Jiang Che’s office. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Zhou Chen focused on the report Bai Yushan had just uploaded, his brow furrowed.

[Based on the analysis of the Crystal Disease virus’s source, it can be confirmed that the virus is a product of artificial fusion and catalysis. The handiwork is clear, with a 98.9% probability that it was the work of Fallen Paradise’s Poison Master.

Poison Master: Real name Ji Xing, age 45, a Tier Three Ascender with a master’s degree in Virology and Essence Study. Formerly a disciple of the Crowned King·Physician, he defected during the ▇▇ Incident in N.E. 221. His actions directly led to the deaths of three high-ranking Star Association officials and sixteen core members in the ▇▇ region, and the B-Level Forbidden Object, ▇▇▇▇, was stolen by Fallen Paradise. Four minutes and fifty-eight seconds after his betrayal, the ▇▇▇ virus he developed was released into the city, triggering a massive plague that ultimately resulted in 13,524 deaths.

After the ▇▇ Incident, Ji Xing vanished. He resurfaced in America in June of N.E. 222, by then a member of Fallen Paradise under the codename "Poison Master." He attempted to unleash an Abyssal poison tide but was discovered in time by the Star Association, who successfully thwarted his plan.

During the subsequent raid, Ji Xing opened the Gate of Heaven to escape. The Star Association seized a large volume of research documents and Abyssal virus specimens. Seventy percent of the recovered Abyssal viruses were fusion products, confirming that Ji Xing was researching the forbidden topic of Abyssal virus fusion.

In N.E. 232, during an exploratory mission into the Abyss, Fallen Paradise killed the Tier Four Abyssal Demon: Mother of Poison and recovered its body.

Research on the Crystal Disease virus has confirmed that Ji Xing used unknown methods to fuse eleven potent toxins, originally from the Mother of Poison, with twelve other hyper-virulent Abyssal viruses to create a completely new strain. As a result, previously developed antidotes are ineffective.

Fortunately, by incorporating the unique properties of Operator ▇▇’s Extraordinary Abilities, the lab has developed a preliminary antidote for Crystal Disease. Clinical trials will begin in ten minutes.]

After finishing the report, Zhou Chen fell silent, his brow furrowed.

’Fallen Paradise is at it again...’

What surprised him even more was that the Poison Master, Ji Xing, had once been a disciple of the Crowned King·Physician, making him and Bai Yushan fellow disciples.

’To have a Crowned King as his master and still choose to defect to Fallen Paradise... Ji Xing really didn’t know what was good for him.’

’Considering the time, the lab should have finished the clinical trials by now. I wonder how it went...’ Just as Zhou Chen was thinking about this, Jiang Che received a call.

Due to a special encryption Matrix, Zhou Chen couldn’t hear the voice on the other end of the line, even though they were close by in the same room.

"...Mhm, I see. Alright."

After a brief exchange, Jiang Che hung up, looked at Zhou Chen, and said, "The clinical trials were a success. All the infected have fully recovered. The first wave of the Rain of Life will arrive in twenty minutes and is expected to cover the entire globe in an hour and thirty-six minutes."

——The Rain of Life.

It was a healing protocol established by the Star Association to combat widespread Abyssal plagues. By harnessing the divine authority of the "Goddess of Life" and the "Master of Ocean and Storm," it could disperse a curative antidote to every corner of the globe in what amounted to a massive "sterilization" operation.

"Nice work, Zhou Chen," Jiang Che said. "Thanks to your involvement, the lab cut their research time on the Crystal Disease antidote by at least thirty-nine minutes. That’s almost forty minutes of precious time, enough to save hundreds of thousands of lives... If the data is correct, the speed at which this antidote was developed will be among the top ten fastest in history."

Zhou Chen scratched his head in embarrassment. "I didn’t really do much. It was mostly just good luck. The researchers in the lab did all the heavy lifting."

"Regardless, you’ve definitely earned a bonus and a raise, not to mention another great achievement for your record." Jiang Che took a sip of his coffee. "And I’m riding your coattails, so I’m getting a raise too."

"Er, I think we shouldn’t celebrate too early. What if..."

Zhou Chen was about to ask what would happen if something went wrong, but he saw Jiang Che shoot him a cold glare and forced himself to swallow the rest of the sentence.

’Can’t say that, it’s bad luck. Can’t jinx it...’

"Ahem..." He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Speaking of which, Crystal Disease has been a problem in North Carolina for a while now. If it took the Star Association this long to develop an antidote, how can it still rank among the top ten fastest? What about the others...?"

Jiang Che explained, "First of all, when I said top ten in history, I was referring to ’global pandemics.’ Before the virus spread, Crystal Disease was confined to North Carolina, so it didn’t count as one."

"Second, research on an antidote for Crystal Disease likely only began today. When the disease first broke out, the Star Association sent a research team to North Carolina to investigate, but they were turned away by the North Carolinian leadership. The number of infections was still low back then, and their leaders claimed they could handle it, so the Star Association didn’t press the matter."

"Later, when Crystal Disease became a full-blown epidemic with tens of thousands dying each day, North Carolina suddenly closed its borders, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving. They once again adamantly refused help from the Star Association. That’s why our labs’ research on Crystal Disease has been at a complete standstill."

"Wait a minute," Zhou Chen said, stunned. "Does this mean North Carolina’s leadership never intended to deal with Crystal Disease at all?"

Jiang Che watched him quietly. "North Carolina isn’t a large country, but it has a population of a full 200 million. The birth rate has skyrocketed in recent years. The wealthy districts are fine, but the slums are overflowing. To put it simply, North Carolina can no longer support that many people."

"So..." A horrifying thought occurred to Zhou Chen, making his scalp tingle. "The North Carolinian leadership... they wanted to use Crystal Disease to cull the population?"