An Wen lectured with a serious expression and a stern gaze.
He pointed at the human mannequin, giving a detailed explanation as he went.
The so-called vital spots were nothing more than the head, the neck, and areas of the chest and abdomen where damage to the internal organs could easily result in death.
There were also the major blood vessels throughout the body.
Zuo Lin'an listened very intently.
In truth, he already knew a bit about these vital areas, but only in a general sense.
Now, with Instructor An's detailed explanation, a rough concept began to form in his mind.
His desire to flay and debone a person sounded simple enough, but in practice, it was highly technical work.
Namely, he had to ensure the target remained alive until the execution process was complete.
If the person died halfway through, wouldn't all his efforts be in vain?
It seemed he would have to find some time after class to consult Instructor An and learn from his expertise.
An Wen's lecture lasted the entire morning.
After lunch, all the students were given a one-hour break.
Zuo Lin'an took Xu Youyou with him and went to An Wen's office once again.
An Wen smiled when he saw them.
“After what happened this morning, many students have been avoiding us instructors. There really aren't many who would take the initiative to come find us like you two.”
Zuo Lin'an knew the instructor was referring to the student who had fallen apart in the corridor.
However, he didn't care much about that.
At the moment, his gaze landed on another woman standing near An Wen's desk inside the office.
He remembered her as the woman he had noticed earlier, the one who bore a strong resemblance to Instructor An.
Perhaps sensing their stares, the woman let out a helpless sigh.
“Judging by your looks, you've definitely figured it out.”
“That's right. As you can see, Instructor An here is my biological father. By the way, I'm An Mu.”
Neither Zuo Lin'an nor Xu Youyou spoke, merely watching her quietly.
And?
So what if they were father and daughter?
Did it have anything to do with them?
After a long, awkward silence, Xu Youyou finally spoke up. “Even so, we won't be teaming up with you when we enter Sin Hunter City.”
At those words, both An Wen and An Mu looked at him in surprise.
An Mu had not expected him to say something like that.
Meanwhile, An Wen burst into laughter, clearly in a great mood.
“Oho, daughter, looks like you've been underestimated.”
An Mu's lips twitched.
“Do I even need to team up with you? I was simply introducing myself!”
Xu Youyou scratched his head and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Oh, I see. That's a relief then.”
“By the way, I'm Xu Youyou, and this is my brother, Zuo Lin'an.”
An Mu nodded, then put on an exhausted expression. “I'm going back to the dorm to rest first.”
An Wen nodded. “Go on.”
Only after she left did Zuo Lin'an step closer to the desk. “Instructor.”
An Wen said, “Ask whatever you want to ask.”
Zuo Lin'an seized the opportunity to ask his question.
“Instructor, you mentioned before that the more cruel and bloody the method of execution, the higher its level of cruelty. Therefore, a series of brutal tortures must be carried out before the target dies.”
“If I already possessed a specter or were a Human-Specter Symbiont, I could use specter power to keep the target clinging to their last breath. But right now, I am just a living human.”
“As a living human, how can I ensure that I torture the target while keeping them alive until the very last moment?”
An Wen listened quietly to his words before speaking. “That is indeed a major issue. It is also the biggest concern for many novice students, and the hardest one to solve.”
“I can only teach you as much as possible right now. However, many details cannot be learned simply by me explaining and you memorizing them. It requires a lot of trial and practice.”
“You don't have much time left. I have two methods that can help you achieve this more effectively.”
“First is technique.”
“There are no shortcuts here. You must thoroughly understand the human anatomy, the nervous system, and so on, and then practice with real blades on real targets.”
“Second is speed—in other words, time. If your technique is lacking, you can make up for it with speed.”
“As long as your movements are fast enough, you can complete what you need to do before the other party dies.”
Zuo Lin'an nodded inwardly.
Technique and speed?
That made perfect sense.
Sure enough, consulting the instructor on these professional matters was the right choice.
Then, Zuo Lin'an seemed to think of something.
“Instructor, I remember during class earlier, you seemed to have some extra red coins in your hand. Are those extra ones recycled directly, or can they be given to other students?”
A look of satisfaction immediately appeared on An Wen's face.
“Of course they can be given to other students, but...”
“Although death row inmates are all scum who deserve to die, they are still considered highly precious experimental consumables for our training base.”
“If you want more, you must first use up your first three and achieve a certain level of proficiency in your method of execution.”
“Only then can you come to me to apply for a fourth, a fifth... or even all the remaining coins.”
Zuo Lin'an took a deep breath.
“Thank you, Instructor. I understand. In that case, please tell me more about the technical details...”
An Wen did not speak, but stood up directly.
“Verbal instruction is just empty talk after all. Come with me to the prison in the back right now. Use a coin to exchange for a death row inmate. I'll explain, and you will execute.”
“I hope you won't disappoint me.”
Zuo Lin'an's eyes lit up. “Rest assured, Instructor. From the moment I asked my homeroom teacher for the city entry application form, my mind was already made up.”
Having someone teach him hands-on was the best-case scenario!
The three of them walked all the way to the very back of the training base, which housed a small prison.
After handing over a red coin, Zuo Lin'an successfully obtained a death row inmate.
As for the testing ground, it was inside the inmate's prison cell.
The cells here were all individual compartments, enclosed on all four sides with only a single iron door for entry and exit. There was only one prisoner per compartment.
Zuo Lin'an watched as two soldiers swiftly pinned down the desperately struggling and screaming inmate, then hung him up with chains.
The soldiers did not leave, instead standing in two corners inside the cell.
Of course, they also shut the sole iron door behind them.
“Don't kill me, don't...”
“I deserve to die, I deserve to die! I'm a beast, I shouldn't have killed anyone, I shouldn't have killed anyone...”
“Just give me a quick death...”
“No! No!!”
“I beg of you, kill me, kill me! Don't torture me!”
Everyone turned a blind eye to the inmate's wails and pleas.
After all, he had brought this entirely upon himself.
An Wen said, “Student Zuo, let me double-check with you. You've finalized your method of execution to those three steps, correct?”
Zuo Lin'an nodded solemnly.
“Yes. That method is cruel enough, though I also know that completing those three steps will be by no means simple.”
The key was not whether he could do it, but how to keep his chosen target alive until the final step.
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