The Last Gentleman

Three carriages bearing the G&D mark, for use exclusively within the organization, stopped outside the grand hall.

The reason they were special was that the overall [Skin Content] of the carriage was over 10%,

by integrating black rosewood, elm, ash, and white wax with skin through a special internal process, they obtained a top-grade timber that could isolate Pathological influences and conceal aura.

Such carriages were often used for important long-distance transport, and many gentlemen who had surpassed the Limit of Man also traveled in these carriages, saving much trouble along the way.

Yi Chen and the two others casually boarded one of them.

The carriage’s interior was quite spacious, designed with upper and lower bunk beds, just like a “four-person sleeper” with an independent bathroom.

The wardrobe that supported the bunks was filled with various kinds of long-lasting food and bottled water,

even equipped with a small smart refrigerator operating on Dharma Seal cooling, containing some raw meat and beverages for pets.

“The environment is really nice~ I feel like staying here for a week would be no problem.”

Reagan had already taken out several packages of food and chilled grape wine, instantly entering a binge-watching mode, feeling his stomach seemed bigger than when they met two days ago.

The dull life at the power station and the Dharma research that he could not break through had gradually framed Reagan into the definition of a binge-watcher.

Only when eating delicious and ample food could his brain secrete dopamine to keep him committed to his research.

After a simple allocation of beds,

Yi Chen and Reagan took the lower bunks, and Jin slept on the upper bunk of Yi Chen’s bed.

When the carriage drove out of the Zion Gate, thud, thud~ a knocking sound came from the locking front window.

Wrapped in a coat, the elderly coachman passed in a bag of classified documents, his voice hoarse from the cigarette pipe in his mouth.

“This journey will be divided into two parts, ”

the first half will take us three days to reach the intermediate station -[Yarsoto Town]; you will arrange the preparations and route planning for the event there.”

After mechanically delivering the information, the coachman turned forward like a living dead, continuing to control the carriage.

“Thank you.”

Although Yi Chen was well aware of the coachman’s state, he still responded with thanks.

From books, he knew that the “coachman” was a specialized yet lower-tier gentleman Profession; some gentlemen could never break through the Limit of Man, and as they aged, their hopes of breaking through were nearly zero.

Moreover, their abilities had no corresponding jobs inside Zion, so in order to keep living, they had no choice but to become coachmen.

Spending years outdoors, crossing various Grey Zones,

some aged coachmen would gradually become numb during this process and completely bind their physical and thought with the carriage until death.

Naturally.

Coachmen who had dedicated their lives to the organization would be entitled to a ‘graveyard burial’ if they died within the power sphere. And if lucky, they might even get the chance to live again in another form. ℞𝐀𐌽Ồ𝔟Ę𐌔

…

Back in the bunk, Yi Chen unpacked the document bag.

Jin leaned half of his body from the upper bunk, bending down at 90° to watch together,

and Reagan, sucking on the grease from his fingers, also leaned over with a pack of snacks in hand.

[Relic Event (New)]@@novelbin@@

1. Event location:

[Greyrell Mountain, aka The Holy Grail Mountain], named for its cup-like shape, considered a sacred mountain by many.

2. Event summary:

The closest organizational outpost to the destination, also the intermediate station for this event – Yarsoto Town, has always had Gentleman Patrol Teams inspecting the Holy Grail Mountain.

Four years ago, a small-scale Grey Zone spread was first discovered in the mountain, which after detailed investigation, was identified as a Natural Grey Zone; it couldn’t be eradicated, only blocked as much as possible to slow the expansion of the Grey Zone.

One month ago,

Due to the uncontrolled expansion of the Grey Zone, it had spread to a region within a five-kilometer radius below the mountain.

It was confirmed that there were at least three types of “rooted pathogens” frantically growing in the Grey Domain, and if left unchecked, they might give birth to Open Source Patients.

An eradication and investigation squad arranged by the organization hurried to the destination for the first time and accidentally discovered a [Tunnel] hidden inside the mountain during the mission, thereby interrupting the task to report back to the organization.

3. Diseases of the Grey Zone

The current situation of the three rooted pathogens is as follows:

①. [Black Pus Disease]

Type: General physical infection (can affect all matter except inorganic substances)

Origin and introduction: Erupted in a large village, Mud Swamp Village, several kilometers below the foot of Holy Grail Mountain.

Those infected will grow black tumors on their bodies, are photophobic, and prefer to move at night. They like to submerge their bodies in mud to accelerate the spread of pus, thereby infecting other organisms.

Black tumors gradually cover the individual’s head, torso, and arms during this process.

By the time it completely replaces the upper body, it turns into a [Patient].

The lower body retains the structure of the legs,

with the waist and above replaced by a gigantic black pus, highly variable and threatening but still fearful of light and high temperatures.

②. [Gathering Eye Disease]

Type: Mental infection (only affects organisms with intact consciousness)

Origin and introduction: A group of displaced Pilgrims from different regions, who regard Greyrell Mountain as a sacred mountain, as the ultimate destination of their lives’ ends.

They believe that if they can reach the summit, they will go to the dream beyond, to a blissful world without diseases.

The Pilgrims have a resolute determination unlike that of ordinary people; they crossed the jungle affected by grayification at the foot of the mountain and successfully reached the steep summit path.

However, the mountains had already severely mutated under the influence of the Grey Zone, complex and shrouded in fog, making the Pilgrims completely lost, unable to find the correct path to the summit.

They considered the complex mountain path as the ultimate test, viewing their getting lost as a lack of devotion.

To find the only correct path, the Pilgrims began indiscriminately consuming ‘eyeballs,’ whether the mutated animals in the mountains, their peers, or even themselves.

Once a certain number was reached, they completely mutated, and an “Aggregation Eye” grew on their forehead.

③. [Septicemia]

Type: Specific physical infection (only effective on humans)

Origin and introduction: Baron Francis once, for some reason, spent a fortune building a private mansion on the northern slope of Greyrell Mountain,

When the Grey Domain spread between the mountains, gentlemen in the organization proposed to escort the Baron’s family to leave, but they were refused.

No one has ever left the entire mansion; under the envelopment of the Grey Zone, special mutations occur slowly, even the surrounding woods begin to bleed like human blood.

Occasionally, skinless, continuously bleeding zombies can be seen moving around the perimeter of the mansion.

*Detailed information about these three diseases will be provided at the waystation—Yarsoto Town, by the gentlemen stationed there and will arrange mission assignments and hiking routes for different squads.

4. Tunnel Information

*This information is provided by the Tunnel Watcher.

[Exploration Level]: 0% (no conscious beings have ever crossed the tunnel)

[Stability]: Extremely high (no danger of tunnel collapse, grayification enhancement, etc.)

[Depth]: Shallow (leads to the safest shallow layer of the Old World)

…

After looking at the basic information about the event, everyone had thoughts in their minds.

Reagan returned to his bed, his mouth moving slightly but making no sound; it seemed he was communicating the event information with his “girlfriend.”

Jin, however, didn’t care at all and simply fell onto his bed to sleep.

Yi Chen seemed to think of something. He opened the car window and looked towards the evening sky. Between the misty clouds, the trace of the moon was momentarily invisible.