Unknown Intrusion

Chapter 96 Curse
campsite

To avoid disrupting her daily life, Ms. Xu usually covers the lower half of her face with a mask.

This not only allows her to only reveal half of her face, but also prevents her sense of smell from being constantly "disturbed" by unrelated smells.

When it was time to use it, Ms. Xu took off the mask without being reminded.

As soon as the mask was removed, the smell wafted over, and Ms. Xu's face changed.

"What a strange smell!" Ms. Xu couldn't help but fan the air in front of her nose with her hand. "This smell..."

Someone noticed that her complexion was off and asked, "Have you been poisoned?"

Ms. Xu shook her head, her expression grave as she pried open one person's eyelids to take a look, then pried open another person's eyelids to look again. The more she looked, the uglier her expression became.

Her expression was unpleasant, and it made everyone else feel uneasy as well.

Then Ms. Xu shook her head and said, "It's not poisoning."

Someone asked directly, "Didn't you say it tasted weird?"

Ms. Xu replied, "I did smell a strange odor, but it didn't smell like poisoning or illness."

What was unsettling was that, just when things were at their most chaotic, someone cried out in alarm.

Someone else suddenly fell down, and upon examination, it seemed they had fallen into a deep sleep again!

"what happened?"

"This is like a curse!"

As soon as the word "curse" was uttered, everyone's expression changed slightly.

Song Xunfang's earpieces emitted a faint light, maintaining constant contact. The sounds emanating from the earpieces were even heard by those inside the hall.

Even Su Yu's expression turned somewhat grim.

“But if it’s a curse, why are we…” someone tried to argue.

Song Xunfang looked over, and under the middle-aged man's gaze, the man realized something and his expression changed drastically.

Su Yu pondered. If it really was a curse, the source of the curse was very likely on this island.

Is everyone who sets foot on this island cursed?
However, it is not necessarily.

Curses are something you can encounter anywhere in the world, and some people may never encounter them in their entire lives.

It all depends on bad luck; there's no logic to it.

Some people spend their days in remote mountains or deserted islands and may never encounter this thing in eight or ten years.

Some people may be cursed on their first voyage, without even visiting many places.

"There are many kinds of curses, and they vary in strength. A powerful curse can kill the people on an island in an instant, or even turn them into monsters."

"Even a weaker curse can cause someone to be bedridden and die in agony."

"Old Su has fallen into a deep sleep, but the system task completion status is still almost perfect, almost complete."

"Therefore, it can be seen that this curse is not a very strong curse."

"But I have a vague feeling of unease..."

Su Yu opened the system panel again and took a look.

No new problems were found during the inspection.

To outsiders, Su Yu simply stood beside Old Su with concern, staring blankly at the unconscious Old Su.

This went unnoticed by others. Even those who were unaware of the relationship between Su Yu and Old Su would find out after the explanation.

So this is the boy who was Old Su's son!
If Old Su hadn't fallen into a coma, everyone would likely be facing the threat of the curse. This kind of father-son reunion is a popular gossip, but now, who has the mind for it!
Even if they had such intentions, Old Su was still asleep! Whether he would wake up, and when he would wake up, were all unknowns.

"Ms. Xu, can you break this curse?" Song Xunfang asked in a deep voice through his ear.

Although this world lags behind in general medicine, it has made great progress in magic. Both fleets brought some potions with them on this voyage.

But if there really is a curse on this island, then it's not just about consuming potions; whether we can continue exploring the island will also be a question.

A heavy weight pressed down on everyone's chests, but whether it was a curse or not couldn't be guessed; it needed to be verified.

“Curses have multiple fixed reactions; I can test them.” A faint light emanated from the ear wing, echoing Ms. Xu’s words.

Then came the sounds of temporary evacuation and equipment, presumably indicating a corresponding inspection.

After a moment, something seemed to be said on the other end, and Hu Lun's expression became somewhat serious, causing everyone around to feel a chill.

“You all come over here too,” Hu Lun said to the crew members who were watching. “Line up and get checked.”

"Sir, is it really a curse?" the first crew member to approach asked cautiously.

Hu Lun didn't speak, but simply asked him to extend his hand, took out a crystal-like bird, seemed to adjust it a few times, and then shone it on the man.

Su Yu saw it clearly: the moment the light shone down, a faint red light suddenly appeared and disappeared in an instant.

Could this be the power of a curse?

Before his awakening, Su Yu had never come into close contact with the curse, but he had heard of it.

"Magic artifacts that can detect curses are generally not cheap, and the higher the detection level, the more expensive they are."

"It's already difficult enough to buy a detection artifact. To buy a high-grade artifact, you need not only money but also connections."

"It seems my guess was right. Even if it is a curse, it won't be a very strong one."

Su Yu suppressed his unease and followed the line forward. After the person in front of him had finished being tested, he extended his left hand without Hu Lun having to say anything.

The crystal bird flashed past my hand, followed by a streak of red light.

"Exactly the same as everyone else's!"

But just as Su Yu was thinking this, his body paused slightly, and his vision suddenly went black. Fortunately, he managed to steady himself and didn't fall headfirst.

"boom"

The next moment, the force that made him feel uncomfortable entered the courtyard at a speed that Su Yu could not stop.

He was getting anxious and wanted to leave to go somewhere secluded to check, but he was currently in a queue surrounded by people. If he left now, he would have no reasonable excuse and it would easily attract attention.

Su Yu couldn't guarantee that his secrets wouldn't be discovered if he was suspected.

No matter how powerful I become, the secrets of the courtyard must never be known to outsiders.

Fortunately, the disturbance in the courtyard lasted only a moment and then subsided.

"It's alright, next one!" Hu Lun waved his hand, signaling him to leave and letting the next person step forward to check.

Su Yu walked away in silence, only to hear the whispers of the crowd.

Even someone who doesn't know what a curse is would realize that the "crystal bird" glowing red after everyone who has been examined is no good.

After the inspections were completed, the group huddled together in a small circle, listening to the voices on the other side and discussing in hushed tones.

After the discussion, they seemed much more relaxed.

As an expert, Hu Lun was more suited to speaking than Song Xunfang. He clapped his hands, signaling everyone to look over.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after our investigation, everyone has been infected with a curse of unknown origin..."

(End of this chapter)