Chapter 116: Cheng-ge, Muzan, and the Livestream

"That is a real shame." Because Hisoka had brought along a dozen Mobius rings, Hao Ren could see the miserable plight of "Brother Cheng" in perfect clarity.

Enveloped by several "En" fields, Hao Ren excitedly prepared to watch the live broadcast.

The Zoldyck family's legendary interrogation techniques were no child's play. The electric whip treatment Killua had endured was arguably a milder form of punishment. What methods would the experienced Illumi eventually resort to?

Hao Ren was very curious.

Brother Cheng's tragedy was about to unfold.

"Master, shall I record it?" Sharp, his bird eyes spinning wildly, flapped his wings in excitement.

Having connected his signal wavelength to the Mobius ring network, Sharp could naturally "watch" the live stream of Brother Cheng's suffering.

The black-and-red mechanical bird had lost its previous lively cuteness, instead exuding a sinister aura. It seemed that the Nen injected by Hao Ren had made Sharp a relay station for the Mobius ring network, so recording a live stream shouldn't be an issue.

Sharp was delighted; the black base with blood-red patterns was much cooler than the previous white-and-green, giving him a more masculine air.

"Record it." Hao Ren decided that once he returned to the real world, he would upload this to Bilibili. With his naturally mocking face, Brother Cheng would surely bring him a massive amount of views; after all, he was one of the four great scum of the anime world.

Hao Ren could already see the points and coins raining down on him.

...

"Oh! The face of the man with nails driven into his nail beds is completely distorted!"

"Damn! They just minced his small toe and shoved it into his mouth; what an idea! I must record a close-up..."

"The blade-like needles under his middle fingernails are being peeled all the way to the back of his hand. It looks so painful! So painful!"

"Is Brother Cheng's skull just for decoration? Why did that round-headed nail pierce it so easily?"

"That's the facial close-up! It’s even better than an 'Ahegao'! Record it quickly!"

...

Sitting on a grey rock with his eyes closed, Hao Ren and Sharp were shouting and exclaiming, feeling rather like they were in a cinema watching a Japanese B-grade horror movie.

The only difference from a horror movie was that the flesh and blood he perceived were real.

Watching Brother Cheng, whose face was a mess of snot and tears, Hao Ren gradually felt a tinge of pity, though saving him was absolutely out of the question. He simply wished for Brother Cheng to die quickly and be reincarnated soon.

"Yo, Brother Cheng is surprisingly tough. If it were me, I would have confessed the color of my underwear long ago." He opened his eyes and looked at his own shredded pants; the color of his underwear was already clearly visible. Fortunately, he wasn't wearing briefs today, or it would have been embarrassing, even though the flamboyant pink was a bit eyesore.

Closing his eyes to perceive again, he found the facial contortions Brother Cheng made due to the pain truly unwatchable.

"Master, this guy hasn't made a sound from the very beginning," Sharp responded.

"Really? That's excessively tough," Hao Ren wondered. Was Brother Cheng really that kind of person?

Of course not.

Brother Cheng was never the type to die for his secrets, chanting "kill me but I won't talk." In fact, the moment the first few nails were driven in, he had decided to answer everything like a good student. However, one of the needles was lodged in his windpipe; while it didn't cause pain, it prevented him from making a sound. Combined with his inability to control his own body, he couldn't even gesture his surrender.

As someone experienced in both interrogating and being interrogated, Illumi saw through Brother Cheng's nature at a glance—selfish, greedy, and cowardly. Regardless of his expression or gaze, the version of himself that Brother Cheng desperately tried to project was as transparent as if he were naked before Illumi!

But that would be boring!

Since this was extra work and he likely wouldn't get the proper pay, he might as well find some amusement during his downtime. The previous clan warriors hadn't been fun to play with; their reactions were too dull.

With that mindset, Illumi ignored Brother Cheng's pleading eyes and continued his interrogation, seemingly forgetting that his initial goal was to extract Brother Cheng's skills.

Seeing Illumi suddenly push Brother Cheng to the ground and drive his sharp, blade-like fingernails into Brother Cheng's stomach, Hao Ren experienced a sense of déjà vu.

"Uh... why do I have the illusion of watching the 'Red Blood' version of the *School Days* ending? When Sekai stabs Brother Cheng, would his expression be like this?" Recalling the final episode of *School Days*, where Sekai repeatedly stabbed Brother Cheng while in the cowgirl position, Hao Ren felt a chill.

Would he end up like this someday?

He subconsciously swallowed, and a shiver ran down his spine.

"Yeah, right, I'm still a virgin; I haven't leveled up to such a high-class profession as a 'playboy.' Without messing around with relationships, I shouldn't face a 'nice boat' ending, right!" Hao Ren tried to comfort himself with a forced laugh, but a faint sense of melancholy surged in his heart.

If one were to count based on the original work, Katsura Kotonoha with her saw of love, the cowgirl fanatic Saionji Sekai, the ironing-board angel Kiyoura Setsuna, the NTR patient Kuroda Hikari, the secret admirer Kato Otome, Sekai's mother who loved young boys (what a beast!), the promising Katsura Kokoro (not even elementary schoolers are safe!), his real sister Itou止 (sister is supreme!), and his best friend Sawanaga Taisuke—all of these people were sexually linked to Brother Cheng. Add in the characters he might have slept with in other timelines, and he could easily exceed ten conquests without pressure.

But what about himself?

Hao Ren suddenly clenched his fists and spoke aimlessly.

"There are plenty of high-quality beauties around me too! Uh, let's not talk about Shiki-san or Saeko."

"Why?"

"That fruit-basket-loving school nurse would probably let me toy with her after a few beers!"

"Master, are you sure you wouldn't be the one being attacked?"

"Nemesis and Mear also appear naked by my bedside every morning; doesn't that mean they have fallen for me?"

"Those two mistresses probably just see you as a toy..."

"Why am I still a virgin?"

"Because you have the desire but no guts. Master, you should be more proactive."

"Also, lately, whenever I sneakily watch movies in my room, I always feel like I'm being watched, and they always barge in at critical moments. Why is that?"

"That's because Tia installed a pinhole camera in your room." (In an ultra-low voice)

"Sometimes I wake up in the morning and find my underwear wet and slippery, and it's so embarrassing to run into other girls while going to the bathroom to wash them, do you know that, Sharp!?"

"My condolences."

"Sharp, would you die if you didn't tease me!?"

"My wings! They're going to fall off! Don't pull! I was wrong! I was wrong!"

Crossing the line might lead to death, and not crossing it might lead to frustration; this was the state Hao Ren was in.

Therefore, his resentment toward Brother Cheng, that winner in life, had long ago reached the heavens.

Death to the normies!

Hao Ren, who was venting his own frustrations, suddenly performed the classic *otaku* curse against the rich and handsome, completely unaware that he himself was one of those who deserved to be doused in gasoline.