Chapter Twelve: The Frenzied Maggots of the Sea of Filth

Page (1/3)

One, two, three... Liu Zheng expressionlessly stuffed the remaining sheep eyeballs into his mouth. He didn’t dip them in water this time, as his new tongue found the taste quite agreeable. With each eyeball he consumed, new things grew on his body. His rationality no longer declined, probably because he had grown accustomed to it.

“Status acquired: ‘Flesh and Blood Rebirth.’”
“Status: Flesh and Blood Rebirth.”
“Effect: Grants near-immortal physical regeneration ability.”

When Liu Zheng swallowed the last sheep eyeball, the system notification appeared again.

“Finally, something good happens.”

He let out a contented burp.

“Seeing you eat so happily puts me at ease,” the maid said with satisfaction.

“Should I call you Mr. Li or Little Dove?” Liu Zheng casually leaned back on the sofa, wiping his mouth with one of his tentacles.

“Either is fine; a name is just a label,” she replied.

“Then I’ll stick with Little Dove. Thanks for the meal. I should be going,” he said as he stood up.

“Wait, young man, I haven’t given you a tip yet,” the maid said.

“What do you want?” Liu Zheng asked.

She swayed her hips as she approached him. “Money, an extraordinary item, or... me?” She twirled a delicate finger on his mouthpiece.

Liu Zheng was certain he didn’t want her. Even if she weren’t old or a busty maid, she didn’t appeal to him at all.

Money would be nice; if Mr. Li was generous enough, he might pay off his debts and still afford another bottle of Ascension Moss.

As he thought this, an uncontrollable thought swelled in his mind.

“I want a big, powerful extraordinary item, preferably explosive.”

He wildly waved his tentacles, striking the floor with loud cracks.

“Interesting.”

The maid, who had been somewhat annoyed, now smiled slyly at his words.

“It would be fun to see that woman lose her mind,” she whispered to herself.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. Wait here; I’ll get it.”

She sashayed upstairs as Liu Zheng waited in place.

His four eyes scanned the surroundings continually, all his tentacles twitching restlessly.

Fortunately, he retained basic rationality, knowing not to act recklessly here.

Finally, the maid came down the stairs.

“Use it well; it’s quite rare,” she teased, placing a piece of yellow amber in Liu Zheng’s tentacle.

“Name: Manure Sea Frenzied Maggot Fossil (One-time Use).”
“Type: Item.”
“Quality: Fine.”
“Effect: Instantly releases a large amount of unstable ammonia gas upon use.”
“Note: Killing the body is not enough; one must also destroy the mind.”
“Can it be taken out of the dungeon? No.”

Page (2/3)

Liu Zheng stared at the white, plump insect that had been dormant for who knew how many millennia, a cold shiver running through him.

If he were to die beneath this thing, his life as a human would be over, right?

Oh, wait, he might not even count as human now.

Well, that didn’t matter anymore.

“Thanks. Goodbye.”

He pocketed the amber and left without looking back.

He feared if he lingered longer, he might lose control and smash the maid’s head with his tentacles.

“See you next time, young man.”

In the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Mr. Li waving to him.

Back at the entrance of the First-Class Sky Villa, Liu Zheng found the security guards’ bodies were still there.

“Isn’t anyone coming to clean this up?”

He muttered as he opened his character panel.

Everything had happened too quickly for him to examine it closely earlier.

“Status: Flesh and Blood Mutation.”
“Effect: Causes uncontrollable physical mutations in the player, unable to alter genes or lineage.”
“Current mutation effects: Strength +30, Constitution +20, Perception +15.”

Liu Zheng vigorously swung a tentacle, smashing one guard’s corpse into a pulp.

Good, very powerful.

He nodded with satisfaction.

“Temporary Madness: Irritability.”
“Effect: The player becomes extremely irritable to the point of losing rationality. High mental attributes help alleviate symptoms.”
“Duration: Three dungeon runs.”

“Flesh and Blood Mutation and Irritability... I feel like I’m the villain here.”

Looking at the pile of bodies, a sudden thought flashed through his mind.

For over ten minutes, he hummed a tune as he walked toward the Bloody Restaurant.

---------------

“Boss, I’m back.”

Liu Zheng greeted.

The Bull-Horse, head down playing on his phone, lazily looked up upon hearing him.

“How much did Mr. Li give you, holy crap!”

Bull-Horse’s eyes widened more than his nostrils.

“What happened to you, man? Why do you look like this?”

He suddenly stood up, his tail fur bristling.

Even from the perspective of an “excellent employee,” Liu Zheng’s appearance was a bit horrifying.

“It’s a long story. By the way, am I still considered a human citizen like this?”

Liu Zheng asked with some curiosity.

“Your essence hasn’t changed, so theoretically yes, but you could also be excluded. As long as the city hall doesn’t send a notice, your status won’t change.”

Bull-Horse considered this.

“When would city hall send such a notice?”

“No idea. Except for the Employment Office, other city hall departments are pretty inefficient,” Bull-Horse said, shaking his big head.

“Alright.”

“Spill it. How much tip did you get?”

He urged.

“Mr. Li gave me this.”

Liu Zheng took out the Manure Sea Frenzied Maggot Fossil.

“What’s that thing for?” Bull-Horse asked, puzzled.

Page (3/3)

“Seems like it can release a large amount of ammonia gas.”

“Ew, get it away, get it away.”

Bull-Horse quickly covered his nose.

“Don’t let the cafeteria folks see this, or I won’t be able to protect you.”

After Liu Zheng put away the fossil, Bull-Horse said disdainfully,

“Aren’t we banned from entering the cafeteria?”

“Sometimes the cafeteria gets overwhelmed and sends us to help out in the kitchen. It’s rare; I’ve only encountered it a few times since I came.”

Bull-Horse replied.

“Is it dangerous?”

“Definitely, but there are also benefits...” Bull-Horse trailed off mid-sentence.

“Oh, when will you play Snake? I’m still waiting to see the endgame rewards,” he shouted.

“Not yet. Boss, could you get me some paper and a pen?”

Liu Zheng asked.

“What do you want those for?”

“I want to use them to get familiar with my new body.”

“Such a hassle. Hold on.”

Bull-Horse spat out a key again and opened a cabinet in the lower right corner.

“Help yourself.”

Following his instructions, Liu Zheng took out a notebook and a fountain pen.

The notebook’s cover bore a name:

“Bai Langzi.”

He flipped it open; the first few pages were filled with incomprehensible, winding, twisted script.

“This guy’s from the Serpent Tribe, supposedly a modern poet. Then retro styles got popular, and he lost his job,” Bull-Horse said with a hint of schadenfreude.

“Name: Serpent Poet’s Manuscript.”
“Type: Miscellaneous.”
“Quality: Common.”
“Effect: None.”
“Note: The final work of a genius poet; some entities might appreciate it.”
“Can it be taken out of the dungeon? Yes.”

Miscellaneous?

Liu Zheng had never seen this type of item before.

He thoughtfully glanced at the note, then tore out those few pages of poetry, folded them neatly, and put them in his pocket.

“You should change into work clothes; you look too eye-watering now.”

Bull-Horse said disdainfully.

Not only did they not fit, but many parts were torn, exposing things that shouldn’t be visible.

“Does changing clothes cost money?”

“This should count as accidental damage, so probably not. I’ll ask.”

Bull-Horse pulled out his phone and rattled off a message.

“All set. New work clothes are coming soon.”

No sooner had he finished than a white thread descended from the ceiling.