The Last Gentleman

Chapter 2

As Yi Chen read through each "rule," he gradually understood that the place he had crossed over into was infused with strange, unsettling elements foreign to his original world. At the same time, an unknown danger seemed to be closing in on him. Yet, there was still a slim chance for survival. Following the hint from the last rule, Yi Chen bent down to look under the wooden bed.

He moved aside a loose floorboard and pulled out a hand axe of a comfortable weight.

"So, this is the so-called self-defense tool?"

The hickory handle had grooves carved into it to enhance grip, making it both lightweight and durable, ensuring it wouldn’t slip easily from his hand. The head of the axe, forged from carbon steel, was flawless. It had been honed through a special process, making it razor-sharp, and the blade was coated in silver, adding a bright, solid, and devastating edge.

Whirr – as he tested a swing, the axe cut through the air, emitting a faint whooshing sound.

Holding such a well-crafted axe gave him a sense of security, allowing his tense mind to relax slightly.

"A decent weapon for self-defense..."

After a brief warm-up, he returned to the desk.

"According to the journal left behind, this guy's main mistake was related to Rule #3, which states that when inspecting Cemetery No. 4, he failed to notice the changes in the number and order of tombstones."

Yi Chen bit his fingernail, facing a crucial decision. Should he stay in the cabin and wait for danger to come to him, or venture to the graveyard, confront the threats directly, and find a way out of this situation?

"Let's be proactive... According to what the rules say, the only way to eliminate the danger might be to restore Cemetery No. 4. Simply waiting in the cabin would likely be waiting for death."

Yi Chen decided to treat his predicament as a test of his survival skills in this world. But before setting out, he needed to make some preparations.

First, he used his relatively sharp mind to memorize the cemetery map, along with the appendix detailing Cemetery No. 4's layout and any organizational symbols associated with it.

Next, he put on a work coat lying at the foot of the bed. This deep gray coat, somewhere between a raincoat and a windbreaker, had a loose hood that could conceal half his face, hiding his appearance in the dark.

"This coat fits perfectly... I’ve never worn anything so comfortable. Was this tailored?"

The coat restricted none of his movements; instead, it allowed him to move even more smoothly. He also noticed a metal name badge on the left side of the chest, printed with the original owner’s name: "William Behrens".

Once ready, he attempted to use the telephone mounted on the wall beside the iron door. However, only a grating noise filled the receiver – the phone line seemed damaged, severing all contact with the outside world.

"Most likely, this is due to some violation, and the 'overseers' have cut off their connection... Alright, it's time to go."

Click… click…

As the door hinge turned, it emitted a groaning, almost elderly wheeze, like an old man issuing a warning from the depths of his raspy throat.

Standing at the doorway, Yi Chen stayed alert, waiting for any signs of danger. Seconds passed, and all that came was the nauseating smell of decaying flesh mixed with the damp earth. The moon was completely hidden that night, with only the glow of his kerosene lamp providing light.

"Seems like ‘danger’ hasn’t actively come for me yet, which is a good sign... Time to start exploring."

The axe, gleaming silver, rested in his right hand at thigh level, while he held the kerosene lamp out in front of him with his left.

Clad in the dark gray coat, Yi Chen assumed the role of the “grave keeper,” embarking on his first exploration of the cemetery.

First, as depicted on the map, the wooden cabin known as the "Safe House" was at the cemetery’s center, surrounded by cemeteries numbered 1 through 6. Tall, wrought-iron fences about three meters high separated each numbered cemetery, keeping them isolated from one another.

The narrow paths between the graves could barely allow for a corpse cart to pass through. Twisted branches, wildly growing above, tangled together to block out the sky, casting a shroud over the entire cemetery. If the cabin was like a small coffin, then this cemetery was a large one.

The oppressive atmosphere weighed on Yi Chen, even making him imagine a pale foot trailing him from behind, or tree branches transforming into hands reaching for his shoulder.

He took a deep breath.

When he was young, he heard from people at the orphanage that when passing through eerie places at night, one must avoid looking back; otherwise, it might bring "impure" things upon oneself.

Therefore, he kept his gaze straight ahead the entire time, only tilting his head at most 45 degrees.

Following the map from memory, he soon arrived in front of the iron gate of Cemetery No. 4.

However, a thought popped into his mind.

"I’ve been moving through the graveyard for several minutes now... it’s creepy and oppressive, but at least there’s been no danger, and I haven’t seen anything unclean.

The danger in Cemetery No. 4, the one that can drive a person to suicide, is not something easily resolved.

I might need to run, maybe even play a guerrilla strategy.

How about exploring the entire graveyard first, familiarizing myself with the area, and figuring out the escape routes and hiding spots? Yes, that’s the plan.”

Temporarily leaving Cemetery No. 4, Yi Chen started touring the entire graveyard in a clockwise direction.

The passage of time gradually helped him adjust to the graveyard’s atmosphere, and he also noticed some interesting details and features set up around the cemetery.

Each numbered cemetery had a different style.

For example, Cemetery No. 1 was marked by stone arch tombstones, clean steps, and paved pathways, giving off a neat and comfortable feeling.

Next to it, Cemetery No. 2 had oak cross-shaped tombstones, which leaned at odd angles amidst overgrown weeds… the entire area felt extremely eerie, with temperatures even lower by 10°C.

He encountered no danger along the way and eventually reached Cemetery No. 6.

Here, the soil was strangely damp, each step sinking his shoes at least two centimeters deep.

The tombstones were all piled stones, with no inscriptions or information about the deceased.

“Hmm…what’s that?”

Yi Chen’s keen observation caught a detail: in a corner of Cemetery No. 6, some stone tombs had collapsed as if something had damaged them.

Holding his axe, he approached to investigate, circling the graves twice without discovering anything unusual.

Maybe it was because he fully immersed himself in his current occupation, or perhaps out of respect for the dead.

After confirming there was no danger, Yi Chen knelt down to carefully stack the scattered stones back into a tombstone.

Before leaving, he instinctively put his hands together in prayer and gave a slight bow.

However, he hadn’t taken more than two steps when a strange voice echoed from behind him.

§Thank you§

The voice was odd, like it was a mix of multiple throats, fluctuating up and down, penetrating deeply.

Yi Chen turned immediately, holding his axe in front of him defensively.

However, the cemetery behind him remained completely calm and unchanged.

"Am I just too tense, hearing things? No… I definitely heard it.

There really is something supernatural here~ but the voice just now didn’t sound hostile.

I’ll try not to provoke any trouble and focus on the most pressing issue for now."

Yi Chen quickly exited the swamp-like Cemetery No. 6.

By this point, aside from Cemetery No. 7, which was separately set up at the edge to store and handle unidentified bodies, he had mapped out the graveyard’s general layout in his mind, along with the best escape and evasion routes.

Next, he would have to confront the problem-ridden Cemetery No. 4.

Shortly after Yi Chen left, back in Cemetery No. 6, the soil of the mound he had just repaired began to shift and loosen.

A mouth emerged, chewing on fragments of the coffin lid, covered in damp earth, as if holding an eyeball in its teeth.

It seemed to be watching the "helpful" young man from behind layers of fences and plants.