Infection

An almost transparent fog, like a thin veil, permeated the interiors of some cargo ships carrying healthy prisoners.

The fog seemed to have its own life; it started in the warehouse where goods were stored and spread silently like a ghost.

It first crawled slowly along the warehouse wall, then passed through the narrow corridor and continued forward.

The fog moved lightly and silently, as if it were a seasoned hunter, lurking in the darkness, waiting for its chance to strike, without making a sound.

Then, the fog surged into the staircase and the conduits that transmitted Psychic Energy.

Like a winding snake, it gradually covered the entire cabin.

It spared no corner, whether dark or bright, swallowing them all whole.

All of this happened so quietly that not a single patrolling soldier noticed anything amiss.

They continued on their way as usual, breathing the air they had ignored in the past.

Air, something we see everywhere every day, still enters the soldiers' lungs through their respiratory tracts as usual.

But this time, something ominous has begun to brew.

Hidden within that seemingly ordinary air are a large amount of transparent and fine Feather Powder.

These Feather Powder float lightly, like fine dust, blending into the air.

When the soldiers inhaled the polluted air, Feather Powder also entered their bodies.

Beneath this seemingly calm surface, the fleet slowly approached the edge of danger.

"Then I'll go back and rest first."

"Okay."

He Changping took the communicator from the previous patrol soldier and completed the handover.

According to the schedule, it's his turn to work the night shift tonight.

After his comrades left, he was the only one left in the vicinity.

The cabin was unusually quiet at night, and a strange feeling crept over him, making him slightly uneasy.

But He Changping did not delay for too long.

After giving himself a quick mental pep talk, he started his patrol.

More than fearing the eerie atmosphere of the ship's corridors, he feared that his patrol captain would use this as an excuse to embezzle military pay.

You see, the big shots above don't have time to care about the life or death of a lowly soldier like him.

Even if you appeal to higher authorities that the team leader is embezzling funds, they'll just say, "Why are you the one who's suffering?"

He held the communicator in his hand, unconsciously increasing his walking speed, and soon he had walked around the area.

The first lap went smoothly.

Second lap, third lap,..., fifth lap.

He began to realize something was wrong.

The shadows that were originally cast by the bright overhead lights have become noticeably fainter.

Why are the lights so dim?

He Changping stopped his patrol and thought for a moment.

Is there a problem with the overhead lights in the corridor?

No, that's not right!

The overhead lights here are all managed by the cargo ship's energy supply room.

If a problem occurs, the crew over there will immediately notice it and send someone here to inspect it.

But now, quite some time has passed, and not a single person has come.

The surroundings were deathly quiet, as if the area he was in was isolated from the rest of the world.

He started to tense up, his eyes darting around anxiously, and his body involuntarily stiffening.

The sound of breathing echoed in the empty environment, making Jiang Changping increasingly irritable.

I don't know how much time passed; maybe ten minutes, or maybe less than a minute.

In short, after a short while, he suddenly became unable to move.

He Changping was still relatively conscious and could feel his body gradually becoming numb, starting from his lungs.

He couldn't understand why this was happening until his body slowly slipped out of his control.

He was just on duty and patrolling as usual, wasn't he?

His consciousness began to crumble with fear, and he wanted to scream.

But her body was out of control; she simply moved her legs silently and stiffly in one direction.

He Changping's consciousness began to feel suffocated, and he slowly sank to the bottom.

In the moments before losing his sense of the outside world, he barely managed to come to his senses in a daze.

Go in that direction... it seems to be the road leading to the cargo ship's warehouse?

The futile struggle vanished.

Inside a cargo ship carrying high-quality specimens, apart from a few people still navigating the ship, a large number of Sea Race are converging towards the warehouse.

Upon closer inspection, the behavior and movements of these Sea Race were strangely identical.

They didn't walk very fast, but their strides were almost all the same.

The limbs appear stiff and rigid when walking.

His eyes were vacant, as if he only knew how to approach a predetermined target location.

Anyone with eyes can see that this is definitely not normal.

However, in the increasingly thick fog, which was beginning to take on a pale grayish-purple hue, everyone was exactly the same.

Whether soldiers or crew members, they had all become true zombies at this moment.

My gaze followed these walking corpses.

Their destination—a warehouse inside the cargo ship—is now crammed with Sea Race.

In the center of their encirclement, a Human Race prisoner was continuously producing large amounts of Feather Powder, like a mist.

That was clearly one of the many puppets that Shisui had placed on the cargo ship.

Just like here, there are quite a few cargo ships that are completely under control.

Shisui stayed on the lower deck of the main ship, sensing and manipulating the Feather Powder that these puppets scattered, carrying a large number of toxic Rc Cells.

Thick fog also permeated the area, isolating the bottom of the ship's cabin from the upper deck.

Such a sudden loss of signal connection will likely prompt the main ship's command center to notice the anomaly soon.

However, the enhanced [Bone-Deep Rot] is terrifyingly contagious and controllable.

Before they could even react, more than two-thirds of the ships would have been infected by the organisms inside.

In this vast blue desert, far from all support points, it was only a matter of time before the cargo fleet was completely overrun.

Meanwhile, at the Second Prince's Residence of Chongming City.

The Second Prince's Consort Guan Baozhu, drove her carriage across the smooth road of the Dragon Palace, the swirling water disturbing the rare corals along the roadside.

The gates of the Second Prince's Residence opened at the opportune moment, and the Princess Consort's carriage drove in before slowly closing again.

Guan Baozhu had just finished a tea party with the female relatives of several ministers from the Ministry of War.

Ignoring her mental exhaustion, she strode quickly toward Yuan Yuan's residence.

She slowed her pace when she arrived outside the main courtyard of the prince's residence.

Reaching the courtyard gate and standing before the guards, Guan Baozhu whispered, "Go in and announce my arrival. Tell them I have something important to report."

The guards around him bowed respectfully, and then the leading Sea Race turned and strode into the courtyard.

A moment later, the soldier walked out silently.

He took two steps in front of Guan Baozhu, stopped, stepped aside, and spoke respectfully.

"Your Highness, please come in."

Only then was Guan Baozhu able to enter her husband's courtyard.