163: Chapter 163 Zeng Aniu's Slaughterhouse

Zeng Aniu did not answer directly but said, "You'll know in a moment."

They walked to the deepest part of the factory area.

The factory buildings here looked no different from the ones in the front, but Wang Lin noticed that the surrounding security was significantly stricter.

There were more cameras, more access controls, and more security guards patrolling, and those guards didn't look like ordinary people.

Their way of walking, their posture, and their gaze all carried traces of training.

Zeng Aniu walked to an iron door, took a keychain from his waist, selected the largest key, and inserted it into the keyhole.

After turning it three times, the iron door emitted a dull "click."

The door opened.

Zeng Aniu pressed the switch by the door.

The lights came on.

Then—

Wang Lin froze, his breathing becoming rapid in an instant.

Behind the iron door was a massive cold storage room.

It was larger than any he had ever seen before.

But what shocked him was not the size of the cold storage.

It was what was hanging inside the cold storage.

Mist Beast after Mist Beast.

Their hind legs were pierced by iron hooks, hanging upside down on the assembly line.

Their bodies were covered in grayish-white scales, some still retaining lingering, undissipated mist.

Their mouths were clamped shut with iron bands, their claws were bound by chains, and their bellies had been sliced open with their internal organs removed.

But even though they were dead and had already been processed, they still emanated an aura that would make ordinary people's legs go weak.

Wang Lin had seen Mist Beasts.

He had killed Mist Beasts.

But he had never seen so many Mist Beast carcasses from this angle and at this distance.

Big ones, small ones, different species, different levels.

Some he recognized, some he had never seen before.

Wang Lin stood at the doorway, feeling as if his brain couldn't quite process it all.

He slowly turned his head to look at Zeng Aniu.

"Uncle Niu... is this The Slaughterhouse of yours legitimate?"

Zeng Aniu paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Of course it's legitimate! Didn't you see the business license outside?"

Wang Lin's mouth twitched.

"Outside? That's a business license for slaughtering chickens and ducks... Can this thing compare to that?"

He pointed at the Mist Beasts hanging above his head.

"These are Mist Beasts, Uncle Niu. Isn't it forbidden to hunt these things in the Holy City? Let alone slaughter them."

Zeng Aniu shook his head with a smile and led Wang Lin further inside.

"Kid, where do you think the meat that people in the Holy City eat comes from?"

Wang Lin paused.

"The Holy City has a population of millions, the land is only so big, and there's so little farmland. Where would they get enough grain and meat to feed so many people?"

Zeng Aniu said as he walked, "Guess what those cheap meat products in the city are made of?"

Wang Lin did not answer.

He seemed to have guessed something, but he wasn't sure.

Zeng Aniu walked up to a Mist Beast and reached out to touch the scales on its body, as if he were caressing a piece of art.

"After being processed, Mist Beast meat can have its toxins and residual mist removed."

"Although the taste isn't great, it has high protein content and low cost, making it the main source of meat for the common people at the bottom of the Holy City."

He turned his head to look at Wang Lin, a complex light in his eyes.

"Why do you think the Night Watchers risk their lives to go outside the city to hunt Mist Beasts? It's not just to defend the Holy City."

"Once those Mist Beast carcasses are transported back, they are all valuable items."

"The scales can be made into armor, the bones can be made into weapons, and the meat can be sold for money."

"How many people does this entire industry chain support?"

Wang Lin was silent; he had never thought about this question before.

Zeng Aniu looked at his expression and smiled.

"Don't think too much about it. Even if this trade doesn't sound good, someone has to do it."

"Besides... being able to process these things cleanly and preventing them from harming ordinary people is also a skill."

Wang Lin nodded.

He slowly digested this information, his gaze sweeping over the Mist Beast carcasses.

Then he noticed some details.

The wounds on these Mist Beasts had very neat, clean-cut incisions, without any unnecessary tearing marks.

It wasn't something an ordinary knife could cut; it was a Superpower.

And it was an extremely precise, extremely powerful Superpower.

He glanced at Zeng Aniu.

Zeng Aniu was inspecting the scales of a Mist Beast, his fingers sliding through the gaps in the scales with movements as practiced as if he were touching a piece of fabric.

"Uncle Niu," Wang Lin said, "did you kill all these Mist Beasts?"

Zeng Aniu looked at him, smiled, and did not answer directly.

"Some were killed by me, and some were killed by others and sent over. But once they enter my place, they all have to pass my inspection."

Zeng Aniu took a pack of cigarettes from the drawer, pulled one out, lit it, and took a deep drag.

"Since you're here, and I'm short on help anyway, why don't you come work for me?"

"The salary and benefits are the best. This much a month." He held out one hand, fingers spread open.

Wang Lin looked at that hand, which was larger than a palm-leaf fan: "Fifty thousand?"

Zeng Aniu shook his head: "Five hundred thousand."

Wang Lin's eyebrows twitched. Five hundred thousand.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen money before, but this number still made him pause.

A month's salary was more than what his father earned in a whole year.

But he quickly calmed down.

"Forget it. I'm currently attending the Holy City Academy and don't have time to come work."

Zeng Aniu's eyebrows raised: "Holy City Academy?"

"Yeah."

Zeng Aniu was silent for a moment, stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray, and then grinned.

"I know that place. The students they churn out are all arrogant and incompetent; once they actually get outside, they wouldn't last three days."

When he said this, his tone carried an undisguised contempt.

Wang Lin did not refute him.

Because he felt that what Zeng Aniu said didn't seem wrong.

Zeng Aniu leaned back in his chair, as if thinking about something.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke.

"Next week, we are going to the Mist Forest outside. Do you want to come along?"

Wang Lin's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Yes. When? Where are we meeting?"

Zeng Aniu looked at his eager appearance and couldn't help but laugh.

"Next Wednesday, at 5:00 AM, meet here. I'll have someone take you then."

"Okay."

Wang Lin agreed decisively.

Zeng Aniu watched his eager demeanor, nodded, and his eyes held something more.

It wasn't admiration, but rather confirmation—confirmation that this kid was indeed his father's son.

As soon as he heard about going to the Mist Forest, his eyes lit up.

He was just like Wang Dashan back in the day.

At noon, Zeng Aniu took Wang Lin to eat.

The cafeteria was inside the The Slaughterhouse, prepared specifically for the workers; it was large and could seat hundreds of people.

But as soon as Wang Lin entered, he discovered a problem.

Today's dishes were very rich, but they all had one theme: beef.

Braised beef, spiced beef, beef soup, beef offal stew, beef noodles, pan-fried steak, braised beef tendon...

Looking around, it was all beef.

Wang Lin held his tray, stood in front of the serving window, watched for a long time, and finally couldn't help it.

"Uncle Niu, let me ask you something."

"Speak."

"Your name is Zeng Aniu... how can you still eat beef?"

After Wang Lin finished this sentence, he felt he had asked a very stupid question.

But he was genuinely curious.