Chapter 271: Deep-Level Pollution

On the third day after Outpost Thirteen entered combat readiness, nearly eighty percent of the squads had rushed back, and for a time the outpost was swarming with people, its momentum looking quite impressive.

However, this air of numbers could not mask the panic of the crowd; many wore a look of worry on their faces all day long, after all this was also the first time they had encountered what was called a Calamity-level Other.

Moreover, during this period, as more squads returned one after another, those students who had been implanted with Evil Thought Seeds were continuously being detected, and each discovery would trigger some commotion and a panicked atmosphere.

After all, one second you were laughing and chatting with your companion, and the next second, that companion's smile at the corner of his mouth would gradually tear open and launch a frenzied attack on you — that horrifying scene truly carried too much impact.

The strangeness of this Calamity-level Other was far beyond comparison with those so-called Erosion-level Others they had previously cleared.

And during these few days, Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge were also keeping a close eye on some of the Purification Towers on the outpost's perimeter, and the results were just as they expected — in one direction, the Purification Towers were dimming one after another.

And steadily drawing closer to the outpost.

Clearly, the final target of that Calamity-level Other was indeed the outpost where they were located.

This undoubtedly made people feel even more pressure.

But they had no way to deal with it, and could only hold fast in the outpost and wait for reinforcements.

And it was on this day that Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge received news that Duze Duze Honglian's squad had appeared outside the outpost.

Upon receiving the news, the two rushed to the outpost gate at the first opportunity, because they had been keeping track of Duze Duze Honglian's group's movements all along — after all, in this Outpost Thirteen, the strength of Duze Duze Honglian's team was second only to Black Swan, and if they could also be inside the outpost, it would undoubtedly greatly strengthen the defensive force here.

There was another reason...

That was, the direction Duze Duze Honglian's group had previously been advancing was exactly opposite to the direction in which the Great Calamity Other was polluting the Purification Towers — one pushing outward, one moving inward.

In other words, if Duze Duze Honglian's group had been a bit bolder, they might have had an encounter with that Great Calamity Other, and this was definitely not good news.

That Great Calamity Other alone, with just some Evil Thought Phantoms it left behind, could already cause tremendous impact, and if Duze Duze Honglian's group had collided with it head-on, then they would have to be fully on guard against Duze Duze Honglian's party.

When the two arrived at the outpost gate, an argument was taking place there — some student guards were clashing with a member of Duze Duze Honglian's squad, cursing at each other nonstop.

However, with Jiang Jiang Qinge's appearance, the cursing from both sides stopped.

"What's going on?" Jiang Jiang Qinge's willow brows slightly furrowed, her cold voice radiating a certain pressure.

"Sister Jiang, the moment they arrived they wanted to force their way through the checkpoint, refusing to go through the 'Laughing Demon Mirror'!" a student guard hurriedly said.

That's right, the mirror set up at the outpost gate was nicknamed the "Laughing Demon Mirror" by many students, because quite a few students had laughed themselves into demons in front of that mirror...

The other students also chimed in in condemnation — after all, given the current situation, the outpost was already in a state of panic, and yet Duze Duze Honglian's party refused to follow the rules; wasn't this treating everyone's lives as a joke?

Jiang Jiang Qinge's sharp gaze swept toward that member of Duze Duze Honglian's squad, and the latter, locked by her gaze, also looked a bit uneasy and defended himself: "These people for no reason want us to stand here laughing for half a day — isn't that just tormenting people?"

Jiang Jiang Qinge's gaze swept across the party and she noticed that fear lurked in all their eyes, and a sense of being utterly wretched radiated from their entire bodies.

Ye Ye Qiuding was also among them; facing Jiang Jiang Qinge's scrutinizing gaze, his expression flickered uncertainly.

Jiang Jiang Qinge looked around once, and finally noticed that Duze Duze Honglian was currently being carried on the back of one squad member, her long hair loose and draped down, her complexion appearing exceptionally pale.

Duze Duze Honglian clearly did not want to come face to face with Jiang Jiang Qinge at her most wretched moment, so she had not spoken earlier.

But now she felt Jiang Jiang Qinge's gaze, and could only glare back with some annoyance and weakness.

"Injured this badly?"

Jiang Jiang Qinge stepped forward slowly, arriving before Duze Duze Honglian, her golden eyes radiating a hint of sharpness: "You ran into that Great Calamity Other?"

The moment these words were spoken, the surrounding students immediately cried out in alarm, their feet involuntarily retreating two steps.

Duze Duze Honglian clenched her teeth and said: "It's none of your business!"

"Originally, who you encountered is indeed none of my business, but that Great Calamity Other is about to attack, and anyone polluted by it must be treated with the utmost caution by us."

Jiang Jiang Qinge said slowly: "Duze Duze Honglian, tell me, have you been polluted?"

Duze Duze Honglian turned her head away and did not answer.

Jiang Jiang Qinge glanced at the student carrying Duze Duze Honglian — he was a member of Ye Ye Qiuding's team, and at this moment his body was trembling slightly, a trace of inexplicable fear in his eyes.

"Put her down," Jiang Jiang Qinge suddenly said.

Upon hearing this, that student hesitated for a moment, then set the weakened Duze Duze Honglian down; the latter's legs immediately went weak and she was about to collapse, but Jiang Jiang Qinge extended an arm to block her.

Duze Duze Honglian nearly slumped against Jiang Jiang Qinge, and she said with some mortified anger: "Jiang Jiang Qinge, what are you trying to do?!"

Jiang Jiang Qinge paid her no heed, simply extending her slender fingertip to trace across Duze Duze Honglian's back, and then she felt a faint stinging pain at her fingertip.

This caused Jiang Jiang Qinge's gaze to slightly condense; she then gave an instruction, summoning some female students, who formed a human circle, enclosing her and Duze Duze Honglian within and blocking outside gazes.

Then, ignoring Duze Duze Honglian's struggles, Jiang Jiang Qinge lifted up the clothing on Duze Duze Honglian's back, and in the next instant, her golden eyes abruptly contracted.

Those female students forming the human circle were so frightened they screamed, nearly scared into running away on the spot.

Because they saw clearly that on Duze Duze Honglian's smooth back, there was actually a bizarre smiling face slowly writhing.

Jiang Jiang Qinge swiftly covered Duze Duze Honglian's back with her clothing again, her expression somewhat unsightly — this bizarre smiling face seemed to be branded onto Duze Duze Honglian's back, which was clearly a heavier pollution than ordinary Evil Thought Seed contamination.

"You were greedy for academy points, wanting to tail behind that Great Calamity Other and pick off Purification Towers for free, and in the end got spotted by it, didn't you?" Jiang Jiang Qinge said flatly.

Duze Duze Honglian still did not speak.

"This is the manifestation of Evil Thought power eroding flesh and blood; judging by this state of affairs, it won't be long before this EVil Thought power hollows out your body, and at that time you will also become a flesh-and-blood puppet controlled by that Great Calamity Other."

Jiang Jiang Qinge's palm lightly patted Duze Duze Honglian's slender, supple waist, and said: "What a pity for this fine skin and flesh — soon it will become a bloody mess."

Duze Duze Honglian's body trembled slightly, and on her gorgeous face, a trace of fear finally surfaced.

In the end, she used her remaining strength to grip Jiang Jiang Qinge's slender wrist, suppressed the humiliation in her heart, and lowered her exceptionally proud head toward the latter.

"Ji-Jiang Jiang Qinge..."

"Help me!"