HBWnovel Chapter 205: Quadruple Infection, A Crazy Golden Legend!
Chapter 205: Quadruple Infection, A Crazy Golden Legend!
What did he mean by extra people?Could there have been other people hiding in Dabo Town before the two groups arrived?
Cheng Ye paused, his gaze sweeping toward the nearby Government Building. Faint silhouettes could be seen on the third floor.
Noticing his look, the leader of the squad hastily waved his hand, signaling that these two corpses had nothing to do with them.
Although the Covert Agents were responsible for supervising the Assessment, they wouldn't rashly wander around the town and cause trouble. After all, in the Wilderness, surviving was far more important than strictly clinging to the rules.
Even if the Inspectors from both sides committed minor rule violations during the Assessment, as long as no one raised an objection, they would typically turn a blind eye.
If it wasn't the Covert Agents, then who?
Cheng Ye signaled with his eyes for Luo Kuke to step aside and talk privately. Unexpectedly, Luo Kuke shook his head, indicating that whatever needed to be said should be said right here.
Hmm.
This reaction...
Cheng Ye instantly understood. He now knew why Luo Kuke had placed the three corpses right at the boundary line.
It wasn't to cross-check the extra people with him at all, but rather to vent the pressure of the building tension.
Three dead, two missing, and now two unidentified Infected Entities had suddenly appeared.
All the casualties were laid out in plain sight. If they didn't find a way to relieve the psychological pressure, the Red Zone would likely erupt into chaos tonight!
After all, the Drifters who came for the infrastructure project weren't a disciplined army. It wouldn't take dozens of deaths out of five hundred to cause a complete breakdown.
Under such high-pressure conditions, if three or five people died in a head-on clash with Infected Entities, everyone could grit their teeth and endure it.
But now, they were being ambushed and parasitized by an unseen Infection Source. Strangers had appeared out of nowhere, and people had vanished without a trace. This had already exceeded a normal person's psychological breaking point.
According to the ancestral teachings passed down by the Inspection Station since the Great Reclamation Era:
At times like this, an Inspector had to immediately present a viable solution. They absolutely could not cover it up and let panic spread.
If mistakes were made during the resolution process, it would merely be deemed a lack of capability, resulting only in official, on-the-record punishments.
Such as docked pay, a freeze on rank promotions, or being forced to carry out a set number of uncompensated field missions.
But if covering it up led to a massive disaster, or if they ultimately failed to figure out how the Infection Source was spreading and parasitizing people...
That would constitute severe dereliction of duty. Under the Inspection Station's internal regulations, a light sentence would mean the confiscation of all personal assets; a heavy sentence would mean demotion back to a Trainee Inspector to start all over again.
This punishment was completely unacceptable—whether for Garcia, who had climbed the ranks by taking a side, or for Luo Kuke, who had painstakingly accumulated contributions and schemed his way up.
"Alright then, how were these two discovered?"
"No rush. Take a look at what kind of Infection Source this is first," Luo Kuke said, patting the Kindling Terminal at his waist.
Hmm?
Cheng Ye narrowed his eyes slightly. Instead of immediately pulling out his device as suggested, he crouched down and leaned closer to the two corpses.
By normal logic, the most prominent feature of an Infected Entity was undoubtedly the patterns on their body. However, there were far too many Infection Sources that caused patterns. For example, the markings on these two men somewhat resembled the swirl patterns of the Vortex Turtle. Without looking closely, it was easy to confuse them.
He observed carefully.
The main body of the patterns on the two men was dark purple, resembling coagulated blood clots, yet spreading outward on the skin in concentric rings like a tattoo. The design was highly regular, forming ovals that spiraled outward from the center.
Cheng Ye circled the corpses twice and quickly pinpointed the origin of the patterns.
It was located behind their earlobes. The color there was much darker than anywhere else, leaving a conspicuous origin point, much like the very first stroke of an ink brush on paper.
Looking next at the gunshot wounds, the tissue inside had completely blackened, taking on a charred brown hue.
The brain matter oozing out from the side was even more horrifying. It looked like burnt syrup—blackish-purple and exuding an eerie, viscous texture.
Committing all these details to memory, Cheng Ye finally pulled out his Kindling Terminal and took photos of each key feature one by one.
The starting point of the pattern behind the earlobe, close-ups of the markings, the overall morphology of the body-wide tattoo, and the lines that had spread all the way to the soles of their feet.
Inputting four precise, high-quality images at once was far more reliable than taking a single blurry photo from a distance.
However, after the screen flickered for a few seconds, it displayed absolutely nothing. A blank screen.
No matching results?
Cheng Ye's heart suddenly sank. Was his search too precise, or...
Refusing to give up, he tried deleting a few of the detailed images, leaving only one picture showing the general pattern to search again.
This time, seven entries finally popped up. But after comparing them, not a single one matched. At best, they were only thirty percent similar. The rotation direction of the lines, the depth of the color, and even the location of the origin point were completely inconsistent with the Infection Sources in the database.
It really is an unknown Infection Source?
Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat. He looked up, meeting Luo Kuke's gaze once more, and caught a glimpse of Garcia standing nearby—his face pale, his shoulders trembling slightly.
He quietly put his phone away, yet an uncontrollable chill began to seep through his body.
'Good grief, everything is deciding to hit at once, huh.'
Although the known Abyssal Water Cave Crab had a bizarre method of parasitism, it could at least be traced back to the source of infection.
The infected patrol members had most likely touched the water while fetching or carrying it, coming into contact with the Poisonous Water Crystal within the river and subsequently being parasitized by the Infection Source.
Moreover, the detection and removal methods for the Abyssal Water Cave Crab were clear and straightforward. As long as it was discovered promptly like it was now, without exceeding the incubation period, its threat level was even lower than that of the Green Jewel Bug.
But now, an unknown Infection Source had suddenly emerged, completely tangled up with the Abyssal Water Cave Crab...
Cheng Ye didn't dare think too deeply about it. If this unknown Infection Source had a chain-reaction mechanism like erupting upon dehydration or activating upon high temperatures, it would be a devastating blow to their current situation. It was entirely possible that more than half the people present would perish right here in Dabo Town.
"How were they discovered?" he pressed again, suppressing his stray thoughts. His tone remained perfectly steady, without the slightest ripple of panic.
The more critical the situation, the less he could afford to panic.
If the nearly one thousand eyes watching him noticed anything amiss, they wouldn't even wait for the inspection. The Drifters would definitely scatter and run away tonight, and no one would be able to stop them.
Seeing him remain so composed, Luo Kuke's heart settled slightly, though he couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
'Comparing oneself to others is a surefire way to die of frustration.'
Garcia, a Stage-Two Inspector, was so frightened he had lost his wits upon learning it was an unknown Infection Source.
With a performance like that, he could forget about ever being promoted to Stage-Three for the rest of his life. He was worse than a Trainee Inspector.
"Chang Kai, tell Inspector Cheng what happened," Luo Kuke called out.
From within the crowd, the patrol leader who had crossed paths with them earlier stepped forward. His face was a sickly yellow, utterly devoid of color, and his lips were quivering. He was clearly terrified out of his mind.
"In-Inspector Cheng, m-my name is Chang Kai. I-It happened like this..."
His voice trembled as he spoke, but Cheng Ye didn't rush him. He merely nodded gently, using his eyes to signal the man to take his time.
He casually steered the conversation, asking a couple of simple questions like, "How many shifts was the patrol team divided into today?" and "Were there any adjustments to the routes?" to help ease the man's nerves.
Only when Chang Kai's breathing had steadied slightly did Cheng Ye shift the focus back to the two Infected Entities.
"We just retraced our daytime patrol route, but we still couldn't find the two missing guys," Chang Kai said, swallowing hard to force himself to stay calm. "We only found some residual traces near the Drainage Outlet at the docks, but we couldn't be sure if they were left by them. B-But after we returned, I did a head count, and the team was just like before... except it silently had two extra people. These two!"
'Fuck!'
Cheng Ye instantly felt a prickling sensation explode across his scalp.
'What kind of ghost story is this?'
Two people had just gone missing from the team, and one was infected. That could be chalked up to being parasitized by an Infection Source, writing them off as having died an inexplicable death.
But for two extra people to appear out of nowhere and follow them back to the camp—what the hell was that?
Cheng Ye suddenly felt that Chang Kai was a true warrior for even being able to speak right now.
If it were him, no one in Dabo Town would be sleeping tonight. Even if he had to turn the place upside down, he would drag every single one of those freaks out into the light.
"These two... they aren't the missing patrol members from this afternoon?"
As he spoke, his eyes involuntarily glanced at the two bodies on the ground. Both had very ordinary Easterner features with nothing particularly distinctive about them. However, since he had never seen the missing patrol members, he couldn't directly verify their identities.
"Absolutely not!" Chang Kai shook his head frantically. Seeming to be infected by Cheng Ye's calm composure, his tone became smoother than before. "How could we forget the faces of the people on our own team? We've never seen these two before! But the eerie thing is... the way they talk, their memory of the patrol routes, and even the pistols and bullets in their hands—they are all the exact ones Inspector Luo issued just today!"
"Different faces, but everything else matches perfectly?" Cheng Ye's brows knit even tighter together.
"What did they say after they were discovered?"
"After they were exposed, they claimed they had amnesia. They said they forgot what they were doing all afternoon and just found a spot to slack off and sleep."
Chang Kai swallowed hard, his voice starting to tremble again. "It wasn't until Inspector Luo came over and immediately shot them dead that these patterns suddenly surfaced on their corpses..."
"Found a spot to sleep where?"
"In the water! Right in the water!" Chang Kai suddenly clenched his fists, his eyes brimming with terror. "They kept muttering about how warm and comfortable it was underwater, and even urged us to go down and try it..."
"That's enough!"
Cheng Ye waved his hand, gesturing for him to stop.
With so many bizarre symptoms combined, even without the markings, it was absolute proof that they were Infected Entities.
Right now, the most critical thing was to confirm two facts:
First, what was the exact connection between these two and the missing patrol members?
Second, if there was no connection, they needed to verify their identities immediately!
Were they the missing patrol members? Did some Water Ghosts assume their identities and come ashore? Or had someone from the Blue Zone gone missing as well?
"Huang Liang!" Cheng Ye turned and shouted.
"Here!" Huang Liang immediately ran over.
"Have everyone step aside and take a head count based on today's groupings. The family groups stick together, the couples gather in one place, and the able-bodied youth return to their ranks."
Cheng Ye spoke rapidly. "Tell the leaders of each group that everyone must verify each other's identities. Ensure that every single person recognizes the people next to them. Absolutely no unfamiliar faces are allowed to slip in!"
"Understood!" Huang Liang turned and shouted, his voice piercing through the crowd.
The moment the Infection Source was mentioned, everyone's cooperation skyrocketed to an astonishing level. Besides, when they formed the groups earlier that day, Cheng Ye had required each group to memorize each other's faces and names. That foresight was now perfectly coming into play.
The 75 households in the family groups were quickly verified. Every family could identify one another without any anomalies.
The couples group was missing a few people, but upon asking, they learned the missing ones had hidden behind the Supermarket out of fear. They quickly ran back over.
The able-bodied youth group had even fewer issues. After patrolling together for half the day, they were already well-acquainted. After the head count, not a single person was missing.
This efficiency was so staggering that Garcia forgot to tremble. His face was a mixture of dawning realization and utter disbelief.
Glancing at the still somewhat pale Wang Kang beside him, Garcia belatedly realized the truth. It wasn't that the Trainee Inspector in front of him had simply surpassed him, a Stage-Two Inspector—it was that this Trainee simply could not be understood by conventional logic.
'Was opposing him to continue climbing the ranks really the right choice?'
For a moment, Garcia stood frozen in place, unable to snap out of his daze for a long time.
However, no one was paying attention to his performance at this point. Receiving the complete report, Cheng Ye breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Five hundred people. We are not missing a single person. Everyone, do not panic."
Cheng Ye raised his hand. Once all eyes were on him, he continued issuing orders. "The family groups will now orderly return to their residential units to rest. Lin Xiaoshan will be in charge of distributing nutrient paste—two pouches per person. Ma Mingyuan, go distribute the drinking water; take what you need. You've all worked hard today. Your mission tonight is to rest well and conserve your energy to prepare for tomorrow's construction. That is your task."
He paused, raising his voice a few notches, laced with unquestionable certainty. "As for the dangers outside, whether it's an Infection Source or an Infected Entity... no matter what happens, Inspector Wang, the patrol team, and I will stand on the front lines to protect your safety! Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
The unison response rang out through the night sky.
Unlike the anxiety gripping the Red Zone, the morale in the Blue Zone soared instantly after confirming that no one was missing.
The defensive fortifications were already built, they had a place to sleep for the night, and an Inspector had personally guaranteed their safety. The crowd dispersed with a roar of approval, soon leaving only the able-bodied youths and the patrol members in place.
Following that, Cheng Ye took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over the restless residents of the Red Zone.
Under Luo Kuke's incredibly astonished and bewildered gaze, he continued loudly, "Everyone, do not panic. I believe some of you may know that my grandfather, Cheng Wu, was the founding Station Master of the Happiness City Inspection Station. The inspection protocols used by all the shelter cities were single-handedly established by him. And for the exact situation we are facing right now, the Inspection Station has long had a complete set of contingency plans in place."
"You all only need to do one thing: go back and sleep. No matter what battles occur tonight, do not come out to spectate. Tonight, I will lead the Blue Zone patrol team and keep watch alongside Inspector Luo, Inspector Wang, and... Inspector Garcia. I promise you all, there are no cowards among the Inspectors of Happiness City! The four of us will absolutely stand at the very front to protect everyone!"
If the Red Zone fell into chaos, it would naturally be advantageous for the competition. But the Assessment had never been as simple as merely deciding a winner and loser.
To put it bluntly, this was a stage to demonstrate one's capabilities.
The quiet crowd suddenly erupted into a clamor. Seeing that many people's eyes now held hesitation rather than outright suspicion, Cheng Ye's gaze remained calm as he simply took off his helmet.
Internally, Cheng Long's influence within the Inspection Station had yet to dissipate.
Externally, the legendary reputation of Cheng Wu, the pioneer of the Inspection Station model, was known to everyone in the Wasteland.
Even though he himself was still a nobody, wrapping himself in the banner of the Cheng family at the right moment made it an absolute trump card!
"Chang Kai, tell everyone how this Infected Entity was discovered," Cheng Ye said, pointing at the Crab-man on the ground.
Chang Kai froze for a second before instantly catching on. Raising his voice, he yelled, "It was Inspector Cheng who discovered it first!"
"Tell them what happened."
"Yes, sir!" Chang Kai nodded eagerly. He recounted the encounter during the patrol, how Cheng Ye had rushed over to warn them, and the subsequent battle where they uncovered the Infected Entity—explaining everything clearly in one breath.
With the Red and Blue competition in full swing, the Red Zone residents weren't questioning his capability. They simply didn't believe he would set aside the rivalry to treat everyone equally.
For this, the blame lay with the Inspection Station's propaganda for failing to clarify the resettlement arrangements once the contract management phase ended.
Combined with the fierce competition during the recruitment phase, everyone had subconsciously formed the belief that the opposing groups absolutely had to fight to determine a winner.
But to Cheng Ye's surprise, when they heard the first part about him noticing missing people and the outbreak of the Infected Entity, the crowd remained relatively calm.
Yet, the moment they heard about him kicking the Infected Entity's head until it exploded, everyone's expressions changed drastically.
Seeing their shocked yet somewhat delighted expressions, anyone who didn't know better would think this crowd harbored some strange, fanatical worship of violence.
"Safety first, competition second. Inspector Luo, how about you arrange for everyone to head back?" Cheng Ye turned to look at Luo Kuke.
"That's right! No matter which side wins in the end, you will all be residents of Dabo Town in the future. For Inspector Cheng and me, protecting your safety is our utmost priority!"
Luo Kuke immediately chimed in, tossing out his own guarantee. "Rest assured, all four of us Inspectors will keep watch tonight. We guarantee your safety!"
With the dual guarantees from both men, the crowd finally shed their hesitation.
Garcia also snapped out of his panic, finally living up to his title as a Stage-Two Inspector by helping to guide the Red Zone residents back.
In scarcely more than ten minutes, the crowd gathered at the boundary had mostly dispersed. In the end, only a few dozen able-bodied youths from both the Red and Blue Zones remained, waiting in place for their night watch assignments.
Cheng Ye put his helmet back on, took two steps forward, and lowered his voice. "Inspector Luo, I do not expect there to be a next time where I have to step in and help you vent the pressure."
"Understood." Luo Kuke's expression turned solemn. "I owe you two favors now."
A hint between smart men only needed a few words.
With that settled, the two men acted as if they had instantly caught amnesia, continuing the conversation in perfect unison:
"I suspect these two are indeed the two missing patrol members, and not anyone else."
"I was thinking the exact same thing."
"Have you tested them yet?"
"No, the residents were already crowding around right as I fired the shots. I haven't had the time."
"Alright then. One for each of us. Let's get started."
Cheng Ye nodded, gesturing for Huang Liang to bring over his backpack and Containment Tools.
He first layered on three pairs of rubber isolation gloves, then had Wang Kang help slip an isolation hood over his helmet. Turning his head, he instructed,
"Xiao Kang, lead everyone back. Unless I say it's over, do not come any closer."
"Understood." Wang Kang waved his hand, and the able-bodied youths instantly retreated.
"Chang Kai, take your men and fall back," Luo Kuke echoed. Both sides established a twenty-meter safety perimeter.
There were many ways to study an Infection Source, but the most direct method was always dissecting the host to find the core.
Technically speaking, this was Cheng Ye's very first time doing this kind of work.
More than ten seconds passed, and he was still trying to figure out where to make the first cut, whereas Luo Kuke had already used a small knife to carve out a chunk of flesh bearing the mark and begun his analysis.
In comparison, Cheng Ye was clearly much greener when it came to official Inspector duties.
However, green or not, the moment Cheng Ye pressed his small knife against the mark behind the earlobe, the interface automatically popped open.
[Collector has detected dissipating biological data. Commencing automatic absorption.]
'Huh, that works too?'
Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow. Having the Collector assist with the detection made things unimaginably simple.
He quickly embedded the small knife into the flesh, watching the progress bar on the interface rapidly surge upward.
When the progress hit 60%, a notification instantly popped up.
[Absorption Complete. New biological bestiary entry recorded: Soul-Hooking Catfish]
'Just as I thought... it's a multiple-fusion Infection Source...'
Cheng Ye let out a soft breath, his heart relaxing slightly.
He was no stranger to the Soul-Hooking Catfish. Whether it was from Happiness City's Inspector Manual or the Torch Trainee Assessment materials he had been memorizing over the past few days, there was detailed information about it.
It was a common Infection Source active near water, and its primary trait was Mental Pollution.
Of course, this Mental Pollution couldn't hold a candle to the Walker; it functioned more as a form of hallucination.
It would trick humans into thinking the next step was still solid ground, when in reality, it was already the surface of the water.
Or it might conjure images of one's deepest desires floating on the water. Once the victim's heart wavered and they stepped into the river, the pollution would rapidly deepen until they could never leave the water again, eventually turning into a Water Ghost.
This kind of Mental Pollution typically failed against anyone with a resolute mind or who remained vigilant.
But the strange thing was, Water Ghosts had always been restricted to moving underwater or strictly along the shoreline. Their abilities were similar to the Soul-Hooking Catfish, and they were even weaker at creating hallucinations, barely able to operate at night.
Otherwise, why call them Water Ghosts? Wouldn't Shore-Climbing Ghosts be a more fitting name?
For them to wander onto dry land and brazenly pollute other humans was absolutely unheard of.
While he was pondering this, the progress bar hit 75%, and a new notification popped up:
[Absorption Complete. New biological bestiary entry recorded: Face-Changing Fish]
'A triple fusion?'
Watching the progress bar continue to climb, Cheng Ye was stunned.
Compared to the Soul-Hooking Catfish, the Face-Changing Fish was actually far more common and was considered a somewhat benign Infection Source.
Once infected, a person's facial features would randomly change, but with one absolute rule: they could not touch water.
The moment they touched water, the changes would vanish instantly, and their face would begin to fester.
They had to avoid water for seven consecutive days before the face-changing effect completely wore off.
Generally speaking, this Infection Source was highly favored by assassins like Master Tian. It was the perfect getaway tool after executing a hit.
'Just how many Infection Sources are hiding at the bottom of the White Water River?'
Cheng Ye felt a creeping numbness over his scalp.
Soul-hooking and face-changing—and it was still far from over. He feared that the final Infection Source was the primary reason these two Water Ghosts had come ashore.
However, the progress bar climbed slower and slower, completely stalling out once it reached 90%.
Cheng Ye pondered for a moment before turning to Luo Kuke. "Want to swap? Let me see the situation on your side!"
"Hmm?" Luo Kuke paused, then nodded, gesturing for him to take a look.
By now, Luo Kuke had already sliced off six chunks of flesh from the first infected victim. He was currently taking out various bottles and jars filled with powders, pouring them onto the meat, and meticulously observing the reactions.
It looked exactly like the kind of research methods a scientist like Qin Feng would use.
Cheng Ye raised his small knife, pressed it against the origin point of the second man's tattoo, and made a light slice.
The progress bar on the interface began to climb once more, but before long, a new message suddenly sprang up:
[Absorption Complete. The Abyssal Water Cave Crab's traits have increased.]
'Great.'
'A Quadruple Fusion!'
Cheng Ye secretly clicked his tongue in disbelief. It was truly hard to imagine that a single person could be parasitized by so many different Infection Sources all at once.
The danger level at the bottom of the White Water River had far exceeded his expectations. Thank goodness he hadn't let Jiang Chuan go into the water that day.
Brother B was absolutely right. When facing the unknown Wilderness, one had to maintain absolute reverence. After all, even Transcendents weren't invincible.
Even though his life level had already ascended, there were still many situations where the chance of parasitism was one hundred percent.
Perhaps only by continually elevating his life level could he further enhance his immunity to this kind of parasitism.
Finally.
With a slow but steady ascent, the progress bar inched its way up to 100%.
The interface flashed violently a few times. Right after, an entirely expected notification popped out:
[Absorption Complete. New biological bestiary entry recorded: ???]
It really was a completely unknown Infection Source. Since it couldn't be found on the Kindling Terminal, it was impossible for him to analyze it based on the information he had gathered thus far.
After all, across the vast Wasteland, only a fraction—ten or twenty percent—of the Infection Sources had been discovered and analyzed to date.
The vast majority were either continuously mutating in places out of humanity's reach, or had already gone into hiding since the Old Era.
As long as no one ventured into those specific locations to trigger them, no one would ever know they existed.
While mulling this over, Cheng Ye opened the bestiary function.
But the very next second, he was completely dumbfounded.
White, blue, purple, red...
The bestiary already contained four colors. Most conventional Infection Sources fell under white or blue.
The purple category contained only the Abyssal Water Cave Crab.
The red category, representing the Transcendent tier, contained only the Vortex Turtle.
Yet now, no new entries had been added under the white, blue, purple, or red categories. Instead, at the very bottom of the list, a brand-new color had appeared.
The color was blazing and vivid, shining like the midday sun. It was pure... gold!