Using a not-so-sharp blade, she slowly cut open the surface; the flesh was squeezed and quickly shriveled up.
Shiya’s hands were instantly stained with thick, ink-black stagnant blood, covering the fair, beautiful skin.
She tossed the cut pieces into the small iron bucket on the conveyor belt.
The slippery, nauseating sensation made the girl’s slender eyelashes tremble uncontrollably.
She turned her face away, brought the knife down hard, then hurriedly picked up a moldy cloth.
‘What kind of immortality method are they trying to research using these things?’
Shiya thought to herself.
But as the assembly line hummed, sending a piece of flesh—crawling with live maggots and riddled with bite-holes—to her for processing, she could no longer hold herself together.
Staring at the dense mass of wriggling white worms, the girl pressed her lips tightly, wound a few strands of hair around her fingers, and tugged hard.
“Get away from there. Let me cut it.”
Little Leonora’s voice was choked with tears.
The near-runaway emotions were suddenly pulled back.
Shiya forced a gentle smile and shook her head.
“Young lady, kids shouldn’t meddle.”
“I can handle it.”
As if to prove her words, the girl pressed her palm firmly against the flesh and drove the knife straight in.
But that only made more bugs spill out, some even crawling onto her fingers.
Shiya’s face went pale with terror.
The knife clattered to the floor, and she frantically slapped at the things that made her scalp crawl.
Little Leonora sniffled, gritted her teeth, and bent down to pick up the knife.
But the girl blocked her with her knee, pressing it against her small shoulder, not letting her come any closer.
Shiya withdrew her leg, rubbed her bloodstained fingertips, hesitated for a moment, then lowered herself and rested her chin on Little Leonora’s shoulder.
She rubbed against her gently from above, yet with incredible tenderness.
“Young lady, I’ll get myself dirty.”
She wiped her tears away with a single swipe and stiffened her neck.
“You’re scared out of your wits yourself, so why are you still acting tough?”
“…”
“Isn’t it so I can keep watching you? Pure, flawless, untouched by the slightest stain?”
In this Longevity Factory that never saw daylight, time flowed slowly until even the concept itself became blurred.
It wasn’t until the gray-clad overseer startled awake from his nap, glanced at his pocket watch, and irritably rang the bell that the tedious, oppressive labor finally came to a halt.
Shiya skillfully stacked the last piece of Black-spotted Flesh onto the overflowing iron bucket.
Her pale golden eyes had long become hollow and numb—just like the workers she had first seen.
But when a tiny hand tugged at her clothes, her dull pupils regained their luster, even adding a trace of a smile.
“A whole day of hunger must feel awful, right? Come on, let’s go get some food.”
The girl’s voice carried a deliberately upbeat tone, but her eyes wavered and avoided the soft little hand Little Leonora stretched out.
Yet when they reached the food counter, they were met with a commotion ahead.
Several workers with mixed expressions left, whispering among themselves.
And in their hands… they held steaming white bread.
Shiya furrowed her elegant brows, suspicion rising in her heart.
It wasn’t that she didn’t believe a factory that squeezed rotten flesh could give normal food.
Rather, those workers—who looked equally strange and then started wolfing down the bread—were practically shouting in her ear:
“This is the first time ever!”
But before the worried girl could figure out what it meant, Little Leonora interrupted her.
“Why are you still spacing out?”
The girl picked up the food that had already been packed for her.
Shiya snapped out of it, thanked her softly, and reached for the bag.
But Little Leonora pulled her hand back, then extended her other free hand and wiggled it in the air.
The meaning was clear.
Pushed into a corner, a wry smile appeared in Shiya’s eyes.
“Young lady, my hands are really dirty.”
Little Leonora snorted, forcibly grabbed Shiya’s black-and-crimson-stained palm, and squeezed it tightly.
“Of course I know. I’m just afraid you’ll dirty the food!”
Her tone was cold, but her pretty face twisted away awkwardly.
“I… when we get back, I can feed you.”
The girl must have realized how flimsy her excuse was. She lowered her head, her voice muffled.
“I’m sorry. I… I just didn’t want you to have to bear the filth alone while I stayed clean.”
Shiya’s eyes dimmed a little, but the corners of her mouth immediately curled into a faint smile.
“Young lady, you stood by me the whole time as this tiny little thing, protecting me, you know~?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Ah—what are you doing? Put me down!”
“Hehe, it’s rare for you to be so light and soft, young lady. I’ve been wanting to hold you and never let go.”
But after just a few steps, the girl was forced to put Little Leonora down, clutching her aching waist and panting.
“Huff… young lady, let me rest a bit. I… I can still do it.”
Little Leonora stood aside, watching the woman who was leaning against the wall, her legs weak, and couldn’t help feeling pity.
In the end, she simply let the other be pulled along by the hand toward their lodgings.
Surprisingly, standing outside Little Leonora and Shiya’s room were three female workers in hospital gowns.
From what could be overheard, they were discussing the victim in the room next to the two girls.
Shiya rested her chin on her fist, half-closed her eyes, and after a moment’s thought, decided to approach and strike up a conversation to gather information.
“Do you know the person who lives next to us?”
The girl put on a curious expression and leaned in.
“I heard a lot of noise coming from her room last night.”
One of the mature, voluptuous female workers immediately lit up and was especially eager.
“Just a slacker.”
“If not for that, the Performance Enforcement Team’s officer wouldn’t have come personally to execute her last night.”
Shiya understood and asked another question.
“Does that happen often?”
The female worker stared intently at the girl’s soft, cherry-colored lips, her tone slightly unnatural and distracted.
“Anyone who doesn’t meet the daily quota gets treated like that.”
“There’s no need to dwell on that kind of thing. Just work hard.”
Seeing she wouldn’t get any more information, Shiya nodded politely and turned to leave.
But that female worker gently bumped her shoulder and winked.
“You just transferred here from somewhere else, right? Want to join us workers tonight?”
In the oppressive atmosphere of the Longevity Factory, it wasn’t strange for workers who hit it off to relieve each other’s needs.
However, before Shiya could politely decline, the little phoenix with maple-red hair bristled like a cat with its fur standing on end, spreading her arms to shield Shiya.
It only made Shiya seem like a naive little lark.
“No need. Get out of the way and don’t block us from going back to our room.”
The female worker didn’t seem bothered.
She shrugged and left with the other two.
Seeing the trouble voluntarily step aside, Shiya breathed a sigh of relief—but then heard the young lady’s cold, sharp voice as she opened the door, carrying a heavy, oppressive air.
“Get inside.”
Shiya shrank her neck, inexplicably feeling guilty, and obediently walked through the door with small steps.
As the young lady slammed the door shut behind them with a loud bang, she finally puffed out her cheeks, planted her hands on her hips, and started interrogating Shiya angrily.
“Why didn’t you refuse them immediately just now?”
“Why didn’t you say anything? Didn’t we agree that I’d feed you when we got back?”
“You’re… you’re Shiya’s mom. How could you do something like that?”