"The mode of transmission is something you must pay special attention to."
At that moment, the Director's tone suddenly grew heavier. He swiped a finger across the holo-panel, and new data curves appeared.
"This virus spreads primarily through bodily fluids and blood. Once skin or mucous membranes come into direct contact with an infected person's blood, saliva, or even other bodily fluids, there is a very high likelihood of transmission.
The incubation period is extremely short—at minimum within ten seconds and at most no more than two hours—after which the patient falls into a state of complete loss of control.
However, the infected differ fundamentally from traditional zombie-type anomalous organisms. They can skillfully use human technology and weapons, which means they are not low-intelligence lifeforms."
At that, several agents from the Investigations Department immediately grew solemn.
A pathogen with an incubation period measured in seconds, and with infected who can still use existing technology and weapons, practically means the human defenses of Earth-19 could be crushed at any moment.
The Director continued, "Based on our preliminary observations, the speed at which the infected lose normal rationality far surpasses a typical pathological course.
They do not gradually deteriorate; instead, they directly lose their humanity in a short period of time, transforming into fully violent individuals. This phenomenon is highly correlated with the virus's damage to the brain's limbic system and neurotransmitters."
The footage on the holo-screen kept playing.
One infected man was frantically gnawing at his own forearm until the bone was exposed, yet he still wore a maniacal grin.
Another repeatedly rammed the wall. His head was a bloody mess, but he showed no sign of stopping.
"For this reason," the Director's voice was low and firm, "we judge this virus to be of extreme threat. If it slips out of control, it will spread exponentially and ultimately cause the complete collapse of human society on Earth-19."
The conference room fell into dead silence.
Under the cold white lights, everyone's expressions were different.
The Investigations Department personnel kept their gazes cool, yet carried a faint, suppressed edge of grim resolve. The agents of the Heretical Inquisition narrowed their eyes, seeming to try to connect Earth-19's current situation with profanation from subspace.
Fuluosi's brows were tightly knit; it seemed the company commander cared more about how to rescue those compatriots who had not yet been infected.
Leiruoya silently watched the holo-screen.
Her eyes didn't waver in the slightest; she simply stared coldly at the data and images.
At the end of the projection, the Director slowly gave his summative conclusion:
"The condition of the infected can be explained as an extreme pathological phenomenon caused by a virus, yet we also cannot rule out the possibility of subspace contamination.
At this stage, the Biology Division can only confirm that this is an unknown virus with the capacity for rapid transmission through bodily fluids and blood. Its characteristics are highly similar to records in certain forbidden files."
The holo-projection suddenly dimmed, and the room returned to quiet.
At this moment, Fuluosi asked, "Does the Biology Division have the ability to develop a vaccine against this virus? And as for those already infected, do they have any chance of salvation?"
His tone was steady, but carried a soldier's particular directness and urgency.
The glow from the holo projection cast cold white flecks across the Director's face. His eyes, hidden behind the lenses, flashed faintly.
After a moment of silence, the Director finally spoke, replying with due gravity:
"Vaccine—no problem. With our existing nanotech and gene-editing technology, my team is confident we can develop a prophylactic vaccine for the uninfected within 72 hours."
Hearing this, several people in the room relaxed a touch, yet all of them sensed the hesitation when the Director's tone shifted.
Sure enough, the next sentence fell like a heavy hammer onto everyone's heart: "But as for treating those already infected, we have no hope whatsoever.
Through deep analysis of their tissue samples, we've found that the virus's damage is not limited to blood and organs; it directly erodes and reshapes the structure of neurotransmitters and the limbic system in the brain.
Even if we forcibly use nanotechnology to extract or eliminate all viral particles in an infected body, the damaged brain cannot recover.
In other words, even if the body survives, they will only continue to exhibit extreme, deranged, violent behavior."
Under the cold white lights, the air grew ever more oppressive.
Fuluosi drew a deep breath, a glint of pain passing through his eyes.
He slowly nodded and said in a low voice, "So what you're saying is that they are no longer our human compatriots. Once discovered, they should be executed on the spot."
The Director's expression was austere. He nodded without evasion to confirm: "Yes. It's a cruel but necessary conclusion."
At that, everyone understood that this meant they had to abandon any illusions of "treatment" and "leniency" and regard the infected as hostile targets that must be eliminated.
Leiruoya slowly rose to her feet.
The training uniform's seam lines hugged her austere posture, as if sketching her will into an even sharper edge.
She swept the room, her voice firm and cold: "Since that's the case, our objectives are clear.
"First, relying on the combat power of the Wailers Battalion, we must swiftly launch comprehensive search and evacuation operations and rescue as many uninfected compatriots on Earth-19 as possible.
"Second, for all infected—regardless of age, gender, or identity—exterminate them all, leaving no latent threats.
"Third, the Engineering Department must immediately begin large-scale construction near the spatial gate, building a new city capable of housing tens of millions of survivors to provide safe shelter."
Her tone was like a blade of steel, severing all hesitation. The words echoed in the conference room for a long time.
Yet just as the string of orders fell, a somewhat "chill" voice suddenly sounded.
"I agree with Your Excellency Weitailius's proposal, but there's one more point that must be added."
The speaker was an agent of the Heretical Inquisition, a thin figure with eyes sharp as an eagle's.
At this moment, the agent laced his fingers, his voice icy: "After the vaccine is successfully developed, we should proactively contain and control a batch of infected—enough in number.
Don't forget, no matter how filthy or deranged they are, these things are, in essence, ready-made 'biological weapons.'
They can be used to harass heretics and xenos in other universes, and also to deter compatriots who might be harboring their own little designs."
At those words, the atmosphere in the room turned frigid in an instant.
Several agents from the Investigations Department frowned slightly, a guarded glint in their eyes.
Fuluosi snapped his head up, anger flashing in his gaze, as if he were about to bark a rebuke the next second.
Leiruoya's face remained austere, but her eyes sank.
She didn't respond immediately. Instead, she slowly walked closer to the holo projection, staring at the infected's frenzied, fallen figures frame by frame.
Those ferocious, twisted grins, mixed with blood and filth, devoured what was left of ordinary reason.
After a few seconds of silence, she said coldly, "Biological weapons? You're trying to turn that lot into weapons in our hands?"
Her voice didn't ripple in the slightest, yet it carried an oppressive force so great that the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
The Inquisition agent merely smiled faintly and didn't immediately rebut.
But that dangerous notion had already made everyone's hearts sink.
Fuluosi shattered the congealed air, speaking in a voice like thunder:
"Those monsters are no longer human. They are deformities utterly twisted by the virus, filth that must be purified! If anyone presumes to use them as weapons, that is the true blasphemy and betrayal."
At the end, his voice dropped low but rang with conviction: "Yes, the infected are unspeakably deranged, even more profane than ordinary heretics, but they were once members of humanity. Death is the end they deserve."
In the conference room, everyone wore a different expression.
The agents from the Investigations Department let their eyes flicker, but did not take a stance.
The Director of the Biology Division lowered his gaze slightly, seemingly unwilling to be drawn into the argument.
Only Leiruoya slowly lifted her head, her tone icy to the extreme:
"Remember, we are the Empire's claws. Our mission is to protect humanity, not sink to the level of heretics. Any attempt to manipulate the infected will be regarded as dangerous betrayal."
That sentence sliced through the air like a sword, nailing the Inquisition agent's notion to the cold reality.
The agent shrugged and replied, "All right, Your Excellencies. I just think it's a pity to waste them like that—no need to pin the crime of betrayal on me."
After a brief silence, the meeting continued.
The mission objectives were established one by one—
Rescue the uninfected,
Eradicate the infected,
Build a new city to settle the survivors.
Although that dangerous proposal was suppressed, it seeped like an undercurrent into everyone's hearts.
The meeting finally ended in an atmosphere that could hardly be called "pleasant."
As everyone rose to leave, Leiruoya's figure remained upright. Her gaze was razor-sharp, as if she had already foreseen the blood and trials to come.
The moment they stepped out of the conference room, the air seemed to flow again.
The cold white lights fell behind them. The light in the corridor was soft and warm, but the air still carried a heavy weight.
Fuluosi and Leiruoya walked side by side, their steps firm. Their magnetic boots thudded heavily on the metal floor.
After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly, voice steady yet edged with barely concealed urgency:
"Legion Commander Weitailius, our fleet is in the final stage of combat-readiness integration. In approximately twelve hours, the Wailers Battalion will have completed full deployment.
Once the order is given, we'll be able to execute rapid global deployment and operations across the entirety of Earth-19 in the shortest possible time."
Leiruoya gave a small nod. The light and shadow of the corridor cut her face into an even colder cast.
"Good." Her reply was brief but ironclad. "Before this calamity spreads, speed is one of our main advantages. The faster we establish comprehensive control, the fewer unnecessary sacrifices there will be."
As they spoke, they had already traversed the main building of the Biology Division.
The heavy hatch opened slowly, and the outside scene unfurled before them—
The vast vista of the forward base came into view.
The sky was still shrouded in cloud, but above the spatial gate, whose surface was like a mirror of mercury, a staggering spectacle was playing out.
Colossal warships were crossing the spatial gate, like steel behemoths surfacing from a void abyss.
Their hulls gleamed with a cold metallic sheen, Han-character sigils shimmering across their flanks. As they gradually cleared the gate's barrier, their massive shadows spread over the entire forward base, as if even the sky were being ripped in two.
Then, the various vessels adjusted their attitude. The flames from their engines tore across the firmament like comets.
The fleet of giants, bearing an irresistible might, shot through the clouds and sped toward the edge of the atmosphere.
In that instant, every soldier stationed at the base and every member of the Engineering Department lifted their heads, awe and shock flickering in their eyes.
It was the symbol of the human Empire's power, a wall of steel that no calamity could shake.
Fuluosi gazed at the scene, his eyes alight with resolve and pride.
"The battalion's colors are about to be planted upon this human homeworld," he said, unable to fully sheath the edge in his tone.
Leiruoya did not respond. She simply watched as the fleet vanished at the far edge of the sky, as if sealing some vow with unflinching resolve.
Just then, footsteps approached from behind.
The Director of the Biology Division strode up beside them. Though his demeanor remained calm, a trace of fatigue was hard to conceal.
"Legion Commander Weitailius." He nodded slightly, then said, "Regarding the survivors rescued by your Glory Legion, we've completed multiple rounds of testing. We can confirm they show no trace of infection."
He paused, and his tone softened slightly, carrying a scientist's particular caution.
"However, to ensure absolute safety, we've still placed them in isolation.
The Biology Division's observation will continue for a time. Meanwhile, agents from the Investigations Department and officers from the Reconnaissance Troops are about to begin formal interrogation. This is not only part of the security protocol; it will also help us better understand the true conditions on Earth-19 before the calamity."
Leiruoya turned her head, face stern, her tone steady and cutting: "Good. Security screening is necessary.
Everything the survivors experienced may provide us with key clues. If we want to rebuild order, we must first fully understand the roots of the chaos."
The Director nodded, a glint of approval in his eyes. "Rest assured, we'll integrate the information as fast as possible. So long as the vaccine is developed on schedule, and with your Legion's and the Wailers Battalion's deployments, I believe—this disaster will not continue to spread."
The three stood on the base's plaza. In the distance, the sky still throbbed with the roar of ship engines.
That low tremor was like war drums, heralding the sweeping campaign of purification about to begin.
The wind tugged at the flags, and the Empire's crest snapped beneath the blue vault of the sky.
Fuluosi lifted his head and said in a deep voice, "No matter the cost, whether it's the prime universe or not, humanity's homeworld will return to the Empire's control."
There was not a hint of hesitation in his tone, as if he had long been ready for the coming "feast of blood."
Leiruoya's eyes burned like torches. She answered coldly, "Yes. The infected will be eradicated, the survivors will be sheltered anew, and Earth-19 will not fall into darkness again."
In that moment, an invisible solemnity filled the air of the forward base.
The curtain on "war" has already, in silence, slowly drawn open.
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