It took nearly a minute for the spirit to completely dissipate as he approached. In the otherworld, such weak spirits wouldn't require even a tenth of a second from him.

"If I use my willpower, I could kill it instantly."

Then, he lifted his foot and walked toward the mortuary ahead.

...

By now, not only was the mortuary filled with corpses, but over a dozen bodies were also placed at the entrance.

Chen Xingyue and Wu Huifang worked together to lift a corpse off the tricycle, placing it on a waterproof tarp. They felt physically and mentally exhausted, their initial fears long forgotten, as their nerves were completely numb.

Corpses, all corpses.

The entire mortuary, along with those outside, contained no less than five hundred bodies, a number that would take seven to eight days to accumulate under normal circumstances.

The crematorium next door couldn't keep up with the burning.

From time to time, parasites jumped off the bodies onto the ground, hopping about, only to be immediately crushed into pulp.

"This is definitely abnormal!" Wu Huifang said quietly to Chen Xingyue.

"I know!" Chen Xingyue nodded, saying, under normal circumstances, so many people don't die from parasites. Moreover, these parasites are incredibly resilient, not ordinary parasites, but creatures from another world.

She fell silent for a moment before saying, "I'm afraid more people will die tomorrow."

"Any idea about the Safe Zone?" a girl nearby chimed in.

"It shouldn't have spread there yet. The soldiers said these bodies all came from the reservoir area."

Silence fell over them.

Then came the sound of footsteps from afar.

The group suddenly became restless. The Martial Arts Teacher, seeing the figure, quickly walked over, excitedly saying, "Hello, General Manager Chen, hello."

He recognized Chen Shouyi; it was he who had arranged everything when Chen Xingyue enrolled.

"Hello, Teacher Kang."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Chen Xingyue's face flickered with excitement, and she almost blurted out "Brother" aloud, feeling her brother had never appeared so agreeable.

Chen Shouyi casually scanned his surroundings, discreetly glanced at Chen Xingyue, and then engaged in small talk with the Martial Arts Teacher.

"Wow, it's the handsome guy from earlier today!" Wu Huifang's eyes sparkled.

"His skin is so nice!"

"He seems to be somebody important; why does Teacher Kang call him General Manager Chen?"

A few women clustered together, whispering.

"General Manager means Chief Safety Advisor. According to my dad, becoming a Chief Advisor requires being a Grand Martial Artist. Our city's Chief Safety Advisors number only two: Qin Liuyuan, General Qin, and Chen Shouyi, General Manager Chen. Could it be him?" Wu Huifang said, eyes glowing. Her father was an old-school martial artist, so she was somewhat familiar with the martial artist circles, as her father often shared such matters with her.

Chen Shouyi's promotion to Martial Artist was not publicly known; only those in elite circles were aware.

However, to Martial Artist Apprentices like them, he was still a figure beyond reach.

Listening to her classmates chatter away excitedly, Chen Xingyue felt the previously oppressive atmosphere lift. She kept a neutral expression, not speaking, while her eyes occasionally peeked at her brother.

Since her brother arrived, she felt an unprecedented sense of security, and even the cold and eerie aura here seemed to dissipate considerably.

...

"General Manager Chen, perhaps you could give these students a talk, share some insights on Martial Arts training?" Kang Jiande said ingratiatingly.

Martial artists, in some ways similar to technical personnel, tend to be taciturn, not good with words or socializing, solely focused on their field; however, Kang Jiande, as a Martial Arts Teacher, was an exception, always deftly sycophantic.

Chen Shouyi glanced around; all the students immediately smiled meekly like quails. He shook his head and declined with a smile, "No, let's forget it."

Then he asked, "Why are there so many corpses here?"

After Kang Jiande explained the situation, Chen Shouyi's expression grew grave.

Parasites!?

This was not a trivial issue; if it spread, countless people in Hedong City could perish.

...

As they spoke, Company Commander Zhou briskly approached with a group of soldiers.

With a nod of acknowledgment to Chen Shouyi, he then ordered the soldiers, "Everyone, move the corpses to the clearing for burning."

The students were in turmoil.

Chen Shouyi was also somewhat surprised, but upon reflection, it seemed like the only course of action.

Subsequently, the soldiers and students transported the corpses one by one to the clearing ahead.

Watching Chen Xingyue, like the other students, carry these parasite-ridden bodies, Chen Shouyi several times wanted to speak up, but ultimately remained silent.

"How about calling Chen Xingyue over?" Tang Jiande suggested softly, perceptive of the situation.

"No need, this could be a good exercise for her," Chen Shouyi shook his head.

His sister was someone who cared deeply about appearances; doing such a special thing in front of classmates would probably mortify her.

After half an hour, the corpses formed a heaped mountain on the clearing. Luckily, the funeral parlor was completely under military control; otherwise, if the families of the deceased learned of this disrespect, there would be upheaval.

Nearby, a soldier hoisted a diesel can, opened the lid, and started pouring substantial amounts of diesel.

"Ignite!"

With a command,

the flames began to burn fiercely.

Soon, an embarrassing and mysterious odor filled the air.

Covering his nose lightly, Chen Shouyi felt his stomach churn, and he doubted he could eat roasted meat for a few days.

With keen eyesight, he noticed that as the fire burned the parasites inside the bodies, they seemed agitated by the high temperature, wriggling intensely beneath the skin.

Initially, there were only one or two, but within seconds, they became densely packed, like countless worms crawling inside.

These "worms" ranged from fine needle-sized to as thick as a little finger, and about half a foot long. A few parasites attempted to wriggle out from the bodies' mouths and noses, but upon contact with the flame, they swiftly retracted.

The atmosphere grew quiet.

Only the crackling sound of the fire consuming the bodies could be heard.

The flames roared ever more fiercely, smoke billowed in thick plumes.

However, there were simply too many bodies; it was impossible to burn them all at once, and new bodies kept arriving, added to the blaze. Several times the fire died down, and numerous soldiers came forward with pitchforks and wooden poles, removing the ashes before pouring fresh diesel and reigniting the flames.

It took over three hours before all the corpses were reduced to ashes.

...

The night deepened.

The mortuary became more spacious, with only a dozen or so bodies left inside.

Helping her classmates, Chen Xingyue cleaned the mortuary and then scattered lime on the floors. Once everything was done, she yawned and glanced surreptitiously at Chen Shouyi.

She felt disgruntled; while she was busy toiling, her brother was idling away.

"I want to go to the bathroom; anyone want to come along?" a female classmate said then.

"I'll go with you."

"I'll go too!"

"Xing Yue, are you coming?"

Chen Xingyue hesitated slightly; the bathroom was quite far, and it was already midnight. But being the class president, she nodded.

A few girls set out together, heading to the door.

Tang Jiande, who had been seeking advice from Chen Shouyi, snapped back to attention and asked, "Where are you all going?"

"To the bathroom!"

"Be quick!" Tang Jiande didn't worry too much. Several classes had visited the funeral parlor for experience without any problems.

As for Chen Shouyi, he was even less concerned. He glanced at his sister, observing her feigned calmness and wandering gaze, and found it amusing.

Watching them leave, he continued his conversation with Tang Jiande.

However, after only a few sentences, he heard a scream.

Tang Jiande had just regained his composure when he felt the ground tremble slightly, accompanied by a gust of wind. He quickly looked toward the hallway, but the General Manager Chen was already gone from sight.

"Such speed."

Within half a second, Chen Shouyi had already reached the bathroom.

A few girls stood at the bathroom entrance, faces pale and clearly frightened. Seeing Chen Xingyue safe, Chen Shouyi relaxed.

"What happened?"

"Brother, quick, save Tian Zhenzhen." As soon as Chen Xingyue saw Chen Shouyi, she clung to his arm like he was a lifeline, trembling all over.

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