The Laine Kingdom was already rife with undercurrents from the upcoming election. If the Crystal Disease were to break out now, it would be a devastating blow to the entire nation.

"I understand. I’ll remind my father. You have to be careful..." Erin urged, her voice laced with worry.

"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. You be careful, too. It’s best not to go out for a while. Just stay home, play some games, and watch some movies. You can use the time to check out those classic films and anime I recommended... As long as you’re a good homebody, you won’t get infected."

"But I still want to go out with you..." Erin said, sounding dejected.

"We’ll have plenty of chances in the future, I promise... Anyway, I have to go. Someone’s calling for me."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

Hanging up the phone, Zhou Chen hurried to the source of the voice: Room 415.

Another person infected with the Crystal Disease had appeared here, most likely having caught it from the residents of rooms 404 and 405. Fortunately, this individual only had mild symptoms, and their condition stabilized after an injection of an Alchemy Potion.

"Zhou Chen, this is the crystal the biolab just sawed off. They want you to hit it with your flames and see what happens." The Special Operations Team captain handed him a sealed glass container. Inside was a piece of Crystal Stone that had been mechanically severed.

’This thing contains spiritual corruption and has the Spirit Attribute, so I should be able to burn it.’ Zhou Chen took the glass container and, with a mere thought, infused Cyan Flame into it.

The flame roared to life, and the Crystal Stone immediately began to melt. It happened as quickly as if an ice cube were held over a fire.

In just a few seconds, the Crystal Stone had melted into a pool of viscous, pitch-black liquid.

"Hm?"

Zhou Chen let out a soft sound of surprise. Through his connection to the Cyan Flame, he sensed a power from within the Crystal Stone—a power that belonged to the Soul Realm, albeit a very faint one.

It seemed to be a new ability the Crystal Disease had developed through mutation. In addition to infecting and converting a human body into crystal, it could now also infect and convert the soul.

He also discovered that the Crystal Disease’s incubation period had shortened.

The news had reported that the Crystal Disease outbreak in North Carolina had an incubation period of a full month. Yet, this mildly infected person had never been in contact with the other four before today. This was their first time meeting, and he was infected and showing symptoms on the same day. This was clear proof that the Crystal Disease was rapidly mutating and evolving—a terrible sign.

"Your fire can burn away the Crystal Stone, so maybe it can burn out the root of the virus, too?" The Special Operations Team captain mused, then looked at the mildly infected patient on the bed. "Want to give it a shot?"

’Try it and he might just die? Man, if something goes wrong, who’s going to take the fall for this?’ Despite his internal apprehension, Zhou Chen was already itching to try. He looked toward the infected man on the bed.

"Go ahead and try, Zhou Chen," the young infected man said weakly. "I watched the livestream of the Sword Forging Competition. I know your flames are special... Maybe you can cure me.

"I don’t want to become a severe case, to turn into a man of crystal. Besides, once the painkillers wear off, the pain will be unbearable, a living hell. I want to be healthy again... So please, try. I trust you."

’Of course... anyone suffering from an illness would yearn for health, to escape the torment of their affliction.’ Zhou Chen himself was willing, but he still needed to ask his superior. "Jiang Che, what are your orders...?"

After a long moment of silence, Jiang Che’s voice came through: "Give it a try."

With his superior’s approval, Zhou Chen had no more reservations. He flicked out a ball of Cyan Flame that sank into the young man’s body. The Crystal Stone on his arm immediately began to melt, turning into a viscous black liquid that dripped away. A few seconds later, the crystal was completely gone, leaving an open wound where flesh and blood had returned, though some muscle tissue was missing.

A Special Operations Team member brought over a Blood Bottle and poured its contents onto the young man’s arm. The flesh regenerated, the wound healed rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, his arm was restored to normal.

"COUGH COUGH COUGH... COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH..."

Without warning, the young man began to cough violently, spitting up a glob of black slime. The slime was burning with a pale cyan flame, its volume rapidly evaporating. It squirmed and writhed as if it were sentient, seemingly in agony from the fire.

’What the hell is this thing?’ Zhou Chen quickly retracted his Cyan Flame. A nearby Special Operations Team member retrieved a glass jar and trapped the black slime underneath.

"Don’t tell me that’s the root of the Crystal Disease," someone said, stunned.

"It’s actually moving. A sentient virus?"

"Looks more like a parasite to me..."

The Special Operations Team quickly reported the discovery. Before long, the Any Door opened again, and the same doctor from before stepped out of the lab. He crouched down, carefully examining the black slime trapped under the glass jar.

"Interesting... A brand-new virus created by combining twenty-three types of Abyssal Venom. It possesses basic instincts, along with extremely high adaptability and evolutionary potential. It has already evolved soul-based properties, enabling it to infect the soul and even spread via the soul, making it all the more difficult to guard against..."

In an instant, the doctor had analyzed the fundamental nature of the contagion. He rose to his feet and looked at Zhou Chen, his gaze as sharp as a scalpel, as if he intended to dissect him on the spot. "Quite an impressive Extraordinary Ability. Thank you for the experiment. You’ve cut our research time by thirty-nine minutes.

"Could I have a sample of your flame? Based on its properties, I can develop a targeted antidote for the Crystal Disease."

"And you are?"

"Bai Yushan, a disciple of the Physician."

’The Physician...’ Hearing that name, Zhou Chen’s heart skipped a beat.

—The Tier Five Crowned King, the Physician. He was the High Priest of the Life Church and a healer known throughout the world. More than thirty years ago, a ritual performed by the Abyss Church caused the Tier Five Abyss Monarch, the Pus Flower, to bloom in Australia. What followed was an Abyssal Plague on an unprecedented global scale. In a single month, the death toll approached ten million. The Star Association paid an immense price to barely contain the plague’s spread, but they could never find a way to cure the infected.

It was at this moment that the Physician, who was only at Tier Three at the time, finally discovered a cure for the Abyssal Plague after seven days and nights of relentless research. The effort took a tremendous toll on him; his hair turned white overnight, and he aged from looking like a man in his thirties to one in his seventies. During this ordeal, however, he successfully advanced to Tier Four.

Following a month-long global purification effort, the Star Association finally succeeded in eradicating the Abyssal Plague. Over a decade later, the Physician, who had since ascended to become a Crowned King, slew the Pus Flower, avenging all who had died years before.

To this day, thirty percent of the world’s charitable hospitals were built and funded by the Physician, having saved countless patients. Even Zhou Chen had been treated for a fever at one of his hospitals as a child.

’The doctor before me is a disciple of the Physician?’

"No problem," Zhou Chen agreed readily.

Bai Yushan nodded, returned to the lab, and brought back a special metal container, asking Zhou Chen to infuse it with his Cyan Flame for preservation.

"I’ll be taking this as well. It looks like the handiwork of an old acquaintance," Bai Yushan said, his gaze falling on the black slime that was continuously ramming the glass, trying to escape.

"An old acquaintance’s handiwork?"

"That’s right. The Crystal Disease isn’t a natural disaster; it’s man-made."

Bai Yushan stated with absolute certainty, "A unique Essence Virus like this, fused from twenty-three different Abyssal Venoms, could never form naturally. It must be the result of someone’s deliberate actions. And a method like this... I can only think of one person who would use it."

"Who?" Zhou Chen pressed.

Bai Yushan simply shook his head without explaining. He took the items and stepped through the Any Door. The portal then closed, and the space returned to normal.

’You’ll have to write a report sooner or later anyway,’ Zhou Chen muttered to himself.

* * *

「Half an hour later.」

After undergoing several rounds of decontamination, Zhou Chen arrived at Jiang Che’s office.

"This is the report Bai Yushan just submitted." Jiang Che handed over a file.

The file was thin, its contents sparse, but every word was concise and crucial.

Zhou Chen scanned the pages and quickly found what he was looking for.

[*Based on the analysis of the Crystal Disease’s viral source, it is confirmed that the virus is a product of artificial fusion and catalysis. The methods used are distinctive, pointing with 98.9% certainty to the work of the Poison Master of Fallen Paradise.*]

Fallen Paradise!