The farm stretched before them like a grotesque parody of normality. Each cubicle—spotless, neatly aligned—contained a single human being. Every "breeding room" was isolated by reinforced partitions, and inside each space, a man or woman was chained by the neck, wrists, and ankles.
Despite the horror of the situation, the environment was immaculate. The beds were made with crisp, white sheets. Quilts were folded tightly, corners sharp. Not a speck of dirt could be seen anywhere. At the foot of each bed stood a small table, and on that table sat a plate of food—nutritious, colorful, and prepared with care, as though mocking the reality of their captivity.
The woman closest to Lucas and Zhao Guanghui sat hunched on her bed. She wore a pure white jumpsuit, the zipper drawn down the front, opened from her collarbone to the bottom of her abdomen. Her chest rose and fell unevenly with every breath, fear radiating through her body.
Beside the bed was a machine bolted to the wall. It was a cube, about the size of a human head, humming faintly. A white plastic tube extended from it, the end tapering into a needle-like tip.
Zhao Guanghui's breath turned ragged. He gripped his gloved fists tight inside his disinfectant suit.
"Are all the people in this farm raised like livestock?" His voice cracked with disbelief.
Lucas remained silent, but his system's analysis filled his vision.
[Modeling…]
[Player Zhao Guanghui: Advanced Danger]
[Team Leader of Food Factory: Advanced Hazard]
[Animals in food factories: Low-level Danger]
[Animals in food factories: No Danger]
Lucas's jaw tightened. "They've already classified these people as animals…"
He turned his gaze back to the woman's eyes. She looked at them blankly, expression drained of humanity. Her face held only emptiness, as if every trace of hope had already been erased.
Lucas whispered to himself, "Is humanity being wasted like this…?"
Zhao Guanghui's fists trembled. Every fiber of his body screamed to attack the team leader here and now. His thoughts roared:
"You call this the pride of your town? You raise humans like cattle—are the people here insane?!"
A sudden DING! jolted through both Lucas and Zhao Guanghui's minds.
[Player Lucas (Zhao Guanghui) triggers the complete world view of "Verne Town."]
[Exploration Progress: 1%]
[This is the prison of mankind and the root of its downfall. Please do not stare too long into the abyss…]
The eerie mechanical voice echoed in both their ears.
The Demonstration
The team leader clapped his hands sharply, snapping their attention back.
"I will demonstrate the process once. Watch carefully—you must remember every step. Precision is the foundation of our factory's honor."
He approached the waist-high iron gate of the breeding cubicle and unlatched it. The metallic creak echoed coldly. The woman inside shrank away instinctively, curling against the wall, but she did not resist. She had long ago abandoned the idea of escape.
The leader waved to Lucas and Zhao Guanghui. "Come closer. You'll want to see the details clearly."
Zhao's body moved stiffly, unwilling yet unable to disobey. Lucas followed behind him, face unreadable.
The team leader grasped the tube connected to the square machine. He spoke in a calm, almost casual tone.
"Before retrieving raw materials, you must not forget the preparation. The tube is crucial."
He stood beside the bed and looked at the woman. "Left arm. Now."
Obediently, the woman extended her arm. Her pale, delicate skin looked fragile beneath the sterile lights. The leader slid the needle into her vein with practiced ease and pressed a button. The machine whirred, a low mechanical purr.
Lucas's eyes narrowed. Clear liquid flowed through the tube and entered the woman's bloodstream. Her expression remained lifeless, as though the pain of countless repetitions had dulled every reaction.
Click.
A small drawer popped open at the machine's base. Inside, scalpels of various sizes gleamed under the fluorescent light. A refrigeration box hissed softly, cold air spilling out.
"You don't need to handle the setup every time," the leader remarked casually. "The machine does most of the work. You need only focus on precision."
He selected a scalpel with clinical indifference and gestured for the woman to adjust her suit. The zipper slid down, exposing her torso.
For a brief second she looked human. But as the fabric opened further, the audience watching the live broadcast gasped. Even though the screen blurred parts of the image with heavy mosaics, the red beneath could not be hidden.
Zhao Guanghui's eyes widened in horror. He sucked in a sharp breath.
Her body—from chest to abdomen—was mutilated. As if a cavern had been dug out of her flesh. The skin on her sides remained intact, but the entire front of her torso was a raw, gaping wound. Crimson glistened faintly through the mosaic filter.
The team leader pressed two fingers lightly against her liver. The woman's body convulsed violently, shaking with pain, but she did not pull away.
"Good," the leader said calmly, as if inspecting fruit at a market stall.
With one hand pinning her down, he lifted the scalpel in the other.
"Remember this: speed is essential. Delay reduces quality. Raw material must always be harvested fresh."
The scalpel flashed. He cut swiftly, severing blood vessels connected to the liver.
The woman screamed, a shrill sound of agony tearing through the sterile room. Her body twisted against the restraints.
"Done."
The leader pulled free a large piece of liver and placed it directly into the refrigerated box. The container hissed shut, keeping the organ chilled.
Behind him, the woman continued to convulse in pain. Blood seeped across the sheets. But within seconds, something horrifying occurred—the liver tissue began regenerating. Slowly, flesh crawled back into place, restoring what had been lost.
Lucas's eyes flicked toward the wall-mounted cube. "So the machine accelerates human tissue regeneration. That way they can extract again and again… as many times as they want."
The leader showed no sign of hesitation. Carrying the container, he left the cubicle briskly. At the farm gate, he pressed the sterilization button again. A mist of disinfectant sprayed over him before he re-entered the inner room.
At the wall window, he slotted the refrigerated container inside. The conveyor mechanism swallowed it, whirring as it vanished behind a closing baffle.
Beep—beep—beep.
Above the window, a bright green sign lit up.
[Passed!]
The team leader turned at last, facing Lucas and Zhao Guanghui.
"This is the entire procedure. Simple, efficient. Have you learned it?"
Neither man answered. Their silence was heavy.
Unbothered, the leader continued, "Today is your first shift. We won't overwhelm you. Your quota is only fifty qualified raw materials. Once you complete it, you may rest."
At that moment, the system chimed again in Lucas's vision.
[Player Lucas (Zhao Guanghui) has triggered a hidden side mission: 'End the Pain of the Human Livestock.']
[Exploration Progress of Verne Town: 1%]
[Completion of this hidden task will advance progress by 25%.]
A final cryptic line flickered across his display:
[Who devoured me, and whom did I devour… Perhaps this farm is safer than the outside world.]
Lucas clenched his fists at his sides. He understood now—the world of Verne Town was more twisted than he had imagined.
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