Qianyuan: My crew comes from the world of anime.

[Task: Pest Elimination, Progress (16/5), Current Quantity Available: 5]

"...emmm"

He was well aware that there were still three more parasites to be found.

However, the second task of eliminating pests was not yet complete, which was something Luo Tianming had not expected.

To get the highest reward for this mission, you have to kill thirty. He and Levi killed four velociraptors underwater, and Lucy killed more than a dozen masked parasites in the cave... and they still didn't meet the requirement. The reward for the mission is too stingy.

But there's no way around it. This kind of mission, which is purely about killing and doesn't require you to submit any materials, is pure profit. If the parasite that was killed by the pulse laser hadn't been vaporized into fragments, then the first mission would already be completed by now.

"..."

Luo Tianming retrieved the information Catherine had given him and searched for the nearby creature's nest.

The closest place to here is a small settlement of algae crawlers... Some people have witnessed the 'Mother of Reptiles' giving birth to her young here before moving away from the lower caves.

For algae reptiles, which are born with the characteristic of cannibalism, how to spend their childhood peacefully is a major challenge.

The complex array of caves in the lower cave regions became a refuge for them, separating them from one another and allowing them to reach adulthood.

Unfortunately, humans who frequently come down to mine in this area provide them with food and nutrition.

"..."

This settlement isn't far from here, but completely eradicating them would be quite difficult.

The cave is incredibly complex, and it's impossible to find all the algae... Only they themselves know the true location of their nests.

Ke Luotianming's goal was simple: he just wanted to kill four algae crawlers to complete the mission. Incidentally, he also took a look at the already mixed Painted Skin Parasite Injection.

"..."

Should we complete the first task as well?

Deep within the lower cave, four adult algae crawl aimlessly wander in the ocean...

Adult algae crawlers like these usually form groups of 1 to 4 individuals to hunt in groups, which makes them more efficient at hunting.

Normally, one or two are on guard, while the rest rest.

"...!"

Suddenly, the algae crawler on guard seemed to smell blood. Instead of warning its companions, it followed the scent to the back of a reef and found a piece of flesh emitting a bloody smell.

The algae pounced on it without thinking, completely ignoring the human hiding behind the piece of meat.

This is how these creatures are; they tend to devour any corpse rather than attack humans first.

The person hiding behind the reef was Luo Tianming. He raised his shotgun and aimed it at the algae crawler... but he did not pull the trigger.

'It's not the right time yet, let's wait and see...'

He advised himself.

The succulent velociraptor thigh meat was quickly devoured by the algae-crawler. It seemed to have chewed something as it tore the meat apart, but it clearly didn't care.

At the same time, Luo Tianming began to count in his mind: after he silently counted to 300 seconds, the algae crawling that was eating meat suddenly rolled its eyes back, its whole body convulsed violently, and then it directly fell unconscious on its back.

Then, it started scratching its throat like a madman, as if something was growing inside.

"..."

Luo Tianming chuckled sinisterly: "Hmph, you dared to eat anything... now you're getting your comeuppance."

He prepared that piece of meat himself, and to make it more delicious, he added a special 'seasoning': an injection of the skin-painting parasite.

His purpose in doing this was quite simple—he wanted to collect the eggs of the 'Painted Skin Parasite'.

In Europa's oceans, algal stalk crawlers and humans are the only two organisms that can be parasitized by the skin-spreading parasite, which may be related to the algal stalk crawler's unique ecology.

In any case, this current algae crawler... should now be called a 'painted-skin crawler', with three poisonous-like tentacles growing from its mouth, making it look exactly like other crawlers from a distance.

The newly emerged Painted Skin Crawler, after glancing at Luo Tianming, did not show any strong desire to attack. Instead, it turned its head to look at the three algae crawlers on the other side and began to slowly swim towards them.

"..."

This is what makes the "Painted Skin" creature so amazing: after parasitizing, it becomes more aggressive towards its own kind rather than those of different species.

Luo Tianming watched as it approached the three algae crawlers and then attacked them with the tentacles in its mouth.

The three algae began to roar and attack for no apparent reason, but the one that had been parasitized had a powerful regenerative ability, healing itself with every bite.

Soon, seeing that they were no match for the three algae, they fled back into the cave...

"..."

Luo Tianming followed behind the painted-skin crawler and watched it slowly enter the cave.

Another half hour passed, and Luo Tianming, carrying a shotgun, followed him into the cave... It was time to harvest.

He first spotted an algae crawler at the cave entrance with an obviously incorrect swimming posture. He aimed his shotgun at it and pulled hard on the handguard.

Snap—Bang!

Instantly, the shotgun pellets scattered in a conical pattern, and before the explosive rounds could even take effect, the monster was already torn to pieces by the shotgun pellets.

"..."

Using shotguns on these guys seems like overkill...

There was nothing he could do about it; Luo Tianming's marksmanship was really not good, so he could only make up for it by using a large number of shotgun shells.

Then, due to the shockwave caused by the explosive bomb, two more algae crawlers pounced on him.

Luo Tianming continued:

Snap—Bang!

Snap—Bang!

This had clearly turned into a massacre; with his shotgun, he was now invincible in this sea area.

……

Finally, deep inside the cave, he found the original Painted Skin Crawler... It looked tattered and worn, not worth Luo Tianming wasting bullets on.

He packed up all the infected reptiles and rushed back to the submarine to extract the skin-like eggs from their bodies.

【Mission: Resident Evil (12/12)】

Looking at the first task that he had finally completed, Luo Tianming felt a sense of pride.

But when he looked at the second task, something unexpected happened.

【任务·清除害虫（已达到最高奖励等级30/5……31/5、32）】

Luo Tianming: "?"

What happened? He only killed four algae crawlers, where did the extras come from?

Strangely, this number continues to jump and is growing exponentially.

Ultimately, the number settled at 94/5.

A message popped up in the log:

[Congratulations on exceeding the mission objectives! You are the true biohazard, completely eradicating these pests in the current area. But... what was the price?]

"...!"

Luo Tianming: Oh no!

It was the corpse of that painted-skin reptile that was eaten by other algae!

The infected algae attacked other members of their kind, and the infection spread from one to another, quickly forming a massive army of Painted Skin crawlers. By this time, all the algae in the lower cave should have been completely wiped out.

"..."

-

Chapter 77 Returning to the Site

"..."

Feeling the vibrations caused by the Nautilus's high-speed flight, Levi asked curiously:

"Hey, Alo... why are you in such a hurry to leave the lower cave? We haven't even mined those ores yet!"

Luo Tianming: "..."

He outwardly appeared calm and composed, but inwardly he was sweating profusely.

How should I talk to them about this?

While you were sleeping, I just wiped out a giant swarm of algae crawlers.

No no no!

Saying that would definitely ruin things; it would be difficult to answer even if Miaomiao asked.

He shook his head and said with a solemn expression:

"Don't ask anymore. No matter who asks about it, just say: 'We got lost down there and didn't find any minerals.'... Remember, never mention that you went outside the capsule."

Levi: "..."

She shrugged nonchalantly and said, "You're right, such a large mine shouldn't be known to other people."

Luo Tianming: "..."

Although Levi misunderstood, Luo Tianming felt that this made sense... At least such a large piece of raw diamond ore couldn't be moved in a short time, so it was better to seal it off and mine it when they came again.

He would also like to ask the system if there were any convenient mining equipment available.

…………

With the Nautilus's docking point connected to the airlock at Chongshan Station, the group finally had a temporary respite from the perilous journey they had experienced in the lower caves.

After docking at a station, the female crew members all said that they had been cooped up for too long and wanted to go shopping to relax. They took 10,000 marks from Luo Tianming...

Luo Tianming stared blankly at the last two thousand marks in his hand, but not because he was broke; rather, he was thinking:

It's almost been a month, shouldn't we pay them their salaries?

Arriving at the familiar office of the Minister of Agriculture, they didn't see Catherine. After asking around, they learned that she was currently leading the remaining people in developing farmland at the grassroots level.

As he walked downhill, Luo Tianming didn't seem to smell that strong rotten banana odor again this time.

Even looking down from the railing, you can see people below, like ants, sorting through the humus at the bottom and constantly dividing up gaps in the fields.

"That little girl does things quite well..."

Luo Tianming couldn't help but sigh, "You really can't judge a book by its cover."

No wonder she's the daughter of a congressman.

She's like a born politician; wherever she goes, she can quickly win people over, as if she has some kind of infectious charm.

"..."

Just as he was about to continue walking...

In the same place as last time, those members of the Painted Skin Cult, shrouded in black robes, found Luo Tianming with pinpoint accuracy... making him wonder how these guys knew he was here. Did they have a tracking device?

Soon, a wave gradually parted in the crowd, and the missionary greeted him in the same chilling voice:

"Captain Luo, we are overjoyed to see you. We are more pleased that you are safe and sound than anything else."

"However... you haven't forgotten to bring what we need, have you?"

Luo Tianming: "..."

Upon seeing them, Luo Tianming inexplicably got goosebumps all over his body, as if he had seen some infectious germs.

He handed over the silver-white medical kit he was holding in his left hand and said, "Here."

A believer immediately took the medical kit, which had a test report from Chongshan Station attached to it.

The missionary took the box and then greedily sniffed the scent emanating from the cracks in it.

"I can smell it...this is a gift from the gods~"

"..."

The silver medical case was opened, revealing twelve neatly arranged vials of the "Painted Skin Parasite" injection.

The missionaries touched these things with a nauseatingly loving expression...