Parasitism

The ground was covered with layers of old and new snow, and most of the traces were lightly covered by a thin layer of snow, leaving only a few scattered marks barely discernible. The area where the wild boar had just been hunted was deathly silent, and there were no further traces of animals, indicating that the wild boar had simply happened to pass by.

Following the trail, Lu Heng continued walking slowly deeper into the dense forest.

Before long, the rough, heavy wild boar hoof prints completely disappeared.

Instead, there was a completely different kind of footprint on the snow.

The imprints were narrow and hard, with regular outlines. Both feet landed on the ground, and the stride length varied, with a chaotic and disordered trajectory. These were the unique walking marks of the Cold Stiff.

Lu Heng's pace suddenly slowed.

He had been exploring this forest for a long time and was very familiar with the habits of the Cold Stiff. These strange creatures have stiff bodies and move in a dull and sluggish manner. They usually wander and lie dormant alone, never gathering in groups or clustering together in the same area.

But now, a dense mass of footprints spread out in all directions, all converging on a clearing in the woods ahead.

Something was amiss in every way.

He held his breath, his muscles tensed slightly, and moved slowly forward, his body pressed against the shadow of the tree trunk. He deliberately placed his feet lightly on the fluffy, deep snow, controlling the force of each step to avoid making a sound. The further he went, the denser the footprints became, and the entire perimeter of the clearing was covered with upright footprints.

Reaching out, I gently parted the low branches covered with a thin layer of frost, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.

The scene in the open space made Lu Heng's brows furrow slightly.

Seven or eight Cold Stiff stood silently in the center of the snow. Their grayish-white, dry, frozen skin stretched taut over their stiff bodies. They huddled together in pairs, densely packed in a huddle. All the monsters remained motionless, their necks stiff and their limbs unmoving, like stone statues frozen by the wind and snow, standing silently on the snowfield.

A chill crept into Lu Heng's heart.

The Cold Stiff are Forest-Native Weird Entity the Frost Forest, living year-round in extremely cold environments with temperatures below -40 degrees Celsius. The harsh winds and snow have no effect on them, and they have no instinct to huddle together for warmth and to escape the cold.

The bizarre way they were gathering was completely illogical.

His survival instincts, honed over the past few days, prevented him from rushing closer to observe. Lu Heng walked around the clearing along the edge of the woods, carefully scanning the surrounding bushes, snowdrifts, dead corners on the slopes, and shadows of tree roots, checking the surrounding environment inch by inch to confirm that there were no hidden ambushes or movements to outflank him.

In the entire woodland, there was only this group of Cold Stiff.

Only after confirming that there was no hidden danger in the surrounding area did he hide in the shadows and observe quietly.

After a few minutes of deadly silence, subtle changes slowly began to emerge.

Between the stiff, rigid skin and flesh of the Cold Stiff's head, tiny things began to slowly wriggle.

Tiny, milky-white insects, about the size of rice grains, slowly crawled out from the crevices of the skin. Their bodies were deathly white, almost blending into the surrounding white snow. In the dimly lit forest, they were extremely difficult to spot without careful observation.

The insect poked out half of its body, slowly probing the surface of the zombie's scalp, sensing subtle changes in the surrounding airflow. Whenever a gentle breeze blew by, the insect would immediately retract into the gaps in the skin and remain motionless, waiting for the surroundings to return to calm before slowly poking its body out again and crawling back and forth.

Over and over again, without stopping.

These tiny insects appeared on more than one host. Countless tiny insects repeatedly appeared and disappeared in the crevices of the skulls of each Cold Stiff. The tiny insects were densely packed together, sometimes visible and sometimes hidden.

Lu Heng watched this scene, his neck skin tightening slightly, a physiological chill and unease creeping into his heart.

Even the fiercest beasts and monsters that fight head-on have clear physical movements, and their attacks, defenses, advances, and retreats follow predictable patterns, allowing for anticipation and maneuvering. But these parasites, lurking within flesh and skin and invisible to the naked eye, are intangible and impossible to defend against, inspiring instinctive fear in all who encounter them.

He raised his hand to summon the light screen on his Wristband and examined the wriggling white worm.

A brief introduction slowly popped up on the pale blue screen.

[Snow-Hiding Worm]

Grade: Black Iron Tier

Description: A parasitic worm. It has no direct means of attack, lives inside living organisms, and survives by sucking nutrients from the host's bodily fluids. It can detach from the host's body and move freely to find new parasitic targets.

After reading the information provided by the system, Lu Heng instantly understood the reason.

It wasn't that the Cold Stiff gathered together voluntarily.

It was the Snow-Hiding Worm that were secretly controlling the host's actions. Countless parasites drove seven or eight Cold Stiff to gather together. Once the Insect Swarm dispersed, they could quickly transfer to other hosts. A rough estimate suggests that the number of Snow-Hiding Worm lurking within these zombies was countless.

Lu Heng quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

He was alone, armed only with a crossbow and a knife, lacking any means of large-scale destruction. If he rashly attacked and alerted the Insect Swarm, countless tiny creatures would scatter and flee, burrowing into his body through his pores, with unpredictable consequences.

Given the current situation, we absolutely cannot act rashly.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lu Heng slowly moved backward, retreating step by step with light footsteps, not daring to make the slightest sound, and safely withdrew from the area where the Insect Swarm was active.

He retreated until he was completely out of the footprints and far from the clearing in the woods before his tense body finally relaxed. He then turned around and headed back to the Shelter along the route he had come from.

As I walked back, my mood grew heavier and heavier.

The entire Frost Forest is vast and deep. These parasitic and spreading worms have already appeared in the woodlands near the perimeter of our own base. It's hard to imagine how many more Snow-Hiding Worm are lurking deep in the forest, beneath the frozen ground, in tree crevices, and inside wild beasts.

Dangers visible to the naked eye can be hunted away or avoided in advance. But these hidden dangers, which are difficult to detect with the naked eye and can spread parasitically, are the real deadly threats lurking in this forest. After this incident, his vigilance towards the entire forest deepened even further.

Lost in thought, he hurried on his way while pondering his next move, his gaze casually sweeping over the snow on both sides of the road. Suddenly, he noticed a small, brownish-red piece of wood peeking out from the thick layer of snow beside the road.

Wooden Treasure Chest.

Lately, it's been difficult to meet even one for several days in a row, so today was an unexpected bonus.

Lu Heng immediately stopped and quickly scanned the snow within a radius of several dozen meters, carefully checking for any unusual footprints or movements. Only after confirming that the surroundings were quiet and uneventful did he step forward, brush away the snow covering the area, and lift the lid of the treasure chest.

The box didn't contain the usual compressed dry food; instead, there was a self-heating hot pot in the center and a bottle of purified water next to it.

The brightly packaged hot pot caught his eye, and Lu Heng's throat bobbed slightly. Having been trapped in the frozen snowfield for so long, his daily meals consisted only of smoked and roasted animal meat and dried rations. Spicy and scalding hot food had long become a luxury, and a slight longing inevitably arose in his heart.

But after a moment, reason quickly suppressed his cravings.

The appearance of the Snow-Hiding Worm signifies a quiet increase in the forest's danger level; he must not let his guard down for the sake of momentary cravings. He carefully stored the two items from the treasure chest and quickened his pace back towards the cave.

Back at the Shelter, the stone blocks and door were put back in place, sealing the entrance tightly. Daylight was still bright; there were still several hours until nightfall.

Lu Heng had already devised a simple early warning system in his mind, and took advantage of the free time during the day to complete the setup.

He pushed open the stone door again and walked out of the Shelter, carefully checking the area within a hundred meters of the cave entrance to confirm that there were no strange creatures wandering nearby. Then he selected several locations dozens of meters away from the cave with a wide view, and used his hands to scoop up the snow, pressing it down layer by layer to build several large snowmen that were more than a person tall.

The snowman's design is rough and simple, without any deliberate sculpting of its outline; its sheer size alone makes it a clear artificial marker on the pure white snowfield, serving as an outer perimeter warning decoy. If any strange creatures wander near at night following their scent, they are easily drawn to the sudden appearance of the large snowman. If the snowman is knocked over or knocked down, checking it the next morning will immediately reveal that a monster approached the Shelter during the night. The snowdrift is so large that it will not be completely covered by a thin layer of snow in a short period of time, maintaining its warning effect for several days.

Large, imposing snowmen stood silently on the snowfield, guarding the perimeter of the base.

With everything arranged, Lu Heng brushed the remaining snow from his palm and looked up at the deep, dark treeline.

The appearance of the Snow-Hiding Worm shattered his previous understanding of the danger levels of the Frost Forest. Over the next period of time, he plans to conduct a thorough, area-by-area investigation of the surrounding region, eliminating all potential hazards lurking near the Shelter.

Several tall snowmen stand alone on the open snowfield, serving as outer warning markers. If any strange creatures pass by at night, they will usually touch and knock down the snowdrifts. The next morning, when patrolling, the condition of the snowmen can indicate whether any monsters approached the mountain Shelter during the night, allowing for early precautions.

Lu Heng checked each of the warning points one by one, confirming that their locations were reasonable. After the inspection, he did not linger outside, but quickly returned to the cave and pushed the stones to seal the entrance tightly.