Chapter 56: The Forensic Pathologist Who Dissects the Living

Yongcheng, a covert underground research facility.

The entire subterranean expanse was lined with expensive soundproofing materials, and the pungent smell of disinfectant was so dense it felt as though it had taken root in the air.

Zhen Naihe shrank his neck, trapped between two men in black, stumbling forward.

After winding through numerous turns for an unknown length of time, the trio finally halted before a heavy metal door.

One of the men in black stepped forward and murmured a few words into the surveillance camera beside the door. Moments later, the metal door slowly opened.

A draft rushed out from the crack, and Zhen Naihe involuntarily drew in a breath.

Immediately, it felt as though a giant hand had violently clutched his stomach, and waves of nausea surged over him.

The smell of blood.

A stench of blood so heavy that no amount of disinfectant could ever mask it.

Even though Zhen Naihe was a forensic pathologist with decades of experience, he had never encountered such a concentrated odor of blood.

Zhen Naihe retched violently for a long while before finally straightening up.

He stammered as he looked at the men in black:

"Sirs, what—what kind of place is this?"

The men in black did not answer his question; instead, they spoke in rigid tones:

"Once you go inside, just do your job properly. If you mess up, you lose your life. Understand?!"

"Yes! Understood, understood..."

With a bitter expression, Zhen Naihe took a step forward, his legs feeling as though he were treading on cotton.

The space inside was quite large, resembling an operating room at first glance.

Various instruments of unknown purpose were scattered around, and in the very center lay a metal bed.

An old man was strapped to the bed.

Though his hair was gray, he appeared spirited and was currently shouting ceaselessly.

A group of people in lab coats surrounded the bedside.

Seeing Zhen Naihe enter, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses smiled and waved:

"Lord Zhen Naihe, I am Saninuo Ishii. It is a pleasure to meet you."

A Sakura islander.

The unease in Zhen Naihe's heart spread rapidly:

"Mr. Saninuo Ishii, what do you want me to do?"

Saninuo Ishii pointed at the old man on the metal bed, then gestured toward the neatly arranged set of surgical blades beside it.

"I have heard that your dissection skills are superb, among the very best of Yongcheng's forensic pathologists."

"Therefore, I would like to ask you to dissect this old man!"

With that, Saninuo Ishii offered Zhen Naihe a shallow bow.

Zhen Naihe felt a sudden buzzing in his head.

"You—you mean you want me to dissect him?"

"Precisely!"

"But he's a living human! I'm a forensic pathologist, I only dissect corpses..."

Saninuo Ishii raised his head, a morbid smile on his face:

"I have complete faith in your dissection skills. There is very little difference between the living and the dead."

"How can there be little difference!"

Zhen Naihe felt suffocated, his stomach churning violently once more.

"You—you're asking me to commit murder!"

"No, no, no." Saninuo Ishii shook his head repeatedly:

"During the dissection, please ensure that this old man remains alive."

"What?!"

Due to extreme fear, Zhen Naihe began to retch again.

"How is this any different from the ancient torture of a thousand cuts?!"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes, exactly the thousand cuts!" Saninuo Ishii's complexion flushed with excitement:

"My Mandarin is not very good, please forgive me."

"I invited you here precisely to subject this old man to the thousand cuts!"

"Because only when he experiences the ultimate agony can this ritual item manifest its power."

Saninuo Ishii shifted slightly, revealing the item hidden behind him.

It was a clay figurine, roughly the size of a palm.

Clad in traditional Sakura attire, it had squinted eyes and a skewed mouth, making it utterly hideous.

Though Zhen Naihe could not perceive the figurine's exact attributes, merely gazing at it for a few seconds caused his heart to skip several beats.

This thing was utterly evil!

"I won't do it, I can't do it!!"

Zhen Naihe took two steps back, desperate to flee.

A shout rang out from among the lab coats: "Baka, you don't work, you die!"

"Die, die, die!"

"Then let me die! I cannot bring myself to torture and kill one of my own compatriots in such a heinous manner!" Zhen Naihe seemed to have stirred his backbone, roaring in response.

A cold gleam flashed in Saninuo Ishii's eyes as he sneered:

"You are truly brave, much to my admiration!"

"However, you must not forget that since I was able to invite you here, I can certainly bring your family along as well."

"Li Luo, she must be your precious daughter, am I right?"

With that, Saninuo Ishii produced a tablet.

The livestream playing on the screen showed a mother and daughter bound tightly together.

Zhen Naihe's pupils constricted, and his entire body trembled uncontrollably as if struck by lightning.

"I already divorced Li Wuqi! Li Luo was granted to her mother, they have nothing to do with me!"

"Oh—" Saninuo Ishii drew out the syllable:

"If that is the case, then there is no need to keep them alive."

"Tojo-kun, please be so kind as to kill them both."

Seeing one of the figures in a lab coat move to leave, Zhen Naihe cried out in panic:

"Don't—don't hurt them! I'll do it, I'll do it!!"

Saninuo Ishii's lips curled into a smile, reverting to his polite demeanor:

"Then please begin without delay."

Zhen Naihe trembled with every step as he slowly shuffled toward the metal bed.

Gears turned, and the bed began to shift its angle, raising the old man up bit by bit.

"Spare me, I still have a grandson, don't side with these beasts..."

Recognizing Zhen Naihe's face, the old man pleaded pitifully.

Zhen Naihe hesitated once more, his hand reaching for the scalpels pausing mid-air.

"Baka!"

A shout echoed from the lab coats.

Saninuo Ishii pushed up his glasses and smiled:

"Time is precious. Think of your daughter."

Zhen Naihe choked back a sob.

He felt like a complete coward.

"I'm sorry, old sir, they are using my daughter to threaten me, I truly have no other choice..."

The surgical blade delivered a cold touch, shutting out the old man's body heat.

Mechanically, Zhen Naihe sliced through the skin.

Blood oozed out, and a scream pierced the air.

Saninuo Ishii breathed heavily with excitement, as though everything unfolding before him could transport him to the pinnacle of bliss!

He continuously praised Zhen Naihe's dissection technique.

The old man's miserable screams never ceased.

The ugly clay sculpture began to undergo a transformation.

Dark red patterns faintly emerged on its surface, twisting and writhing like earthworms.

The volume of the clay figurine also expanded imperceptibly, and the facial details of the figure grew more refined.

"Kill me! Just kill me!!"

Like a trapped beast, every syllable the old man cried out tore at Zhen Naihe's soul.

Zhen Naihe could only offer endless apologies while continuing his cuts.

Seemingly feeling that the progress was too slow, Saninuo Ishii stepped forward, grabbed Zhen Naihe's neck as if lifting a chick, and urged him relentlessly:

"Not enough, still not enough!"

"Places like the ears and nose won't cause massive bleeding even if you slice them off, try those right now!"

"Next, slice open his abdomen and pull out his intestines!"

"Be extremely gentle, don't let him die yet, otherwise your precious daughter won't survive, hee hee hee..."

"Yes, yes, yes, just like that! Someone, bring a mirror and place it right in front of the old man!"

"I want him to admire it! To admire how he is being dissected piece by piece!"