Although usually not serious and full of bad ideas, this time Night Ten's idea indeed had miraculous effects.
With the cooperation of the Southern Border Defense Army of the Weilant Alliance, they quickly completed the screening of the first 43,000 Weilante people who entered the Welch Governorate and confirmed that 152 of them were carriers of the "Mortal Serum" virus.
Outrageously, two-thirds of these patients were the elderly and children.
Their immune systems were already relatively weak, and after being tormented by seawater and cold winds before landing, many succumbed to a severe cold before the incubation period of the "Mortal Serum" virus even ended.
The third set of ten thousand troops responsible for setting up the quarantine zone transferred these patients to separate camps and tents, and informed the patients of their test results after the transfer was completed.
Upon learning he was a carrier of the "Mortal Serum" virus, Old Bazel's face instantly showed a bewildered expression.
"Moral, Mortal Serum?! How, how is that possible... my body is fine, those sneezing aren't sick, why me?!"
As he spoke, his shock gradually turned into panic.
He wasn't entirely worried about his own wellbeing, but rather thought of his wife who departed with him.
The soldier in an orange hazmat suit sat across from him, nodded seriously with a stern expression.
"According to the research data provided by the Alliance, the onset time of the Mortal Serum is usually two weeks later. You have no symptoms, indicating the infection time should not be long. We hope you can tell us the areas you passed through along the way, and the designation of the troops escorting... or escorting you, and any other clues you think are valuable."
At this point, he paused briefly and added in a serious tone.
"We will do everything possible to save you, so please be sure to tell us the clues you know... it is very important!"
Feeling the seriousness in that tone, Old Bazel restrained the complex expression on his face.
Calmed down, he pondered for a long time and then slowly began to speak.
"My home is in the core area of Yavente City... or at least it could be considered that, on Rongjun Road."
"Rongjun Road?"
The soldier's face registered surprise as he quickly wrote in his notebook without pausing.
Old Bazel, also surprised, gave him a glance.
"You know which place that is?"
The recording soldier nodded.
"Of course, I know... or rather, there's no need to know, Rongjun Road is occupied by military families."
Old Bazel said, with a complex expression.
"And families of fallen soldiers."
This is one of the traditions inherited by the various legions from Triumph City and a social welfare started in Marshal Julius's era.
Residents on Rongjun Road receive a monthly allowance and are arranged for regular health checks, and medical treatment is free.
After all, only by solving the soldiers' concerns for their families can they be urged to move forward desperately.
Even until a week ago, he enjoyed benefits not inferior to those of current Centurions.
The soldier continued to ask.
"Do you remember which troop unit was involved when you left?"
Old Bazel nodded and continued to speak.
"The one who mobilized us to leave was the Personal Body Guard of Legion Leader Teil, I don't know which ten thousand troops it was, their attitude was very polite... if nothing unexpected, we should have been one of the first few to reach the dock. But it wasn't the first batch, the ferry was already gone when we got there, only a dozen small boats left."
Jotting down this sentence quickly in his notebook, the soldier continued to ask.
"Did they wear chemical protection suits?"
Old Bazel's eyes filled with confusion, recalled for a long time, and finally shook his head.
"Seems... not, but I did see gas masks. It was around then that I heard about the plague, but no one took it seriously, and I didn't pay much attention either."
The recording soldier exchanged a look with the soldier standing at the door.
The latter's expression was somewhat subtle, muttering in a low voice.
"I heard from the Alliance people... the infection rate among Awakeners doesn't seem to be high."
"I see..."
The recording soldier mumbled complexly and wrote down this guess as a note on the side.
Whether or not the virus was released by Legion Leader Teil's Personal Body Guard, they're undoubtedly involved.
Once this farce ends, they will naturally follow the clues to clear up.
After finishing the recording, the soldier closed his notebook, looked seriously at the elderly man in front of him.
"Thank you for your cooperation, if any clues need to be supplemented, please contact us at any time. Also, since you're a carrier of the 'Mortal Serum' virus, we hope you can stay in the quarantine area as much as possible to avoid contact with others."
"We will cover all your living expenses during the quarantine period, and if there's anything needed, we'll try to help. The only thing needed is please do not leave here."
Old Bazel shyly smiled.
"Oh, what trouble... rather, I'm troubling you, making you take care of me."
He was a traditional Weilante person, loyal to the collective, unwilling to trouble the collective.
Perhaps it was his illusion, but he always felt these young men from Triumph City in front of him seemed to change a bit from those he remembered from Triumph City.
They also comply with the collective, but they have a different understanding of it.
He can't quite articulate the difference, but there is indeed something distinct.
Hearing the old man's words, the young man smiled and said.
"You don't have to say things like that, we are compatriots, how could we not care about you. If anything happens, you must let us know, don't feel embarrassed or that you're bothering us."
Having said this, he stood up, ready to leave.
Looking at the elder, full of genuine emotion, the young man laughed heartily.
"Of course... speaking of his experiences, two days and two nights wouldn't suffice."
Listening to the young man's words, Old Bazel laughed heartily.
"Haha! I can't pretend I didn't hear that... Once everything is over, I'll treat you to a drink, and we can chat slowly."
He suddenly became curious.
About the legend of that Leader...
...
The shadow of the "Mortal Serum" loomed over the Welch Governorate, yet fear did not overwhelm the people living on this Land.
All the refugees quietly stayed in the quarantine zone, orderly receiving rationed supplies and undergoing health checks under the management of the Weilant Alliance border defense forces.
With assistance from Alliance and Academy researchers, the newly-established Weilant Alliance successfully withstood wave after wave of refugee surges from the Southern Legion, and in these relentless assaults, built and fortified twenty quarantine zones.
The entire process was not easy.
After all, not only were refugees washed ashore by the tide, but also corpses of the dead.
And the survivors residing in the quarantine zone had to endure not just the scarcity and shortage of supplies, but also other epidemics apart from the "Mortal Serum" and plagues induced by inadequate sanitary conditions.
Furthermore, the Weilante Alliance also had to face spies from the Southern Legion.
They not only spread panic and incited survivors to charge checkpoints, but also attempted to physically breach the quarantine zone barricades.
Fortunately, this was on the Wasteland, with vast stretches of wasteland between the quarantine zones and Triumph City, and the population flow among small settlements scattered across the wasteland was not very close-knit.
Although several accidents occurred during this time, due to timely remedial measures, the Weilant Alliance's border defense forces ultimately managed to control the virus successfully, preventing the "Mortal Serum" from spreading to Triumph City.
And the Weilant people staying inside the quarantine zone were quite cooperative.
The unity they displayed in the face of difficulty even inspired those aliens who fled from Bartoya Province.
Thus, they all collectively created an almost impossible miracle—
Namely, under almost no preparation, they endured the Southern Legion's daily "cross-sea assaults" by fifty thousand civilians using iron will and a spirit of never giving up.
At this moment, the Southern Legion was like a wild beast gone mad, in the final throes of hysterical madness.
Meanwhile, as Triumph City steadied itself in the first wave of the "Mortal Serum," the situation of this crisis began gradually shifting in favor of the Weilant Alliance.
Under the mediation of the Battlefield Atmosphere Group itself, the Civil Official Group, and the Imperial Guard, entities in the New Continent like The Union State, the Eastern Empire, and the Northern Empire gradually realized the gravity of the situation.
The warships of the New Federation were advancing toward the Whirlpool Sea.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Empire and the Northern Empire were sending the much-needed food, medicines, clothes, and tents to the Weilant Alliance via the railways traversing north and south.
Though an alliance in name only dismantled, the Weilante people still did not forget their homeland.
They remained as united as ever, even more united than before.
Thus, half a month passed, and soon it was early October.
In the past half month, the Southern Legion launched nearly 800,000 civilians, including the elderly, weak, and women, northward, with 12,707 confirmed cases of the "Mortal Serum," yet not a single one successfully crossed the border!
Currently, the antidote for the Mortal Serum is still under research, although a reliable vaccine is temporarily unavailable, a suppressant has been successfully created to alleviate symptoms.
According to the Alliance Biological Research Institute's opinion, the best way to quickly develop a vaccine is to obtain the virus research materials in the hands of the Southern Legion.
A military operation targeting Yavente City has already been discussed at the Alliance army's headquarters.
However, at this time, Night Ten, in the quarantine zone, was still unaware of external happenings, and might not have cared even if he knew.
Due to some "small strategy" used previously and Jiang Xuezhou's rumors exaggerating his contributions, he had now been regarded as a virology bigwig by the Weilant Alliance's border defense forces.
A bunch of big-nosed officers circled around him daily, consulting him for epidemic prevention experience.
Greatly enjoying this feeling of being treated as a bigwig, Night Ten held his nose high up to the heavens, thoroughly indulging in a moment of being the center of attention.
Seeing the dense "valuable experiences" filling an entire notebook, the logistics officials' faces turned into bitter gourds, complaining incessantly.
"According to your standards... our expenses might end up astronomical."
At these words, Night Ten spread his hands and cheerfully replied.
"I just provide ideas; you'll have to ask the Leader for money."
Having him pay was out of the question, and getting him to ask the Alliance for money was also unthinkable, not charging them was already quite lenient.
Though, frankly speaking, the usually stingy Managers were quite generous when it came to matters of life and death.
The test reagents Jiang Xuezhou delivered all came from the budget of the Biological Institute, yet they didn't charge Triumph City a dime, not even bringing up the issue of money.
After sending the logistics officials away, Night Ten was walking out of the tent when he saw Xue Zhou, who had just returned from the City of Dawn.
Because the previous batch of reagents was used up, her research ship made another trip to the City of Dawn to airlift more back.
It must be said, that anti-gravity vehicle truly was a fine thing; it's said that if it weren't for all the orbital debris outside, it could directly drive all the way to the Moon with one push on the gas pedal.
What a pity to have this gem in the hands of the Academy.
As Night Ten was pondering such inappropriate thoughts, Jiang Xuezhou spotted him and called out from afar.
"Hey."
Seeing her unfriendly appearance, Night Ten yawned and helplessly said.
"What's it this time."
"Wha- what do you mean by 'what's it this time'? Do I have a lot of issues?"
Displeased with his impatient tone, Jiang Xuezhou's eyebrows shot up instantly.
But that was only a momentary thing, the two delicate eyebrows quickly softened again.
After hesitating for a while, she pretended to be composed and coughed, then deliberately changed to a casual tone, spitting out a sentence without any context.
"Um... why don't you explain it?"
Night Ten was taken aback, baffled by this incoherent statement.
"Explain what? Explain what?"
"It was last month... when we just arrived," Jiang Xuezhou looked aside awkwardly, muttering softly, "Why didn't you explain to Yu Tong that we... weren't flirting?"
...Huh?
Night Ten was completely dumbfounded, like a ground squirrel stunned on the prairie.
After quite a long while, he finally squeezed out a sentence from his open mouth.
"Are you a kid? What's there to explain?"
And this was already half a month ago, right?!
Jiang Xuezhou also seemed to realize that bringing this up suddenly was quite random, and immediately blushed and buried her head.
"Yes, right... there's nothing to explain, it's completely unnecessary, haha."
So awkward...
Face burning.
Looking at the flabbergasted Night Ten, she felt like she was about to dig through her shoe sole with her big toe...
...
Triumph City.
Glory Court's council hall.
The Battlefield Atmosphere Group dispersed the officials from the meeting table after the mobilization meeting, looking at Commander Raze seated nearby, and spoke.
"You said you wanted the beast to see my courage, is my courage satisfactory to you?"
The old man draped in golden armor smiled lightly, nodding affirmatively and said.
"It's passable, though compared to Marshal Julius, you're still a bit green, but for me, it's barely acceptable."
Old Soldier made a helpless expression, but the corners of his mouth still lifted into a slightly proud smile.
Having received a "barely" passing evaluation from a monster who has lived for 172 years, it seems he has at least some talent.
Looking at the Leader, Commander Raze pondered for a while and continued.
"Actually, what pleases me more than your courage is the fact you used the word 'compatriots' when persuading me."
Battlefield Atmosphere Group was taken aback, unintentionally showing a puzzled expression.
Was it just this?
"I have many friends who are Weilante people, even if I'm not one, it's hard not to consider them."
"Even if it meant betraying the Alliance?" Commander Raze jokingly said with interest.
Battlefield Atmosphere Group slowly shook his head and spoke in an ordinary tone.
"I've never thought I betrayed the Alliance, in fact, I'm here precisely because I fulfilled my promise."
Raze looked at him intently.
"Promise?"
Battlefield Atmosphere Group nodded, his gaze falling into memories from a long time ago.
"When leaving the shelter, we all swore under the flag of United Human, we swore to rebuild our homes... and that's what we've been doing. When we go somewhere, it's not to destroy the local order, but to work together to find possibilities for the future."
"Haha!"
Raze burst into hearty laughter, gently patting the armrest of the chair he had broken earlier and said in a teasing tone.
"That sounds like a relief agency."
Battlefield Atmosphere Group smiled faintly, humbly replied.
"We are precisely a relief agency, isn't that the work of Blue Ground Squirrel?"
"Hahaha!"
The old man laughed even more heartily, his brows filled with gratification.
He truly felt gratified, as he had finally awaited this day.
Battlefield Atmosphere Group couldn't discern his feelings, yet unexpectedly could empathize with him.
If there comes a day when he lives in a new era, looking back at the hardships faced along the way, he thought he would too laugh heartily like this old man.
Commander Raze cast a appreciative glance at the young Leader, expressing sincere admiration.
"No matter what, you regard Weilante people as compatriots, and not as mere tools for completing missions..."
"I am relieved."