The Sambisa Forest was a wall of tangled green and ancient silence. Guided by the red blinking dot on his System map, Austin moved through the undergrowth. Every step he took felt like he was walking into a different world—one where the trees seemed to watch him.
[WARNING: HIGH-FREQUENCY JAMMING DETECTED.]
[MAP SIGNAL: WEAKENING.]
[REMARK: THE SHADOW MEDICS ARE NEAR.]
Austin stopped behind a massive Iroko tree. In a clearing ahead, three high-tech tactical trucks were parked. Men in black combat gear, bearing the "Shadow Skull" emblem, were surrounding a single, glowing plant that looked like a cluster of emerald stars growing from the dirt.
The Celestial Aloe.
At the center of the group stood Dr. Vane. He wasn't wearing his grey coat anymore; he was in a sterile white hazmat suit, holding a laser-cutter to harvest the plant.
"Careful with the roots," Vane commanded. "If the energy leaks, the cure becomes a poison. We need this for the auction in Dubai. The billionaires will pay any price to live forever."
Austin knew he couldn't fight six armed men with just his fists. He reached into his Divine Armory and pulled out two vials: [Soporific Mist] and [Magnetic Pulse].
"System," Austin whispered. "Analyze the wind."
[WIND DIRECTION: NORTH-NORTHWEST. PERFECT FOR DISPERSAL.]
Austin threw the first vial. It shattered against a rock, releasing a heavy, sweet-smelling purple gas that swept into the clearing. The guards began to stagger, their rifles slipping from their hands.
"Intruder!" Vane shouted, pulling a high-tech respirator over his face.
Austin threw the second vial. As it hit the ground, a massive electromagnetic pulse deactivated the guards' headsets and the laser-cutter. The clearing went dark.
Austin stepped out from the shadows, his Golden Needle held tight. "The Aloe belongs to the world, Vane. Not to your black market."
"You again," Vane hissed, his voice muffled by the mask. "You're a flea jumping onto a titan, Austin. You think saving a few villages makes you a god? You have no idea what we are capable of."
Vane pulled a small, black remote from his belt. "If I can't have it, nobody will."
He pressed a button, and a series of small explosive charges around the plant began to beep.
[TIMER: 10 SECONDS TO DESTRUCTION.]
Austin didn't think. He lunged forward, not at Vane, but at the plant. He plunged his hand into the dirt, using his Divine Energy to shield the roots from the blast.
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the clearing. Dirt and smoke filled the air. Vane laughed, jumping into his truck as the engine roared to life. "Good luck surviving the fire, Healer!"
As the trucks sped away, the smoke cleared. Austin was still kneeling, his clothes shredded and his arms bleeding. But in his hands, glowing with a soft, pulsing light, was the Celestial Aloe.
[MISSION SUCCESSFUL: SECURE THE CURE!]
[REWARD: 5,000 EXP, 'MASTER OF BOTANY' TITLE.]
[LEVEL UP: LEVEL 7 REACHED!]
Austin looked at the plant. He was exhausted, his energy was low, but he had won. He had the cure for the world's most feared disease in his hands.
He stood up, looking at the sunrise breaking over the trees. "The empire is coming," he whispered