Chapter 40: A Cast of Villains

From the tone with which someone recounts their own crimes, you can judge the extent of that person's depravity.

Those who are cold and carry a warning tone are often not yet truly depraved; such individuals perhaps only wish to demonstrate that they are not to be trifled with.

However, this Indian fellow named Sita, who could laugh while telling his tale, undoubtedly felt that his crimes amounted to nothing.

Of course, doing those things to animals, in the banter of netizens on the vast internet, could only be considered a racial talent. Whether it was something that provoked the wrath of both gods and men was truly hard to say.

Yet next up, that Cain who had interacted with Wen Xishu earliest was an absolute, through-and-through brute.

"Hahaha, why don't we choose our team leader based on the magnitude of our crimes? I am a death row inmate, but I believe my crime is the smallest; the judges on the fourth tier simply do not understand the law."

The others remained silent.

Wen Xishu also wanted to know what kind of past this teammate-to-be possessed.

Cain was a tall, somewhat handsome white man. In fact, there were quite a few white men in the lower strata—this was nothing strange.

Cain was very sunny. If one only looked at his smile and first impression without making a deep understanding, one would not feel that it was an insult to the word.

"I just like to give women a home... and then let them leave this painful world. What is wrong with that?"

"You know, many women in the lower strata fantasize about finding a strong man who can change their social strata from within the Slaughter Pagoda."

"I am that kind of person, hahahahaha. I have thirteen wives, none of whom I registered a marriage with. I gave them illusions, and in the end, I took them away from the bunker."

"When they were alive, they were worthless in the lower strata, but upon death, their bodies were full of treasures. It is said that performing organ transplants in level-five hospitals has the effect of reducing risks and increasing compatibility."

Cain smiled just like a sunny, wholesome boy. He did not continue his words.

Yet Wen Xishu already knew what this person did for a living.

His expression remained quite calm.

Toward scumbags, Wen Xishu had his own way of dealing with them.

However, upon one point, Wen Xishu suddenly fell into some contemplation.

Level-five hospitals possessed certain capabilities that made organ transplants easier. This ought to have been a good thing, but it also bred certain industries.

While Cain's actions were utterly bestial, if there were no market, he would not have chosen to engage in such an industry.

The ancillary function of a level-five facility could actually spawn such an evil trade.

Then what about a level-six facility?

This world was indeed full of variables; as people attained salvation, they might perhaps usher in new demons once more.

Demons never worried about extinction.

"What about you, Mr. Wen Xishu? You were dragged here at such a young age, and you look rather decent. Even if you went to the Desire Pagoda, you would still be able to manage. Presumably, the crimes you committed are not simple."

Wen Xishu said:

"Oh, not really. I just had a slight problem with my mental state, but I feel I am not crazy. I am a mentally sound person. It is the doctors who have the problem."

"Don't mind that my entire family is gone and only I am still alive; they didn't perish because of me, or did they? Ah, my memory is not very good, I can't remember. But that doesn't matter."

After Wen Xishu finished speaking, he flashed a Jack-like smile.

At this moment, Cain instantly felt a sense of pressure.

Wen Xishu had actually not spoken a single lie, yet the aura he projected was that of a pervert who had wiped out his entire family—and moreover, a pervert who felt not the slightest inkling that his actions were wrong.

This genuinely made the others feel a creeping chill down their spines.

Sure enough, the gazes cast toward Wen Xishu by those around him changed. Even Sita, the Indian fellow beside him, subconsciously stepped a fraction further away.

Wen Xishu then looked toward another teammate—this was a person with somewhat Middle Eastern facial features.

"I... my name is Mendemuer. I, I am innocent, truly innocent. It's just that my wife—no, wait, my ex-wife—claimed I abused her, but I didn't!"

"I truly didn't. I've already given up all my assets in the divorce, and I'm still burdened with the debts she owed... I have nothing left, I can only come to the Ghost Pagoda to pan for gold."

Having also arrived at the Ghost Pagoda because of women, Mendemuer and Cain were clearly worlds apart.

Cain wrapped his arm around Mendemuer's shoulder and said:

"Brother, you look like a greenhorn. Don't be afraid. If we return alive, I will teach you how to deal with your ex-wife. I imagine she will fetch a good—oh no, I mean, she must be a good girl."

Sita, on the other hand, felt somewhat resentful. Why did such a spineless coward have women, while a hardcore macho man like himself, who dared to cross species boundaries, had none?

Sita looked toward the female member of the team. That woman possessed thick lips, which detracted significantly from her appearance, but her overall facial features were quite delicate.

Wen Xishu's initial reaction was that this woman was a spy.

Indeed, from his observations earlier, most of the women around were disheveled with ferocious gazes, but this woman looked like a senior student from the Desire Pagoda Academy.

Aside from those thick lips which Wen Xishu could not appreciate, everything else matched the aesthetic preferences of the vast majority of Asian men. Of course, there were also those who happened to fancy the sausage-lip style.

The way Sita the Indian looked at the woman resembled someone wanting to devour her.

Yet there was also a dangerous aura about the woman that kept Sita from getting too close. For a good-looking woman to come dabble in the Ghost Pagoda was bizarre in itself.

This was also the reason why Wen Xishu suspected this woman was a spy.

The woman spoke in an indifferent tone:

"My name is Park Mi-hee. I am also a criminal, convicted of sexual bribery and the extortion of officials."

Wen Xishu grew slightly interested:

"Oh? Does a crime of this sort warrant banishment to the Ghost Pagoda?"

Park Mi-hee stated:

"That depends on whom you bribed. I once hung around the Desire Pagoda myself; this is not my first time entering the Three Pagodas. It's just that I was unwilling to merely live below the sixth tier of the bunker. I wanted to climb higher."

These words inexplicably reminded Wen Xishu of the girl in the library.

In the Desire Pagoda Academy, there was no shortage of girls wanting to climb higher; those who relied on physical allure to change their social class were dime a dozen.

Yet in the end, very few met a good end.

Park Mi-hee was an example.

"My looks happened to appeal to quite a few people, and I was willing to do certain things to please those men, or even women, or those of unknown gender."

"I carefully recorded everything each time... I thought that as long as I filmed it, one day I could use those things to blackmail those bastards with families."

"But in the end, I failed. I thought I was the one who was open-minded and wild in play. But those people at the top were actually even more perverted."

"When they heard I was going to use these recorded tapes to blackmail them, they arranged for someone to find me and took me to tour one of their banquets."

"That banquet had no front entrance; we entered through an underground passage from a celebrity's home... Inside were many high-ranking figures from various organizations whom I could never normally reach."

"At that moment I realized that the corruption and decadence of the upper strata were beyond my imagination, and the videotapes in my hand couldn't blackmail them at all. They even... played them with rapt interest to liven up the mood."

"In the end, I lost everything."

Wen Xishu nodded. On the surface, he accepted this justification, but inwardly he thought:

"She seems a bit too candid. It is as if she is in a rush to justify the reasonableness of why someone possessing her beautiful appearance ended up here."

Wen Xishu's suspicion toward Park Mi-hee not only did not diminish, but instead deepened.

The gazes of everyone soon fell upon the final prisoner.

Unlike the others, this prisoner's mouth was locked shut by an iron mask.