"Wai… Aughhh," the man's words were cut short as the dagger pierced through the interosseous membrane of both his arms.
[How do you know about these torture techniques?] Seeing Li Wang use some advanced torture techniques, the Creation System was extremely surprised and couldn't help but ask.
"You haven't read my memories?" It was Li Wang's turn to be surprised, as he had thought the Creation System had already seen his memories.
[Except for knowing you were rich in your previous world, and you got your wealth yourself, I didn't bother looking yet,] the Creation System's aged voice sounded in his mind.
The System's words brought a melancholic smile to Li Wang's lips, "You think those at the top stay there with kindness?"
Hearing Li Wang's words, the system remained silent but thought to itself, [It seems this host is not so much of a greenhorn, maybe I should take my time to read his memories.]
Meanwhile, Li Wang, unaware of the system's thoughts, continued with his interrogation.
"P-Please… I'll talk! Just stop!" the burly man sobbed, his voice breaking as his bloodied arms quivered in agony.
"Speak," Li Wang commanded, his eyes locked onto the man like a hunter.
"T-The Divine Netherworld Sect… they pay for human flesh. I-I was… I was going to sell you there." His trembling intensified as if Li Wang's stare alone could carve him apart.
Spurt
The moment the burly man finished speaking, Li Wang pulled out the dagger from his arm, causing the man to groan in agony as blood spurted everywhere.
"Do you take me for a fool?" Li Wang snarled, grabbing the man's robe and yanking it open. Rows of pill bottles clinked against each other, tightly strapped to the man's muscular frame. "A corpse seller doesn't have the money for these."
"T-These were given to me by the sect's alchemists, they… they are always looking for fresh material to experiment on," the burly man stammered, his lips shivering from fear and pain.
Hearing the man's words, Li Wang fell silent for a moment, pondering whether the man was telling the truth or not.
[The information you have is too little, ask him for more information, or better yet, buy 'Soul Searching Arts' from me at a discounted price of just 200 CP]
Hearing the Creation System's inciting words, Li Wang's lips twitched in anger, "Creation System, my ass, you should rename yourself to Constant Advertisement and Annoyance System."
[Whatever, are you buying the technique or not?] The Creation System completely ignored Li Wang's words, focusing on selling him the technique instead.
Li Wang counter ignored the system and instead, plucked a pill bottle from the man's waist. "Alchemy experiments, huh? I still feel like you are not coming clean," he said as the bottle twirled around in his hand.
"N-no, that's all I know," seeing the bottle in Li Wang's hand and remembering how ruthless he had been just a few minutes ago, the man almost soiled his pants from dread.
"Hmm," hearing the man's plea, Li Wang first let out a soft hum, his eyes softened for a second, giving the man hope, but the next moment, Li Wang's eyes turned frosty again, "whether you are telling the truth or not, we will find out once I feed you whatever this is."
"N-No, that's voidrot concentrate! One drop liquifies–" before the burly man could even explain the effect of the pill, Li Wang forcefully shoved the pills down his throat.
[This is still ineffective, but the Soul Search-]
"Shut it," Li Wang snarled before the Creation System could finish, "I negotiate my own deals."
He then turned toward the convulsing man in front of him, "Last chance, tell me, who really sent you?"
The man thrashed. Blood-flecked spittle bubbled on his lips. A mad, gurgling laugh escaped him. "Hah... haha—ff...fuck you! D-dying... anyw—"
His words warped. His jaw sagged grotesquely, flesh stretching like hot tallow. "—iiiee... gghh—glb…" Teeth clattered loose. Speech dissolved into wet, choking burbles as his lower face sloughed away. Cheekbones melted, dripping in a crimson slurry. His defiance vanished into a final, horrific gurgle.
[What a waste,] the system said in a lamentful voice, [his body's value just decreased by 75 CP]
"Hmm?" The system's words made Li Wang surprised, "I can sell bodies?"
[What do you think?] The system replied in a matter-of-fact voice, [You can sell anything to me, and similarly, I can sell you anything as long as the price is right.]
[After all, I am the Great Creatio-]
"Yeah, yeah, tell me, how much is this meat piles worth?" Li Wang cut off the system in mid-boast, not wanting to hear the same script again.
The man thrashed violently, blood-flecked spittle bubbling on his lips. A mad, gurgling laugh escaped him.
"Hah... haha—ff...fuck you! D-dying... anyw—"
His voice cracked mid-sentence as his skin began to blister and bulge, grotesque bubbles swelling beneath the surface. "—iiiee... gghh—glb…"
A sickening squelch echoed as his flesh started to liquefy, slumping from his bones like melting wax. His arms collapsed into puddles of reddish sludge, fingers curling into distorted hooks before dissolving entirely. His chest caved in, ribs poking through for a split second before turning to a blackened pulp.
"Ghh—gglbb—" His scream became a wet gargle, his entire lower body collapsing into a rancid slurry. Bones clattered into the muck, but even they began to bubble and soften, vanishing in a cloud of foul steam. The smell was like burnt copper and rotting meat.
Within seconds, all that remained of the burly man was a quivering, steaming puddle of crimson and black, the voidrot pill finishing its work with merciless efficiency.
[What a waste,] the Creation System said in a lamentful voice, [his body's value just decreased by 75 CP.]
"Hmm?" Li Wang blinked, staring at the disgusting puddle in front of him. "I can sell bodies?"
[What do you think?] The system replied in a matter-of-fact voice, [You can sell anything to me, and similarly, I can sell you anything as long as the price is right.]
[After all, I am the Great Creatio—]
"Yeah, yeah, tell me, how much is this meat soup worth?" Li Wang cut the system off mid-boast, not wanting to hear the same script again.
[...]
[Ugh, fine. Given the current… 'soupified' condition, I'll give you 10 CP for what's left. Maybe 15 if you bottle it and sell it as "Premium Bone Broth."]
"Ten?" Li Wang scoffed, "This bastard tried to poison me, and all I get is ten points? At this rate, I'll be running a meat market just to pay your imaginary debts."
[Well, maybe if you didn't turn him into hotpot leftovers, he'd be worth 100 CP. Host, have you ever considered non-lethal methods? Torture for information without literally melting the merchandise?]
Li Wang shot a deadpan look at the puddle. "What am I supposed to do, give them a polite interview over tea and biscuits?"
[Tea is actually effective when paired with truth serum leaves—]
"Shut up." Li Wang rubbed his temple. "Fine, take your 10 CP. But next time, I'm haggling."
[Transaction complete. 10 CP added. Current Balance: - 20 CP.]
A robotic voice sounded in Li Wang's head as the puddle of flesh started to shimmer in a faint golden glow before disappearing with a flash, leaving behind the blood-filled clothes and dozens of pill bottles.
"You know, I much prefer the cold robotic voice over your usual old and annoying voice," while inspecting the remains of the burly man, Li Wang thought in his head.
[Yeah, well, too bad you can't get rid of me.] Hearing the snarky reply, Li Wang lightly chuckled, already starting to get accustomed to the system's weird personality.
"Hey, wasn't I supposed to receive a reward for killing this guy?" Li Wang finally remembered the mission.
[Oh, you remembered?] The system's voice dripped with disappointment. [Transferring it into the balance now.]
A faint chime echoed in his mind. [Transaction complete. 20 CP added. Current Balance: 0 CP.]
[Congratulations, host, for getting out of debt.]
Li Wang squinted. "Why do I feel like you were hoping I'd forget about the mission?"
[Host, quick, sort out these pills. Let's see how much they're worth.] The Creation System, as usual, ignored the jab and changed the subject
Though Li Wang realized the system was diverting the topic, there was nothing he could do about it.
Sigh
With a deep sigh, Li Wang crouched and began to examine the blood-soaked remains of the man, picking up the pill bottles while doing so.
After he was done, Li Wang picked up a jade bottle to examine closely, "What the hell is this?" He exclaimed as he read the name on the bottle.
"Wrathful Spine Elixir? Sounds like something that would make your back snap in half."
[Ooooh, that one's a spine-breaker deluxe. I'll give you 5 CP for this, and if you are feeling adventurous, drink it, and you'll either grow a bone armor or… well, snap in half. ]