Chapter 180: Late-Night Conversation, New Toxin

Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Late-Night Conversation, New Toxin

Liang He’s words made Silver Feather feel quite embarrassed.

"Little He, please don’t be so formal with me, and you don’t need to treat me like a guest. Aren’t we friends?"

She ordered Hoder and the others around with complete ease. Why was it that when it came to her and Silver Shuttle, she suddenly became so polite and distant? Silver Feather was not happy about it.

"Besides, Yin Qi will be arriving in a few days. If you act so politely, how can I comfortably ask for your help?"

Hearing this, Liang He realized she had indeed been a bit tactless, treating Silver Feather and Silver Shuttle like outsiders.

"It’s my fault. Don’t be mad, Ah Ling."

Liang He apologetically placed some food into Silver Feather’s bowl. Because of what happened to Xuan Jiao, she hadn’t even prepared their usual fruit wine, so she could only express her apology this way.

"How could I bear to be mad at you? I just hope you can treat me as one of your own and drop the formalities."

Silver Feather had grown up in the Silver Wing Temple. Because of her extraordinary intelligence and her innate ability to read people, she couldn’t help but see right through others, even if she didn’t want to. Therefore, other than the people from the Silver Wing Temple, she had never had any true friends. Liang He was the first person she genuinely wanted to befriend.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Ah Ling."

After dinner, Liang He returned to Xuan Jiao’s small private room to keep watch over him, while the fluffy beasts kept watch over her. When it was finally time for bed, Liang He couldn’t bear to see them lying on the cold floor any longer. She simply moved the beds from their respective rooms to the hallway right outside Xuan Jiao’s door. This way, the fluffy beasts could see her through the glass door of the room while they slept, allowing them to finally rest peacefully.

"Huo An, how are things on Liang He’s end?"

Liang He only needed to watch over Xuan Jiao, so she was able to rest normally. However, Xu Yi and the others were still hard at work. For dinner, they had just downed some nutrient solution. It was easy to get accustomed to luxury, but hard to return to frugality. After eating so much delicious food on Blue Star, having to suddenly go back to those bizarre-tasting nutrient solutions made him feel like his taste buds were being severely wronged.

"Liang He asked her friends on Blue Star for help, and we’re still waiting for news."

Huo An briefly explained the situation. Lan Zhuo, who was just passing by, instinctively stopped when he heard this.

"Are they friends who develop pills like she does?"

Liang He had previously mentioned that she herself had created the pill that caused the Silver Moon Wolf to mutate. Since she was unwilling to make it again, Lan Zhuo couldn’t force her. However, if there were other people like Liang He on Blue Star, could they possibly recreate that pill? Lan Zhuo was extremely interested in this possibility.

"I’m not sure. It seems to be two people—one analyzing the toxin and the other developing the Antidote."

Both Huo An and Xu Yi knew about the pills, so there was no need to hide anything, and they spoke without hesitation.

"However, according to Liang He, if they can’t do it, nobody else can."

Though hearing this made Xu Yi a bit indignant—as if the Federal Animal Research Institute was being belittled in the process—he knew Liang He well enough. Anyone she praised so highly must truly be extraordinary.

"Everyone has their own area of expertise. Perhaps they are top-tier talents in their respective fields."

Lan Zhuo was a fanatical research expert who cared nothing for empty titles; he only cared about results. If Liang He’s friends could genuinely develop an Antidote, it would be a good thing no matter what.

"Have you guys still not analyzed the poison’s composition?"

Huo An massaged his furrowed brow. He couldn’t pin all his hopes entirely on Liang He. Not only Xu Yi and Lan Zhuo, but the Animal Research Institute was also waiting for samples. The fastest they could arrive was midnight, and all the experts and professors were waiting at the institute.

"From what we can tell so far, it’s highly likely a new type of toxin. We haven’t found a match in the database yet."

Normally, the database stored analysis profiles of all known toxins. The system would detect, analyze, and match them so the corresponding Antidote could be formulated as quickly as possible. However, no matter how many times they tried or how many samples they tested, they couldn’t match it with any existing toxin profile in the database, leading to a complete standstill.

"Given that the Antidote actually exacerbates the toxin, it’s perfectly normal that we can’t find a match."

If they actually found a match, Xu Yi would probably suspect foul play.

"I’m afraid we’ll have to pull an all-nighter. Get some sleep if you can; we still have a tough battle ahead."

Huo An had no way to sleep tonight, nor could he even if he tried. He knew nothing about detoxification, but the water source still required his attention. They had immediately cut off the water flow to prevent it from affecting the downstream areas as much as possible. But there was no way to know how long the poison had been in the water, so they could only investigate it step by step.

"The Guard Team searched along the upstream branches. They found many unconscious animals near one of the upstream rivers, which should be the source."

The spot where Xuan Jiao and the others were found was at the convergence of the rivers, which was covered by surveillance. To remain undetected, the culprit must have gone further upstream to exploit a blind spot in the cameras.

"Is there a mole?"

This was Lan Zhuo’s first time encountering such a situation.

"It’s unclear for now."

Although Huo An had immediately sent people to investigate, the enemy was cunning and left absolutely no clues behind.

"Is there really someone that smart in the Rebel Army?"

It wasn’t Xu Yi’s first time dealing with the Rebel Army either, but this time felt completely different from before.

"Don’t underestimate the Rebel Army. If they were truly stupid, they wouldn’t have become such a major threat to the Federation."

Just the fact that they were capable of developing the Fierce Beast virus was enough to warrant the Federation’s utmost attention.

"I’ve heard there’s a man in the Rebel Army known as the Black Wizard. Is he the one who developed the Fierce Beast virus?"

Lan Zhuo had previously lived like a recluse who paid no attention to the outside world, so he knew very little about the Rebel Army. The only reason he remembered the Black Wizard was because the man was related to the medical field.

"Yes. The Black Wizard’s origins are a complete mystery, but the moment he appeared, the Fierce Beast Army was unleashed upon the world."

No one knew which planet the Black Wizard came from; he could have been a drifter or a defector. In short, his emergence had massively boosted the Rebel Army’s strength. He had harmed countless people and even caused the destruction of an entire planet, cementing his status as the Federation’s greatest threat.

"This Black Wizard really deserves to die!"

Growing angrier by the second, Xu Yi slammed his fist onto the table. He just didn’t understand. Since the man was so capable, why couldn’t he walk a righteous path? Why did he have to help the Rebel Army commit such atrocities?

"Alright, now isn’t the time to discuss this."

Huo An still had to manage the overall situation. The Federation needed a follow-up report and would likely hold meetings to discuss the matter. Discovering someone poisoning the water source inside the reserve didn’t mean they were only targeting the reserve. Therefore, the Federation had to send personnel to conduct a thorough investigation to prevent other regions or planets from suffering the same fate.

"Right now, we aren’t even sure if this poison affects humans. We definitely need to conduct a careful and thorough search."

"Alright, you get back to work. We’ll go wait for the results as well."

The three of them went about their respective tasks, staying busy until the crack of dawn.

The Animal Research Institute received the samples in the middle of the night. Splitting into teams, they immediately began their research, but unfortunately, they found absolutely nothing. The only thing they could confirm was that this was a new type of toxin; its specific toxicity was still completely unknown.

"Since they poisoned the water and successfully pulled it off, why did this toxin only cause the animals to fall unconscious? That’s just too strange."