The Two Hundred and Eighty Pound Fat Girl and Her Five Husbands-Chapter 265: Machinery

The people here, regardless of age or gender, mechanically performed their tasks without a hint of liveliness.

If not for seeing them move, Lin Zaozao would have thought they were dead.

Like the child passing in front of them, he wore an all-black bodysuit and a skull mask, just like the people in the square.

Upon seeing Gu Shan, he merely stopped, mechanically bowed, then dragged a large blade heavier than himself onward.

"Little Six, wait a moment."

"Lord Demon."

The boy called Little Six stopped, expression wooden as he looked at Gu Shan.

"Ring the great bell, then summon everyone to the underground forge, tell them the poisoned ones and puppets have been saved."

As Gu Shan's words landed, Lin Zaozao clearly saw Little Six's body tense up.

He raised his head, words sluggish as he asked, "Lord Demon, is it true? Can my loved ones awaken?"

"Yes, they can awaken. Look at those following us, just days ago they were poisoned ones soaked in Purgatory Valley or soulless puppets.

But now they are no different from normal people. Little Six, you can truly reunite with your father, mother and brothers."

Following Gu Shan's gaze, Little Six hesitated towards a child beside Jia Bao.

Lin Zaozao had him recover just days ago, and he had stayed by Jia Bao's side since.

Now, as that child met Little Six's reddened eyes, he smiled sweetly.

"You, were one of the poisoned ones in Purgatory Valley just days ago?"

"Yes! Jia Bao was a little poisoned one, but not anymore.

I'm Jia Bao, Older Sister Lin Zaozao said I'm the treasure of Father and Mother, everyone's treasure, no longer a little poisoned one."

Jia Bao's childish voice made Little Six's body stiffen.

He reached out, tentatively taking Jia Bao's small hand. Seeing no rejection, only Jia Bao's happy smile, after a while Little Six slowly released his hand.

Stiffly turning to look at Lin Zaozao, the next moment he tossed aside the large blade on his back and sprinted forward.

As he ran, his voice choked with tears called out, "Ring the bell, quickly ring the bell, Lord Demon told us to ring the bell! My father and mother are saved, my brothers too, everyone is saved.

Quick, ring the bell, the Eighteen Floors have been saved, truly saved, waaah..."

Listening to Little Six's fading cries, Lin Zaozao turned to Gu Shan's bloodshot eyes.

Noticing her gaze, Gu Shan took Lin Zaozao's hand, voice choked as he said, "Zaozao, shall we go to the underground forge? All the poisoned ones and puppets of the Eighteen Floors are gathered there now."

"Yes, let's go now."

Lin Zaozao smiled at Gu Shan, grasping his hand as they headed towards the crowd.

The upward path grew steeper, with more people gathered on both sides. Though their faces were covered by skull masks, Lin Zaozao could clearly sense the intense longing in their eyes.

Now, any words would seem too pale.

What she could do was restore the poisoned ones and puppets rescued from Purgatory Valley to normalcy, truly reuniting them with their loved ones.

It was only when Lin Zaozao reached the summit, arriving at the forge Gu Shan mentioned where the poisoned ones and puppets were kept, that she realized the immense pressure he had endured over the years.

The forge below was carved from the hollowed interior of a great mountain.

At a glance downward, the forge levels stacked one atop another formed a vast pit-like space that could only send a chill through one's soul.

Lin Zaozao counted carefully - the mountain's interior had been hollowed into eighteen levels.

And on the first level stood those filled with anticipation.

While at the very bottom, Lin Zaozao could clearly see the churning magma.

The billowing heat from the magma could even be felt standing at the summit.

It made sense then, when Lin Zaozao's gaze shifted to the massive platform constructed above the magma, that people were tossing corpses into the molten rock.

Once a body hit the magma, it vaporized in an instant, disappearing without a trace.

"Zaozao, the forge's heat allows the poisoned ones and puppets rescued from Purgatory Valley to keep living.

As for the corpses just tossed into the magma, those were poisoned ones and puppets who could no longer endure.

When we rescued them, some were already close to death.

After recovering, they could not understand human speech, only wildly struggling like beasts to attack everyone.

The longer that dragged on, the only path left for those poisoned ones and puppets was death.

Zaozao, in the Eighteen Floors, be they rescued poisoned ones and puppets, or brothers who died on missions, their corpses can only be thrown into the churning magma after death.

The people of the Eighteen Floors live like demons in hell. In life we cannot show our true face, in death we are unworthy of our own graves.

Dissipating like smoke, that is the best we can hope for!"

Hearing Gu Shan's choked voice, tears streaked down Lin Zaozao's face as she felt a lump in her throat, robbing her of words.

Gently wiping Gu Shan's tears, Lin Zaozao took his hand, following the crowd down the steps one by one.

The skull-masked people lining the way, young and old, stood ramrod straight, full of anticipation as they watched Lin Zaozao.

They all hoped the Han Empress dubbed the Heaven-sent Auspice could truly pull them from hell today.

When Lin Zaozao reached the topmost level, peering through iron bars as thick as an infant's arm at the poisoned ones and puppets crammed into the stone caves, her heart was shaken again.

Could those rigid bodies even be called human?

At best, they were soulless mannequins.

They stood motionless, expressions vacant like plastic models in a shop window.

Their eyes held no glimmer as they looked at Lin Zaozao.

The only color on their bodies was the bloody redness in the puppets' eyes, and the gold and blue heterochromia of the poisoned ones - the sole way to tell them apart.

Just the topmost level had over fifty such massive stone caves packed with poisoned ones and puppets.

And each cave held at least a hundred.

According to the guards, those on the top level had the mildest symptoms.

At the very least, they only stood rigid, not attacking each other.

Lin Zaozao peered down at the seventeen levels below.

Though she could not make out the details, the howls and snake-like hissing rising up made her heart sink.

With all those poisoners and puppets, even if Lin Zaozao didn't eat or drink, and with the help of the poisoners, it would take her at least two months to restore them to normal.

But in reality, no matter which level the poisoners and puppets were from, they would not obediently listen and accept Lin Zaozao's help.

Just as Lin Zaozao was at a loss under everyone's expectant gaze, the system's voice timely reached her ears.

[Host, take Gu Shan down to the bottom level. The system will help you there.]

[System, how will you help? There are too many poisoners and puppets here.

And even if I'm not afraid of trouble, they won't cooperate with me in transferring their afflictions.]

[Host, once you reach the bottom level, the system will naturally help you achieve your heart's desire.

However, as a condition, the system must delete your memories of helping others.]

[Delete my memories?]

Lin Zaozao fell silent for a moment before asking doubtfully in her mind.

[System, Little Six said that I was performing some kind of ritual dance while pulling Gu Shan in Purgatory Valley, which is why Gu Shan ended up like this, crying and whining.

Also, were the Moonlight Trees in Purgatory Valley really caused by me during that ritual dance?]

[Yes, host. The Moonlight Trees in Purgatory Valley were indeed spawned by your ritual power.

As for the Demon Lord Gu Shan, he was bearing too many negative emotions. If he didn't release them soon, within three years he would definitely be driven insane by the dark emotions in his heart.

His current childlike state, letting the host hug, kiss, and lift him high, is the host helping him dispel the gloom in his heart, allowing him to freely vent the negative emotions that have built up within him.

Additionally, Gu Shan had too many dark wounds, making him unsuitable for pregnancy and childbirth.

But because of the host, he now has the destiny of having children in this life. Host, in these three months, don't disdain your husband, protect him well and fulfill his needs.]

[You don't need to tell me, I'll naturally dote on him.]

Suppressing the surging emotions in her eyes, Lin Zaozao turned her head to look at Gu Shan, pouting obediently and following by her side.

The system said that Gu Shan had suppressed too many dark emotions.

Walking further down, seeing the expectant gazes of so many people, plus the poisoners and puppets locked in the stone caves, emitting those bizarre sounds.

She had only been in this huge forging pit for a while, but the gloomy atmosphere was already making her feel uncomfortable.

As for Gu Shan, the master of the Eighteen Floors!