ID No. 019 - Chapter 16.2

Chen Yang was alive and well. However, the wound on the back of his hand had developed a slight infection, despite being treated with herbal medicine and getting rebandaged, leaving him with a low fever.

Still, it wasn’t a big issue. The belief that they were close to returning kept his spirits high.

No conflicts arose among the group of three as they traveled and they reached their destination in relative peace. However…

“Teacher Zhou, didn’t you say nothing grows here?” Chen Yang pointed at a patch of green swaying in the wind. “Then why is there so much grass?”

Teacher Zhou, drenched in sweat from the journey, replied, “I said no vegetables grow here.”

Alright then. But the grass needed to be cleared anyway. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to see what the ground was like. Without hesitation, Chen Yang got to work, quickly pulling out all the grass. He recalled doing farm work as a child and was entirely in his element. He even reminisced a little.

Teacher Zhou stared at him, dumbfounded. “Mr. Chen, have you done farmwork before?”

“I have.” Chen Yang threw the last handful of grass onto the ground, uncovering a sunken patch of earth that he guessed was the spot. If it wasn’t, it didn’t matter—they’d just start digging there.

Chen Yang dusted off the grass clinging to his hands and walked over to the young man. “The soil’s not too hard, but we don’t have any tools. What are we supposed to dig with?”

Chao Jian glanced at him briefly. “You’ve already got an idea, don’t you?”

“Ahem.” Chen Yang nudged a clump of dirt with his foot.

Chao Jian retracted several sections of his crutch, then tossed it to him.

Chen Yang caught it. It was short, but after testing it, he found it usable. “You keep watch somewhere nearby. I’ll dig.”

Teacher Zhou saw Chen Yang start digging and, without asking, picked up a rock to help.

After about ten minutes of digging, Teacher Zhou said he needed to relieve himself, but once he left, he didn’t return.

Chen Yang wanted to focus on digging but felt that Teacher Zhou seemed like a decent person. Reluctantly, he paused the most pressing task at hand, catching his breath as he said to the young man, “Stay here. I’ll go check on him.”

Chao Jian tilted his chin toward a direction. “He’s over there.”

“You saw him?” Chen Yang asked in surprise. “Then why hasn’t he come back after all this time?”

Chao Jian said nothing.

Chen Yang went to take a look for himself and froze in shock.

Scattered across the grass was fertilizer, likely dropped there by someone fleeing earlier.

Teacher Zhou was lying on the ground, his head buried in the grass.

He was eating it.

Chen Yang took a deep breath. “Teacher Zhou?”

The motion of Teacher Zhou sucking on his fingers came to a halt. Slowly, he lifted his head from the grass.

Chen Yang crouched down and asked, “Do you know what you’re eating?”

Teacher Zhou looked at the granules in his hand, a trace of clarity returning to his eyes. He immediately felt as if he was struck by lightning. “I… this… how could I also…?”

“This can’t be. I was fine this whole time. How did this happen…” The man muttered incoherently, sinking into deep pessimism.

Chen Yang caught a whiff of fertilizer on his breath and said, “Teacher Zhou, listen to me. Things aren’t as bad as you think. Based on our observations, Mrs. Liu’s youngest son survived for several days after being curs… infected. Even Granny Li didn’t succumb immediately after eating this stuff.”

After a brief pause, Chen Yang continued, “Even if it comes to that, as long as you don’t eat anything else, you’ll turn into a plant. That’s still a kind of rebirth.”

Teacher Zhou stared at him, dumbfounded.

Chen Yang’s voice remained calm and gentle. “Think of the dandelions, or that old tree in front of Li Dafu’s house. They’re so full of vitality.”

The heavy despair in Teacher Zhou’s eyes lightened a bit and he muttered, “You’re right, Mr. Chen. If it really comes to that, I’ll think of it as being reborn as a plant in my next life.”

With that thought, Teacher Zhou felt as if he had been enlightened.

Chen Yang emphasized solemnly, “Remember, no matter what, don’t eat anything else.”

Teacher Zhou’s face turned pale as he recalled something. “I know what you mean. Before I escaped, I saw it with my own eyes. I won’t eat. I swear I won’t.”

Chen Yang nodded and stood up, sniffing the air to pinpoint a direction. “There’s more fertilizer over there. See if you can find something to pack it in, then find a safe place to hide.”

Teacher Zhou thanked him. Staring at the fertilizer in the grass, he suppressed the hunger rising within him and said, “Mr. Chen, this isn’t some strange illness, is it? It’s a curse.”

“Whatever it is,” Chen Yang replied seriously, “if you follow what I’ve told you, there’s still hope.”

Teacher Zhou was stunned for a moment, then nodded. “I will. Take care.”

Chen Yang watched as Teacher Zhou walked toward the direction he’d pointed out to eat the fertilizer. After a while, he withdrew his gaze and looked around at the lush greenery surrounding him. An involuntary and chilling thought surfaced in his mind.

If all the plants on this island were once people who died and turned into vegetation, that would be horrifying.

Chen Yang felt the long grass brushing against him in the wind, almost like human hands. A shiver ran down his spine, and he immediately wanted to call the young man to leave. But when he turned, he found the young man standing there, head lowered, silently staring at him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Chen Yang felt uneasy under the young man’s strange gaze.

Chao Jian tilted his head to the side and said coldly, “Your kindness really isn’t worth much.”

Chen Yang pressed his lips together. “You can’t say that. As long as someone hasn’t harmed me, I’m willing to lend a hand—provided it’s within my ability.”

“Like Granny Li. I even wanted to fertilize her…” He trailed off mid-sentence.

Because Chao Jian’s gaze had locked onto the scattered fertilizer in the grass.

Without any warning, it was as though he had been irresistibly drawn to some delicacy. His Adam’s apple bobbed and his breathing quickened!