Chapter 591: Chapter 208: Spiritual Contamination, Calamity Unstoppable! (Part 3)

Although I’ve never heard of this name, the threat level marked in the entry is only F-, similar to the Hidden Ice Snake he encountered before. Both have a long dormant period and extremely weak lethality and infectivity.

However, the consequences of this infection are far more cruel than the Hidden Ice Snake. After being infected, one will directly enter an eruptive state, with the human body gradually undergoing "iron transformation", step by step moving towards death.

Though the infection source can be removed at any time during the process, the cost is exceptionally heavy, requiring continuous oral ingestion of a full five tons of metal to satisfy the "needs" of the Source Heart Meat Iron.

Even more deadly is that, after removal, there is a chance that some part of the body permanently retains the iron transformation state:

"Don’t, don’t worry... As long as we can get out alive, revival technology can reverse the iron transformation." Luokuke coughed out a tangled wire, his face still pale, but his condition clearly improved, and he spoke more fluently.

"From now on, I only have... the last 72 hours to find the location of the infection source."

"Can’t we leave Dapo Town first? Think of a solution outside?" Cheng Ye was stunned for a moment.

Luokuke didn’t answer, just picked up the radio from his waist, stared at the screen for a while, then slowly shook his head with a wry smile:

"I... can’t get out."

The still flickering green light seemed to taunt him, reflecting a glaring red light in his eyes.

Cheng Ye suddenly fell silent.

Even until this moment, what he saw was still the green light, indicating he had not been contaminated at all.

The atmosphere in the field was even stranger, with only him and Luokuke still able to move freely, while the other team members stood frozen in place, motionless.

"What exactly is the situation now?"

"This belongs to a relatively rare range-type spiritual contamination in the Wilderness, mostly directly associated with high-risk infection sources left from the old era. The risk level of such contamination starts at Disaster Level, can often reach Destruction Level, and in extreme cases, can approach Annihilation Level. Whenever it appears, it inevitably causes uncontrollable catastrophic consequences for the surrounding area, and only by rapidly carrying out investigation and containment efforts can the hazard be eradicated at its source."

Luokuke’s voice was heavy, as if reciting a script, "According to my speculation, it is highly likely that the infection source floated down the Lin River and rested around Dapo Town. We can only find the contamination source and contain it to isolate the contamination. If one leaves without containment, as long as one steps beyond Dapo Town’s boundaries, one will immediately die from mutation."

"Wait!" Cheng Ye suddenly turned around and sprinted toward the parking lot.

He rushed back to Unit No. 3 in one breath, suppressing his anxiety to slow his pace, gently pushed open the unit door, and called out.

Within less than half a minute, Wang Kang came out rubbing his eyes, glanced at the pitch-black sky, and yawned: "Brother Cheng, is it shift change time? You go in quickly to get some rest, and I’ll watch."

"Kang." Cheng Ye’s voice was somewhat tense.

"Hmm?"

"Look at this in my hand, what color is it?" Cheng Ye raised the radio.

Wang Kang was taken aback, leaned in for a closer look, and instinctively asked back: "Huh? Why is it red? Didn’t they say green is safe?"

Swoosh.

An indescribable emotion abruptly crashed over him.

Disappointment, bewilderment, fear, anxiety... like the rising tide, thoroughly drowned him.

Cheng Ye stumbled back two steps, his back hit heavily against the supermarket wall barely stabilizing himself.

So, this is the threat of the Wilderness?

Is humanity truly this weak in the face of an infection source?

When he first encountered the Wanderer, the power of this super-long-range spiritual contamination was not yet apparent.

It even momentarily made people mistakenly believe the Wanderer was a turning point for Happiness City, that Guardian Extraordinary could bring vitality to the Wasteland.

But now, when this power descends maliciously, the kind of helplessness rising from the bone is ten, a hundred times more terrifying than encountering Stand-In Starfish!

"Brother Cheng... are you okay?" Wang Kang noticed his odd look and his voice was full of confusion about what had happened.

"Come with me, hurry! Let’s go now!"

Cheng Ye abruptly straightened up and ran toward the government building.

When the two rushed back, Huang Liang and his group, along with all the dark lines inside the government building, remained in their previous postures, frozen in place, without any sign of movement.

Seeing him return with Wang Kang, Luokuke was not surprised, and lightly sighed, "No need to look, they have already... sacrificed."

"What?"

Cheng Ye clutched his chest, a wave of suffocation surged up his throat, almost choking him.

He could no longer hold on, his legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the steps in front of the government building with a thud.

In his mind, uncontrollably, flashbacks played out—

Huang Liang scratching his head with a smile, "Sir, Li Jie hasn’t woken up yet, so I took it upon myself to cover a shift for him."

He patted his chest and said: "I recover my energy quickly, I only need four hours of sleep a day..."

But.

Looking at Huang Liang’s frozen face, those eyes still seemed to carry a bit of a honest, hearty smile, but they would never blink again, would never speak again.

But!

Why?

In an instant, Cheng Ye felt all his emotions knotting in his heart, ultimately leaving only one.

That was anger, burning his throat tight, clenching his knuckles painfully, a rage that was fiercer than courage, tougher than greed, able to utterly crush fear and terror, surging madly within his chest!

Suddenly, he turned his head and looked at Luokuke, "Aren’t you curious why I wasn’t contaminated?"

Luokuke was silent for a few seconds, shook his head, "If you leave now, there’s still time."

"Is there time?"

Cheng Ye lowered his head to look at the radio, he stood up silently, gestured for Wang Kang to sit in the spot he just vacated, then moved aside and pressed the green communication button on the radio for a long time.

After five seconds.

No one answered.

He was taken aback, took a deep breath, and said, "This is Inspector of Dapo Town, Cheng Ye, requesting assistance from Happiness City!"

The next second.

The radio suddenly emitted a burst of static noise, as if equipment was overturned, the sizzle forming a cacophony.

Soon after, a familiar and urgent voice pierced through the noise, "Cheng Ye! This is Liu Kun! Can you hear me?!"

"Director Liu..."

"You’re not contaminated?" Liu Kun’s tone carried a hint of anxious confirmation.

"Temporarily... not yet."

"Immediately head to the eastern entrance of Dapo Town! The place you entered for the assessment, get there quickly!" Liu Kun’s voice brooked no objection, adding, "Don’t look around on the way, head straight to the destination!"

After dropping the urgent instructions, Cheng Ye glanced at Wang Kang and Luokuke sitting on the steps, began to move.

Initially, he was walking, but he walked faster and faster, turning into a jog, and finally broke into a full sprint!

The entry point was only a short two kilometers away, but for those in the town at this moment, it seemed like an insurmountable chasm.

The night remained pitch dark.

The Wilderness was empty, only the whimpering sound of wind blowing through the ruins.

He had just raised the radio when Liu Kun’s voice came through immediately, "Take twelve steps to the left, then three steps forward, slowly, make sure it’s slow!"

Following Liu Kun’s instructions, Cheng Ye moved his steps, pausing at the last step, then took a step forward.

Swoosh.

A multitude of lights appeared.

As if instantly traveling from midnight to daylight.

In front was no longer a desolate ruin, but an expansive temporary camp.

Dozens of tents were neatly arranged, with various detection instruments piled in the open, screens flickering with data.

Soldiers in Happiness Corps uniforms patrolled back and forth, researchers in white specialized lab coats gathered around instruments in discussion.

Not far away, Ding Yishan, Harlem, Liu Kun, Jiang Chuan... more than twenty people were standing together, their gazes uniformly fixed on him.

Cheng Ye shook his head, instinctively raised his hand to shield from the strong light.

The scenes before him left him stunned, almost unable to believe his own eyes.

"Congratulations, you survived."

Liu Kun, holding the radio, stepped forward a few steps, his tone emotionless, "What about the others inside?"

"Garcia is missing, along with 4 teams, 32 people..."

"The dark lines overseeing the assessment, all dead..."

"My people, 17 of them are dead too!"

"Luokuke deliberately infected himself with Source Heart Meat Iron to stay awake, but he’s already contaminated, he can’t come out..."

"The others..."

The feelings surging within Cheng Ye quelled as he took a deep breath, and he stated firmly:

"Except for me, everyone else has been contaminated!"

...