Chapter Thirty-One: Compensation

Xia Xiu finished reading the "Experimental Diary," which detailed a story of deep, twisted love between a researcher and an anomaly in the [Central Containment Chamber].

Well, such things were hardly considered anything out of the ordinary in this magical land.

However, two points mentioned in the notes caught Xia Xiu’s attention:
The [Central Containment Chamber]’s anomaly weaponization project.
The existence that helped March and Lisa escape from the containment chamber.

As Xia Xiu flipped through the entirety of the "Experimental Diary," no matter how he scrutinized it, he could only read two words between the lines: "Conspiracy!"

Anomaly weaponization was a taboo for Heaven.

In his previous life, in the game, the Oletine of the Far East and the Diva of the Northern Territories—both conquered by the Temple—had caused the distortion level of all Terra to skyrocket because they ignored the safety of the entire continent and mass-produced anomaly weapons.

The rise in distortion levels caused [Ether Radiation] to shroud all of Terra. Various deformities appeared on people, and the earth began to crack and collapse. Ore disease, therianthropy, the uncontrolled, collapse effects... countless disasters appeared on this land because of [Ether Radiation].

Heaven could not, at least not at this stage, be experimenting with anomaly weaponization.

No matter how he looked at that Director, he reeked of a villainous boss.

*I’ll write a whistleblower letter to Eden later.*

Xia Xiu quickly made a decision in his heart. He then looked at March, who was lying on the ground, and silently summoned the Red Book. He opened Eden’s interface, clicked on the [Mission Related] button, and a new pop-up window appeared before him. He slid the page directly to the bottom to submit.

【Detected instruction target: 09】
【Biological status: Deceased】
【Instruction completion: 50%】

The Red Book burst into intense light. It hovered over March’s corpse as a pair of radiant, pure white wings unfurled from the sides of the book. Beautiful white feathers drifted down like a swing.

A sacred magic circle appeared beneath March, and accompanied by a burst of radiance, March’s corpse was teleported to the Temple within the [Unknown Land].

【Instruction Change】
【Please [White Glove] proceed to the central area of the Fog City to retrieve 4-331. A Heaven operator who can provide assistance is present in that area.】

Eden had also detected the loophole in its calculations, so it immediately began to adjust its projections, ordering the people from the Burial Agency to rush back to the Fog City from Manchester.

Before submitting March’s corpse, Xia Xiu had already turned on location sharing.

Furthermore, he had activated Heaven's exclusive [Operator Assistance] option. As long as this option was enabled, it meant that the Heaven member was willing to provide support.

In his previous life, when Xia Xiu was carrying out missions for the Heaven lineage, he loved going to places with many [Operator Assistance] pings.

Heaven’s comrades were simply too useful—oh no, they were simply too enthusiastic. As a member of Heaven, how could he let down his comrades' enthusiasm?

Xia Xiu whistled happily, weighing the fifteen thousand Yuan coins he had just acquired in his hand, and walked cheerfully toward the assembly area previously designated by Harry.

————————

In a sewer in the Burley Industrial Zone of Manchester.

The dim sewer was littered with piles of rat-man corpses.

Not a single one of their bodies was intact.
Severed limbs, mangled flesh, headless corpses...

By the underground drainage, several heads with eyes filled with terror were soaking in the water.

"Heaven..." A desperate roar echoed as Evan of the Burial Agency gripped the throat of a massive rat-man, who wailed in agony.

"Evan, it seems we got the wrong target." Ximen looked at the instructions on the lineage and scratched his head in distress.

"Hmm." Evan crushed the rat-man’s throat.

"In the Brent District of the Fog City, our comrade has already completed half of the instructions. And look, he has mutual aid turned on. Evan, do you think we’ll be mocked by this comrade?"

Ximen said gloomily:
"To think that an execution squad of the Burial Agency would be so sluggish."

"...Let’s go. Stop being so dramatic." Evan glanced at his teammate speechlessly, then tossed the corpse aside and walked forward on his own.

"You brute." Ximen sighed, then stepped forward to follow Evan.

————————

A private mansion in the Brent District.

When Xia Xiu stepped into the hall, he saw Dorn sitting in the distance with his legs crossed, his mouth stained with blood.

Upon seeing him, Dorn sneered:
"Yo, the busy man finally returns. I didn't expect that besides just staying in corners and calling for mama, you’re also like a turtle—walking so slowly."

Faced with Dorn’s sarcasm, Xia Xiu did not argue with him. Behind his mask, he looked at Dorn with the gaze of someone looking at a dead man, then turned his attention to Harry, who was walking down the stairs from above.

The old man’s eyes were filled with joy; it seemed he was very satisfied with the harvest this time.

"My dear brother, you have arrived," Harry said kindly to Xia Xiu.

"It seems the harvested fruit is very sweet; you look exceptionally happy," Xia Xiu replied.

"Yes, indeed. I have used the [Way of All Flesh] to return Yadapath’s creation to its original state." Harry’s ugly old face stretched to both sides; his smile was sickening.

"Return to the original state..." Xia Xiu narrowed his eyes behind his mask and muttered.

"Yes, although the subject’s intelligence has been completely annihilated, the [Way of All Flesh] contained within it has not diminished in the slightest," Harry said.

March and Lisa, those star-crossed lovers, ultimately neither was able to survive.

"This is what I promised you." Harry handed Xia Xiu the bottle containing [BIO-006: Akros].

Xia Xiu took the bottle and gazed at the pure white worm wriggling inside through the transparent glass. After confirming it was correct, he smiled at Harry:
"My respected brother, I would like to ask you for a list of other [Qualified Ones] in the Fog City area."

Qualified Ones; this referred to those who had been gathering near the Thames earlier. They knew the rituals and flesh-modification techniques of the Flesh that Desires. Just like that old woman Cladathia, they were qualified to use thaumaturgy but were not yet lineage holders. The Qualified Ones were merely potential linkers to the Flesh that Desires lineage.

"Do you want to guide them?" Harry looked up at Xia Xiu. He didn't mind this; after all, these people were already [Inner Sanctuary Awakened].

Xia Xiu nodded noncommittally.

"I want to see if I can add a few more brothers and sisters in the Fog City area; our kin are truly too scarce."

"Hmm, fine." Harry agreed to Xia Xiu’s request.

As fellow believers covered by His expanse, and fellow followers of Ion, the other party could not possibly betray him, so handing over the list was nothing.

"Do the guiding casually; don't waste too much time on external matters," Harry said earnestly after handing the list to Xia Xiu via the lineage.

He was advising Xia Xiu not to waste too much time on trivial things. Linking the lineage itself involved an invisible threshold, especially for a heterodox lineage like the Flesh that Desires.

"Hmm." Faced with Harry’s concern, Xia Xiu nodded absentmindedly.

"Then, let us all return to our respective tasks." Harry issued an order to leave. He was now anxious to study the [Way of All Flesh] in hopes of achieving promotion.

Xia Xiu and Dorn did not linger, leaving the mansion one after the other.

As he left, Dorn once again provocatively gave Xia Xiu a thumbs-down. Xia Xiu checked the location sharing on the Flesh that Desires lineage; the markers for Harry and Dorn were still lit. It seemed neither of them felt anything about it.

My dear brothers, you had better keep that sharing on. Whoever turns it off is a coward!