Requirement

The fireplace room was built of red brick, the burning firewood like an elder on the verge of exhausting its life, letting out final groans in a hoarse, faint voice.

Yi Chen sat across from the mysterious figure on a tea-colored hard-skinned sofa, a steaming cup of ginger tea in his hand—this stuff was effective at dispelling the chill that had accumulated in his body from years of living in the graveyard.

"Your elegant performance has earned you the chance to sit and talk with me here.

As an external laborer, you must have many questions in your heart... Don't hold back, just chat about anything."

"How should I address you?"

"Just call me Wilbert. I'm in charge of this Seven-Day Graveyard."

Just as Yi Chen had guessed, this was the Administrator mentioned in the handbook.

"I want to know how a corpse suddenly appeared out of nowhere in Graveyard Plot 4.

If a body was brought into the graveyard from outside, there would have to be a transport and burial process—shouldn't that be easy to spot?"

Yi Chen started with the small issue directly in front of him, trying to open the conversation between them. If possible, he would then ask about the basic situation of this world.

"That 'corpse' you killed didn't come from outside—it was generated by the graveyard itself."

"Generated by itself?"

"Graveyard Plot 4 is the area with the most corpses and the most variety.

Such chaos easily attracts 'disease.'

The living corpse you killed is a product of the trees' pathological mutation... Since it formed within the graveyard, it naturally tends to undergo 'Morphological Evolution' using the corpses here."

Having gotten an answer, Yi Chen's doubts only multiplied. "The trees, after catching the disease, take on the form of corpses? Then where did the matching coffin and tombstone come from?"

"'Concealment and Mimicry' is what Pathogens excel at—they blend into the environment with nearly perfect imitation... By the time they're discovered, the disease has already spread.

Still, their mimicry isn't absolutely flawless.

Once you become a gentleman in the organization, you'll naturally learn the methods to identify them."

Yi Chen's face was full of surprise. "Are you saying that metal coffin and tombstone were both simulated by the Pathogen?"

"That's right. That's just the most basic form of mimicry.

You haven't yet seen a Pathogen disguised as a village, a cave, or even a mountain range."

Though Wilbert's words were brief, they painted a picture in Yi Chen's mind of a terminal world completely consumed by disease.

But, a faint smile curled at the corner of Yi Chen's mouth—a smile full of anticipation and a thirst for discovery.

He took a sip of the ginger tea and said softly:

"This world... is it sick?"

"That's right. The fact that we can sit here drinking tea and having a normal conversation is already a luxury for most people.

The situation 'outside' is far worse than you imagine.

But topics about the outside world aren't something we should discuss now—that's for your subsequent investigation."

Seeing the topic steered back, Yi Chen didn't press further and continued asking about the graveyard.

"I still have some questions about the graveyard.

The employee handbook records many rule-based requirements, which should all be used to determine whether something is 'infected.'

From the looks of it, the entire graveyard seems prone to anomalies and disease outbreaks... If it's known these corpses might cause trouble, why not just cremate them directly instead of building this graveyard?"

"The reason is simple:

the 'benefit' generated here outweighs the 'risk' that must be borne.

You can think of the entire graveyard as a large factory.

For example, that little guy on your shoulder is a nearly perfect 'product.' It can effectively help us fight against Pathogens."

"I see."

Yi Chen had already witnessed Little Meatball's 'ability.'

Without Vision Enhancement, he would never have been able to face a living corpse head-on.

The Administrator continued:

"By rights, this little guy is the organization's property.

But I'm in a very good mood today, and I'm pleased to see such an interesting newcomer like you.

If you can meet one condition, I'll 'quietly' give this little guy to you."

"What condition?"

A straightforward man speaks plainly—Yi Chen very much wanted that little meatball.

"You'll know once the cremation is over."

Next, Yi Chen asked about every area of the cemetery in detail, learning that before him, at least two hundred externally hired employees had worked here, and not a single one had managed to leave the cemetery safely.

He also obtained one crucial piece of information.

The organization's mark was G&D, full name Gentleman & Doctor.

However, regarding other matters of the organization, world intelligence, and the cause of Pathogenization, the Administrator did not elaborate.

According to him, these were things Yi Chen would need to explore on his own out in the world.

Verbal explanations were a waste of time and utterly meaningless.

Time passed quickly.

The Administrator rolled back his sleeve and glanced at his watch.

"The cremation should be about done. Follow me."

Returning to the sweltering, intensely smoky Cremation Area, when he opened the metal door of the incinerator, the Plant Corpse Yi Chen had slain was mostly carbonized, yet still retained a relatively intact form.

Out of the furnace, onto the tray, and sent to the Surgery Room.

The Administrator fetched a large pair of tweezers and, from the corpse's waist and abdomen, extracted a crystal-clear, spherical crystal about the size of a ping-pong ball.

The Little Meatball, which had been resting with its eyes closed the whole time, woke up at that moment, revealing the eyeball inside its mouth, Staring At this Orb with deadly focus.

Thick saliva also flowed out, soaking all the fur around its mouth.

Ding~ The Administrator gently placed the orb on a metal tray nearby, took a monocle from the inner lining of his suit, and observed carefully:

"Hmm? To have such quality and shape... I'm starting to regret this.

This thing could sell for a high price within the organization. It might even help me expand and upgrade the cemetery."

After finishing his inspection, the Administrator placed the orb in his palm and showed it In Front Of Yi Chen.

It was a milky white color, about 80% transparency, and inside, some drifting green specks of light were clearly visible.

"Not to mention, your luck is really quite good.

The probability of an Initial State Patient producing a 'Crystal' like this is less than 5%, Not to mention that this Crystal is top-tier in both shape and quality, with its internal essence perfectly preserved.

Now, you have three choices.

1. Store and hide this Crystal, then head to the city where the organization is based.

Once you become a resident there, or are granted Gentleman Status, hand the Orb over to a local craftsman to forge a decent piece of equipment.

2. Same method as above—you need to become a member of the organization first, then sell it at a high price through internal channels.

Or sell it directly to me at 50% of the price, which will save you a lot of risk. After all, if anyone else sees this orb, it will inevitably cause considerable trouble.

3. Swallow the Crystal right here, on the spot, making it a part of your body.

This process carries the risk of death.

If you succeed, you will obtain the 'Pathogenization Trait' preserved within the Crystal... This trait will allow you to survive longer in this world and give you a better chance of passing the assessment to 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 fellow on your shoulder will be a farewell gift from the cemetery."

Yi Chen did not answer hastily, but wore a thoughtful expression.

"Administrator, I have only one question.

If I'm not mistaken, this thing is a crystalline product of a Pathogen... If I swallow it, I might contract the disease and end up looking like a Living Corpse."

"That's right, that's where the risk lies.

If you fail to integrate properly and show any symptoms of infection, I will execute you with my own hands."

"I know."

Yi Chen carefully took the Crystal, feeling the residual burning warmth on its surface.

He had already made up his mind in his heart.

Gulp~ He swallowed it in one go.