Chapter 3: Entities that Transcend Cognition

[4]

Standard Arabic numerals, engraved above the stone archway.

The iron gate, with its perforations, embossed patterns, and spiky top, was being slowly pushed open.

Adjacent to the gate was a wooden cart, a metal shovel, a rope, and sacks for repairs, alterations, or leveling of the cemetery.

Yi Chen placed the axe and kerosene lamp on the cart as well,

inhaling deeply,

he pushed the wooden cart.

As the wheels of the cart rolled into the cemetery soil, no danger assailed him, contrary to his expectations.

Upon entering graveyard number 4, Yi Chen looked around,

At first glance,

he saw neither any roaming 'monsters'

nor anything particularly strange,

Compared to other graveyards, this one felt 'by the book',

with appropriate temperature and humidity,

firm soil with few weeds,

and a fitting proportion of open ground, graves, and vegetation.

However,

there were two peculiar areas worth noting.

1. The vegetation here, especially the trees on the edges, gave off a wilted, brittle impression... The leaves had fallen in clumps, unlike the lush branches in the other graveyards.

2. This graveyard housed more than sixty graves, more than any other,

and there was no 'uniformity' in the style of the headstones; there was a variety of designs,

made of stone, wood, and even metal,

rectangular, arched, cross-shaped,

disorderly, like a Chaotic Burial Zone,

Yi Chen maneuvered the cart among the graves,

paying close attention to every area he passed, further confirming the absence of 'foreign objects' before relaxing his taut nerves slightly.

Subsequently,

he pulled up the 'original distribution map' from his brain, comparing it to the current layout of the cemetery, trying to find discrepancies in the number and order.

Having a background in engineering,

he was quite skilled at this kind of 'spot the difference' task, and soon arrived at a chilling conclusion.

[An extra grave]

This superfluous grave was located deeper in,

with a cross-shaped metal headstone embedded in the ground,

the mound of the grave rising consistently with its surroundings,

As Yi Chen eyed this additional grave, he mused:

"Following the rulebook, the excess mound must be completely flattened.

If there is a body interred within,

according to Rule V, transferring it to the designated graveyard number 7 for unknown corpses should be feasible.

However... things are surely not that simple, otherwise the former master of this body wouldn't have chosen suicide. I must proceed with caution."

After ensuring nothing was out of the ordinary, he began his work in earnest.

He did not tamper with the metal cross,

believing such a symbol of sanctity might serve to suppress evil entities.

Picking up the iron shovel from the cart, he aimed at the raised mound of earth... schick!

Back in the orphanage, he frequently helped with various farming tasks in the backyard and was fairly adept with a shovel,

Clang!

Until a loud metallic ringing echoed,

under the light of the kerosene lamp, part of the coffin's lid was revealed.

"A metal coffin?"

After shoveling away the surface layer of soil,

the pitch-black hexagonal lid, perfectly sealed without any sign of having been opened, became visible.

Determined to solve the problem and clean up the mess,

Yi Chen quickly found an effective point of leverage before the metallic coffin.

Tapping it lightly,

creeeaaak!

The sound of the lid being pried open pierced the silence of the graveyard like a needle, in an instant.

The light from the kerosene lamp rushed into the gap, eager to reveal the specifics within.

"What's this..."

A naked adult male corpse,

its skin completely greenish, with rotting veins forming marble-like patterns and covered in livor mortis... also enveloped by a significant amount of mossy growth.

Where there should have been eyes, only fungal colonies existed,

with their slightly wriggling caps resembling insect compound eyes.

"Moss, fungi?

How could these things grow inside a completely sealed metal coffin?"

Simultaneously perplexed,

Yi Chen also noticed another peculiar detail.

The body's palms, lying flat on either side,

had nails that had fallen off,

and from the surface of the nail beds, thread-like roots grew, extending to the bottom of the coffin.

It gave the impression that the body was 'stuck' to the bottom of the coffin.

An indescribable strangeness took root in Yi Chen's heart, even igniting a sense of fear, prompting him to abandon the thought of 'transferring the body',

He grabbed the kerosene lamp, trying to throw it at the corpse,

to give this bizarre body an 'on-site cremation.'

The thought had formed, and his right hand started to make the throwing motion downward...

However,

just as the kerosene lamp was about to leave his hand,

the image guided by the lighthouse flashed through his mind,

and an intuition born from his brain told Yi Chen that the kerosene lamp, as the only light source in the graveyard, must not be destroyed.

With a background in engineering, Yi Chen highly valued and understood the meaning of so-called intuition.

"Intuition"

is the result of the brain collecting environmental factors at superfast speed in certain situations, integrating all memory data, including subconscious information, and conducting a comprehensive analysis.

Since self-awareness cannot keep up with this process, it gives one the impression of a thought that springs forth instantly.

Some people don't take it seriously,

however, it often turns out to be a correct and effective analytical result.

Such intuition kept the kerosene lamp in his hand, and he did not throw it.

"The only source of light... I can't yet be certain what the real 'danger' is.

If the entire graveyard is problematic, losing my light source could lead to being instantly devoured by the darkness here.

I should stick to the original plan and transfer the corpse."

Yi Chen slapped his cheeks with his hand to heighten his concentration.

He picked up the iron shovel again,

slipped it against the coffin's side,

and attempted to pry the body up, switching it to a "sitting position"... that way, it would be easier to transport the entire body out.

However,

something even stranger happened,

the prying process was extremely difficult, and with great effort, the body was pried up less than two fingers' breadth.

Through the gap created,

Yi Chen saw a creepy image he would never forget...

Thick and thin roots in large numbers were growing out of the body's back.

These roots had already pierced through the bottom of the coffin and extended deep into the ground.

Pulsating,

sucking,

extracting,

the nutrients from below the ground.

This terrifying scene immediately made Yi Chen think of the withered and decayed trees in the No. 4 Graveyard,

"This guy is drawing the 'life force' of the graveyard!"

At the same moment,

a familiar warning sound came from the outskirts of the graveyard,

§Be careful§

This voice, identical to the thanks heard previously in Graveyard No. 6, was highly distinctive.

Because of his heightened concentration,

the unexpected warning caused Yi Chen to instinctively roll backward, creating a distance of over a meter,

At the spot where he had just been standing, the ground was now covered with rotting vines... if he hadn't rolled away, his feet would probably be ensnared and dragged into the coffin.

Immediately after,

Creak creak~

supported by numerous roots,

the corpse in the coffin stood up,

The roots that had burrowed into the ground were all pulled out, their lengths varying from 30cm to 100cm, swaying behind its back.

The fungal caps within the corpse's eye sockets gathered together, forming something resembling eyes,

and stared straight into Yi Chen's eyes.

In that moment of eye contact,

Yi Chen immediately understood why the owner of this body – William Behrens – chose not to fight to the death but rather to commit suicide.

The agony of dying by poison, compared to being killed by a monster or even being drained of nutrients and eaten alive, was indeed far more comfortable.

≮No way I can beat it≯

If it were just a zombie from a sci-fi movie, Yi Chen believed he could still take it head-on.

But the animated corpse in front of him,

had far transcended his understanding,

facing such an unknown entity, if he acted rashly... he might be instantly killed the next second.

Run!

Without any hesitation,

he hung the kerosene lamp on his belt hook and bolted.

In his mind, he also conceived the best detour route.

"I must take time to circle around and observe, to understand some of its traits... I can't rush! Calm down, maintain a normal breathing rate!"

Just as he was about to slip out of Graveyard No. 4,

Clang!

Without any warning,

the iron gate, over three meters tall, suddenly slammed shut,

In his sprinting state, Yi Chen kicked the iron door fiercely... Bang!

The tightly closed door didn't budge, trapping him inside completely.

Watching the iron chains wrapped around the gate from the outside at some unknown point,

Yi Chen couldn't help but curse in his mother tongue.