Widespread Contamination

Lu Yuan kept this suspicion to himself and did not show any unusual behavior.

After dealing with the severely infected patients, it was already broad daylight.

Old Hans was helped away without saying a word.

Lu Yuan was taken to a large house in the center of the town.

There were six people lying inside the room, all of whom were mildly infected.

They had bumps of varying sizes growing on their arms, shoulders, or backs.

The bulges were moving, but they hadn't broken open yet.

"Is there any hope?" Herman stood beside him, his voice unusually tense.

Lu Yuan noticed that his fingers were trembling slightly.

He walked over to one of them, squatted down, and observed him carefully.

The bump is light brown with reddish edges, and you can vaguely see something wriggling under the skin.

He extended his right hand and pressed it gently.

The man hissed in pain, but did not move away.

"Endure it."

Lu Yuan pressed his fingers around the bulge a few times, feeling the texture beneath.

It hasn't hardened yet.

This indicates that the parasite has not yet invaded the bone marrow.

At the edge of vision, gray and white text quietly emerged:

[Target population for testing: Individuals with mild Contamination (early stage)]

[Status: The parasite has just begun to reproduce and has not yet invaded the bone marrow]

[Analyzing...]

Lu Yuan stood up, walked around the room, and checked on everyone.

Six people, with varying degrees of severity of symptoms, but all still in the early stages.

He stopped and began to think.

Martin's condition was in the middle stage; the parasite had already taken root in his bone marrow, and the only treatment was high-temperature burning combined with amputation.

But these six people were in the early stages, and their condition wasn't that serious yet.

If a drug could be found to kill the subcutaneous ovarian cysts...

Lu Yuan recalled the Sandworm Oil he had applied to Martin's wound the night before.

That thing has the function of isolating air and preventing infection.

If you increase the concentration and combine it with some insect-repelling herbs...

At the edge of my vision, the gray-white text flickered again:

[Solution Generation: Special Worm-Repelling Salve (External Application)]

[Principle: High-concentration Sandworm Oil effectively blocks the activity of egg sacs, while the juice of the Worm-Repelling Herb penetrates the skin to kill larvae; this dual action eliminates early parasites.]

[Estimated success rate: 67%]

[Note: This needs to be prepared on-site; the proportions may need to be adjusted depending on the severity of the symptoms]

Looking at that number, Lu Yuan had a better understanding of the situation.

67% isn't high, but there's no better solution given the current situation.

There's hope.

Lu Yuan turned to Herman.

"I need Sandworm Oil, the more concentrated the better. Also, there's something called 'Worm-Repelling Herb,' it's green with thorns along the edges of its leaves."

Herman paused for a moment.

"Worm-Repelling Herb? We usually use that to repel insects... can it cure this?"

"Give it a try."

Lu Yuan didn't explain much.

Without hesitation, Herman waved towards the door and whispered a few instructions.

Soon, several townspeople carried things in.

Sandworm Oil, Worm-Repelling Herb, grinding utensils, and some medicinal herbs that Lu Yuan couldn't name.

"This is all I have in stock," Herman said, puffing on his relit cigarette. "Is this enough?"

That's enough.

Lu Yuan began to take action.

He crushed the Worm-Repelling Herb, squeezed out the juice, and mixed it with Sandworm Oil in a certain proportion.

The first batch produced a color that was too pale, so he added some Worm-Repelling Herb.

The second batch was too thick to spread, so he added a little more Sandworm Oil.

The third time...

The prepared plaster was dark brown and had a pungent odor.

Lu Yuan dipped his finger in the water, brought it close to his nose, and smelled it.

At the edge of my field of vision, grayish-white text danced gently:

[Formula Verification: Worm-Repelling Salve (Simplified Version)]

[Effect: Kills early-stage subcutaneous parasites; ineffective against mid-stage and later stages]

[Pharmacology: +0.5...16.9/50]

"The first one."

Lu Yuan walked over to the person with the mildest symptoms.

He was a young man in his early twenties, with only two small bumps on his arms.

"It will hurt a lot," Lu Yuan said. "Bear with it."

The young man gritted his teeth and nodded.

Lu Yuan applied the plaster to the first bump.

The man immediately let out a muffled groan, his body trembling violently, but he managed not to utter a sound.

As the plaster seeps into the skin, the bump begins to writhe violently, as if something inside is struggling.

The wriggling lasted for about ten seconds.

Then, it gradually stopped.

The bump began to shrink and eventually turned into a black scab.

"Alright," Lu Yuan said, seeing the situation. "It'll be fine once the scab falls off."

The young man's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

"That's... that's it?"

"That's all."

Lu Yuan didn't explain further and continued treating the second bulge on his arm.

For the next two hours, he repeated the same action.

Mix, apply, wait, process.

One after another.

Some people have many bulges, which take a long time to treat.

Some people are in awkward positions, such as on their back or near their shoulder blades, and need help from others to stabilize them.

Lu Yuan operated the entire operation using only his right hand, while his left hand remained wrapped in bandages and hanging at his side.

He ran out of the plaster once, so he prepared a new batch.

The formula for the second batch was slightly adjusted, and the results were even better than the first batch.

By the time he finished dealing with the last person, he was so exhausted he could barely stand.

My right hand is sore, and my fingers are a little numb.

At the edge of my field of vision, grayish-white text danced gently:

[Pharmacology: +0.7...17.6/50]

"Thank you so much for saving my life, sir..."

"Sandworm Town owes you a life..."

Those who were rescued expressed their gratitude one after another, and some tightly grasped Lu Yuan's hand.

A middle-aged man with a full beard and red eyes pulled out several silver shields from his pocket and insisted on giving them to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan waved his hand, not taking it.

His gaze swept over the group, finally settling on a silent young man in the corner.

That person was the last to be dealt with; he had the most bulges on his back, a total of seven or eight.

But strangely, the color of his bulge was different from everyone else's.

The other people's bumps were light brown, but his had a faint purple tinge.

Lu Yuan noticed this detail while handling the matter.

The plaster was less effective on him than on others; the pulsation took longer to stop, and the scab was darker in color.

"What's your name?" Lu Yuan walked over and asked.

The young man looked up, his eyes darting away.

"... Red."

Where were you standing yesterday when we were breaking down the Sandworm?

Red paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting Lu Yuan to ask this.

"I... I'm on the head side. I'm in charge of cleaning the mouthparts."

Head.

Mouthparts.

Lu Yuan recalled the countless eyes inside the mouthparts of that Mutated Sandworm.

"Did you encounter anything strange?"

Red's eyes flickered.

"No... no."

He's lying.

Lu Yuan could tell, but since he didn't want to say, there was no need to press him. He would wait until the Pathfinder made their move, assess the situation, take action once, and then leave.

Of course, it would be even better if I could get something along the way.

"Keep a close eye on it these next few days. If a new one grows in the same spot as the bump, or if anything seems amiss, come see me immediately."

Red nodded quickly, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, thank you, sir."

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze and turned to Herman.

"We'll settle the cost of the materials when I leave."

"Now, I need to rest."

Herman nodded, his expression complex.

"Sandworm Town will remember this favor."

By the time they returned to Herman's house, the sun was already high in the sky.

Lu Yuan entered the room and closed the door.

Without washing up or eating anything, I collapsed onto the bed.

A wave of exhaustion washed over me.

My right hand is sore, my left hand is throbbing, and my mind is a bit muddled.

But before falling asleep, Lu Yuan went through the day's events in his mind.

The mayor's absence.

The Mutation have the same markings as the Mutated Sandworm.

That familiar smell when it's burning.

And that young man named Red, his eyes darted around, and the color of his bulge was unusual.

These things, when put together, point to one possibility.

The Mutation of Sandworm does not occur naturally.

Someone is manipulating things behind the scenes.

Lu Yuan thought of the various forces in Grim Port: the Church, the Ascension Society —each with its own secrets.

The current situation resembles some kind of out-of-control research.

But this is a desert.

Dry, isolated, and lacking in resources.

No matter which faction it is, it's not easy for them to establish a base in a place like this.

Besides, the Pathfinder had been in town for some time, so it was impossible for them not to have noticed any obvious unusual facilities.

Moreover, Sandworm are underground organisms.

They live deep in the sand year-round and should have an instinctive sense of danger.

On the day of the hunt, the Contamination Sandworm were clearly different from ordinary Sandworm. They waited for the mayor's Bone Flute and even struggled for a long time after being poisoned.

That's not the reaction of an ordinary living being.

Such creatures, upon encountering Source of Pollution, would likely flee as their first reaction.

The desert is so vast, and the earth is so deep; they have plenty of places to go.

But it was Contamination.

Lu Yuan frowned.

There are only two possibilities.

Or perhaps there exists something underground that Sandworm cannot resist.

So powerful that they couldn't even escape.

Or perhaps someone did it on purpose.

By some means, the Sandworm are forced to come into contact with the Source of Pollution.

But the question is... why?

What is the purpose of Contamination Sandworm?

Lu Yuan couldn't understand it.

Sandworm have value, but that's only in terms of the material itself. If they're Contamination, the material is ruined, so wouldn't all the effort be wasted?

Unless... Contamination itself is the goal.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes, temporarily suppressing these thoughts.

With too little information, thinking more is futile.

The most important thing now is to rest.

Once I've regained some of my rationality, I'll delve deeper into these matters...

When I woke up again, sunlight streamed in through the window and fell on the floor.

Lu Yuan lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds.

It felt surprisingly good.

He had thought that sleeping only a few hours would make him very tired, but now he didn't feel drowsy at all. His mind was clear, and the heavy feeling pressing on the back of his head had mostly dissipated.

At the edge of vision, gray and white text quietly emerged:

[Sanity: 71/120 (Total)]

The potion the Pathfinder gave him was even more effective than he had imagined.

It doesn't just accelerate recovery; it seems to have some kind of lasting effect.

Lu Yuan looked at the number, a slight smile playing on his lips.

71 points, more than halfway through.

Lu Yuan sat up, stretched his neck, and glanced at his left hand.

The wound under the bandage seems to have healed a bit; at least the burning sensation isn't as intense as before.

The sunlight outside the window is perfect; it must be afternoon.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Mr. Lu, are you awake?"

It was Karl's voice.