The Gentleman at the End

Chapter 153: Chapter 152 Corpse Retriever

The Cold Lake Cemetery workers are more aptly defined as “corpse retrievers.”

Unlike the Seven-Day Cemetery, which is divided into seven sections, each with different rules,

here there is just one primary burial site – Cold Lake – while the surrounding shores are used to store ‘seconds’ without overly strict requirements.

However, Cold Lake itself, as the core of the cemetery, has comparatively complex rules,

beginning with the division of regions:

[Outer Ring] Lake water temperature greater than or equal to -10℃, the outer ring area can bury and retrieve corpses at any time of day.

[Central Ring] Lake water temperature between -10℃ to -30℃, the middle area is limited to work between 00:00 – 07:00.

[Inner Heart] The lake center, where the temperature falls below -30℃, work is restricted to the hours of 00:00 – 02:00.

Additionally, there are a series of rules related to the lake:

1. The use of any illumination devices is forbidden; if there is any sign of ice formation on the lake surface, one may disperse it using kerosene lamps or torches, but once the ice layer disappears the light source must be immediately extinguished.

2. If a hand is seen extending out of the lake while boating, tie the provided black rope around the ring finger, and the arm will return to the lake on its own.

If the finger already has a black rope tied to it, the outstretched hand gesture means ‘friendly intentions,’ just respond with a high-five, and the arm will sink.

It is imperative to complete the above interactions; otherwise, the arm will continue to follow, and may eventually attack the boat.

3. If floating debris is spotted in the lake, it must be captured with a fishing net and immediately sent to the incinerator for destruction.

If one finds paper objects, check the message recorded on them, and fulfill the requests as much as possible. If there is uncertainty about how to handle the information, one may ask the supervisor for advice.

…

There are seven more rules similar to the ones mentioned above, all of which are incredibly tedious; it’s like catering to a group of demanding elderly living at the bottom of the lake, with the additional duty of cleaning.

Hidden within each rule is danger, and poor service could lead to a threat to one’s life.

Being in water makes it far more dangerous than a proper land cemetery, which is why it’s often difficult to find staff for this place.

Yi Chen and Reagan were summoned temporarily to help out, and although the job could be done in just one evening, only gentlemen with cemetery experience like them were capable of rendering assistance — it would be very dangerous for ordinary corpse retrievers.

The limping Field’s request was to excavate and package five special corpses buried in the Lake Heart District; a corpse transport van from the organization would be waiting on the shore to coordinate.

Considering it was the two young men’s first time on the job, Field personally paddled the boat, bringing them to the Lake Heart ten minutes ahead of schedule.

Just as the rules stated, the temperature in this part of the lake was frighteningly low,

but at the first sensation of the cold, the gentlemen’s clothes immediately adapted by padding and thickening, even producing heat internally.

This warm and moist leather-like feeling was like being sandwiched between burly men who had just played a game of basketball on all sides.

While heading towards the lake’s heart, pale arms extended from the calm surface numerous times,

Yi Chen immediately complied with the rules, either tying a knot around their ring fingers or giving a high-five. The hands appeared to be quite happy with the interaction, shaking merrily before sinking back into the lake.

Along the way, they also found a paper boat. After netting it, it surprisingly had the message – [I want an autobiography novel].

For some reason, Yi Chen felt like laughing,

but Field explained very seriously, “Their demand for written material indicates that their consciousness is awakening. These needs must be met… It’s just unfortunate that there is no time to read to them now, as they all need to be retrieved.”

Yi Chen caught the keyword ‘consciousness awakening’ from this statement and thought of Reagan’s girlfriend.

But there’s an essential difference here; the bodies at the bottom of the lake could awaken consciousness because they are physically complete, retaining whole and even relatively fresh brains.

However, Reagan’s girlfriend initially had only one spinal bone left, and had to self-construct consciousness based on the genetic information remaining between the bones, a completely different concept.

[Lake Heart District]

The boat stopped right on schedule at midnight.

The time, combined with the hazy moonlight reflection on the lake surface, reminded Yi Chen of some unpleasant memories. The Twilight Clinic also went through a transformation at this same hour when the moon appeared.

Being far from Zion this time, Yi Chen had been worried about the moon on their journey.

At this thought, he couldn’t help but look up at the sky.

However, the hazy moon had shown no signs of drawing closer, still obscured by the clouds, with nothing amiss.

At that moment, the limping Field handed out five moisture-retaining body bags to the two,

“You’ve read the rules; I needn’t say more, off you go.”

Yi Chen exchanged a glance with Reagan, and they both dived into the lake water, cold at minus 50℃.

The gentlemen’s clothes had already enveloped their entire bodies in advance, isolating them from the lake water and continuously keeping them warm.

The lake was not deep, and the two quickly descended to the “Lake Heart Burial Area,” only ten meters deep.

There were eight graves in total, and three of them had already been excavated in advance.

The remaining five graves were the temporary task for Yi Chen and Reagan.

At this point, Grape followed, boosting the visibility in the area and speaking about the situation here as someone who had experience.

“The bodies buried in this kind of area are at least premium,

The three that were taken away in advance were either fully mature like me, with awakened consciousness fit for the organization’s use, or they were disposed of early due to hazardous mutations.

The five bodies you are dealing with haven’t ‘matured’ to the point where they should be excavated,

It must be because of the spread of the Grey Zone, and the bodies need to be transferred early. After all, a Natural Grey Zone cannot be eliminated, and once it spreads to the town, mutations will occur in all the corpses between the cemeteries.”

“Does that mean this cemetery will be closing soon?”

“That’s definitely the case, otherwise, why would that old man always have such a stern face? Let’s get to work quickly, I’ll help out a little, for the sake of the old man being willing to give me a benefit.”

Next was the collaboration between Yi Chen and Reagan in retrieving corpses.

Gajigaji~

Yi Chen rapidly excavated with plants he released, and once the whole body was unearthed, Reagan would instantaneously envelop it with a body bag controlled by thought.

When they opened the first grave, the body lying inside made both of them pause for a moment.

A flawlessly pure and unblemished corpse of a young boy,

His skin, almost like clear water, even shimmered subtly, but was immediately covered by Reagan with the body bag.

Perhaps it was due to the presence of Grape, the so-called ‘overlord of the cemetery,’ constantly monitoring,

Or perhaps it was the pressure unconsciously exerted by Miss Faye,

The process of retrieving the bodies went very smoothly, with not a single corpse showing resistance or any inclination to attack, at most they just opened their gem-like eyes for a glance.

Additionally, the corpses in the Lake Heart Cemetery appeared to be no older than twenty, with almost identical skin texture, as moist and lustrous as jade.

It was soon the turn of the last grave.

The plant with a flattened structure excavated rapidly, like a spade, but this body seemed to be buried deeper, with no trace of it even after digging two meters.

Just as they grew puzzled and vigilant,

The tip of the plant touched something hard that was not soil—it was the skull of the body, and they could barely see tufts of silver-white hair.

Continuing to dig, when the entire skull was exposed, Yi Chen froze.

A sense of fear instantly occupied his entire vision and spread throughout his body!

“How is this possible!”

What lay in the last grave was a youth with a bandage over his eyes, the other eye slowly opening, forming a crescent moon shape in silver.

His mouth also opened and writhed!

Without the transmission of sound, the voice resonated directly in Yi Chen’s mind.

“William, long time no see~”

Gurgle!

Yi Chen was so frightened that he choked on a mouthful of the cold lake water,

Almost instantly upon entry, his esophagus and stomach were severely frostbitten, with multiple organs suffering from cold injuries in a short period, and the “Black Umbilical Cord” hidden in his abdomen immediately came to the rescue to repair the damage.

Meanwhile, Yi Chen’s head also heard the calling voice of Grape:@@novelbin@@

“William! William!”

The internal stimulation and the voice in his mind made Yi Chen shake his head violently.

When he opened his eyes again,

The head of the corpse that had been unearthed was no longer the image of “Moon Scar,” but that of a young corpse with naturally white hair, looking rather similar.

A weak moonlight, piercing through the water, just happened to fall onto the young man’s face… It seemed that this strand of moonlight had created the illusion just now.

Suddenly,

The words from Twilight Clinic at the time of parting flashed through Yi Chen’s mind:

“The-Moon-is-watching-you.”