Chapter 175: Critical Situation, Everyone in Action

Chapter 175: Chapter 175: Critical Situation, Everyone in Action

Both Xu Yi and Lan Zhuo were veterinarians. If the Iron-eating Beast and the other animals needed medical attention, having both of them present would save time from traveling back and forth.

"Lan Zhuo! Hurry! Grab the medical kit, we’re going to find Liang He!"

The moment he received the notice, Xu Yi dragged Lan Zhuo out of the medical room where he had been immersed in research. Seeing Xu Yi’s grim expression, Silver Feather wanted to ask what was going on, but she was afraid of delaying them.

"Doctor Xu, is Liang He in danger?" While Lan Zhuo went to grab the medical kit, Silver Feather quickly pulled Xu Yi aside to figure out exactly what had happened.

"No, Liang He found a large number of unconscious animals by the river. Lan Zhuo and I need to go support her." After dropping those words, Xu Yi led the hurrying Lan Zhuo onto the aircraft.

"It’s a good thing Liang He had the foresight to apply for a dedicated medical aircraft from the reserve. Otherwise, just a medical kit wouldn’t be nearly enough."

Liang He was used to planning ahead. Plus, out of all the service areas, the Seventh Service Area she managed was basically the only one with permanent, fully-staffed personnel. Therefore, it was perfectly normal for the reserve to give them preferential treatment. The medical aircraft was fully equipped with almost everything they could need. This saved Xu Yi and Lan Zhuo from wasting time or worrying about forgetting essential supplies, which could have delayed the rescue efforts.

"Senior, what exactly happened on Liang He’s end?" Lan Zhuo asked. He was still dizzy and disoriented, completely clueless about the situation. He had only refrained from asking questions earlier because of Xu Yi’s anxious expression, opting to just grab the medical kit and board the aircraft.

"I forgot to tell you." When Xu Yi was explaining things to Silver Feather just now, Lan Zhuo had been fetching the medical kit and missed their conversation. "Liang He found a large number of unconscious animals at the river confluence in the central area of the forest. Xuan Jiao also fell victim to it."

As an Evolutionary Beastman, the Iron-eating Beast Xuan Jiao should have possessed a standard level of vigilance. However, he had an easygoing and non-competitive personality. He only needed to eat the fresh bamboo shoots delivered to him every day, so there was absolutely no need for him to go hunting with Lanton and the others. Yet, driven by the desire to feed Liang He, he would still venture out two or three times a week. Despite his soft and adorable appearance, his attack power was quite formidable. No one expected him to get into an accident today.

"According to the latest news, Xuan Jiao likely fell unconscious after drinking water from the river," Xu Yi continued.

As an Iron-eating Beast—a panda—he actually loved playing in the water and would often wade across rivers. Even though the river water was freezing in winter, it didn’t affect the animals’ need to drink.

"Huo An has already contacted water quality experts. Once they arrive at the reserve, they will test the water source immediately."

The reserve occupied half of the Sky Shining Star, while humans maintained their normal lives on the other half. Because water quality experts didn’t need to be brought in from another planet, the reserve never had a need to hire them full-time.

"If there’s a problem with the water source, could someone have intentionally drugged or even poisoned it?" Lan Zhuo furrowed his brows tightly. He engaged in animal research and medical work with the hope of saving more animals. The current situation was obviously not something he wanted to see.

"We can’t rule out that possibility, but the worst-case scenario would be failing to identify the cause," Xu Yi said.

No one wanted to see the water source drugged or poisoned. However, if the water wasn’t the issue and the animals were falling unconscious for no reason, that would be even more terrifying. If this turned out to be version 2.0 of the Fierce Beast virus developed by the Rebel Army, it would be catastrophic.

Harboring doubts and anxiety, Xu Yi and Lan Zhuo successfully arrived at Liang He’s location under the escort of the Guard Team.

"Liang He!"

The moment Xu Yi stepped off the aircraft, he immediately ran towards Liang He. Seeing the Iron-eating Beast lying beside her, he frowned and bent down to check on his condition.

"When I found Xuan Jiao, he was half-lying by the river. If Kuang Ye and Cyril hadn’t held him up, he probably would have been washed away by the river or drowned right there," Liang He said. Her voice was somewhat cold, or rather, it exuded a bone-piercing chill. Her gaze was deep and unreadable.

"Based on preliminary observation, Xuan Jiao’s life is not in danger for now, but I need to draw blood for testing," Xu Yi said. Perhaps because Xuan Jiao was an SSS-level Beastman, his body’s resistance far exceeded that of ordinary animals. The specific details still required further examination.

"Alright," Liang He replied. She helped Xu Yi draw blood from the Iron-eating Beast. Since the test results would take some time, Xu Yi immediately went over to Lan Zhuo to check on the other animals.

The Guard Team had gathered all the unconscious animals in one place as soon as they arrived. This would make it much easier to treat them and eventually transport them back to the service area.

"Lan Zhuo, how is the situation?" Xu Yi asked.

"Not good," Lan Zhuo replied. "Most of them are in a moderate coma, but some are in a deep coma. If we can’t prescribe the right medicine in time, their lives will be in danger."

One or two animals would be manageable, but right now, there were dozens just within their line of sight. It was unknown how many more were out there. Especially if their previous suspicion was confirmed and the water source was compromised, they had to find the root of the problem and cut off the flow immediately. Otherwise, every animal in the entire reserve would be affected.

"Fortunately, the reserve’s water source is independent and not connected to the living areas outside," Xu Yi said. "Otherwise, the entire Sky Shining Star would probably be implicated."

"The Guard Team has already sent people upstream to collect samples," Lan Zhuo added. "The moment the water quality experts arrive, they will start testing."

With such a major incident unfolding, Huo An and the others were also rushing over.

"Xuan Jiao’s blood test results are out!" Xu Yi quickly pulled up the Iron-eating Beast’s blood test report. The more he read, the worse his expression became. The situation was clearly not optimistic.

"How is it?" Hearing his voice, Liang He temporarily handed the Iron-eating Beast over to the care of her furry companions. She walked up to Xu Yi, eager to know the results.

"The coma was caused by poisoning. Judging from the report, we can’t analyze what kind of poison it is yet. We need further testing." Now, they could only count on the water quality experts to see if they could find the answer from the water source.

"I’ll inject an ordinary animal with a shot of antidote first and see what happens," Xu Yi said.

Out of caution, he couldn’t rashly treat the Iron-eating Beast. If something went wrong, he wouldn’t be able to bear the consequences. Therefore, he could only try the antidote on an ordinary animal first. Perhaps from the perspective of the sanctity of life, this was very unfair to them, but it was the best solution at present.

"Liang He!" Having set up an emergency plan, Huo An and Hoder, who had arrived a step later, walked towards them.

"Governor Huo, you’re all here. Then what about Silver Feather...?" Whenever it came to official business, Liang He would always address him properly as Governor. Even in this situation, though her heart was tied to the safety of Xuan Jiao and the animals, she still hadn’t forgotten about Silver Feather.

"I asked Silver Shuttle to go back and keep her company, don’t worry," Huo An said. As the Governor, he naturally considered everything thoroughly. "The water quality experts have also arrived. I’ve already had someone send the water samples directly to them for testing."

As soon as Huo An arrived, everyone seemed to find their pillar of strength, and their actions became swifter. Furthermore, knowing that no one had eaten, he had specifically asked the cafeteria to pack a large amount of food so everyone could eat on the spot.

"I’ve also brought food for Lanton and the others. Liang He, why don’t you go distribute it to them?" Huo An suggested.