# Chapter 983: Resilient! (Bonus Chapter)
Jiangnan's expression turned serious: "You're at Star Glory level, your self-healing ability should be quite strong!"
"Isn't there a recovery-type in the outpost?"
Guan Tai smiled bitterly: "It's not that there isn't a recovery-type, but even if the wounds heal, the parasitic spores inside the body can't be removed!"
"These spores stay parasitic in the body, absorbing blood and nutrients, and the wounds quickly rot again!"
"I've treated this arm countless times, but it still rots, so I just stopped treating it!"
"There are too few recovery-types in the outpost, and many who are severely afflicted by the parasitic spores need them to maintain their condition!"
Jiangnan frowned deeply, turning to look at the Dragon Abyss Dark Night—they were all injured!
Wounds were oozing pus and rotting, and some even had small vine shoots growing out of their wounds!
"Isn't there a way to guard against parasitic spores? No countermeasures?"
Yang Cheng raised his hand: "I've studied it. This mutated parasitic spore is a nano-scale particle!"
"Every mutated Mist Marsh Blood Vine releases parasitic spores. By now, they're scattered everywhere in the air—invisible and intangible!"
"The moment they make contact with a person, parasitism begins!"
Guan Tai's face was full of worry.
"We've tried every trick—blowing with wind, burning with fire, building isolation rooms, wearing protective suits—but none of it works!"
"We still get parasitized. Even the food we eat might have parasitic spores on it!"
"And every night, the Brahma Society controls a large number of Blood Vines to spread over here. Our soldiers have to fight the Blood Vines, so contact is inevitable!"
Jiangnan's head ached. This stuff was just too disgusting!
Where did the Brahma Society get those mutated Blood Vines? And why weren't they affected?
Could they control the Blood Vine forest to attack? Was it because they themselves were plant people?
Guan Tai sighed: "I didn't expect you all to come in. Don't think just because you're fine now…"
"In a few days, your condition will decline."
"The spores will proliferate and grow inside your bodies, and then you'll start to rot."
At this moment, Mu Wan and the others' expressions dimmed. They knew the situation was tricky, but they hadn't expected it to be this severe.
Jiangnan took out a Small Ginseng and handed it to Guan Tai.
"Try this. It's for treating injuries—surprisingly effective."
If the Small Ginseng worked, the problem of being plagued by parasitic spores could be solved.
Guan Tai looked doubtful. Could this shriveled little ginseng really work?
Without thinking twice, he stuffed it into his mouth. Everyone looked at Guan Tai expectantly.
Guan Tai's eyes suddenly bulged wide, his face flushed red, and a torrent of nose blood gushed out.
His pale, bloodless arm seemed stimulated—under the skin, it writhed wildly like demonic snakes.
The next moment, countless vines pierced through the skin, growing out and thrashing wildly.
Some vines even burrowed into veins, following the blood vessels straight toward the heart!
The scene startled everyone—even vines were growing out of Guan Tai's nostrils!
Guan Tai: !!!
"Not good!"
Immediately, he snatched Jiangnan's Blood-Drinking Halberd and swung it at his own arm!
The arm fell to the ground with a thud, quickly consumed by the spores into rot, leaving not even bones behind.
Guan Tai yanked the vines sprouting from his nostrils, his face black.
"You're trying to kill me!"
Before treatment, at least he still had an arm. After treatment, the arm was gone?
[From Guan Tai: Resentment +666]
Jiangnan sweated profusely.
The Small Ginseng mainly boosted blood and qi, greatly enhancing the body's self-healing ability.
But that also meant providing a massive amount of nutrients for the parasitic spores, fueling their growth!
Even the Small Ginseng couldn't handle these spores?
Good thing he hadn't given it to the brothers randomly—that would have been a disaster.
Then he pulled out a bag of Detoxifying Soybeans and handed them to Guan Tai.
"Brother Tai, how about trying these?"
Guan Tai swallowed hard: "After I eat this, I won't die, will I?"
Jiangnan waved his hand: "No, you're a Star Glory. As far as I know, Star Glories are especially resilient."
Guan Tai: ???
Then, with a fierce look, he decided to be a guinea pig for his brothers.
Just as he was about to eat, Yang Cheng stopped him.
"It's useless. The lab already tried the Detoxifying Soybeans—they don't work."
"These parasitic spores are strictly biological organisms, not potent toxins. They can't be detoxified."
Jiangnan was stunned. Back in Abyss, the Detoxifying Soybeans could even cure the Origin Sin Poison, but they were helpless against these spores?
Just then, Mila waved her small hand, and a Restoration Pillar landed on Guan Tai.
His severed arm grew back and healed in an instant.
But his face was still a pale gray.
Mila pouted and cast two more Restoration Pillars on Guan Tai. His face flushed red, his spirit lifted.
He stared at his hands in shock: "This… this… incredible!"
Everyone's eyes lit up as they looked at Mila.
But Mila still wasn't satisfied: "I can only restore him to this extent. There should still be some spores in his body."
"To completely cleanse them, I would need to use Regression."
Guan Tai said excitedly: "That's enough. There's no need for complete removal—we'll just get parasitized again anyway."
"Being able to restore 90% of combat power is… this little girl is a lifesaver!"
Mila smiled sweetly, looked up at Jiangnan, and posed as if asking for praise.
Jiangnan scooped her up and gave her an affectionate kiss.
"Mila is amazing!"
Restoration was different from ordinary healing—it restored the body's state, which was apparently effective against parasitic spores.
Guan Tai was thrilled: "Brothers can be saved now! Come with me!"
A group was left to guard the border, while the rest followed Guan Tai into Outpost 097.
They went straight to the quarantine zone.
Jiangnan's expression froze, and his heart clenched.
The original arsenal had been converted into a quarantine zone, where over a thousand Dragon Abyss Dark Night soldiers were lying.
Their faces were pale, their features withered, their bodies giving off a rotten stench.
Large areas of their skin were decaying, and many had vines growing out of their wounds.
They had lost all combat capability and couldn't even move.
All the recovery-types were there, constantly casting recovery spirit techniques to keep them alive.
They were exhausted, swaying as they walked, with heavy dark circles under their eyes—it was unclear how long they'd gone without sleep.
Jiangnan was shocked: "It's this severe?"
Guan Tai sighed: "This is all that's left. Some were too far gone—they didn't make it."
Seeing Guan Tai return, many of the soldiers struggled to sit up.
"Brother Tai! Did those bastards retreat? Short-handed? I can still fight!"
"Don't keep me lying here—I can't stand it. If I have to lie here, I'd rather die on the battlefield!"
Guan Tai glared: "Get up for what? All of you lie the hell down!"
"They've retreated. Reinforcements from above have arrived—we can hold."
"And your injuries… there's hope now."
Then, with difficulty, he looked at Mila: "It might be hard on you for a while."
Mila shook her head, her expression firm: "It's not hard. Mila will do her best to save them all!"
Given the situation, one person needed five or six Restoration Pillars to be effective.
It was going to keep Mila busy for a while.
Just then, Wu Liang's eyes turned red. He roared and rushed forward, kneeling by a bed.
"Miaomiao! You… how… wuu…"
Wu Liang couldn't even finish his sentence, tears streaming down.
Tieniu was lying on the hospital bed. Her originally robust body was now horrifyingly shriveled, reduced to skin and bones.
Large areas were rotten, and vines writhed beneath the skin at the wounds—a terrifying sight.
Tieniu's eyes were weak, her hand gently stroking Wu Liang's cheek, tears at the corners of her eyes.
"Silly big guy, why did you come? Stay away from me—I have too many spores on me…"
Jiangnan's heart clenched. He hurried over.
"Sister-in-law? You…"
Before he could finish, Tieniu struggled to sit up and grabbed Jiangnan's arm.
"Nan Shen! I failed—I couldn't protect Mountain Cat, Blood Platelet, and the others. Please go save them, okay?"
"Please… I'm begging you!"
As she spoke, she coughed up blood.
Jiangnan helped her lie back down.
"Don't get excited. Tell me slowly. Now that I'm here, everything will be fine. Just lie down."
Mila quickly came over and cast Restoration Pillars on Tieniu. She used over a dozen, nearly exhausting her spiritual power, before Tieniu's injuries were mostly healed.
Though still somewhat emaciated, she had at least regained mobility.
Jiangnan learned that to investigate the source of the Mist Marsh Blood Vines and the Brahma Society's internal plans, and to gather more information, the outpost had sent several Dark Night squads deep into Brahma territory to collect samples and intelligence.
Almost none of them had returned. Tieniu had survived only because Mountain Cat had left her behind to contact other squads.
But she had been attacked by Plantmen. Fortunately, another squad had rescued her and brought her back, sparing her life.
As for Mountain Cat and the others, there was no news.
Jiangnan smiled: "With me here, everything will be fine. You're too tired—get some sleep first."
"Maybe by the time you wake up, Mountain Cat and the others will be back."
Tieniu's tense nerves finally relaxed a little. Wu Liang stayed to watch over her, and Jiangnan left some Durian Pulp for Mila to recover her spiritual power.
Then Jiangnan turned and walked out of the quarantine zone, his face as dark as water.
"Bring Pei Xi here. I have some questions."
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*Author's note:*