Chapter 171 — I'm an Infinite Regressor, But I've Got Stories to Tell

Chapter 171

The narrator and Lee Ha-yul recover from a six-second involuntary transformation into frogs, a traumatic experience caused by void poison within the water of the submerged ark. Ha-yul expresses disgust at the sensation of frog skin, and the narrator warns her that the water contains parasitic bugs shaped like the rain character (雨) that enter through skin contact. He advises her to use her aura to dry off, which she does; the golden light burns the bugs, though Ha-yul notes the water seems to be crawling inside her as well. The narrator reinforces that scratching will cause blood to transform, and Ha-yul recalls a disturbing sense of nostalgia and euphoria during the transformation, which the narrator dismisses as entrancement. They proceed through calf-deep water, repairing broken puppet strings that serve as communication lines for the ark's systems. Ha-yul confirms signals are active in most isolation areas but notes silence from areas 13, 17, and 23. Upon entering area 13, they encounter a half-melted, frog-croaking zombie attacking from the darkness. Ha-yul uses her puppet strings to restrain and disintegrate the attacker into clear liquid. Inside the room, the water holds suspended clothes where people have vanished, leaving only frog croaks; the narrator concludes this area is lost and notes that area 4 is also a critical danger zone, planning to reduce isolation rooms in future cycles to mitigate risk. They move to other areas, finding area 25 has significant casualties but manageable mutations due to rapid response. However, a paladin from the Eastern Holy State remains partially transformed. The paladin begins a quiet, intense monologue about humans and nature being parasites on one another, suggesting that escaping the body is true freedom. The terrified survivors, cut off from constellations and the SG Net, react with panic and violence, throwing cans and bottles at the paladin, shouting for him to be killed to prevent infection. The narrator intervenes with a commanding presence, silencing the mob. He addresses the crowd, acknowledging their loss of divine support and the necessity of enduring solitude and isolation protocols under the command center's supervision. He designates the paladin as a contaminated individual requiring infirmary care, noting the man's origins in Pyongyang, and carries him out, leaving Ha-yul to follow. As they depart, the narrator observes the ark still fully submerged under endless rain, reflecting that this is only the first day of what is foretold to be a forty-day deluge.

Chapter ID

aal9d087ei

Chapter number

171

Duration

10:38

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