Chapter 11: Special Handling

The collection and transfer of the bodies proceeded as planned. The four corpses remained motionless within their sleeping bags, waiting quietly to be cremated. In truth, beyond the bodies themselves, the group was quite concerned about the bizarre pagoda tree in the backyard. It would have been ideal to burn it as well, but the risk of a fire spreading from the backyard was simply too high. Even if they attempted a controlled burn from a distance, any explosion that caused the flames to spread would result in the entire mountain being consumed by fire. In that event, they would be forced to evacuate, which would equate to leaving the designated practice area and failing the assignment. They had no choice but to burn the bodies first and consider how to handle the tree later; perhaps cutting it down with a chainsaw or an axe would suffice.

[Outside the Mansion]

On a relatively flat stretch of ground, the tasks of digging a pit and gathering firewood were carried out simultaneously by pairs. Gao Yuxuan stared at the four body bags, his mind already connecting the dots with the knowledge he had gained in his theoretical studies.

"I’ll collect the firewood. For burning these types of 'yin corpses,' it’s best to use 'lychee wood,' as it is rich in 'yang' energy. I saw plenty of it when we were hiking up."

The class monitor patted Luo Di on the shoulder. "Then you two boys go and cut the wood. Luo Di has the chainsaw, so you’ll be efficient enough. Leave the digging to us girls. If the bodies show any signs of movement, we’ll call for help loudly—don't go too far to cut the wood."

Anna retrieved two rusty shovels from the mansion and lent her tactical axe to Gao Yuxuan for the logging.

The work was divided. Guided by Gao Yuxuan, they quickly found the lychee wood. It must be said that the efficiency of a modern chainsaw for logging was astonishing; it sliced through trees roughly two people’s girth with ease. All that remained was to drag the wood back and cut it into smaller, manageable strips for burning.

While the two were dragging the wood back, Luo Di took the initiative to speak, wanting to glean some information regarding the practical test from Gao Yuxuan, who ranked first in their theoretical coursework.

"Vice Monitor, have you figured something out?"

"Nine times out of ten. A traditional Chinese mansion, a pagoda tree, yin corpses... If these bodies are left unattended, they will likely turn into 'jiangshi' (hopping corpses) by tonight. Four at once—even if it is just a simulated anomaly—would be very difficult for us to handle. Not to mention, we might get infected with corpse poison, which would ruin our lives and studies later on. Burning them immediately is the best course of action. And that pagoda tree in the back, it would be best if..."

"We saw it down," Luo Di finished his sentence.

"Exactly. We'll go do it right after the cremation."

The two seemed to have reached a silent understanding. However, when they dragged the wood back to the clearing in front of the mansion, the digging was still underway. The t-shirts worn by the two girls were nearly soaked through with sweat, adding a unique, vivid scene to the summer day.

But Luo Di’s focus was not on them, but on their movements. Both girls possessed considerable strength, especially Anna, who seemed to have endless energy to burn, yet their actual efficiency in shoveling was quite low. It was clear that her usual training did not involve digging.

Luo Di stepped forward and asked, "Are there any extra shovels?"

"Just these two."

"Let me take over."

Luo Di took the shovel from Anna. Gao Yuxuan stood by without intervening, as he had no experience in digging either.

Half an hour later, a pit large enough to hold four bodies—with room to spare—had been dug. The class monitor, who had worked alongside them the entire time, gave a thumbs-up. Luo Di had dug nearly two-thirds of the pit himself, demonstrating a remarkably skilled and precise technique that even the monitor had picked up a few tips from, which might prove useful in the future.

Of course, Anna had not been idle; after being relieved of digging, she had chopped all the wood they dragged back into strips suitable for burning.

The group quickly filled the pit with the wood and used lighters, tissues, and other combustibles to ignite it. Once the flames were sufficiently high, they placed the four corpses into the pit one by one. The fire fueled by the lychee wood quickly engulfed the yin corpses that should have been cremated long ago.

*Crackle, pop.*

An unpleasant odor began to waft from the pit. Just as everyone thought the cremation was proceeding smoothly—

*Plop!*

A drop of rain landed on Luo Di’s face. A torrential downpour began without warning.

"Hurry!"

Even though the group reacted quickly, rushing back into the room to grab a tent and setting it up over the pit as fast as they could to block the rain, the downpour was so heavy that water began to pool on the ground and flood into the pit.

The storm extinguished the fire in a short time. The only silver lining was that the cremation had been burning for nearly an hour before the rain started. While it hadn't reached the duration of a standard cremation, most of the flesh should have been consumed, leaving behind only charred remnants and bone.

The four grabbed their flashlights to check the pit. As their beams hit the contents, they saw a large pile of charred remains, but they quickly discovered the problem. The sight revealed by the light left everyone feeling as though their bodies had been frozen; they were speechless.

One of the bodies had remained intact, almost entirely unaffected by the fire.

"This is... the old man who was hanging at the top."

After confirming that the other three corpses were reduced to bone, they worked together to pull the old man's body out. His clothes and skin had been burned away, and the flesh was scorched black, but despite some localized damage, his overall form remained largely unchanged. The charred flesh was still oozing a foul-smelling mucus, which seemed to be what had resisted the fire.

There was clearly something wrong with this body. What should they do?

The rain was pouring down, and there was no telling when it would stop. Looking at the thick, heavy rain clouds, it was possible it would last all day. Attempting a second cremation would have to be done indoors. Moreover, given the body's fire-resistant properties, burning it for half a day might not even be effective. The entire mansion was made of solid wood; if they lost control and ignited the house, the situation would become even more troublesome.

Gao Yuxuan stared at the eerie corpse of the old man and whispered, "If we leave it alone, it will definitely undergo 'corpse transformation' tonight. We have to find a way to dispose of it, keep burning it, or..."

The class monitor’s round eyes darted around, as if she had thought of a rather risky method, and she was just about to offer her suggestion when—

Luo Di was already crouching beside the corpse, busy binding it. He used a rope to tie the corpse's hands to one of the leftover wooden sticks.

"I'll handle this body. Vice Monitor, come with me for a moment. You two should go back inside and change your clothes; I'll be done with this soon."

The monitor stared at the bizarre corpse, looking uneasy. "Shouldn't we stick together? This body is a bit strange."

Luo Di’s stance was firm. "It’s fine, the two of us are enough. We'll be back soon."

The monitor did not press the issue. Both she and Anna were soaked to the bone and truly needed to change. "Remember to keep your wristband locators on. If you aren't back in fifteen minutes, Anna and I will come looking for you."

"Understood."

Dragging the old man's body with the wooden stick, Luo Di arrived at a relatively steep hillside. Gao Yuxuan, who was following behind, was puzzled. "You intend to throw this body down here and hope it reaches the bottom? Unlikely. The woods are too dense; it will stop after rolling a short distance. Besides, he already shows signs of transformation; even if you throw him down, he can just climb back up tonight. At most, it would delay him by half an hour."

"No."

"Then what are you planning..."

*CRACK!*

A bolt of lightning flashed, cutting off Gao Yuxuan's question. The flickering light highlighted the silver chainsaw in Luo Di’s hand, the chain already spinning at high frequency.

"You!"

Gao Yuxuan immediately understood everything—and why Luo Di had refused to let the two girls follow.

Luo Di’s expression at this moment had become resolute, almost frightening.

"In a moment, throw the pieces as far as you can."

"Right."

Gao Yuxuan swallowed hard, a wave of nausea washing over him as he stared at Luo Di. He never expected that Luo Di, who barely spoke in class but always topped the physical education rankings, would come up with such a terrifying idea. But he had to admit, there was no better, faster, or safer way.

...

Inside the Research Institute, everyone was watching the events unfold on the screens. A supervisor in charge of psychological evaluations walked up to Director Qin. "Are you sure this person's psychological report is fine?"

To their surprise, Director Qin, who carried the reports of all four students with him, pulled them out on the spot. The psychological report for Luo Di showed everything was normal, with only a tag for "solitary."

"This is the best solution they have under the circumstances. This kind of decisive behavior should be commended, not questioned."

"Hmm. If his psychology is truly sound, then this young man is certainly worth keeping an eye on."