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墨書 Inktalez
Due to the chaos that erupted in the factory, all the workers had gone on strike, gathering near the cafeteria to watch the police inspect the food supplies. No matter how much Director Wang tried to persuade them, they refused to return to work.
This was also because, according to the Fat Lady, her business was thriving; nearly every employee had tasted her signature Internal Offal Rice. If the Entrails served by the Fat Lady were made from human remains, then everyone here had unknowingly consumed human flesh. Thus, they were all waiting for the investigation's results. As news spread from one person to another, soon the cafeteria was packed with people.
Director Wang had just recommended everyone eat at the Fat Lady's place, and now he stood there watching the busy forensic expert, feeling restless and uneasy. If the results showed it wasn't human flesh, that would be a relief; but if it was... that would be disastrous. Director Wang himself loved eating pig intestines, pig liver, and pig kidneys; he had always preferred strong flavors.
Due to the heavy workload, other forensic experts from the City Bureau arrived at the scene to assist Xu Yiman with the autopsy.
Watching Xu Yiman take out intestines, liver, kidneys, and other organs, Director Wang's face turned slightly pale. "I think these are all animal Entrails—probably pig Entrails."
Without looking up, Xu Yiman replied, "Most people in the city have never seen pig Entrails directly. Even if they've eaten them, it's usually served in restaurants. Whether in rural or urban areas, most people have never seen human Entrails. The appearance of pig Entrails is very similar to that of human Entrails; aside from functional and genetic differences, even if you placed a human heart and a pig heart in front of you, you might not be able to tell them apart."
Hearing Xu Yiman's words, Director Wang stammered, "Yes, I indeed have never seen pig Entrails."
"You can't tell by appearance alone," Xu Yiman continued as she slowly proceeded with the dissection. "But once you perform an autopsy, you can quickly determine whether these are human or pig Entrails based on their functions."
At that moment, the Fat Lady stood nearby and interjected, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I've been working here for over ten years; my Entrails are sourced from legitimate suppliers. Nowadays, pork is cheap while human flesh is valuable. Why would I buy human Entrails when I can get pig Entrails? In ten years' time, where would I find that many people for my Entrails? If I made that much Internal Offal Rice, wouldn't I have to kill someone from Sponge Factory?"
Old Shao almost burst out laughing at the Fat Lady's words. Although her exaggeration was evident, there was some truth in what she said. Indeed, as she pointed out, obtaining human Entrails would be far more difficult than acquiring animal ones; it would take countless bodies to meet the Fat Lady's demands.
Old Shao recalled hearing stories from his father about cannibalism during old times when pigs were rarer than humans and people resorted to eating each other due to a lack of meat. However, in today's society, unless the Fat Lady had a twisted mindset, it was impossible for her to cut costs in such a manner.
This reminded Old Shao of a rumor about a noodle factory that allegedly used human fat to save costs. In reality, human fat was far more expensive than lard and came with significant risks of being caught; only someone deranged would consider such an option.
Old Shao scrutinized the Fat Lady. She appeared to be in her thirties but looked older than her age. Standing there with her hands clasped over her belly gave off an air of shyness.
While Xu Yiman and others conducted their autopsy work, Old Shao turned to Aunt Zhao beside him and asked, "Comrade Zhao, do you really believe this lady is selling human flesh? Do you have any evidence? If not, she could end up in jail."
Old Shao deliberately gave Aunt Zhao a scare, as he needed to understand whether Aunt Zhao was trying to frame the Fat Lady or if she had genuinely seen something.
Upon hearing the possibility of jail time, Aunt Zhao felt her legs weaken. She leaned closer to Old Shao and hurriedly said, "Oh, Officer, dear brother, I was just speaking off the cuff; please don't take it seriously. However, she definitely has something going on. About three nights ago, I went out to use the restroom and saw her outside with that meat delivery guy, whispering about who knows what."
"Speak up," Old Shao maintained his distance from Aunt Zhao. "Everyone needs to hear what you have to say."
Aunt Zhao nodded obediently and replied, "Yes, yes. Even if she isn't selling human flesh, that night three days ago, I saw her with that meat delivery man outside, whispering away. You officers might not know this, but our dormitory doesn't have a toilet; we have to go to the public restroom outside! I didn't mean to follow her."
"I'll tell you this: don't spread rumors," the Fat Lady interjected.
"Rumors?" Aunt Zhao argued back fiercely. "I'm not spreading anything! Everyone knows this area is desolate, right next to a crematorium where many children have gone missing. It's terrifying to run into human traffickers or worse at night; no young person dares to go out alone after dark."
Aunt Zhao straightened up as she spoke. "I'm fifty years old; I'm not afraid of any beggar or grim reaper. As one ages, nighttime trips become more frequent—so what? But I did see something: you and that meat delivery man messing around near the cafeteria. Is there no truth in that?"
Aunt Zhao pressed on aggressively while the Fat Lady seemed evasive. Given the Fat Lady's earlier temperament, she would usually retaliate, but this time she refrained from doing so and acknowledged Aunt Zhao's words.
"Is there or isn't there?" Aunt Zhao pressed again.
"There is!" the Fat Lady replied. "But it's nothing like you imagine. I had some business with the meat delivery guy, but does that mean we were discussing selling human flesh?"
Aunt Zhao let out a cold laugh. "Look at your age; you're in your thirties now. No one wants you, so you conspire with a meat vendor to get back at society? That's exactly how it is! My granddaughter is already ten years old, and you don't even have a child. Once a woman turns thirty, she's considered worthless; you'll never marry!"
Old Shao frowned and interrupted, "Stop bringing up unrelated matters. Whether someone is dating or looking for a partner is none of your business. Young lady..."
"Just call me Ladle," the Fat Lady said quietly.
"Alright," Old Shao continued. "Ladle, do you admit to what Aunt Zhao just said?"
The Fat Lady fell silent for a moment before nodding and saying, "Yes, that's right. I was indeed with him that night. But I absolutely did not sell human flesh. I've been in this business for over ten years, and my prices are low with generous portions—everyone can see that. I've never done anything deceitful. Li Dabiao has been delivering for four or five years without any mistakes."
"Oh dear," Aunt Zhao interjected. "You haven't even cleared your own name yet, and you're already speaking up for Li Dabiao? So what were you two doing that night? It can't be that you were dating, right? Li Dabiao is in his forties, has children—would he really be interested in you?"
The Fat Lady's face flushed red as she struggled to find words.
At that moment, Xu Yiman stood up, removing her gloves slowly. "There's no need to argue anymore. The autopsy has confirmed that one of the hearts belongs to a human."
"What?" both the Fat Lady and Aunt Zhao exclaimed in shock.
"There is indeed a heart that is human!" Xu Yiman continued. "And it is definitely human entrails."
Upon hearing this, everyone felt a wave of nausea wash over them. The sound of bowls and chopsticks clattering to the ground echoed nearby.
Some people had initially been enjoying the spectacle, not believing the Fat Lady could be involved in something so heinous, happily eating their Internal Offal Rice. But after Xu Yiman's revelation, they found themselves unable to eat any longer.
Many were already covering their mouths and rushing outside, while others who were trapped in the crowd couldn't hold back and ended up vomiting in the hall. It was as if a bomb had exploded among them. Within moments, several people were retching uncontrollably, filling the cafeteria with the sour smell of vomit.
At this point, Director Wang also began to feel queasy, covering his mouth and gagging repeatedly.
Yuan Jun felt a sense of relief; if it weren't for Aunt Zhao and the Fat Lady causing a scene today, perhaps the project team members would have been forced to consume human flesh as well.
"Indeed, it's human flesh!" Aunt Zhao shouted as she stood up. "Everyone should reject her—this shameless creature!"
But no one could pay attention to Aunt Zhao anymore; everyone was too busy being sick.
Hearing this news, the Fat Lady collapsed onto the ground, murmuring to herself, "This can't be true... It can't be true... I've been sourcing goods from him for four or five years—how could this happen? How is this possible?"
"What on earth is going on?" Old Shao also stood up. He hadn't held out much hope, thinking this was just a rumor from Aunt Zhao to divert attention, but he didn't expect Aunt Zhao's words to come true.
This was indeed strange. A human intestine had been found in Li Erdan's home, and Li Erdan was currently missing. At the same time, a heart had been discovered with the Fat Lady, which had been sent over by Li Dabiao.
"Where is Li Dabiao from?" Old Shao asked.
"I don't know," the Fat Lady replied. "He didn't tell me any of that."
"Where does Li Dabiao live?" Old Shao pressed.
The Fat Lady trembled as she said, "I don't know that either."
Old Shao furrowed his brow and asked the Fat Lady, "So what exactly did you do a few nights ago?"
Under Old Shao's intense questioning, the Fat Lady finally admitted, "He came to talk to me about dating!"
With that, the Fat Lady burst into tears, like a friend who had just lost her toy.
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