Ren Qing narrowed his eyes. He knew he couldn't have mistaken it.
No matter how dim the prison's lighting was, the Blindless Method had already granted him rudimentary night vision.
Besides, the human skin had left faint traces of blood behind.
Ren Qing signaled Li Mian and the other two to stay alert, then moved toward the Corpse Burner corpses near the edge.
He carefully recalled the Restraint Officer he'd encountered earlier; the one clutching a piece of human skin. There had to be a connection.
Which meant the prison likely held more than just one living piece of human skin.
Ren Qing didn't dare let his guard down. His eyes darted constantly, scanning their surroundings.
After a brief moment of panic, the group began handling the corpses with practiced efficiency.
They took out needles and thread from their packs and sewed the corpses' eyes, ears, mouths, and nostrils shut; a method said to suppress the resentment of those who died in agony.
Ren Qing suddenly felt very unprofessional. He had no idea about these taboos.
"Fuck me!!!"
A Corpse Burner suddenly shrieked. The moment he tried lifting a corpse, its skin sloughed off like tofu at the slightest touch.
Beneath the skin was nothing but bare bone, the flesh had completely vanished.
The prison's rumors had already put everyone on edge. Now, faced with such grotesque corpses, fear took root in all of them.
A few of the younger Corpse Burners even broke down sobbing quietly, plunging the scene into chaos.
Just then, a Corpse Burner clad in leather armor stepped forward, cursing loudly.
"The sooner we move these fucking corpses, the sooner we get out. Is that so hard to understand?"
Though all the Corpse Burners wore face-covering headscarves, Ren Qing recognized the voice; it was the middle-aged Corpse Burner from the meeting hall.
Unexpectedly, as a supervisor, he'd actually entered the restricted zone himself.
The crowd quieted. The middle-aged Corpse Burner raised his voice:
"I'm Bo Feng. Most of you have probably heard of me."
Ren Qing paused. Even he, as isolated as he was from gossip, knew of Bo Feng. Rumor had it that very few Corpse Burners under his command died on the job.
He was also known for handling things personally; a rarity among Yamen supervisors.
Bo Feng exhaled sharply, then barked:
"If you want to leave here alive, shut up and listen."
"Right now, everyone ties a red thread."
The group seemed to regain their composure, finding a pillar of support in Bo Feng. They took out red threads and tied them around the corpses' limbs, then lifted steadily.
Some Corpse Burners were clearly inexperienced; likely having been taught the method just before the mission.
Only Ren Qing and his three companions stood out, unprepared even with the red threads. Amidst these professional funerary workers, they felt utterly out of place.
Noticing this, Bo Feng approached and handed Ren Qing a few strands of red thread.
"Do you know how to tie them? Need me to-"
"No need. Thanks."
Before he could finish, Ren Qing; relying on the heightened perception granted by the Blindless Method; had already secured the corpse's limbs.
Bo Feng gave a slight nod before moving on to assist others.
The four quickly adapted to corpse-carrying techniques, and the rest made their preparations without incident.
To prevent accidents, they worked in groups of five: four carrying the corpse, the fifth ready to step in if needed.
But this drastically slowed efficiency. They'd need at least three trips to move all the bodies outside.
Ren Qing declined Bo Feng's offer to temporarily assign them extra hands; he couldn't risk exposing the abnormality of his eyes to outsiders.
He warned his three companions: "When carrying the corpse, no matter what you hear; don't turn around."
"Understood, Runner."
"And-"
His gaze sharpened. "Unlike the groups of five, there are only four of us. If one falters, the rest die."
"Stay focused. Understood?"
In unison: "Understood."
Once all Corpse Burners were ready, Bo Feng led the way toward the exit, the rest following half a meter apart.
Though Ren Qing's position near the periphery was theoretically riskier, it allowed him to observe the entire operation.
As they advanced cautiously, he noticed not just the human skins, but also a few insects lurking in hidden corners.
A glance was all he spared, his focus remained on balancing the corpse.
The heavy echo of footsteps filled the air.
A walk that should've taken minutes now felt like years, every step laced was with dread.
Miraculously, they reached the stairwell to the upper level without disaster.
Then, five men abruptly quickened their pace, breaking formation to rush ahead.
Bo Feng cursed under his breath. In a restricted zone, every action carried risk, and one misstep could unravel everything.
The five had clearly planned this, but their hurried steps fell out of sync; causing the corpse to lurch.
That slight disturbance was enough.
The corpse's entire skin sloughed off, its skeletal remains crashing loudly to the ground.
Like dominoes, the group collided; some even tearing their clothing, exposing bare skin.
Ren Qing's eyes widened.
He saw them; streaks of movement darting past.
Before anyone could react, the five who'd broken away collapsed simultaneously, their deaths mirroring the Corpse Burners at the stairwell.
The human skins, now bloodied, showed no intention of sparing the rest. They slithered along the ground, swift and stealthy.
Ren Qing gritted his teeth. "Slow your steps. Move left; three meters."
Without hesitation, Xiao Wu and the others followed, narrowly evading one human skin as it struck nearby men instead.
"Right, three meters."
"Left front, five meters."
Ren Qing directed them coldly, their path through the prison appearing chaotic even though every step was deliberate.
The other Corpse Burners scattered like panicked rats, hoping sheer numbers would save them.
But the moment a human skin touched living flesh, it burrowed inside; leaving nothing but bones within seconds.
Tears streamed down Ren Qing's face, his eyes burning with pain.
He realized the human skins were herding them, their only gap was leading to the third-level stairwell.
"Drop the corpse!!"
All four released their hold as Ren Qing roared: "The only way out is underground! Move if you want to live!"
He turned and sprinted toward the stairs, Xiao Wu and the others at his heels.
The rest followed suit, desperation lending them speed.
Ren Qing wasn't acting out of pure altruism; if only his group fled, they'd stand out way too clearly.
At the stairwell entrance, he noticed the human skins hesitated, refusing to pursue them.
"We're safe here, let's rest."
He swallowed several pig's eyes, suppressing his exhaustion.
Twenty to thirty survivors staggered in, one after another, dazed, collapsing onto the steps.
Ren Qing counted.
He found that of a hundred, only fewer than forty remained had remained, it was clear how tragic the situation was.
The carnage was undeniable.
Bo Feng, reacting swiftly had managed to survive.
Now, he lay half-conscious on the ground, his eyes vacant.