A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

Ji Zuodao nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the college students who were trembling with fear and pale-faced.

It's good that you know fear.

Fear is the only way to learn a lesson.

In earlier years, most of those who ventured into the forests were doing so to make a living, such as collecting herbs, hunting, and digging for mountain products.

It's a matter of living on the edge, a last resort.

Otherwise, who would be so bored as to venture into these remote mountains?

They won't even be able to have a complete body after they die, and their families won't have a place to cry.

Now, aside from legitimate jobs like scientific research, surveying, and forest protection, most of those who go into the forest are just bored and looking for excitement.

They even euphemistically call it "getting close to nature" and "challenging oneself".

Over the years, the ones who have died the most easily and in the most varied ways are also these people.

Wiping the grease from his lips, Ji Zuodao stood up.

"Alright, pack your things, I'll see you out."

He kicked a piece of charred charcoal at his feet, his tone so earnest and earnest, as if a neighborhood committee elder were advising a rebellious teenager:

"When I'm bored out of my mind, I'll find some fun in the real world. Playing mahjong, having hot pot, or sitting in a five-person internet cafe—why not? Why do I have to crawl into these mountains?"

"If someone really dies inside, no one will even know which mountain they're on. It would just cause trouble for the police and firefighters, requiring a massive search and rescue operation, wasting public resources and causing trouble for the country. That's so immoral."

"Yes, yes, big brother is right!"

"We'll definitely be more careful from now on! We'll never run around recklessly again!"

Several college students nodded their heads like chickens pecking at rice; they were truly terrified this time, and they'll probably suffer from PTSD for the rest of their lives whenever they see words like "wilderness," "hiking," or "adventure."

Ji Zuodao's expression was somewhat strange as he looked them up and down a few times: "Big brother? Do I look that old?"

These guys all look to be in their mid-twenties, yet they call themselves "big brother"?

I was just joking around when I called the kids before, did you guys really take it seriously?

The college students were taken aback, and then looked more closely at the young man illuminated by the firelight.

His face was indeed young, even carrying a hint of youthful exuberance, but his eyes and demeanor were too mature, causing them to subconsciously regard him as a "gangster boss."

"No, no, no, bro! Bro!" The bespectacled man reacted the fastest and quickly changed his tune.

Ji was too lazy to argue, so she walked over and stomped the fire out completely, crushing it until not a single spark remained.

Fire prevention in the mountains is of paramount importance.

Then, he wandered over to the mandrills that were either nailed, dizzy, or paralyzed.

"Click, click, click..."

The movements were so fast they left afterimages, the efficiency comparable to an assembly line. Grabbing the mandrill's arms and legs, with a swift twist, a turn, a twist—

The mournful cries of the bones rose and fell, crisp yet chilling.

In the blink of an eye, the remaining dozen or so mountain demons, regardless of whether they were dead or alive before, were all now broken and unable to move.

Ji Zuodao clapped his hands, "Done."

Since there were several ordinary people present, he couldn't very well put these "ingredients" directly into the human skin bag. He could only let them lie there for a while and come back to collect them after he had delivered them to the people.

"Da, da, da..."

A slow, gentle sound, like soft paws stepping on fallen leaves, came from afar.

Dog Grandpa swaggered out of the darkness deep in the forest, his large, shiny body swaying with a dignified gait.

The black fur around the dog's mouth seemed to be a bit more moisturized than before.

Under the sunlight, it faintly shimmered with a dark red, still-wet sheen.

"Huh? Where did that dog go?"

A boy belatedly muttered to himself.

It seems that when that unscrupulous tour guide scrambled away, the big black dog also disappeared without a trace?

Dog walked over to the fire, squatted down gracefully, and stuck out his tongue to slowly lick the mud-like stains on his front paws.

Then, it seemed to choke on something, making a muffled "gurgling" sound in its throat, and its head tilted back slightly.

"belch--"

A round, wet thing with a few blood vessels still attached popped out of its throat and fell onto the fallen leaves with a "plop".

In the dim light of the day, I could barely make out—

That looks... like an eyeball?

Dog looked down at the thing on the ground, and his tongue flashed out and curled.

"Gulp."

It was swallowed back up again.

The whole set of actions flows smoothly.

Everyone: "..."

A dead silence.

The night wind rustled through the treetops, making a soft, mournful sound.

"Big...Big...Big Brother..."

The bespectacled boy shakily raised his hand, pointed at Dog, his voice trembling so much it sounded like electronic music, and he could barely speak:

"That dog...did it just...spit out...an eyeball?!"

Ji Zuodao turned his head, his gaze following the direction of the boy's finger, and landed on Dog Master, who was innocently licking his nose.

Then, a bright, harmless smile slowly spread across his face.

"Eyeballs? What eyeballs?"

He blinked, his expression innocent yet with just the right amount of confusion, as if he were genuinely trying to understand what the other person was saying.

"You must be mistaken, classmate?"

"That must be a berry. There are lots of berries in the mountains, and they grow all sorts of strange shapes. Dogs are greedy, they pick up things to eat and then can't bear to spit them out, it's normal."

"But that's clearly..."

The bespectacled boy still tried to argue, believing that his vision was 5.0 and that he wasn't old enough to have failing eyesight.

"That is, juice, fruit."

Ji Zuodao's smile remained unchanged, not even the curve of his lips moved. He simply repeated the sentence slowly and deliberately.

The voice wasn't loud, but it inexplicably carried a chilling, unquestionable sense of certainty.

The bespectacled boy shuddered, as if he had suddenly been electrocuted, and his mind was instantly enlightened, his intelligence taking over.

"Yes, yes, yes! Berries! They're berries!"

He nodded vigorously, his tone resolute, as if reciting a universal truth:

"I misread it! It's just a rather...unique-looking berry! This dog has a great appetite! Not picky at all! Easy to feed! Haha, hahaha..."

He chuckled dryly, trying to cover up his trembling voice with his volume.

The companions next to him also seemed to wake up from their daze and laughed along.

For a moment, the atmosphere was strangely "harmonious".

Ji Zuodao nodded in satisfaction. That's more like it.

He lifted his foot and gently kicked Dog's sturdy buttocks:

"Let's go, get to work. Lead the way and see some friends off down the mountain."

Dog flicked its tail, lazily stood up, and started walking in a certain direction as if it knew the way well.

Ji Zuodao called to the few college students who were still in shock and saw everything as "berries" at that moment, and followed them unsteadily.

The atmosphere along the way was eerily quiet.

No one spoke; only the rustling sound of footsteps on the withered branches and fallen leaves made the forest seem even more secluded and quiet.

The college students were still shaken. They kept their eyes down and followed along obediently, wishing they could be invisible.

But there are always some people with a higher fear threshold, or... curiosity can overcome everything.

The pretty female college student, whose eyes had lit up when she looked at Ji Zuodao, couldn't contain her inner turmoil and lingered for a while.

He quickened his pace and moved closer to Ji Zuodao, who was walking ahead.

She first glanced cautiously at Dog, who was walking steadily beside her as if on a picnic, then lowered her voice, her tone a mixture of adventurous excitement and lingering fear, and whispered:

"Young man...were those mountain demons the old folks used to talk about, the mountain spirits and monsters?"

After asking the question, she subconsciously shrank her neck, as if afraid that some "mountain spirit or monster" might actually jump out from some dark corner to respond to her.