Chapter Summaries

Yi Chen woke in a sealed cabin after apparently dying and transmigrating into the body of a cemetery gravedigger who left a suicide note. He learned that strict cemetery rules governed his new job and discovered the handbook’s emergency instructions for surviving a workplace disaster.

• Yi Chen woke at a desk in a damp, windowless Wooden Cabin and realized he had died and transmigrated into another body.
• Yi Chen read the previous occupant’s Suicide Note, which said the writer expected to die after breaking the Third Rule and asked that his body be burned rather than buried there.
• Yi Chen found a map showing the cabin at the center of a Cemetery, with six regular Graveyard Plots and an isolated Graveyard Plot 7.
• Yi Chen read the Employee Handbook’s patrol schedule and rules, which warned of deadly consequences for mistakes and described how to handle suspicious graves, noises, and corpses.
• Yi Chen reached the handbook’s final rule, which said that after a work mistake caused disaster, he could retrieve a self-defense tool beneath the bed and try to resolve the problem.

Yi Chen prepared to investigate Graveyard Plot 4, where a rules violation had brought an unknown danger closer. After surveying the cemetery and repairing a broken gravestone in Graveyard Plot 6, he heard a strange voice thank him, unaware that something in the grave had begun watching him.

• Yi Chen found a sharp hand axe beneath the bed and decided to leave the Safe House to restore Graveyard Plot 4.
• Yi Chen memorized the cemetery's maps and rules, put on William Berens's work clothes, and discovered the telephone was unusable.
• Yi Chen entered the cemetery, postponed investigating Graveyard Plot 4, and surveyed the plots to learn the layout and possible escape routes.
• Yi Chen repaired a scattered gravestone in Graveyard Plot 6 and heard a strange voice thank him, but saw nothing when he turned around.
• After Yi Chen left, a mouth emerged from the repaired grave and watched him through the cemetery.

Yi Chen discovered an extra grave in Graveyard Plot 4 and uncovered a corpse rooted into a metal coffin, where it had been draining the graveyard’s vitality. The corpse rose to attack him, and the Iron Gate shut and chained itself, trapping him inside.

• Yi Chen compared Graveyard Plot 4 with the Original Layout Map and found an extra grave marked by a metal cross.
• Yi Chen opened the coffin and found a moss-covered corpse with fungi growing in its empty eye sockets.
• Yi Chen saw roots extending from the corpse into the ground and realized it was draining the graveyard’s vitality.
• A familiar voice warned Yi Chen just before rotten vines burst from the ground and the corpse rose to its feet.
• Yi Chen tried to flee, but the Iron Gate slammed shut and chains trapped him inside Graveyard Plot 4.

Yi Chen hid from the Living Corpse and met the strange resident from Graveyard Plot 6, who revealed that it belonged to the Pet Zone. The creature attached itself to Yi Chen as a second eye, leaving him better equipped to face the corpse Mutant.

• Yi Chen hid behind a tombstone and suspected the organization had locked the cemetery gate to monitor the incident.
• A mouth and eyeball emerged from the mound and told Yi Chen not to stand because the Living Corpse might spot him.
• The creature identified itself as a self-aware resident of the Pet Zone and explained that the graveyards served different functions.
• The creature said it could not fight the Mutant but offered sensory assistance because Yi Chen had repaired its tombstone.
• The creature grafted itself onto Yi Chen's shoulder, giving him a second field of vision and the ability to receive warnings through their neural connection.

Yi Chen used his enhanced vision to locate the Living Corpse’s Pathogen and attacked its tendrils with his Silver-Plated Hand Axe. After severing two tendrils and dodging more, he was caught by tendrils emerging from the ground as the Living Corpse charged toward him.

• Yi Chen asked the Black Flesh Ball how to kill the Living Corpse and learned he needed to destroy the Pathogen on its body.
• Yi Chen threw stones at four protrusions, confirming that the Living Corpse protected the one around its waist and abdomen with its tendrils.
• The Living Corpse destroyed a gravestone and coat, but Yi Chen used the distraction to leap out and sever two tendrils with his Silver-Plated Hand Axe.
• Yi Chen dodged the Living Corpse’s tendril attacks and cut another tendril while the Black Flesh Ball watched in amazement.
• Tendrils erupted from the ground, pierced Yi Chen’s feet, and immobilized him as the Living Corpse charged at him.

Yi Chen fought the Living Corpse in Graveyard Plot 4, enduring severe injuries as he used Vision Enhancement to find openings and strike back. He finally cut open the creature’s vital point, then collapsed with it as his consciousness failed.

• Yi Chen tore himself free from the roots piercing his feet as the Living Corpse charged him.
• Yi Chen stepped toward the Living Corpse to disrupt its attack, then split its head with a two-handed axe blow.
• The Living Corpse regenerated its head and attacked again, while Yi Chen dodged and severed its roots despite worsening injuries.
• Yi Chen’s awareness faltered, and a root struck the Black Flesh Ball, whose deathly stare made the Living Corpse freeze in fear.
• Yi Chen struck the Living Corpse’s protected vital point, cutting open its diseased mass before collapsing beside it.

Yi Chen recovered from his wounds after killing a mutant in Graveyard Plot 4 and brought its corpse to Graveyard Plot 7. There, a mysterious G&D figure identified the infection, sent the corpse for cremation, and invited Yi Chen to talk while they waited.

• Yi Chen woke in the cemetery beside the dead mutant, found that Little Meatball had stitched his wounds, and prepared to deliver the corpse.
• Yi Chen brought the corpse to Graveyard Plot 7, where a mysterious man in a Black Suit identified himself as William Berens and instructed him to push it inside.
• The Mysterious Figure examined the corpse and identified a rare Plant Variant Infection that Yi Chen had eliminated with Silver Infusion.
• Yi Chen hung the corpse on the conveyor belt and sent it into the Cremation Furnace; the Mysterious Figure told him the associated coffins and gravestones would disappear on their own.
• The Mysterious Figure led Yi Chen through a hidden passage to a furnished Basement and offered to talk while the corpse burned.

Yi Chen questioned Wilbert about the Cemetery, Pathogens, and the organization, then learned that a crystal recovered from the Plant Corpse could grant him a Pathogenization Trait. He chose to swallow it despite the risk of infection, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Yi Chen asked Wilbert why the Living Corpse appeared in Graveyard Plot 4, and Wilbert explained that it had formed when a tree became diseased and mimicked a corpse, coffin, and gravestone.
• Wilbert told Yi Chen that the Cemetery operated like a factory whose benefits outweighed its risks, and offered him Little Meatball if he met a requirement after the cremation.
• Yi Chen learned that at least two hundred outside employees had worked at the Cemetery without leaving safely and that the organization was called G&D, for Gentleman and Doctor.
• After the Plant Corpse was cremated, Wilbert extracted a high-quality Orb and offered Yi Chen the choice to keep, sell, or swallow it.
• Yi Chen swallowed the Orb to gain its Pathogenization Trait, knowing Wilbert would execute him if he showed signs of infection.

Yi Chen survived absorbing the crystal’s diseased trait, gained a connection to plant-like growth, and accepted Wilbert’s offer to join the organization. He left Graveyard Plot 7 for Easton Town, while Wilbert revealed that Little Meatball was a costly gamble tied to a rare Consciousness Mature Body.

• Yi Chen absorbed the crystal’s diseased essence, endured its transformation of his blood vessels, and experienced the memories of a plant that had become a Living Corpse.
• Yi Chen recovered, discovered his wounds healing rapidly, and ate several pounds of vegetables as Wilbert confirmed he had accepted the crystal’s diseased trait.
• Wilbert gave Yi Chen a silver Business Card, his unpaid wages, a hand axe, and a kerosene lamp, then invited him to join the organization; Yi Chen agreed because he wanted to see the outside world.
• Wilbert instructed Yi Chen to meet a coachman at Easton Town’s East Exit at noon and to obtain new clothes from a tailor using the Business Card.
• At dawn, Yi Chen bowed toward Graveyard Plot 7 and departed with Little Meatball on his shoulder.
• Wilbert watched Yi Chen leave and wondered whether his investment in Little Meatball was worthwhile, noting that the rare Consciousness Mature Body had appeared alongside a promising candidate.

Yi Chen left the Cemetery and found a polluted, nearly deserted town before visiting Maurice & Sad to buy clothes for his journey. The Boss's Wife recognized his Cemetery origins and Pathogenization, cleaned him up, and outfitted him for the organization's examination.

• Yi Chen stepped into the town and was struck by its foul air, dim sunlight, and shrouded residents.
• The Black Flesh Ball asked for grapes, and Yi Chen agreed to find food after buying clothes.
• Yi Chen entered Maurice & Sad, where the Boss's Wife recognized that Wilbert had sent him and learned he had accepted Pathogenization.
• The Boss's Wife took some of Yi Chen's Silver Coins and told him to wash off the Dead Dust before trying on clothes.
• The Boss's Wife trimmed Yi Chen's hair and beard, then dressed him in a ready-made outfit for his upcoming journey.

Yi Chen left Easton Town by carriage and crossed a dangerous Grey Zone on his way to the organization's assessment. After helping deal with an infected passenger, he reached the terminal, where the coachman warned him to prepare to survive the test.

• The Boss's Wife gave Yi Chen a temporary outfit and explained that passing the organization's assessment would earn him a full custom outfit.
• Yi Chen bought thirteen pig eyes and cow eyes for the Black Flesh Ball, named it Little Grape, and hurried to the town entrance.
• Yi Chen boarded the carriage with Little Grape and fell asleep as it set off from Easton Town.
• The coachman sealed the carriage before it entered the Grey Zone and warned passengers to remain still and watch for infection.
• An elderly woman became infected, but the coachman shot the pathogen abscess in her throat before Yi Chen could strike with his Silver Axe.
• Yi Chen packed the corpse into a burlap sack and placed it in the carriage's floor compartment; after the carriage crossed the Grey Zone, he got off at the terminal and heard the coachman's warning about the assessment.

Yi Chen arrived in Green Lake Town to await the organization’s examination, but the town’s pleasant appearance unsettled him. He checked into the eerie Green Shade Inn and found a heavily locked room at the end of the hall, which the Boss said housed his ill sister.

• Yi Chen recovered by eating plants, then learned from the coachman that examinees would wait three days in Green Lake Town before being escorted to headquarters.
• Edmund invited Yi Chen to join his group, but Yi Chen declined after Little Grape warned him against teaming up with strangers.
• Yi Chen grew increasingly uneasy as he walked through Green Lake Town and decided the Green Shade Inn might be connected to the town’s secret.
• Yi Chen rented a room at the inn and noticed Room 0213 at the end of the second-floor corridor was covered in locks and black mold.
• The Boss warned Yi Chen not to approach Room 0213 because his seriously ill younger sister lived there and feared strangers.

Yi Chen arrived in Green Lake Town for the assessment and found suspicious rules in a tourist brochure. As he investigated the Green Shade Inn, Little Grape sensed a serious infection there and warned of a greater threat deeper in town.

• Professor Chamberson and Teacher Sman observed the assessment and discussed Yi Chen, who had been recommended by Wilbert Astorga.
• Yi Chen entered room #0206 at the Green Shade Inn and inspected its damp, neglected interior.
• Yi Chen read the brochure's rules about boats, green water, and the nightly bonfire party.
• Little Grape explained that rules could reduce the risk of infection but could not eliminate danger.
• Yi Chen asked Little Grape to investigate the inn, and it sensed a serious infection and warned of a greater threat in town.

Yi Chen avoided Green Lake Town’s bonfire party and investigated the lakeshore, where he sensed something living beneath the water. After a magistrate tried to shove him into the lake, Yi Chen threw the man in instead and returned to the inn.

• Boss warned Yi Chen that Green Lake Town was dangerous, told him not to attend town events or drink or touch its water, and suggested he investigate the lakeshore.
• After Yi Chen left, a scaled arm reached through a compartment in the locked room and took the rotten fish Boss had left there.
• Yi Chen explored the deserted lakeshore, declined a night cruise, and used a root from his Diseased Trait to collect a lake-water sample and probe beneath the surface.
• A magistrate searched Yi Chen and then shoved him toward the lake, but Yi Chen seized him and threw him into the water.
• The magistrate sank beneath the lake without struggling, and Yi Chen hurried back to the inn.

Yi Chen examined parasites in Green Lake’s water and concluded that the town’s disease was escalating, while other examinees began fighting its diseased residents. The chapter left a long-haired Dark Shadow crawling into Yi Chen’s room after an arm unlocked his door.

• Yi Chen found dense fish-scale tissue on the sheriff and used enhanced vision to discover parasites and glowing eggs in the lake water.
• Little Grape drank the lake water, sensed that a Consciousness Entity controlled the parasites, and suggested finding it later.
• Yi Chen watched the festival end, reasoned that Green Lake’s threat would grow over the next three days, and went to sleep.
• Edmund and his companions killed diseased townspeople and suspected the Town Chief and security bureau, while other examinees also began attacking or capturing diseased residents.
• As deaths unsettled the townspeople, a scaled arm unlocked Yi Chen’s door, and a long-haired Dark Shadow crawled into his room.

Yi Chen survived a night visit from Kadesi, whose saliva briefly caused fish scales to grow on his face before his Diseased Trait expelled them. The next day, he joined Edmund and his teammates for a lake tour, where the staff laid out rules for the trip.

• Yi Chen hid in his room as Kadesi entered, climbed across the ceiling, and licked his face, but the Boss stopped her before she attacked him.
• Yi Chen discovered fish scales spreading across his cheeks, and sprouts from his Diseased Trait pushed them out; Little Grape remarked that Kadesi had resisted her instinct to infect him.
• The Boss brought Yi Chen a complimentary roasted fish and reminded him to hurry if he intended to investigate the town.
• Yi Chen joined the crowded lake-tour line, where Edmund quietly checked returning tourists for signs of infection and said the trip seemed safe.
• Yi Chen boarded a pedal boat with Edmund and his teammates, and a staff member warned them not to answer strange voices, touch the water, or expect rescue if anyone fell in.

Yi Chen and Edmund’s group crossed Green Lake, where a lake creature dragged the boat’s staff member underwater and Diseased Mermaids attacked. They reached shore after fighting them off, where Yi Chen recognized the corpse caught in the boat as the sheriff he had thrown into the lake.

• Edmund introduced Dagobert and Julianna to Yi Chen as they pedaled across Green Lake.
• Yi Chen used Little Grape to see black hair wrapped around the boat’s oar and a swollen corpse beneath it.
• The staff member tried to clear the hair but was seized and pulled into the lake; Edmund revealed that his group had killed diseased townspeople the previous night.
• Dagobert rowed with his greatsword as Strange Fishmen emerged, and Edmund, Julianna, and Yi Chen fought off nearly twenty Diseased Mermaids.
• The boat reached shore with the corpse still tangled in the oar, and Yi Chen recognized it as the sheriff he had thrown into the lake.

After escaping the mermaids, Yi Chen dissected a drowned police officer and discovered signs of failed bodily evolution linked to Fish Scale Disease in Green Lake Town. He tested his resistance to lake water, but later awoke to anguished cries and a strange red liquid spilling from Sister's Room, where the inn Boss called for help.

• Edmund and the others escaped to shore, and Yi Chen took the drowned police officer's corpse back to the inn for study.
• Edmund warned his companions that Yi Chen's Plant-type diseased trait could make him a sought-after Doctor and a rival for an assessment slot.
• Yi Chen dissected the corpse and found mucus-filled cavities, displaced organs, and sharp bone growths that suggested a failed evolution.
• Yi Chen buried the remains, tested his resistance to lake water in a bath, and went to sleep.
• Yi Chen awoke to anguished cries from Sister's Room and saw cold, fishy-smelling red liquid flowing into the corridor.
• The inn Boss told Yi Chen to stay away or come inside and help.

Yi Chen used his plant abilities to remove the remaining fish scales from Boss's sister and stop her bleeding, helping her survive the transformation into a Sick One. After resting, he woke at night and found Boss and her healed sister waiting at dinner.

• Yi Chen entered Sister's Room and saw Boss removing the living fish scales from Sister in the bathtub.
• Yi Chen used roots to remove Sister's remaining scales and stop her bleeding while Little Grape warned him about the dangers of her transformation.
• After eight hours, Boss immersed Sister in the bathtub and thanked Yi Chen before sending him to rest.
• Yi Chen woke at sunset, found the corridor dark, and went downstairs toward the smell of food.
• Yi Chen saw Boss and her now human-looking sister at dinner, and Boss invited him to eat.

Yi Chen learned that Green Lake Town’s diseased residents were carrying out a purge against outsiders, while Boss offered him a route to the Root of Disease beneath the lake. After weighing the risk and Little Grape’s advice, Yi Chen decided to trust it and take the chance to confront the Root.

• Yi Chen explained his theory that infection progressed through three stages, ending with the diseased returning to the surface with sound consciousness.
• Boss revealed that the Town Chief had ordered a purge of tourists who had avoided infection, but promised Yi Chen safety inside the inn.
• Little Grape demanded useful information and assistance, prompting Boss to offer a plan to disguise Yi Chen and his companions as sacrifices and lead them to the Root of Disease beneath the lake.
• Boss explained that destroying the Root could free her and Kadesi from Green Lake Town, and Yi Chen asked for five minutes to consider the offer.
• Little Grape urged Yi Chen to take the opportunity, and Yi Chen recalled its help in the Cemetery before deciding to trust it and pursue the Root.