinzhao. Others would probably have to deduce why the target today is a snake.

For Wei Ling and Lu Jinzhao, the most important thing today is to protect themselves.

Even if there are sheep in the slaughterhouse, Lu Jinzhao would never tell others that he is a sheep in order to protect himself.

Once others find out that the animals given to the butcher are from the slaughterhouse, they will become the next target. Even if you openly declare that your own zodiac animal is already in the slaughterhouse, you may still be targeted.

The only thing we can do right now is to maintain the bond between her and Wei Ling, confuse their zodiac signs and goals, so that others can never figure out their true objectives and zodiac signs. If we want to deal with them, we can only do it together.

Wei Ling was clearly aware of this as well, and even though the butcher's target today was her, she did not show any signs of panic.

However, when she met Lu Jinzhao, she still tested his attitude slightly. After receiving a clear answer that she would not be betrayed, she was visibly relieved.

To her, other people's verbal promises were just empty words, but Lu Jinzhao was different. She truly kept her word and rescued herself from that terrifying platform.

Therefore, she would only believe Lu Jinzhao's verbal promises.

But human nature always made her want to confirm things again and again in order to gain more security.

"Alright, we can't go too late, or it will arouse suspicion."

Once everyone understands the rules, those who are reluctant to go to the slaughterhouse will become the object of suspicion.

Are you today's "target"?
That's why I don't dare to come in.

(End of this chapter)