Cthulhu Panel: One organ mutates every day

Chapter 34 Cemetery Stele

[Old Points: 0.01, 0.03, 0.05...]

[Old Points: 0.2]

Growth has ceased.

"Although it's a bit little, it's still an unexpected bonus. This chisel has the old-world feel I need, but I don't know if it's contaminated."

At first, Wayne didn't understand one thing: whether the "Old Aura" and "Contamination" required by the panel were the same thing.

After these two days, it has been confirmed that "old-fashioned atmosphere" and "pollution" are not the same thing.

If "old scent" is equivalent to "pollution," then once the panel completely absorbs it, the pocket watch and the statue in Bob's house will no longer be able to revive and change.

This indicates that the panel absorbs only "old-fashioned scents," not "pollution."

Now, Wayne looked at the chisel in his hand, which reeked of corpses. Although he had absorbed a trace of the old aura inside, he couldn't be sure if it was contaminated.

"Then let's put it away and take it with us."

Wayne wrapped the chisel in waste newspaper, put it in his pocket, and continued to "feel" and search every corner of the room.

It wasn't until they found a yellowed black-and-white photograph in a crevice near the wall on the inside of the bunk bed that they discovered it.

Wayne gently took the photo in his hand and, using the light of the flashlight, stared at it intently.

The photo shows a young blonde woman. Although it is faded and blurry, it does not prevent her from being recognized as a beautiful and elegant woman.

It's worth noting that the woman in the photo has a look of fear on her face and her posture is somewhat timid, as if she's afraid of the person taking her picture from the front.

Upon closer inspection, this is an old photograph that contains a sense of fear.

The stench of decay still lingers.

But what is the relationship between the woman in the photo and Benjamin?

[Perception Lv.1 - Observation of the Microscopic] Progress 27.6%

Squeak squeak squeak~

A soft rustling sound came from beside my feet.

Wei En was startled and took a step back. He reacted very quickly, shining his flashlight on the ground to take a look.

It turned out to be a rat that scurried past, moving very slowly and carrying an even stronger stench of decay. It even turned its head several times, as if searching for food.

"I'm not afraid of horror, but I'm terrified of being startled, especially by something like a sudden face-up."

"But it's strange, where would the mice find food in this house? Won't they starve to death here? Or are they looking for something else?"

"The scene has been almost completely examined, and we haven't found any traces of where a body was stored."

Wayne placed the photo and chisel together, glanced at his wristwatch (0% reality deviation), turned and left the room, getting back into his car.

Inside the car, Lillian had just finished sending a telegram using her portable telegraph device and was slumped in her seat. Seeing Wayne return, she mumbled softly:

"Wayne, I get so sleepy as soon as I sit here, my head's a little foggy. Have you found any new clues?"

Wayne leaned back in his car seat, let out a long sigh, and rubbed his temples.

"We've found some subtle clues, but don't worry, even if we don't find any new ones, we'll definitely find other clues when we go to the cemetery later. Team Leader Matthew will definitely make sure we get our maximum allowance."

"That would be great!" Lillian smiled at the thought of having a budget to buy all sorts of new clothes.

Soon, Matthew and Ethan also returned.

Matthew carried two shovels, which he used as tools for digging graves.

Ethan said that he had spoken with a minor leader of the Blood Gang and asked a Blood Gang member who knew the location of Benjamin's grave to wait for them at the South Cemetery. It was very close, so that Blood Gang member would arrive before them.

Lillian yawned as she reported to Matthew that the logistics team would arrive shortly, though it might take some time.

Matthew said seriously, "Well, let's not wait any longer, let's go dig up the grave first."

Ethan started the accelerator and drove the car: "Yes, team leader."

……

It was early autumn in September, at four in the morning, and a thick fog enveloped the area.

The South District Cemetery is located in the southwest of the South District, about a ten-minute drive from Benjamin's home.

It is near the boundary of the cemetery.

Under the moonlight, the dirt road in the distance was hidden in the white mist. The dirt road was rutted with mud by horse-drawn carts, and there were puddles of muddy water. The roadside weeds were covered with water droplets.

The old wooden fence in front is neatly arranged, with straight lines and even spacing, clearly defining the boundaries of the cemetery area.

"Let's get off here." Ethan parked the car nearby.

Matthew, Lillian, and Wayne got off the bus one after another.

I turned on my flashlight and looked into the cemetery.

The weeds are swollen and black, and the tombstones are neatly arranged in rows along the gentle slope, with equal spacing. Their surfaces are covered with dew, forming a silent stone array in the white mist under the moonlight.

"It's so humid." Lillian brushed the water droplets from her hair, most of which were condensed white mist.

A light was on in a small wooden cabin at the entrance to the cemetery. A young man with tattoos on his arm walked out of it, reeking of alcohol, looking like he had just come from a bar in the middle of the night.

The young man, though fierce-looking, was respectful. He scanned Matthew and his companions and asked, "Excuse me, is Brother Phoenix here?"

Ethan had just gotten out of the car, carrying two shovels, when he saw the young man and called out, "That's me. You know where Benjamin's grave is, right?"

The young man nodded, stammering slightly, "I...I know, I know. I was there to lend a hand when Bob buried Benjamin..."

"Very good, take us there." Ethan didn't waste any time and gave the order directly.

"Okay...okay." The young man seemed to have heard of Ethan's name. He didn't dare to look Ethan in the eye and just turned his head to silently lead the way into the cemetery.

Matthew, leaning on his black umbrella, ordered, "Let's go."

"Okay." Wayne and Lillian followed behind.

Lillian looked around and said, "The scenery is quite nice."

As they passed the cabin, Wayne glanced inside. It contained some simple furniture and a bed, and was probably the gravedigger's house.

But the tomb keeper was nowhere to be found.

However, this is not considered unusual.

Wayne continued to follow Ethan and Matthew deeper into the cemetery.

This cemetery contains both very old and very new tombstones, but the materials are nothing special, similar to common stone carvings.

The mist condensed into dew, obscuring the inscriptions on the stone tablet.

Although some of these tombstones are from very different eras and have different shapes, their arrangement is too regular, which makes people feel somewhat uncomfortable.

If I had to describe it, it would be like soldiers in an army standing in neat rows.

But that's not all.

If it's just like soldiers lined up in an army, that should give you a sense of security.

The solemn stone tablets lined up around him gave Wei En a sense of unease and eeriness.

You could even say it's somewhat familiar.

But he really couldn't figure out what was familiar about it.

A white mist hung over the cemetery at night, obscuring the array of tombstones.

Upon closer inspection, Wei En noticed that the white mist seemed to be in sync, completely obscuring the upper part of the tombstone while leaving the lower part untouched.

In the early morning, the air pressure is low, and the fog itself is denser due to its water vapor particles. It cannot drift to higher places, so it mostly accumulates close to the ground in an area about half a person's height.

The lower half of the stone tablet is naturally visible beneath the thick layer of fog, while the upper half is partially buried in the suspended white mist.

Of course, this is just an explanation using some basic scientific knowledge, but scientific knowledge cannot alleviate the eerie feeling of the current scene.

What exactly is the source of this strangeness?

Where does it feel familiar now?

Wayne walked and pondered, until a thought suddenly struck him:

in case.

If we consider the entire scene of the cemetery's stone tablets as a painting, it is a painting of soldiers standing in neat rows.

So.

So, under the eerie cover of the white mist, these soldiers standing ramrod straight...

They're all like the statues in Bob's house.

……

They don't have heads.

[Perception Lv.1 - Observation of the Microscopic] Progress 28.4%

Wayne glanced at the watch face on his wrist: