Catastrophe Containment Facility
Chapter 421 - 419: The Tide of Sea Urchins

Chapter 421: Chapter 419: The Tide of Sea Urchins

"So it’s really like that, eh? As long as they recognize someone as one of their own, they don’t attack..."

"Looking at it this way, their behavior patterns are somewhat similar to zombies. If this spreads, it could become a terrifying plague. But it’s been over a dozen days, and the island hasn’t been quarantined. The epidemic is still confined within it."

After being embraced by the girl, Wen Wen was seen as one of their kind by these infected people, so he could move around freely here.

However, their spikes couldn’t even pierce through Wen Wen’s Containment Officer uniform.

Not to mention that Wen Wen had scratchlessly scratched over his entire body. Even without the Containment Officer uniform, those spikes couldn’t even penetrate his oily skin.

The scene just now, where a pile of Sea Urchin People pounced at Wen Wen, might have caused an ordinary person to faint from fear, but Wen Wen was no ordinary person. That scene wasn’t as shocking to him as watching sick individuals who could only wait for death.

After being identified as a companion by these Sea Urchin People, Wen Wen could move around much more conveniently.

He spent an entire afternoon exploring every corner of the village, gaining more understanding of it.

There were probably thousands of people in the whole village, each infected with the Sea Urchin Syndrome. Those uninfected must have been rescued by the Hunter Association long ago.

The smell in the village was stronger and more nauseating than that of a seafood market.

Apart from the Sea Urchin People, there were no other livestock in the village. Only occasionally could one see pale skeletons and animal hides stained with dried blood.

The livestock had probably been completely wiped out, but it was uncertain whether they were eaten by the village’s infected or dealt with by something else.

If it were the infected, that would be one thing, but if it was something else, then it meant the village was more dangerous than it appeared.

However, those corpses also indirectly indicated that only humans could contract the Sea Urchin Syndrome. Otherwise, there would definitely be some strange creatures like Sea Urchin chickens, ducks, or geese in the village.

The infected didn’t usually engage in much activity; they just stood there blankly. Without the appearance of the uninfected, they didn’t respond to any stimuli.

Therefore, the danger level of these infected ranked by the Hunter Association wasn’t high. That’s why they just sent a medical team to observe slowly. Otherwise, they would have leveled the place with heavy firepower long ago.

But Wen Wen always had a feeling that there were problems in this village beyond the Sea Urchin Syndrome infected!

As the sun gradually set, Wen Wen sat on a chimney, feeling somewhat dejected.

With his investigation, the Sea Urchin infected’s reactions to his stimuli grew weaker, and he hadn’t found any other abnormalities in the village.

"It seems that this epidemic’s stimulation for me ends here. Even if I stay, I won’t awaken any abilities. I remember there’s a strange epidemic to the southeast that needs a Ranger to handle..."

Just as he prepared to leave, Wen Wen suddenly realized that the Supporters surrounding the village were withdrawing in an orderly manner, retreating to the camp he had visited during the day.

"They’re leaving this place unattended at night? Aren’t they afraid that some of the infected will escape under the cover of darkness?"

"No, maybe something happens here at night..."

Then, Wen Wen noticed that it wasn’t just the Supporters outside who were retreating; the behavior pattern of the infected in the village was also changing.

Those whose Sea Urchin transformation was too severe, no longer distinguishable as human, were still sitting on the street with a vacant look as if waiting for death.

But those who were less severely transformed had become more animated. They ran back into their homes and locked the doors and windows, as if something would appear at night and they could keep it out by just locking up.

Then, cooking smoke rose, as the infected began to prepare meals!

Wen Wen stood up from the chimney, a curious light flashing in his eyes, "Sure enough, the state of this plague is different by day and by night..."

"Moreover, it seems that these townspeople regain their sanity at night and need to eat normally. Should I go ask a family about the situation?"

Before he could take the next step, a mutation occurred by the seaside. The sound of the sea slapping the sea urchins seemed to grow louder, and dark shadows began to emerge along the shore.

Beneath the dark sea surface, there appeared to be an incredibly large black shadow, vaguely wriggling, making the atmosphere somewhat oppressive.

When the pressure reached its peak, the calm sea surface suddenly boiled over, and white mist rose from the sea, enveloping the entire town.

The entire town was now shrouded in mist!

"This mist is just ordinary water vapor, but it signifies that something in the sea is about to come out."

The fog obscured the view, and Wen Wen found it difficult to see what was happening at sea from so far away, only hearing a cacophony of noises, as if many small creatures were crawling around!

After a while, Wen Wen finally saw what those things were—they were a dense mass of sea urchins!

The mist provided the sea urchins with a moist environment, allowing them to crawl freely even on the dry land.

These sea urchins were quite large, shiny black in color, and their spines were very energetic, identical to the sea urchins Wen Wen saw in the restaurant!

The entire town’s ground was covered with these dense sea urchins, and with such a vast number of them, it was no wonder the price of sea urchins in Gaozhou City had almost dropped to that of cabbages.

However, as the Hunter Association had allowed these sea urchins to appear on the dining table, it was basically proven that the sea urchins did not carry the virus.

Now, Wen Wen understood why the Hunter Association’s camp was built on top of the small hill and why the townspeople were hiding in their houses.

Because once night fell, the town belonged to the sea urchins!

Although the Hunter Association and the townspeople were all prepared, there were still some infected who sat in the streets unprotected, as the sea urchin swarm crawled over their bodies as if getting close to them.

Next, Wen Wen saw a horrifying scene.

A portly townsman, after being covered by those sea urchins, suddenly burst open. From the yellow sea urchin gonads inside the body, small sea urchins began to crawl out one by one!

Each of these tiny sea urchins was only the size of a fingernail, and tens of thousands could emerge from the body of a single infected!

The tiny sea urchins attached themselves to the bodies of the surrounding larger sea urchins and would retreat back to the sea during the day, then grow naturally...

Wen Wen felt he had found the reason for the recent sea urchin bounty; all those sea urchins were from the patients infected with the sea urchin syndrome!

Wen Wen now felt somewhat nauseous, thankful he had let Three Cubs eat the sea urchins he ordered, and estimated that he probably wouldn’t eat sea urchins again in the future.

The sight of an infected turning into countless tiny sea urchins gave Wen Wen an immense shock, and the overpowering impulse he had previously felt surged once more!

And this time, the force was several times greater than before, even threatening to tear Wen Wen apart!