"I-it's working! IT'S WORKING!"
"Oh my God!"
"Please give them to me too!"
"My son, please! My son needs it!"
At the camps set up to treat the people, the dose worked wonders as the poison that had infected them began disappearing at an astonishing speed. The medicine worked perfectly on those who were administered it, and the results were recorded.
"It worked! Sis, the medicine worked as intended! The plague can be cured!" Lingling told Leng Qing over the phone. Leng Qing wrapped up all the reports and was ready to disclose the matter along with the elders of the tribe.
"Damon, SilverSky Ruler is overpowering us! We can't defend for too long!"
"What should we do?! The super-tier lightning spell isn't working against that spawn of hell!"
"At this rate, Hangzhou will..."
The mood in the conference hall was grave. Zhu Meng had just returned from the frontlines, drained of magic and mentally exhausted, as a meeting was called by Tang Zhong and the others.
"What is this meeting about?!" Luo Mian said angrily. The situation was tense—the city had turned into a battlefield against magical beasts.
"Ahem..." Tang Zhong cleared his throat as Leng Qing and others handed out copies of the reports.
"The reason for the SilverSky Ruler's attack has been discovered!" Tang Zhong announced. "The plague—it's the cause of this. And the reason for the plague has also been uncovered."
"WHAT?!" Luo Mian screamed, shocked by Tang Zhong's words, before quickly regaining his composure. "Ahem, I apologize. Anyway, we already know the reason for the plague—it's the Black Snake!"
Tang Zhong and the others who knew the truth glared at Luo Mian with hostility, their eyes filled with murderous intent as Tang Zhong coldly stared him down.
The atmosphere grew tense and alert.
"First of all, the Black Totem Snake is not the reason for the plague. The documents in front of you provide all the details," said the elder of the Magic Court.
Councilman Zhu Meng glanced at Li Tian and asked seriously, "Elder Li Tian, you sound like you know something?"
"We have learned the truth of the plague from several young and brave magicians. It wasn't a natural disaster—it was man-made!" said Elder Li Tian in a heavy tone.
"Elder Li Tian, what do you possibly mean by that?" asked Army Advisor Yun Feng curiously.
"Surely everyone knows that the source of the outbreak at West Fortress was the blood serums that were transported here from White Town. The blood serums contained a kind of diseased blood retrieved from the Malicious Epidemic Rats. As the virus broke out in the patients' bodies, it eventually turned into an epidemic disease..." said Li Tian.
The goateed Councilman Luo Mian interrupted before Li Tian could finish. "Our first priority now is to deal with the White Magic Falcons. We should worry about the plague later."
His goal was to divert attention to the falcons for now—he couldn't let the truth about the plague be revealed, knowing he was the one behind it.
"Everyone might not know this, but the White Magic Falcons are only invading us because of the plague!
"The Malicious Epidemic Rats are the White Magic Falcons' favorite food. They can also utilize the diseased blood of the Malicious Epidemic Rats to improve their bloodline!
"Therefore, when the White Magic Falcons smell the Malicious Epidemic Rats, they hunt them down at all costs. Many people in the city are infected, thus the blood in their bodies has become the diseased blood of the Malicious Epidemic Rats!"
Li Tian paused briefly, his gaze never leaving Councilman Luo Mian. Everything was happening because of his greed, yet he was still sitting in the meeting room while Vice Elder Wang Yi had become his scapegoat.
The words hung heavy as the entire room fell into shock.
"So this is why they aren't destroying the fortress..." one of the commanders muttered.
Tang Zhong now took the lead and continued, "We have evacuated the city, but this won't do anything.
"The magical beasts are after the people, not the city. As long as the plague continues, the beasts won't stop attacking."
His words made everyone in the council subconsciously frown. This was a serious matter now.
"So what should we do now?" Zhu Meng asked sincerely, his tone heavy as he looked at Tang Zhong.
"Should we just abandon the infected?" one of the men said, causing everyone to frown and look at him. His suggestion was dangerous and unethical—but since it could help the city survive, some began to take it seriously.
"No, there is no need for that!" Li Tian said firmly. "The cure for the plague has already been discovered. The trial was privately carried out and succeeded—it's now being distributed to others!"
The news made everyone breathe a sigh of relief, but Luo Mian's face turned ugly as he realized what was happening. The hostile gazes around him confirmed it.
But he remained calm. He had done many terrible things before and knew how to handle situations like this.
'Fuck... this is bad. These bastards have surely linked the plague to me.' His intuition was right. 'Sigh... anyway, even if they discovered it, what can they do? Wang Yi is dead, and all the evidence points to him.'
'Even if they know I'm involved, they have no evidence against me.' Luo Mian smirked, giving a faintly evil grin. His connections and political position gave him immunity and power that stood above the law. Not to mention his popularity among the public—there was no way anyone could harm him.
Even without his influence, his super-level strength alone made him untouchable.
"Okay then, use all the resources you need! Mass-produce this cure!" Zhu Meng said. "We will hold the line till then!
"Even if we lose our lives today, we won't let the beasts harm our people!" Zhu Meng declared. Everyone cheered in support—but a few remained unmoving. They were Tang Zhong and the members of the Enforcement Union, who worshipped the Totem Snake.
"Before that... I think we have something more to discuss," Tang Zhong said.
"What is it?" Zhu Meng frowned, not liking Tang Zhong's tone.
"Announcing the Skyscraping Snake as innocent," Tang Zhong demanded.
"These are things we can discuss later! The city is in danger now, Enforcement Union Head!"
"No, this has to be discussed now!"
"He is our god who has protected the city and our village for centuries! To defame him—to force him to leave the city—do you think I'll just let that go?!" Tang Zhong's aura, rivaling Zhu Meng's, pressed down on the room.
"Announce it now! And remove his name from that nonsense list forever!"
Tang Zhong's demands were just, and with the city in peril and his tribe's strength needed to defend it, this was the best time to push forward.
"Sigh... okay, I promise you that I will leave the Black Snake alone and never target it again. Are you happy now?" Zhu Meng grumbled. With so many lives at stake, he was willing to lower his posture.
"Verbal promises aren't enough. Our experience has made us unable to believe in words anymore," Tang Zhong said coldly, glancing at Luo Mian. Zhu Meng sighed and signed the prepared papers, taking the oath.
With this, the Black Totem's innocence was proven—but the danger still hung over the city!