Chapter 97: Chapter 97
In the village chief’s house, the “firewood” burning in the fireplace emitted thick black smoke. It was less like wood and more like dried biological limbs.
The village chief, standing at an imposing height of 2.5 meters, sat at the dining table.
Even the heavy coat he wore could not conceal his massive, almost inhuman physique. The oversized waterproof leather shoes on the floor appeared to be custom-made by the village cobbler.
A standard-sized wooden table looked like a mere toy before him.
His black skin and jet-black eyes, paired with his calloused, rune-marked hands resting flat on the table, gave him a menacing aura. Despite his imposing appearance, the village chief appeared restrained, for across from him sat a “guest” draped in a black clerical robe.
Before the guest was a drink specially prepared by the chief—a pale pink liquid, bubbling faintly, exuding a subtle, fishy aroma.
“Lord Assistant, what brings you here today?” the chief asked.
“Two humans are approaching the village,” replied the guest.
Like a thin veil shrouding the village, any creature that steps into its bounds inevitably succumbs to the influence and erosion of this hallucinatory mist.
Mammals that once lived within the tree walls have, for some reason, all gathered in the village.
The roads and buildings are packed with the 'bodies' of animals, to the point where it feels as though they are an integral part of the village environment.
The term 'bodies' is used because their state—alive or dead—cannot be determined.
Their flesh is fused together, stuck to the ground, adhered to, or hanging from the surfaces of residential buildings, and in some cases, entirely embedded in the soil and roads. For example:
1. A bison, its body covered in rabbits, lies sprawled in the middle of a road, with white fur resembling rabbit tails wriggling from its abdominal cavity.
2. A goat, drenched in bats, hangs from the edge of a rooftop, with embryonic structures resembling bat wings sprouting from its back.
3. A grotesquely swollen entity, bearing mixed characteristics of rats, pigs, horses, and black bears, crawls and writhes slowly along the streets.
4. On some large rooftops lie—or even float—the corpses of elephants, grotesquely swollen due to bizarre gases accumulating within their bodies. These corpses emit a pinkish glow, resembling oversized synthetic balloons.
The trunks of these elephants are raised high, releasing bursts of iridescent material with every breath.
However, these animals share one common trait:
Their bodies are covered in large, colorful, and oddly shaped fungi (in elephants, these fungi primarily grow internally).
The fungi connect to their flesh, with the surfaces of their caps bearing numerous pores, from which spores are exhaled alongside the animals’ breaths. This spore dust is precisely what forms the hallucinatory mist that blankets the village.
Additionally, as far as the visible parts of the village are concerned, no 'humans' are present.
‘Is this an intentional lure to draw us into the village, or is this an empty fort strategy to deter us, urging us to head quickly to the church in the mountains?
The current intelligence is far from sufficient. Since this is an investigation, it’s better to gather all possible information.
Rushing straight to the church might cause us to miss critical details, even key clues.’
At this moment, Little Grape suddenly transmitted a message:
"William, the village before you can already be classified as a [Gray Zone]...
Even with the protection of plants, clothing, and myself, you must still be cautious.
Those capable of creating an [Artificial Gray Zone] are not easy to deal with. Make sure to maintain your condition until you find this individual."
"An Artificial Gray Zone? Got it."
Yi Chen spread his five fingers, pressing his hands to his face to weave a fully protective mask.
"Jin, do you need me to make you a filtration mask?"
Jin lightly tapped the multicolored mask on her face with her fingers, signaling she didn’t need one. At the same time, her body began to tremble.
"A Gray Zone! Though small in scale, it’s definitely a Gray Zone... The [environment] has been completely infected and distorted. My body is actually resisting entering the village—how fascinating!
Come quickly, I can’t wait to go in and see!"
As Yi Chen jumped down from the high ground and walked along the village’s stone path, Jin unexpectedly took his hand, interlocking their fingers.
This act carried no other meaning—
is a common method used by novices in Gray Zone investigations. It refers to maintaining direct physical contact during a team’s initial exploration of a Gray Zone.
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