Deep in the Living
Chapter 123 - 117 Hunger

Chapter 123: Chapter 117 Hunger

Wu Wen merely stood at the entrance of the Preaching Room, without taking a single step inside, when the hooks hanging from the ceiling began to clank ominously.

It seemed that the moment she set foot inside, those hooks would target her for an assault, hooking into every inch of her skin, tearing apart every inch of her flesh.

Even though her head had been reconstructed in the Preaching Room, she was still regarded as a heretical presence.

But Wu Wen did not care. She tiptoed to get a better look into the depths, gazing at the bald figure dressed in leather.

"Luo Di has always been quite lucky. As a ’Connector,’ he encountered such a high-ranking entity right from the start. Despite my Disguise, I was still recognized at a glance.

As long as I’m confined within the category of ’Pseudo-Person,’ no matter how skilled I am in disguise and no matter how long I drag it out, I can’t achieve a true qualitative change.

To advance further, I must go there... I originally planned to stay another year or two, but now it seems I have to shorten the timeframe."

The class leader stood silently at the doorway, hands folded in front, quietly watching.

Deep within the Preaching Room,

On top of a staircase, there was a stone platform resembling an altar,

On which Luo Di had removed his shirt according to instructions and was now lying down, back facing upwards.

Mr. Hawke stared unblinkingly at this body, or to be precise, at the spine hidden beneath the skin, as more and more questions emerged in his eyes.

To resolve these doubts, he had to observe more closely.

Swoosh!

He tore off a hook from his own back to use as a surgical instrument,

Cutting,

He swiftly sliced along the central line of the back, exposing the entire spine.

"How did you manage this?"

"What’s wrong?" Luo Di was equally puzzled, not knowing what Mr. Hawke had seen.

"Your spine isn’t fully nourished, it hasn’t reached the stage of saturation, and yet, you’ve completed the ’Open Spine’... Your duration at that time must have been short, right?

Moreover, your body should have suffered a very severe backlash after the Open Spine.

I knew it; how could you have achieved ’Open Spine’ so quickly?

Considering the native Spines on our side, the proportion who achieve Open Spine is about 70%, but they need at least a year, or even longer, on average.

They also need to continuously wage war and slaughter to supply their spines with enough nourishment.

But you, although you’ve done some killing, the saturation of your spine probably didn’t even reach one-fifth, and you have forced it open in a state of nutritional deficiency.

Perhaps it’s good luck,

Or perhaps because you’ve received pain training with me and enhanced your body’s resilience,

Or maybe you were engaging in high-intensity killing during Open Spine, with continuous nutrients fed into it,

That prevented the worst outcome."

"What would that outcome be?"

"Spinal fluid drained, physical body collapsed, soul vanishing into oblivion.

However, this is the first time I’ve seen a situation where the spine hasn’t been fed enough – not even half full – and still went through Open Spine.

Your compatibility with your spine is frighteningly high; no wonder your world is so far apart from ours, and yet you can still establish a connection.

The urge to kill lately must have been particularly strong, right?"

"Yes, I almost couldn’t control it today."

"That’s right; simply put, your premature Open Spine not only completely depleted the little nutrition inside the spine but even overspent some spinal fluid components.

It’s now desperately hungry, urgently needing nutritional supply. If I were to remove this spinal column now, it would probably go on a killing spree to seek food in the form of a living worm.

If you don’t replenish its nutrients soon, its influence on your consciousness will become increasingly serious, and eventually, your consciousness will be completely destroyed, turning you into a worthless starving entity."

"I need killing to supplement it, right?"

"Not necessarily killing; any form of extreme war venting is sufficient, even the simplest physical combat can nourish the spine.

Ah! Why couldn’t you just be an Angel Envoy on my side?

It’s so convenient here; you just need to be nourished by suffering. Slap yourself with a whip a couple of times, swallow a few blades, have a couple of hits with a branding iron, and you can easily get full – so convenient."

On the stone platform, Luo Di had already begun contemplating the issue of nutrition, thinking about heading straight back to the Investigation Bureau to take on those two lower-difficulty ’fresh cases.’

But even fresh cases required investigation and tracking, and might possibly take several days.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Luo Di’s mind.

"Mr. Hawke, you have quite a few prisoners here, right?"

"Hiss~ You catch on quick, those convicted can indeed be killed by you, a temporary supplement.

But even the lousiest criminals can produce Suffering Energy; you’ll need to give something in exchange, add a few more debts between you and me."

Just as Hawke was about to demand more pituitary glands, Luo Di suddenly rejected the idea.

"No, I can’t kill anyone here.

The Punishment Room has a direct connection to the reality of the hospital; if I kill the prisoners here, the patients in reality are likely to be killed too."

Mr. Hawke did not insist, "The rules and regulations on your side are truly numerous.

However, since it’s the rule of the world you belong to, it would be better to adhere to it. You’ve just started out and are far from capable of challenging rules.

But your condition is terrible right now; without the intake of Nutrition, I estimate you won’t last more than three days before completely losing control."

However, Luo Di intentionally shifted the topic at this moment, "Mr. Hawke, you just mentioned that we don’t need to kill, that mere physical confrontation can supply Nutrition to the Spine, right?"

"That’s correct.

But there’s a precondition, you need an opponent equal to or stronger than you. You need to be fully immersed, completely engaging in the struggle throughout the whole process.

Within the ranks of the Spines, there is a place called the Duel Arena, where Spines obtain Nutrition by fighting each other.

Unfortunately, you’re not yet able to connect there, and so you don’t have this opportunity.

As for my place,

the criminals brought to the Punishment Room have mostly undergone ’preliminary treatment,’ becoming extremely weak, their basic survival instincts almost entirely worn away, let alone fighting you to the death.

So..."

Luo Di suddenly interjected: "So, Mr. Hawke, can you help me?"

This question caught Hawke off guard, and he immediately understood Luo Di’s intention.

"What? You want to fight me?"

"Didn’t Mr. Hawke say it’s only effective against an opponent of equal strength or stronger? It seems like you’re the only option right now."

Hearing such a request,

a drastically different expression appeared on Hawke’s face, as if two invisible Hooks had been inserted into the corners of his mouth, lifting them upward.

"Indeed, it’s a fine proposition, and it seems to be the only way to quickly resolve your Nutrition deficiency.

Due to my special status, it’s been a long while since any Hell Creature has made such a request to me. I’ve nearly forgotten the word ’War’ myself.

But bear in mind,

since I haven’t fought in a long time, it’s hard for me to control my strength. I might accidentally kill you.

If your projected Consciousness here dies, the real you will become a walking corpse."

Yet Luo Di, without a moment’s hesitation, nodded in agreement, "Please, then."

"Come on, let’s consider this a postscript program!

However, don’t try to Open Spine while we’re fighting. If you force it, you’ll die outright.

Moreover, the way I fight might be wholly different from any creature you’ve encountered, it could be very painful.

This pain might prevent you from Focusing, from immersing yourself in the battle."

"Alright, let’s give it a try."

The sparring took place in the center of the Preaching Room, which was spacious enough.

As Luo Di, redressed in investigator attire, walked down the altar stairs, something caught his eye.

"Class leader?"

Mr. Hawke also noticed an anomaly within the Preaching Room.

The girl, deemed a heretic and left outside the door, stepped inside during their communication without attracting the attacks of the ceiling Hooks.

Although she only took one step, it indicated that the Preaching Room no longer viewed her as a threat and recognized her identity.

The girl’s appearance had also undergone significant change.

The pale skin on her face once again showed traces of Sewing Marks from a Hell Technique, seemingly returning to the state when she was first reconstructed, exuding an aura belonging to True Hell.

This delicate Disguise astonished Hawke, who also thought of a Hell Force he most despised and found disgusting.

"Malicious play..."

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