114 The Lost Village (End)
◎They're out!◎
bite--
Congratulations on completing the side quest: Abandoned Village, purification level 100%
[Main Mission: Purify the Homeland, Completion 8%]
[Reward settlement in progress...]
[Congratulations on receiving the basic reward, your spirit value has been restored to 100]
[Congratulations on receiving a purification value reward of 8000. Current purification value accumulation: 16001]
[Congratulations on receiving the Deserted Village Iron Wireworm Reward: Memory Reading]
[Reward Description: A-level contaminated item. Requires contact with the subject's head to read any of their memories. Each use of this item consumes 50 health points. Please note: this item is ineffective against psychic users.]
[Congratulations on obtaining the primary talent: Puppet Control. This talent is a primary talent. Both the control distance and time limit consume health points. The degree of consumption is calculated based on the specific situation.]
The system's mechanical voice sounded, and it seemed very cold.
Ever since Zhu Ning learned that the system was a pollutant, she had a very strange feeling this time.
Her health points are now only 18. Previously, I thought the so-called health points refer to Zhu Ning's life. Now it sounds like the health points should be the system's. Zhu Ning needs to purify the polluted area to supply the system.
Just like a machine needs to burn a constant supply of fuel to operate.
Each entry into a polluted area should be considered a form of “hunting”, with the pollution source being the prey, which the system devours and digests.
It was given to Zhu Ning as a reward. The health points consumed each time became higher and higher, forcing Zhu Ning to make progress. It also forced her to enter more polluted areas and hunt more powerful pollution sources.
Because the appetite of this system is getting bigger and bigger, like a glutton.
Zhu Ning's feelings were correct, she had been working for this system.
She had another question. There were two ways to increase spirit value. One was to flatten the polluted area. Zhu Ning guessed that the system should have swallowed up the pollution source and converted it into its own.
Another containment of contaminated spores can also be increased, why? Now the contaminated spores are flying around her, and this time, perhaps exposed outside the helmet, she deeply realized for the first time that these contaminated spores will not parasitize on her body.
More like... following her?
The black slime originally covered her body, like a layer of armor, and was now flowing. The alien had already shrunk back to the back of Zhu Ning's neck, as if it had retreated back to its warm cave after eating.
Zhu Ning and this thing coexisted in symbiosis and could sense each other's "emotions". After the feeling of hunger disappeared, the black slime became much quieter.
She could feel the alien reattaching itself to her spine, fusing and reshaping itself around her own spine.
Did she eat the worm?
Perhaps because she had merged before in the basement of the Noble Queen Store, she did not feel any disgust and did not doubt whether she was a monster.
After seeing enough absurd "people", she can accept herself in any form.
A breeze blew.
Polluted areas are flattened and closed spaces are broken, this is real nature.
In addition to the stench of rotting flesh, the breeze brought the fragrance of grass leaves, and she even heard something calling in the distance, like the chirping of cicadas, accompanied by the floating contaminated spores around.
There is surprisingly harmony here, and it feels like it should be this way.
She looked up at the sky. The night sky without the high walls blocking her view was beautiful. Before, when she was inside the walls, she could only see light bands. The skyscrapers and the highways in the sky were flashing artificial lights.
But here there is a starry sky, no artificial interference, this is pure nature.
Suddenly, she heard a noise and someone was running towards her. She turned around and saw Li Nianchuan and Xu Meng.
Because we can't see their expressions through the helmets, they look like ants in our eyes. Humans can't tell who is who when they look at ants. When humans put on protective clothing, it seems like their personalities are lost.
The other cleaners haven't arrived yet, so they should be resting on the spot. There are only three of them here.
Xu Meng stood there in a daze. Why was he in a daze?
Are you afraid of her? If you don't wear a helmet in a contaminated area in the wild, something could happen at any time.
Zhu Ning thought of what Xu Meng said. If Zhu Ning lost his mind, an S-level pollution area would be formed on the spot, and they would all die here.
Xu Meng reacted much faster than Li Nianchuan. Her own special ability was very strange, and she could transform into a shadow, so when she moved, Zhu Ning only saw an afterimage.
It took less than half a second for her to move in front of him. Zhu Ning blinked his eyes, and the blood-red contaminated spores were dispersed by a woman in black. Zhu Ning could even feel the sharp wind she brought.
In just a moment, Xu Meng's black helmet was already in sight.
Want to kill her?
Their cooperation has come to a brief end. Now the helmet probably hasn't restored the real-time signal, no one has come in from outside, and the cleaner is some distance away.
If Xu Meng wanted to kill someone, this was her best opportunity. The only person she needed to deal with was Li Nianchuan, a witness. Perhaps there was a way to circumvent the helmet video recording.
In other words, she doesn't need to hide and can act openly because she has a very suitable reason this time.
Xu Meng was afraid that Zhu Ning would be infected and mutated so he killed her directly.
Zhu Ning didn't move, just frowned. To be honest, she was very tired and had no energy to deal with anyone.
The next second——
Something covered her head, her vision went dark, and then she saw the familiar system panel inside the helmet.
Xu Meng...put on a helmet?
With a click, Xu Meng locked the secret buckle of her protective suit. She was an experienced cleaner and very familiar with the structure of the protective suit, so the action was smooth and fluid.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Xu Meng reacted immediately and saw the helmet under the big locust tree.
Before other cleaners arrived, Xu Meng pressed the helmet on Zhu Ning's head.
We haven't returned to the wall yet, and everyone is still in the deserted village. Everyone's mental state is very bad, and some people have already started hallucinating.
Zhu Ning is the so-called "spiritual beacon". If other people see Zhu Ning without a helmet, that crazy person may not do anything bad.
This is nature, and once it falls into chaos, it may cause another polluted area.
Xu Meng needs Zhu Ning to be stable, at least to be a beacon for now.
Xu Meng moved very fast. Li Nianchuan just blinked and saw Xu Meng teleport. He was very puzzled as to why Xu Meng suddenly appeared.
Considering that Xu Meng had just killed the pollutant with one knife, she looked like a demon hunter.
Li Nianchuan even ignored the fact that Zhu Ning was not wearing a helmet, and his attention was all on Xu Meng. His captain was a person with special abilities?
Now when the cleaner is so rolled?
Xu Meng walked around behind Zhu Ning and supported Zhu Ning's back with both hands. Jin Tao saw this scene when he arrived.
The exit of the village has been opened. There is a mountain of rotten flesh in front of the big locust tree. Zhu Ning is stuck in the rotten flesh, and Xu Meng is hugging Zhu Ning from behind.
Because he was wearing a helmet and was blocked by the rotten flesh, Xu Meng leaned sideways to block Zhu Ning's body, so Jin Tao couldn't see clearly what was happening.
"What's wrong?" Jin Tao's first reaction was to ask Li Nianchuan next to him.
Li Nianchuan let out a cry and was completely stunned. He felt that his brain was not very good and he had no idea how to respond.
His mental strength must have dropped to zero, and everything he saw was an illusion.
Don't ask me, I'm a fool and not worthy of answering this question.
Xu Meng turned on the external communication channel and shouted to Jin Tao: "Zhu Ning fainted."
Zhu Ning: “?”
Li Nianchuan: “?”
Li Nianchuan lowered his head to look at his toes. Yes, he was hallucinating.
Xu Meng locked Zhu Ning's shoulders from behind. Before Zhu Ning could move, he opened a private channel with him and said in a low voice, "I don't know what you did. If you want to cause panic now, you can speak. How do you want to explain?"
Because of the helmet, she deliberately lowered her voice when speaking. Zhu Ning leaned in Xu Meng's arms, and she could even hear Xu Meng's heartbeat through the protective suit.
The relationship between the two was closer than ever before, creating a private space for conversation.
Xu Meng gritted her teeth when she thought about it. She had exposed her abilities by passing through this polluted area, and she would definitely be questioned when she returned.
They will scrutinize every detail to prove that Xu Meng did not betray humanity.
Zhu Ning immediately figured it out and asked in a low voice, "Do you care about me?"
If Xu Meng really disliked Zhu Ning, she could have taken advantage of the opportunity just now. Her first reaction was to put a helmet on Zhu Ning.
Xu Meng said that she was considering the overall situation, but Zhu Ning felt that the captain was a bit arrogant and she didn't need to worry about herself.
This time, Zhu Ning forced Xu Meng to place all her trust in her. She asked Xu Meng to give her life to her, and Zhu Ning did it.
Xu Meng didn't stab her in the back at this time, she showed the same trust.
Xu Meng quickly said, "No."
Zhu Ning said "oh".
She recalled that during the training, Zhu Ning was beaten black and blue by the witcher, and Xu Meng handed her a handkerchief and wiped her face like wiping a cat's face.
She handed me the healing potion like an older sister, and she once said, "Do I need your money?"
Can a person completely conceal their personality? Even if they try to be low-key, they will inadvertently reveal their underlying personality.
Zhu Ning and Xu Meng only exchanged a few words before Xu Meng dragged her out with all her strength. Jin Tao and Li Nianchuan came up and took some effort. The place was full of rotten meat, and humans would get stuck if they walked on it.
Li Nianchuan and Xu Meng carried Zhu Ning away together. Li Nianchuan's mind started to work. Although he didn't know what happened, he instinctively believed in the captain's decision.
Although he had just seen Zhu Ning's expression, Xu Meng just said that he fainted, and even forgot that Zhu Ning might be infected and become a contaminant.
Li Nianchuan was afraid that Jin Tao would notice something was wrong, so he didn't let Jin Tao touch Zhu Ning's body at all. Jin Tao had clearly climbed up the carrion mountain and wanted to help, but he found that there was no chance for him to lend a hand.
Zhu Ning lay on Xu Meng's back, his head tilted and his body limp, concentrating on playing the role of a patient.
Li Nianchuan stood in front of the two of them, like a door god, except that this door god looked a little dull and stupid.
There was a strange aura between the three of them, like they were protecting each other. Jin Tao was completely unable to join in. He looked at Zhu Ning solemnly and asked, "Is she okay?"
Xu Meng held up Zhu Ning's head and said, "Maybe he overused his mental energy."
Jin Tao was very curious, but Zhu Ning was unconscious, so he didn't ask how it was done.
In the distance, the cleanup crews were moving in one after another. Some were trying to contact the outside world. "What's going on? Why is there still no signal?"
Xu Meng also discovered that there was a crackling sound of electricity coming from inside the helmet, the screen was a little distorted, and there was no signal connection.
Someone, still nervous, asked, "Are we really out of the contaminated area?"
"We're out," they comforted each other. "Don't worry, it might be affected by the contaminated area. We'll have signal if we walk a little further."
It may be because it is natural and will affect communications when it is first leveled. The higher the level of pollution in the area, the greater the subsequent pollution generated and the greater the impact on communications.
The large group of cleaners suffered many casualties, and the parasitized cleaners flattened the contaminated area and turned into a pool of rotting meat.
Death hung over everyone's head, but they could already see the way out; they only needed to take two more steps forward.
Through the hole in the big locust tree, they could already see a corner of the high blue wall.
Jin Tao reorganized the team and prepared to leave the deserted village first. The contaminated spores here needed other people to contain them, and their team was simply unable to do it.
They turned on the temporary blocker. Originally, Jin Tao wanted to give up on himself and let others do whatever they wanted. What mattered was that they were alive.
But three people volunteered to stay, saying that they were in good spirits and could hold on until the reinforcements arrived.
The cleaner's job is to prevent the contaminated spores from overflowing and not letting them float into the wall.
Jin Tao had never been so deeply aware of the phrase "survival of the fittest." To put it bluntly, entering the deserted village was like undergoing the most brutal selection, and those who remained were the best.
They must have high spirit and courage.
Jin Tao asked their names.
"Cleaning Team A68900 Tian Miao."
"Cleaning Team A90617 Qiu Tian."
"Cleaning Team A27899 Li Jianhe."
The name of the cleaning team is different from that of the witcher. It is just a string of numbers that looks like a license plate number.
Jin Tao wrote down everyone's team name and name, and asked them to be careful and not move around, as support would be coming.
Zhu Ning originally wanted to stay and help, but Xu Meng seemed to know what she was thinking in advance and pinched her thigh hard.
Zhu Ning shut up.
When the liquidators arrived, there were 27 people, 12 of whom died, and in the end only 15 survived.
There is no middle value between the probabilities of 0 and 100. Zhu Ning broke this probability, but he also died half way.
There were also three dead garrison soldiers, who had now turned into rotten flesh and were difficult to distinguish.
This is the world outside the wall, with a high mortality rate. The mortality rate itself is just a number, but it is like a mountain hanging over everyone's head, making it hard for everyone to breathe.
During the retreat, some cleaners volunteered to lead the way, while others volunteered to cover the rear. They let Xu Meng, who was carrying Zhu Ning, walk in the middle, while Li Nianchuan protected her from behind.
No one came over to say thank you, and no one came up to say anything, but their actions showed it.
They silently protected Zhu Ning in the middle layer, preventing any danger from approaching her.
Zhu Ning lay on Xu Meng's back, eyes closed, silent. They retraced their steps, crossing the tall grass.
The green grass was so tall that walking in it felt like walking into a forest. Everyone was cautious and no one spoke for fear of disturbing any pollution.
Green grass brushed against the wounded team, like invisible hands caressing their shoulders.
Crash——
For a moment, the only sound was the clashing of grass blades.
It was the same road, but the mentality when coming and when leaving was completely different. This team was extremely depressed.
The shadow of death hung over everyone, and they carried a stench of decay.
Finally, they saw a whole high wall.
The wall is covered with a layer of blue film, which is very technological. After experiencing the deserted village, looking at this high wall again feels like a different world.
Although only a few hours had passed, people had the illusion that they had spent their entire lives in the deserted village and that they were the residents of the deserted village.
At this time, humans who were like primitive tribes saw the most advanced civilization of mankind for the first time.
The garrison outside the first-level protective wall noticed something strange, "Hey! Is that them?"
The garrison adjusted their perspective and zoomed in to see people moving through the tall grass. They looked very small in the grass, and wearing black protective clothing, they looked like a row of black ants.
"It's true," the garrison shouted, "They're coming out!"
They are coming out! This loud shout instantly spread throughout the camp. They had thought that the entire team had been wiped out, and they were a little bit unbelievable when they saw their figures.
Lu Xingqiao and Fan Minghua looked at each other. Lu Xingqiao had contacted the cleaning center before, and the abnormal incident team intervened to investigate, but they only investigated the facts and could not deal with emergency situations outside the wall.
The results of the investigation have not been notified to Lu Xingqiao yet, so she has no idea what happened.
The rule outside the wall is that you are responsible for any accidents, and no exception can be made even if there is Zhu Ning, an S-level spirit value in the team.
Lu Xingqiao stood up with a bang, and Fan Minghua shouted, "Go get them, now!"
The author has something to say:
Great, horror has come true! I ate dumplings today, and the meat filling was pink. I guess the pork was undercooked. Now I suspect I'm infected with parasites... This is a lesson learned the hard way. Everyone, please cook your food before eating! Don't eat raw meat!
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solution between 2022-11-08 21:03:32 and 2022-11-09 19:44:18~
Thanks to the little angels who threw the grenade: only, Tata is a little cutie, and Spring Returns 1;
Thanks to the little angel who cast mines: Did you update today? 3; 48376617, 33130042 2; Shuiyuelan, San, Nan Chiye, Nuoxi, Pants on my head 1;
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Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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