Tokyo Detective

Chapter 306 Mysterious Village and Corpses

Naoki Hanyu was surprised to hear this. Three people dying in just a few days was too fast, especially since two outsiders had entered the mountain during this period.

"Grandpa, how old were the deceased? Did they all pass away in the last few days?"

"Yes, they're all in their 70s or 80s. What are you kids doing in the village?"

Naoki Hanyu revealed everything except the existence of the black stake, and he still wanted to gather more information.

The old man named Toriyama Juzo's eyes widened immediately after hearing the description.

"Green pus, impossible, impossible, tree... how could it be coming out, how could it be coming out?"

Naoki Hanyu helped the old man up and continued to ask.

"Grandpa, what did you say?"

"I don't know, I don't know anything, I'm tired and need to rest."

Naoki Hanyu didn't stop the old man from leaving. Could he possibly force a confession from a 129-year-old? He simply asked Ryoko Yakushiji to persuade him, since women are better at eliciting information.

Next, Ueto Kin led the way to the funeral site. The entire funeral was attended by elderly people, all with white hair and wearing clothes different from traditional neon attire. The whole village was named Toriyama.

The three deceased elderly people were all buried in the ground, wrapped in a large plant material that resembled leaves.

Naoki Hanyu and the others did not disturb the funeral. After the funeral procession returned to the village, he explained the reason for his visit: he wanted to ask an elderly man who knew the mountain paths to lead the way into the mountains to search for the deceased the next day. Finally, an elderly man in his sixties agreed.

He used to be a hunter in the village, but now he is unable to move.

“Young people, it’s very late now. I’ll take you up the mountain first thing tomorrow morning.”

"sorry to bother you."

Suddenly, a shout interrupted their conversation. An old man named Saburo Fukuda was seen tapping his cane. Although he was old, he had an imposing presence.

No one is allowed to enter the mountain.

Everyone was surprised by this statement, and Naoki Hanyu asked.

"Grandpa, why can't we go into the mountains?"

“I said we can’t go into the mountains, and that means we can’t. In short, no one from Bird Mountain Village can go in.”

"."

The elderly people in the village looked at each other in bewilderment. If it were anyone else who spoke up, they might have objected, but the old man in front of them was the village chief and elder. During the famine years, he had single-handedly hunted to support most of the village, so no one dared to object.

An elderly woman explained.

“Young man, your grandfather knows the mountains like the back of his hand. If he says we can’t go into the mountains, he must have his reasons.”

"."

Naoki Hanyu wasn't annoyed, because he sensed Saburo Fukuda's fear. This man was 129 years old and shouldn't be afraid of death, so why would he be afraid of the mountains?

Actually, it doesn't matter to Naoki Hanyu whether someone leads the way or not, because he has the skill to control the birds.

Sigh, let's talk about this tomorrow. He has plenty of time to waste.

Next, most of the action team went back to Oyama Town for the night. Naoki Hanyu wanted to stay behind alone, but Ryoko Yakushiji refused.

After arguing for a while, the two eventually sent all their subordinates away, leaving only the two of them, a man and a woman, behind.

Ryoko Yakushiji looked at the village where a few houses had their lights on.

"I sensed a secret in this ancient mountain village: a 129-year-old man and three stories about the mountains. I plan to stay and ask the old man for advice. Please protect me!"

An elderly man passing by saw a long finger drawing circles on Naoki Hanyu's chest and couldn't help but smile.

The age when a handsome man and a beautiful woman are in their prime is truly the best time, and they have experienced it once.

Naoki Hanyu didn't care, since there were only two policemen in the entire village anyway.

"Yes, yes, does Ms. Ryoko have a target yet?"

"Of course, based on my observation just now, Grandma Jingzi is the oldest and the easiest to talk to, so I guess I can get some information out of her."

"Let's go then."

The next second, Naoki Hanyu felt a weight on his back, a soft body pressing down on him, and a pair of jade-like arms wrapped around his neck. Turning his head, he saw that it was Ryoko Yakushiji pressed against his back.

Ryoko Yakushiji leaned close to her ear and breathed softly.

“Grandma Shizuko’s house is halfway up the mountain, and I’m wearing high heels, so I need you to carry it for me.”

Naoki Hanyu was speechless, even as he held up the round buttocks.

"Sister, this is a mission up the mountain, why are you wearing high heels?"

"It's none of your business. Anyway, I'm so tired today, I need you to carry me."

"."

Naoki Hanyu didn't say anything more. What difference would it make if there were one more or two people? So, he carried a woman up the mountain under the setting sun. By the way, the old people in this village were all in pretty good health.

An hour later, many insects gathered in the mountain lamps, a final insect feast in autumn.

Naoki Hanyu and Ryoko Yakushiji left Shizuko Toriyama's house, having learned a lot of useful information from the old woman.

There is an abandoned village deep in the mountains. Every year, the men in the village send a representative to pay their respects.

According to Shizuko Toriyama, her ancestors a hundred years ago worshipped a deity called the Great Mountain Tree God, but later, at the decision of Toriyama Juzo, her great-grandfather, they stopped the worship. Ninety-seven years ago, the village suffered a disease that killed 29 men, but none of the women died.

There is a forbidden area deep in the mountains, a place that Toriyama Juzo forbids everyone from entering. It is said that roars can be heard from there from time to time, and that Asiatic black bears roam there.

Ryoko Yakushiji slapped her arm, and a dead mosquito was stuck to her fair skin.

"The village really has a lot of secrets, and the bugs here are really annoying."

"I told you not to stay, but you insisted on staying."

Before Naoki Hanyu could finish speaking, Ryoko Yakushiji jumped onto his back again.

"Now is not the time to complain. Let's go find some old man. By the way, Naoki, your body is really amazing. You didn't even break a sweat all day, while I'm all sticky."

Naoki Hanyu rolled his eyes at the woman. With his physique, unless he was carrying a 300-kilogram thing up and down the mountain, he wouldn't be able to break a sweat.

"You know you're sticky, so hurry up and get down and walk by yourself."

"No, don't even think about getting rid of me."

The two chatted and laughed like any ordinary couple.
.
At the same time, moonlight fell on the three burial pits where people had been buried during the day, and suddenly the soil stirred until a hand with tiny plant vines growing on its skin emerged.

Soon, three corpses covered in strange mycelium, or rather, fungal grass, rose to their feet; these were the bodies to be buried today.

Their eyes were white, their pale skin was covered in soil, something strange was wriggling in their blood vessels, and a thick green liquid was flowing from their mouths.

Soon, the three corpses headed in the same direction, which was where the village was located, drawn by the light source.

Inside Toriyama's Thirteen Houses, Naoki Hanyu and his companion were talking to an old man, but the old man was very stubborn and refused to reveal any useful information.

Although he didn't get any useful information, Naoki Hanyu noticed some secrets about the old man. For example, there was a 2-meter-long sword in the hall. It looked dilapidated, but when Naoki Hanyu tried it, he found that it weighed more than 100 kilograms. Who would use a weapon that weighs more than 100 kilograms?

Toriyama Juzo sighed.

“Young people, it’s not that I don’t want to talk about it, it’s just that there’s really nothing to say. What secrets could a village of less than 100 people hold? If you want to go up the mountain, you’ll have to do it yourselves.”

Suddenly, a scream came from outside, interrupting their conversation. Considering that the houses in the village are quite far apart, you can imagine how loud it must have been.

Naoki Hanyu pulled out his pistol and walked out, while Ryoko Yakushiji took out a pair of flat shoes from her bag, put them on, and followed him.

Although Toriyama Juzo's expression was uncertain, he also took out a machete and followed. Why had so many things happened in this village that had been quiet for decades in just a few days?

The screams woke up the entire village, and many elderly men and women rushed out with machetes and hunting rifles, as they had always lived alongside wild beasts.

An elderly woman in her seventies was about to rush to the house where the screams were coming from when she froze, because a familiar figure was passing by in the distance.

"Jina, how is that possible? Weren't you laid to rest?"

Under the streetlight lay a woman's corpse covered in soil. The body, like an insect drawn to the light, was turned toward the old man by the shouts and staggered toward its prey.

The old man got scared and instinctively fired his gun.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll shoot."

"boom."

The bullet pierced the body and sent it flying 2 meters, but the body got up again as if nothing had happened.

"Don't come any closer! Why do you come back even though you're dead?"

Just as the corpse was about to pounce on the old man, a large hand grabbed its head and pressed the entire corpse to the ground. The powerful force prevented it from breaking free no matter what it did.

The newcomers were none other than Naoki Hanyu and Ryoko Yakushiji, both of whom were astonished by the presence before them, which resembled something out of a movie.

"Is this a zombie or a ghoul? Do these things really exist in reality besides ghosts?"

Naoki Hanyu also noticed the wriggling mycelium on the corpse's skin and the familiar green pus, which were actually connected to the black stake. What exactly is this thing?
Just then, a startled cry interrupted his thoughts.

Upon seeing the corpse, Toriyama Juzo, who had followed them, cried out in shock.

"Servant of God, why are you here?"

This shout made everyone realize that the old man was aware of the situation, and Naoki Hanyu instantly recalled the legend about the tree god he had just heard.

Grandpa, do you know what this thing is?

Toriyama Juzo did not answer. Instead, he drew his cleaver, its cold gleam gleaming in the moonlight, and with one swift stroke, beheaded the corpse, clean and decisive like a master swordsman, unlike a 129-year-old man.

"A servant of the gods will only lose his ability to move if his head is completely cut off."

"It's exactly like the zombie concept."

No, Naoki Hanyu quickly rejected the idea, because he noticed that the wound on the severed neck of the corpse resembled the movement of grass, a sight that reminded him of a game he had played in a past life.

The last survivors.

No wonder I had a strange sense of déjà vu.

I wonder what caused these things; I hope they're not set up like the Last of Us.

"Could this be a fungal infection?"

Upon hearing this, Toriyama Juzo was stunned. He had been hesitant about whether to tell the truth, wondering if he could handle the situation.

"You actually figured it out?"

"It's really a fungal infection, that can't be, right?"

For a moment, Naoki Hanyu felt a chill run down his spine; this was a strong sense of unease he had never experienced since his rebirth.
.
(End of this chapter)