Leaving

Perhaps because it was his first time swallowing something as hard as a ping-pong ball, perhaps because what came next would determine life or death, or perhaps because of the sensory enhancement brought by Little Meatball, Yi Chen could clearly feel the digestive reactions taking place in his stomach.

The crystal's surface, smooth as an embryo, bubbled and decomposed under the erosion of gastric acid... These digested layers turned into nutrients absorbed by the stomach wall, eventually exposing the diseased substance at the crystal's core—

a "Green Strip" somewhere between a roundworm and a root.

It entered the intestines through the stomach, was broken down and absorbed by digestive enzymes and bile, then flowed into the bloodstream.

In an instant, the blood throughout Yi Chen's body glowed fluorescent green.

The structure of his blood vessel walls was undergoing a "Secondary Growth" exclusive to plants—a kind of nesting and combination similar to plant vascular bundles intertwining with blood vessels.

The entire process was excruciating, as if his blood vessels were being peeled away from the rest of his body, far surpassing the intense pain from when his foot was pierced and pulled out.

Just as his consciousness was about to be shattered by this agony, the Diseased Trait essence mixed in his blood flowed into his Deep Brain, carrying his thoughts into a strange memory of the past.

This was a fragmentary signal memory stored within plant cells, integrated and processed by Yi Chen's brain, then projected into his memory zone for a "firsthand experience."

He could feel a tree undergoing the entire process of seed germination, seedling growth, and trunk formation.

He experienced the subtle sensation of roots growing underground, sucking moisture from deep soil, and forming symbiotic structures with soil bacteria.

He felt the unique photosynthesis between plant cells, breathing in carbon dioxide from the air.

He went through phased transformations—Primary Growth and Secondary Growth—building a complete, robust plant system, becoming a silent guardian of the graveyard.

Until finally, he was infected by an unknown pathogen, mimicking a Living Corpse through mimicry.

What Yi Chen himself did not know was that while he was reading this plant memory, his physical body lying in the operating room was undergoing strange changes.

Tender green stems sprouted from his pores, creeping out along his cuffs, collar, or waistband.

Wriggling hyphae emerged from the gaps of his lips, his nostrils, and his ear canals.

His wide-open eyes were stained green, pupils dilating and contracting erratically.

This state lasted for an unknown amount of time.

When the memory reading ended and his thoughts returned to reality, "Did I survive?"

Yi Chen quickly checked his entire body, finding no traces of bark or branch structures (they had already retracted into his body)... His body was still the same as before, only vaguely feeling that his physical fitness seemed to have improved somewhat.

The graveyard's administrator, Mr. Wilbert, showed a satisfied smile.

"I knew you could do it."

He seemed to have anticipated Yi Chen's survival.

He brought over pre-prepared, unprocessed vegetarian food.

When Yi Chen saw these vegetables, it was like a homeless man laying eyes on a feast. He devoured them without any regard for appearances, eating a full five or six jin of vegetarian food.

During the meal, the wounds from his earlier fight with the Living Corpse healed at a visible rate, and the villi sutures provided by Little Meatball were covered over by new flesh.

Yi Chen muttered, "My body... has undergone some kind of change."

The administrator explained, "That's right. You've perfectly accepted the 'Diseased Trait' within the crystal. As for what specific changes it has brought to your body, you'll need to explore on your own.

Once you officially become a member of the organization, you'll be able to look up this trait in detail."

As he spoke, the administrator took out a special metal business card from his pocket, entirely silver.

The back was engraved with the organization's G&D emblem.

The front bore the words [Seven-Day] in a flowing, slanted italic font, representing the current Seven-Day Graveyard.

As he handed over the card, he added, "Since you've met the 'requirements,' the little guy on your shoulder is yours to keep.

Just be aware—if anyone asks about this little one's origins, you can choose to ignore them.

If necessary, just show this card. It'll save you a lot of trouble."

The world is diseased, so even healthy creatures become suspicious and avoid trouble when traveling alone."

"Thank you."

Just as Yi Chen took the card, Wilbert suddenly remembered an important question.

"It seems I haven't asked for your consent yet, and I've already started guiding you to join the organization on my own.

Let's start over... Do you want to become a member of the organization?

If your desire isn't strong or you feel resistant, you can continue working at the graveyard. When your contract period ends, you'll receive a generous salary."

Yi Chen answered without any hesitation:

"I want to see the world outside."

"Good.

Tomorrow at noon, head to the east exit of the town.

Show the business card to the coachman, and he will naturally take you to the area related to the organization."

With that, the Administrator tossed over a small linen pouch clinking with heavy coins, "This is your overdue wages from the past few months and the special bonus for this incident.

Since your work clothes were damaged in the battle, before you leave, remember to visit the highest-end clothing store in Easton Town... Show the business card to the boss, and she will make you a set of high-quality attire befitting your status.

The organization has certain requirements for a person's attire and appearance.

Don't discard the gentlemanly etiquette you learned at the orphanage... Elegant habits can effectively block the influence of disease on the mind."

"Got it. Um..."

Yi Chen looked reluctantly at the silver-plated hand axe in his hand. The craftsmanship of this axe, as well as the disease-removal effect brought by the silver, were both quite good.

The Administrator waved his hand, "Take this basic weapon from the Organization Craftsman, along with the specially made long-lasting kerosene lamp. The journey to the organization won't be smooth, so a light source and a sharp weapon are essential."

"Thank you."

There wasn't much time left until the next morning.

After saying goodbye, Yi Chen returned to the wooden cabin to sleep and rest.

By the time the thin sunlight pierced through layers of mist and squeezed through the narrow gaps between branches into the graveyard, the young man, with the kerosene lamp and hand axe stored at his waist, bowed deeply toward Graveyard Plot 7 and set off...

Correspondingly, at the entrance of Graveyard Plot 7, the Graveyard Administrator, Wilbert, stared with crow-like eyes through the buildings and trees of the graveyard, watching the young man's departing figure, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

He seemed extremely reluctant to part with a certain 'item' the young man had taken.

It wasn't the high-quality [Crystal] taken from the corpse, but an important product of the graveyard—the little meatball stuck to Yi Chen's shoulder.

"I wonder if such an expensive investment is worth it.

A 'Consciousness Mature Body' from the Nameless Graveyard hasn't appeared in over a hundred years, has it?

And it coincidentally appears at the same time as a Potential Person who can kill a living corpse and accept a crystal.

Coincidence? Or some kind of synchronicity?

Forget it... Let's just treat it as a big gamble."

In his conversation with Yi Chen yesterday, the Administrator deliberately didn't go into detail about this little meatball, simply glossing over it as a "pet" or "graveyard product."

Moreover, what Yi Chen didn't know was that

the division of graveyard plots not only corresponds to differences in corpse types, rule management, and tombstone styles, but the [order] of Plots 1 through 6 also holds significant meaning.

As the plot number increases, the cycle for producing corresponding 'products' grows substantially longer, and the complexity and danger of the corpses buried within also escalate step by step.

In other words, those [Nameless Strange Corpses] buried in Graveyard Plot 6, with no names and unknown origins, are the most dangerous.