Xu Anran suddenly opened her eyes, her heart pounding wildly, fear washing over her.
Without a second thought, she sat up abruptly and frantically pulled a sharp dagger from her personal storage space. Without hesitation, she slashed her calf with the dagger, blood gushing out instantly, but strangely, she found no trace of any insects.
However, Xu Anran dared not relax for a moment, and immediately made many more cuts on her calves, feet, and ankles. Each cut brought a sharp pain, but she endured the pain and gritted her teeth. Then, she found a basin and filled it with boiling water. After carefully checking, she ensured the water temperature was exactly around forty-five degrees Celsius.
As she carefully placed her injured leg into the water, the burning sensation and the excruciating pain of the wound intertwined, as if threatening to devour her, making her almost cry. But she couldn't care less at that moment; she shouted loudly for Luo Xi in the room, begging her to come and help.
Xiaoyue and Xiaofeng also heard the noise and wanted to come in, but Xu Anran didn't let them and told them to wait outside first.
Luo Xi rushed over upon hearing the commotion, and the sight before her left her speechless—the entire basin was stained crimson, blood overflowing everywhere. Her face filled with astonishment, she asked, "What happened?" Xu Anran didn't have time to explain much; she simply stretched out her still-bleeding leg and gestured for Luo Xi to move away.
Luo Xi looked closely and saw that the protruding leg was covered with gruesome wounds, with blood flowing continuously, yet there was still no sign of the insect. Just as the two were puzzled, Xu Anran suddenly glanced down and discovered a tiny insect slowly crawling out from her ankle!
Seeing this, Xu Anran hurriedly told Luo Xi to get a lighter. Luo Xi did as she instructed. Just as the lighter was brought close to the ankle, the insect's body instantly shriveled and died.
Xu Anran was still somewhat uneasy, feeling that something was still lacking. So, she found another hot water bottle, carefully filled it with boiling water, and gently placed it around her injured leg. The hot water bottle acted as a warm barrier, tightly wrapping her entire leg, leaving only the gruesome wounds exposed.
And so, Xu Anran stared intently at the wound, her eyes wide, not daring to relax for a moment. Time passed second by second, the night gradually faded, and the dawn quietly broke. Until the sky turned a pale white and sunlight streamed into the room through the window, Xu Anran remained highly vigilant, not closing her eyes for a single moment.
Once she was certain that no more of those wretched little bugs had crawled out of the wound, Xu Anran's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down a little.
She let out a long sigh of relief, feeling utterly exhausted. Just then, Luo Xi, who had been silently watching over her, came over and helped bandage her wounds.
Xu Anran gave her some instructions and then fell into a deep sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, it was completely dark. She sat quietly on the edge of the bed, lost in thought: This sudden dream must be a warning that the parasite incident was about to lead to my death.
In another week, Xu Anran will be able to have precognitive dreams again. She thought to herself that first, she should lead Luo Xi and the others to leave this place as soon as possible, then observe the hints given by the next dream, and then decide on the direction of subsequent actions.
At dawn, Xu Anran limped slowly out of the room. The others, who had already woken up, stared at her with worried expressions. She first smiled slightly, trying to reassure them, and then Xiao Feng quickly came over and carefully helped Xu Anran sit down.
Luo Xi asked, "What exactly happened?"
Xu Anran replied, "Ever since I came back that day, I have felt unwell. Then I noticed a strange sensation coming from my calves. Recalling that I had treated a patient with parasites that day, I couldn't help but guess that I might also be parasitized. So, I cut my skin with a knife, and sure enough, I found the parasites."
"Parasites?" Upon hearing these three words, Luo Xi's eyes revealed a hint of curiosity and interest.
Xu Anran continued to explain, "I'm afraid I'm not the only one infected by this parasite, so the most important thing is to leave here as soon as possible. As for the ticket issue, we can put it aside for now."
Then, she turned her gaze to Luo Xi: "As far as I know, these parasites most likely originated in the water, initially appearing on fish. If you are interested in this and want to study it further, Dr. Luo has relevant samples. When you go to resign from your job tomorrow, you might as well check if you can retrieve a sample for research. However, you must be very careful, because these parasites can easily burrow into the human body."
Luo Xi nodded in agreement and asked, "Then, do we need to remind the others?"
After a moment's thought, Xu Anran replied, "I can explain my situation and remind everyone to be vigilant. After you complete my resignation procedures tomorrow, we will leave immediately."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng, who was standing nearby, looked astonished and blurted out, "So fast?"
Xu Anran nodded solemnly.
The next morning, sunlight filtered through the thin clouds, scattering across the water. Luo Xi got up early, washed up, and prepared to help Xu Anran resign from her job at Dr. Luo's.
Upon arriving at Dr. Luo's office, Luo Xi politely knocked on the door and entered the room. Dr. Luo smiled and rose to greet her. Luo Xi briefly explained her purpose and detailed Xu Anran's recent unusual symptoms and their concerns about parasites.
After listening to Luo Xi's account, Dr. Luo's expression turned serious. He began to wonder if he himself might have been infected with parasites. He felt it necessary to have a comprehensive medical examination to ensure his health and safety.
Immediately afterwards, Luo Xi requested a sample of the parasite to take back for further research. Dr. Luo readily agreed, taking a sealed container from his drawer containing a parasite sample.
Dr. Luo handed it to Luo Xi and said, "Thank you for discovering this problem in time and informing me. Please consider this sample a small token of my appreciation."
After receiving the sample, Luo Xi said goodbye to Dr. Luo and hurriedly returned to his residence to find Xu Anran.
Upon seeing Luo Xi return, Xu Anran instructed Xiao Feng to immediately start the boat and sail away. They had no specific plan regarding their destination.
Ultimately, they decided to head north first.
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