Chapter 155 - 135: Elk Village’s Foundation

Chapter 155: Chapter 135: Elk Village’s Foundation

Although the Pseudo-Man Extraordinary was destroyed, there was no winner in this battle. From the very beginning, the Lost of Elk Camp had already suffered heavy casualties.

"How many people can survive?" Shi An asked.

Hair Ghost replied, "There are currently twenty-one villagers from Elk Village who haven’t turned into ghosts. However, some of them are in extremely poor condition and might not pull through."

"Regardless, we must do our best to save them first. We can discuss the rest later," Shi An said.

At that moment, many villagers of Elk Village lay on the ground, their faces etched with pain. The only ones from the entire village who could still stand were the village chief, Chen Jianghuai, captains Luo Susu and Wu Feng, and two or three Refining Stage team members. Yet, even their expressions were heavy. For one, they were overcome with grief. Furthermore, they were worried, wondering if the Safe Zone camp would still accept their group.

Chen Jianghuai finally understood why the Pseudo-Man Ghost had influenced him, planting the idea of seeking refuge in other camps in his mind. It was because a camp was easiest to invade from the inside.

Cold Spring Camp had rejected them, which, rationally and in hindsight, was absolutely the right decision. If Cold Spring Camp had taken them in, many people inside would have already been replaced by Pseudo-Men by now. The replacements would have been so silent that even someone in the Extraordinary Realm wouldn’t have noticed. Conversely, the Safe Zone had accepted them, allowing them to escape the disaster. Yet, they had brought true catastrophe right to the Safe Zone’s doorstep. If the Safe Zone hadn’t seen through the Pseudo-Men’s disguises, the consequences would have been unimaginable!

Even though the Pseudo-Man Ghost had been purified and destroyed, these people had still been eroded by the Pseudo-Men. It was hard to say whether any hidden dangers still lingered within their bodies. Even if the Safe Zone drove them away and left them to fend for themselves, Chen Jianghuai felt he had no right to complain. For instance, many of the Safe Zone’s Dream Descenders who had escorted them here were now keeping their distance, as if fearing a group of highly contagious patients.

Just then, Hair Ghost put away his Member Card and walked over. "The Manager has ordered us to do everything we can to treat our friends from Elk Village. Let’s carry the wounded inside the Lighthouse first."

Although there were no furnishings inside the Lighthouse, it was at least clean and provided sufficient shelter from the wind and rain. A soft, orange glow cascaded from the dome, falling upon the pained faces of the villagers. Even bathed in the light, wisps of gray smoke occasionally rose from their bodies, indicating that the erosion had not been completely eliminated.

Soon, Yang Lina, along with Wu Qing and Wu Yue, arrived with the crucial life-saving medicine—Purifying Water!

"This Treasure Medicine can clear all negative effects and filthy erosion," Yang Lina explained. "Have the wounded drink this Purifying Water, and the lingering Pseudo-Man erosion in their bodies will be completely cleansed."

Chen Jianghuai’s eyes widened. It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen a Treasure similar to Purifying Water before. In the Nightmare World, there were many types of purification Treasure Medicines. However, without exception, they were all incredibly precious. Yet, how many had the Manager of the Safe Zone brought out? Dozens of bottles!

What utter selflessness! He had previously worried that the Manager would drive them away. He never imagined that the Manager wouldn’t mind the earlier incident, and would even unhesitatingly bring out a batch of life-saving Treasure Medicines to treat the many villagers who might not have even survived otherwise.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Jianghuai said, "On behalf of all the villagers of Elk Village, I thank Mr. Manager."

He picked up a bottle of Purifying Water, carefully unscrewed the cap, and slowly fed it to an unconscious survivor. Surging Purification Power flowed into the villager’s body, seeping into his limbs and bones. Large amounts of gray smoke billowed from the survivor’s mouth and nostrils, and his pained expression gradually eased.

This Purifying Water was effective; its effects were downright divine!

After working with Hair Ghost and the other Dream Descenders of the Safe Zone to administer the Purifying Water to the survivors, Chen Jianghuai, at Hair Ghost’s reminder, drank a bottle himself. No gray smoke rose from his body. Evidently, after the Pseudo-Man Extraordinary had detached itself, no Pseudo-Man factors had remained on him. However, Chen Jianghuai still suffered from severe erosion injuries, the lingering impact of the Pseudo-Man hiding within his body.

Now, these erosion damages were rapidly receding, and he could clearly feel his condition improving. As long as he replenished his depleted life force, his combat power could even return to its peak!

Meanwhile, it wasn’t just the villagers of Elk Village; the Safe Zone members who had just participated in the battle also received half a cup of Purifying Water for free.

Yang Lina announced, "The Manager has ordered that if any of you experience abnormalities after drinking the Purifying Water, you can receive more for free until your treatment is complete."

The present members widened their eyes in disbelief. Some of them had been planning to buy a bottle of Purifying Water later, but buying it themselves and receiving it from the Manager held entirely different meanings. The Manager had even promised that if there were any issues, they could receive more Purifying Water for free. This meant they had absolutely nothing to worry about. The members wished they could complete another dozen missions just to express their loyalty.

They drank the Purifying Water, and, unsurprisingly, there were no unexpected issues. Ultimately, drinking this half cup of Purifying Water primarily served to dispel the unease in their hearts.

"I knew the Pseudo-Man Ghost couldn’t be that terrifying," someone murmured. "Pseudo-Men can already replace and disguise themselves as humans. If they could also infiltrate every nook and cranny, humanity truly wouldn’t be able to survive!"

"However," another member said, "we still need to figure out exactly how Pseudo-Men replace humans, and... whether there’s a way to identify them in the wild. Otherwise, I’ll still feel a bit uneasy."