"Of course—not."
Song Jie's pause in the middle was perfectly tid to build suspense.
He smiled slightly, organizing his words as he spoke:
"To be strict about it—even the student council president has to call our boss 'boss'."
"Oh?" Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow. "So, your boss is above the entire student council?"
He used a mostly declarative tone.
But Song Jie shook his head again. "Probably more than that."
Jiang Ye's gaze flickered slightly at this.
The fierce youth introduced as "Qi Anlin," who had been aloof and unresponsive the whole way, suddenly interjected coldly:
"Our boss is even above the entire school!"
His tone carried a hint of pride.
Anyone who didn't know better might think he was saying "my dad is Li Gang."
In short, it was clear this guy worshipped their boss.
Song Jie beside him also nodded, then smiled again. "According to school regulations, lights go out promptly at 23:30."
"At that ti, the entire school will be plunged into complete darkness."
"And all students at that ti must remain in their respective dormitory rooms."
"When the ti cos, you will naturally et our boss."
Song Jie's tone was still sowhat mysterious.
As he spoke, the group arrived at the school cafeteria.
By the ti they ca out, it was already the free ti for lunch.
Quite a few students were trickling in from the direction of the teaching building toward the cafeteria.
These "students," their footsteps weren't as relaxed as when Song Jie was leading Jiang Ye.
Instead, they carried a sense of hurried urgency, with so moving so fast it seed like soone was chasing them.
Of course, while their steps were rushed, the expressions on their faces were sowhat hollow and numb.
It was as if...
after being in prison too long, they had been completely tad?
While Jiang Ye took the opportunity to observe those students rushing to the cafeteria, Song Jie seized the mont to reveal more:
"Speaking of which, it's very simple to tell if a player is a mber of the student council—"
"Look at their expression."
"Those who still have a sparkle in their eyes are basically all student council mbers."
As for those with numb eyes, naturally they were not.
However, having experienced the "event" triggered in the empty room, Jiang Ye couldn't help but ask:
"Are those students with numb eyes real people?"
As soon as he said this.
Song Jie looked slightly surprised, but quickly explained, "Of course they're real people! Everyone in the school is a real person!"
"Those with hollow eyes, they've just been... under the day-in, day-out assembly line of school life..."
Song Jie probably originally wanted to use other words to describe it.
But in the end, he changed his phrasing: "They've had their personalities rebuilt."
Saying this, Song Jie still wore a smiling expression, but a hint of sorrow flickered deep in his eyes.
It wasn't hard to understand why he felt sorrowful.
Originally vibrant people, "rebuilt" into hollow, numb shells, no longer seeming alive...
Jiang Ye didn't have much personal connection to what was happening here, so he didn't feel that sorrow.
However, watching those numb people rushing to the cafeteria, he suddenly asked Song Jie again:
"Does the school have rules against fighting?"
The mont these words left his mouth.
Before Song Jie could even answer.
Reality provided the answer—
Before their group had even entered the cafeteria, they suddenly heard the clamorous sounds of smashing and fighting from inside.
Intermittently mixed with shouts.
It sounded like soone was fighting?
Jiang Ye's eyes showed confusion, but he saw Song Jie and the others looking completely accustod to it.
Song Jie walked while smiling. "During non-free ti, ordinary students don't have the 'ti' to fight."
"But during free ti, anyone can do anything, and it's permitted."
Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow. "Including murder?"
Song Jie nodded. "Including murder."
After a mont's hesitation, he added, "Actually, in principle, murder is possible even during non-free ti."
"It's just that the criminal penalty is heavier, requiring paynt of so ti as the price."
"Of course, those with severe circumstances might be completely 'expelled'."
"Though the principle of 'expulsion' could also be a change in Authority Level."
So, Jiang Ye followed up logically, "So all the players in this school have the identity of 'Youth'?"
Song Jie raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't the school's na make it clear? 'Juveniles,' so the players in this school all have Authority Levels of 'Young Adult' and 'Youth'."
As he spoke, he led Jiang Ye through the crowd, directly witnessing the chaotic "fighting" scene.
Jiang Ye had used the term "fighting" more as a test, phrasing it politely.
But witnessing the "fighting" scene firsthand...
He realized he had been "narrow-minded."
This was absolutely not "fighting"!
In just this short while, several corpses were already lying on the cafeteria floor!
The eerie thing was...
Those corpses were covered in blood-colored patterns similar to those on mutants like Xu Gou.
As a result, even though they died gruesoly, no blood flowed from their bodies.
This wasn't Jiang Ye's first ti seeing dead people.
But for so reason, looking at those eerie corpses covered in blood patterns on the ground, a sense of creeping horror rose in his heart.
He noticed the cafeteria atmosphere was strange, as if a war could break out again at any mont.
But those students with numb eyes seed afraid to provoke students like Song Jie who had lively eyes.
And the expressions of Song Jie and the other three also carried a hint of detached clarity and indifference as bystanders.
Seeing soone "cleaning up" those blood-patterned corpses, Jiang Ye was about to ask sothing else when Song Jie preempted him:
"Do you want to ask—what's the deal with those people's blood patterns?"
"Or do you want to ask—did they die because they were covered in blood patterns? Or did they beco covered in blood patterns after death?"
After asking, Song Jie answered as if talking to himself:
"They beca covered in blood patterns on their corpses because they died."
"Any student here who has had their personality rebuilt will carry blood patterns after death."
"This should be considered a kind of curse, right? So they don't bleed and pollute the environnt after death :)"
When he said the words "pollute the environnt," Song Jie's subtle expression turned strange.
He pointed at those students "cleaning up" the corpses and said, "They went to the back kitchen."
"Now look at the serving area."
Jiang Ye looked toward the "serving area" he indicated and suddenly his gaze shook.
The "serving area" was divided into at dishes and vegetable dishes.
The plants on the vegetable side looked very similar to those in the underground graveyard of the 4444 Apartnt.
And the at in the at dish area...
was also completely covered in blood-colored patterns.
If it were just covered in blood patterns, that would be one thing.
The key was Jiang Ye had just seen a batch of blood-patterned corpses.
And Song Jie reminded him those corpses were sent to the back kitchen...
Jiang Ye suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He finally asked, "Then the at in the at dish area is... what at?"
Song Jie didn't answer imdiately.
Instead, he waited until an apron-wearing staff mber added a new batch of "at dishes" to the at area, then said calmly, "Human at."
"The batch just added for extra servings is now in there too."
"..."
Jiang Ye instantly felt not very hungry anymore.
However, he suddenly thought—
"The cafeteria requires paynt for als, so what if soone doesn't want to pay..."
"Right." Song Jie nodded, expression calm. "Those who don't want to pay can solve it themselves."
"Of course, unless they're starving, most players won't choose to solve it themselves, nor will they choose at dishes."
Jiang Ye glanced at the at dish area and speculated, "Probably not for moral or ethical reasons, but because these 'at dishes' have so side effects?"
Song Jie nodded. "Cannibalism should have problems."
"What exactly the problems are isn't really clear. But the specific manifestations are—"
"First, players who have consud human at beco more numb inside, and their appetite rapidly increases."
"Second, players who consu human at beyond a certain amount will develop blood-colored patterns on their bodies while still alive."
"Third, players who consu 'premium human at' beyond a certain amount will experience 'rejuvenation,' aning they beco younger and younger."
"I've heard that in other prisons, there were players who ate 'premium human at' long-term and eventually beca 'premium' themselves."
"Oh right, premium human at refers to infant at. So the 'premium' I ntioned refers to rejuvenating to the point of becoming an infant."
Rejuvenation...
Becoming an infant...
Wasn't this exactly the Evil Infant Wulie??
He heard that guy relied on eating people to "evolve" from an old man all the way to an infant state...
And that strange evil infant even survived from Day 7 to Day 8 safely while infected with Lightburn!
Then for so unknown reason, he changed from an infant state to a young child appearance...
Jiang Ye recalled the strange aspects of the Evil Infant Wulie.
Then combining that with the characteristic of this prison using human at as food, and the identity divisions in Authority Levels like "Adult," "Young Adult," "Youth"...
He grew increasingly suspicious—
Could this identity really be divided by age?
No, more accurately, not "age," but rather... at quality?
Jiang Ye unconsciously curled his fingers, feeling the flesh of his palm with his fingertips. He asked nonchalantly again:
"If premium human at is infant at, then are there other quality grades of at?"
"Of course." Song Jie answered as if it were obvious. "To be most precise, only infant at from bones not exceeding 3 months old can be called premium human at."
"Not exceeding one year is fine-quality human at."
"Not exceeding 10 years is superior human at."
"Not exceeding 18 years is dium human at."
"Not exceeding 30 years is ordinary human at."
"Not exceeding 50 years is inferior human at."
"Over 50 years is substandard human at."
After introducing these, he smiled again. "In our school here, it's all dium human at."
His gaze swept over the at dish area. Seeming worried Jiang Ye might misunderstand, he corrected himself further. "Oh, I don't an that at."
"Rather—our school raises dium human at. The human at eaten won't exceed dium grade."
"Other prisons with different nas probably have similar situations—"
"Whatever grade of human at they raise, the human at eaten won't exceed that grade."
"So, if you want to eat sothing good, it's best to go to... that kind of hospital specifically responsible for deliveries :)"
Song Jie's expression at this mont was quite strange.
But Jiang Ye wasn't a pure Newbie after all;
he had personally experienced the Doomsday Apartnt.
He wasn't afraid and asked bluntly, "Does your student council also eat human at? Or do you eat sothing better because of the drawbacks of human at?"
Song Jie was silent for a mont, then shook his head. "This has nothing to do with being in the student council or not."
"Generally speaking, those who have consud an 'Exile Fruit' will eat human at."
"Because after consuming an Exile Fruit, appetite also increases. And human at provides an extrely strong sense of satiety."
"Additionally, there are patterns indicating that long-term consumption of human at, or rather maintaining a sense of fullness, can reduce the probability of Glyph Pattern players 'losing control'."
Saying this, Song Jie displayed the tattoo in the crook of his right elbow, saying very calmly, "I've consud an 'Exile Fruit,' so I also need to eat human at."
As he said this, he didn't observe Jiang Ye's reaction but walked to the at dish area, smiling at the masked staff mber:
"Sa as usual, ten large at buns."
The serving plates in the at dish area held raw at covered in blood patterns.
The staff mber took out ten large at buns from the back work area and wrapped them.
Song Jie's watch beeped against the staff mber's watch, and he politely said thank you.
Then, the ten at buns, each as big as a human head, were handed over to him.
Song Jie ate them bite by bite very quickly.
Qi Anlin also grabbed a large at bun, eating it bite by bite roughly.
And very naturally, he gave one each to the other two silent underlings.
For the 10 at buns, the four of them seed to split them three-three-two-two, with Song Jie and Qi Anlin each taking three.
Song Jie explained helpfully while eating, "The large at buns are also just dium human at, but they're processed and have no taste."
"As long as you cross that psychological barrier, once you get used to it, it's nothing."
"Like in ancient famines, didn't they exchange children to eat?"
That's what he said, but he didn't think Jiang Ye would eat human at.
After all, Jiang Ye hadn't even eaten an Exile Fruit...
Thinking of this, Song Jie's gaze toward him stirred with so strangeness again.
Sothing flickered in his eyes. A mont later, he withdrew his gaze, eating while saying lightly, "But you're different from us. Not eating human at, not crossing that barrier, is also good."
Jiang Ye stared at Song Jie for quite a while before turning his gaze to look at the others in the cafeteria devouring raw at.
Honestly, before entering the cafeteria, he wasn't very hungry.
But whether emotions are contagious or sothing...
He felt the entire cafeteria was filled with a kind of hunger, making him inexplicably want to eat sothing.
He certainly wasn't planning to eat anything from this eerie cafeteria.
He wouldn't eat human at, nor would he touch those strange plants.
But he had a premonition—
This rising sense of hunger probably wouldn't dissipate easily.
He probably couldn't maintain a state of not eating or drinking long-term either.
He had a feeling that this place called "Prison," while superficially assigning all players a "cri,"
was essentially pushing them toward a true abyss!
These so-called "sinners" of theirs might just be living "human at"...
Then, the non-free ti in the entire school, the so-called "personality rebuilding," was probably just one part of the human at processing procedure, right?
So Jiang Ye placed a hand on Song Jie's shoulder while casually asking, "So, what needs to be done during the school's non-free ti?"
Song Jie didn't answer, his gaze falling on Jiang Ye's hand as he smiled and said, "Your talent?"
Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow, also smiling. "Yes, random mory theft."
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