Chapter 131: Morgue
Peace and Violence’s broadcast information vehicle and Fastest Hand at SF Express’s delivery van both reached Level 5.
With the logistics secured, the Young Miss’s cross-zone trade network began operating at full speed.
Meanwhile, Dragon Emerging from the Sea’s project to cultivate undercover scouts was showing tangible progress after nearly two weeks of careful planning.
Because Brother He Ping’s upgraded information vehicle could directly scan and collect public chat logs from outside districts, general market intelligence was already easy to gather. For that reason, Brother Long adjusted the screening criteria for their field operatives.
Since these agents were being planted inside the top ten districts on the global leaderboard, low-level vehicles would only trap them at the bottom ranks. If they could not rub shoulders with the high-tier syndicates, they would never gain access to high-priority intelligence, defeating the purpose of the mission.
Therefore, every operative he selected was a seasoned survivor driving a Level 4 vehicle.
When high-level players entered a new zone, however, the local ruling factions would naturally take notice. They needed an airtight, plausible backstory for their relocation.
Instead of setting off straight from Zone 444, the scouts took winding routes through various minor districts first. By bouncing across multiple zones before reaching their target, they scrubbed their digital trail, ensuring nobody could trace their true origins back to Lin Huai.
Furthermore, to help these scouts gain the trust of local leaders, Lin Huai had Brother He Ping use his information vehicle’s broadcast capabilities to publish fabricated wanted notices for them across specific zones. Posing as pursued outlaws gave the operatives the perfect cover to settle into their new homes without raising suspicion.
Nurturing capable spies was an expensive, delicate investment. If their cover was blown, death was practically guaranteed. Because of this, Lin Huai placed very little pressure on them; as long as they survived normally and quietly forwarded important developments, their mission was a success.
By the time these arrangements were completed, the third month was drawing to a close.
The monthly Ten-Zone Joint Trial was about to unlock.
Lin Huai spent a handful of Yin energy crystals to confirm the schedule with Old Hei. Learning that the event would begin in just one day, she immediately busied herself with preparations.
She remembered this specific trial vividly: it was a solo survival trial set in the eerie “Apartment 404.”
The building held countless isolated rooms. Players had to solve the unique puzzle inside their assigned room to unlock the door and claim the trial rewards. The puzzles themselves were not overwhelmingly difficult, so Lin Huai did not worry much about her own performance; she focused mainly on gathering spare charms and gear for her teammates.
While she was working, the clear prompt of the Yellow Springs Road Guide suddenly echoed through the cabin:
“Station detected ahead: Morgue! Survivors, please prepare!”
Lin Huai’s eyes widened with excitement. The Morgue had finally appeared!
Dropping what she was holding, she hurried down to the first-floor driver’s cabin and steered the vehicle through the spatial intersection.
Across the crossroads, an abandoned hospital loomed beside the broken asphalt.
The structure was in a horrific state of decay. Rusted iron rebar poked out from fractured concrete walls, looking like the shattered ribs of a giant corpse rotting in the open air. The whole scene carried a grim, violent tragedy.
Lin Huai brought the hearse to a stop by the main entrance, locked the cabin, and walked through the broken hospital gates.
Dong Xiaobao had remained curled up inside the blood jade coffin ever since entering it, slowly absorbing the pure spiritual energy to nurture her soul. Knowing the environment was doing wonders for the baby, Lin Huai left her to rest and stepped inside alone.
She made her way through the dark, silent corridor until she reached an elevator with a blinking crimson light at the far end.
The facility’s power grid had failed long ago, with only a few incandescent bulbs flickering weakly along the ceiling, yet the elevator machinery hummed with uncanny life.
Lin Huai pressed the call button. The metal doors slid open with a hollow groan.
Without a trace of hesitation, she stepped inside.
Having visited a Morgue station in her previous life, she knew the layout well. The lift traveled exclusively downward, spanning from Basement Level 1 to Basement Level 9—all of which were filled with refrigerated cold storage vaults.
The moment she stepped onto the metal grating, a wave of bone-chilling air crept up from the soles of her boots. Even with her temperature-controlled combat suit regulating her body heat, she could not suppress a quick shiver.
She pressed the button for Basement Level 1.
A heavy mechanical clunk rattled through the shaft, followed by a violent shudder. Worn chains groaned under the strain as the cabin slowly descended into the dark.
Ding!
Basement Level 1 had arrived.
The doors parted slowly, revealing a white reception desk sitting directly across from the elevator.
Standing behind the counter was a young nurse in a stained white uniform, her back turned to the entrance. She was staring intently at a glass specimen jar held between her hands.
Lin Huai walked over and tapped her knuckles lightly against the counter.
Startled by the sound, the nurse turned around.
Her face was paper-white under the sickly fluorescent light. Where her eyes should have been were two empty, black hollows. Dark, bruised veins branched out across her cheeks from the edges of the sockets.
Suspended in the formaldehyde inside her glass jar were two fully intact human eyeballs, complete with trailing nerve endings. As Lin Huai watched, the floating pupils contracted slightly, fixing their gaze straight onto her face.
The nurse spoke. In stark contrast to her horrifying appearance, her voice was gentle, clear, and remarkably sweet: “I am Nurse Xia Wan.”
“Are you here to claim a body?”
She reached under the counter, pulled out a thick, hand-stitched ledger, and set it before Lin Huai along with a black pen. “Please register here first.”
“Write your name, the name of the deceased you wish to claim, and your relationship to them. Once that is done, you may enter the cold vault to search.”
Lin Huai glanced down at the open register. The first few pages were covered in messy handwriting.
The registry was synchronized across the global server, recording entries from players across countless different districts.
Hoping to spot a familiar name from her past life, Lin Huai reached to turn the page, but Nurse Xia Wan immediately leaned forward, resting a cold finger on the paper. “You are not permitted to read other entries. Record only your own.”
The storage lockers inside were not all occupied by physical corpses; opening them was like drawing a blind box. Some lockers held intact bodies, while others contained only a worn personal relic.
In her previous life, when Lin Huai had explored this station out of curiosity, she had made up a random name and scribbled down a fabricated locker number. When the attendant opened the corresponding drawer, all she had found was a faded red scarf.
This time, Lin Huai had a clearer purpose. Since she had come to identify a body, she fully intended to leave with an intact corpse for her coffin.
The pen spun smoothly through her slender fingers, coming to a sudden halt as she closed her fist around it.
Instead of writing, Lin Huai reached into her pocket, withdrew her official Undertaker permit, and placed it squarely on the counter.
She smiled faintly at the hollow-eyed nurse. “Nurse Xia Wan, take a look. I have official accreditation. I am an Undertaker.”
