I'm a proper student; I only take nine kinds of potions every day.

Every face was shrouded in lingering fear. Even the usually boisterous rich kids pulled their hats down low and silently carried their suitcases onto the high-class carriages they had hired, which were waiting by the roadside.

The cart loaded with luggage rolled over the stone slabs, and the driver cracked his whip, the sharp sound particularly jarring in the quiet and oppressive hotel entrance.

Evan was still responsible for carrying the suitcases, but unfortunately, he had developed verdigris on his chest and his left arm was not very good.

But his strong physique easily made up for this.

The group arrived at the station quickly in a luxury convoy.

On the station platform, steam locomotives spewed out large plumes of grayish-white steam, blackening the platform's metal roof with soot.

Looking at the custom-made carriage belonging to the Hearst family, parked at the end of the platform, Evan immediately thought of the brass incense burner of the Healing Church.

He was the first to speak.

"I'll go check the seal."

Garp nodded.

"Okay, let's go together."

His square face was expressionless, but the casualness in his voice revealed the veteran bodyguard's attitude towards Ivan.

The two stepped back into the custom-made carriage.

Everything inside seemed to be sealed by this static force field; even the position of the cups on the counter remained unchanged.

Sunlight streamed obliquely into the corridor through the window, making the golden tassels on the velvet curtains shimmer.

Ivan laughed and said, "Brother Karp, I'll start my investigation from room five, and you can start from room one. Perfect, you can also check if I'm qualified and give me a backup plan!"

Karp thought for a moment and nodded.

Okay. Be careful.

He lightly tapped Ivan's chest, then turned and walked towards the first private room.

Ivan grinned, turned around and walked straight into room number five, closing the door behind him.

The moment the door closed, the relaxed smile on his face vanished. His Demon Hunter form was silently activated.

The familiar heat. The familiar stinging pain.

As before, the panel prompt popped up as expected.

[Curse detected: Compassion Copperification.]

[The Copper Plague has devoured the Copper Curse. Progress +0.1%.]

Ivan pursed his lips, put away his demon hunter form, and quickly checked the seal with his powerful physique before calmly walking into room number four.

Number three. Number two. Number one.

Each time he entered a room, he would first close the door, quickly activate his demon hunter form, then pretend to carefully check all the seals before calmly leaving.

By the time Evan had walked around the entire carriage, the progress of the copper epidemic had quietly increased from jumping by 0.1% each time to jumping by 0.5% each time.

This is enough to push copper prices up by another 25%.

After checking everything and finding no problems, Karp nodded in satisfaction.

Soon, Erdin and the others got into the car.

The quiet carriage was suddenly filled with whispers and low chuckles.

Satisfied, Evan leaned back on the small folding stool by the carriage door and settled into his role as goalkeeper.

The carriage shuddered slightly, and the steam locomotive emitted a long, drawn-out whistle.

The figures on the platform receded one by one, and the old, gray New Haven station slowly came into view outside the train window.

Soon, the progress of the copper epidemic jumped to 55.371%, successfully crossing the 50% threshold that requires the second stage feature.

[Phase Two: You can concentrate viruses and bacteria, and infect targets through scratching and biting.]

Just as Evan's lips were about to curl into a smile, two new notifications suddenly popped up on the panel.

[Warning: The copper plague trait currently has an excessively high proportion of copperization. If this continues to increase, the copper plague will become completely unbalanced and revert to a copperization state.]

[Warning: 44.629% remaining. At least 40% needs to be replenished by consuming large amounts of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Otherwise, the plague component within the copper plague will be insufficient, and the virus's effects will be ineffective.]

[Friendly reminder: The greater the toxicity of the copper-based vaccine in engulfing bacteria, viruses, and fungi, the better its effect.]

Chapter 85: The Dark Mother Fungus? A Rare Item! (2/5)

Upon seeing the prompt on the panel, Ivan's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively sat up straight.

He sat silently on the folding stool for a few seconds, then let out a long sigh.

"Fortunately, there is still room for improvement."

The notification almost made him jump out of his skin.

The copper epidemic was one of his most important trump cards.

This thing absolutely cannot have the slightest mistake.

Evan gazed at the telegraph pole rushing past outside the window and made up his mind.

"Looks like we'll have to get serious about this next."

His mind raced, several faces flashing through his memories before finally settling on one person.

Kerry contracted syphilis.

And the beautiful wife of the Carey family, whom even Uncle Parker couldn't forget.

For a moment, he actually felt a sense of anticipation.

"Let me see."

"What happens to ordinary people who take the B virus?"

"By the way, let's see if this is the real bio-matrix or just a pitiful woman with nowhere else to turn."

"Hopefully we'll encounter a ferocious bio-engineered host."

"My physical condition has been improving by leaps and bounds lately. I'm a true eight-testicle warrior, and my temper is getting a bit too fiery!"

The rest of the train journey went smoothly, and the entire carriage was a million times quieter than the train ride there.

The Hearst girls mostly huddled in their private rooms, occasionally letting out gasps and laughter.

All that could be heard from the food cart was the occasional clinking sound of waiters polishing silverware.

The cornfields outside the window receded one after another, passing by the car window with distinct rhythm.

Ivan sat on a folding stool by the carriage door, looking quite relaxed.

With his elbows resting on his knees and his chin in his palms, he didn't look like a vicious security guard from a distance, but rather like an old doorman waiting for the host to return from church so he could close and lock the door.

At 1 p.m., the train slowly pulled into Bolton South Station.

Before the hissing sound of the airlock releasing air had even faded, Evan smelled that familiar scent.

The fishy smell of the sea breeze, the coal smoke, and the aroma of stewed beef wafting from the station canteen all mingled together in my nostrils.

The ruthless Old Man Yi has returned to his loyal Bolton City!

After helping Garp and his men load the last few suitcases onto the limousine waiting outside the station, Garp closed his pocket watch, put it in his pocket, and said...

"I still have a lot to do today. I'll settle your wages tomorrow when I pick up Miss."

He took half a step closer to Evan and lowered his voice.

"That's four hundred and ten dollars in total. Ten dollars is your wages. The remaining four hundred is your reward, Miss."

Upon hearing the number, Ivan immediately broke into a bright smile and pounded his chest.

"Brother Garp! Ivan Arkham! Faithfully awaiting the lady's orders!"

Garp was amused by his serious answer and burst into laughter, giving him two solid pats on the shoulder.

"Okay, very spirited!"

As the convoy drove out of the station square one vehicle after another, the metal roofs reflecting the sunlight, Evan stood still and took a deep breath.

I regretted it the next second.

The smell of sweat, the smell of musty clothes, cheap perfume, the stench of alcohol, body odor, lead-containing exhaust fumes from cars...

The smell of vinegar from a hot dog cart selling pickled cucumbers nearby also filled my nostrils.

“yue”.

He almost gagged.

I almost forgot, the reversal effect of the Shark Potion's side effects is still lingering on my body today.

"Someone wants to harm me."

He pressed the back of his hand to his nose, muttered something under his breath, and then plunged into the tram stop leading to Guding Street.

The tram clanged and rattled as it came around the corner, its yellow paint stained with dark streaks from the rain in Bolton.

Evan squeezed his way through the workers, apprentices, and housewives carrying shopping baskets, managing to carve out a place where he could stand, his felt hat brim tilted to one side from being jostled.

The bell jingled, and the carriage lurched forward. Ivan couldn't suppress a smile.

This trip to New Haven was incredibly rewarding.

The copper epidemic has entered its second phase. The enemy has been dealt with cleanly and efficiently. The University of Michigan investigator's badge is tucked into his pocket, and the thick wad of US dollars is pressed against his heart, feeling slightly warm.

The most crucial thing is money.

Two thousand four hundred and forty dollars.

This is his real income from this trip.

This amount of money, placed on Guding Street, is a truly enormous sum. It's enough to completely renovate the house inside and out, and then buy the children a whole cabinet full of Christmas presents.

The tram ran over a seam in an old railway track, and the entire carriage lurched violently.

Just as his thoughts were churning, a hand reached out.

His heightened senses, amplified to 6.9 by the second-stage copper plague, allowed him to immediately pinpoint suspicious individuals huddled in the crowd.