I can see experience bars after being transported to another world.

Lu Yuan kept this suspicion to himself and did not show any unusual behavior.

After dealing with the severely infected patients, it was already broad daylight.

Old Hans was helped away without saying a word.

Lu Yuan was taken to a large house in the center of the town.

There were six people lying inside, all of whom were mildly infected.

They had bumps of varying sizes growing on their arms, shoulders, or backs.

The bulges were moving, but they hadn't broken open yet.

"Is there any hope?" Herman stood beside him, his voice unusually tense.

Lu Yuan noticed that his fingers were trembling slightly.

He walked over to one of them, squatted down, and observed him carefully.

The bump is light brown with reddish edges, and you can vaguely see something wriggling under the skin.

He stretched out his right hand and pressed it gently.

The man hissed in pain, but did not dodge.

"Bear with it."

Lu Yuan pressed his fingers around the bulge a few times, feeling the texture underneath.

It hasn't hardened yet.

This indicates that the parasite has not yet invaded the bone marrow.

At the edge of vision, gray and white text quietly emerged:

[Target group for testing: Individuals with mild contamination (early stage)]

[Status: The parasite has just begun to reproduce and has not yet invaded the bone marrow]

[Analysis in progress...]

Lu Yuan stood up, walked around the room, and checked everyone over.

The six people had varying degrees of symptoms, but all were still in the early stages.

He stopped and began to think.

Martin's condition was in the middle stage; the parasite had already taken root in his bone marrow, and the only treatment was high-temperature burning combined with amputation.

But these six people were in the early stages, and their condition wasn't that serious yet.

If a drug could be found to kill the subcutaneous ovarian cysts...

Lu Yuan recalled the sandworm oil he had applied to Martin's wound the night before.

That thing has the function of isolating air and preventing infection.

If you increase the concentration and combine it with some insect-repelling herbs...

At the edge of my vision, the gray and white text flickered again:

[Solution Generation: Special Insect Repellent Ointment (External Application)]

[Principle: High-concentration sandworm oil effectively blocks the activity of egg sacs, while the juice of the cordyceps penetrates the skin to kill larvae; this dual action eliminates early parasites.]

[Estimated success rate: 67%]

[Note: This needs to be prepared on-site; the proportions may need to be adjusted depending on the severity of symptoms]

Looking at that number, Lu Yuan had a better understanding of the situation.

67% isn't high, but there's no better solution given the current situation.

"There's hope."

Lu Yuan turned to Hermann.

"I need sandworm oil, the more concentrated the better. There's also something called 'insect-repelling grass,' it's green and has thorns along the edges of its leaves."

Herman paused for a moment.

"Insect-repelling herbs? We usually use that to repel insects... can it cure this?"

"Give it a try."

Lu Yuan didn't explain much.

Hermann didn't hesitate, beckoned towards the door, and whispered a few instructions.

Soon, several townspeople carried things in.

Sandworm oil, insect repellent herbs, grinding utensils, and some medicinal herbs that Lu Yuan couldn't name.

"This is all I have in stock," Herman said, a relit cigarette dangling from his lips. "Is that enough?"

That's enough.

Lu Yuan began to take action.

He crushed the insect-repelling grass, squeezed out the juice, and mixed it with sandworm oil in a certain proportion.

The first batch produced a color that was too pale, so he added some insect repellent juice.

The second batch was too thick to spread, so he added a little more sandworm oil.

The third time...

The prepared plaster is dark brown and has a pungent odor.

Lu Yuan dipped his finger in the water, brought it close to his nose, and smelled it.

At the edge of my vision, gray and white text danced gently:

[Formula Verification: Insect Repellent Ointment (Simplified Version)]

[Effect: Kills early-stage subcutaneous parasites; ineffective against mid-stage and later stages]

[Pharmacology: +0.5...16.9/50]

"The first one."

Lu Yuan walked over to the person with the mildest symptoms.

He was a young man in his early twenties, with only two small bulges on his arms.

"It will hurt a lot," Lu Yuan said. "Bear with it."

The young man gritted his teeth and nodded.

Lu Yuan applied the plaster to the first bump.

The man immediately let out a muffled groan, his body trembling violently, but he managed not to utter a sound.

As the plaster seeps into the skin, the bump begins to writhe violently, as if something inside is struggling.

The wriggling lasted for about ten seconds.

Then, it gradually stopped.

The bump began to shrink and eventually turned into a black scab.

"Alright," Lu Yuan said upon seeing this, "It'll be fine once the scab falls off."

The young man's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

"That's...that's it?"

"that's all."

Lu Yuan didn't explain further and continued treating the second bulge on his arm.

For the next two hours, he repeated the same action.

Mix, apply, wait, process.

One by one.

Some people have many bulges, which takes a long time to treat.

Some people are in awkward positions, such as on their back or near their shoulder blades, and need help from others to stabilize them.

Lu Yuan operated the entire operation using only his right hand, while his left hand remained wrapped in bandages and hanging at his side.

When he ran out of the plasters, he prepared a new batch.

The formula for the second batch was slightly adjusted, and the results were even better than the first batch.

By the time he finished dealing with the last person, he was so exhausted he could barely stand.

My right hand is sore and my fingers are a little numb.

At the edge of my vision, gray and white text danced gently:

[Pharmacology: +0.7...17.6/50]

"Thank you so much for saving my life, sir..."

"Sandworm Town owes you a life..."

Those who were rescued expressed their gratitude one after another, and some held Lu Yuan's hand tightly.

A middle-aged man with a full beard and red eyes pulled out several silver shields from his pocket and insisted on giving them to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan waved his hand, refusing to accept it.

His gaze swept over the group, finally settling on a silent young man in the corner.

That person was the last to be dealt with; he had the most bulges on his back, a total of seven or eight.

But strangely, the color of his bulge was different from everyone else's.

The other people's bumps were light brown, but his had a faint purple tinge.

Lu Yuan noticed this detail while handling the matter.

The plaster was less effective on him than on others; the pulsation stopped for a longer time, and the scab was darker in color.

"What's your name?" Lu Yuan walked over and asked.

The young man looked up, his eyes darting away.

"...Red".

"Where were you standing when we were breaking down the sandworms yesterday?"

Red was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Lu Yuan to ask this.

"I...I'm on the head side. I'm in charge of cleaning the mouthparts."

head.

Mouthparts.

Lu Yuan recalled the dense array of eyes inside the mouthparts of that mutated sandworm.

"Did you encounter anything strange?"

Red's eyes flickered.

"No...no."

He is lying.

Lu Yuan could tell, but since he didn't want to say, there was no need to press him. He would wait until the pathfinders made their move, assess the situation, strike once, and then leave.

Of course, it would be even better if I could get something along the way.

"Keep a close eye on it these next few days. If a new one grows in the same spot as the bump, or if anything seems amiss, come see me immediately."

Red nodded quickly, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, thank you, sir."

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze and turned to Hermann.

"We'll settle the cost of the materials when I leave."

"Now, I need to rest."

Hermann nodded, his expression complex.

"Sandworm Town will remember this favor."

By the time they returned to Hermann's house, the sun was already high in the sky.

Lu Yuan entered the room and closed the door.

Without washing up or eating anything, he collapsed onto the bed.

Exhaustion washed over me like a tidal wave.

My right hand is sore, my left hand is throbbing, and my mind is a bit muddled.

But before falling asleep, Lu Yuan went through the day's events in his mind.

The mayor was absent.

The mutants have the same markings as the mutant sandworms.

That familiar smell when it was burning.

And that young man named Reid, his eyes were darting around, and the color of his bulges was unusual.

These things, when put together, point to one possibility.

The mutation of sandworms does not occur naturally.

Someone is manipulating things behind the scenes.

Lu Yuan thought of the various forces in Grimport: the Church, the Ascension Society, each with its own secrets.

The current situation resembles some kind of out-of-control research.

But this is a desert.

Dry, isolated, and lacking in resources.

No matter which faction it is, it is not easy to establish a stronghold in such a place.

Moreover, the person searching for the way had been in town for some time, and if there were any obvious unusual features, they would have noticed them.

Moreover, sandworms are underground organisms.

They live deep in the sand year-round and should have an instinctive sense of danger.

On the day of the hunt, the contaminated sandworms were clearly different from ordinary sandworms. They waited for the mayor's bone flute and even struggled for a long time after being poisoned.

That's not the reaction of an ordinary living being.

Such creatures, upon encountering a source of pollution, would likely flee as their first instinct.

The desert is so vast, and the ground is so deep; they have plenty of places to go.

But it was contaminated.

Lu Yuan frowned.

There are only two possibilities.

Or perhaps there exists something underground that sandworms cannot resist.

So powerful that they couldn't even escape.

Either someone did it on purpose.

By some means, the sandworms are forced to come into contact with the source of pollution.

But the question is...why?

What is the purpose of polluting sandworms?

Lu Yuan couldn't understand it.

Sandworms have value, but that's only in terms of material value. If they're contaminated, the material is ruined, so wouldn't all the effort be wasted?

Unless... pollution itself is the goal.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes, temporarily suppressing these thoughts.

With too little information, thinking too much is futile.

The most important thing now is to rest.

Once I've regained some composure, I'll delve deeper into these matters...

...

When I woke up again, sunlight streamed in through the window and fell on the floor.

Lu Yuan lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds.

It felt surprisingly good.

He had expected to be very tired after only a few hours of sleep, but now he felt no drowsiness at all. His mind was clear, and the heavy feeling pressing on the back of his head had largely dissipated.

At the edge of vision, gray and white text quietly emerged:

[Sanity: 71/120 (Total)]

The potion the guide gave him was even more effective than he had imagined.

It not only accelerates recovery, but also seems to have some kind of lasting effect.

Lu Yuan looked at the number, a slight smile playing on his lips.

71 points, more than halfway through.

Lu Yuan sat up, stretched his neck, and glanced at his left hand.

The wound under the bandage seems to have healed a bit; at least the burning sensation isn't as intense as before.

The sunlight outside the window is perfect; it must be afternoon.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Mr. Lu, are you awake?"

It was Karl's voice.