The fireplace room is made of red bricks.
The burning firewood is like an old man whose life is about to run out, making his final groan in a hoarse, weak voice.
Yi Chen and the mysterious man sat opposite each other on the brown leather sofa.
Holding a cup of steaming hot ginger tea in hand, this tea can effectively eliminate the coldness accumulated from living in a cemetery for many years.
"Your grace has earned you the opportunity to speak with me here.
As a foreign worker, you must have a lot of questions in your mind... Don’t be shy, just chat about anything.”
"What's your name?"
"Just call me Wilbert. I'm in charge of this Seven-Day Cemetery."
Just as Yi Chen guessed, this person was the manager mentioned in the manual.
“I want to know why there is an extra body in Cemetery No. 4 out of nowhere
If a body is brought to the cemetery from outside,
There must be a transportation and burial process, it should be easy to find, right?"
Yi Chen started with the small issues related to himself, trying to open up a conversation between the two of them, and if possible, then ask about the basic situation of this world.
"The 'corpses' you killed did not come from outside, but were generated by the cemetery itself."
"Self-generated?"
“Cemetery No. 4 is the area with the most and most complex bodies.
Such clutter can easily lead to "disease".
The zombie you killed was a product of a tree's disease... It was formed in a cemetery, and it turned back into a corpse that was moving towards this place and underwent a 'morphological evolution'."
After getting the answer, Yi Chen had more questions, "After the trees were infected with the disease, they turned into corpses? Then where did the matching coffins and tombstones come from?"
“Hiding and camouflaging are what pathogens are best at. They blend into the environment with almost perfect mimicry… By the time they are discovered, the disease has already spread.
However, their camouflage is not absolutely perfect.
Once you become a gentleman in the organization, you will naturally learn how to identify them.”
Yi Chen was surprised. "You mean that metal coffin and tombstone are simulated by pathogens?"
“Yes, this is just the most basic disguise.
You haven’t seen a pathogen disguised as a village, a cave, or even a mountain.”
Although Wilbert's words were brief, they made Yi Chen imagine a doomsday world that was completely infected with disease.
but,
There was a slight smile on Yi Chen's lips, a smile full of anticipation and desire to explore.
He took a sip of the ginger tea and said softly:
"Is this world...sick?"
“Yes, for most people, being able to sit here, drink tea and communicate normally is already a luxury.
The situation outside is much worse than you think.
However, topics related to the outside world are not what we should discuss now, and this is for your subsequent research work."
Seeing that the topic was brought back, Yi Chen stopped forcing it and continued to ask about the things in the cemetery.
“I still have some questions about the cemetery.
The employee handbook records many standardized requirements, which should be used to determine whether an employee is "infected" or not.
It seems that
The entire cemetery seems to be prone to abnormalities and pathology... Knowing that these bodies might have problems, why don’t they just cremate them, but choose to build this cemetery?"
“The reason is simple.
The benefits here are greater than the risks.
You can think of the entire cemetery as a large factory.
For example, this little guy on your shoulder is a nearly perfect product that can effectively help us fight pathogens.”
"I see."
Yi Chen has seen what the little meatball can do.
Without enhanced vision, there would be no way he could have confronted the zombies head-on.
The manager continued:
“Logically speaking, this little guy is the property of the organization.
But I am very happy today, and I am glad to have such an interesting newcomer like you.
If you can fulfill one request, I will give this little guy to you 'quietly'."
"What do you want?"
Let’s be frank, Yi Chen really wants this little ball of meat.
"You'll know when the cremation is over."
Next,
Yi Chen asked about the situation in each area of the cemetery.
He learned that before him, at least two hundred external employees had worked here, and none of them had been able to leave the cemetery smoothly.
Another important piece of information was also obtained.
Tissue Tags G&D,
The full name is Gentleman&Doctor.
but,
The manager did not say much about other things in the organization, world intelligence, and the causes of the disease.
According to him, Yi Chen needs to go out into the outside world and explore on his own.
Verbal retelling is a waste of time and meaningless.
Time flies.
The manager rolled up his sleeves and glanced at his watch.
"The cremation should be almost done. Follow me."
Returning to the hot, burning cremation area,
When the metal door of the incinerator was opened, the plant corpses killed by Yi Chen had basically been carbonized, but still retained a relatively complete form.
Take it out of the oven, put it on a plate, and send it to the operating room.
The manager took out a large pair of tweezers and picked out a crystal clear spherical crystal about the size of a ping-pong ball from the waist and abdomen of the corpse.
The little meatball, who had closed his eyes the whole time, woke up at this moment.
He revealed his eyeballs in his mouth and stared at the pearl.
Thick saliva also flowed out, soaking all the hair along the edge of the mouth.
Ding~ The manager gently placed the beads on a metal plate beside him.
Take out a monocle from the lining of the suit and observe carefully:
"Hmm? It turned out to be of such quality and shape... I kind of regret it.
If I take this thing to the organization, I can sell it for a very high price. It can even help me expand and upgrade the cemetery."
After completing the inspection,
The administrator placed the bead in his palm and displayed it in front of Yi Chen.
White jade color,
The transparency is about 80%.
Some green spots moving around can be clearly seen inside.
“I have to say, you are really lucky.
The probability of a beginner patient like this producing "crystals" is less than 5%.
Not to mention that this crystal is of top quality in both shape and color, and its internal essence is perfectly preserved.
You then have three options.
1. Collect and hide the crystal, and then go to the city where the organization is located.
Once you become a resident or are granted gentleman status, you can hand the beads over to local craftsmen to make a nice piece of equipment.
2. As with the previous method, you need to become a member of an organization and sell at a high price through internal channels.
Or you can sell it to me directly at 50% of the price, which can help you avoid a lot of risks. After all, once this bead is seen by others, it will inevitably cause a lot of trouble.
3. Swallow the crystals here and now and they will become a part of your body.
This process carries the risk of death.
If you succeed, you will gain the "pathogenic characteristics" preserved between crystals... This characteristic will allow you to live longer in this world, and also make it more likely that you will pass the assessment and become a member of the organization.
The third point is also the requirement we talked about before.
As long as you can swallow and survive, the little one on your shoulder will be a farewell gift to the cemetery."
Yi Chen did not rush to answer, but looked thoughtful.
"Administrator, I just have one question.
If I'm not mistaken, this thing is a crystallized product of a pathogen... If I swallow it, I might get sick and turn into something like a zombie."
“Yes, that’s the risk.
If you fail to bond properly and show any symptoms of infection, I will execute you personally."
"I see."
Yi Chen carefully took the crystal and felt the residual heat from the burning on its surface.
I have already made the decision in my heart.
Gulp~swallow it in one gulp.