Beyond Comprehension

[4]

Standard Arabic numerals were carved into the stone arch.

The iron gate, with its hollowed patterns, floral engravings, and spiked top, was slowly pushed open.

Beside the gate sat a wooden cart, an iron shovel, a hemp rope, and a sack—tools for repairing, altering, or leveling graves.

Yi Chen placed the axe and kerosene lamp onto the cart as well.

Hoo~ He took a deep breath.

Pushing the wooden cart forward, When the cart's wheels pressed into the graveyard's soil, no danger struck as he had anticipated.

Yi Chen also looked around as he stepped into Graveyard Plot 4.

At a rough glance, He neither spotted any 'monsters' wandering about, Nor anything unusual.

Compared to other plots, this place felt 'standard.'

Pleasant temperature and humidity, Firm soil with few weeds, The ratio of open space, graves, and vegetation was just right.

However, Two peculiar points stood out.

1. The vegetation here, especially the trees along the edges, gave a withered, brittle feel, as if they could snap at any moment... The leaves were falling in patches, unlike the lush branches of other plots.

2. The number of graves here exceeded sixty, more than any other plot.

And the gravestones weren't 'uniform'—all kinds existed.

Stone, wood, and even metal, Rectangular, arched, cross-shaped, A chaotic mess like a burial zone.

Yi Chen pushed the wooden cart through the graveyard, Carefully observing every area he passed. After further confirming the absence of any 'foreign objects,' his tense nerves relaxed slightly.

Then, He pulled up the 'Original Layout Map' from his mind, comparing it to the graveyard before him, trying to spot differences in number and order.

After all, he had an engineering background, He was quite good at this kind of 'spot the difference' and quickly found the answer—one that sent a chill down his spine.

[One extra grave]

This extra grave lay deeper in, A cross-shaped metal gravestone stuck into the ground, The mound's height matched the surrounding ones.

Staring at this extra grave, Yi Chen thought:

'According to the rule explanation, I need to completely level the extra mound.

If there's a corpse buried inside, Per Rule V, moving it to Graveyard Plot 7, which accepts unknown bodies, should be feasible.

But... things can't be that simple, or the original owner of this body wouldn't have chosen suicide. I have to be careful.'

After confirming no abnormalities nearby, he officially began.

He didn't touch the metal cross.

In his view, this sacred cross might serve to suppress evil entities.

He grabbed the iron shovel from the cart and aimed at the raised mound... Chop!

Back when he lived at the orphanage, he often helped with farm work in the backyard, so using the shovel came naturally.

Clang!

Until a loud metallic clang rang out, Under the glow of the kerosene lamp, part of the coffin lid was revealed.

"A metal coffin?"

He shoveled away the surface layer of soil, A pitch-black hexagonal coffin lid, sealed tightly to the coffin body, showed no signs of having been opened.

Having resolved to tackle the problem and clean up the mess, Yi Chen faced the metal coffin before him and immediately found an effective fulcrum.

He tried to pry it open.

Crack!

The sound of the coffin lid being pried open pierced the cemetery's silent veil like a sharp spike.

The light from the kerosene lamp eagerly squeezed inside, revealing the coffin's contents.

"This is..."

The naked corpse of an adult male.

His skin was completely green, with decayed veins forming marble-like patterns, covered in lividity... and also a thick layer of moss.

The eyeballs in their sockets were long gone, replaced by fungal clusters.

These slightly wriggling mushroom caps resembled the compound eyes of an insect.

"Moss, fungi?

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

As he wondered, Yi Chen noticed another detail.

The corpse's hands lay flat at its sides.

Its fingernails had fallen off, And on the surface of the nail beds, thin, long root-like tendrils had grown, extending down to the coffin's bottom.

It gave the impression of being 'stuck' to the coffin floor.

An indescribable sense of strangeness sprouted in Yi Chen's heart, even stirring fear and making him abandon the idea of 'relocating the corpse'.

He grabbed the kerosene lamp, ready to toss it inside, To give this bizarre corpse an 'on-site cremation'.

The thought formed, and his right hand made a throwing motion...

But, Just as the lamp was about to leave his hand, An image of a lighthouse flashed through his mind.

An instinct born in his brain told Yi Chen that the kerosene lamp, the only light source in the cemetery, absolutely could not be destroyed.

As an engineering graduate, Yi Chen valued and understood the meaning of so-called instinct.

[Instinct]

Was the result of the brain, under some trigger, rapidly collecting environmental factors, integrating all memory data—including subconscious information—and analyzing it comprehensively.

Since self-awareness couldn't keep up with this process, it felt like a sudden flash.

Some people dismissed it, But often, it was a correct and effective analytical result.

This instinct kept the kerosene lamp in his hand, unthrown.

"The only light source... I still can't determine what the real 'danger' is.

If the entire cemetery is problematic, losing the light might mean being instantly swallowed by the darkness here.

I'd better stick to the original plan and transfer the corpse."

Yi Chen slapped his cheeks to sharpen his focus.

He picked up the iron shovel again, Slipped it along the coffin wall inside, And tried to pry the corpse up, changing it to a [sitting position]... That would make it easier to haul the whole body out.

But, Something even stranger happened.

The prying process was extremely difficult; he barely managed to lift the corpse less than two fingers' width.

Through the gap he'd pried open, Yi Chen saw a bizarre scene he would never forget...

The corpse's back was covered in dense root-like tendrils of varying thickness.

These roots had already pierced through the coffin's bottom, burrowing deep.

They pulsed, Sucking.

It was draining nutrients from the ground below.

This ghastly scene immediately reminded Yi Chen of the withered, decaying trees in Graveyard Plot 4.

"This guy is sucking the 'vitality' out of the graveyard!"

At that very moment, a familiar warning sound came from the edge of the cemetery.

§Watch out§

This voice was identical to the thanks he'd heard earlier in Graveyard Plot 6—highly distinctive.

Because his mind was razor-focused, the sudden warning sound made Yi Chen instinctively roll backward, putting about a meter of distance between himself and his original spot.

On the ground where he'd just been standing, rotting vines had already emerged... If he hadn't dodged with that roll, his feet would have been entangled and he'd have been dragged into the coffin.

Immediately after, Creak, creak~

Supported by a network of roots, the corpse inside the coffin stood up.

The roots buried in the ground all pulled free, ranging from 30cm to 100cm in length, swaying behind its back.

The fungal caps in the corpse's eye sockets gathered together, forming something like the shape of eyeballs, staring straight into Yi Chen's eyes.

In that moment of eye contact, Yi Chen instantly understood why the owner of this body—William Berens—had chosen suicide over a desperate fight.

The pain of dying from poison was indeed far more comfortable than being killed by a monster, or even having your nutrients drained and being eaten alive.

≮No way to win≯

If this were just a zombie from a sci-fi movie, Yi Chen figured he could still go head-to-head.

But the living corpse before him

far exceeded his understanding.

Facing such an unknown entity, if he charged in recklessly... the next second, he could be instantly killed.

Run!

Without a moment's hesitation, he hung the Kerosene Lamp on the leather loop at his waist and bolted.

In his mind, he also mapped out the best route for evasion.

'I need to take time to circle around and observe, figure out some of its traits... Don't rush! Calm down, keep a normal breathing rhythm!'

Just as he was about to slip out of Graveyard Plot 4, Clang!

Without any warning, the Iron Gate, about three meters tall, slammed shut.

In the middle of his sprint, Yi Chen kicked the iron door hard... DONG!

The tightly shut gate didn't budge an inch, completely sealing him inside.

Staring at the iron chain wrapped around the gate—he had no idea when it had gotten there—

Yi Chen couldn't help but blurt out a string of curses.

The work is under contract. Offerings needed, offerings needed, offerings needed~

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