Chapter 640: Chapter 220: Parasitic Infection, Shrinking Earth Giant Louse Form!_3 At this moment, the Spirit Body of the Shrinking Earth Giant Louse suddenly squeezed in, directly filling the space to the brim, even a transparent barrier appeared at the edges.
The Flame was pushed to the corner, but though it was only the size of a small cat, it still stood tall, letting out an eagle-like cry at the five-meter-long Shrinking Earth Giant Louse, not losing any of its might.
It was quite peculiar that Cheng Ye actually saw a trace of hard-to-detect fear in the huge compound eyes of the Shrinking Earth Giant Louse.
What surprised him more was that the runes on the carapace of the Shrinking Earth Giant Louse were now completely covered by a layer of faint flame, making the originally clear patterns become blurry, and the sense of mystery was also blocked, no longer sensible.
The two sides confronted each other for a few seconds, and the Shrinking Earth Giant Louse seemed to compromise, reluctantly retreating and quickly shrinking its body to three meters long.
On the ground of the Spiritual Body Space, a crack suddenly appeared, straightly dividing the space into two.
A small half belonged to the Flame, leaving a large half to the Shrinking Earth Giant Louse.
The Flame wobbled forward two steps, as if confirming its territory, then tilted its "head", dug into the ground again, and resumed its slumber, no longer caring about the Shrinking Earth Giant Louse.
Meanwhile, the Shrinking Earth Giant Louse lifted its head, its compound eyes staring straight at Cheng Ye’s consciousness body.
The moment when their gaze met, all the illusions suddenly shattered, and that soul-wrenching pain disappeared without a trace, leaving only a tingling sensation spreading from the limbs, as if something was quietly transforming the essence of his body.
"Cheng Ye, are you alright?" Luokuke’s voice came from the side, filled with concern.
He cautiously stepped back a few meters, not daring to get close.
Since the New Era Year Seven, the benign infection source has been in use for twenty-eight years now.
Although there has never been a case of turning into a real Infected Body from being infected by a benign infection source, those who could use an A-level infection source were basically strong individuals in the Wasteland.
For an Intern Inspector like Cheng Ye to attempt parasite, it was indeed unprecedented.
"I... I’m fine!"
Cheng Ye took a deep breath, slowly stood up from the ground, the tingling sensation continuing to spread throughout his body, as if tiny currents were wandering beneath his skin.
The next second, a panel automatically unfolded in his vision, streams of flickering information quickly swept across, soon integrating and parsing into a clear prompt box, suspended in front of him:
[Detected that the Collector has been parasitized by a native special creature, recording the creature’s information]
[Recording successful: Shrinking Earth Giant Louse* has parasitized the Collector]
[Affected by the Shrinking Earth Giant Louse*, the Collector will gain the following special benefits, special debuffs]
[Special Benefits:
1. The Collector’s life level has been elevated, current life level 1→2
2. The number of skills the Collector can use has increased, current skill bar count 4→5
3. The Collector has obtained a fixed special skill: Shrinking Earth Giant Louse* (Lv5)
4. The Collector has obtained a specific ability: Shrinking Earth Giant Louse Coexistence State (*; mature form)]
[Special Debuffs:
1. The Collector cannot unload the fixed special skill: Shrinking Earth Giant Louse* (Lv5), this skill will be permanently bound to the skill bar
2. The Collector’s life force will be continually eroded, current erosion speed: 0.2%/day (fixed value), maximum erosion extent: 35% (fixed value; does not change with total life force; excessive life force over 35% will automatically nourish the growth of the Shrinking Earth Giant Louse)
3. Every time the Collector uses the "Shrinking Earth Giant Louse Coexistence State" ability, they must bear an inescapable cost (the specific cost will be triggered and displayed after each use)
4. In the Collector’s current state, other Extraordinary Seeds cannot be used (Extraordinary Seeds will be actively consumed by the Shrinking Earth Giant Louse and cannot be retained)]
...
Four benefits and four debuffs.
The cost of being parasitized by an A-level infection source indeed far exceeded expectations; even with the Heart-Protecting Fire suppressing it, irreversible damage couldn’t be escaped.
Firstly, the additional skill bar brought by the elevation of life level was immediately permanently bound by the "Shrinking Earth Giant Louse", meaning no extra available slot.
Next was the fixed 35% life force erosion, meaning no matter how strong his constitution became in the future, his life value would always be a third less.
Translated into game terms, it’s like the health bar being forcibly capped at 65%, even if the total life force increases later, the excess will be absorbed by the Shrinking Earth Giant Louse as "nourishment".
And undoubtedly, the heaviest cost is the inability to use any other Extraordinary Seeds to enhance power.
But recalling the scenes he saw within the Spiritual Body Space just now.
Cheng Ye had a trace of anticipation in his heart; if the Flame continued to grow stronger and reclaimed more turf within the Spiritual Body Space, perhaps this last debuff could be countered.
"Hoo..."
The thought crossed his mind, and Cheng Ye took a deep breath, trembling uncontrollably.
He could clearly feel that the foundation of his life had been completely rewritten, becoming no longer pure, beginning to turn "non-human".
This transformation was cruder and more direct than the changes brought by the Heart-Protecting Fire taking root inside him, establishing an inherent connection with the Shrinking Earth Giant Louse without even needing to open the panel.
As soon as he willed it, that immense power would immediately surge forward, providing him with incredible strength.
"This kind of power..."
Cheng Ye closed his eyes, carefully feeling the changes inside his body.
The meridians beneath his skin were reorganizing, and the muscle fibers became thick and tough, while the wild grass totem at his heart rapidly thumped, waves of pure life energy coursed through his body.
But he didn’t feel the slightest hunger, because the main force of the transformation didn’t come from himself but from the power provided by the Shrinking Earth Giant Louse, with life force merely playing a "guiding" role, anchoring that unfamiliar power within his body.