Cthulhu America, I can see the kill line.

Kong Jiu bent down expressionlessly, mechanically raising and lowering the shovel in his hand.

Scattered chunks of meat were shoveled one by one into the black body bag. His eyes were calm to the point of being empty, as if what lay before him was not a bloody slaughterhouse, but merely ordinary debris that needed to be cleaned up.

How would you describe the scene at the relief station?

Um, a slaughterhouse with poor hygiene?

Where were the actual filming locations for the blood and gore movies?

Live crayfish crawl onto a seafood sashimi feast?

Even after witnessing countless mountains of corpses, Kong Jiu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the "meticulously arranged" scene by the Purple Light Sect.

It has nothing to do with good or evil; it stems purely from a detached acceptance of a certain extreme presentation.

As I passed through layers of police barricades, several red apples, like strings of chili peppers from my hometown, hung on the relief station's sign, their bright red color almost blinding.

On the open ground in front of the relief station, a large eight-pointed star was drawn with bright red blood.

Several charlatans who looked like psionic scholars were lying on the ground, carefully studying each rune stroke, their expressions as focused as if they were deciphering an ancient book.

"I bet those cult members even squeezed some lemon juice into it for antioxidants; the runes they drew didn't turn black at all, and were actually quite vibrant."

Kong Jiu thought to himself.

[One-Sight Assessment] A notification was issued that there are quite a few units at level 10 or above within the sealed-off area.

He looked over and saw several armed police officers.

Kong Jiu was somewhat surprised.

Why send armed forces when everyone is already dead?

This was outside his job description. His job was simply to collect corpses.

He walked around the eight-pointed star formed by the pool of blood and headed towards the inside of the relief station.

Inside, various cuts of meat are hung like in a market butcher shop, with distinct muscle textures and a variety of types comparable to the classification of beef by Chaoshan people.

The various internal organs were simply piled together, surrounded by a few candles, resembling some kind of sacrificial ritual.

No, this must be a sacrificial ritual, right?

There were no bullet holes on the walls, no gunpowder burn marks on the shredded flesh, and even the objects were very neatly arranged.

This is clearly the scene of a psionic crime.

Armed men outside the window peered through the glass into the store-like interior, their faces filled with disgust and revulsion.

Is it disgusting?

Kong Jiu thought it was alright; at least it was quite novel.

According to the Bloodthorn Gang, this was a massacre that occurred last night.

The winter was cold, maggots hadn't appeared, and flies didn't bother us. Apart from the strong smell of blood, it wasn't unbearable.

Wearing protective clothing, Kong Jiu skillfully began his work.

One shovel, one shovel, and another.

The severed limbs, chunks of meat, and internal organs were systematically sorted and bagged.

His movements were practiced, even revealing a peculiar rhythm, as if he were not cleaning up corpses, but processing ordinary ingredients.

Then, he dragged the bags and carried them to the evidence collection vehicle in batches.

After filling several body bags, he dragged them one by one to the evidence collection vehicle and loaded them onto the truck.

Only then did he emerge from the literal "mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood," lift the orange-yellow cordon, and walk toward the two police officers who were talking.

"Everything is packed up. Take it to the forensic department for analysis. As for the clumps of bodily fluid on the ground, I don't have the tools on hand. You can send a professional to collect it or use a high-pressure water gun to wash it off, it's up to you."

Kong Jiu shouted at the top of his lungs, afraid that the muffled sound from the protective suit would be unheard by the other party.

But the police officer completely ignored him.

He didn't seem to care. He turned around, got into the evidence collection vehicle, changed out of his protective suit, said goodbye to the people in charge, and left the scene.

I'm not a professional forensic doctor; I'm just a temporary worker.

Besides, given the level of security in the lower city, what's there to investigate about the deaths of a dozen people and the discovery of nearly a ton of human remains?

To put it bluntly, with a dozen or so people dead, do they even deserve to send police to the lower district?

This isn't a major operation like cracking down on a tax evasion enhancer operation, so let's not waste police resources, okay?

The cops probably don't care much about this case. Sending armed personnel and psionic scholars here is likely because they were reported and are just putting on a show.

Kong Jiu naturally didn't care much about this life.

After finishing his shift, he drove the hearse back to the clinic, then switched to his bicycle and went home. He even whistled softly along the way.

Once home, the kitchen became his peaceful haven.

He skillfully chopped the meat, seasoned it, pounded it, and shaped it into lion's head meatballs.

Steam rose gently from the gaps in the steamer. He leaned against the counter with his arms crossed, staring at the numbers ticking on the timer, his gaze gradually softening.

Things are getting better, everything is getting better.

The church has been settled, and we have enough warm clothes. As long as we keep the mutton soup, we should be able to make it until spring.

I need to go to Chinatown tomorrow to ask Li Yingying about her visa... Oh, and I also need to put my psionic studies on the agenda.

This thing is a bit hard to find.

Despite the proliferation of psychic cults, even a three-year-old child on the street knows that psychic energy exists.

However, Amerigo Veterans has never officially recognized psychic abilities. Both the conservative red states and the open blue states have tacitly avoided any topic related to psychic abilities.

But I must learn it myself.

Only in that way can we find a way home, back to our hometown!

"Take your time, no rush, no rush..."

Kong Jiu muttered to himself, unsure whether he was comforting himself or talking to the lion's head meatballs in the steamer.

"It smells so good, Jiu Jiu! What are you doing?"

My roommate Impa is back.

As soon as he entered the door, the aroma of meat wafted towards him, and he headed straight for the kitchen, his eyes lighting up.

"ShiZiTou, um, how should I describe it in English? Never mind, just think of it as stewed meatballs."

Seeing that it was almost time, Kong Jiu brought the lion's head meatballs to Ying Pa.

Watching this young master eat and drink without any regard for manners made me feel much better.

No, he was in a good mood today.

"Oh, meat chunks, big, bouncy meatballs!"

Impa, her cheeks bulging from eating, asked indistinctly, "What's that crunchy stuff? Burdock root or broccoli stem?"

"It's lotus root, and it should have had water chestnuts added, but I couldn't find any."

"'MaTi'? What's that?"

Impa, who looked like she hadn't eaten for days, still managed to ask, "But you seem to be in a good mood today, making such a complicated dish."

Kong Jiu smiled, a bright smile.

"Impa, I saved so many people today, so many people, I'm so happy."

"I understand, I understand. The greatest sense of accomplishment for us medical students comes from saving lives!"

Impa picked at the meatballs, praising them enthusiastically.

But suddenly, he paused and stopped stirring the meatballs with his spoon.

"Um, Jiu Jiu, I remember the internship the professor assigned you was... where you can't save people, right?"

Seeing that Impaler had misunderstood, Kongju hurriedly explained the origins and history of the Prophet's Church.

Of course, the ability to see the kill line and the part about making a deal with Jack are omitted.

To everyone's surprise, Impa showed a hint of worry on her face after hearing this.

"Jiujiu, have you ever thought about this question: why did you save them?"

Kong Jiu was taken aback.

Why?

"Does saving someone need a reason?"

Kong Jiu, puzzled, asked in return.

Impa put the spoon down completely, looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

"Probably not."

He seemed to struggle for a moment before finally managing to stammer, "But Jiu Jiu, this way of saving people is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause, isn't it?"

Kong Jiu nodded very seriously: "You're right. My abilities are limited, so I don't expect to save more people. I'll be content as long as I can keep those dozens of refugees in the church alive through the winter."

Impa scratched his head, seemingly finding it difficult to speak.

After much deliberation, he finally spoke:

"Jiujiu, to be honest, the lower city is about to undergo a major purge."

"At that time, not only will the church you're protecting be overcrowded, but you'll also be too busy collecting corpses for Professor Ofavi. You won't have the energy to worry about others."

Kong Jiu was taken aback and asked, "How do you know what's going to happen in the lower city? Does the higher-ups know about the Purple Light Gang's anti-drug operation?"

Impa nodded.

"Even the President doesn't ban enhancement drugs, yet you think you can just wipe out any random cult? Do you think the gentry of Upper Hills, especially the pharmaceutical companies researching enhancement drugs, would agree to that?"

Kong Jiu felt a chill run down his spine.

Yes, would pharmaceutical companies watch their customers be wiped out by a cult?

The deaths of a dozen or so drug addicts in the lower district wouldn't really warrant the police's attention.

But the deaths of more than a dozen drug addicts and the dismantling of a drug trafficking den could not have gone unnoticed by a major pharmaceutical company!

The cops at the scene didn't care about the dead; they just left the shackling to amateurs.

But! The police were focused on the fact that the area was heavily guarded, with layers upon layers of security, and that they had also deployed armed personnel and psionic experts to assess the Purple Light Cult's firepower!

Kong Jiu understood after being told this.

Impa's next words made his heart sink completely.

"My dad told me today not to wander around the downtown area for the next two months. Although the upper-level pharmaceutical companies don't want to get involved directly, they've supported a large number of armed gangs and are preparing to clash head-on with the cults!"

Kong Jiu silently gazed at the darkening sky outside the window.

He now understands why Anderson said, "Not having a gang this winter will prevent you from doing good deeds."