The scene, resembling a literal realm of ghosts, made even Jeanne's scalp tingle with numbness. She scanned the surrounding houses as the sounds of screams, wails, and weeping—unable to be suppressed—poured incessantly into her ears.
Jeanne walked over to a person collapsed on the ground and carefully observed the Originium crystals on his body. The fluctuations of the Originium were incredibly obvious at this moment, which only served to make the infected man's wails even more violent.
This place was absolutely abnormal. This kind of Oripathy flare-up usually only occurred due to excessive use of Originium Arts. But did a place like Lungmen really require combat of that level? Even among the Infected Guerrillas who had previously lacked medicine, such cases were extremely rare. A normal person's Oripathy wouldn't reach this intensity; by all logic, the people here should have "popped" long ago.
"Watch out!"
Rope, who had been watching closely, suddenly yanked Jeanne back, causing her to stumble several paces before stopping. Just then, the infected man, unable to bear the intense agony, began flailing his limbs wildly in a desperate search for relief.
However, hearing Rope's shout, he subconsciously paused for a few seconds. Immediately after, he shifted his position slightly and began flailing in a different direction.
"Is everyone nearby like this? Are there no normal people at all? Do people in other areas have this condition?"
Jeanne looked at this scene and turned to ask Rope. This didn't seem like something caused by natural causes; it felt more as if someone had intentionally done something here.
"I'm not sure what caused it. I was hauled off to jail a few days ago and only just got back here. But this strange illness exists in several other spots, though everyone has been gathered into this village now."
Rope shook her head, indicating she didn't know much. She had previously been arrested for theft, and Hoshiguma, seeing her difficult life, had intentionally kept her locked up for a few extra days before releasing her. By the time she returned, the place had become like this. Many unfamiliar faces had been dumped here like trash, and then ignored by those in charge.
"They can't figure out the cause, but they aren't in the mood to find a doctor to study it seriously either. If they hadn't confirmed it wasn't contagious, the people here would have been dragged into the sewers for 'disposal' long ago."
Hearing Rope's words, Jeanne didn't know what to say for a moment. However, she guessed that the reason the local managers hadn't disposed of them wasn't just due to a lack of contagion. She struggled to calm her emotions, trying to avoid letting her anger lead her to find the mastermind and set them ablaze. She had to remember this was Lungmen, not the Ursus snowfields.
Jeanne remained silent, pulling a bottle that looked expensive from her bag; it contained a liquid as clear as water. She mixed it with some mineral water she had purchased and poured the mixture into the mouth of the wailing infected man.
"This is a special medicine that can stop Oripathy from worsening further. I didn't bring much, so I have to mix it with plain water, but it should be able to control the deterioration."
Jeanne observed the man. After drinking the water, he cried out for a bit longer, but his voice gradually lowered. His arms stopped flailing, and he lay on the ground as if he had lost his soul.
"Thank you so much for your help... I feel much lighter now. I should stand up to thank you, but I'm sorry... I have no strength left."
The man thanked Jeanne weakly, every word seemingly draining the last of his physical strength. He was clearly emaciated to a severe degree. He did struggle, but his extremely frail body simply couldn't support him. After several failed attempts, he could only lie on the cold ground.
"Though it's a lot to ask, please... go save the children first! We adults can barely endure this flare-up, but the 'little' ones cannot stand this pain."
He looked at Jeanne and voiced his request. Compared to the suffering adults and elderly, they hoped the limited medicine would be used on the children.
"Don't speak. I will do my best to help ease everyone's condition. I can't guarantee I have enough medicine for everyone, but saving the vast majority is no problem."
Hearing Jeanne's words, the infected man felt at ease. He pointed toward the area where the children were gathered and then fell into a motionless, coma-like state.
After confirming he was just excessively weak, Jeanne led Rope toward the place he had indicated. They decided to follow the man's advice and use the medicine on the children first.
"Actually, you might not need your medicine this time. I feel like their outbreak is about to stop. Their infections never flare up for more than two hours; it should disappear in ten minutes at most."
Rope spoke to Jeanne based on her observations over the last few days. The situation was exactly as she described; the surrounding screams had already begun to diminish, as if the symptoms were passing.
"Does this place actually have something like a kindergarten? You managed to gather the children together for supervision?"
Jeanne asked while they hurried. She hadn't expected such a place to exist here, capable of integrating enough resources to care for children who lacked the ability to survive.
"How could that be? It's just that 'little' kids like to cry when they're sick. If they stayed around others, they might get beaten because they're too annoying. Don't look at everyone being weak now; they were quite rowdy a few days ago!"
As she spoke, Rope led Jeanne to a dilapidated house. Inside lay about twenty children, sprawled listlessly on the floor. If not for the faint rise and fall of their chests, they might as well have been dead.
Jeanne saw this and knew the flare-up had passed. They didn't need the Holy Water to treat themselves right now; it was better to save the medicine for the next time.
At that moment, several Infected dragged their exhausted bodies toward them. The moment they saw Jeanne, their eyes filled with the wariness one has for a stranger. However, they didn't attack—or rather, their frail bodies didn't permit it. They only watched her with vigilant eyes; if she tried anything, they would have to risk their lives to fight her.
Seeing the people behind them, Rope quickly explained Jeanne's identity. When they heard she was a cadre of an "Infected organization," their faces were filled with disbelief. This city hadn't allowed such organizations to exist—or at least, hadn't allowed them to help—for many years. Nowadays, even doctors practicing in the slums were becoming rare. With this new mess occurring and a stranger suddenly popping up, they had to be on guard.
When they heard she had medicine to alleviate the condition, their eyes suddenly flickered with expressions of greed and suspicion, and they began whispering among themselves.
"All of you, get back. Stop embarrassing yourselves. Someone comes all this way to save us, and you're planning to do something disgraceful?"
An elderly man, supported by others, walked over with difficulty. Seeing the expressions of the crowd, he angrily drove them away with his cane. The people around seemed quite afraid of him and hurried away.
He was a black cat—or rather, a black Feline who showed some ancestral traits. Unlike normal Felines, he looked more like a cat standing upright. Whether due to age or some other reason, his black fur had begun to turn white, especially the fur on his head, which had become a color somewhere between grey and white.
"I am the manager of this area. Though it's a joke to say so; a manager like me has no real function anymore, other than managing a bunch of unlucky bastards who are about to die."
The old man introduced himself, then seemed to find his own words funny and chuckled at himself. Jeanne could see that his eyes had become cloudy, as if a faint mist covered his pupils; he looked like the type who didn't have much time left.
"Let's go inside. The sun is quite harsh at this hour. It would be rude to leave someone who is helping us out here in the heat..."