The towering chimneys spewed black smoke, enveloping the entire incinerator with smog, the air pollution index was almost visible to the naked eye.
Feng Mu sniffed, a pungent, indescribable odor pierced his nostrils—it was akin to the stench of rotten corpses scrubbed by toilet cleaner, both foul and scented, turning the stomach.
Wang Jian quickly took out a spare mask and handed it over, saying: "Unpleasant, isn't it? I couldn't stand it when I first got here either, but you get used to it after a couple of days. Wearing a mask can block most of the smell too."
After thanking him, Feng Mu examined it; it was slightly thicker than the medical masks of his previous life.
With the mask on, the odor diminished significantly, at least no longer triggering physiological nausea.
Feng Mu asked, "Is this the smell of burning Calamity Corpses?"
Wang Jian nodded, then shook his head: "The incinerator is divided into several zones, burning Calamity Corpses is only part of it, there's also burning pollutants, radiative materials, waste garbage, among others, but the most pungent odor is indeed from the Calamity Corpses."
Feng Mu swallowed dryly: "Is the air toxic?"
Wang Jian scratched his head: "Everything is disinfected before burning, so the official statement from the factory is no, but the workers here privately think it is, so Feng Mu, do you still want to come?"
Feng Mu said indifferently, "No worries, you're here too; I'll be fine as long as I have my mask on."
Wang Jian showed a friendly smile: "Yeah, there's definitely a bit of poison, but not as much danger as outsiders think. My dad has worked at the incinerator for almost 20 years, and I haven't seen anything happen to him."
Feng Mu nodded, subtly pinching the edge of the mask tighter.
Back in class, Wang Jian hadn't actually spoken much to Feng Mu, but as fellow dropouts, they found it inexplicably easy to get close after leaving school.
Wang Jian thought for a moment and whispered, "Actually, this job is usually rather idle, plus sometimes you can gain some unexpected benefits."
Feng Mu wasn't particularly interested in the perks Wang Jian mentioned, but his face showed appropriate curiosity: "What do you mean?"
Wang Jian deliberately avoided the question, keeping it a mystery: "Come on, you haven't seen Calamity Corpses yet, have you? I'll show you, and if you're lucky, maybe..."
Wang Jian chuckled mysteriously.
Feng Mu's eyes lit up, he tugged his backpack straps and followed Wang Jian enthusiastically.
....
The sweltering heat made the air ripple.
Wang Jian opened the incinerator's hatch, bent down to carry a black body bag off the floor, skillfully tossing it onto the platform, then unzipped the body bag.
Wang Jian: "Look, here's a Calamity Corpse."
Feng Mu's eyes widened; he'd seen images of Calamity Corpses online but witnessing them up close had an unsettling impact on his soul.
A head covered in fleshy lumps, a bizarrely sunken chest, menacing ribs interlocked like gnashing teeth, twisted arms distorting beyond recognition; only the lower legs faintly betrayed a once-human form.
Feng Mu covered his mouth in horror: "More terrifying than the pictures, hard to imagine humans could mutate into this."
When Wang Jian first saw Calamity Corpses, he vomited his meal. He still hadn't adapted, yet forced himself to stay calm: "I suspect the images online are photoshopped, otherwise, knowing practicing martial arts could possibly lead to this monstrosity, who among students would dare practice?"
The cause of Calamity Corpses remains undefined.
But two mainstream theories exist:
One is excessive nuclear radiation accumulation within the body causing a genetic mutation;
Another is reaching a certain martial arts level, then erring or straying, resulting in cellular deformation.
Feng Mu touched the cool area on his chest instinctively, giving Wang Jian a faint smile: "You've got a point; dropping out isn't entirely bad now."
Wang Jian zipped the bag, holding back nausea as he pushed the corpse into the incinerator, starting the cremation.
The incinerator's base erupted with flames, hundreds, thousands of fire snakes coiled around the Calamity Corpse, greedily devouring flesh and bone.
Wang Jian turned to Feng Mu, forcing a smile: "Yeah, I hope those military school candidates in our class all get in, hone their martial arts, and someday all end up here."
Feng Mu nodded speechlessly, then seeming to recall something, hurriedly took off his backpack, readying to throw it into the incinerator.
Wang Jian was startled: "What are you doing?"
Feng Mu stopped, unzipped it, taking out his "graduation certificate" from the top, generously opening it to show Wang Jian the heap of papers inside.
He said, "I want to burn all my stationery and papers, like a goodbye to my failed and inept student life."
Wang Jian grinned, waving: "Go ahead, burn it, make it clean."
Feng Mu zipped the backpack tightly, mustering his strength, and threw it, creating an arc that landed squarely on the Calamity Corpse's chest, consumed by its 'gnashing teeth', merging into the flames.
Wang Jian offered a cigarette to Feng Mu, who shook his head.
Wang Jian took off his mask, lighting the cigarette: "Then keep an eye on it for me, I'll pop outside for a smoke, the smell in here is too strong."
Feng Mu's smile was gentle, eyes reflecting flames; even his shadow seemed to melt in the fiery light, blurring into bright molds.
One cigarette finished, another, then a half-pack...
By the time Wang Jian, reeking of smoke, returned, the incinerator had shut off, leaving only a puddle of pale bones and... a black lump!
Black, irregular, the size of an apple core.
Amidst the pale, the black was striking.
Feng Mu's eyes glanced, unblinking, as if drawn by some uncanny magnetism the black lump possessed.
His throat bobbed, instinctively swallowing, then surprised by his body's desire.
"Want to eat."
Feng Mu was horrified, shifting his gaze suddenly to the approaching Wang Jian.
"Wow, it turned out, you're pretty lucky; usually it takes burning ten Calamity Corpses to get one Black Core."
As Wang Jian spoke, he clamped the black lump with tongs, rinsing it under cold water.
As the cleaning progressed, the black lump's form became clearer, resembling a dented walnut but not broken, its surface etched with cracks of varying depth.
Feng Mu gauged Wang Jian's expression: "Strange, he seems unaffected, so it's just me who wants to eat?"
"Here." Wang Jian suddenly tossed it casually.
Feng Mu restrained his inner impulse, catching it firmly.
Almost instantly upon grasping it, a prompt popped in his mind.
"That's why I say this job is alright, occasionally burning out a Black Core. Though its use is unknown, the black market has buyers, fetching a modest price—only a hundred or so bucks—yet still a bonus freebie."
Wang Jian seemed eager for Feng Mu to take the job, persuading,
"So, you joining? We could partner up later."
Wang Jian genuinely didn't want to burn Calamity Corpses alone, daytime being fine, but nighttime was—it's not fear, more a chilling sensation.
Feng Mu clenched the black lump in his palm, feeling the cold temperature, yet his voice carried a heavy intensity: "Yeah, I'm in."
Not for that small side income, but because...
[Detection of special metal—Nine Nether Evil Iron fragment.]
[Edibility: Yes.]
[Current consumption slot—raw iron, without an available slot.]
[Note: To consume new iron, remove the occupied consumption slot and reset edibility.]
[Remove and reset?]
[...]