The storage room's center held a deep brown high-backed chair.

Various pipes connected to it, with restraint devices made of cowhide above and below.

The most conspicuous was the iron headpiece at the top, identical to what Liu Zheng had seen in movies.

He looked at the chair, then at Rust.

No matter how you spun it today, this was an electric chair.

"It is indeed an electric chair."

Rust admitted.

"Hah."

Liu Zheng wore an expression that clearly said "I knew there were traitors trying to harm me."

"But it's also a generator at the same time."

Rust added.

"How does it generate?"

"See those buttons?"

Rust pointed to the table in front of the chair, which had three buttons.

Liu Zheng recognized this setup.

Typically, electrocutions were performed by three or more people.

Each would control one button, pressing them simultaneously after the countdown, with only one actually connected to the electrodes.

This was supposedly to relieve the executioners' psychological burden, since they wouldn't know if they actually killed anyone.

When Liu Zheng first heard about this, he thought it was utterly pointless.

But after working longer and learning more historical knowledge, he began to see some logic in it.

After all, during the era when electrocution was invented, criminal laws worldwide were quite savage, or non-existent.

Those carrying out executions weren't necessarily cold-blooded butchers—they might just be unwilling workers forced into it.

"The left one is pain, the middle is joy, the right is fear."

"When I press a button, you'll relive memories corresponding to that emotion in your mind."

"The more intense the emotion, the more electricity it generates."

Rust explained.

"What does that have to do with human flesh?"

"The more electricity generated, the more 'flesh' is consumed."

Rust said.

So we're following the law of conservation of energy here, huh? Follow current novels on novel•fire.net

"How do I know I won't become an empty shell?"

Liu Zheng questioned.

"The generator's conversion rate is very high. Normal people couldn't possibly consume that much 'flesh.'"

"I don't trust you."

He stated bluntly.

In this bizarre world, he didn't believe in truly good people.

No matter how friendly Rust acted, Liu Zheng wouldn't entrust his life to it.

"Will these be enough then?"

Rust waved its hand, and several cans flew out from the storage room corner, hovering before Liu Zheng.

"Name: Expired Individual Emergency Ration"

"Type: Item"

"Quality: Inferior"

"Effect 1: Automatically activates after becoming an 'Empty Shell,' restoring moderate deficiencies."

"Effect 2: Guaranteed to gain 'Poisoned' status, effects stackable"

"Note: When a soldier learned the punishment for retreat was eating individual rations for a month, he launched a heroic assault against the opposing armored division."

"Can be taken out of dungeon: No"

Liu Zheng hesitated when he saw Effect 2.

Guaranteed "Poisoned" status, and stackable too.

If it were neurotoxin, he might not withstand it.

"If you're unwilling to help, I won't force you. But you won't be able to leave the sewer either."

Rust stated.

"The sewer can't stay enraged forever."

"But you don't have time to wait for its anger to subside. Right, Bloody Restaurant delivery guy?"

Rust said calmly.

"You're right."

Liu Zheng shrugged and walked to the electric chair, sitting down.

The iron headpiece automatically descended, clamping onto his bald head.

"Aren't you going to restrain me?"

He proactively asked.

"No need. I said I wouldn't force you."

Rust replied.

"Well aren't you just wonderfully kind."

Liu Zheng said sarcastically.

"I think so too. Which one?"

Rust asked.

"Whatever."

He didn't know which type of memory he had more of.

"Let's try joy first then."

Rust pressed the middle button.

Liu Zheng's eyes instantly widened.

Past memories flooded before his eyes, even memories from age two or three resurfacing.

"So I've been this bad since childhood."

Liu Zheng felt somewhat proud.

In the memory, he spread his legs and urinated on the face of the person holding him.

Liu Zheng didn't know who that person was, but he knew he felt extremely happy.

The memories quickly jumped to recent times—when he wrote his wish on the betting contract.

"Enough."

Rust's voice sounded, waking Liu Zheng from the hallucination.

"Your joy is too scarce. Not even an hour's worth of electricity."

Rust shook its head.

"My apologies then."

He said indifferently.

Expecting much joy from a terminally ill beast of burden like him was rather pointless.

"Let's try pain then."

Rust moved to press the left button.

"I think you should try fear instead."

Liu Zheng suggested.

While his life lacked much joy, it wasn't particularly painful either.

After all, he had food, drink, work, and plenty of ways to numb himself.

Most times, he just felt numb.

But fear—he'd experienced plenty since entering this world.

He'd just forcibly suppressed it with his survival instinct.

"Fine."

Rust acquiesced.

The fear button was slowly pressed.

Instantly, all of Liu Zheng's thoughts were wiped clean.

Nothingness filled his vision, emptiness filled his heart.

Only in his ears echoed the eternal, unchanging gospel.

"Yay! Shub-Niggurath!"

"The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young!"

This time, Liu Zheng finally understood the meaning of those voices.

His inhuman part experienced ultimate ecstasy.

While his human part felt fear that transcended fear itself.

Violent electrical flashes instantly illuminated the storage room, powerful currents turning the iron headpiece red-hot.

All the individual emergency rations automatically opened, semi-rotten meat chunks scrambling into Liu Zheng's mouth.

"Expired Individual Emergency Ration used."

"Gained 'Poisoned Status'."

......

System notifications continuously sounded, piercing through the gospel into his mind.

But Liu Zheng couldn't respond.

His body was rapidly changing, every human-like aspect being remade.

"So you've heard the gospel before."

The situation had developed beyond Rust's expectations.

Its circumstances were special, and its perspective differed from other residents of this world.

But consequently, it had unique solutions for such situations.

Rust raised both hands, and an equally red rifle appeared in its grasp.

"Ura!"

Rust shouted the charge cry and pulled the trigger toward Liu Zheng.

Countless bullets instantly poured out, riddling him like a sieve.

Wounds quickly repaired, but the body remodeling process slowed accordingly.

Yet slowing wasn't stopping—Liu Zheng steadily continued transforming into the form It preferred.

"God is dead, and you should die too."

Seeing this, Rust said coldly.

The next second, a tank materialized in the storage room.