Questions and suppression
The deep bone pain in my chest cavity continued to linger, and with each deep breath, there was a dull, throbbing sensation in my internal organs.
Lu Heng lowered his eyes and stared at the glaring words on the Wristband's screen: "[Being Parasitized]".
There were no further explanations, no danger level warnings, only the word "icy" prominently displayed at the top of the status bar. He instantly pinpointed the source: the only place that had escaped the Frost Forest's low temperatures and experienced a unique warm environment the previous night was the geothermal cave Geothermal spring where the Blizzard Monster resided.
He gripped the Bronze Hunting Blade tightly in his palm, his fingertips turning white. Suppressing his discomfort, he turned and quickly strode back to the cave deep in the snowfield. The wind and snow whipped against his face, the biting cold seeping into his clothes through his collar, but ironically, it cleared his muddled mind somewhat. He remained on guard the entire time, the forest utterly silent. The faint animal cries and the sounds of wind and snow rustling through branches that once filled the forest had vanished, leaving the entire snowfield eerily quiet.
The moment you step into the cave, a wave of warm, humid air hits you, shutting out the biting cold from the outside.
The cave was empty and desolate. The Blizzard Monster's corpse had long since been decomposed, leaving only a still hot spring with clear, calm water and wisps of white mist rising slowly, looking harmless and gentle.
But Lu Heng dared not relax for a moment.
He walked slowly to the shore, looking down at the calm water. To the naked eye, there were no ripples, no foreign objects, no unusual movements; all the hidden dangers were completely concealed by this layer of calm, warm water.
He knew perfectly well what was going on.
The parasite has already entered the body; at this point, there is no turning back.
Without venturing into the water, you'll never know what the hidden dangers are; you can only watch helplessly as the unknown monster within you slowly erodes your body. Going into the water is risky—deep, dark, and fraught with deadly dangers—but even the worst situation can't be worse than the one where you're already parasitically possessed.
Lu Heng gritted his teeth, abandoned all hesitation, and stepped into the warm water with his knife in hand.
The warm water temperature counteracted the chill on his skin, but it made him even more wary. He had never had any diving experience before. The shallow water was safe, but as soon as he tried to hold his breath, lean forward, and try to open his eyes to go underwater, a strong sense of discomfort instantly swept over his whole body.
The water pressure squeezed my eardrums, my vision blurred in the water, and my nasal cavity felt sore and tight. I tried twice in a row, but both times I ended up choking on water and trying to lift my head. My breathing became disordered, and the old injury in my chest was aggravated, causing a sudden increase in dull pain.
He didn't give up. He repeatedly adjusted his breathing and tried to submerge himself in the water for the third time. He gradually adapted to the water pressure, the soreness of seeing underwater, and the rhythm of holding his breath. It took him several attempts to barely adapt to the shallow water environment.
After regaining his composure, he moved slowly, step by step, toward the center of the hot spring.
The deeper they went, the higher the water level became, and the darker it was. Light was refracted layer by layer through the water, making the underwater scene hazy and dark. In order to overcome buoyancy and successfully reach the bottom, Lu Heng raised his Wristband. The Storage Space flashed, and several heavy Black Iron fell into his palm.
He gripped the iron block tightly, his own weight instantly suppressing the feeling of floating. He took his last breath, held it, and slowly descended.
A water depth of three or four meters appears infinitely elongated underwater, and the water pressure continuously compresses the chest cavity, making every inch of skin feel the heavy pressure carried by the warm water.
His pupils contracted slightly when his feet touched the smooth, muddy bottom.
In the center of the hot spring, a sealed treasure chest lies silently, its surface clean and spotless from the constant flow of warm water, its tranquility strikingly unassuming.
Finding supplies in dire straits should have been a joyous occasion, but Lu Heng felt only a chilling wariness. He dared not linger in the mysterious underwater world, much less open the chest rashly. With a slight flick of his finger, he directly stored the treasure chest in his Wristband's Storage Space.
The moment the treasure chest disappeared, subtle movements quietly emerged from the once still and pristine waters.
Several tiny, completely transparent worms slowly crawled along the bottom of the rocky wall, gently and stealthily climbing upwards with the warm water, their movements almost blending into the water.
Lu Heng's heart tightened, and he immediately opened his eyes, raised his hand, and activated the Wristband's authentication function.
The screen refreshes instantly, displaying clear entries.
[Snow-Hiding Worm - Variant]
Grade: Black Iron Tier
Description: A parasitic worm, Snow-Hiding Worm Variant, with no direct means of attack. It lives inside living organisms, feeding on the host's body fluids and nutrients to survive. It can detach from the host's body and move freely to find new parasitic targets. It prefers warm and humid environments and fears cold and low temperatures.
These few lines of text sent a jolt through Lu Heng's mind, and the hairs on his body stood on end.
These tiny, insignificant insects silently burrowed into his body.
Without daring to linger any longer, he immediately released the Black Iron in his hand and used the buoyancy to swim upwards. The iron block was instantly stored in his Wristband Space. He frantically paddled with his hands and feet, using his survival instinct to break through the middle layer of water, and his whole body emerged from the water in a disheveled state.
He leaned against the edge of the rocky shore, used his strength to lift his leg and flip onto the bank, collapsing heavily onto the cold, rocky ground.
The sound of heavy breathing echoed in the empty cave, as he gasped for air. His hasty ascent had thrown his breath into disarray, causing him to choke on several mouthfuls of warm hot spring water. The old injury in his chest had triggered a side stitch, and the sharp, stabbing pain repeatedly tore at his internal organs, leaving him almost too weak to even lift his arm.
He struggled to lift his head, supporting himself on the ground, his knife-wielding hand fixed on the surface of the hot spring, his muscles taut to the extreme, ready to defend against any sudden attack from the insects.
The expected pursuit did not occur.
The tiny worms that crawled to the water's edge suddenly froze the moment they touched the edge of the hot spring and were about to leave the warm water area. Then they slowly turned around and leisurely retreated back into the deep water, never moving any closer to the outside.
Lu Heng stared at the water for a long time, confirming that the insects could not leave this constant-temperature hot spring area. Only then did his tense nerves relax, and he completely collapsed onto the rock.
Exhaustion, pain, weakness, and an overwhelming sense of despondency surged into my heart in layers.
He proceeded cautiously through this Frost Forest, remaining vigilant against ferocious beasts and strange creatures day and night. He endured countless bitterly cold nights and finally managed to stabilize his survival, accumulating supplies and building a fortified Shelter. Just as things were beginning to look up, his life began to improve.
Unfortunately, they were defeated by these silent, painless parasitic worms.
A silent, desperate situation is far more despairing than a direct confrontation.
In the midst of his chaotic thoughts, a sudden question arose and entered his mind.
This is the lair of the Blizzard Monster, which dwells here year-round, never leaving this hot spring day and night.
The Blizzard Monster are enormous and spend most of their time around the hot springs, so they must have come into contact with these Snow-Hiding Worm Variant countless times. According to their parasitic habits, they should have been parasitized and devoured by the insects long ago, but the two Blizzard Monster he had hunted before showed no signs of parasitism, were physically strong, and were in perfect condition.
Why?
Why is it that when we coexist in the same environment, only I am affected?
As his thoughts became clearer, Lu Heng forced himself to stand up despite his aching body, lightly tapped his Wristband, and took out all the Blizzard Monster materials he had obtained from this hunt.
He examined the rough, thick animal hides, the hard, solid animal bones, and the fresh animal meat one by one, comparing them closely to his body. There were no changes in his body, and the persistent, eroding discomfort within him did not lessen in the slightest.
He then took out the gray-black Energy Core and the lustrous Flesh Core, clenched them in his palm for a moment, but the strangeness caused by the parasitic infection still existed and did not ease in the slightest.
Only one item remains.
A Snow Pearl, pure white and exuding an aura of extreme cold, lay quietly in the palm of my hand.
The moment the fingertips touched the Snow Pearl, a cool and warm sensation instantly spread throughout the body via the meridians of the palm.
The tingling, itching, and emptiness that had been slowly and subtly eroding deep within the internal organs subsided rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye. The restless parasitic abnormalities within the body were instantly soothed, and the tense muscles throughout the body suddenly relaxed.
Lu Heng was startled and immediately raised his Wristband.
Two more words quietly appeared after the originally glaring "[Being Parasitized]" entry.
[Being Parasitized (suppressed)]
The mere two words, "suppression," instantly shattered the overwhelming despair.
The tension that had been building for days finally eased, and the relief of surviving the ordeal spread through his body. It wasn't an insurmountable dead end, nor was it a matter of waiting to die. In the face of adversity, he had personally found a way to control the hidden dangers.
The cave was filled with steam, and a cold wind blew in through the cracks at the entrance, creating a mixture of hot and cold. Lu Heng clenched the Snow Pearl in his palm, stared down at the status bar, and exhaled a deep breath.
The road ahead remains unknown, the parasitic infection has not been eradicated, and the internal chest injury remains severe.
But at least he survived and stabilized this silent deadlock.