Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 591 - 584: Virus Conjecture

Chapter 591: Chapter 584: Virus Conjecture

On his way back, Luo’er kept his head down, contemplating this problem, and he almost ran into the roadside fence. Suddenly, he felt the magic in the air violently fluctuating, and immediately after, Fulajie’er casually appeared in front of him.

"Ah, finally I can talk. I was about to suffocate," Fulajie’er said as she exhaled in relief.

"You’ve broken the rules by showing yourself again," Luo’er said somewhat helplessly. If he remembered correctly, he always carried a magic generator with him.

"Eh, let me appear in this way sometimes. Always using that thing, each time I emerge feels like crawling out of a bottle. It’s uncomfortable!" Fulajie’er pouted, emitting a dissatisfied grunt.

"Oh, you..." Luo’er laughed, shaking his head.

"You guys train every day, and I don’t have anyone to talk to." Fulajie’er fluttered to Luo’er’s back, hugged his neck and drifted along with his steps.

"The adult world is just so dry and boring," Luo’er shook his head, answering in a tangent.

"Good thing I am not an adult yet," Fulajie’er made a victorious hum.

"Did you listen to our conversation?" Luo’er asked.

"Of course. I live in your heart. Even if I couldn’t hear, your heart would tell me." Fulajie’er said with a smile.

"Don’t be so cheesy, you just live within the pendant, don’t you." Luo’er shook his head, revealing a helpless smile.

"Is there a difference? After all, I can feel your heartbeat every day. As soon as you try to lie, I’ll sense it immediately," Fulajie’er said.

"Wait, who did you learn all this from? It doesn’t seem to fit your age," Luo’er couldn’t help but frown.

"Don’t you like it?" Fulajie’er asked.

"Of course, it sounds too cheesy!" Luo’er shrugged in response.

"Hmph! When Moumou says it you like it, when I say it you dislike it, you’re prejudiced!" Fulajie’er emitted a long nasal noise to express her dissatisfaction.

"Whomever it is, I don’t like it. Seriously, why do you always try to tease me," Luo’er sighed.

After hesitating for a moment, he straightened his face and asked seriously: "Regarding the depiction of Carter, what is your opinion?"

"Me?" Fulajie’er thought for a bit, then let go of Luo’er, somersaulted in the air, hovered in front of him, and said seriously, "According to his description, it seems that only dead people grow mushrooms, and the transformation of these dead people into corpse demons is likely related to the mushrooms on their heads. The knights were incinerated just after they died, so no mushrooms grew on their heads."

"Well done, that’s exactly what I was thinking," Luo’er praised with a tone of approval.

"Of course," Fulajie’er revealed a proud expression and confidently declared, "Don’t forget, although I may seem young, my age is not much different from yours."

"Didn’t you just say that you’re not an adult yet?" Luo’er asked her.

"That’s... My body is not an adult, but my mind is mature," saying that, Fulajie’er suddenly remembered something and looked at Luo’er, "Oh, I remember now, you’ve seen my body, so you have to take responsibility for me!"

"What do you mean? Didn’t your sister wrap you up in clothes?" Luo’er shrugged, speaking innocently.

"But you touched it!" Fulajie’er retorted persistently.

"That was just a body check. Based on your argument, does every woman in the world have to marry a doctor?" Luo’er gesticulated as he defended himself.

However, just mentioning the word ’body’ made Luo’er remember Melia, the captivating and enchanting times they had. As his mind wandered back, he suddenly started coughing violently.

"Who are you thinking about now?" Seeing this, Fulajie’er pouted and asked sternly.

"What are you talking about? I’m just feeling unwell," Luo’er clarified, with a guilty look on his face.

"Humph, don’t think I can’t tell," Fulajie’er squinted at him.

"If this virus turns people into Corpse Demons, is this process reversible? Or, is there any way to prevent the spread of this virus?" Luo’er shook his head and sunk into deep thought.

Seeing Luo’er deep in thought, Fulajie’er decided not to press him any further, and watched him with her head tilted to one side.

"Fula, gather everyone and come to my room. I have something to discuss with them," Luo’er instructed.

"Acknowledged!" Fulajie’er nodded and vanished into thin air.

Soon, Fulajie’er rounded up all the Advance Team members and directed them to Luo’er’s room. They carried Magic Generators, devices that release magical crystal power and cause only minor fluctuations in the air’s magic. Even a genius like Tangmo could hardly detect this, but Fulajie’er, being a spirit, was sensitive to it.

Seeing everyone arrive, Luo’er cleared his throat slightly and started, "I gathered you all here to share some information I’ve just received, and to discuss our next steps."

Saying this, he shared the information he had obtained from Carter. Listening to Luo’er’s words, everyone furrowed their brows and fell into deep thought.

"So, these Corpse Demons are basically similar to the zombies described in Earth’s literature and films? They are unconscious revived corpses that start to decompose," Cheng Ziang pondered, frowning.

"Fungus growing on corpses isn’t uncommon; it’s all over nature. But why do these mushroom-laden Corpse Demons maintain mobility, and show hostility towards other organisms?" Luo’er asked, speaking more to himself than the others.

Baiyue remained silent for a moment, then softly remarked, "The foundational behavior of all organisms is survival, be it humans, animals, plants, or even fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Their core behavior is to live."

"What do you mean?" Fulajie’er tilted her head in confusion.

Baiyue glanced at her, turned to Luo’er, hesitated for a moment and stuttered, "Can we presume that the Exotic Beasts from the Door of Annihilation brought a virus that infects and kills organisms, using their corpses as a medium to proliferate? In order to continue expanding their scale, these viruses start controlling the corpses, attacking other organisms, repeating the cycle of infection and control."

"So, you mean," Tangmo exclaimed, his eyes wide open with realization, "once these people are infected, they are killed by the virus. Once the virus fully occupies the body of the host, it then controls the corpse to attack other organisms and expand their scale."

"Correct, if we haven’t guessed wrong, those mushrooms on the heads of the Corpse Demons should be the concentration of the virus. They control the host’s brain, thereby controlling the movements of the corpse. Those knights probably inadvertently cut the mushroom and instigated a severe infection," Cheng Ziang concluded, nodding.

"This is why I gathered everyone today," Luo’er sighed, then looked around at everyone with a solemn expression, "Starting today, everyone has to carry a gas mask with them at all times. If anything feels off, put it on immediately. The headquarters has not entirely stepped into this matter, and an effective vaccine or serum may have not been developed yet. I do not wish to see any accidents."