The Game of Global Mining

Chapter 608 457: Pneumoconiosis and Parasitic Algae

Chun's vision was blurred, making it difficult to find. However, Mina discovered several buildings by the river a few hundred meters outside the village.

"Master, that's far from the dust. It should be a hospital."

Upon approaching, a series of coughing sounds came in, yet they were weak and feeble.

Mina sighed, "This is dust illness, the infamous miners' disease! Miners inhaling the dust from mining areas for a long time ultimately leads to lung hardening and difficulty breathing. In the early stages, all cities had numerous patients. Treatment involved inhalation sprays, but they were expensive, and there was no magic to alleviate it. Basically, when poor people got sick, they would just wait slowly for death. If a spray could be developed for the later stages, it would be remarkable, and miners around the world would be immensely grateful."

It really is dust illness!

Chun was well aware of the severity of this disease in reality, but he hadn't paid attention to it in the game. After all, since the public test period, Chun mainly focused on hanging out in taverns; mining was mostly done while he was away. After officially launching the game, he barely mined and seldom heard the constant coughing sounds.

Chun quickly asked, "Are there many cases of dust illness in the cities?"

Mina replied, "A lot in the early stages. As the rich mines in the cities depleted, the dust wasn't so severe, and cases gradually decreased. But in the inland rural mining areas, it's unpredictable. As it seems now, there are probably dozens of people in this building, and it's quite severe."

Chun sighed, "Then for this illness... even if we enter their dreams, what can we do to help them?"

Mei said, "They are just chronically ill. They won't die immediately, right? We could bring them hope to persevere, like skin breathing!"

Chun was astonished, "Humans aren't frogs, how can we breathe through the skin?"

Mei said, "A hundred years ago, I saw some special human fighters able to dive underwater for a long time without air tanks, and that was skin breathing! By modern human standards, it should be the Divine Artisan Level Swimming Skill."

Holy Shit? Do humans need to reach Divine Artisan Level to break the barrier and reach the level of a regular tadpole?

Chun sighed, "Ordinary people can't reach that level!"

Mei said, "Then there's parasitic algae! It parasitizes the lungs, blood vessels. Parasitic algae can open skin breathing pores and produce oxygen itself."

Ah!!

Mina was also astonished, "Then Mei, where can we find such algae?"

Mei sighed, "Wherever there are plentiful seaweeds, there must be such algae. Actually, it has another name, zombie algae. Even if the host dies, the algae can still control the host's movements! So, the side effect is turning into a zombie. It depends on how the patient perceives it, and how others perceive it."

Ah! Chun suddenly recalled that researcher friend of Shannon in Black Iron City. Mu was the one studying the zombie virus. He discovered that parasitic fungi could hollow out beetles and still control their bodies (Note: Chapter 308). So, finally, can these people get involved too? As for places with plentiful seaweed—

Chun asked, "Then in the Sea of Creation, there's a vast algae sea; there are dying fish everywhere. Is there any there?"

Mei was surprised, "Ah, that place, I haven't been there, but if it's endless, there's definitely some. Perhaps those dying fish you see are already zombie fish."

That's how it is!

But why bother looking for zombie fish when the Old Turtle itself is a huge zombie? Does it have any inside? But this would involve contacting the Siren, or contacting the two Guardian Gods of Nancy... But now… at best, we can enter the dream realm to give these patients a little hope, let them hold on. However, the key is keeping my identity and the medicine recipe secret.

Chun had already thought of the excuse: Once the medicine recipe is exposed, the pharmaceutical consortium would quickly intervene, and the poor wouldn't be able to afford it. So, there's no choice but to keep it secret.

Chun couldn't see clearly, "Mina, let's take action."

"Okay, Master, I'll find someone who looks relatively strong and can hold on for a while…"

—System notification: Your team has entered the dream space of villager "Broken Hoe" under the lead of High Tier Dragon Soul Nightmare Mina.

Then the scene slowly shifted.

Holy Shit, here we go again, just like last time entering the Rusted Clamp Gang Elder's dream. Whenever I enter, the system temporarily loads a plot for an otherwise insignificant side NPC, right? But, since the system doesn't give a "warning" notification, that means safety and no fighting?

Finally, the scene changed, still the same village, with an extremely dim color, smoke and dust engulfing everything, obscuring the surroundings, with oppressive dark clouds overhead, ten meters away from the village. Even Chun, seeing this scene, felt extremely closed and suffocating, even felt unable to breathe!

Mina said, "There's little fear, but extremely dispirited and hopeless."

A coughing sound emerged from the smoke: "Who?"

Chun stepped forward to see, a person squatting on the ground praying to the cloudy church. Being able to pray implies there's still some hope?

Chun had dealt with three old men before, so he adopted a Sage's demeanor: "I heard your prayer, your cough. I came for your illness."

He replied without turning his head, "What new remedy this time?"

Chun was taken aback, "What do you mean?"

He shook his head, "Doesn't matter, as long as there's money involved, I'll help with the trials!"

Chun was shocked, "So, pharmacies had previously collaborated with you for trials?"

"Cough cough… Are you new here?"

"Yes!"

He sneered, "Medicine sellers think we have terminal illnesses, that we'll desperately bankrupt ourselves to save our lives? No, we don't spend a penny, just offer our lives for trials, and pharmacies still have to pay us!"

Now Chun was completely confused, "So those dozens outside the village are trial participants?"

He smiled bitterly, "Yes! That's the strength of our village, producing patients."

Chun could only say, "I do have a new remedy, and it's very likely to cure you. I hope you gain confidence and hope, hold on until the new medicine arrives."

He smiled and began to turn around, "All pharmacists say this, and I'm also very spirited and hopeful!"

The situation was completely out of Chun's control!

Chun's main concern was keeping his identity secret, but seeing him acting like a pig not afraid of hot water, taking any job, such people can't keep secrets! So before he turns around to see me clearly, I should withdraw decisively.

Chun promptly retreated into the fog.

Honestly, if he saw me face-to-face, Chun wouldn't be able to vouch for not sending him to rest prematurely!

In this situation, not keeping it secret actually has benefits, like the Magic Mirror sending people to investigate, and this "Broken Hoe" could testify saying he dreamt a pharmacist had come, that would be highly misleading.

—System notification: You have left the dream space of villager "Broken Hoe."

Mina sighed, "It seems like these people are all the same, hard to gain anything, so Master, what's our goal now?"

Anyway, with Mei's divine power backstop, Chun decided to go all in: "To the nearby Purple Flower Village!"