Chapter 39: Meat

“Hmm? Aunt Wang, where did you buy this meat?”
Mu Yu asked calmly.
“What’s the matter, craving some? I just bought it from the market this morning. I was picking up supplies and saw this nice cut, so I bought a piece.”
“When the braised pork is ready, I’ll bring some over to you.”
Aunt Wang always bought different meat for the buns and for regular meals—Mu Yu knew this well. As a child, he often accompanied her to buy meat.
It wasn’t about the quality, but the cut. Foreleg meat, with both fat and lean parts and a tougher texture, was perfect for bun filling.
For daily meals, they usually used prime ribs or pork belly, which were more tender and suited for dishes like braised pork or Dongpo pork.
Mu Yu’s culinary skills had mostly been learned from Wang Ningjie.
By his estimation, the quality of this piece was exceptionally rare: beautifully marbled, with fine, tender fibers.
But it didn’t look like pork.
“Which butcher did you buy this from?”
“I don’t quite remember, it was a new place.”
Mu Yu reached out and gently pressed the surface of the meat.
It was still elastic, clearly freshly slaughtered.
“I heard from the gatekeeper, Old Chen, that a shop at the market was shut down for selling tainted pork—think it was a new store, too.”
“Really?”
Aunt Wang was skeptical, but seeing the seriousness on Mu Yu’s face, she was half-convinced.
“Let me take care of this for you. Goodbye, Aunt Wang.”
Without waiting for Wang Ningjie to say more, Mu Yu grabbed the pork and headed out.
“Hey, hey! At least take a bag!”
Aunt Wang watched Mu Yu rush off, shaking her head helplessly.
“He hasn’t changed at all.”
Mu Yu did cut a striking figure, carrying a bloody slab of meat in his bare hand, with stains on his pants.
Luckily, it wasn’t yet time for people to get off work—most households were busy preparing lunch, sparing Mu Yu some awkward explanations.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Mu Yu, how can I assist you?”
The same sweet voice as last time came from his communicator.
“Is there any incident reported at Jiaxing Market?”
“I’ll check for you right now... There’s no reported incident.”
“Send someone to seal it off. There’s a problem inside. I’m on my way.”
Without waiting for a reply, Mu Yu hung up with a grim expression.
What was the investigation team doing? It was one thing for him to keep stumbling upon incidents, but this time it involved someone close to him.
If he hadn’t come to discuss moving with Aunt Wang, if he’d waited until the afternoon...
Mu Yu dared not imagine those possibilities.
Jiaxing Market wasn’t close by. It was known for quality and low prices, but only people like Wang Ningjie, who bought meat in bulk, would shop there.
“Mr. Mu, I’m Ding...”
A driver waiting by the entrance brightened when he saw Mu Yu emerge and hurried over.
“Shut up. Jiaxing Market.”
The driver hesitated, but seeing Mu Yu’s stormy expression, climbed into the driver’s seat in silence.
Mu Yu, unceremoniously carrying the meat, sat in the back, leaving bloody streaks on the expensive leather.
When they arrived, the area was already cordoned off, but a crowd lingered outside, pointing and murmuring.
“No vehicles allowed past this point!”
The driver looked to Mu Yu for guidance, but Mu Yu had already stepped out.
The officer blocking the way was stunned by Mu Yu’s appearance—was he here to complain about fake pork?
But the car didn’t look like it belonged to someone desperate.

“Mu Yu, Investigation Group.”
A gilt-edged badge flashed before the officer, and Mu Yu strode inside.
The outer cordon was simple, but inside, discipline was tight—soldiers monitored every market exit.
At one butcher stall, two men in black trench coats stood frowning. Nearby, the portly manager barely dared breathe, cowering nervously.
“Hello, Level Two member, Li Gang.”
“Level One member, Zhang Wei.”
Seeing Mu Yu approach with the pork, the two exchanged a glance. Though unfamiliar, only team members would have clearance—and the attire—to be here.
A new recruit? Li Gang wondered silently.
Mu Yu himself had been issued a similar coat, but rushing out, he hadn’t put it on, leaving him out of place among them.
“Level Six member, Mu Yu.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Li Gang and Zhang Wei’s faces, but they didn’t question it.
The investigation team’s members hailed from all over; some didn’t show up even once a year. A stranger at this level was plausible.
“When we arrived, it was already like this. This butcher stall is suspiciously clean.”
That’s why Li Gang and Zhang Wei had stayed put. The cutting board, cleaver, and grinder all looked brand new.
“What about the vendors?”
“All gathered inside, but the butcher himself is missing.”
Zhang Wei shook his head—he lived nearby and had been first to the scene.
“Let’s focus on the surveillance footage. Do you have it?”
“Yes, yes, we check the cameras every two weeks—the system’s fine.”
The sweating manager hurried to lead them to the control room.
He’d never seen such a scene; he only managed a marketplace, yet now it felt like a crime den.
“Which angle would you like, sir?”
The manager pulled up footage facing the butcher stall, struggling to find an appropriate honorific.
“You can leave. We’ll handle it.”
Li Gang spoke directly, locking him outside—some things were not for civilian eyes.
“Start from this morning when the market opened, play at eight times speed.”
Mu Yu sat at the computer. With his keen eyes, eightfold speed was enough.
The opening was routine—though it was still dark, the market bustled.
Vendors, suppliers, buyers—the crowd flowed across the little screen.
Li Gang and Zhang Wei could just make out the butcher unlocking his stall and laying out large cuts of pork.
Sales, payments, closing up shop.
In less than half an hour, the meat was all gone. Every buyer left smiling, as if getting such meat was a privilege.
A chill crept up the men’s backs. Even an untrained eye could sense something off; for professionals, it was unmistakable.
Yet Mu Yu remained impassive, his expression unreadable.
After selling out, the butcher didn’t pack up but instead pulled out a book, reading with rapt delight.
Only once the crowd thinned did he slowly move his things indoors, set up another set of utensils, and then saunter out of the market as if nothing was wrong.
“Phew, probably just a rogue ability-user, luring people to buy with his powers.”
Zhang Wei glanced at the paused footage, relieved.
If it had been a real incident, someone of his rank would be cannon fodder.
Getting through this unscathed was luck enough.
Li Gang, however, felt uneasy, frowning deeper.
“We should watch it again. Something about that butcher bothers me.”

“No need.”
Mu Yu tossed the meat on the floor and grabbed the mouse.
Rewind, rewind, zoom in.
The manager hadn’t lied—the camera’s resolution was excellent, still sharp even zoomed.
“Is there a problem with that book?”
Zhang Wei stared, still seeing nothing, and leaned closer to the screen, trying to make out the book’s cover.
“That looks like...”
“An anatomical diagram.”
Li Gang’s voice trembled, his face rigid.
“I studied clinical medicine in college. That’s a cross-section of a human thigh.”
Zhang Wei froze, glancing at the meat Mu Yu had discarded.
“Send this footage to headquarters. Have them find every buyer’s address. Let’s hope it’s not too late.”
Mu Yu straightened and walked out.
Zhang Wei’s violent retching echoed behind, thick with acid and stench.
Mu Yu was uncomfortable too—especially after carrying the meat all this way.
But more than disgust, he felt anger and hostility.
A butcher, studying his prey’s anatomical map, watching the endless stream of “food” before him—what was on his mind?
Hunting, selecting, killing.
What he hid behind those pages wasn’t just twisted desire, but his own greedy gaze.
When children and women passed, his body squirmed with barely suppressed excitement.
Especially when Wang Ningjie made her purchase—even his hands trembled as he took her money.
But this time, he’d chosen the wrong prey.
Mu Yu kicked open the obstructing iron door as easily as brushing aside weeds.
Inside was nothing like the tidy exterior: scraps of flesh and bone everywhere, the walls plastered with photographs.
And a shallow, human-shaped depression.
Mu Yu could almost picture him lying naked amidst the remains, gorging on the scent, hands dancing in ecstasy.
In the photos, faces twisted in terror and sorrow were bound to bronze pillars.
Each was paired with a photo of a pig—glossy, plump, pink.
“Received the video? Track this person’s location for me.”
Though Mu Yu kept interrupting, the voice on the line remained sweet and gentle.
“After comparison, he’s Feng Xing, chairman of the Fengton Group. Last sighting was at the Fengton Group’s front entrance, caught on camera.”
“But the combat team is already en route. I recommend you...”
Mu Yu shut the communicator and slipped it into his pocket.
“See to the victims’ remains—recover them as completely as possible.”
“Yes.”
Li Gang and the still-pale Zhang Wei stood outside. The scene had shaken them deeply.
“You’re not coming with us?”
Li Gang watched Mu Yu hurry away, puzzled.
The investigation team’s work was finished; the rest was cleanup and merit calculation.
Mu Yu didn’t look back.
“Going to kill a piece of scum.”