Although the Old World was a lesion, the vast majority of Sick Ones—especially the "independent Sick Ones" unaffiliated with any organization—had no resources and no guidance.
After the Old World's defeat, countless rules were sealed away, causing countless opportunities to disappear. They could no longer observe the stars, bask in the sunlight, and so on.
Relying solely on themselves or discussions among their companions, it was extremely difficult for them to access open source.
With the restrictions imposed by the Reproduction Rules, the spread of darkness, the wandering dead, and other factors, the number of independent Sick Ones could only dwindle. In the end, countless independent Sick Ones died over the long years, while countless diseased villages and settlements sank into the river of time.
The villages and towns that remained either attached themselves to an organization, fell within the jurisdiction of a Source Plague Zone, or became affiliated districts of a neutral city.
However, this decline slowly began to turn around.
With the beginning of the "World Infection," large numbers of infected humans came to the Old World through the passages. To some extent, they made up for the problem of the "Reproduction Rules," gradually stabilizing the Old World's steadily declining population.
When these infected humans first arrived in the Old World, they were kept in captivity. Several Source Plague Zones and organizations even issued special "Foreigner Protection Orders" to ensure the safety of the infected humans.
By now, a fairly stable captive system had been established.
As long as infected humans coming from outside passed through a passage, transfer companies such as Congchang, Jiezhi, and Heihu would send them to a captive zone free of charge.
The so-called captive zones corresponded to those once-ruined towns, villages, and caves. Their lifeless ruins gradually grew lively as humans moved in.