Outbreak

Before Allen could finish speaking, Old Morgan gave a wry smile.

"Grim Port was sealed off the moment you arrived."

Before he could finish speaking, hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

A Holy Armor Army rushed in, soaking wet and looking terrified.

"Something's happened at the screening site!"

His voice trembled as he gasped for breath.

"Those who were left behind... they are undergoing massive Mutation!"

"Crystal Communications is being jammed, we can't connect! Captain Xi Wading sent me here for backup!"

"Captain Xi Wading and Hans are suppressing them, but there are too many, they can't control them!"

The atmosphere in the room froze instantly.

Old Morgan. and Allen exchanged a glance.

Without any hesitation, Allen turned and left.

"Lead the way! Everyone, prepare for battle!"

The others immediately followed.

Lu Yuan was among them.

The rain was heavier than before.

Large raindrops pounded on the ground, splashing up White Mist and stinging my face.

Screams could be faintly heard in the distance, mixed with the clanging of metal and a wet, tearing sound.

At the edge of my field of vision, gray and white text danced silently:

[Environmental Perception: A sharp increase in surrounding Contamination concentration has been detected]

[WARNING: Safety threshold exceeded, evacuation recommended immediately]

Lu Yuan frowned and followed closely behind.

My unease grew stronger.

It wasn't just the strange changes in Grim Port that reminded him of the warning from the eerie color in his dream the day before yesterday.

Danger.

And that feeling of being watched returned.

It felt like a thorn in my side.

But Lu Yuan could not find the source.

The screening site was in complete chaos.

Before he even got close, Lu Yuan saw two completely different scenes on either side.

On one side is evacuation.

The Night Watcher and the Holy Armor Army are escorting the residents who haven't yet Mutation away.

The crowd was in complete chaos; some were crying and shouting, some were pushing and shoving, and many were trying to break through the cordon to escape.

"All of you, stay put!" one of the Holy Armor Army slammed his sword sheath into the back of a man trying to escape. "Running around will only hasten your death!"

A battle is already underway on the other side.

In the center of the screening site, several blood-red "Flesh Tree" rose from the ground, the tallest of which was more than two people high.

Xi Wading, wielding a giant golden blade, is battling against one of the trees.

Each strike severed several branches made of Flesh, and Holy Light exploded in the rain, illuminating half the sky.

Hans directed the Hidden Sentry to provide fire from the perimeter, and the Alchemical Crossbow Bolt pierced the swollen bodies with dull thuds.

But the body that was pierced by the bullet is still growing.

Lu Yuan's gaze fell on those "things".

It was a tree made of Flesh.

The human torso swelled up like a tree trunk, and the skin was covered with writhing veins, like blood vessels pulsating.

The limbs twisted and stretched, becoming branches that spread in all directions.

The head was pushed to the highest point.

The eyes are still moving.

His mouth was still opening and closing, emitting muffled groans.

That person is still alive.

The moment Allen saw the Flesh Tree, he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

His pupils contracted, and his face instantly turned ashen.

"Fecundity..."

His voice was low, filled with disbelief and anger.

"Damn it... What on earth did the Deep Sea Church do..."

Old Morgan walked up to him and asked in a low voice, "What is Fecundity?"

Allen did not answer immediately.

His gaze swept across the crowd before him, and his voice suddenly turned cold.

"That's something even the Empire wouldn't dare to touch lightly!"

"Now they've become devotees of the Fecundity... If the Fecundity is awakened and comes looking for them, not only Grim Port, but the rest of the Empire will pay a heavy price."

His gaze immediately turned cold.

"Not a single Fecundity believer shall be allowed to leave."

"Kill all those infected Fecundity! Leave no one alive!"

Everyone was stunned.

After a moment of silence, Old Morgan finally nodded.

The next moment, the Night Watcher and the Holy Armor Army began to raise their swords against those people.

Those that haven't completely Mutation... still look human, still screaming, still crying for help.

But is it too late?

The answer is no.

A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky.

Thunder and torrential rain mingled, creating a deafening roar.

The mutation... is accelerating.

At that moment, Lu Yuan witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.

The bodies of those residents began to swell and grow.

They wailed, their bodies began to twist and contort, taking root like trees... and growing.

The skin was torn, revealing bloated Flesh underneath.

The limbs twisted and stretched, spreading wildly in all directions.

The head was pushed to the highest point.

They are still alive.

Some were terrified, some screamed, and some begged for mercy.

"Help me... help me..."

A middle-aged woman's voice came from the canopy of a Flesh Tree; her face was contorted, tears mingling with rain.

But her body was already out of her control.

Her every move is accelerating the Contamination.

More and more Flesh Tree are beginning to take root and grow.

Trees, made of blood and flesh, rose from the ground.

Those who were not Contamination were pierced by the twitching branches and devoured madly.

Those who are swallowed up will not disappear.

Their heads would be hung on the branches, becoming part of the Flesh Tree.

More and more heads are hanging on the Flesh Tree.

Five.

Ten.

Those heads were still alive, their mouths opening and closing, emitting muffled groans, as if they were praying, or perhaps singing.

Rainwater falls on the Flesh Tree, and they grow even faster.

Roots sprout from the ground, penetrate walls, penetrate buildings, penetrate anywhere they can.

At the edge of my field of vision, gray and white text danced silently:

[Large-scale Mutation fluctuation detected: Believer Transcendent (Fecundity)]

[Characteristic: For believers of Fecundity faith, Fecundity will grant you eternal power, freeing you from the brevity of human life and enabling you to achieve... eternity...]

[WARNING: This Mutation is irreversible!]

[Sanity: -3, 38/70]

Lu Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted. Was this the power bestowed by "Fecundity"?

No wonder those Flesh Tree... are still alive, and even conscious.

But they can no longer be called human beings.

Even if one wanted to help them escape, it would be very difficult, because they simply cannot be killed.

Their branches twitched instinctively, allowing them to plunder all life around them that they could devour.

Screams echoed from afar.

Not just here.

Lu Yuan raised his head and looked into the distance.

Fires simultaneously lit up various parts of the inner city.

Screams also came from the direction of the Outer City.

The skyline began to distort.

One by one, Flesh Tree sprang up from the ground in the rain.

"Not just screening sites..."

Allen's voice came from the side, filled with suppressed anger.

"The entire Grim Port has been sown."

A brief silence followed. Allen turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"Retreat."

Old Morgan was taken aback. "What?"

"Grim Port cannot be defended." Allen's voice was cold, without the slightest hesitation. "Go back immediately and fetch your respective men. Assemble at the inner city's back gate."

"One hour at most." He paused, then added, "Whether we can get out or not is another matter."

Old Morgan's expression changed instantly, and a rare hint of seriousness appeared in his cloudy eyes.

Leaving means abandoning the people here.

The ports that the empire has painstakingly developed will also be reduced to nothing.

But not leaving means death.

The Archbishop's lips trembled slightly. The Angel's gaze had already shifted away. The Believer Path Transcendence, unable to see his own faith—it was simply a joke.

At that moment, the Archbishop's resolve began to waver.

Even if he manages to escape this time, his strength will be greatly reduced.

But no one objected at that moment.

Because everyone knows that in the face of an outbreak of this scale, staying behind means certain death.

A golden longsword appeared in Allen's hand, its runes glowing and radiating a scorching light.

Just one sword strike.

A Flesh Tree blocking their path was cut in half, clearing a way for everyone.

"Walk!"

The next moment, everyone scattered.

Lu Yuan followed behind Old Morgan, through the rain, heading towards the base.

Behind them, the Flesh Tree continued to grow.

It's still spreading.