Chapter 89

[TLN- Chapter 88 is mostly about author thanking his reader's and his inspiration for the book, so chapter 89 is direct continuation of Chapter 87]Yi Chen had been quietly observing the so-called temporary leader, Wilmer. Both his words and actions, as well as the subtle expressions in his eyes in various situations, exuded a sense of powerlessness. This powerlessness was something Yi Chen had seen far too often during his life at the orphanage. Many peers, after undergoing special education and recognizing the true nature of the orphanage, would find their once-clear eyes gradually consumed by a dull substance symbolizing "helplessness," until it fully took over and evolved into [Despair]. "These gentlemen are not lacking in ability, but they lack the courage to push forward... The situation in the forest is worse than expected. I suspect that the two missing squads deep within the forest are the main forces of the Black Eye Outpost. They might still be alive. If we can find them during our exploration, we should be able to gather more information and significantly shorten the investigation time." Yi Chen swiftly skimmed through all the materials provided by the outpost within a minute. Just as the temporary leader had said, the information was pitifully sparse. There wasn’t even a basic description of Shepherd Village’s condition, its degree of "Grey-erosion," or its resulting impacts, let alone any details about the church. The only thing included was a few investigative reports on the plant walls. These reports made one thing clear: Not a single investigator who entered the tree walls had ever returned, nor had they brought back any meaningful information. However, there were some noteworthy details regarding the plant walls: [Infinite Growth], [Crying of Infants], [Blood-like Tree Sap]. Yi Chen carefully noted these keywords before moving on to examine the rules governing Shepherd Village. These [Rules] were established by high-ranking gentlemen from Zion City who possessed precognitive abilities. The rules were tailored specifically for certain regions to ensure safe living conditions. As long as these rules were followed in daily life, the likelihood of succumbing to disease could be greatly reduced. The rules were as follows: ≮ Residents of the villages in Jose Valley must adhere to the following rules in their daily lives to ensure their safety ≯ 1. When hunting in the forest, if the prey (mammals) is found to be pregnant, release it immediately. If the pregnant prey is already dead, it must be burned on the spot, and its ashes buried under the nearest tree. Note: Each tree may only be used for burial once. 2. Domesticated livestock in the village must be strictly segregated by gender, and mating is only allowed during the winter season. If livestock becomes pregnant outside the designated season or without contact with the opposite sex, it must be treated in the same manner as Rule 1. ** 3. If you encounter animals exhibiting traits of other creatures (e.g., a cow with rabbit ears or a pig with sheep horns), they must be immediately killed, burned, and buried. 4. Each village is permitted to have only one well, located at the center of the village. All drinking water must be drawn from this well. The consumption of water from unknown sources is strictly prohibited. 5. Any fruits, mushrooms, or other edible items harvested from the forest must be washed with well water before consumption. Mushrooms, in particular, must be thoroughly cooked. It is strictly forbidden to consume fruits from trees under which burned remains have been buried, as well as mushrooms growing nearby. 6. Ensure that there is a source of light in every household by midnight, such as a torch, fireplace, or kerosene lamp. If you must go out, always carry a light source. If you hear strange noises coming from the livestock pen during the early hours, do not respond and leave immediately. If you encounter an unlit figure greeting you, return to your home immediately and lock all doors and windows. 7. If you notice a villager failing to follow the above rules and exhibiting abnormal behavior, they must be expelled from the village at once. If necessary, handle them in accordance with Rule 3. --- Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. These bizarre rules reminded Yi Chen of Easton Cemetery. ‘As long as these rules are followed in daily life, the spread of disease can largely be avoided. This is the fundamental reason why, over the past three hundred years since the start of the 'Pathogenic Era,' many human towns and villages have managed to survive. The recent rapid deterioration in Shepherd Village’s condition cannot simply be attributed to villagers making occasional mistakes. Most likely, the intervention of the New Life Church has caused the villagers to abandon the rules or even deliberately violate them, resulting in total chaos.’ As Yi Chen walked through the forest, even before reaching the towering structure formed by the trees, he could already sense the forest’s abnormality. In the shadowy and eerie woodland, it felt as though something was watching him. Moreover, as a "vegetarian," he had no interest in the vegetation of the forest. Instead, he could detect a physiological stench emanating from the lower part of the tree bark. The closer he got to the center of the forest, the stronger the stench became, forcing Yi Chen to put on his handmade plant-based mask again. After trekking several kilometers through the woods, he finally arrived at the "High Wall" enclosing the forest center. The sense of awe from observing it up close far surpassed the distant view from the cliff earlier. It even evoked a primal biological reverence. Under what seemed like highly unified control, the massive, sturdy tree trunks were orderly arranged with a spacing of less than ten centimeters, forming an unpredictably thick "High Wall" nearly a hundred meters tall. The overgrown branches and dense foliage at the top blocked out the already scarce sunlight, plunging the area into complete darkness. According to available information, these tree trunks are non-flammable. Once exposed to the heat of fire, the trunks secrete a thick, viscous sap to cover and extinguish it. If the trunks are physically damaged, they regenerate rapidly with the assistance of surrounding trees. Thus, the first obstacle in front of them was to Given that two weeks had passed since the incident, the tree wall had continued to grow outward. Its thickness had already exceeded a hundred meters, making it highly likely that one could become trapped while attempting to pass through. This was the primary reason the gentlemen at the outpost had lost their courage to explore further. Additionally, there was another critical detail, as recorded in the information: Standing before the towering tree wall, the two could hear a faint "crying of an infant." When Yi Chen touched the surface of the tree wall, the sound amplified several times… as if the infant’s cries were coming from within the trunk itself. Coupled with the pitch-black forest surroundings, it sent chills down their spines. Curious, Jin also placed his hand on the trunk’s surface. “Oh? There really is a baby crying. Is this due to the Grey-Erosion effect? How about I just blast open a path to the inside—what do you think?” As Jin spoke, threads of red energy emanated from his fingers into the trunk, forming a lotus-like crimson pattern on the surface, ready to explode at any moment. Yi Chen gently extended his hand and placed it on Jin’s, softly stopping him. “Jin, there’s no need to waste energy on this. Besides, we don’t even know the exact thickness of the tree wall. Such an explosion might unnecessarily deplete your energy… Let me handle this.” Yi Chen’s tone was tactful, but what he truly cared about was avoiding "alarming the enemy." Jin’s approach of blasting through the wall could very likely draw out the dangers lurking within. Unlocking the clasps of his suitcase, he took out a pair of white gloves adorned with green magic arrays. After putting them on, he gently tugged at the edges of the gloves with his thumb and index finger to ensure a snug fit on his wrists. As he placed both palms lightly against the adjacent tree trunks, the magic arrays on the back of the gloves glowed with a faint green light. With an Intelligence attribute of [5] and gloves crafted using "Gentleman’s Skin," Yi Chen could directly manipulate the structure of the tree wall. The thick tree trunks began to shift and expand, creating gradually widening gaps until a space large enough for a person to pass through appeared.