Star Hunter.

Chapter 301 Zebra Summit

"Finally got in touch with you! What happened to you...?"

"How did you get into this state?"

Peter had large dark circles under his eyes, looked listless, and seemed to have been crying; his eyes looked swollen, and his unkempt beard gave him a颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being listless, dispirited, or颓废) appearance. However, upon seeing the stripes on Xilin's face, Peter fell silent before he could finish his sentence.

"It's alright, don't worry about me. Just tell me what's wrong," Xilin said. Although Prince Biller of the Firehawk Royal Family was sometimes unreliable, he had never been this dejected before.

"No...it's nothing, Xilin. How did you get zebra virus too? Where are you now? Are you receiving treatment?"

"I am currently in the eleventh star region."

Pierre: "..." That's a heavily infected star field, and also a star field that might be completely abandoned.

After a moment of silence, Peter asked, "Wasn't what you said at Cousin Gaga's wedding about this zebra virus?"

Xilin frowned, clearly aware that Peller already knew the symptoms of this viral infection, and asked, "Have infected individuals appeared outside the eleventh star region as well?"

"It's here!" Peter raised his finger and rubbed his temples, his dark circles under his eyes appearing particularly thick.

Peter explained the situation: his mother had started feeling unwell on her way back from visiting relatives not long ago, and zebra stripes had appeared on her skin. More than 80% of the people who traveled with her had developed symptoms, and the rest were being tested for incubation period. Some who tested negative were not released but remained in isolation.

Princess Firehawk had only gone out to visit relatives because she was bored; King Firehawk and Peter, among others, did not accompany her. After receiving notification from the accompanying steward, the Firehawk royal family panicked, the Royal Academy of Sciences panicked, and rumors began to circulate within the empire. Everyone began to shun people from the Eleventh Star Region. At the same time, everyone was on edge, disbelieving everything the authorities said, because rumors circulated that the disease was currently incurable, and those unfortunate enough to contract it could only wait to die.

"How is your mother doing now?" Xilin asked.

Butler shook his head. "It's not good. She's in an isolation ward now, and we can't have any contact with her. We can only communicate with her through a communicator and video calls, but she gets very tired after talking for a while."

Sighing, Peller continued, "The medicines from the Royal Academy of Sciences can only provide a buffer. They say that finding the original virus would solve the problem. However, we've almost exhausted the entire Firehawk royal family's resources to search for the original zebra virus, and the Empire's two armies are also searching, but so far there's been no progress. Sirin, you…"

Peter hesitated for a moment. After all, Xilin was also infected, and he couldn't be too negative in front of the patients.

"It's alright, just ask me whatever you have questions," Xilin said.

Seeing that Xilin seemed genuinely unconcerned about the current situation, Peter took a deep breath and asked, "The main reason I contacted you was to ask about the true situation of this virus; you know more about this. I don't believe those empty promises people make. Tell me, is there really no way out right now?"

"It will take time." Xilin did not share his research findings, nor did he have the final results. He could not make any guarantees before he was certain.

"Time..." Butler covered his face, with a bitter smile that looked like he was about to cry, "I know it takes time, but this place is so uncomfortable! So uncomfortable!" Butler pressed hard on his heart.

Peter used to be someone who never stayed indoors, but now he spends almost all his time outside that isolation ward.

"It will get better soon. This period of time should not be long. For now, use any medicine that can have a buffering effect to buy some time and help your mother hold on. Don't give up on yourself. If she gives up on herself, even if the medicine is made, it will probably be very dangerous."

"Really not long? We won't have to wait long?" As if he had grabbed the last lifeline, Bill's eyes were red, and he even felt that Xilin was just comforting himself.

"It's true. Don't tell anyone about me yet, especially not the Yuan family. Just wait for news; a solution should be found soon." He paused, then added, "I promise!"

  

After saying that, Xilin moved the communicator in his hand to a different angle, pointing it at the gray cat that was curled up in a ball, purring and fast asleep. "Look, this cat is sleeping quite peacefully. Does it look worried?"

Not like.

Peter was really envious of Gray Cat being able to sleep so soundly. He didn't dare to close his eyes at all, because if he did, he felt like he would never see those familiar people again. He kept his eyes open and tried to catch a glimpse of them.

"Xilin, does Director Guan know about your situation? If you need shelter, don't hesitate to ask; I can help."

"Thanks, but no need. I just spoke to him, so don't worry that I'm acting on my own."

"Take care of yourself. If, I mean, if things really get bad, please contact us more often."

"Don't worry, everything will be alright. Really!"

After finishing his conversation with Peter, Xilin sat in a chair and closed his eyes in deep thought.

The source of the zebra virus that Princess Firehawk was infected with should be those two escapees. These two people were active virus carriers who spread the virus, and then the infected people continued to spread it, making the spread wider and the number of infected people even greater.

Xilin has already sent the information about the two people to Guan Feng, who will then arrange for people to find and arrest the two escaped "virus carriers" and bring them under control. Of course, this is assuming the two are still alive.

Xilin also provided Guan Feng with some information about the zebra virus pathogen, which Guan Feng was responsible for sharing with the Black Viper team and the Royal Academy of Sciences. It would be beneficial if they could find a better method. However, while Xilin provided a lot of information about the zebra virus pathogen, he didn't mention the unknown substance he had found that had already been absorbed into his body. This, like the chip inside his body, was a secret to be kept.

If it weren't for this discovery, there probably wouldn't be a feasible method in the short term. Even if an effective drug could be made, the cost would be countless lives and the destruction of many planets.

The robot that had traveled to the planet with the drug to find critically ill patients for drug trials finally sent back a message. Looking at the various data detected and the patients' reactions after injection, Xilin modified the original drug to make it more effective on the human body.

More than fifty people were injected with the first-generation drug, all of whom were severely infected and unable to move. Many were on the verge of death. Forty-one showed improvement after the injection. Of the remaining nine, six showed significant resistance to the drug due to their constitution, resulting in limited efficacy, and further observation was needed. The remaining three died shortly after the injection, not because the drug was ineffective, but because they were all very weak individuals, such as the elderly or those who had long been in a state of sub-health. Their bodies were too fragile, and coupled with their critical condition, the drug could not save them in time, and they passed away.

As long as it works.

The modified drug will be administered to a large number of people on the planet. However, this process will take some time. To allow more critically ill individuals to receive treatment, Xilin transmitted the molecular formula and other information of the first-generation drug to Guan Feng to save severely infected individuals outside the Eleventh Starfield. This treatment will only be available to critically ill severely infected individuals, as Xilin still needs to improve the drug. Given time, a better and safer treatment will eventually be available.

After obtaining information about the drug Xilin, Guan Feng recruited a skilled pharmaceutical expert from the Royal Academy of Sciences to oversee its synthesis. Although this person wasn't a high-ranking manager, their academic achievements were no less than those of the higher-ups. They were qualified to compete for management positions, but they preferred to dedicate more time to their research. This is the difference between them and those still sitting in conference rooms.

Information about the potion's synthesis quickly reached the hands of various leaders. Now, protests and distrust filled the empire, rife with anger, despair, and curses. However, after local leaders administered the first-generation potion to the critically ill, a large proportion survived, their skin markings noticeably faded, and their life signs began to strengthen.

The panic caused by the zebra virus has subsided considerably, but the fear brought by the virus has not yet dissipated, and people still desperately want to find a safe shell to encase themselves in.

Guan Feng is now very famous at the affiliated school, and his popularity surpasses that of other senior managers. While those people were still holding emergency meetings in the conference room, Guan Feng had already obtained the first-generation treatment for zebra virus.

Not long ago, some people accused Guan Feng of leaving an emergency meeting without cause, showing no concern for the safety of the people of the empire and disregarding the lives of important figures. But now? Guan Feng's actions are undoubtedly a slap in the face to these people.

However, Guan Feng did not take credit for the work. Instead, he issued a statement through official media explaining that it was all the achievement of his student, Xilin. Furthermore, Xilin was also infected with the zebra virus and, despite being infected, devoted all his energy and time to research. Guan Feng paid tribute to all those who worked tirelessly, even while ill, to their research…

The statement sparked a great outcry, but some high-ranking members of the Royal Academy of Sciences always looked disgusted and were locked in their laboratories under the guise of research. Nobody knew or cared about the truth. Now everyone's attention was focused on Xilin, and the most important thing was when the second generation would come out.

In addition, although Guan Feng attributed all the credit to Xi Lin, his own status as a renowned tutor at the affiliated school and a famous academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences was elevated even higher. Many people hoped to receive guidance from Guan Feng in the future. Everyone knew that Guan Feng's students would either hold important positions or become figures like Xi Lin who could make great contributions to the empire. Once they emerged, they would have fame and fortune. Who wouldn't envy them?

Meanwhile, at the Fulvig royal family in the Firehawk, Peter also learned of the news. When he heard that the first generation of the potion had appeared, he was truly moved to tears. He immediately spoke a lot to his mother through the communicator in the isolation room. He was so excited that he talked for a while, and his father grabbed his ear and ordered him to go back to sleep.

After all, everyone had been staying here the whole time, no one had closed their eyes, fearing that when they opened them again, the people in the isolation room would be gone. Upon receiving the good news of the first-generation drug's great success, Firehawk King sent Peter and the others back to rest; everyone desperately needed rest. If things continued like this, before those inside the isolation room even collapsed, a batch of people outside would fall ill.

In the Eleventh Starfield, those cooperating with Xilin's operation were Gu Xin and Tu Ba, these so-called special agents of the Empire. Christie Hadar and Emperor Lansa instructed them to fully cooperate with Xilin's operation, as Xilin had the supreme authority to command all personnel stationed in the Eleventh Starfield for the rescue and relief efforts.

Special agencies operate in the open, while robots operate in the shadows, working together. Meanwhile, military and government personnel on various planets are forced to cooperate, and those who do not cooperate will be judged by the agency's personnel.

In the second batch of drug trials, Xilin sent someone to the basement and injected the critically ill person and the dog inside with the second-generation drug.

The planet has been taken over by newly deployed troops. The chaotic streets are being cleared by large cleaning machines, and those overly fanatical extremists have been killed. Perhaps they weren't turned out this way because of the viral disaster; the chaos caused by the virus was merely a trigger.

The second-generation potion was much more successful than the first generation. Black Viper also developed several potions based on the information provided by Xilin and the results of the first-generation potion, but Xilin's second-generation potion was slightly better.

Xilin wasn't satisfied with the success of the second-generation drug, because it still had flaws, flaws that he didn't know how to remedy in the short term. Therefore, as one of the three leaders of Black Viper, he summoned some people from the Black Viper research department, including Neo, who was still stubbornly refusing to be injected with the drug he had developed. There were many others in the same situation as Neo; although they weren't critically ill, their thoughts and attitudes seemed foolish to many.

The second-generation drug has been handed over, and many areas in the Empire with virus infections have switched to using it. At the same time, people's confidence has increased. Taking advantage of the momentum of the second-generation drug, the authorities have issued numerous encouraging statements and criticized those spreading "rumors."

Xilin paid no attention to any of this. He gathered some members of Black Viper to discuss and improve the second-generation drug's shortcomings. Xilin had his own methods for dealing with these obsessive research fanatics, and soon, people including Neo began discussing the second-generation drug via communicator.

This was a summit without members of the Royal Academy of Sciences, later known as the "Zebra Summit." Public knowledge of the summit was limited. Some speculated that it was a meeting convened by Xilin, bringing together numerous hidden geniuses, many of whom were infected with the Zebra Virus. Following the summit, many searched for the "real people" in the Eleventh Starfield. Multiple versions of the "Zebra Summit masters" left Xilin exasperated, but he had to admit that the event unearthed a considerable number of long-buried academic talents. Of course, that's a story for another time.

That said, when Xilin gathered these people for a seminar, they seemed to have found a common voice, freely sharing their thoughts. In their view, the Imperial Capital was filled with humans of chimpanzee intelligence and other "species," their IQs on completely different levels, so naturally they had nothing to say to each other. Now that they finally had "kindred spirits," they were much more open.

The discussions at the conference were intense, filled with highly specialized insights. Even some people in this academic field might not be able to fully grasp them. In Tu Ba's words, it was outrageously profound—a profound realization from the perspective of a combat soldier. Soldiers can understand the operation of various machines, the decryption of multiple codes, and signal analysis, but virus research is like listening to gibberish; it's from a completely different dimension.

After the meeting, the third-generation drug was finally developed. This was the perfect drug in everyone's mind, suitable even for people with weak constitutions, high sensitivity, or strong rejection reactions, and without side effects.

Princess Firehawk recovered quickly after using the drug. As the third-generation drug became more widespread, everyone knew the name "Xilin" and the "Zebra Summit" that brought about the third-generation drug. Xilin did not take all the credit, but the people of Black Viper could not be made public, so their key information was concealed.

Xilin looked at the planet undergoing repairs through the paintings on the starship. From space, the planet was no longer filled with firelight or haze.

The small city on the planet where Xilin had stayed was also gradually recovering.

The sky had become clear, revealing pristine white clouds after the chaos had ended and the environment had been restored. The blue of the sky made one wish to immerse oneself in its clarity.

Although the time from the outbreak of the virus to the treatment has not been very long, only a few dozen days, the people of this planet will never forget this dark period, perhaps for years, decades, or even as they grow old.

The woman from the basement was also standing outside, not bringing out a stool, but simply sitting on the floor against the building. Next to her, the little girl was basking in the sun, holding the surviving pet dog, by the cleaned-up street.

Some children were running around in the street. There were still some lines on their faces that hadn't completely faded, but their physical functions were already recovering. Soon they would be fully healed and able to jump and run freely. After that, people would cherish this ability to move that God had given them even more.

The joy of escaping from a desperate situation was not expressed in a particularly intense way. There were no shouts or frantic cries; everyone simply watched the children running in the street with quiet smiles.

The city, riddled with holes under the sunlight, is no longer what I remember, but this golden-glowing cityscape brings tears to my eyes.

Everything will be better.