As Yi Heye had predicted, ISSAC was a criminal organization disguised as an entertainment company, but actually engaged in underground human trafficking.
They would use the guise of "training trainees" to find people with excellent looks and good qualities, then lure them here step by step to dismember and sell them.
Lao Qin: "Because customers all want to find someone with a beautiful appearance, we simply use the standard of finding a 'celebrity' to look for them. Under normal circumstances, the better the appearance, the higher the price."
Yi Heye frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Do you have your own set of quantitative evaluation standards for what you call good looks? For example, the popularity of your live stream?"
“Yes,” Lao Qin said. “Actually, we initially wanted the customers to choose for themselves, but they didn’t seem to have their own understanding of ‘beauty.’ When two individuals with very different appearances were placed in front of them, they couldn’t make their own choice. So, in the end, we decided to use ‘popular trends,’ or ‘popularity,’ as the judging standard.”
This was entirely within Yi Heye's expectations—clearly, in this process they were trying their best to conform to human aesthetics, or rather, they were looking for a standard, a definition of "beauty" that they had no concept of at all.
Yi Heye: "You use so-called 'assessments' to screen trainees who come to the company, and then extract the valuable parts from them based on their individual circumstances to sell them, right?"
Old Qin avoided eye contact and said, "Yes..."
Contestants with high popularity may be reserved as "entire bodies" by customers during their performance, just like the man in the first room who was soaking in a jar. At this moment, his consciousness no longer exists; he is a beautiful empty shell waiting to be sold.
If the human body can develop illnesses or disabilities, then a purchased body will naturally also develop similar problems.
Contestants like Xiao Liu, who are eliminated in the first round due to insufficient popularity, will inevitably not fetch a good price. They will be disassembled into countless parts, such as eyeballs, internal organs, or voices, and then sold at low prices to customers who "need repairs".
Yi Heye asked, "What do you do during 'meditation' in class?"
Lao Qin: "On the one hand, we are absorbing brain data, which is a product that customers always have more than they can supply and that requires a large supply of. On the other hand, we need to provide a virtual target through this method to maintain the absolute obedience of the product."
The USB drives inserted in that showroom contain the thoughts, consciousness, and emotional responses continuously drawn from meditation classes. These data are digitized through a brain-computer interface and stored on portable hard drives for sale.
The so-called virtual goal of the latter is actually "brainwashing". Some trainees put aside all their pain and breakdowns and are willing to risk their lives for them.
Such data movement and electrical stimulation can cause a certain degree of damage to the brain, which may lead to extreme changes in the product's emotions, mental disorders or brain disabilities. Many people will be eliminated and become substandard products as a result, while those that remain are naturally "superior products" with more complete brain development and better mental state.
Yi Heye then asked, "So what is the purpose of the collection device in the practice room? If it's simply for selling human bodies, why do you still have us learn to sing, dance, and perform?"
Old Qin smiled wryly and said, "Because we are an entertainment company, we have to maintain our reputation in the industry, so we must launch new idols regularly."
The data collector in the practice room collects data from various parts of the human body and randomly assembles the data from different people to create a brand new "digital idol". This is how the advertising actor with Ke Yu's eyes but the face of other missing persons came to be.
"The recently popular Xiao A, A B, and CC are all digital idols launched by our company," Lao Qin said. "These are different from so-called two-dimensional virtual idols. They all look like real individuals, and no one would doubt their existence."
Although Yi Heye didn't care about the entertainment industry, he had heard of the three names he mentioned because they were too common.
He was quite shocked. It was hard to imagine that these idols who appeared on TV, in movies, and in variety shows, and who made fans go crazy, were actually just a non-existent data point.
Their appearance is a composite of countless victims, while their dancing, singing, and acting skills are the result of the victims' hard work, even after they sprained their legs.
Yi Heye felt increasingly irritated and unleashed the rest of his questions at once: "Why did you livestream the rape of these trainees on the first day? Why are all the people who come to your company male? What exactly is this 'sacrifice' you mentioned? If something hadn't gone wrong, what would have become of us?"
Old Qin felt his scalp tingle from the questions, but he tried his best to stay calm and answer them one by one.
"Because such live streams capture more complete and intense emotions, and they're also very eye-catching, with a large number of viewers and a large sample size, which can provide more reliable data support..." Old Qin's voice trailed off, "And this is also related to our religious customs..."
When they finally got to this point, Yi Heye immediately focused his attention.
Old Qin led them, limping, to a door.
"Perhaps you already have a feeling, what does our company name ISSAC mean?" Lao Qin said.
Yi Heye fell silent—who knows what this means? It's just a bunch of random capital letters strung together, isn't it?
Tang Ruoqi, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "Isaac...?"
“Yes,” Lao Qin said. “In the Old Testament of the Bible, Isaac was almost killed by his father as a sacrifice to Jehovah.”
As soon as Lao Qin pushed open the door, an indescribable stench hit them. Yi Heye and Tang Ruoqi frowned in unison. After they saw the layout of the room, Tang Ruoqi couldn't help but vomit.
This is a very typical sacrificial room. On the wall directly opposite the room hangs a huge and ferocious goat's head. In the center of the room stands a solitary altar, and the ground around the altar is covered with black stains—clearly traces left by dried blood.
In the very center of the altar lay a severely decomposed human head, flanked by neatly arranged ashes, clearly burnt limbs.
"This ritual is called burnt offering. Every burnt offering day, believers choose a 'ram' without defects to offer to the great God," Lao Qin said.
“In the story of the Bible, you are the ‘scapegoats’ who took the sacrifice in place of Isaac.”
Author's Note:
Scapegoat: Who knows how long I've been waiting for this in the title page before they finally decided to drag me out for a spin?
———
Let me reiterate, the cult mentioned in the article is a heretical interpretation of the Bible and does not represent any legitimate religion in reality!
Chapter 115, number 115
The other party's motives surfaced, connecting the various clues together. Yi Heye felt as if he had figured something out, yet something still seemed a bit off.
However, no matter what, the scene in the room made him feel deeply uncomfortable.
He looked up again at the huge, grotesque sheep's head on the wall in front of him, which, strictly speaking, was a goat's skull without skin.
Judging from its bizarre size, this skull, which is nearly as tall as a person, is clearly not a living specimen, but rather an ornament deliberately pieced together and carved from some material.
The roof of this ram's head has two very exaggerated ram horns hanging from it. The dark red patterns are painted on the white background, and there should be a lit candle hidden inside. Two clusters of orange-red light overflow from the eye sockets. Although it is a warm color, it makes people feel cold.
Yi Heye stood outside the door, staring at the two clusters of firelight, and for a moment he felt as if he were being watched from afar by this goat.
He asked, "Is this the god you worship?"
Old Qin: "...Yes, He is a God who fled from the altar of Jehovah, a God with the flames of wrath—this is the true secret hidden behind the Bible."
Upon closer listening, their religious beliefs are actually completely opposed to orthodox Christianity—they regard "Jehovah" as an unpardonable sinner and the scapegoat on the altar as a god. Instead, they take people who should have been forgiven and purified and put them on the altar, spilling their blood and tearing their flesh apart. They truly cannot distinguish between good and evil and have turned black and white upside down.
The so-called "rewriting and innovation" of existing orthodox religions is a typical characteristic of many new cult organizations. The true nature of such organizations, which are hardly respectable, is self-evident.
"The gods have brought us technology and wealth," Old Qin said devoutly, clasping his hands together. "Thank you for your blessings."
Yi Heye ignored the man's sudden outbursts of madness and focused intently on the goat's head. He couldn't understand why there was such a big difference between goats and sheep, even though they were both sheep.
Speaking of sheep, he started to worry about Jian Yunxian's condition again—where is that guy now? What trouble has he run into? Has he solved the problem?
That guy still had a lot to say, so he absolutely had to see him. Yi Heye felt a surge of anxiety. He didn't want to waste even a second longer; he needed to end all of this quickly and then reunite with Jian Yunxian.
He thought again of that long gallery of exhibits, of the countless skeletons and organs, and asked, "Are all the people in the exhibition hall dead? Is there any hope of saving them?"
Old Qin stammered and dared not utter a word, and Yi Heye knew the answer.
He didn't have the time or energy to dwell on the past; he only knew that the dead would never return, but the living were waiting for him to save them.
"What about the others?" Yi Heye said. "Take me to find the other people who are still alive."
Yi Heye glanced at Tang Ruoqi—he was worried about letting him figure out on his own. If he took him to a safe place and then came back, not only would the rescue efficiency be greatly reduced, but he might also miss the best opportunity to rescue him.
The safest and most reliable way is to take him with you.
Accustomed to being alone, Yi Heye was a little irritated, but he still turned to Tang Ruoqi and said, "Senior, stick close to me. Let's rescue the other students first, and then escape together."
Tang Ruoqi nodded nervously and obediently followed closely beside him—she could only be thankful that the person she was with was Tang Ruoqi, at least this guy seemed obedient and not the type to cause trouble.
Old Qin silently led the way; the factory's terrain was more complex than Yi Heye had imagined.
The site still retains the unique structure of a chemical plant from decades ago, with abandoned chemical raw material barrels, complex pipelines, and a huge, dried-up boiler visible everywhere.
They wandered around the stairs in a maze for a long time, memorizing the route, but their hearts were beginning to grow alert.
The group walked in silence for a while, and finally took a dilapidated elevator shaft to the 18th underground floor.
Even Yi Heye, who was completely insensitive to religion, noticed this number, but he remained silent—he wanted to see what other trouble they could cause.
Compared to the well-designed first floor, the construction of the eighteenth underground floor seems rather hasty. The walls here are unpainted, the floors are bare cement, and the dim lighting can only illuminate a small area in front of you, making it look more like an airtight box.
However, this floor was very tall, two or three times the height of the first floor. Yi Heye felt that his previous imagination had been too hasty. What he saw in front of him was the real prison, but it seemed more like some terrifying monster was imprisoned here than the humans being held there.
He held his breath and walked forward, when suddenly Old Qin stopped and slowed down right behind him.
Yi Heye had already sensed something was wrong and almost instinctively retreated as fast as he could, but he was a step too slow. Suddenly, a row of iron bars descended from above, separating him from the other two people.
Yi Heye instinctively rushed over and grabbed the railing. The metal, crafted with special techniques, was naturally too heavy for him to break with his bare hands. He looked just like a caged beast, staring intently at the outside of the cage with a violent, murderous aura.
Damn it, Yi Heye regretted it. He had clearly guessed that he wouldn't do anything good, but he still got ambushed.
Across from him, Old Qin, who had been meek and submissive the whole way, finally regained his usual smile. He grabbed Tang Ruoqi by the collar and, as if showing off, dragged her in front of Yi Heye: "I was originally planning to choose one of you two to offer to the great Sheep God, but now it seems there's no need for that."
—Now Tang Ruoqi has directly advanced and become the final sacrifice. When the time comes, his head will be placed in the center of the altar, and his internal organs and flesh will be burned to ashes.
Perhaps we should have let Tang Ruoqi go just now. Yi Heye gritted his teeth, staring intently at the other person, as if he wanted to devour half of him with this method, and blood vessels began to bulge from the whites of his eyes.
“But I advise you to worry about yourself instead,” Old Qin laughed. “The ‘God of Sheep’ will have lunch in an hour, but I don’t think he’ll refuse to have a dessert like you before his main meal.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the pitch-black space behind him suddenly lit up. Yi Heye turned around and saw the scene in front of him, and couldn't help but hold his breath.
This was a huge monster about seven or eight meters tall. Its head was exactly the same as the goat's head hanging on the wall downstairs, with a pale and terrifying skull and strange dark red patterns. Its body was humanoid, standing on two legs and walking with extremely strong limbs.
This is a gigantic robot. Yi Heye recalled the time at the electronics recycling plant when the giant creature that severely injured him had attacked him. This human-bodied, goat-headed monster was likely several times stronger than that one.
Yi Heye and it were locked in the same cage, but the horror didn't end there—at another corner of the cage, five people were tied up, unconscious and in a coma.
If I'm not mistaken, they should be the so-called "lunch" that Lao Qin mentioned.
"This is your god?" Yi Heye asked, trying to sound calm. "A giant machine with a sheep's head on it?"
Old Qin was clearly displeased with his wording and quickly explained in defense of his supreme deity: "This is indeed a machine, which we made in accordance with God's will to express our respect for God."
"It's just a large, moving figurine, and you're actually feeding it?" Yi Heye sneered. "Are the people who believe in your teachings not very old?"
Old Qin's face was ashen, but he still maintained the calm demeanor of a leader: "Because God loves to see humanity helpless—like you in the near future."
He angrily pulled Tang Ruoqi around, then snapped his fingers to the sky. The next second, a strange light shot out from behind him, like a sharp sword, piercing straight into Yi Heye's back.
The monster has awakened.
Amidst the rumbling of the engine, Tang Ruoqi, who was kicking the murder weapon but was now unarmed and powerless, could only be sadly and desperately carried away by Lao Qin.
Who knows what kind of emotional rollercoaster he went through that day—the joy of winning a debut spot, the fear after discovering the truth, the relief after being rescued by Yi Heye, the pleasure of taking revenge on the criminal suspect, and now, he has to accept the despondency and despair of being caught again.
He imagined the horrific scene in the sacrificial chamber, and the thought that he would soon become a pool of foul-smelling blood, a rotting head, and a few clumps of dark ashes made his legs go weak, and he couldn't even walk.
He didn't know how Old Qin had managed to drag and pull him, a man who was almost incapacitated, back to the first floor. He only knew that when he returned to the hallway, he seemed to faintly hear a series of chaotic sounds coming from not far away, and even the floor beneath his feet seemed to be shaking slightly.
This made him briefly forget his panic, and he perked up his ears, eager to hear some gossip.
Before they could even figure out what was going on, they arrived at their stop.
Tang Ruoqi watched as Lao Qin slowly pushed the door open, his legs trembling uncontrollably with extreme fear.
He wanted to run, but his body was out of his control; it seemed that just standing up had exhausted all his strength.