Salted Fish Zombie

Chapter 53.2: Flower Servant (1)

July 08, 2023 by Wyrd

The two players didn’t know what they were supposed to do and were dragged out without much resistance.

In the end, the middle-aged woman chose three men and three women, totaling six people.

The three women were wearing the same clothes, and the three men were also wearing identical outfits.

Zhu Shuangshuang said, “We are all wearing matching clothes. Is this clothing a symbol of identity?”

To be honest, the clothes were quite nice, especially the wide belt, which made the waist look slim and the legs long. The overall appearance was tall and thin.

The boss had a good eye for choosing people. The six individuals had harmonious proportions in terms of weight, height, and body shape. Standing on the platform on the lake, they were very pleasing to the eye.

“It must be a symbol of identity or a low-class identity that can be bought and sold,” Su Wangsheng said.

Ning Su replied, “No, I am not low-class. I am good-looking, and they all want to have me.”

“...”

The players were all watching the people outside.

After entering Furen County, they were confused all along, wanting to see what they were supposed to do.

The boss asked the middle-aged woman, “Do you want us to help?”

After thinking for a moment, the middle-aged woman said, “You guys have good skills. You can handle it. Just make sure they are fresh and alive the day after tomorrow.”

The boss said confidently, “Don’t worry, our techniques in Furen County are among the best. We guarantee a minimum of seven days, and the day after tomorrow is the peak time.”

The water prison suddenly became quiet.

If the words before were still somewhat unclear, the terms “fresh and alive” and “the day after tomorrow” were probably understood by them to some extent.

The two players who were dragged out immediately became nervous, looking around with a guarded expression.

In this vast courtyard, apart from the four large water prisons capable of holding thousands of people, there was also a warehouse next to the artificial mountain.

That building was different from the water prisons they were in. It was a sealed, lightless warehouse with only a small, closed window.

The boss clapped his hands, and several strong men in white clothes rushed out of the room to grab the six people.

The other four people were numb and obediently dragged away, but the two players resisted. They realized the danger and struggled desperately.

Whether numb or struggling, the people in the front who had experienced the water prison seemed accustomed to it and watched calmly.

The boss and his men were prepared for this. When the female player was about to grab a weapon, a long knife suddenly appeared and severed her foot.

The long knife was in the hands of one of the white-clothed men. Before several players could react, it effortlessly sliced through the female player’s ankle bone as if cutting through tofu.

As the female player lost her feet and her body was about to topple, a piercing scream echoed through the courtyard.

Then, the sound of a “plunk” replaced by a splash into the lake.

The lake water was clear, and her writhing figure in pain at the bottom of the lake was clearly visible to every player. Her screams became muffled underwater.

The bright red blood diffused in the clear lake water, resembling the gradually fading red glow on the horizon.

The middle-aged woman shouted, “Oh dear! Bring her up quickly. So much blood wasted!”

She only cared about the waste of blood, not about a life lost or a person disabled without legs.

The white-clothed man immediately lifted her from the lake bottom and half-dragged, half-carried her towards the warehouse.

Blood and water dripped from her body, and she kept convulsing in the man’s grasp, unsure whether it was from pain or cold.

The other male player dared not struggle anymore and was stiffly taken to the dark and mysterious warehouse for unknown purposes.

There was silence in the fourth water prison.

In the game base, there were players like Ning Su and Zhu Shuangshuang, Su Wangsheng, who, in a dazed state, entered a newly opened secondary dungeon for the first time. However, there was definitely no newcomer who would dare to enter a level 5 dungeon for their first time.

The players here were all experienced players, or at least they considered themselves to be fairly strong. Each time they entered a dungeon, their bodies and minds would be tempered. Most of the players here had robust bodies and quick reflexes.

Suddenly, without anyone expecting it, someone’s feet were cut off like tofu.

Although they all knew that they shouldn’t resist the NPCs unless absolutely necessary, the fact that an ordinary NPC was so powerful made the players more serious.

The door of the warehouse was closed, and they had no idea what would happen inside. However, based on the scene just now, it was certain that something bloody was about to occur.

Zhu Shuangshuang asked, “What do they want to do with us?”

Su Wangsheng replied, “When we were outside the city gate, the person in gray said they could only attack the lower legs. Just now, the person in white severed the ankle of that female player, and the boss seems to care a lot about our faces and bodies.”

Fang Qi added, “Our lower legs and feet are not important; they can be cut off at will. But the upper body is important, especially the face.”

Zhu Shuangshuang pondered and listed the strange words they encountered along the way. “Soil, grade, flower arrangement, freshness, and blooming period. Feet are not important, the face is important.”

Ning Su suddenly made a sound of realization.

The three of them looked at him, about to ask what he had figured out, when suddenly they heard a series of miserable screams coming from the warehouse.

One after another, the wailing echoed through every corner of the courtyard, filled with despair, hoarseness, and agony.

The warehouse seemed like a hellish place, where some kind of torture was taking place.

Just the horrifying cries were enough to send shivers down the players’ spines, making their expressions grave and serious.

Meanwhile, the people in the third water prison ahead remained calm, as if they had become accustomed to it. Even those crying in the corner showed no significant emotional fluctuations.

The players stared intensely at the warehouse, listening to one agonizing scream after another, unable to remain as composed as before.

They had only been in this instance for less than an hour, and already two players were on the verge of death.

The boss must be involved in trading them, and people would come to select them from time to time. No one knew when it would be their turn.

Zhu Shuangshuang remarked, “They don’t see us as humans at all, treating us like livestock.”

Su Wangsheng: “Hmm.”

Fang Qi stared blankly at the small warehouse, not knowing what he was thinking. He said, “They are torturing them.”

Indeed, if they were going to kill those six people, there would only be six screams, and it wouldn’t have lasted until now.

Su Wangsheng said, “They won’t kill them. That woman mentioned wanting them fresh, and the boss said they are very skilled in keeping them ‘fresh’.”

What kind of skills were they talking about?

It’s unbearable to have this feeling of not being able to see, only guessing from the screams. The more one imagined, the more terrifying it became. It’s even more frightening to think that they might have to go through the same thing.

It wasn’t until nightfall that the screams from inside stopped.

A black sedan was carried into the warehouse, and shortly after, the sedan came out again with the boss and the middle-aged woman following behind.

Many players had good hearing and could hear what they were saying.

Middle-aged woman: “Boss Qi, you have to guarantee that they will still be fresh the day after tomorrow.”

Boss: “Rest assured, we all know. It needs to ferment a bit to be at its best, and the day after tomorrow is perfect.”

The middle-aged woman expressed satisfaction. “I knew I could count on you. I’ll come again next time, so make sure to keep some good products for me.”

As she said that, she glanced over in this direction.

Ning Su: “...”

He didn’t want to get involved with wealthy women.

After the woman left, the sedan also departed.

As they left, a gust of night wind blew, lifting the thin black veil of the sedan curtain. In the dim red light of the lantern at the door, a glimpse could be caught of something large and white inside, gleaming with a gentle porcelain shine.

The other details remained hidden in the darkness, unable to be glimpsed.

The black sedan curtain fell, and the red runes on it appeared eerie in the dark night. At first glance, they seemed like ancient symbols, invoking a sense of mystery. Staring at them for too long would cause a physiological discomfort, inexplicably leaving one unable to explain the reason behind it.

Ning Su lowered his head and looked at the red belt around his waist. The black runes on the tightly bound red belt were the same.

After the boss saw off the guests, someone came to bring them food.

The boss didn’t have any intention of mistreating them. He kept them locked in this water prison with a beautiful view outside and personally brought them food. He even brought a box of ointment for Fang Qi.

“Apply it on the scars on your face and see if it can fade away. Otherwise, you’ll be in a miserable state in a few days.”

Everyone had a wooden box containing food, except for Ning Su and Ning Changfeng.

Ning Su leaned forward and asked, “Boss Qi, where’s my meal?”

“Don’t worry,” the boss was particularly kind to him and smiled, saying, “You have something better.”

Ning Su’s eyes brightened, and he looked at the boss with a smile.

The boss took out an exquisite porcelain bowl from the food container held by the servant and placed it in the young man’s outstretched hands with a smile.

His slightly curved peach blossom eyes widened.

Such a large and beautiful bowl, yet it only contained a bowl of water.

Even if it was water as enchanting as the shimmering moonlight.

No matter how beautiful it was, it was still just a bowl of water!

The boss patted his head and said, “Drink up quickly. Drinking it will make you even more beautiful.”

Retracting his hand, the boss’ smile became even more satisfied. The world’s top beauties had no flaws, and even their hair was superior.

Ning Su didn’t want to become beautiful; he just wanted to eat well.

Ning Su felt like he had been deceived by Ah Fei. This was definitely not a good instance.

He listlessly drank a bowl of green water. Thankfully, it tasted sweet, but it still couldn’t uplift his spirits.

He squatted in the corner, feeling dejected at the thought of having 50 more days to go on like this.

Zhu Shuangshuang approached to tease him and engage in conversation.

Su Wangsheng also came over, knowing well that this guy would only make a sound if provoked. He directly asked him, “When we were discussing earlier, did you think of something?”

Ning Su responded, “When was that?”

“It was when Shuangshuang mentioned those words, and you made a sound.”

“I remember,” Zhu Shuangshuang said. “I was talking about soil, grade, flower arrangement, freshness, and blooming period.”

Ning Su said, “This instance is called ‘Flower Servant,’ and the system also mentioned the Flower God. Try replacing the [花] (flower) in your words with [人] (person).”

Zhu Shuangshuang paused for a moment and said, “Soil, grade, flower arrangement, freshness, blooming period...”

The surrounding people were stunned.

With this change, everything felt harmonious.

Zhu Shuangshuang’s previous statement had another half: “Feet don’t matter, face matters the most.”

Those six individuals finally began to understand why they were brought here. By comparing it to a flower arrangement, replacing flower heads with human heads made it clear.

They now understood the meaning of “人束“ (human arrangement), comparing it to a flower arrangement. They also understood “blooming period.”

“Freshness” was now clear to them.

They even began to grasp the meaning of “starting in seven days.”

“Fermentation” seemed to make some sense as well.

The more they understood, the colder their hearts became.

What kind of beautiful and peaceful world was this, for heaven’s sake?