Starting with the flesh-based stimulant

Ga Gouwa carried a tattered black garment out of the boiler room.

The clothes were very large and didn't look like normal clothing; they looked more like props used by characters on a stage.

Zhou He squatted down slightly and let Ga Gouwa drape the clothes over his shoulders. He then watched as Ga Gouwa stood on tiptoe and carefully fastened all the buttons on the clothes.

By the time he finished buttoning all the buttons, Ga Gouwa's face was covered in sweat.

Zhou He was a little puzzled and wanted to ask something, but before he could, Ga Gouwa spoke up:

"Sir, I'm short and can't walk as fast as you. I'm getting tired trying to keep up with you."

Do I walk very fast?

Zhou He hunched over a little more, his large head hidden under his coat. He was a little uncomfortable in the clothes and staggered out of the boiler room.

It was raining outside the city, and it was raining inside the city as well. The rain was heavy, and there were several puddles on the ground where a lot of rainwater had accumulated.

Zhou He vaguely saw that his own appearance was becoming more and more familiar.

It's not the kind of familiarity you feel when you look in a mirror; it's a different kind of familiarity.

"Sir, it's raining, there aren't many people on the street."

"Gao Gouwa said softly."

Zhou He nodded:

"Yes, there aren't many people, so it's easy to walk around."

It takes about three hours to get from the boiler room to Jincheng University, and Zhou He walked with difficulty.

After eating the old hunchback and obtaining a travel permit to become a meat carrier, his physical strength improved considerably compared to before.

He usually has considerable stamina and strength.

He hadn't felt much pressure when he was carrying the big head on his back before, but now he felt more and more tired as he walked.

If you're feeling adventurous, place the meat somewhere that's slightly against a wall or counter to rest.

At this time, Ga Gouwa would always say something at the opportune moment:

"Sir, there seems to be someone by the roadside."

Sometimes when Zhou He looked up, he could see one or two figures, and he even saw the two black-clad figures that he had seen from afar at the city gate.

Sometimes I can't see anyone. I don't know if it's because Ga Gouwa's eyes are playing tricks on him, or if he's just too tired.

The journey was long and tiring.

As Zhou walked, he felt increasingly dizzy.

When I could see the gate of Jincheng University in the distance, the rain seemed to have lessened.

Zhou He saw a platform by the roadside. The platform was high, about waist-high, made of cement, and square. He didn't know what it was for.

Was this block here before?

Zhou He turned to ask Ga Gouwa, whose face was obscured by rain and could not be seen clearly. He whispered:

"I think so, sir, you're too tired."

Zhou He nodded:

"Then I'll rest my feet on the platform for a bit."

"Sir, there seem to be some people up ahead. Are they those college students?"

Zhou He didn't look up; he was truly exhausted.

With renewed vigor, Ga Gouwa walked toward the stone platform, reaching out his hand as if to lend Zhou He a hand.

Then, as if remembering something, he shrank back.

"Clang~ Clang"

Several familiar voices pierced through the rain and reached Zhou He's ears.

He seemed to regain some strength, and the fog in his mind cleared up a bit.

Looking up, I saw four figures in the distance.

They were all holding umbrellas, but their postures were different.

Walking in front was a tall woman, holding a black umbrella.

A short distance behind her, there was a tall man holding a large umbrella, which covered the woman's small umbrella.

Behind the two, there were two figures, one tall and one short. One of them was holding an umbrella and looking around furtively.

"Senior... what's wrong...?"

Yao Yao seemed to ask something, but Zhou He couldn't quite hear her.

With a burst of strength, I walked up to the group, followed their steps, and entered Jincheng University through a side gate.

Arriving at the red brick building of the "Jincheng University Meat Research Institute," Yao Yao led Zhou He to an iron gate on the side of the building.

She took out her key, inserted it into the lock, and pushed open the door.

A slightly pungent smell wafted over.

Fragrant.

It's a lilac, with a strong lilac fragrance.

Then there's a unique aroma, like that of burning cypress wood.

It also faintly reveals a sweet and cloying fragrance.

"Senior, let's go to the underground lab."

When Yao Yao saw the meat on Zhou He's back, her eyes lit up with surprise, and her voice was filled with joy.

Zhou He turned around, wanting to call Ga Gouwa to wait outside, but couldn't find him.

"That kid? He's outside the school; he didn't come in."

Jiang Qi, being perceptive, took the initiative to answer.

Zhou He nodded and followed Yao Yao into the basement.

The basement was bright and clean.

Rows of high-wattage light tubes hung neatly from the ceiling, and the white tiles on the floor and walls made the room bright and clear.

It felt as if it were separated from the dark world outside.

Yao Yao pushed open the door to a laboratory, where a table was placed in the center.

The style of the table didn't match the lab at all.

The laboratory was cold, tidy, clean, and orderly.

The table was painted red, but because it had been there for so many years, most of the paint had peeled off, revealing its original brown color.

Its shape is somewhat similar to the offering table in the dilapidated temple.

The table is long, with four legs, and is placed against the wall.

Zhou He took the meat and the clothes off the table and placed them on the table. He leaned against the table, panting heavily.

His face was deathly pale, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. His medium-length hair was soaked with rain and sweat and stuck to the sides of his face.

"Senior, are you alright?"

Yao Yao leaned closer and asked with some concern.

Zhou paused for a moment, shook his head, and reached out to adjust his fisherman's hat.

He slowly stood up, turned around, and was about to leave.

"Hey! You don't want the money anymore?"

Jiang Qi caught up with Zhou He, holding three hundred-yuan bills in his hand.

The banknote depicts a thin, bespectacled old man with an oil lamp behind him.

Zhou He crumpled the banknotes up, put them in his pocket, nodded to Jiang Qi, and turned to leave.

A fragrant aroma wafted over again.

Unlike before, this time the aroma isn't strong, but it's very assertive.

Like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, it dispelled the sharp smells and carried them into Zhou He's nose.

It's an oil lamp.

The aroma of the oil lamp being lit.

And there was also incense, which was also lit.

Zhou He suddenly felt a little dazed.

The next second, his eyes suddenly cleared, and he muttered to himself:

"No...no!"

He gripped the web between his left and right hands tightly with his right hand, feeling intense pain, but even more so, a clarity of mind.

The fog seemed to have been dispelled.

He rushed into the laboratory and looked up.

Yao Yao was holding an exquisitely designed oil lamp and slowly placing it under the table. The flame licked the wick, making a soft crackling sound.

An equally exquisite incense burner was placed next to the oil lamp, with three sticks of incense lined up and inserted into the burner.

These three incense sticks are shaped differently from the old hunchback's; they have gold patterns on them, making them look like high-end items.

Zhou He stood still at the doorway, staring intently at the offering table.

He had already determined that it was an offering table.

Countless thoughts flooded his mind, but he had no time to attend to them; now he had only one thought:

What about clothes?

What about that worn-out, oversized garment that looked like some kind of prop?