The corpse, which was already fresh as if it were alive, suddenly opened its eyes.
This startled almost everyone present, causing them to instinctively take a few steps back, gripping their props or abilities, ready to unleash them.
In Yang Qian’s hand was an ancient bronze bell tied with a red string, clearly not an ordinary item. Especially when the bell rang the moment it was taken out, anyone not fully focused could easily be distracted in such a deadly situation.
The power of this bell was evident; it was likely a useful item obtained from a mission, much like Lu Qingjia’s Soul Shackles.
The Doctor did not take out any props, but it was clear he had also unleashed his abilities before. He let some black liquid ooze from his palm, which dripped onto the ground, hissing as it corroded the surface, sending chills down the spine.
The Nurse held a Spirit-Repelling Talisman, but its quality was also the highest level available in the low-tier market.
The entire hospital’s conspiracy and malicious layout revolved around this corpse in the well, and the black bugs in the well were already difficult to handle. Clearly, no one believed this corpse was benign.
It was likely the highest obstacle in this level, a ghostly boss.
However, the three did not have time to act; in that brief moment, as they retreated, Lu Qingjia instead moved forward.
He reached out and grabbed the corpse’s hair, using the red silk on his wrist to tie up the living-like hair, instantly reducing its vitality by more than half.
Lu Qingjia then stepped on the corpse’s chest, showing no mercy whatsoever.
The three could only hear a crack, clearly the ribs of the corpse breaking underfoot.
Before the corpse could retaliate, it was subdued. Reluctantly, its eyes rolled, moving quickly as if a hand were desperately trying to stir within.
Finally, it settled on a position, looking at Lu Qingjia, its gaze devoid of life, like a glass bead. Rather than being stared at, it felt more like Lu Qingjia was being watched by a puppet.
The corpse was incredibly strong, struggling to rise, its legs pushing up, but Lu Qingjia was not weak either, firmly pressing down on its chest.
This forced the corpse into a C-shape, its waist bones cracking with a mournful groan, resembling a zombie.
Lu Qingjia had a thought and produced two surgical knives, swiftly cutting off the corpse’s arms.
As a result, the arms fell to the ground, but several strands of black hair emerged from them. Because their vitality was restrained by the red silk, the hair extended slowly, desperately searching for its body, trying to reattach the arms.
Lu Qingjia released his foot from the corpse’s chest, and sure enough, through the skin, he could see something writhing beneath. The collapsed chest and abdomen were slowly rising again.
The three saw this and said, “Such strong attack power and it can self-repair? If we can’t find a way to counter the red silk, even a few of us would be easy pickings.”
“But wait,” Lu Qingjia said, “logically speaking, if this guy is indeed the original owner of the club, the instigator of all the conspiracies, then when we find him, my task should be complete.”
“Him?” Yang Qian looked at Lu Qingjia in confusion. “Isn’t your task to obtain the perfect formula for beauty liquid?”
Lu Qingjia scoffed, “The so-called perfect formula is nothing more than effective and risk-free. Ordinary beauty liquid can achieve the former effect, but over time, it turns the human body into a bug nest.”
“So who, then, not only has no risk but can also absorb most of the essence and lifespan?”
“Mother Gu Host.” The three reacted: “If all the conspiracies are orchestrated by this thing, then indeed, Mother Gu Host should be him.”
“You threw Red Worms into the well during the day, inadvertently bringing Mother Gu back to this guy, but this thing’s performance doesn’t seem like that of a big boss.”
“Moreover, is this guy absorbing essence and lifespan for cultivation? Has he turned into the corpse in the well as part of a plan, or is it an accident?”
Lu Qingjia said, “I lean towards it being an accident. This guy’s entire conspiracy couldn’t have been completed alone; just look at the former high-ups of the club.”
“His personal secretary helped him arrange everything, knowing all the principles. Faced with immense profits, he could even control the powerful as mere puppets. Naturally, he would be tempted, and without hesitation, he could unite with a few other informed individuals to eliminate the boss and become the final sacrifice for hair transplantation.”
“After the boss’s death, those people divided his conspiratorial legacy, and the secretary became the new leader of this interest group. Only Mother Gu was accidentally lost, and they had to lie low for a few years, researching a truly stable substitute before they could begin their ambitions.”
“Because if all of this were the boss’s conspiracy, he and his shadow could not be separated or overlapped. Even if they regained Mother Gu, it would still be an easy-to-handle corpse.”
“Are you saying that for your task to succeed, you still need to gather the shadow and resurrect this thing? Only then would there be a true beneficiary, completing the perfect formula?” the Doctor asked.
Lu Qingjia nodded, “A corpse that has no soul—what’s the point of giving it lifespan and youth? This isn’t a zombie world.”
“Then you might as well plant the Red Worms in your own body.” The Doctor smiled mischievously, “That way, you’d become the beneficiary of the perfect formula, and it would still count as completing the task. Why go around in circles?”
Lu Qingjia directly expressed his disdain, “First of all, I absolutely won’t tolerate having bugs in my body. Secondly, even if I had no psychological barriers, the essence and lifespan are tempting. Moreover, if a Player wants to plant Mother Gu, there is indeed operational space.”
“With so many child Gu absorbing countless essence and lifespan, the red silk developed by the hospital can only intercept a small portion, while the remaining majority is fed back to Mother Gu. Accumulating for two years could directly double the Player’s various strengths, which is indeed enticing.”
The three had been focused on being wary of the corpse and analyzing the situation, but they had forgotten this principle. Hearing Lu Qingjia say this, they couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Doubling their strengths was practically a chance to get rich overnight. Even if they immediately advanced to Intermediate Level Game, they would be among the best of the newcomers, far surpassing their peers. Who wouldn’t be tempted?
The Doctor cautiously asked, “Such a huge benefit, you don’t want it? If you don’t want it, then—”
Lu Qingjia smiled at him, “You want it? I can let you have it, but you need to think carefully. Those essence and lifespan, while tempting, come with entangled consequences that are like a parasite.”
“If you’re confident you can handle the karmic retribution, you can take it now.”
The Doctor shivered, immediately waking up. He had decent luck and had a friend in real life who was a Player of considerable rank in the Game. After learning he was caught up in the Game, his friend brought him into his circle.
He had been told a lot about the Game’s hidden rules that low-level Players couldn’t touch, so his starting point was higher than that of ordinary Players.
He naturally understood that people like them were walking on the edge of life and death. Luck was like a thread on the path of survival; the more threads, the greater the chance of being pulled back to life.
Carrying so much karmic resentment, whether he could keep his heart intact was one thing; in the future, fate would definitely play him to death.
The Doctor quickly waved his hands, “No, no, don’t look at me like this. I’m a decent person. What decent person would let a bug live in their body?”
He pointed at the corpse, “So what now?”
Lu Qingjia said, “First, let’s ensure it stays quiet in the well for now. Since everyone knows the way to clear the level, let’s get to work.”
Saying this, the four of them chopped off the corpse’s limbs and tied them up with nylon rope. The black hair that wanted to save its master was braided into several strands, and with the red silk restraining it, just to untangle itself would take a considerable amount of time, let alone complete the repair.
Lu Qingjia calculated that it was enough for them to act, then kicked the corpse back into the well. With the work arranged, they parted ways.
Lu Qingjia and Yang Qian both had strong solo action capabilities, and the Doctor was also quite powerful. Only Nurse Xiao Ting did not excel in combat and had not fully recovered since being possessed by a ghost.
To avoid any mishaps, she teamed up with the Doctor.
Yang Qian and the Doctor went to the homes of several doctors who had performed surgeries at the time, easily finding their current addresses in the files.
Lu Qingjia had already asked Brother Liu to help rent two vans. The three outlaws broke into the house, knocked out the doctors without a word, removed the red silk from their bodies, and tied them up to bring to the agreed location.
The entire process didn’t take much time; more time was wasted on the road.
The agreed place was a luxurious villa. When they arrived, the villa was eerily quiet, indicating that everyone inside had been controlled by Lu Qingjia.
The three parked the cars in the villa’s parking space and swaggered inside.
In one room, they found Lu Qingjia tying up a beautiful young woman in a sexy silk nightgown on the coffee table.
The woman’s husband, the villa’s male owner, was sitting nearby, shirtless and only wearing shorts, bound like a dumpling, but still conscious.
He watched in horror as a stranger barged in, binding his stunningly beautiful wife, his eyes practically bulging out, feeling like he was living a nightmare.
The woman, with tears in her eyes, pleaded with Lu Qingjia, “Big brother, please spare me! Take anything valuable in the house; there’s cash in the drawer, jewelry and gold bars in the safe. I can tell you the password.”
Lu Qingjia turned on the light, and the woman froze for a moment upon seeing his face, not expecting the intruding robber to be anything but fierce and lewd. Instead, he was an elegant, handsome man, looking far more real than the filtered idols in the entertainment industry.
The woman regained her composure and noticed her husband’s gaze, then cried out in despair, “You can do anything to me, just don’t harm me or my husband’s life. Can we go to the bedroom?”
The three were speechless…
Damn, this scene felt like the beginning of some stimulating genre of adult film.
Damn, being handsome really has its advantages; even robbing someone, they still seem to be hesitant.
Seeing the woman tied up with a cloth gag in her mouth, Lu Qingjia said to the three, “Are you here?”
“Bring out the stuff.”
The Doctor hurriedly handed Lu Qingjia a button-sized item.
This item was one of the props available before the start of this round, and the Doctor had a decent amount of Points. Knowing that the exchange window generally wouldn’t release meaningless items, and that this item would definitely be useful in the future even if it wasn’t needed in this world, he purchased it.
Lu Qingjia had joined the task temporarily and was busy avoiding Zhong Liyu, so he hadn’t had time to wait for the exchange window to open and missed out.
This item was a Signal Hijacker, a product of a high-tech world. In this low-level dungeon, it could hijack any network channel for a certain period, broadcasting whatever one wanted the world to know without worrying about being blocked.
Just like in Iron Man 3, where a terrorist organization hijacked the entire American television signal to broadcast terrifying images, and it couldn’t be cut off.
Lu Qingjia prepared the prop and adjusted the camera. Since it was still early, they even made some food in the villa’s kitchen.
When it reached 9 AM, the entire city began to operate.
Suddenly, Lu Qingjia’s face appeared on television channels, live streams, large screens in squares, and the homepage videos of various social media platforms, even on the computers of office workers in skyscrapers.
At first, everyone thought it was a star launched by some company, and many subconsciously thought this idol was of high quality.
“Good morning, welcome to my live stream.” Lu Qingjia smiled at the screen. “This is non-professional beauty blogger Lu Qingjia.”
“My first and only video revolves around the topic of unscrupulous cosmetic hospitals and the umbrellas behind them.”
“The video will contain a lot of disturbing images, so I advise viewers to watch with caution. If you’re having breakfast, please put down your food, and if you’re under eighteen, please watch with a parent or teacher.”
In an instant, the reactions of those who saw the video varied. Some cursed influencers for going crazy with advertisements, some purely appreciated the handsome face, and others were just bored and watching the commotion—there were all kinds of voices.
After the warning, Lu Qingjia began to introduce that cosmetic hospital, which had been established for only two years, so the introduction was quick.
“This hospital is located around the busiest commercial area in the city. Many beauty enthusiasts in the city are likely familiar with it, and some may have even consumed its services.”
“Data shows that the most common procedure performed at this hospital is liposuction. Many people think this is just an ordinary cosmetic medicine procedure and haven’t heard of this hospital making headlines due to medical accidents. It’s not the best, but it’s barely considered legitimate.”
“If you think this way, I hope that after seeing the following images, you can still say such things—one more reminder, the following images are not suitable for minors, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with heart conditions or mental fragility. Please turn off the video or leave the screen.”
Many timid viewers had already sensed something was off, but the curious and bold still made up the majority.
After giving some buffer time, the screen displayed the scene of an operating room, where a liposuction surgery was taking place.
The anesthesia and fat-dissolving injections were relatively normal, but when it came to the liposuction part, it was a complete shock.
Because the liposuction was not done with tools; it was done with black bugs that resembled loaches.
Those things, like leeches, were sprinkled on areas with excess fat, and before long, they burrowed in, writhing back and forth to consume the fat. In the video, a two-hundred-pound fatty was reduced to skin and bones in less than half an hour.
Then the doctor made a small incision in the skin, removed the black bugs, and injected a drug into them, placing them in a glass jar filled with fat.
Subsequently, the black bugs melted, and the absorbed fat filled the entire glass jar, its volume much larger than when the bugs were taken out.
The footage was played at an accelerated speed, so although it was grotesque, it was still somewhat acceptable.
Next, Lu Qingjia’s face reappeared on the screen, and by this point, no one was paying attention to his looks anymore.
He smiled, holding a jar of fat liquid, and said, “Doesn’t this make overweight individuals a bit tempted?”
“Although the images are a bit hard to bear, you can just not watch. The weight loss effect is immediate. I know some beauty enthusiasts are actually willing to take this risk.”
“But if you look at the statistical data, you won’t think that way.”
The screen quickly flashed some data: “These are the names of clients who have undergone liposuction at this hospital over the past two years. Observant viewers can take screenshots.”
“Data shows that anyone who has undergone liposuction has experienced varying degrees of decline in their physical condition, especially those who were significantly overweight. In the past two years, eleven people have died from infections due to lowered immune systems after undergoing full-body liposuction.”
“These black bugs are not beauty organisms; while they extract fat, they also take away a person’s health and life.”
“I believe some viewers are already starting to question the authenticity of this video or think I’m sensationalizing things. That’s fine, because this is just the beginning. Next, I will unveil a world that cannot be explained by science, and also reveal what kind of existence controls this city.”
Lu Qingjia continued, “Back to the fat, a cosmetic company, just to improve the efficiency of liposuction, disregards human life, ignores legal risks, and has yet to expose any accidents, which is clearly illogical.”
“So what are these fats used for?” Lu Qingjia tapped the fat jar and smiled, “With a little processing, this fat becomes the beauty elixir sought after by countless wealthy and powerful individuals in this city.”
“The method of production is simple.” Lu Qingjia stood up, explaining as he operated, “First, prepare the materials: one jar of fat and several black bugs.”
“Cut open the abdomen of the black bugs, and you’ll see worm eggs the size of millet. This step requires no technical skill; if it’s too troublesome, you can ask a helpful vendor for assistance.”
“Take an appropriate amount of worm eggs, mix them into the fat, and stir clockwise for thirty seconds, and the beauty liquid is ready.”
“Seeing this step, I believe the comments should be flooded with ‘nonsense,’ but that’s okay; we can directly show the effects.”
“For example—this enthusiastic viewer over fifty, with sagging skin.”
After saying this, the camera moved aside to reveal a man with sagging skin and a large belly, clearly kidnapped.
The audience then realized that this video was far from simple; it was essentially a crime live stream.
As for the relevant authorities, they had already begun attempting to shut down the video, but it was futile. The police were also trying to analyze the live stream’s location based on the scenery on the screen.
Lu Qingjia knew time was running out, so he threw the man in front of the screen and smeared a disgusting layer of fat liquid on his face.
Before applying it, the audience clearly saw that although the man’s face was greasy and fat, it already had the sagging and wrinkles typical of his age.
But five minutes later, as Lu Qingjia scraped the fat liquid off his face, he said to the camera, “Next is the moment to witness a miracle.”
People saw the filth wiped away, and that face had become firm and smooth, with sunken temples now full, wrinkles vanished, and sagging flesh visibly lifted, making him look at least twenty years younger.
If it weren’t for the physical signs giving him away, no one would doubt that this face was under thirty.
Online technical experts and analysts had already begun synchronously analyzing, “The footage has not undergone any technical processing, ruling out lighting reasons; the video displayed is almost close to the real appearance.”
“Damn, that’s creepy. Extracting ordinary people’s fat to make beauty liquid? I said the number of ageless goddesses popping up in our city has been increasing over the past two years.”
“Last week, the director of xx bureau and his wife made the news, didn’t they praise her for being fifty and well-maintained? She even mentioned in an interview that it was due to years of exercise and health care. At that time, some experts analyzed that her body shape and muscle distribution were not what a long-term exerciser should have.”
“Right, right, and what about that actress from our city? Didn’t she almost fade into obscurity two years ago? The leaked original images looked like a ghost, and now she seems younger than she did in her twenties. Could she also be a client here?”
“Upstairs, are you just talking nonsense? What basis do you have to slander? My XX is naturally beautiful; no matter how much you criticize, she can’t compare to even a toe of hers.”
