Chapter 298 | Sequence: Sacrifice

"No!"

Guo Hang roared at the sky, feeling as if his entire world had collapsed.

The black hand had vanished too quickly—so quickly that he didn't even know which direction to pursue.

During this mission, he had first been beaten, then chased, and finally, he had even lost his precious treasure.

The phrase "losing both the lady and the troops" wasn't enough to describe his current state of mind.

After several minutes of impotent roaring, he finally managed to compose himself and began heading toward the direction of Great Qi.

No matter what, at least he was still alive, wasn't he?

On the other side, a new driver arrived quickly, leading Yin Yang and the others across mountains and ridges to a new camp.

Just as they arrived, Big Beard Zhang rushed out to meet them, his face filled with urgency.

"What happened?"

Mr. Yuan waved his hand and let out a heavy sigh.

"We were ambushed. It was targeted at me. It's a pity about that young soldier."

Big Beard Zhang sighed along with him upon hearing the news.

"That’s how war is. Alright, now that you're here, don't just stand around. We need to hurry and study these transcendent diseases. The sooner we figure them out, the fewer people will die on the front lines."

"Understood."

Mr. Yuan surprisingly didn't argue with him. He turned back to Yin Yang and put on a different, gentler smile.

"Xiao Yang, you aren't a transcendent, and your stamina won't hold up. Go get some good rest first. Your health comes first, you understand?"

Yin Yang took a deep breath and replied.

"Mr. Yuan, I'm fine. Just as Mr. Zhang said, the sooner we find a treatment for the disease, the fewer lives will be lost."

"Let's go!"

Hearing this, Mr. Yuan looked both gratified and worried.

Liu Hong was about to say something when Mr. Yuan turned his gaze toward him.

"You are a transcendent and in the prime of your life. You'll definitely be fine. Keep working."

"...Oh."

Liu Hong felt somewhat helpless as he lowered his head and walked toward the camp.

Seeing this, Mr. Yu smiled and said.

"Work hard. When we get back to the academy, I'll give you a surprise."

Hearing those words, Liu Hong was suddenly brimming with energy.

Mr. Yu looked at Mr. Yuan smugly.

"See that? If you just make the donkey pull the grindstone, the donkey won't be able to take it. You have to give it a carrot once in a while. Even if it can't eat it yet, it'll pick up the pace."

Mr. Yuan burst out laughing, while Liu Hong replied with a face full of dark lines.

"Teacher, the donkey hasn't left yet. It can hear you."

At those words, even Big Beard Zhang couldn't help but laugh.

Shortly after, the group arrived at the ward in the new camp, where the "vegetable people" had also been transferred.

Yin Yang and the others put on protective suits and began their observations. The bearded man explained to them.

"According to our research and observations, this is a very powerful ancient fungus!"

"This fungus can transform flesh into plants! It develops extremely rapidly; even an initial infection can cause someone to lose consciousness instantly."

"For example, these people in front of us—they are actually already dead."

Big Beard Zhang sighed as he reached this point, his expression showing a hint of sorrow. Though he looked rugged, he was actually quite soft-hearted.

Mr. Yuan turned to Yin Yang.

"Xiao Yang, what are your thoughts?"

"It's the same as before. This method is similar to the medicine men in the Farmer pathway, except one uses humans to grow medicine, while the other turns humans into medicine."

"The problem is that this method progresses too quickly and usually parasites the brain. It causes a loss of consciousness in the early stages of the disease, which is quite troublesome."

The others nodded in agreement. The brain was the most fragile part of the human body; once damaged, repairing it was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"Then should we change our research direction? Shift from treatment to prevention?"

Mr. Yu offered a proposal from the side, but both Big Beard Zhang and Mr. Yuan frowned simultaneously.

"It's not very realistic. We can't have every soldier wearing a protective suit on the battlefield. Not only would it be inconvenient, but the cost would also be unacceptable."

Mr. Yu nodded, not feeling embarrassed at all.

That was how research worked—even the most absurd ideas could be proposed. Even if they were useless, they might spark inspiration in someone else.

"What if we made it into a vaccine?"

Yin Yang proposed a solution. Big Beard Zhang's eyes lit up, but after stroking his beard, he sighed again.

"That’s also difficult. This fungus changes differently depending on the host's constitution."

"Just from what we've discovered so far, there are already fifty or sixty variations."

"Injecting so many vaccines in a short period of time would carry uncontrollable risks."

Yin Yang nodded, then shifted his thinking.

"Then suppose what we inject isn't a vaccine, but a poison—a poison that does little harm to the human body but has a lethal effect on this fungus?"

"Mr. Zhang, you said earlier that the reason this fungus has so many variations is that it merges and changes based on individual constitutions."

"Doesn't that mean that before the fungus enters the human body, there is actually only one type?"

"If we just kill it before it mutates, wouldn't that be a success?"

Mr. Yuan and the others' eyes lit up. They looked at each other and nodded in unison.

"I think this line of thinking is worth a try!"

"I also think it's feasible."

"Time waits for no one. Let's try it right now."

"But these fungi have already mutated. How can we find the original fungus?"

"Don't worry, we have the original fungus here as well."

Everyone sprang into action. As they had said, the sooner they found a method, the fewer people would die.

However, Big Beard Zhang leaned in toward Yin Yang and coughed twice.

"Xiao Yang, you know my status at our academy. Just two months ago, my application for a research project was approved."

"Central City places great importance on this project. The initial research funding alone is sixty million!"

"Moreover, the research cycle is very short—only a year and a half. If you come to my team, we can research it together. I'll even put your name first in the credits. How about it?"

Before Yin Yang could respond, Mr. Yuan was already displeased.

"Big Beard Zhang! We came here to help you, and you're trying to poach my talent? Is that any way to behave?"

Mr. Zhang hurriedly replied.

"How can you call this helping me? Aren't we all doing this for Great Wei?"

"Go to hell!"

Mr. Yuan cursed directly, then looked at Yin Yang.

"Xiao Yang, don't listen to him. Who doesn't have a research project? Central City approved my project too, and the funding isn't small either!"

"If you come to me, isn't it just about the credit? I'll put your name before mine!"

This nearly infuriated Big Beard Zhang. He pointed at Mr. Yuan’s nose.

"Put his name before yours? Aren't you afraid people will gossip about Xiao Yang and say he's using the back door? Have you even considered Xiao Yang's reputation!"