Between the red brick fireplace,
The burning firewood crackled like an elderly man expending his last breaths, his voice final and faint.
Yi Chen sat opposite the mysterious figure on the tea-colored hard skin sofa,
holding a steaming cup of ginger tea in his hands, known to dispel the chill amassed from long years spent amongst the graves.
"Your graceful demeanor has earned you the opportunity to speak with me here.
As an externally hired Labor, no doubt you have many questions... Don't be restrained, feel free to discuss anything."
"How should I address you?"
"Just call me Wilbert; I'm in charge of this Seven-Day Cemetery.
As Yi Chen had surmised, this man was indeed the Manager mentioned in the Handbook.
"I want to know why a new corpse mysteriously appeared in Graveyard 4?
If there were a body delivered from the outside to the cemetery,
there must be a transportation and burial process, which should be easy to notice, right?"
Yi Chen started with a minor question related to himself, attempting to open up a dialogue. If possible, he would then inquire about the fundamental nature of this world.
"The 'corpse' you killed didn't come from the outside, it was generated by the cemetery itself."
"Generated by itself?"
"Graveyard 4 has the most numerous and varied corpses.
Such disorder easily attracts 'illness',
The walking corpse you slayed originated from a diseased tree... Since it was formed within the graveyard, it naturally tends to undergo 'morphological evolution' with the corpses here."
With these answers, Yi Chen developed even more questions, "A tree turns into the form of a corpse after being diseased? Then how about the matching coffin and gravestone?"
"[Hiding and Camouflage]are Pathogen's greatest strengths, blending into the environment with an almost perfect imitation… By the time they're discovered, the Pathological spread is already far gone.
However, their camouflage isn't absolutely perfect.
Once you become a gentleman within the Organization, you will naturally learn how to identify them."
Yi Chen's face registered surprise, "You're saying that the metal coffin and gravestone were simulations by the Pathogen?"
"Exactly, and that is merely the most basic form of camouflage.
You haven't yet seen Pathogens disguised as an entire village, a cave, or even a mountain range."
Though brief, Wilbert's words painted for Yi Chen a picture of a world utterly diseased with affliction.
Yet,
the corners of Yi Chen's mouth curled up slightly, a smile full of anticipation and a desire to explore.
He took a sip of his ginger tea and spoke softly,
"This world... is it sick?"
"Indeed, the fact that we can sit here, drinking tea and having a normal conversation, is quite a luxury for most people.
The situation [outside]is far worse than you imagine,
but the outside world isn't something we should be talking about right now. That will be part of your future investigations."
Seeing the conversation returned to the current topic, Yi Chen did not press further and continued asking about matters within the cemetery.
"I have some more questions about the cemetery,
the Employee Handbook lists many standardized requirements, presumably to determine whether something is 'infected'.
From this perspective,
it seems the entire cemetery is prone to abnormalities, to Pathological issues... Knowing the corpses might cause problems, why not cremate them directly instead of establishing this cemetery?"
"The reason is simple,
the 'benefits' generated here outweigh the 'risks' we take,
you may regard the whole cemetery as a large factory,
for instance, the little creature on your shoulder is a product of near perfection, and it significantly aids us in combating pathogens."
"I see."
Yi Chen had already witnessed the little flesh ball's 'capabilities',
without Visual Enhancement, he wouldn't have stood a chance against the walking corpse.
The Manager continued,
"Strictly speaking, this little fellow is the property of the Organization.
However, I am very pleased today, gratified to see such an interesting newcomer like you.
If you can meet a requirement, I'll 'quietly' give this little fellow to you."
"What requirement?"
Minces no words, Yi Chen was very interested in acquiring the small flesh ball.
"You'll know once the cremation is over."
Next,
Yi Chen inquired about each area of the cemetery,
learning that before his arrival, at least two hundred other contracted employees had worked here and not a single one had successfully left the cemetery.
He also obtained another important piece of information.
The Organization's mark was G&D,
short for Gentleman & Doctor.
However,
the Manager did not divulge much about the Organization's other affairs, global intelligence, or the cause of the Pathological transformation.
According to him, these things required Yi Chen to go out into the world and explore for himself.
Verbal recounting was considered a waste of time and utterly meaningless.
Time passed quickly.
The Manager rolled up his sleeves and glanced at his watch.
"The cremation should be about done; follow me."
Returning to the sweltering, scent-rich Cremation Area,
when the metal cover of the incinerator was opened, the plant corpse that Yi Chen had slain had mostly turned to carbon, yet still retained a relatively complete form.
Out of the furnace, onto a tray, sent to the surgery room.
The Manager took a large pair of tweezers, extracted a crystal clear spherical crystal from the corpse's midsection, about the size of a table tennis ball.
The little meatball, which had been resting with its eyes closed the whole time, woke up at this moment,
revealing the eye in its mouth and fixating on this spherical object.
Thick drool followed, soaking the fur around its mouth completely.
Clank—the Manager set the crystal lightly on a metal tray next to him,
took a monocle from the lining of his suit, and observed carefully:
"Hmm? To have such color and shape... I'm having some regrets.
This crystal could fetch a high price within the Organization. It could even help me to expand and upgrade the cemetery."
After the inspection,
the Manager placed the crystal in his palm, showing it to Yi Chen.
It had the color of white jade,
with a transparency of about 80%,
and inside, one could clearly see some moving green specks,
"I must say, your luck is quite good.
The chance of a crystal being produced from a nascent Patient is less than 5%,
not to mention this crystal's shape and color are top-notch, and its essence is perfectly preserved.
Next, you have three choices.
1. Keep and hide this crystal, and then head to the city where the Organization is located.
Once you become one of its residents, or are granted the status of a Gentleman, you can give the crystal to a local artisan to craft a fine piece of equipment.
2. Similar to the first option, you must become a member of the Organization and sell it through internal channels at a high price.
Or, you can sell it to me directly for 50% of the price, which would mitigate a great deal of risk for you. After all, once seen by others, this crystal will inevitably attract considerable trouble.
3. Swallow the crystal here and now, making it part of your body.
This process carries the risk of death,
but if successful, you will gain the Pathological Characteristic preserved in the crystal... This trait will allow you to live longer in this world and give you a greater chance to pass the assessment and become a member of the Organization.
The third point is also the "requirement" we discussed earlier,
as long as you can swallow it and survive, the little creature on your shoulder will be given to you as the cemetery's parting gift."
Yi Chen did not rush to answer, but appeared to be deep in thought.
"Manager, I have just one question.
If I'm not wrong, this is a byproduct of a Pathogen's crystallization... If I swallow it, I might become infected and turn into something similar to the living dead."
"That's correct, the risk lies there.
If you cannot Combine properly and display any symptoms of illness, I will execute you myself."
"I understand."
Yi Chen carefully took the crystal, feeling the residual heat of the burn on its surface.
He had already made up his mind,
gulp—swallowed it in one gulp.