74: Hidden dangers lurk, a nationwide investigation is underway to hunt for venomous plants.

Chapter Seventy-Six: chrysalis seeds Lurk, Crisis Afoot; Full-Territory Investigation Hunts Toxic Buds

The alarms of Dawn City suddenly blared through the thin morning mist.

Lin Zhou's early warning directive regarding the "chrysalis plan" spread through the defense zones of the Five Great Army Groups with the highest priority. From the Eastern Army Group's Shuguang New City on the coast to the grain storage frontlines in Western Sichuan, and from the defensive barriers in the southern jungles to the outposts in the northern Qinling Mountains, investigation orders were issued like an inescapable net, covering every piece of reclaimed land.

In the command center, Lin Zhou stood before a massive holographic sand table, his fingertips sliding across settlement points marked "to be investigated." From the materials seized from the Sakura Society, the description of the "chrysalis plan" consisted of only a few words—the Serpent Skeleton Research Institute had cultivated a type of parasitic Mutant spore that could lie dormant within the bodies of humans, animals, or plants, erupting when the time was ripe to transform the host into a controlled Mutant.

“These ‘chrysalis seeds’ are time bombs buried in our hearts,” Lin Zhou's voice was low, carrying a trace of chill. “They could be hidden in water sources, mixed into grain, or even attached to survivors, spreading silently.”

The Research Team Leader rushed into the command room holding an urgent report, his expression solemn: “Commander, we conducted tests on samples from Black Reef Island and the West Zhejiang School, and we discovered a spore we’ve never seen before! This spore has extreme camouflage capabilities, able to mimic the characteristics of normal cells; conventional testing can't detect it at all! Furthermore, its incubation period is as long as ten days. Once it erupts, the host will complete the mutation within an hour!”

Wang Hu slammed his fist against the edge of the sand table and cursed angrily: “Those animals! To think they'd use such a sinister method!”

Chen Hao's brow furrowed deeply as he said heavily: “Commander, the Eastern Defense Zone has already begun testing everyone, but conventional methods are ineffective. What should we do?”

Lin Zhou's gaze fell upon Dawn City at the center of the sand table, a flash of determination in his eyes: “Activate the red alert system's biometric identification module! This module was originally used to identify Mutant disguises; now, set its identification threshold to the lowest and perform a full-coverage scan of all survivors, water sources, and grain in the reclaimed areas! Additionally, notify the Five Great Army Groups to draw elites to form ‘Bud Hunting Squads.’ Once a chrysalis seed is discovered, immediately seal off the area and destroy the source of contamination!”

The red alert system's biometric module was based on precise energy frequency identification technology, capable of penetrating the cellular level to capture the unique energy fluctuations of the chrysalis seeds. After this order was issued, Dawn City's Researchers worked through the night to modify equipment, dismantling large identification scanners into portable devices and distributing them to each Bud Hunting Squad.

A territory-wide investigation operation commenced.

The Southern Army Group's defense zone was adjacent to tropical jungles; the climate was humid, making it the easiest place for spores to breed. Zhao Shanhe personally led a Bud Hunting Squad deep into survivor settlements. On the screen of the portable identifier, a green light flickered as it scanned one villager after another.

When the device scanned a woman holding a child, the screen suddenly emitted a piercing red light, and the alarm shrieked so sharply it made one's scalp tingle.

“Target locked!” Zhao Shanhe's eyes sharpened as he immediately ordered, “Seal off this area! Everyone, get back!”

The soldiers quickly set up a cordon, surrounding the woman and child. The woman's face was deathly pale as she held her child, trembling: “Officer, I... what's wrong with me?”

Zhao Shanhe looked at the jumping values on the identifier and said solemnly: “What unusual things have you come into contact with? Or, have you eaten any food brought back from outside?”

The woman was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into tears: “Three days ago, I picked some wild fruit in the jungle. They tasted very sweet, and both the child and I ate them...”

Before she could finish, her arm suddenly began to swell, and dark green patterns emerged beneath her skin. Her entire aura became violent.

“Not good! She's about to mutate!” a soldier exclaimed.

Zhao Shanhe acted decisively, raising his hand to fire a sedative. The needle pierced the woman's arm, and the drug took effect quickly; her body shuddered, and she collapsed to the ground, falling unconscious. At the same time, faint patterns appeared on the child's face, and the identifier's alarm rang out again.

“Send them to the Scientific Research Zone immediately!” Zhao Shanhe ordered through gritted teeth. “Also, seal off that patch of jungle and burn it to the ground!”

Similar situations continued to play out across the various defense zones.

In the Western Army Group's granaries, chrysalis spores were detected mixed in with the wheat; at a Northern Army Group outpost, spores were found attached to the gaps in a patrolman's armor; in a coastal fishing village of the Eastern Army Group, a high concentration of chrysalis seeds was detected in a water well.

The Bud Hunting Squads' actions were like a race against time. They sealed off infected areas, burned sources of contamination, and sent survivors in the early stages of infection to Dawn City's isolation zone for treatment with a special inhibitor developed by the Research Team.

This investigation lasted for a full ten days.

When the last settlement was checked, the battle reports from the Five Great Army Groups were compiled at the command center—a total of seventeen chrysalis contamination sources were discovered, with over three hundred infected survivors. Of those, two hundred and eighty were out of danger thanks to the inhibitor, while twenty had unfortunately passed away due to the infection being too deep.

What was even more terrifying was that the Research Team discovered the mark of the Serpent Skeleton Research Institute at one of the destroyed contamination sources—these chrysalis seeds had been deliberately spread by someone.

Outside the isolation zone of Dawn City, Lin Zhou watched the gradually recovering survivors, his gaze becoming increasingly cold.

Skeleton Serpent's “chrysalis plan” was far more insidious than he had imagined. If it hadn't been discovered in time, once these spores erupted on a large scale, the entire reclaimed area would have turned into a playground for Mutants.

“Commander,” Chen Hao walked over, holding a report, “we caught a suspicious person near one of the contamination sources. He was carrying a communicator from the Serpent Skeleton Research Institute.”

A sharp light flashed in Lin Zhou's eyes: “Bring him here.”

The man brought in was dressed in rags, his eyes darting around as he trembled all over. In the interrogation room, when Chen Hao produced the communicator, the man's psychological defenses completely collapsed, and he shiveringly confessed everything.

He was an undercover agent planted among the survivors by the Serpent Skeleton Research Institute, responsible for spreading chrysalis seeds in various settlements. And there were over a hundred such undercover agents lurking within the defense zones of the Five Great Army Groups.

“Over a hundred people...” Lin Zhou clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

He finally understood that the Man in the Suit's “chrysalis plan” was not as simple as just spreading spores. Those undercover agents were the true hidden danger.

“Order!” Lin Zhou's voice carried an unquestionable authority. “Five Great Army Groups, initiate anti-undercover operations! Utilize the red alert system's identity recognition to verify the backgrounds of all survivors and dig out all of Skeleton Serpent's moles! Additionally, the Research Team is to accelerate the mass production of the special inhibitor to ensure everyone is vaccinated!”

The military orders were absolute, and directives once again spread through every defense zone.

On the mobile platform in the far sea, the Man in the Suit watched the failure reports constantly appearing on the screen, his face so dark it could drip ink. He had thought the chrysalis plan would throw Dawn City into chaos; he hadn't expected Lin Zhou to find a countermeasure in such a short time.

“Lin Zhou...” the man murmured softly, a flash of madness in his eyes. “Do you think it ends like this?”

He turned and said to the Researcher behind him, word by word: “Initiate the ‘adult insect project.’ Let those lurking moles activate their final instructions.”

The Researcher's body jolted, and his voice trembled: “Sir, once the adult insect project is initiated, those moles will also...”

“I don't care!” the man interrupted him fiercely, his eyes full of malevolence. “What I want is the destruction of Dawn City!”

The Researcher didn't dare say more and could only lower his head to press the red button on the control console.

At the same time, in a corner of Dawn City, an honest-looking blacksmith suddenly put down the hammer in his hand. A strange red light flashed in his eyes, and a cold smile curled on his lips.

He felt a black capsule hidden in his bosom and whispered: “adult insect project, initiate.”

And Lin Zhou and his Five Great Army Groups did not yet know that their surroundings were already filled with deadly traps.