Chapter 158: Natural Grey Zone

Words : 1542 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

As Little Grape’s physical body immersed itself in Yi Chen’s body, its consciousness was dragged by an irresistible force to a special ward where it was imprisoned. On the hospital bed by the window, a silver-haired youth was sitting, bathed in the moonlight that seeped into the ward. As he turned his head, Little Grape’s hair bristled instantly. “Are you William’s little friend? Your composition is quite complex… Should I perform some dissection to understand you better, or would you like to explain your origin yourself?” “Help!” Little Grape was on the verge of crying, utterly confused as to why the inside of Yi Chen’s body had transformed into a Moon Scar ward. “Don’t be nervous, I was just joking. This time, I’m merely asking William for a favor~ I’ll rest inside his body for a while until I reach the Old World and then leave. Please guide me during our time together inside, Mr. Grep.” … In the speeding coach Yi Chen was not worried about Little Grape’s condition, for he had already agreed with Moon Scar that if there were any problems with Little Grape, their trade would be terminated immediately. For now, all he needed to consider was the upcoming mountain journey. Unlike the other two teams, the coach carrying them would take them directly to the foot of Greyrell Mountain, sending the three to the pilgrimage path chosen by pilgrims of the past—a pathway filled with suffering, steep and rugged. When the scheduled travel time had reached its halfway point, the coachman’s cadaverous, hoarse voice came from the front. “We are about to enter the Natural Grey Zone of Greyrell Mountain. You can use the ‘membrane window’ to observe the environment of the area in advance.” The so-called membrane window is a kind of “visible isolation window,” made by processing the Gentleman’s Skin into a thin film, maintaining its characteristics while allowing for more than 80% transparency. Due to the high cost of craftsmanship, ordinary coaches aren’t usually equipped with it. However, each berth in the coach they were riding in had a membrane window. Jin was still fast asleep, sitting on the lower bunk, Yi Chen and Reagan simultaneously slid open the wooden compartment, revealing a nearly transparent film in front of them, Aside from a few capillary-like fines lines left in the membrane responsible for nutrient transport, there was almost no obstruction to their view. Through the membrane, they could clearly see that the coach was speeding along a relatively spacious highway, Both the highway and the surrounding forests were pervaded by gray mist, 1. The road, paved with gravel and clay, strangely bubbled like a liquid, with some segments swelling into enormous bulges, inflamed, scaling with breathing rhythms, and even oozing pus. At times, one could even see bizarre life forms crawling on the road, which upon closer inspection, were abnormal constructs made of both gravel and animal flesh, mindlessly crawling. The coachman steered the peculiar horses through the distorted road in an S-shape, trying his best to avoid pathological structures. 2. The forests on either side of the road seemed to come alive with consciousness, with organs resembling eyes located between the tree barks, watching the passing coach, ɌáℕöᛒËș Some trees with higher activation degrees would pluck their own or other trees’ fruits, placing them into their decayed mouths to chew and swallow. Even, one could see two trees entwined in a struggle, the weaker being subdued and having its bark ripped off bite by bite by the victor, which then drank the sap from within. The victorious tree would visibly thicken its trunk and harden its branches, sprouting extra and enormous fruits during its feast. After tasting this advantage, it would continue to attack other trees, further accelerating its growth, ultimately potentially evolving into pure plant-based Patients, giving the whole area a feel of a vegetal battle royale. Every now and then, oddly shaped creatures would dart out of the woods, like the current sudden white streak that leaped out, covering an exaggerated distance of over ten meters, stopping right in front of the coach. Upon closer inspection, it was a rabbit-man, a cute fuzzy rabbit head mounted on a grotesquely muscular body, its deep red pupils staring fixedly at the intruding coach, spreading its mutated muscular arms to forcibly intercept, Bang! A muffled gunshot echoed through the highway. The rabbit’s head, along with its upper half, instantly turned into mince, becoming nourishment for the road. The coachman habitually blew away the smoke from the barrel and with a flick of his hand, inserted the thick-barreled shotgun into the holster beside him. As long as it wasn’t a Severe Patient blocking the road, the coachman could resolve the issue quickly without delaying the journey. In the carriage, Yi Chen intently observed the Grey Zone environment outside the window. To him, the most significant trait of this thin Grey Zone was that it was “alive” and mixed with a certain amount of chaos. “Compared to the non-natural Grey Zone that erupted in Shebolt Village, the villagers, under the influence of Combination Illness, lived a life worse than death, reduced to tools of production for the Church. This natural Grey Zone is much better. Setting aside the Pathological label, at least the creatures here still maintain their selfhood, aren’t tortured, and follow their will to live in a completely new way. Unfortunately, for non-natural Grey Zones, as long as you can kill the source of grayification, you can contain and eliminate it. Natural Grey Zone, however, stems directly from the influences of the Old World. With the formation of the “pathway,” the degree of grayification deepens continuously, and the existing methods are incapable of eradicating the spread of the Natural Grey Zone; at best, they can only slow it down. That’s why, sooner or later, even Zion, known as ‘the last sanctuary’ and built atop a high mountain, will eventually be enveloped by the Grey Zone.” Thanks to the sufficient elasticity of the membrane window, Yi Chen pressed his entire face against it, like sticking on a meat-textured facial mask, and slowly stuck his head out of the carriage. Looking ahead along the road, just as the name Greyrell Mountain suggests, a mountain resembling a Holy Grail in shape, with a thinner middle part, loomed nearby, its near thousand-meter height shrouded in a dense, life-like flowing mist layer. The mist enveloped the entire mountain like mucus, allowing only a vague outline to be visible, and it even seemed as if the mountain itself was animated by it. “A transition from thin to medium Grey Zone? This is my first encounter… According to the books, with each ascension in level, the internal environment of a Grey Zone undergoes a qualitative change. If it nears a medium Grey Zone, even the most unchangeable inorganic matter becomes ill. The basic structure of the environment might alter under the influence of the Grey Zone, manifesting some ‘surreal structures’ not seen under normal conditions. Not to mention humans, even some Patients could get lost in it. We need to find some kind of Rule, or even use Old World methods to find the correct path. My eyes, combined with my Professional Characteristics, should pose no problem, and there’s also Reagan’s genius in perception to help.” Compared to worrying, Yi Chen was more excited about the exploration. As the carriage left the road and swiftly traversed through the distorted woods for a while, it finally stopped at the foot of a mountain. “Jin, it’s time for us to set out!” Yi Chen knocked on the bunk above, and when Jin opened her eyes, her pupils surprisingly displayed a rare Red Lotus pattern, signifying that she was in an excellent condition. She could stay awake without feeling sleepy for at least two days. And this time she became unusually serious, not wearing a suit, but donning a coat specially designed by Mr. Ivan that suited Jin’s combat style, with 80% of the Gentleman’s Skin concentrated in this garment, Jin, considering the restrictiveness the skins brought, chose not to wear it normally or during missions. But facing the gradual transition from thin to medium Grey Zone, considering the impact on her physical body, she decided to utilize the isolating effect of the “Gentleman’s Skin.” Her hooded dark red leather coat, with metal ring buttons paired with diagonal cinching straps, not only sculpted her figure but also enhanced the stability of the garment during combat. The leather sheath structure fitted on the back of the coat could just accommodate Jin’s weaponry, with the rejuvenated long sword slung on her back. The moment she put on the coat and donned the hood, her whole demeanor changed, the coat’s enclosed structure suppressed Jin’s mental madness, and the deep red color emitted themes of Red Lotus and slaughter, making her appear more threatening, much like the most dangerous Executioner among organizations. S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When Yi Chen saw Jin’s new outfit, before he could even comment, Lorrian’s voice pre-emptively resounded within him. “Your girlfriend looks pretty good, huh~”

Chapter 158: Natural Grey Zone

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