Douluo Dragon King: I'm creating a golden age behind the scenes!

"Man-made modification?!" Major General Le Jun's expression changed instantly, and a sharp killing intent flashed in his eyes.

A collective gasp filled the air, and the experts' expressions shifted from surprise to horror.

If this is not a natural disaster, but a man-made one... then the meaning and threat behind it will be more terrifying than the plague itself!

The tent erupted in a cacophony of voices as the experts whispered amongst themselves, breaking the previously quiet and oppressive atmosphere.

Some experts frowned, their faces full of doubt, seemingly pondering the rationality of Xie Jiayun's assertion; others gestured excitedly, arguing fiercely with those around them, trying to analyze this astonishing viewpoint from different angles.

Just then, a middle-aged man stepped forward from the crowd. He was dressed in a crisp lab coat, and the badge on his chest indicated that he was an expert with significant achievements in the field of toxin research.

He pushed up his glasses, his eyes gleaming with a serious light, and asked loudly, "But, Colonel Xie, if, as you say, this is an artificial toxin, then how do you explain its terrifying transmissibility?"

His voice stood out clearly amidst the clamor of conversation, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"Rather than an infection, it's more accurate to say that those patients developed a disease," Xie Jiayun replied calmly and firmly, his voice steady and resolute, as if he had already given this question considerable thought.

"A triggered disease?" someone in the crowd repeated softly, their face full of doubt.

"That's right." He paused, then continued, "These patients who spread were never 'infected,' but rather they already had toxins in their bodies, which were previously in a dormant phase."

These toxins may enter the human body unknowingly through air, water, or other mediums.

Like a time bomb hidden in the shadows, it usually shows no signs of life, but when stimulated by external factors, such as specific sounds, light, temperature changes, emotional shifts, or fluctuations in spiritual energy, the toxins begin to take effect, and the patient suddenly falls ill.

"Emotions, it's emotions!" Zhou Mingyu, who had been standing silently in the corner, said at this moment, "After the first patient appeared in Qingquan Town, Qingling City implemented martial law. The patients who fell ill later did not participate in any group activities at the same time. The only possibility is that their illness was triggered by panic."

"Everyone should think about it carefully. After martial law was declared, the entire Qingling City was shrouded in an invisible net of fear."

People were trapped in their homes, constantly hearing news of illness and death among those around them. Panic spread like a virus through every corner of the city. Zhou Mingyu's voice was heavy, as if one could feel the fear in the hearts of those trapped residents.

One scholar said, "This may be a reasonable inference. We have been ignoring an important factor, namely the influence of emotions on the human body. In our world of Soul Masters, emotions are not just a psychological state, but are also closely related to our soul power and physical functions."

Strong emotional fluctuations, especially negative emotions, can greatly affect our physical body and the functioning of our soul power.

"I boldly speculate that the reason why this artificial toxin can break out on a large scale among seemingly unrelated groups of people is likely because it uses people's panic as an activation signal."

When a person experiences extreme panic and anxiety, their body undergoes a series of physiological and psychological changes. These changes may trigger toxins lurking in the body, causing them to begin to exert their effects.

As everyone listened to his analysis, their expressions gradually shifted from initial surprise to deep thought. Major General Le Jun frowned slightly, stroking his chin, seemingly considering the feasibility of his idea.

"If that's the case, it's terrifying," an expert muttered. "The enemy is using people's fear to trigger an outbreak; it's practically psychological warfare."

Moreover, once panic spreads, it is difficult to control and will continuously trigger more toxins in the body.

Le Jun's subordinates had also obtained the patient statistics by this time, and said:

"Based on the geographical distribution of patients, after the first case appeared in Qingquan Town, panic spread rapidly among residents in the surrounding areas, and the number of cases also increased dramatically."

In regions with relatively limited access to information and less panic, the incidence rate was significantly lower. This at least suggests a correlation between emotions and the onset of illness.

Upon hearing this, Le Jun immediately turned to his subordinates and said:

"Immediately notify the healing spirit masters and troops that during martial law, the priority should be to appease the public, and it is strictly forbidden to create an atmosphere of panic."

"Furthermore, immediately investigate these patients' itineraries, diets, and daily routines over the past month to see if there are any similarities, especially focusing on what they did within the first three days of illness!"

"Yes, sir." The adjutant accepted the order and quickly went to make the arrangements.

Xie Jiayun then spoke up, saying, "This can only delay the spread of the epidemic. If we want to save lives, we still need to get the antidote. There is too little time. It is difficult for us to complete the research on the antidote in a short period of time. We still need to find the poisoner as soon as possible."

The most likely location for the poisoning is Qingquan Town, where the first patient was discovered. I suggest sending someone to investigate thoroughly.

"Yes, we still need to go to Qingquan Town to check it out," Le Jun said.

. . . . . .

夜晚

As the first rays of moonlight pierced through the thick clouds, their soft light fell upon the epidemic command tent, where a scene of bustling activity still unfolded.

Le Jun, dressed in a crisp military uniform, sat solemnly in the main seat, the table in front of him piled high with documents and reports. His gaze was fixed on the investigation report in his hands, his brow furrowed.

The soft moonlight shone on him, but at that moment he only felt a chill.

Le Jun cleared his throat, slowly stood up, and looked at everyone present. He said calmly, "Everyone, I have some good news and some bad news to tell you."

The good news is that, thanks to the tireless efforts of our investigation team, we have indeed found traces of the toxin in the underground river of Qingquan Town.

Upon hearing this, a soft murmur arose within the tent, and some people showed a hint of relief on their faces.

However, he changed the subject, his expression becoming more serious: "But the bad news is that the underground rivers of Qingquan Town flow through a wide area, like a huge net connecting many surrounding regions."

He walked to the map inside the tent and traced the course of the underground river on it with his finger. "If all the people downstream are poisoned and an epidemic breaks out, it will be an unprecedented disaster in the history of the Federation."

These words caused an uproar in the tent. People whispered among themselves, their faces filled with fear and worry. Some officers clenched their fists, while some soldiers turned pale and were at a loss.

Le Jun raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. After the tent quieted down a bit, he continued, "The severity of this incident is beyond my ability to handle. Faced with such a complex and dire situation, I have reported it to the Legion Commander, and he will come to deal with it personally."

Seeing the unease and oppressive atmosphere within the tent, the officers were either furrowed brows, their faces filled with anxiety; or whispering amongst themselves, their words brimming with worry and fear about the unknown disaster. Standing to the side, his eyes revealed deep concern; he knew all too well the dire consequences of such instability within the ranks.

Xie Jiayun keenly sensed the tense and depressed atmosphere. He knew that if this situation continued, the entire anti-epidemic operation would collapse from within before it even officially began.

We must give everyone a shot in the arm and ignite the spark of hope.

So he took a deep breath and stepped out from the crowd with firm steps.

He stood tall and straight, his eyes radiating confidence and composure. His voice was clear and resonant, echoing in the silent tent: "Please be quiet for a moment, everyone. I also have some news to share with you." All eyes turned to him, their gazes filled with a mixture of doubt and anticipation.

"This afternoon, after countless attempts and failures, my team and I finally succeeded in developing a drug."

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. The air in the tent seemed to freeze, and everyone held their breath, waiting for him to continue.

"This medicine can effectively delay the onset of the toxin!" he emphasized, his eyes gleaming. "If these medicines are distributed to patients in a timely manner, their survival time can be extended to a week."

These words immediately caused an uproar in the camp.

The officers were initially stunned, but then their faces gradually lit up with surprise and hope. Some couldn't help but cheer softly, while others clenched their fists excitedly.

A young officer exclaimed excitedly, "A week is enough time for the patients to hold on until those experienced healers arrive. They'll definitely find a way to completely cure them!"

A long-lost smile appeared on Le Jun's face. He patted Xie Jiayun on the shoulder and said approvingly, "Brother Xie, this is truly a timely help! With this medicine, we will have more time and energy to deal with this crisis."

Xie Jiayun smiled modestly and continued, "However, the current production of the medicine is limited, and we need to allocate it rationally. I suggest that we prioritize distributing the medicine to patients with more severe conditions and those at critical stages of toxin transmission. This will maximize the medicine's effectiveness and slow down the spread of the toxin. Moreover, I am currently lacking raw materials."

"The Spirit Pagoda is willing to provide it," Zhou Mingyu said at this moment. "I can directly transfer the necessary materials from other regions."

"The Southern Legion will provide full support!" Yue Jun said at this moment.

Everyone nodded in agreement, and the gloom that had hung over the camp dissipated considerably. Their fighting spirit was rekindled, their eyes filled with determination and resolve, as they began actively discussing the distribution plan for the medicine and the subsequent anti-epidemic strategy.

At this challenging and crisis-ridden time, Xie Jiayun's news was like a ray of dawn breaking through the darkness, bringing hope to everyone and injecting new strength into the fight against the epidemic.

Of course, this is all thanks to the Sea of ​​Consciousness space. Thanks to it, the composition of the toxin was analyzed, allowing Xie Jiayun to directly create inhibitors.

Even though we know the ingredients, creating an inhibitor and creating an antidote are two completely different concepts. The fastest solution is still to obtain the antidote directly from the poisoner.