Volume One: The Spiral Engraving Chapter Seven: The Meat Grinder 2

As Chen Fan grappled with the red-clad monster, a long-haired woman, a white-haired elder, Liu Feng, Lin Long, and others arrived. To Chen Fan’s horror, their skin had undergone a dramatic transformation. They no longer resembled humans, for humans have a single continuous layer of skin enveloping the entire body. Yet these creatures’ skins were composed of thousands of fragmented pieces, stitched and pieced together. Chen Fan could even see black threads protruding from their bodies.

“Why do they look completely different now?” he thought, glancing up at the red monster hovering in the air, filled with suspicion. “Could it be that this creature, like the Divine Script System, can manipulate human senses and perception?”

“In other words, from beginning to end, what I’ve been seeing isn’t their true form—it’s just... my hallucination?”

He finally understood why, wherever he went, the red monster followed. It constantly exerted influence over him; otherwise, he would “wake up” and see the world clearly. The thought that he had been mingling with these terrifying creatures sent shivers through his body. The fear was overwhelming.

Chen Fan looked at Liu Feng and Lin Long, a chill running through him. “So from the start, you could see this red monster, but it seemed to be your master, so you always pretended not to see it, right?”

“Why was everything normal at first, but gradually descended into chaos with so many loopholes?” He turned again to the red monster in midair. “Is it because your control weakens over time? Or... are you just too lazy to keep up the act?”

They did not answer. As the red monster made a sound, Zhao Feng and Lin Long each grabbed a bag of bottles and charged at him. From a distance, they hurled the bottles toward Chen Fan.

A sizzling sound filled the air as the bottles smashed onto the foul-smelling mound of flesh about a meter high. The toxic liquid inside splattered out, dissolving a large patch of flesh into yellowish liquid instantly.

Chen Fan’s expression changed drastically. He quickly stepped back. Earlier, in the examination room, he had already suspected these two of plotting against him, so he dared not use any medical supplies they provided. Now, his suspicions were confirmed.

By skillfully dodging, he waited until they finished throwing the bottles, then swiftly closed in on them. Amid the roar of chainsaws, the two were reduced to an endless pile of shredded flesh.

“Damn it!” Chen Fan’s face grew grim. Though agile, he had still come into contact with some of the toxic liquid. His cheeks immediately turned pale purple, his lips cracked and bled—classic symptoms of poisoning.

Before he could think further, the long-haired woman charged in. Beside her crawled a legless monster—her amputee husband! The legless creature crawled atop the shredded flesh, moving rapidly despite having only two arms.

Within five seconds, it lunged close, leapt into the air, opening its putrid maw wide, spraying yellow saliva as it pounced on Chen Fan.

It was utterly bizarre—but also thrilling beyond words!

With a roar, Chen Fan swung his chainsaw, cleaving the monster in two. It fell among the flesh scraps before him.

The long-haired woman screamed furiously and rushed at him. To Chen Fan’s shock, she plunged her right hand into her massive buttocks and pulled out... a grenade!

Chen Fan shouted, his pupils shrinking like a fish’s, and darted deeper into the abyss. But it was too late—the bomb was already above his head. His skull was about to be blown to bits like a crushed watermelon.

At the last moment, Chen Fan let out a fierce cry, dove into the stinking pile of flesh, and pressed himself against the floor tiles.

Boom! Thick smoke billowed, and a large crater formed where he had been standing, revealing the scene inside.

In that critical instant, Chen Fan emptied the miscellaneous items from his system backpack in front of him to shield himself. These items were destroyed by the blast, but his life was saved.

The only regret was that his diesel chainsaw was ruined.

Seeing that the bomb failed to kill Chen Fan, the long-haired woman roared again and plunged her left hand into her buttocks, trying to retrieve another grenade.

“Die!”

Chen Fan would not give her a chance. He closed in within three steps, wielding his military knife, and slashed fiercely.

The sound of tearing flesh filled the air, blood gushed like a river, splattering onto him.

He remained unmoved. After swiftly killing the white-haired elder, he looked up at the red monster in the air.

“This one is completely different from the others. Could it be a vengeful spirit or a ghost?”

He stared intently at the malevolent phantom, uneasy. The poison accumulating in his body was increasing rapidly. If he didn’t find a cure soon, he would die from toxin poisoning in a short time.

Moreover, the mental contamination index in his skull was rising sharply. It had reached 0.45%. If it hit 0.5%, the red-clad corpse woman would appear again on the flesh platform, performing a grotesque dance aimed at him.

“Perhaps they are not the same entity...” Chen Fan observed that though all dressed in red, their garments differed in style.

The red phantom moved, transforming into a streak of crimson light and hurtling toward Chen Fan at blinding speed, nearly impossible to defend against.

Chen Fan’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. With a sharp shout, he produced a yellow talisman.

The closer the phantom got, the brighter the talisman glowed.

When it was just two meters away, the talisman shone like a blazing sun, radiating countless dazzling golden rays.

Those rays illuminated the surroundings, casting the entire corridor in sharp clarity.

Everywhere he looked, there was shredded flesh—over a meter thick.

It was a corridor made of living flesh.

The red phantom shrieked and reverted to its original form, retreating swiftly. Its red robes and the long hair atop the skull had been scorched, emitting a pungent burnt stench.

Chen Fan waved his hand, dispersing the white mist, then hurried toward the exit.

His only hope was that the phantom would not follow him out. Otherwise, he would truly be finished.

The red phantom dared not stop him and allowed Chen Fan to stride forward.

Upon reaching the door, Chen Fan turned sideways, wary of the phantom, and opened the door with one hand.

Light spilled through the doorway, casting his figure in silhouette.

“Where do you think you’re going?” a man’s voice called out.

Startled, Chen Fan looked toward the source.

It was the attending physician—Zhou Qiyuan!

“The mastermind behind this is you!” Chen Fan’s eyes blazed with murderous intent. He raised his knife, ready to strike.

But Zhou Qiyuan remained unfazed. “Don’t you want to know why your parents and brother are here?”

“It’s fake! A trap you designed to deceive me!” Chen Fan pressed forward with his knife.

“That too is a trap. You see it now, don’t you?” Zhou Qiyuan laughed scornfully.

“What?” Chen Fan grunted, distracted by his attack, unaware of the red phantom behind him.

The phantom transformed into a red streak and pierced through his skin, entering his body!

A vast emptiness overwhelmed him. His eyes slowly closed as if all his blood and flesh had been drained, leaving only a desiccated corpse.

“Am I really going to die? Mom, Dad, Xiao Zhi, I can’t come back!” he thought.

With a thud, he fell backward, crashing into the shredded flesh below.

Fat maggots crawled along his clothes, climbing his body. In the fetid environment, they writhed excitedly.

Under sunlight, the maggots squirmed violently, trying to burrow into Chen Fan’s body to feast on his flesh.

Zhou Qiyuan scooped Chen Fan up and carried him toward the plaza outside.

Looking back, a river of red blood poured from the doorway, flowing in torrents, engulfing the entire building.

When the wind blew, the surface of the red river rippled, stirring a crimson mist that stained the sky a glaring scarlet.

“The real show hasn’t even begun yet! Hahaha!”

His laughter deepened as his gaze darkened with cruelty. He drew a whip and cracked it against the red phantom.

The phantom howled but froze, seemingly fearful of him.

“What task did I give you? To hide yourself, follow him at all times, and manipulate his senses and cognition! So why don’t you hide? You appear on the ceiling one moment, then in the mirror the next. What are you trying to prove? Your power? Your uniqueness?”

“No matter how special or mysterious you are, behave yourself or I’ll deal with you!”

After a dozen lashes, he calmed his anger and strode toward his quarters.

******

Amid fierce abdominal pain, Chen Fan slowly opened his eyes.

Beside him lay his parents and brother. After a brief moment of joy, he quickly checked his abdomen.

Lifting his new clothes, he saw a hole about three finger-widths above his navel.

Bubbling blood seeped from the wound, and within it, a bluish tail flicked about.

Chen Fan’s eyes gleamed coldly. He pinched the tail with two fingers, took a deep breath, and pulled it out with force.

It was a creature resembling an eel, smooth-bodied, coated with viscous fluid.

Its head was grotesque, alien-like.

“Die!” Chen Fan was furious, throwing it to the ground and stomping on it.

A splattering sound followed.

“What on earth is going on... perhaps it really is a monster,” he muttered, glancing at his parents and brother on the ground. Though breathing, they seemed soulless, unable to awaken.

Would they wake if their emotional memories were implanted into them?

And if they did, could they still be considered his family?

“This phantom is no ordinary ghost. It can freely traverse between the mirror world and reality, signifying it possesses the power to cross voids. Such a special ability shouldn’t belong to it! I suspect those it creates will closely resemble real humans, or perhaps are real humans!” The Divine Script System’s voice echoed in his ear again.

Chen Fan shuddered, almost losing his footing. He looked at Zhou Qiyuan. “What do you want from me? When will you let me go?” His fingers dug into the flesh, filled with rage.

Zhou Qiyuan smiled like a god looking down upon ants, his gaze cold and indifferent.

“No matter what... I will never let you go! Haven’t you learned some things about the Black Rock Organization through Liu Feng? We have no interest in anything but ‘experiments’!”

He laughed wildly, raising a finger to snap.

The red phantom behind him obeyed, transforming into a crimson beam that shot through the void and pierced Chen Fan’s skull instantly.

Chen Fan’s eye sockets contracted. He found himself in a strange, dark world, surrounded by blackness.

He waved his hand; the darkness flowed like ink, sending a chill through him.

Ah!

Chen Fan clutched his head as the boundless black ink surged into his skull like a flood.

The pain was indescribable.

A second later, he returned to the cell.

He felt his mind had been drained. After a while, he regained clarity.

Looking down, he saw the red phantom flickering like a streak, darting through the bodies of his family.

Moments later, it returned to Zhou Qiyuan’s side.

“You should thank me, really thank me! Because you’re poisoned and won’t live long, I put the wireworm inside you to detoxify you! Seeing you alone and pitiful, I even recreated your parents and brother for you to reunite with... I’ve saved your life—you should be grateful!”

Chen Fan’s eyes twisted in fury. From now on, he would trust no being resembling a human. He would either kill them swiftly or flee as far as possible, never engaging with them.

He crouched to check on his family, but his head suddenly spun violently.

He grabbed the ground to steady himself, feeling as dizzy as if on a violent sea voyage, but thousands of times worse.

Looking inward, he saw the red-clad corpse woman dancing atop the abyss in his mind. Each step she took blossomed dazzling flowers of flesh and blood beneath her feet. Meanwhile, the mental contamination index had surged to 0.85%.

The mental contamination was indeed accelerating!

Overwhelmed by pain, he glanced around, horror deepening.

The normal cell had transformed into a flesh prison, its surface covered with sticky black pus and thick red veins.

Even more terrifying were the white bones embedded in the flesh walls. As the pus flowed over them, the skeletal remains writhed violently, trying to break free and tear Chen Fan apart.

He bowed his head in agony as his own body began to rot, maggots falling onto the fleshy floor from above.

When the mental contamination reached 1.1%, an indescribable, excruciating pain engulfed him.

It was no longer a mere hallucination.