Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 214: Cognitive Domain, A Powerful Benign Infection Source!

A direct one-time reward of fifty thousand Contribution Points.Long-term infrastructure investments valued at four hundred thousand Contribution Points.

Add to that the ownership rights over Dabo Town and a top-tier configuration of mission equipment.

If he chose to give up, would those ordinary people risking their lives inside ever receive such an exaggerated reward?

Obviously not.

For an ordinary person, a mere ten thousand Contribution Points was already an astronomical figure; anything more would just feel surreal.

But facing Cheng Ye, an Inspector of Happiness City, the Elders had clearly offered a price full of sincerity.

Cheng Ye did not hesitate at all.

Because these surface-level rewards were actually far inferior to their hidden value. Setting aside how absurd the temporary Extinction-level upgrade reward from the Inspection Station might be, the Elders' endorsement alone was enough for him to achieve a qualitative leap in power, just like the Idealist Faction when they took control of the Inspection Station back in the day.

With power in hand, why worry about not getting Contribution Points?

Elder Qian had clearly seen through his plans and guessed what he truly wanted, which was why he hadn't offered any meaningless monetary rewards.

The sheer authority to separate from the Inspection Station system and independently control Dabo Town was undervalued even if priced at a million Contribution Points.

"Elder, didn't you say that only businessmen talk about money?"

Cheng Ye smiled, his tone gentle. "For the Inspection Station, my colleagues and nearly a thousand others are still trapped inside; as an Inspector, it is my duty to go in and save them. For Happiness City, this place has raised me for nearly twenty years. Now that the Immortal Item fragment can bring immense benefits to Happiness City, doing my part for the shelter city's development is also what I ought to do."

"Hah."

Although he had long guessed that Cheng Ye would agree, hearing these words still made Elder Zeng laugh in exasperation.

Rarely, he finally lifted his eyelids.

But the two pitch-black eye sockets beneath those lids made Cheng Ye's heart skip a beat. His scalp went numb in an instant, giving him the illusion of coming face-to-face with an Infection Source.

His mind even inexplicably flashed back to the two immortals fighting that he had seen when fusing with the Heart-Protecting Fire.

'What a familiar, powerful aura.'

The aura before him bore an eerie resemblance to that sliver of immortal pressure that had leaked out back then.

Even if it was only a tiny fraction dissipating into the air, its terrifying essence remained exactly the same.

Looking closer, those eye sockets resembled two swirling black holes, constantly absorbing the surrounding darkness.

Not even the dense black of the night itself could compare to the profound depths within those sockets. The darkness was slowly crushed and devoured, leaving not a single speck of light behind.

What startled Cheng Ye even more was that he could distinctly feel a pair of eyes hidden deep within those black holes, firmly "staring" at him. And they weren't examining him personally, but rather what resided within his Spirit Body Space... Little Flame?!

'Should I unequip the Heart-Protecting Fire to hide the fact that I have transcendent power?'

The thought had barely surfaced.

To Cheng Ye's surprise, Elder Zeng only opened his eyes to observe him for a split second before slowly closing them again, giving him absolutely no time to think.

The next second, the familiar pulling force returned, carrying him through that water-like barrier and setting him firmly back on the ground.

'Did he not notice?'

'Or could it be...'

"There are signs of a Transcendent Creature's activity inside his body. It's a bit strange."

Elder Zeng frowned in thought. "It's not the path of Transcendents from the Old Era, nor is it the direction we are currently taking. Instead, it feels more like...

...like he himself is a Transcendent Creature?"

"It truly is an unseen new path."

Elder Qian gave a slight nod, his tone tinged with novelty. "It's too similar to the Essence of Liu Kun's Searing Hawk, yet terrifyingly faint. It's like those half-step Transcendents who have only awakened sparse innate abilities. But what he has awakened doesn't seem to be an innate ability, but a change in his 'essence'."

"Essence..."

Elder Zeng repeatedly chewed over that word. Suddenly, he raised his hand and swiped at the empty space in front of him.

Clouds and mist instantly condensed, gradually revealing a woman's face within. It was Yu Erlan.

"Little Yu, have you discovered anything?"

"Elder Zeng, I just connected with Zhang Ming from Kindling," Yu Erlan's voice drifted from the mist. "He initiated a trade, wanting to exchange for the Immortal Item fragment in our hands."

"Oh?" Elder Zeng raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his voice. "So impatient? What did they find?"

"It's unclear for now, but we have already purchased the core information regarding the Immortal Item from Canghai Shelter City."

Yu Erlan added, "Zhang Ming initially offered an A- rank technology, but judging by his attitude, I am confident I can negotiate it up to an A

rank technology."

"An A-rank?"

Elder Zeng was truly stunned this time, a flash of disbelief crossing his eyes.

A-rank technologies were the core resources of any shelter city. Every single one of them could bring unimaginable competitiveness and trade potential. Kindling was actually willing to pay such a steep price for a single fragment?

But then another cluster of mist appeared beside him, displaying the information traded from Canghai Shelter City.

He glanced over it, exchanged a look with Elder Qian, and the surprise on his brow gradually faded, replaced by understanding.

The Xingui Mountain wasn't actually a complete Immortal Item either; it was merely a fragment.

This particular fragment could perfectly repair the incomplete Runes on the Xingui Mountain. No wonder Kindling was willing to invest so heavily.

"Find an opportunity to respond to their offer." Elder Zeng paused. His gaze swept downward before landing on the White Water River beside Dabo Town. His tone became resolute. "No matter what, we must secure this fragment."

"Understood," Yu Erlan nodded in agreement.

"Also, pull up the complete file on Trainee Inspector Cheng Ye from the Inspection Station for me," Elder Zeng added.

"Alright, sending it over immediately."

The communication disconnected.

Less than ten seconds later, a complete resident file was transmitted, displaying within the water mist.

[Cheng Ye (Original Resident: Inspector)]

[Personal Strength]: C- (Explicit Mutant Special Ability User. Ability Tendency: Constitution/Strength. Due to the late activation of the special ability, the upper limit of strength cannot currently be determined. Based solely on existing data, it is assessed as an A to A+ rank special ability.)

[Stability]: E- (Due to repeated defections of relatives from Happiness City, the stability rating is extremely low. As per regulations, whereabouts data is collected every three months. Last update: 35.06.01)

[Threat Level]: A (Due to relatives repeatedly committing acts harmful to Happiness City after defecting, the threat level is fixed at A-rank. As per regulations, work data is collected once a month. Last update: 35.08.01)

[Abnormal Data]: None at present (Level 3 clearance triggered by Inspector status; abnormal behaviors below this clearance level are not recorded.)

[Personality Tags]: Cowardly, ignorant, blindly obedient, indecisive, lazy, selfish, pessimistic (Sorted by tag intensity, updated annually. Last update: 35.01.01)

[Potential Rating]: C — [Complete History]: ...

Elder Zeng's gaze swept down from the top. Before he even reached the "Complete History" section, he couldn't help but frown, muttering in disbelief:

"What kind of absolute mess is this?"

Compared to the files of other Inspectors, this data was truly outrageous.

An erratic strength ceiling, along with stability and threat levels implicated by his relatives—these were barely understandable.

But seeing the "Personality Tags" made absolutely no sense.

Would a cowardly and ignorant person actively participate in the satellite town contract management assessment as a Trainee Inspector?

Could a blindly obedient and indecisive person remain calm upon hearing about a Ruin-level Infection Tide?

As for lazy, selfish, and pessimistic—if that were truly the case, why would he be willing to risk his life entering Dabo Town to save people?

Elder Zeng skimmed through the twenty years of history records in a flash. He turned to look at Elder Qian, his tone laced with suspicion. "Did your people tamper with this?"

"Hardly. He's just a little guy." Elder Qian couldn't help but smile. "This data is absurd, yes, but there are plenty of things that data can't explain. Back in the day, the files of Cheng Wu and Cheng Long were even more ridiculous than this, but what did that prove?"

A person's past can never rigidly define their future.

Especially in the ever-changing wasteland, even ordinary people are constantly evolving.

It's just that the changes in the weak can be predicted by data. However, if an Inspector of Happiness City could have their growth confined by mere data, then they would be far too weak, entirely unworthy of their current title and status.

"He's the seed of the Cheng family, what do you mean 'little guy'?" Elder Zeng clicked his tongue. His finger tapped lightly in the empty space, quietly submitting an application to verify the file's data.

"Oho, Old Zeng, you finally remember he's Old Cheng's grandson, do you?"

Elder Qian burst into laughter. "Truth be told, I only noticed the kid by chance. I suppose Cheng Wu finally has a worthy successor. He inherited quite a few of Old Cheng's merits, but he didn't pick up that stubbornness and narrow-mindedness. If he can successfully contain the Immortal Item fragment this time, the future younger generation of Happiness City might just produce another poster-boy genius capable of holding down the fort."

"Genius..."

Elder Zeng pondered the word. Suddenly, a hint of regret entered his tone. "It's a pity. Judging by the signs, it seems he's trying to forge a new path of transcendence, just like those small shelter cities, attempting to break through the existing paradigms."

"There are quite a few shelter cities choosing the direction of validating transcendence through one's own essence, but that path has long been proven to be a dead end. Continuing down it will only increasingly lock his future potential. When the time comes, I'm afraid he won't even be able to step out of Happiness City."

As his words fell.

Elder Qian shook his head, his tone tinged with certainty. "Not necessarily. The City Lord was the first to walk the new transcendent route back then, and the rest of us just passively followed and learned. Now that someone in Happiness City is finally willing to brave a new path, regardless of whether it leads anywhere, it's a good thing for the entire shelter city. At the very least, it adds another possibility."

"Let us hope so."

Elder Zeng sighed, his voice growing heavy. "It has already been thirty-five years into the New Era. He was born far too late... Alas, we do indeed need the A-rank technology, but if this fragment is truly given to Kindling, their dual-source technology will undoubtedly advance by leaps and bounds. The Natural Village Shelter City's biotechnology is also eyeing the transcendent domain; they are close to touching the critical point of restoring transcendent power."

"Once they cross that threshold, the S5 Virus that destroyed us Belief Transcendents will sooner or later be re-released. When that time comes... I'm afraid he won't even have the chance to enter the fourth state, completely sealing himself away to wait for the changing times."

"Who can say for sure what will happen in the future?" Elder Qian shook his head helplessly. "You, you're just too pessimistic, always trying to analyze risks that haven't even occurred yet..."

"I'm not pessimistic, you're just too muddle-headed, you old coot!" Elder Zeng interrupted him directly, a hint of a smile in his tone. "Tinkering with those ideals of yours all day—how many years has it been since you touched anything technical? Five years? Ten? If I recall correctly, the last time you went to inspect the Research Institute was during the grand military parade in year 20 of the New Era, right?"

"Heh... hehe." Having his weak spot poked, Elder Qian could only laugh dryly. He subconsciously touched his nose, feeling a rare moment of embarrassment.

But the next second, he straightened his back, a touch of stubbornness entering his eyes. "There's nothing wrong with that. You manage your technology, and I'll guard my ideals. You worry about the present, and I'll prepare for the future. That guy Cheng Wu is actually secretly preparing too, believe it or not? Once this world can return to an era where ordinary people are the masters of their own fate, he will definitely come out. He'll definitely say that his ideals back then were not wrong at all."

"Is that so?" The smile on Elder Zeng's face vanished instantly. The air around him seemed to drop several degrees, a frost-like chill permeating outward. "If he dares to show up again, I will personally stand before him and tell him one more time."

"This world has always been meant to be a world of Transcendents. It will only ever be... a world for the strong!"

"Even if it is destroyed ten thousand times over, those holding the authority in the future will still be the new... Transcendents!"

The horizon had already taken on a fish-belly white hue.

Although autumn was approaching and dawn broke later than in the height of summer, as long as it wasn't cloudy, around five-thirty should be the time the morning sun broke through the clouds.

Since he had already decided to return to Dabo Town, Cheng Ye simply stopped hiding and adopted a stance of fighting the Immortal Item fragment and the Infection Source until 'the fish dies and the net breaks.'

Whether anyone believed him now was unimportant, as long as he could survive and make it out after completing the containment.

This resolute attitude would become an achievement on his resume, the beginning of his journey as a 'legendary Inspector.' And as his decision was finalized, the entire camp, Happiness City headquarters, and even the industrial zone—all relevant departments—sprang into action with astonishing efficiency.

Halin had already taken people to coordinate the reception of protective gear and essential supplies. The remaining personnel quickly split into several groups, each busying themselves with their respective tasks.

The first to approach were people from the Research Institute. Several researchers who looked even more senior than Qin Feng walked over briskly. The middle-aged man leading them had the typical look of a scientist—a lean figure, thick-framed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, and a face devoid of excess expression. Only his eyes conveyed a reassuring sense of professionalism.

"Inspector Cheng, I am Shi Xu, the team leader of the Immortal Item Research Group at the Infection Source Research Institute, ranked as a Level 4 Researcher. It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope to provide assistance for your containment mission."

Shi Xu's tone was polite, yet it couldn't hide the composure brought by his status.

A Level 4 Researcher corresponded to a Fourth-Stage Inspector within the Inspection Station system. Coupled with the authority and responsibilities of a team leader, according to internal and external coordination rules, his actual status was basically equivalent to a Fifth-Stage Inspector.

Cheng Ye immediately nodded in response. "Team Leader Shi, I'll be troubling you. I currently need to know all the rules, precautions, and specific containment methods related to this mission."

"Alright. Little Liu, deploy the silencing field," Shi Xu turned and instructed the researcher behind him.

The researcher nodded and raised his wrist. He was wearing a silver-gray wristband the size of a palm. After gently pressing the button on top, an invisible wave expanded outward with the wristband as the center.

The surrounding noise vanished instantly, even the sound of the wind was isolated, leaving only the breathing of the few people present.

'What a great item.'

Cheng Ye's eyes couldn't help but light up, but then he heard Shi Xu speak again, "Regarding the fragment you are about to contain, we have already coordinated with the subordinate Canghai Shelter City through the Kindling Alliance to obtain relevant information. The target this time is a one-fifth fragment of the 'Myriad Command Earth Dharma Conch'. Its core ability direction is: manipulating mountains, rivers, and streams to undergo morphological changes..."

'Happiness City's efficiency is this fast? They already got the specific information on the Immortal Item fragment?'

Cheng Ye was taken aback for a moment, inevitably marveling inwardly, yet his gaze subconsciously landed on the semi-transparent panel that suddenly popped up before his eyes: [Detected that the Collector has already recorded the relevant biological information. Supplementing information...]

[Supplementation complete. Recording new biological compendium: Myriad Command Earth Dharma Conch]

The information was supplemented, and the compendium appeared.

With the dual verification from the Collector, the origins of the Myriad Command Earth Dharma Conch were no longer in doubt.

"The organization that created it is called the 'Two Poles Society.' In the Old Era, they mainly operated in Antarctica and the Arctic—two places virtually devoid of human presence."

Shi Xu pushed his glasses up his nose and continued explaining, "Apart from the Myriad Command Earth Dharma Conch, they also created its counterpart, the Myriad Law Heaven Dharma Conch. One heaven, one earth; one law, one command. Their original goal was to transform the environment of the North and South Poles, turning them into a habitable paradise isolated from the outside world."

"Unfortunately, before the Immortal Items were completed, the S4 Virus fully erupted. After the Two Poles Society was wiped out, these two Immortal Items vanished without a trace. Now that it has appeared around Happiness City, we can't trace exactly how it got here. Current speculations suggest it might have drifted down the river basins, but the nearby Linjiang River is too far from the poles, making this unlikely. It's much more probable that a certain Infection Source carried the fragment and moved here. In other words... this Immortal Item fragment might be hidden inside the body of the Ruin-level Infection Source in the Rongdong beneath Dabo Town."

"So it's the Immortal Item fragment that empowered that Ruin-level Infection Source?" Cheng Ye realized instantly.

This was cut from the same cloth as the situation where the Vortex Turtle Shell Fragment empowered the Black-striped Fish King, and the Abyssal Water Cave Crab's growth factors altered the ecosystem. It was enough to prove that fragments of transcendent entities could indeed influence living organisms and the environment.

"Correct," Shi Xu nodded, his tone darkening a bit. "Currently, we don't have any more intelligence to pinpoint this Infection Source. If it's a known Infection Source, you can analyze it by taking photos. But if it's an unknown one... unfortunately, once you re-enter the Immortal Item's sphere of influence, you will be completely 'marked.' Unless you die, there is no way to leave."

"Not even for exchanging supplies?"

"No. Any intentional act to breach the boundary could trigger a full-scale outbreak of the pollution tide. You might be able to withstand it once or twice, but the people trapped inside will definitely not survive. Moreover, the more times the pollution tide erupts, the higher the probability of you being locked onto by the Immortal Item fragment and suffering from targeted pollution."

"Pollution—what kind of pollution exactly? Cognitive pollution?"

"We tentatively call it an Immortal Item Domain, but a more accurate term would be a Cognitive Protection Domain."

Shi Xu explained, "The Immortal Item fragment will spontaneously influence the entire surrounding area. In this domain, affected organisms will subconsciously perceive threats as safety. This is a very brutal form of cognitive tampering. For instance, your subconscious mind knows that jumping off a high building is dangerous and standing on the rooftop is safe, but once you enter the domain, you will be influenced to jump straight down."

"It's just like the red and green signals you mentioned earlier: if your subconscious equates 'green' with 'safe,' then even if you see a truly dangerous color, it will only appear green to your eyes. Even if you come face to face with the Immortal Item fragment, you wouldn't feel it poses a threat, and naturally, you wouldn't cause it any harm."

"But why was the green signal in the previous radio communication perceived as red?"

"This is the deeper influence of the cognitive domain." Shi Xu's tone grew much more solemn. "You can roughly understand it this way: the first stage is the Infection Source's Parasitic Stage, which will only slowly draw you in. By the second stage, the Outbreak Stage, cognition will begin to twist and gradually drive you towards madness. This is the core reason why Immortal Items cause disasters."

"Seeing the red signal is only the beginning. If you continue to be affected, you might even perceive the humans around you as Infected Bodies, seeing them as the things you fear the most..."

Shi Xu continued, shifting the subject, "The pollution of a Wish-Guarding Transcendent forces everything towards uniformity and returns it to order, whereas the pollution of an Immortal Item shatters all rules, amplifying the deepest fears and desires in people's hearts. But you must understand, this is merely its means of self-preservation."

It certainly sounded terrifying.

However, having detailed intelligence support was far safer than stumbling around blindly.

Cheng Ye paused, his tone deepening. "In other words, I cannot let the already-polluted people inside realize that they are polluted? I have to keep them operating under the constraints of order, right?"

"You truly understand with just a hint." Shi Xu nodded immediately, his tone turning serious as well. "Exactly. If the civilians participating in the assessment realize they are in a dangerous environment, the moment order collapses, the level of pollution will instantly intensify. They will quickly enter the Outbreak Stage, and by then, everyone's cognition will be completely warped, never to be brought back."

"What about those hit by the pollution tide? Is there any possibility of survival for them?"

Shi Xu remained silent for two seconds, then gently shook his head. He offered no further explanation, but the answer was already obvious.

"But if the pollution persists, it's impossible for ordinary people to break through the domain and retrieve the fragment, right?"

"Inspector Cheng, all energy adheres to the law of conservation, and the influence of an Immortal Item is no exception."

Shi Xu's voice sank lower. "It can maintain the domain right now, likely drawing its energy from that Ruin-level Infection Source. So as long as we continuously deplete the Infection Source's energy, the scale of the pollution tide will grow smaller and smaller until it completely vanishes."

"A Ruin-level Infection Source? How many people will that consume?" Cheng Ye's heart sank abruptly.

Shi Xu did not evade the question and threw out the cold, hard numbers: "According to the last valid record, to drain a Ruin-level Infection Source parasitized by an Immortal Item, roughly sixty-seven thousand people were thrown into the meat grinder before the scale of the pollution tide was suppressed to a hundred-person level. Afterward, another fifty-two thousand were supplemented, among whom the explicit Special Ability Users..."

"Enough." Cheng Ye raised a hand to cut him off, his throat feeling rather tight.

Just for a single Immortal Item fragment, over a hundred thousand lives had to be sacrificed?

Relying on continuously feeding human lives into it just to drain the Immortal Item fragment's energy?

This was simply too cruel.

By comparison, brutally sealing off such a place for fifty years, making this land temporarily disappear completely from the map, was actually the much more reasonable choice.

"So right now, I have to maintain the normal operation of the assessment, keep up the Red and Blue Zone competition with Luo Kuke, and conveniently go search for the underwater Infection Source? The underwater Immortal Item fragment?"

"If you want to save people, you have to do it this way." Shi Xu nodded lightly. "Furthermore, based on the information gathered so far, we hypothesize that the Ruin-level Infection Source only awakens at night. Therefore, Dabo Town is still safe during the day, and the threats from the White Water River should remain manageable. You can conduct your investigations during this time. It isn't until nightfall that those anomalies will appear. At that time, you need to... dive into the water at night for containment."

"Fine."

Cheng Ye took a deep breath. Since the daytime was still safe, maintaining order would be much simpler.

As for diving into the water at night...

Once he went underwater anyway, there would be little difference from daytime, aside from the visibility.

Putting aside his most primal fears, if he encountered danger, he would just have to transform into Starfish Superman and strike with heavy fists!

"Inspector Cheng, pardon my interruption..."

The second group was from Happiness City's Emergency Response Department. Bai Wei walked in. "Besides the designated equipment and supplies, if you have any other requirements, tell me now. I will immediately coordinate the preparations. You must make it back to Dabo Town before it gets fully bright, um, no later than eight o'clock at the latest. You must return before the residents are fully awake. There isn't much time left."

"Alright." Cheng Ye spoke calmly, without hesitation. "I need a large battery, and I need an energy conversion device to match it."

"Understood!" Bai Wei didn't ask what it was for and nodded immediately in response. "Considering your transport capacity, we have already dispatched a large truck. The total capacity of the battery packs on board is two thousand kilowatt-hours. Is this amount sufficient?"

"That's enough!" Cheng Ye nodded at once, his mind completely settling down.

He had originally prepared to make up a 'new energy fishing' excuse to explain his request, but he hadn't expected Bai Wei to skip asking about its purpose entirely, saving him a lot of trouble.

Two thousand kilowatt-hours of electricity was enough to charge his Collector five times. Even if he ran into sudden danger, he had a sufficient energy reserve to fall back on.

"Additionally, I also need a batch of infrastructure materials."

Cheng Ye took the opportunity to add to his request, rapidly rattling off a list of items.

Since the assessment had to continue, in order to prevent thousands of Crab-men from launching an assault on Dabo Town, he had to make preparations in advance.

Among the more important items were two solar power generation facilities, a batch of high-power searchlights capable of illuminating Dabo Town at night as brightly as day, and two hundred doses of highly effective sedatives.

In the event that any residents went mad from pollution, he could directly use the sedatives to knock them out for a day or two, preventing a chain reaction that could lead to a pollution tide outbreak.

It was just a pity that he couldn't keep an eye on nearly a thousand people by himself, otherwise making everyone sleep would have been much more convenient.

Bai Wei noted everything down item by item without delay, then turned and led his people away to prepare.

These supplies would subsequently be collectively loaded onto the large truck and driven straight into Dabo Town, sparing him any extra worry.

4:50 AM.

Just as Shi Xu finished explaining the key points and specific methods for containing the Immortal Item, Halin hurried back carrying a half-human-tall silver briefcase.

He stepped into the silencing field, sweat still beaded on his temples, pulled a folded piece of white paper from his pocket, and handed it over while panting:

"Make your pick. This is the only remaining inventory the Inspection Station has hoarded over all these years..."

The white paper was unfolded, listing only four items, each marked with detailed attributes:

[Healing Water Spirit Grass (A-): Ability-type Benign Infection Source. After parasitism, grants the "Water Recovery" ability. Regardless of the severity of the injury, vital signs can be maintained in water (immortality).

Infection Cost: Every recovery consumes lifespan. The estimated cost for recovering a single body part is 3 years, while recovering from fatal injuries is estimated to cost 7 years.]

[Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse (A-): Ability-type Benign Infection Source. After parasitism, grants the ability to freely alter body size. Maximum size can increase up to 5

meters tall (gaining physical attributes matching the size), and the minimum size can shrink down to 60 centimeters (physical attributes remain unchanged).

Infection Cost: Upon ending the parasitism, the host must endure mind-destroying skeletal agony. After every form transformation, the cost must be repaid with a "hundred-kilometer long-distance run," with a maximum single repayment requirement of 2,000 kilometers.]

[Bone Armor Ox (A-): Strength-type Benign Infection Source. After parasitism, grants 2 to 5 tons of immense strength, along with corresponding close-combat physical attributes.

Infection Cost: Upon ending the parasitism, depending on the frequency and magnitude of the host's use of immense strength, there is a 10% to 25% probability of death.]

[Firecracker (A-): Ability-type Benign Infection Source. After parasitism, can imbue objects with an "Explosive Attribute." The explosive power is equivalent to an 81mm military mortar high-explosive shell (lethal radius of approximately 15 meters, capable of penetrating 10mm of homogeneous steel armor). A maximum of 3 objects can be imbued per cast, up to 10 times per hour. The attribute's effective duration is 3 hours.

Infection Cost: If the parasitic duration exceeds 24 hours, there is a small probability that the host will be irreversibly transformed into an explosive.]