Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 179 Epidemic? Mutation? It's biochemical modification!

"No problem, you can go ahead with your work."

When someone offered to provide logistical support for the research, Link readily agreed.

Perfect timing! He can now devote himself entirely to his research on fairy plagues and mutations.

Old man Murphy downloaded the comparison report from the public smart brain to his personal smart brain and left thoughtfully.

This is a serious matter. Now that it has been discovered, he cannot hide it and must report it to his superiors.

The rear camp is not the same as the front line battlefield.

It is of great importance, but there are few powerful figures among them.

If unrest occurs and is not handled promptly or properly, it can easily undermine the morale of the entire army.

Not to mention the possibility that the front-line battlefield could lose stable logistical support, or even become isolated.

Thinking of this, old man Murphy quickened his pace involuntarily.

Back in the office, I locked the door, checked for eavesdropping, activated the anti-eavesdropping system, and cast a soundproofing spell barrier.

After making all the necessary preparations, old man Murphy took out an encrypted communicator and sent a communication request.

There are several ways to report upwards.

Old Murphy adopted an informal approach that was convenient for both public and private purposes.

"What's up?"

A hoarse voice came from the other end of the communicator.

"Let's find a place where it's convenient to talk."

Old man Murphy deliberately lowered his voice.

"Wait a minute."

The other party hung up the call as soon as they finished speaking.

After a while, a communication request came from the other end, indicating that they had found a place where they wouldn't have to worry about the conversation being leaked.

"What's going on? Why are you being so cautious?"

A hoarse voice asked in confusion.

"What is it?"

Old man Murphy could no longer suppress his emotions. He raised his voice and cursed, "This concerns your life! What the hell were you doing, making such a huge blunder?"

"explain."

The hoarse voice instantly turned serious.

"All the mutated goblin corpses and live goblins sent to the rear camp have been inspected by your team to confirm they don't carry any diseases and won't mutate, right?"

"Yes, didn't you take some from me today? What, did you find a problem?"

The hoarse voice answered the question first, then inquired with concern.

"Hehe, what problem did you find?"

Murphy's tone was slightly sarcastic. "The problem we've discovered is huge."

The living demons you sent are carrying a plague and have already begun to mutate.

Fortunately, it was my subordinates who discovered it first, so I came to tell you immediately.

Otherwise, if someone else finds out and reports it to the wizard Paro, you'll be in for a scolding.

If things get any worse, and something goes wrong, you might not even get a chance to be criticized; your ashes will be scattered.

"Holy crap! Old man Murphy, don't scare me like that."

The hoarse voice was utterly shocked, somewhat unwilling to believe old man Murphy's words.

But he knew that old man Murphy wouldn't tease him about something so important.

So, there really was a huge blunder.

"hehe……"

Old man Murphy just sneered.

This gesture shattered any remaining hope the hoarse voice might have had.

The hoarse voice immediately fell silent.

After a long silence, he couldn't help but ask, still clinging to a sliver of hope, "Is there any evidence? I want to see the evidence."

Old Man Murphy knew all along that the other party wouldn't believe him easily, so he downloaded the comparison report.

If the other party hadn't saved his life, he wouldn't have bothered getting involved in this mess.

They reported it directly to the wizard Paro.

Why would you specifically remind the other party to quickly make amends?

It's so complicated.

However, Mr. Murphy did not send the comparison report directly.

This is, after all, the result of Link Grand's research.

It's already quite wrong to use it for personal matters.

If this is leaked so easily, it would be a complete lack of academic ethics.

Everyone here is knowledgeable. Old Man Murphy took out the comparison report, selected some key points, and verbally described a few findings.

The person on the other end immediately realized that old man Murphy was not lying to him.

Their work definitely made a major mistake.

We must recall all the mutated goblin corpses and living goblins that have been sent to the rear camp before things go wrong.

We will also review previous testing procedures to determine whether the oversight was caused by human error or by an unreasonable or inadequate testing procedure.

I just hope it's the latter, not the former.

The hoarse voice hung up the call, filled with anticipation.

He immediately took action, acting swiftly and decisively.

They first suspended all testing of mutated fairy corpses and living fairies, then disarmed and demagnetized all staff members and placed them under centralized guard.

The sudden change caused a huge uproar.

Immediately afterwards, a notice was issued to recall all mutated goblin corpses and living goblins.

Inform the relevant authorities at the rear camp to keep a close watch on the bodies and living animals and raise the level of alert before the recall team arrives to prevent any accidents.

The testing team's base was located in the eastern corner of the frontline command post.

But no matter how far away it is, making such a commotion in such a corner will attract attention.

The captain of the guards in charge of security for the entire command center came over and asked, "Cole, what are you doing? Why are you making such a fuss?"

The head of the testing team, Cole, said in a hoarse voice, "A spectacle? I don't want this spectacle! My men made a mistake and we're trying to fix it. I just hope it doesn't escalate into a major disaster."

Upon hearing this, the captain frowned and immediately asked, "How serious is the problem? Do you need any help?"

"It's not serious yet."

After thinking it over carefully, Cole said, "If possible, please guard the portal carefully."

The captain of the guard's brow furrowed even more.

Guard the portal?

This statement is not simple at all.

This means that the testing team has made a big mistake this time, and the worst-case scenario they predicted could actually affect the portal.

In this way, the nature of the situation becomes completely different.

It's no longer just a matter within the testing team.

It concerns the safety of the entire frontline command and the entire army corps.

His expression hardened slightly, and the captain advised, "Cole, hurry up and report to Wizard Paro. Don't delay things."

As he spoke, the captain secretly made preparations.

If you're going to take advice, then speak kindly and gently.

If they don't listen, then we'll have to switch from friendly advice to a forced command.

As the head of the guard was responsible for the security of the command post, he had the authority to do so.

"Okay, I'll go right away."

Cole had this plan in mind all along, and he had also arranged all the work.

They immediately set off, following the captain of the guard straight to the tent where the wizard Paro was located.

The Wizard of Paro is the supreme leader of the Wizard Legion.

He was in the heart of the entire frontline command post, and even the entire legion.

People from different departments come and go, reporting on their work, providing feedback, submitting applications, giving performance reviews...

Each has its own demands.

What the wizard Paro had to do was make various decisions under the advice of the staff.

The security of the legion's top leader is certainly not a trivial matter.

It's not something just anyone can see whenever they want.

You have to go through security first before you can apply.

Even when the captain of the security team who formulated the security plan arrived in person, the guards still meticulously carried out eight security checks before letting them through.

The two approached the tent, but were stopped again, had to register their application, and wait for approval.

After the announcement, it took a few minutes before the guard captain and the head of the inspection team, Cole, were allowed to enter.

"What happened?"

Looking at the holographic map of the known areas of the fairy world, the wizard Paro pondered how to advance and advance the third campaign. Without looking up, he asked directly.

The captain of the guard remained silent.

Team leader Cole dared not hide the truth and told the whole story.

However, he only said that he had received intelligence, concealing the existence of old man Murphy.

After listening, the wizard Paro paced a few steps, seemingly recalling something pleasant. A smile, unseen by the captain of the guard in a long time, appeared on his lips. He said:

"It must have been old man Murphy who gave you the tip. Otherwise, I can't think of anyone in the rear camp who would have been willing to inform you beforehand after discovering a flaw that you hadn't even noticed, instead of reporting it directly to me."

After a pause, the wizard Paro's smile faded, and he stared into Cole's eyes, slowly saying, "This oversight is truly rudimentary. As the head of the testing team, how were you ensuring this was done? You actually needed someone else to point it out to you?"

Cole murmured a few times, not daring to mention that he had been so focused on solving the problem of "banned drugs" these past few days that he had neglected the management of the testing team.

They could only bow their heads and admit their mistakes, putting on an act of accepting any scolding or punishment.

"Alright, go back and do a thorough self-examination and correction. Write a self-criticism and post it on the legion's intranet. Don't cause such an embarrassing situation again!"

Upon seeing this, the wizard Paro lost his good mood and imposed a punishment.

He waved for the captain of the guard and Cole to leave, indicating that he had no intention of pursuing the matter further.

At present, he lacks trustworthy people, faces powerful enemies outside and spies inside, and it is not advisable for him to cut off his own limbs.

When employing people, utilize their strengths and tolerate their weaknesses.

We shouldn't give up on someone completely just because they made a mistake.

After the punishment, give them a chance to see how they behave.

I believe that after this lesson, similar mistakes will not happen again.

"yes!"

Overjoyed at escaping unscathed, Cole breathed a sigh of relief and then shouted in response.

The captain of the guard simply bowed in silence.

The two left the tent, walked a short distance, and stopped a little further away.

The captain of the guard looked at Cole, whose face lit up with joy, and said in a deep voice, "Handle things properly as soon as possible, and whatever you do, don't cause any more problems. Otherwise, the wizard Paro might spare you once, but he won't spare you a second time."

"Yes, I will. Thanks for reminding me."

Cole wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.

I couldn't help but imagine the scenario where this oversight went undetected and the scandal broke out, and my heart sank.

After bidding farewell to the captain of the guard, Cole returned to the testing team to begin a new round of more detailed screening.

We must find out the problematic links and causes.

Link was unaware of the uproar that his discovery and comparative report had caused at the front-line command.

He is busy exploring the effects and mechanisms of aberrations on fairy talents and abilities.

We first conducted a comprehensive test and examination on the remaining two rainforest fairies in the first batch.

The results show:

Rainforest fairies that eat normally have milder disease and their aberrations are not very obvious;

The rainforest fairy, suffering from hunger, was severely ill, with obvious deformities. The three dots in its pupils had been enlarged and could be clearly distinguished from its appearance.

Therefore, it can be inferred that the speed and degree of distortion may be strongly correlated with vitality.

Then, physical examinations and biochemical tests were conducted on the six fairies from different groups that were sent in the next batch.

Unsurprisingly, all six fairies carried the source of the plague.

Perhaps because they had just been captured, the six fairies were in good physical and mental condition.

He repeatedly tried to resist during the inspection.

However, they did not behave like wild beasts at all, but rather like a typical intelligent race.

Through physical examination and observation, Link made several preliminary findings and inferences:

First of all, it is indeed possible to determine whether a fairy is infected with a disease, the degree of infection, and the extent of its deformity by looking at its pupils.

Secondly, the transmission route of the disease is not through conventional means such as air or bodily fluids, but rather based on some kind of extraordinary mutation;

Link hasn't had time to fully understand the specific mechanism yet, but he initially believes it's somewhat similar to gene mutations caused by radiation.

Finally, judging from the fact that the six new fairies were not afraid of the mutated rainforest fairies at all, and even seemed to be looking forward to them, we can boldly speculate that they seemed to have actively accepted the disease infection.

Considering that the fairy world is currently under attack by the Paro Wizard and is at a complete disadvantage, losing cities and territories, and suffering heavy casualties.

Out of a desire to resist, defend their homeland, and ensure the continuation of their lineage.

It is entirely possible that a force within the fairy world could emerge hoping to turn the tide of war by enhancing combat power through biochemical means.

It is entirely possible that warriors would emerge who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the continuation of their race and serve as experimental subjects.

The zombification mutation may be a toxic side effect.

The true goal of the "epidemic" is to enhance innate abilities.

Link suddenly realized that he had been misled by the wording of the frontline medical department.

The word "epidemic" is simply the wizards' definition of a large-scale mutation that occurs among fairies.

Once his thinking was clear, Link immediately changed his research methods.

He planned to deliberately induce a "mutation" in the fairy, observe the entire process of change, and compare the magnitude of change before and after the "mutation".

To ensure the smooth progress of the research, Link chose to recruit people first.

"What is it?"

Upon receiving Link's request for help, old man Murphy rushed over immediately.

"I want to record the combat power and innate abilities of a fairy before and after its 'mutation'. I need your help and supervision."

Link made his request.

The upper limit of the fairy world is level 5, but this does not mean that there are fairies equivalent to level 5 sages.

Most adult fairies are equivalent to third-class wizard apprentices, a small number of exceptionally talented ones have combat power close to first-class wizards, a very small number have combat power close to second-class wizards, and a very small number have combat power close to third-class wizards.

There is only one person in the entire fairy world who can rival a fourth-level sage, and he was injured by the wizard Paro.

None of the eight fairies imprisoned in the isolation cell possessed combat power close to that of a first-level wizard.

Logically speaking, even if a riot were to occur, Link could easily suppress it without needing to ask for help.

However, a wise person does not stand under a dangerous wall.

With such a powerful external ally willing to help, why not make the most of it?

Old man Murphy did not refuse and earnestly protected Link from the sidelines.

Link picked the healthiest fairy and threw it into the witchcraft laboratory.

First, their life force was fully replenished, allowing the fairy to return to its peak condition.

Then spray him with an emotion-inducing potion to ignite the fairy's anger and make him launch a full-scale attack.

Various facilities and equipment took the opportunity to collect data, recording all aspects of the fairy's information.

All data confirming the normal state has been collected.

I made a backup separately.

Link continued operating.

First, provide the fairy with an excess of vitality, and replenish it as needed, as long as the fairy can withstand it.

This further angered the fairy, triggering an attack.

An unusual fairy "mutation" occurs right under Link and Murphy's noses.

This confirms Link's hypothesis that there is a strong correlation between the speed and degree of distortion and vitality.

It is called an alternative "abnormality".

The reason is that the life force is replenished in a timely and sufficient manner, the fairy's "aberration" speed is extremely fast, but the "aberration" range is extremely low.

Its appearance still underwent typical zombie-like changes, but its body was not shriveled up and it had not lost much of its sanity.

On the contrary, their innate abilities were greatly enhanced.

After the "aberration," his combat power jumped from the level of a third-class wizard apprentice before the "aberration" to a level that is considered strong even among first-class wizards.

Therefore, it is not a "disease" nor should it be called a "mutation".

This is an unsuccessful, ongoing biochemical modification and enhancement attempt in the fairy world.

Moreover, they are very close to success.

If the lack of vitality during the "abnormal" process is filled and the problem of loss of rationality is solved, it can be considered perfect.

At that time, the wizard legion will face countless enhanced fairies with the combat power of a first-level wizard.

Old man Murphy watched the whole thing and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

If a prodigy like Link Grand were to emerge from the fairy world, this campaign might still be victorious, but the losses would be devastating.

They've only been here a few days, yet they've already researched the "plague" and "mutation" of the fairies so thoroughly.

They even vaguely found the key to solving the problems caused by "distortion".

Thinking this, old man Murphy's gaze toward Link suddenly changed.

Like looking at a monster.

From now on, each chapter will be released at a timed interval of more than 6 minutes to allow some reaction time.

(End of this chapter)