Chapter 703: The Plague Spirit
“January 3. According to news from the caravan, some villages in the southern region seem to be experiencing a plague of sorts. Every year, illnesses sprout from the miasmic jungles of the south. If the rumors are true, this is the first of this year’s outbreaks, which definitely needs some verification.”
“January 5. It’s confirmed that the southern plague is real.”
“January 6. Further analysis reveals that this type of plague has been spreading among at least five tribes. The symptoms mostly include fatigue. Although this plague appeared earlier than the usual outbreak season, its contagiousness and pathogenicity seem to be low.”
“January 8. I discussed the southern plague a bit with Lila and the others. Most people generally believe it doesn’t require too much attention since its transmission and virulence are weak. The bandit tribes are already prepared, and soon Busairite will experience the first surge of bandit activity this year. Wandering desert bandits will seriously inhibit communication in Busairite, which might suppress the plague’s spread. This plague could just vanish during this period.”
“Even though this plague doesn’t have a big impact, it’s still unique to see it emerge so early relative to the active zones. After discussing it collectively, we decided to name this plague ‘BS61-1.'”
“January 20. Reports from Bugabi and Bula confirm the plague outbreak. It seems severe. Why are there so many early outbreaks this year?”
“January 21. Something seems off. The plague symptoms reported from Bugabi and Bula seem to match those from the southern villages. Could the plague have spread successfully over there? Unbelievable! This plague is somehow managing cross-settlement transmission during peak bandit activity, which shouldn’t match its previously exhibited contagion.”
“January 22. According to new information, conditions in the infected areas seem grim; the plague is spreading quickly. Ali has decided to organize personnel to send a missionary aid team to Bugabi and Bula. I’ll be sending Zara along to gather information firsthand.”
“January 26. Zara’s initial reports came back; the plague caused significant infections in Bugabi, with preliminary estimates of over thirty thousand infected people. The missionary aid team is organizing local quarantines and treatments.”
“According to locals, the plague came from bandits attacking the settlements. In a rare victory against the bandit attacks this year, no one let the bandits steal anything. But then, the plague broke out. The main symptom is fatigue, and the first to show symptoms were the civil defense fighters who fought closely with the bandits and those handling the bandit corpses.”
“It can be confirmed that the bandits engaging Bugabi’s civil defense unit belong to the Tumon tribe, which typically operates in the south, overlapping in activity with the earlier affected areas of BS61-1. Could this be BS61-1? Can BS61-1 transmit through brief contacts during raids? That contradicts its earlier transmission profile.”
“January 27. I re-engaged in remote discussions with Lila and the others. Cautiously, we have decided to dispatch more personnel to Bugabi and Bula while taking preventive measures in our own settlement.”
“January 28. Bastis reported its first case of infection.”
“On the same day, Zara reported from Bugabi, saying the local plague has been effectively controlled. Through efficient isolation, the trend of spread has been alleviated. Although the natural healing process is prolonged, it isn’t very difficult to treat; with extraordinary measures, healing can be done quite easily.”
“January 29. I personally observed the BS61-1 infected in Bastis, and most symptoms are almost identical to those in earlier reports.”
“January 30. For the sake of missionary work, Ali decided to let the healers in the aid team use their abilities to the fullest to quickly heal the backlog of patients, showcasing the Lord’s grace. I don’t think this is appropriate since BS61-1 has already exhibited some unusual characteristics. Its transmission power has noticeably increased from the beginning of January to now. I’ve never seen such a rapid increase. Among the many plagues that flow out of the southern miasmic jungles, this one is special. We should observe more before concluding its traits.”
“I reached an agreement with Lila and other healers in Busairite to support my objection against Ali. We think we should observe BS61-1 for a bit longer, collecting more data on its natural variations, and once we have a more complete understanding of BS61-1, then proceed with large-scale extraordinary interventions. However, Ali clearly wasn’t prepared to listen to us. He believes excessive delays will lead the public to question the Church’s capabilities, and the backlog of patients isn’t good for the Church’s image in Busairite. To Ali, while missionary work is the main goal, helping people is secondary.”
“February 1. Ali officially issued an order for the missionary aid teams in Bugabi and Bula to fully utilize extraordinary measures to heal the backlog of patients. I suggested one last time that he slow things down, but he still didn’t listen. Ever since Ali took over some of Lord Muhetar’s powers, he has become even more aggressive… Truly a master-student legacy, isn’t it? May the Lord ensure nothing goes wrong…”
“February 3. According to the intelligence from the frontlines, all BS61-1 backlog patients in Bugabi and Bula have been cured. The local plague has been declared over. Ali ordered the missionary aid team to immediately commence large-scale missionary activities, and he’s actively writing impressive reports to the Mu Fa assembly.”
“Looks like Ali is really eager for the Mu Fa assembly to recognize him, hoping to fill the power vacuum left by Muhetar and even gain promotion support to completely succeed him. He views this outbreak as an opportunity to showcase himself…”
“February 6. The large-scale missionary efforts in Bugabi and Bula have been going on for three days without signs of ending, and Ali is still sending people there to prepare for further expansion of the activities. He’s even trying to spread these activities to surrounding tribes and settlements, launching circuit missions and various large public gatherings… Ha, he’s really making the most of this opportunity, isn’t he…”
“February 7. Zara and the team have all been recalled. For the sake of healing the plague, they’re launching such a big missionary event, yet they’re not promoting the actual doctors who’re healing people? This is a bit disgusting, isn’t it, Ali? If you’re going to take credit, shouldn’t you do it properly? Well, at least this gives Zara and the others a chance to rest…”
“February 9. Something feels off. Reports of new infections have started again in Bugabi and Bula…”
“February 10. The number of infection reports is on the rise, confirming it’s BS61-1 returning! Not only are the symptoms worse, but it’s even reinfecting patients who were cured just days ago. Those who should have had resistance seem to be completely ineffective. Just as I suspected, this plague is distinctly unusual…”
“On the same day. After receiving the infection reports, Ali showed no reaction at all. I must go find him.”
“On the same day. Ali said he secretly arranged for the isolation of the patients, oh Lord… what is he doing? Can such a matter be handled secretly? We need immediate widespread screenings of other patients! This guy is attempting to conceal the second wave of infections just to keep the missionary activity running! He claims it’s merely sporadic special cases… Oh my…”
“February 11. I continue to urge Ali to immediately terminate missionary activities, restart screenings, and send Zara and the others back, but he won’t listen one bit. He says it will affect the Church’s credibility. Why does he think I’m out to get him? d*mn! Doesn’t he understand the current situation? No… I need to talk to Lila and the others immediately.”
“February 12. Lila and the others are rushing to Bastis as fast as they can. As expected, the situation in Bugabi is worsening, and it’s getting hard to cover up… Ali is starting to look noticeably anxious, yet still won’t concede to canceling the missionary work, only asking Zara and the others to return at the fastest speed.”
“February 14. BS61-1 has once again fully erupted in Bugabi and Bula, and missionary activities can’t continue. The infection is escalating rapidly.”
“February 17. Zara and the team returned to Bugabi in haste, but strangely, their efficiency in healing is dropping sharply. BS61-1 has evidently become stronger again, with significantly enhanced tolerance compared to earlier. This plague is definitely not a natural outcome from the miasmic jungles; it must have originated from a southern cult!”
“February 18. The speed at which infections are growing exceeds expectations. Due to the previously overly large scale of missionary activities, BS61-1 has vastly expanded its transmission scope, affecting not just Bugabi and Bula but also a plethora of settlements and tribes, with infections popping up in Beja and Shefu as well. Bastis is also facing enormous risk.”
“With such a large infection scale, and extravagant healing methods becoming less effective, we’re running low on healing power. I must propose to Ali to transfer other redeemers from the Light Salvation Temple in northern Busairite over here.”
“On the same day.
“Filthy, wretched dog sh*t! May your flesh be chopped and sewn into the belly of a dead camel, drenched in filth, and roasted under the blazing desert sun until it slowly rots! May your soul be forsaken by the Lord, eternally tormented in the fires of hell! No redemption for you!
“That d*mn Ali actually suspects that I’m behind the reduced healing efficiency in Bugabi, claiming I secretly commanded Zara and the others to not cooperate with him, and that I’m intentionally slacking off—it’s utterly insane!”
“It’s clear that my recent clashes with Ali have bred distrust. He now believes I’m genuinely opposing him… blaming me for the resurgence of this plague, thinking that I’m orchestrating the infections against him…”
“This guy is throwing caution to the wind just to evade responsibility. He clearly intends to take action against me… and I can’t just sit around and wait. I need to hide…”
“February 19. Ali has indeed directly ordered my arrest. Luckily, I left early.”
“February 20. Ali unilaterally declared my crimes without reporting to the Mu Fa assembly and continues the search for me in Bastis. But thankfully… Lila and the others have arrived.”
“February 21. That maniac Ali can’t remain in that position any longer, but we’ll need a plan to deal with him. Fortunately, there are quite a few people in Bastis who’ve realized he’s gone mad and are willing to help us.”
“February 22. … Time to set our plan into motion…”
“February 25. The operation was successful! That maniac will never be able to act insane on stage again. May the Lord forgive our sins; if the Mu Fa assembly holds us accountable later, I’m prepared to take full responsibility…”
“On the same day. We successfully took control of Bastis. Thankfully, apart from a few d*e-hard Ali loyalists who were executed, most of the parishioners in the city support me now. The power is in my hands, and I must act before everything becomes irretrievable. Now is the time to gather all of the Church’s Power of Redemption in Busairite to head south.”
“March 3. It’s too late… everything’s too late. The days entangled with Ali made us miss our last chance. BS61-1 is now unstoppable, and the scale of infections has become uncontrollable. All of southern Busairite is on the brink of total collapse, and many cities and settlements in the northern region have also reported infections—widespread dissemination is now inevitable.”
“March 4. All ongoing medical activities are pointless. We need to withdraw Zara and the team completely and focus our treatment resources to at least preserve Bastis.”
“March 5. Many who participated in the actions previously are unhappy about my choice to abandon everyone outside of Bastis, raising objections. I tried to explain, but it was useless. They insisted on continuing to venture out to provide aid. To prevent myself from repeating Ali’s mistakes, I had no choice but let them split off. It’s very regrettable that Lila is among those who left…”
“March 8. Surrounding Bastis has completely fallen. Even with thorough lockdowns in place, infected individuals keep appearing one after the other. Where is this plague coming from?”
“March 10. The difficulty of curing infections is gradually increasing. BS61-1… or as folks like to call it, the Plague of Exhaustion, is resisting extraordinary healing methods at an alarming rate, and our treatment costs are escalating.”
“The news from the Mu Fa assembly isn’t good; no one can help us. This can’t go on—I can’t keep pouring all my energy into healing patients. I must begin earnest research into this plague.”
“March 11. I handed over the affairs of Bastis to Zara, appointing Alima as an assistant—research officially commenced. We successfully extracted the pathogen of BS61-1, and next, we will utilize the Power of Redemption to conduct tests on it through various biological experiments…”
“March 12. Using the Power of Redemption, we’re creating specific enhancements to biological resistance while forming various extermination strategies against BS61-1, producing multiple microbial enemies targeted at BS61-1, and carrying out different extermination experiments in separate cultures…”
“March 18. In the first group of experiments, regarding the resistive capability against Strategy 1, BS61-1 showed a weak-to-strong resistant ability. After a substantial number of pathogens were eliminated by Strategy 1, rapid mutations began to occur within Group 1 of the BS61-1 population, giving rise to pathogenic variants with significant resistance to Strategy 1, which multiplied at a rapid pace, diminishing the efficacy of Strategy 1 against these new mutants.”
“Confirmed—BS61-1 has an extremely strong capacity for adaptation and mutation, capable of rapid evolution. Its evolution relates to the pressure imposed by its survival environment, and the human resistance, particularly after enhancement with the Power of Redemption, constitutes that very survival pressure. Our ongoing healing actions against BS61-1 are indeed exacerbating its evolutionary capacity.”
“March 19. The speed at which the new mutant strains proliferate is unexpectedly rapid; within half a day, the entire Group 1 culture has been replaced by these new variants—the old strains disappeared entirely…”
“On the same day. The rate of this new variant replacing the old one feels off…”
“On the same day. In conducting the second group of experiments, the BS61-1 in the second culture exhibited resistance to Strategy 1! Without any interaction, there is no difference between the BS61-1 pathogens in Group 1 and those in Group 2! There were no signs of mutation between the pathogens from the two groups! The pathogens in Group 2, without undergoing elimination by Strategy 1, displayed resistance to it, and similarly, the pathogens in Group 1 are showing gradual resistance to Strategy 2!”
“On the same day. Outside the lab, patients in Bastis are also showing similar resistance to Strategies 1 and 2 present in the laboratory…”
“March 20. An extremely unfavorable conclusion: unlike other ordinary pathogenic bodies that can diversify into numerous variants, with superior variants gradually replacing old strains through slow evolution… the BS61-1 pathogen population seems to have some kind of transcendental connection that surpasses physical limitations. Under this connection, the entire BS61-1 family forms a whole and engages in collective mutation and evolution…”
“March 21. The BS61-1 population appears to possess a communal consciousness and modest intelligence, capable of independent judgment. When a member of the population mutates a trait beneficial to their survival, the entire group collectively exhibits this trait shortly thereafter. They continuously undergo mutations, and the BS61-1 population keeps evolving.”
“Their collective mutation… their collective evolution… their collective adaptation… Even as microscopic life forms, with countless individuals, BS61-1 is a unity… They share the same ‘soul’.”
