Heroes' Prison-Chapter 1481 - 1407: The Most Tragic in History!
The cities where the pandemic broke out saw people trying every possible way to escape. The Teleport Plaza was packed, and the city gates were crowded to the bursting point, with order completely out of control.
Other cities that hadn’t been hit by the plague also fell into panic, announcing city lockdowns and banning outsiders from entering.
After the initial chaos, the Hero Empire stood up once again, proactively taking on the responsibility of fighting the plague.
On one hand, they urged players who were at risk of infection to refrain from logging in for a short period, until the situation was under control, before attempting to log in again.
After extensive media reports, players in the cities hit by the pandemic began to comply, with most voluntarily logging off, only a small number didn’t heed the call.
Soon, bustling cities turned into empty towns, streets deserted, with only the wind blowing debris into the air, desolate and cold.
On the other hand, the Hero Empire joined forces with various powers in The Second World to research the plague, in hopes of finding a way to resolve it.
At the research base in the Demonic Beast Mountain Range of the Hero’s Continent, a group of experts led by Lu Ye worked day and night researching the plague.
In addition, academic organizations like the Medical Association of the Central Continent, the Medical College of the Oskan Royal Academy, the Poison Master Alliance, and the Witch Doctor Association, along with players adept in potions and poisons, also began research work globally.
Two days later, the first batch of infected finally died, dying in a most horrific way, their bodies turning into a pool of pus, the stench unbearable.
Heavenly Dao, Qin Shiyu, and Zu Zaiyu swiftly issued a cleanup order to the NPCs led by the Empire Guardians, instructing them to go worldwide and clear the bodies of the infected, purifying the local air.
After the first batch of infected died, the situation eased, with no new deaths reported.
The world began to regain some normalcy, and the logged-off players finally started attempting to log back in.
...
Land of Dongying, Sakura City.
This city belongs to Japan’s renowned master - under Sakura’s domain, who, as the city lord, has planted cherry blossoms all over the city, creating breathtaking beauty. Coupled with Sakura himself being a handsome youth, the city’s popularity skyrocketed, making Sakura City one of the most bustling cities in Dongying.
In the recent plague, two cities on the Land of Dongying were affected, but Sakura City was very fortunate, with no infections reported.
Sakura immediately issued a lockdown order, announcing that Sakura City would only allow exits, not entries, completely preventing the source of infection from entering the city.
On that day, Sakura City was as lively as usual, streets bustling with people playing music and singing under cherry trees, couples kissing and embracing.
Sakura himself walked leisurely down a street, a smile on his face as he appreciatively watched everything, passersby recognizing him and greeting him respectfully along the way.
"Don’t worry, everyone. Sakura City won’t be locked down for long. The plague is almost under control globally, and no new cases have appeared. In a few days, I’ll announce the lifting of the lockdown, so you can invite your friends over to have fun!" Sakura surveyed the crowd on the street, speaking softly.
A gust of wind lifted his cloak slightly, exuding a heroic aura, the sunlight illuminating his handsome face, more beautiful than a woman’s!
Time seemed to freeze, everyone around was spellbound by his beauty, staring in awe.
At this moment, Sakura’s body shuddered!
Suddenly, black blood spurted from his orifices, his limbs trembling uncontrollably, his mouth letting out a crazed roar!
In the blink of an eye, Sakura turned into this horrifying sight, with not a trace of his once-handsome demeanor remaining!
Everyone was startled, staring at him in a daze!
"He, he, he seems infected!" Finally, someone reacted, stammering a scream!
The crowd was immediately awakened, screaming and scattering, desperate to avoid him.
On other streets, people saw those in panic fleeing, not knowing what had happened, but for safety’s sake, they ran along, panic spreading rapidly!
Yet some hadn’t even run a few steps before their bodies halted abruptly, black blood spewing from their orifices, their mouths letting out horrific cries, showing symptoms of infection!
At this point, not just Sakura City, but cities worldwide, saw a batch of new infected individuals emerge.
Many of them were in safe zones, supposedly safe from infection, but inexplicably they got infected.
It turns out this is related to the transmission mechanism of the Soul Plague. Even during its incubation period, the virus is contagious.
The previous first batch infected by the Spirit Demon became Level 1 Infected, with the virus lying dormant within them, not erupting. Those they interacted with would also be infected, becoming Level 2 Infected, with just a longer incubation period.
As the infected population continued to move globally, traveling to various cities and continents, infections increased exponentially, with countless becoming Level 3 Infected, Level 4 Infected... and so on. The further the incubation period extended, the longer it took for symptoms to manifest.
Two days ago, when that batch of Level 1 Infected erupted, although many cities were locked down, appearing as if no infected entered, in reality, there were already numerous Level 2, 3, 4... infected within, just still in the incubation phase.
Now, it’s the turn for Level 2 Infected to start showing symptoms! This wave of outbreaks far surpasses the first, no longer confined to those major cities, but globally, with wide-scale outbreaks across cities!
In the 46th minute of the second batch of infected showing symptoms, a system announcement echoed between heaven and earth— 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
"[System Announcement]: The number of infected with the [Soul Plague] has exceeded 10 million, upgrading the plague to the Second Phase, now transmittable through sound. Hearing an infected person’s voice will result in instant infection and symptoms, with death following 10 hours later. When the number of infections reaches a certain level, the virus will mutate, adding new transmission methods."
The world was instantly dumbstruck!
Transmitted through sound!
As long as you hear the voice of the infected, you will be infected!
This transmission method is completely unheard of!
Moreover, once infected, the poison will take effect immediately, no longer having any incubation period!
At this moment, all over the world, those poisoned are uncontrollably roaring, and countless players are hearing their roars.
Just one poison outbreak on a street will cause the whole street to hear the roar, and everyone on that street will be infected.
In cities across the world, countless players fleeing wildly hear the roars of the poisoned and their souls tremble instantly.
The information carried by those roars surpasses physical boundaries and directly affects the soul, causing every soul to empathize deeply.
Subsequently, countless fleeing bodies abruptly stop, spraying black blood from seven orifices, joining the ranks of roaring.
This time, it’s not one-by-one infection, but street-by-street infection where everyone in the infected area is inevitably affected!
The surviving players swiftly adopted new preventive measures, using sound isolation methods to avoid hearing the roars of the infected.
They flew skywards at the fastest speed, heading out of the city!
Upon reaching a safe distance, they patted their chests in relief and glanced at the city below.
In the distance, those plague-ridden streets were filled with zombie-like crowds, clawing and howling, densely packed, causing just a glance to make one’s scalp numb.
Just then, a solemn system announcement echoed between heaven and earth—
"[System Announcement]: The number of [Soul Plague] infected has surpassed 100 million. This plague has advanced to the Third Phase and will propagate through visual transmission. Viewing an infected will result in infection and immediate poisoning, leading to death in 1 hour. Once the number of infections reaches a certain level, the virus will mutate, adding new transmission methods."
Third Phase!
Through visual transmission!
Just seeing the infected means infection!
In the next moment, many players who had escaped to safe areas shuddered, spraying black blood from their seven orifices and becoming infected!
They were infected just by glancing at those infected in the distance!
This is true visual pollution!
Just seeing the infected tortures the soul, resulting in immediate poisoning!
"Urgent announcement from Hero Empire: All players worldwide must log off at once! Do not make any movements, log off immediately! Log off at the fastest speed!"
At this time, the urgent announcement from Hero Empire echoed between heaven and earth!
This plague is simply too terrifying, its transmission speed unbelievably frightening, and they dare not attempt any actions. Calling for everyone to log off is the most prudent method.
However, just as the Hero Empire’s announcement was made, a cold voice echoed between heaven and earth again—
"[System Announcement]: The number of [Soul Plague] infected has exceeded 1 billion. The plague has reached the Ultimate Phase, spreading through world rules. As long as you appear in The Second World, you will be infected, and poisoned immediately, dying in 1 minute."
This voice was the last voice heard by all players worldwide!
Because in the next moment, all players, no matter which continent, city, or street they were on, were infected!
Whether high-level Divine Domain players or newcomers who haven’t reached the Holy Domain, whether famed super-first masters or silent ordinary players, all were infected!
Even players who haven’t interacted with anyone these days, whether in remote mountains, underground ruins, or ocean depths, were all infected!
As long as you’re in The Second World, you’ll be infected!
This is the Ultimate Phase of the Soul Plague—
Spread through world rules!
No matter what you do, how careful you are, or whether you interact with the infected, it doesn’t matter! As long as you’re in The Second World, you’ll be infected!
Those players who log off will never be able to log back on again. As soon as they log on, they’ll appear in The Second World and be infected instantly!
Even super-first masters like Heavenly Dao, Dao Feng, and Thunder God, who obtained [Temple Knight’s Armor] in Purgatory, securely protecting their souls, will still be infected!
Because the power of world rules surpasses everything!
Soul Plague, invincible!
————
I’ve been going to the hospital these days so the updates are unstable. Things should stabilize next week. This illness is quite troublesome; requires lifelong treatment. But daily life is similar to normal people, nothing major, don’t worry about me.
