695. The Snowball Rolls On

As the stripped captives fled back to the city farther south, the general course of Cold Bay Fortress's fall spread along with them.

The city lords still did not know what the white mist shrouding the top of the fortress had been, but one thing could not have been clearer: the gates had been opened by parasitized traitors.

With Cold Bay Fortress as a lesson, forget allowing Parasites into their cities—now the city lords wished they could drive out every Parasite already inside as well.

In fact, some city lords had already begun doing just that.

Of course, they did not simply sweep them out the door. Instead, through various transfer orders, they assigned them to outposts and camps outside the city, abandoning them in a comparatively respectable fashion.

As for the resulting shortage in military strength, it was filled by the ones who had escaped back and happened not to have been parasitized.

As for those who had been parasitized, though all of them had become so because they had continued fighting bravely after Cold Bay Fortress fell, only to be "treated" after being wounded, no outpost dared to take them in no matter how they pleaded.

Except Cold Bay Fortress.

While Norris and the others were digesting Cold Bay Fortress, incorporating the surrendered troops, and rearming themselves, these Parasites who had hit walls everywhere began to split into factions.

Some lost all hope and chose to flee into the wilderness to hide.

Some were indignant that they had clearly fought valiantly yet had to suffer such unfair treatment, so they turned around and defected to the Fungal Fortress.

A very small number blamed everything on the Fungal Fortress and swore to fight it to the death.

Of course, that was only because they believed they could still fight