"Of course—not."

Song Jie's pause in the middle was perfectly timed to build suspense.

He smiled slightly, organizing his words as he spoke:

"To be strict about it—even the student council president has to call our boss 'boss'."

"Oh?" Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow. "So, your boss is above the entire student council?"

He used a mostly declarative tone.

But Song Jie shook his head again. "Probably more than that."

Jiang Ye's gaze flickered slightly at this.

The fierce youth introduced as "Qi Anlin," who had been aloof and unresponsive the whole way, suddenly interjected coldly:

"Our boss is even above the entire school!"

His tone carried a hint of pride.

Anyone who didn't know better might think he was saying "my dad is Li Gang."

In short, it was clear this guy worshipped their boss.

Song Jie beside him also nodded, then smiled again. "According to school regulations, lights go out promptly at 23:30."

"At that time, the entire school will be plunged into complete darkness."

"And all students at that time must remain in their respective dormitory rooms."

"When the time comes, you will naturally meet our boss."

Song Jie's tone was still somewhat mysterious.

As he spoke, the group arrived at the school cafeteria.

By the time they came out, it was already the free time for lunch.

Quite a few students were trickling in from the direction of the teaching building toward the cafeteria.

These "students," their footsteps weren't as relaxed as when Song Jie was leading Jiang Ye.

Instead, they carried a sense of hurried urgency, with some moving so fast it seemed like someone was chasing them.

Of course, while their steps were rushed, the expressions on their faces were somewhat hollow and numb.

It was as if...

after being in prison too long, they had been completely tamed?

While Jiang Ye took the opportunity to observe those students rushing to the cafeteria, Song Jie seized the moment to reveal more:

"Speaking of which, it's very simple to tell if a player is a member of the student council—"

"Look at their expression."

"Those who still have a sparkle in their eyes are basically all student council members."

As for those with numb eyes, naturally they were not.

However, having experienced the "event" triggered in the empty room, Jiang Ye couldn't help but ask:

"Are those students with numb eyes real people?"

As soon as he said this.

Song Jie looked slightly surprised, but quickly explained, "Of course they're real people! Everyone in the school is a real person!"

"Those with hollow eyes, they've just been... under the day-in, day-out assembly line of school life..."

Song Jie probably originally wanted to use other words to describe it.

But in the end, he changed his phrasing: "They've had their personalities rebuilt."

Saying this, Song Jie still wore a smiling expression, but a hint of sorrow flickered deep in his eyes.

It wasn't hard to understand why he felt sorrowful.

Originally vibrant people, "rebuilt" into hollow, numb shells, no longer seeming alive...

Jiang Ye didn't have much personal connection to what was happening here, so he didn't feel that sorrow.

However, watching those numb people rushing to the cafeteria, he suddenly asked Song Jie again:

"Does the school have rules against fighting?"

The moment these words left his mouth.

Before Song Jie could even answer.

Reality provided the answer—

Before their group had even entered the cafeteria, they suddenly heard the clamorous sounds of smashing and fighting from inside.

Intermittently mixed with shouts.

It sounded like someone was fighting?

Jiang Ye's eyes showed confusion, but he saw Song Jie and the others looking completely accustomed to it.

Song Jie walked while smiling. "During non-free time, ordinary students don't have the 'time' to fight."

"But during free time, anyone can do anything, and it's permitted."

Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow. "Including murder?"

Song Jie nodded. "Including murder."

After a moment's hesitation, he added, "Actually, in principle, murder is possible even during non-free time."

"It's just that the criminal penalty is heavier, requiring payment of some time as the price."

"Of course, those with severe circumstances might be completely 'expelled'."

"Though the principle of 'expulsion' could also be a change in Authority Level."

So, Jiang Ye followed up logically, "So all the players in this school have the identity of 'Youth'?"

Song Jie raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't the school's name make it clear? 'Juveniles,' so the players in this school all have Authority Levels of 'Young Adult' and 'Youth'."

As he spoke, he led Jiang Ye through the crowd, directly witnessing the chaotic "fighting" scene.

Jiang Ye had used the term "fighting" more as a test, phrasing it politely.

But witnessing the "fighting" scene firsthand...

He realized he had been "narrow-minded."

This was absolutely not "fighting"!

In just this short while, several corpses were already lying on the cafeteria floor!

The eerie thing was...

Those corpses were covered in blood-colored patterns similar to those on mutants like Xu Gou.

As a result, even though they died gruesomely, no blood flowed from their bodies.

This wasn't Jiang Ye's first time seeing dead people.

But for some reason, looking at those eerie corpses covered in blood patterns on the ground, a sense of creeping horror rose in his heart.

He noticed the cafeteria atmosphere was strange, as if a war could break out again at any moment.

But those students with numb eyes seemed afraid to provoke students like Song Jie who had lively eyes.

And the expressions of Song Jie and the other three also carried a hint of detached clarity and indifference as bystanders.

Seeing someone "cleaning up" those blood-patterned corpses, Jiang Ye was about to ask something else when Song Jie preempted him:

"Do you want to ask—what's the deal with those people's blood patterns?"

"Or do you want to ask—did they die because they were covered in blood patterns? Or did they become covered in blood patterns after death?"

After asking, Song Jie answered as if talking to himself:

"They became covered in blood patterns on their corpses because they died."

"Any student here who has had their personality rebuilt will carry blood patterns after death."

"This should be considered a kind of curse, right? So they don't bleed and pollute the environment after death :)"

When he said the words "pollute the environment," Song Jie's subtle expression turned strange.

He pointed at those students "cleaning up" the corpses and said, "They went to the back kitchen."

"Now look at the serving area."

Jiang Ye looked toward the "serving area" he indicated and suddenly his gaze shook.

The "serving area" was divided into meat dishes and vegetable dishes.

The plants on the vegetable side looked very similar to those in the underground graveyard of the 4444 Apartment.

And the meat in the meat dish area...

was also completely covered in blood-colored patterns.

If it were just covered in blood patterns, that would be one thing.

The key was Jiang Ye had just seen a batch of blood-patterned corpses.

And Song Jie reminded him those corpses were sent to the back kitchen...

Jiang Ye suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He finally asked, "Then the meat in the meat dish area is... what meat?"

Song Jie didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he waited until an apron-wearing staff member added a new batch of "meat dishes" to the meat area, then said calmly, "Human meat."

"The batch just added for extra servings is now in there too."

"..."

Jiang Ye instantly felt not very hungry anymore.

However, he suddenly thought—

"The cafeteria requires payment for meals, so what if someone doesn't want to pay..."

"Right." Song Jie nodded, expression calm. "Those who don't want to pay can solve it themselves."

"Of course, unless they're starving, most players won't choose to solve it themselves, nor will they choose meat dishes."

Jiang Ye glanced at the meat dish area and speculated, "Probably not for moral or ethical reasons, but because these 'meat dishes' have some side effects?"

Song Jie nodded. "Cannibalism should have problems."

"What exactly the problems are isn't really clear. But the specific manifestations are—"

"First, players who have consumed human meat become more numb inside, and their appetite rapidly increases."

"Second, players who consume human meat beyond a certain amount will develop blood-colored patterns on their bodies while still alive."

"Third, players who consume 'premium human meat' beyond a certain amount will experience 'rejuvenation,' meaning they become younger and younger."

"I've heard that in other prisons, there were players who ate 'premium human meat' long-term and eventually became 'premium' themselves."

"Oh right, premium human meat refers to infant meat. So the 'premium' I mentioned refers to rejuvenating to the point of becoming an infant."

Rejuvenation...

Becoming an infant...

Wasn't this exactly the Evil Infant Wulie??

He heard that guy relied on eating people to "evolve" from an old man all the way to an infant state...

And that strange evil infant even survived from Day 7 to Day 8 safely while infected with Lightburn!

Then for some unknown reason, he changed from an infant state to a young child appearance...

Jiang Ye recalled the strange aspects of the Evil Infant Wulie.

Then combining that with the characteristic of this prison using human meat as food, and the identity divisions in Authority Levels like "Adult," "Young Adult," "Youth"...

He grew increasingly suspicious—

Could this identity really be divided by age?

No, more accurately, not "age," but rather... meat quality?

Jiang Ye unconsciously curled his fingers, feeling the flesh of his palm with his fingertips. He asked nonchalantly again:

"If premium human meat is infant meat, then are there other quality grades of meat?"

"Of course." Song Jie answered as if it were obvious. "To be most precise, only infant meat from bones not exceeding 3 months old can be called premium human meat."

"Not exceeding one year is fine-quality human meat."

"Not exceeding 10 years is superior human meat."

"Not exceeding 18 years is medium human meat."

"Not exceeding 30 years is ordinary human meat."

"Not exceeding 50 years is inferior human meat."

"Over 50 years is substandard human meat."

After introducing these, he smiled again. "In our school here, it's all medium human meat."

His gaze swept over the meat dish area. Seeming worried Jiang Ye might misunderstand, he corrected himself further. "Oh, I don't mean that meat."

"Rather—our school raises medium human meat. The human meat eaten won't exceed medium grade."

"Other prisons with different names probably have similar situations—"

"Whatever grade of human meat they raise, the human meat eaten won't exceed that grade."

"So, if you want to eat something good, it's best to go to... that kind of hospital specifically responsible for deliveries :)"

Song Jie's expression at this moment was quite strange.

But Jiang Ye wasn't a pure Newbie after all;he had personally experienced the Doomsday Apartment.

He wasn't afraid and asked bluntly, "Does your student council also eat human meat? Or do you eat something better because of the drawbacks of human meat?"

Song Jie was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "This has nothing to do with being in the student council or not."

"Generally speaking, those who have consumed an 'Exile Fruit' will eat human meat."

"Because after consuming an Exile Fruit, appetite also increases. And human meat provides an extremely strong sense of satiety."

"Additionally, there are patterns indicating that long-term consumption of human meat, or rather maintaining a sense of fullness, can reduce the probability of Glyph Pattern players 'losing control'."

Saying this, Song Jie displayed the tattoo in the crook of his right elbow, saying very calmly, "I've consumed an 'Exile Fruit,' so I also need to eat human meat."

As he said this, he didn't observe Jiang Ye's reaction but walked to the meat dish area, smiling at the masked staff member:

"Same as usual, ten large meat buns."

The serving plates in the meat dish area held raw meat covered in blood patterns.

The staff member took out ten large meat buns from the back work area and wrapped them.

Song Jie's watch beeped against the staff member's watch, and he politely said thank you.

Then, the ten meat buns, each as big as a human head, were handed over to him.

Song Jie ate them bite by bite very quickly.

Qi Anlin also grabbed a large meat bun, eating it bite by bite roughly.

And very naturally, he gave one each to the other two silent underlings.

For the 10 meat buns, the four of them seemed to split them three-three-two-two, with Song Jie and Qi Anlin each taking three.

Song Jie explained helpfully while eating, "The large meat buns are also just medium human meat, but they're processed and have no taste."

"As long as you cross that psychological barrier, once you get used to it, it's nothing."

"Like in ancient famines, didn't they exchange children to eat?"

That's what he said, but he didn't think Jiang Ye would eat human meat.

After all, Jiang Ye hadn't even eaten an Exile Fruit...

Thinking of this, Song Jie's gaze toward him stirred with some strangeness again.

Something flickered in his eyes. A moment later, he withdrew his gaze, eating while saying lightly, "But you're different from us. Not eating human meat, not crossing that barrier, is also good."

Jiang Ye stared at Song Jie for quite a while before turning his gaze to look at the others in the cafeteria devouring raw meat.

Honestly, before entering the cafeteria, he wasn't very hungry.

But whether emotions are contagious or something...

He felt the entire cafeteria was filled with a kind of hunger, making him inexplicably want to eat something.

He certainly wasn't planning to eat anything from this eerie cafeteria.

He wouldn't eat human meat, nor would he touch those strange plants.

But he had a premonition—

This rising sense of hunger probably wouldn't dissipate easily.

He probably couldn't maintain a state of not eating or drinking long-term either.

He had a feeling that this place called "Prison," while superficially assigning all players a "crime,"

was essentially pushing them toward a true abyss!

These so-called "sinners" of theirs might just be living "human meat"...

Then, the non-free time in the entire school, the so-called "personality rebuilding," was probably just one part of the human meat processing procedure, right?

So Jiang Ye placed a hand on Song Jie's shoulder while casually asking, "So, what needs to be done during the school's non-free time?"

Song Jie didn't answer, his gaze falling on Jiang Ye's hand as he smiled and said, "Your talent?"

Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow, also smiling. "Yes, random memory theft."