CHAPTER 558: CHAPTER 523 PURIFYING THE PLAGUE

Even though everyone had already realized that this settlement was doomed when they first saw the Plague Giant appear, the White Wolf Knights and others, including Fulvio, were still shocked by the devastation when they arrived.

This was not a large village, mostly inhabited by natives from a nearby tribe and some immigrants, with a population of around three to five hundred people.

Due to its small size, the village did not have an Energy Tower, but the Lord’s manor had built an underground shelter for them and planned to install a small heating furnace.

There weren’t many Extraordinaries in the village, with the only combat power being a few Ancestor Warriors from the native tribe.

But being a small tribe, their combat ability wasn’t much stronger than a trainee Knight.

So when the Plague Giant appeared in the village, the outcome was already decided.

Although the village chief organized everyone to hide in the underground shelter immediately, he himself, along with several Ancestor Warriors and the village’s security team, bravely attempted to exterminate the Plague Giant, they only brought about a field of shattered bodies in the central open space of the settlement.

Lacking powerful equipment, they were brutally torn apart by the Plague Giant.

The settlement suffered severe damage; the warehouse storing food was completely destroyed, and the stored food was contaminated. The village’s walls were also damaged by the Plague Giant, rendering the settlement essentially ruined.

As for the villagers hiding underground...

The White Wolf Knights knocked anxiously on the severely deformed door of the underground shelter, and after a moment, a weak voice inquired, "Who’s there?"

Upon hearing someone respond, the White Wolf Knights breathed a sigh of relief and quickly announced their identity: "We are the White Wolf Knights, the Giant has been eliminated by us. Now, please open the door."

"That’s great!" came an exuberant exclamation from behind the door, and someone quickly attempted to open it.

But since the door had been smashed by the Plague Giant and was difficult to open, several White Wolf Knights had to lend a hand, using the immense power of the Steam Knights to forcibly pull the door open.

However, standing aside, Fulvio felt heavy-hearted, for he had heard coughing and groaning coming from behind the door while the White Wolf Knights were talking to the villagers.

And when the door was opened, the scene confirmed his suspicions.

"These people have been infected by the Plague Giant and must be dealt with, or they will all turn into Plague Zombies," Fulvio quietly explained the situation to the female Knight.

As a Judgment Knight, he had encountered such situations too many times not to be soft-hearted, but he wasn’t socially inept enough to announce in front of everyone that these villagers needed to be "dealt with."

The female Knight’s movements stiffened noticeably, and she asked in disbelief, "Can’t they be cured? If we just isolate them and send doctors to treat them, they should recover, right? Do they really need to be eliminated?"

"I’m afraid not. I checked the granary earlier, and the food was contaminated before the Plague Giant appeared," explained Fulvio, who wouldn’t make mistakes in such matters. Reluctantly, he continued, "They first ate contaminated food, accumulating plague viruses in their bodies, and then someone possibly mutated into the Plague Giant due to an Evil God Sect ritual.

As for the remaining villagers, their bodies are severely corroded by plague toxins. Without the Plague Giant, they might have had a chance to be cured, but the toxins released by the Plague Giant reacted with the plague toxins in their bodies. They... are beyond saving."

Hearing this, the female Knight hesitated for a moment but then issued orders to temporarily quarantine the villagers, using the pretext that they had come into close contact with the Plague Giant and might be infected, thus needing further processing.

The villagers, clearly somewhat panicked, nevertheless obeyed the White Wolf Knights’ orders compliantly, staying in the underground shelter without anyone trying to leave or break through.

The female Knight assigned two White Wolf Knights to guard the entrance of the underground shelter before discussing with Fulvio how to handle the situation.

It was at this moment that Fulvio learned the female Knight’s name was Griffith and realized she was the captain of the White Wolf Knight regiment.

"We can’t just kill them directly; they are citizens of the Northern Territory. Doing so would be too cruel and contradicts the Count’s teachings," Griffith opposed outright execution but also knew releasing them was impossible: "I will report this to the Lord’s manor, requesting support. We can identify those who might still be saved, rescuing at least a portion of their lives!"

"No, it’s too late, they are beyond saving." However, Fulvio shook his head, disagreeing: "I’ve checked their food, and it’s been contaminated for over half a month. They’re already deeply poisoned, and sending people for identification would just be a waste of time and resources.

Even if a few individuals with strong constitutions might be saved, treating them wouldn’t be worthwhile.

I understand your feelings and thoughts, but give up, it’s meaningless, you can’t save them."

Fulvio knew this was cruel, but the Judgment Knight’s decisions involved sacrificing a few to protect many from harm.

Griffith was clearly unwilling; she attempted to persuade Fulvio, but her eloquence was insufficient to move a harsh-hearted Judgment Knight. Moreover, in Fulvio’s eyes, these people were already beyond help, and dealing with them sooner would spare them more suffering.

Ultimately, Griffith and Fulvio didn’t convince each other but reached a compromise.

Fulvio no longer urged immediate action against the villagers, while Griffith agreed to report the incident to the Lord’s manor, clarifying Fulvio’s suggestions and judgments, letting the Lord’s manor decide.

Neither party had objections to this outcome, as Fulvio believed that the time taken for the Lord’s manor to receive the report and make a decision would be enough for noticeable mutations to occur among the quarantined villagers.

At that point, even if he didn’t say anything, the White Wolf Knights would understand what they needed to do.