Chapter 180 - 179: Reward Selection

Chapter 180: Chapter 179: Reward Selection

Gu Su followed close behind Lu Chen, stepping into the third train car.

The moment he entered, a thick, acrid stench of rot and gore washed over him, making him instinctively furrow his brow.

This was the very same carriage of flesh he had seen from a distance. Its style was utterly different from the other cars, so grotesque it was unsettling.

The car’s interior walls were covered in sticky, dark-red flesh. The floor emitted a faint squelching sound with every step, as if he weren’t walking on a train car floor but on a congealed slurry of flesh.

Thick pillars of flesh stood evenly spaced along both sides of the car. Their surfaces were covered in bulging veins and fine blood vessels. Countless thin, transparent tubes were densely embedded in the lumps of meat atop the pillars, slowly sucking out the fluids within with a faint, slurping sound.

Gu Su’s gaze slowly swept across the car’s interior. He could clearly see that the lumps of flesh, pierced by tubes, were a jumble of whole organs, partial limbs, and even a few complete, curled-up bodies.

They were tightly encased in viscous flesh. Faintly visible were the skin and hair on the corpses’ surfaces, creating a skin-crawlingly grotesque scene.

Lu Chen, completely unfazed by the grotesque environment, led Gu Su straight to one of the pillars of flesh.

He reached out, patting the slime oozing from the pillar’s surface. He then pointed to a pulsating, brain-like mass of flesh at the top, his voice laced with a hint of pride.

"How about this one? It’s a White Quality Flesh Talent Writer.

"It’s specifically used to activate Talents of a designated type in living creatures or the Undead.

"If you’re willing, I can trade you five of these Writers for your share of the Green Quality rewards."

He paused before adding, his tone exceptionally magnanimous, "Don’t worry, you can pick any type of Talent. As long as it’s something I can formulate, I’ll make it happen for you."

Gu Su fell silent for a moment, his fingertips lightly rubbing the hem of his clothes as he instantly calculated the pros and cons.

’He knew perfectly well that Lu Chen was getting the better end of this deal.’

’After all, the difference in value between White Quality and Green Quality items was immense—practically night and day. A single Green Quality weapon was far more valuable than five White Quality items.’

’But he had no choice right now. The problem of controlling the Graveyard Demon was pressing.’

’This Flesh Talent Writer was exactly what he needed most. It was worth taking a loss.’

"Deal." Gu Su hesitated for only a second before nodding decisively. He looked at Lu Chen, his gaze firm. "I need two driver Talents, two Artillery operation Talents, and one mechanic Talent—the kind for fixing cars. Ideally, it should be compatible with the Graveyard Demon’s power system."

Lu Chen didn’t hesitate for a second. "Done," he agreed readily. "No problem. I’ll get them for you right now. I guarantee they’ll be the exact types of Talent you asked for."

With that, he plunged his slime-covered hand directly into a fissure in the pillar of flesh. With a forceful tug, he pulled out several translucent, quivering, jelly-like lumps of meat, one after another.

Their surfaces were coated in a thin layer of slime, and fine patterns were faintly visible within. These were the Flesh Talent Writers.

As Lu Chen deftly wrapped the Writers in clean Beast Skins, he repeatedly warned Gu Su, his tone growing serious, "Remember, these have restrictions. They must be used on beings with flesh and blood.

"Undead without corporeal flesh, like Skeletons or Ghosts, can’t use them. It’d be a waste."

[You have obtained item: Flesh Talent Writer (White) x5. An item used to record Special Talents. To an outsider, it looks like a brain, but to some creatures, it’s a life-changing opportunity.]

Gu Su took the neatly packaged Writers from Lu Chen. His fingers flinched slightly upon touching the slime on the Beast Skins. He quickly put the items away, then, without a moment’s hesitation, turned and walked out of the nauseating carriage of flesh, returning to the open area beside the tracks.

After his exchange with Lu Chen, Gu Su’s indecisiveness vanished, replaced by a clear plan.

He knew exactly what he needed most.

His steps were quick but steady as he strode to the Metal table where the supplies were laid out. His eyes scanned the items, and without a moment’s hesitation, he picked up an unremarkable clump of fine sand that looked as if it had been glued together.

It was a small, dusty-gray pile of sand, completely out of place among the gleaming weapons, equipment, and blueprints surrounding it. It looked like something that had been carelessly discarded.

The sand had a sickly, grayish-white color. Its grains were uniform in size but lacked any luster, appearing even dimmer in the glow of the nearby Green-Quality items.

It was clumped together in a mass about the size of a fist. Though its surface looked loose, it strangely held its shape, with not a single grain spilling onto the table.

When Gu Su had first glanced over the table, he’d almost mistaken it for packing filler that had spilled from a broken container.

Only after he opened its Attribute Panel did he realize this unremarkable clump of sand was actually a Green Quality architectural blueprint.

Previously, Gu Su hadn’t even considered taking it, but things were different now.

After Lu Chen’s persuasion, and especially after getting the Flesh Talent Writers, Gu Su’s path was now crystal clear. He needed a facility to supply his Undead Team with equipment and increase their combat effectiveness. This item was exactly that.

[Deserted Twisted Corridor (Green): Use 5 units of Stone and 5 units of flesh materials to build a Twisted Corridor at a designated location (requires a 10x10 meter area).

Once built, you can assign 10 workers to craft weapons and equipment using blueprints and materials (equipment belongs to the soldiers; quality is capped at Green).

Once built, you can assign 5 researchers to study materials like flesh, remains, organs, and bones to develop corresponding equipment blueprints.]

Most importantly, Gu Su had discovered that among all the available architectural blueprints, only this one came with an upgrade quest.

Gu Su had learned a hard lesson from the Graveyard Demon’s repair quest.

Things were different now. He wasn’t about to miss out on a single quest.

[Upgrade Quest: Twisted Manufacturing]

[Quest Explanation: Sand can only form a crude prototype; flesh is what grants true Power. When the desire for creation and research grows strong enough, the corridor will twist and grow on its own.]

[Quest Requirements: In the Deserted Twisted Corridor, create a total of 100 pieces of White Quality equipment (0/100) and 10 pieces of Green Quality equipment (0/10). Research a total of 3 White Quality blueprints (0/3) and 1 Green Quality blueprint (0/1). Invest at least 50 units of flesh materials to nourish the corridor’s core.]

[Quest Reward: The Deserted Twisted Corridor upgrades into a Special Twisted Corridor. Adds one leadership slot. Research speed increased by 30%. Unlocks special crafting option: Flesh-Fused Equipment.]

[Explanation 1: Green Quality is only the beginning.]

[Explanation 2: You can never have too much flesh.]