Chapter 91: Terrifying Malice, Prison Plan

I don't know if it was because the Eerie Iron was too special, or because the previous edibility analysis wasn't complete enough, or whether the system secretly upgraded itself behind his back.

Anyway, the edibility change window was recorded down in clearer and more detailed text.

【You were targeted by a Resentment-Entwined One, he released malice toward you, and you engaged in a fierce struggle with him.】

【During the struggle, the peculiarities on you attracted some Resentment to attach itself to your body.】

【The Eerie Iron stored within your body was digested.】

【You felt strong killing intent toward the Resentment-Entwined One, acted on it, attracted even more Resentment, and the Eerie Iron stored within your body was digested to a great extent.】

【Daily Settlement: Your current total Eerie Iron edibility is 3%, remaining stored amount in body is 3%】

【ps: The edibility recording method has changed; complete digestion and absorption by the body is the final settlement, swallowed but unabsorbed amounts count only toward storage.】

Therefore, the Iron Eater's panel also underwent subtle changes, with statistics becoming more detailed and accurate.

Iron Eater: Second Stage

Remaining Metal Property Extraction Slots: 2

Extracted Properties: Mold Embryo (White)

Current Consumption Slot 1: Pig Iron (Edibility 28.1/100%, Storage 0.)

Current Consumption Slot 2: Yin-Sha Nine Nether Eerie Resentment Iron (Edibility 3%/100%, Storage 3%.)

Feng Mu only glanced at it and understood the difference between the two statistics—it was actually equivalent to the difference between settling the bill before a meal and after a meal.

The latter was stricter than the former in terms of statistical timing.

Feng Mu didn't care about the change in statistical method; what he cared about was that the new 【Daily Settlement】 prompt clearly recorded the reason the Eerie Iron was digested—【Resentment】!!

Good news: Feng Mu no longer had to guess how the Eerie Iron was digested.

Bad news: 【Resentment】 was another brand-new term he didn't recognize.

Feng Mu pondered for a moment and could only temporarily understand 【Resentment】 as the wronged souls or resentment qi of the dead.

"So, a person entangled by Resentment is someone who has killed, with the dead person's resentment qi or wronged soul clinging to them—in short, a murderer." Feng Mu thought.

"That is to say, murderers have the 【Resentment】 I need; if they develop malice toward me, or I develop killing intent toward them, it will cause the 【Resentment】 on them to be attracted to me."

"Then some unknown chemical reaction occurs with the 【Eerie Iron】 inside my body, and both are finally digested and absorbed by me together."

"Even, no need for fighting and slaughter—just needing a murderer to develop malice toward me is enough, but fighting and slaughter are the most intense way of absorption, especially when we both harbor the thought of killing the other and act on it, the absorption efficiency can reach its peak."

Feng Mu reasoned thus, then shook his head: "No, attempted murder isn't the peak; successful murder should be the peak."

Feng Mu's eyes flashed with brilliance: "So, as long as I kill a murderer, when the other party dies, all the 【Resentment】 on them will transfer to my body and be absorbed by the 【Eerie Iron】?!"

Although Feng Mu was only guessing and hadn't actually verified it yet, he felt it was extremely likely to be the case.

Unless, when a murderer dies, some of the 【Resentment】 on them dissipates—then perhaps leaving them alive and repeatedly shearing the wool would be the optimal solution.

"This matter ultimately needs to be personally verified by finding a murderer." Feng Mu made up his mind.

"Unfortunately, murderers don't write 'murderer' on their faces; unless like Senior Brother and Senior Sister who have killed too many people, their bloody smell can be sensed by me, otherwise, those who have only killed one or two people—even if they brush past me, I wouldn't notice." Feng Mu frowned.

Feng Mu could have Ma Bin catch some murderers back for him to test or rather "consume."

But the digestion of Eerie Iron was a matter of gradual accumulation, and the demand would surely be enormous—absolutely not satisfied by just a few or a dozen murderers.

Feng Mu pondered: "Ma Bin might be able to control the Green Wolf Gang and find me ten or even a hundred murderers; that's probably the limit."

"After all, no matter how cheap life is in the Lower City, it's impossible for the streets to be full of walking murderers, and identifying them is also a problem."

As for the Investigation Corps, a group that met the conditions, Feng Mu didn't yet have the courage to set his mind on them.

After pondering for a while, Feng Mu realized that finding 【Eerie Iron】 needing 【Resentment】 was only step one; meeting the quantity of 【Resentment】 was the real problem.

"If only there were a place full of murderers, and killing them wouldn't cause too much of a commotion."

Feng Mu was suddenly inspired, and he really did think of a place.

"Prison?!" Feng Mu opened his eyes, black lines settling in his pupils, and he muttered, "Of course, the number of murderers imprisoned in a prison is only a minority, but..."

A very terrifying thought surfaced in Feng Mu's heart: "If I could control a prison, even if the number of murderers inside wasn't enough, I could continuously, like mass-producing goods, batch-produce them... right."

Feng Mu's Adam's apple wriggled as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

He was frightened by the thought that surfaced in his mind; this was no longer a question of whether to rebel or not—this was more or less a bit inhumane.

Feng Mu shook his head hard and threw the idea behind him.

Strangely, the more he wanted to give up this idea, the more the thought kept popping up, like a seed driven into his heart; even if you didn't water it, it would stubbornly break through the soil, and gradually take root and sprout with time, until its roots wrapped around your entire heart.

A night of nightmares.

When he woke up the next morning, Feng Mu had two huge dark circles under his eyes.

Hong Ya served him a bowl of rice, comforted him with a few words, then left; the various Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters in the courtyard all learned that the junior martial brother was worried about his enemies and hadn't slept well all night.

They exchanged glances, and the speed at which they scraped the bottom of their bowls increased a bit.

When Feng Mu changed his medicine, rewrapped the gauze, and came out, only a huge wooden bucket and five bowls of various sizes remained on the stone table in the inner courtyard.

Hong Ya squatted on the stone stool, holding a small bowl and chewing slowly.

Feng Mu sat by the stone table with his bowl, took a bite, his mouth full of rice grains and meat fragrance; when he looked up again, tears were flowing uncontrollably.

It had been three years; he had once again eaten natural food.

Although 3D-printed synthetic food looked more exquisite and the chewiness was not much different, for some reason, Feng Mu could sense the subtle difference with just one bite.

It wasn't a difference on the taste buds, but... Feng Mu couldn't describe it; it was more like an instinct without reason, every cell in his body cheering.

Like a withered tree that had been exposed to the sun for over a decade, finally tasting the flavor of water again.

Even more strangely, before today, Feng Mu had never realized that his body was a withered tree, nor had he ever felt that this withered tree was so thirsty.

"Synthetic food not only filled the stomach, but also kept deceiving the body's instincts?!"

Feng Mu wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes; it wasn't that he wanted to cry, but that the body, finally realizing the long deception, was silently crying out for help to him.

"Perhaps this silent crying has lasted for 18 years, only until today did I see my own tears?"

Feng Mu simply couldn't imagine how desperate the body must be.

Just like an invisible person who had been crying out for help at you for eighteen years, while you remained like a deaf man and a blind man, giving him no response whatsoever.

Until this very day, you suddenly awoke to find a withered, stick-thin person standing before you.

Even more terrifying was that this person was actually yourself — this was your truest appearance; that familiar-looking, flesh-and-blood face you saw in the Mirror was nothing but a deception.

Your eyes were deceiving you;

Your ears were deceiving you;

Your body was deceiving you;

Your soul was deceiving you;

Not only were you deceiving yourself, others were deceiving you, and the whole world was deceiving you;

But you were also deceiving others, others were deceiving themselves, and you all united together, even deceiving the world;

You mirrored each other, as if saying: Look, we are all the same, nothing is wrong,

But the truth is...

Chapter End