After getting up and washing, Su Jin quickly tidied himself up, grabbed an extra set of clothes, and rushed out the door, heading straight for the slaughterhouse.

He'd already asked the butchers at the local market about it.

There was one in the suburbs, and from the sound of it, the management was lax. They mostly dealt with 'pigs'.

Although the primary livestock in this world resembled pigs, the species seemed quite different from those on Earth.

They were more like wild boars, with small ears and pointed heads, and looked rather aggressive.

Perfect for getting some practice.

As for whether the slaughterhouse would permit it... he figured it wouldn't be a problem. If all else failed, money could smooth the way.

He hailed a cab to the suburban slaughterhouse.

Even before he got close, the stench of blood, carried on the wind, assaulted his nostrils.

Su Jin closed his eyes, steeling himself.

*It's fine, it's fine... I've been in plenty of fights, big and small, growing up. I've even been in a couple of knife fights.*

*This is just a simple exercise to get used to the gore... easy as taking a shower.*

After psyching himself up for a good while, he took a deep breath and strode forward with determination.

Less than a hundred meters later, Su Jin found himself standing before a massive, sheet-metal warehouse.

The warehouse had no doors, and a thick stench of animals mingled with the reek of blood.

Bloody water flowed across the concrete floor, which was swarming with flies.

Dozens of workers in rubber boots bustled about, pushing carts laden with blood-drenched plastic buckets overflowing with entrails.

The management seemed to be absent. The workers, noticing Su Jin's clean clothes, merely shot him a few curious glances but didn't question his presence.

This was the processing area for the carcasses; the actual slaughterhouse must be behind the warehouse.

After a moment's thought, Su Jin skirted the building and headed for the back.

Just as he'd thought!

The slaughtering took place here, under an open-air, sheet-metal awning.

Several workers were there; some wielded electric prods, others long-poled tools, each with a role in slaughtering the animals released from the pens. The ground was a mire of blood and mud.

After observing from the shadows for a while, Su Jin's gaze settled on one man.

He was a burly man, about fifty, with a tattoo on his arm.

The others called him Brother Liu, and by his demeanor, he appeared to be their foreman.

It looked like if he could just bribe this man, he'd be all set.

After mulling it over, Su Jin approached the burly man.

Brother Liu was in the middle of directing the other workers when a figure appeared at his side. He stopped talking at once and turned to look.

A single glance at Su Jin was enough to make his expression tense up.

"Who... what are you doing here?" Brother Liu asked, his voice coarse.

"Brother, don't be nervous. I'm not here for an inspection," Su Jin said, launching into his prepared story. "My name is Lin Shirong... This is a bit embarrassing, but you look like a straight shooter, so I'll just be blunt. I'm here to learn how to be a butcher."

"I've been out of work, and a friend of my dad's set me up with a job as a pig butcher. The guy's an old buddy of his, and I don't want to embarrass my dad, so I was hoping to get some practice in beforehand..."

"Ah... so you're here to learn butchering." Brother Liu's expression relaxed, and a smirk played on his lips. "Does this look like a school for butchers? You got nothing better to do? Don't come here for kicks. Scram!"

Su Jin glanced around, then pulled out a hundred-yuan bill.

Leaning in, he whispered to Brother Liu, "I'm not asking for a free lesson. Just get me a pig to practice on. I don't need anything else."

"You..." Brother Liu's eyes fixed on the bill, his tone softening slightly. "Still, no can do! You're a total amateur. If you get hurt, who's gonna pay the medical bills... Alright, fine. Just be careful. I'll watch over you."

After pocketing two hundred yuan, Brother Liu led Su Jin toward the center of the yard.

....

Three hours later.

In a shady spot beside the warehouse, the two men stood facing each other.

Su Jin was panting heavily, his face splattered a faint red, as if smeared with ketchup. He had already changed into his fresh set of clothes.

Across from him, Brother Liu's face was ashen.

Eyeing Su Jin, Brother Liu stammered, "Brother... had your fill?"

Su Jin pressed his lips together, fighting back the urge to vomit, and nodded.

"I'll be back tomorrow..."

"Again?!" Brother Liu's voice shot up an octave as he began cursing inwardly.

He'd been feeling pretty good about making an extra two hundred yuan today.

But this kid, who looked so mild-mannered, was a complete psycho!

He wasn't here to practice butchering...

He asked them to stun the pig lightly, then chased it all over the yard, hacking away.

And it wasn't just random hacking; he went at it like he had a personal vendetta... He damn near carved a decorative pattern into the pig's rump. A little longer and he could have minced it for dumplings.

He kept going even after making himself sick.

This kid was seriously unhinged!

If he let this kid come back, there was bound to be trouble!

"You can't come back tomorrow. The plant manager will be here, and he won't allow it," Brother Liu said. Then, a thought struck him, and his voice trembled. "Brother... be straight with me. Are you in some kind of trouble? Is that why you're here, practicing? Take my advice, whatever you do, don't turn to a life of crime!"

Hearing this, Su Jin's heart leaped into his throat.

Damn it!

He'd gone too far with his 'practice.' He had suppressed his nausea, forcing himself to get used to the gore.

If this guy called the cops, he'd be in deep trouble.

At this thought, Su Jin's face contorted into an expression of extreme anguish.

He was already battling intense discomfort, nausea, and the constant urge to throw up.

He lowered his head, and what little remained in his stomach surged up his throat. With a forceful gulp, he swallowed the bile back down.

"Brother..." Su Jin wailed, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Since you asked, I won't hide it anymore! I'm not really here to practice butchering!"

"Brother, take your time! Tell me everything!"

*Just as I thought! This kid wants to kill someone and came here to work up the nerve!*

Brother Liu's face grew another shade paler.

"My woman ran off with another man," Su Jin sobbed. "I can't let that bitch couple get away!"

"Don't do it! You're still young, you can find another woman!"

*He couldn't let this kid do something so stupid. Wouldn't that make him an accomplice?*

Brother Liu soothed him gently. "Listen to me, it's not the end of the world. What man hasn't been cheated on? To be honest, I've been there myself..."

After ten minutes of non-stop consolation, Su Jin's sobs subsided, and he wiped away his tears.

In a hoarse voice, he said, "Brother, after butchering that pig and listening to you, I actually feel a lot better. It's not worth throwing my life away over those two."

"That's it! That's the spirit!" Brother Liu felt a wave of relief, so moved he felt like treating the kid to a couple of pork knuckles.

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

*From the sound of it, he'd vented most of his anger. The problem was solved.*

*He'd saved two lives and cleared his own name. A truly great deed!*

Just then, Su Jin looked up and suddenly asked:

"So, uh... can I have that two hundred yuan back?"

"....."

The expression on Brother Liu's face instantly froze, as if he'd been zapped by an electric prod.

After a long moment, he fought back the urge to slap him across the face, pulled two crumpled hundred-yuan bills from his pocket, and smacked them into Su Jin's hand.

"Take it, brother! Go home and live a good life... and don't come back. I'm seriously scared of you now."

"Brother, thank you so much. I'm indebted to you for your kindness..." As Su Jin spoke, his eyes drifted to a pile of feed sacks nearby.

When he made out the words on them, his eyes lit up with surprise.

He immediately changed his tune, pointing to the pig feed.

"Can I take two bags of that pig feed? That bitch couple took all my money, so today, I just want to eat pig feed! I need to remember this feeling, so that one day, when I've made my money, I can get back the dignity I've lost!"

This bastard! He even wants more!!

Brother Liu gasped, clutching his chest with a look of pure agony.

He waved a feeble hand.

"Take it... just take it if you want..."