Since the situation involved abilities, everyone instinctively turned to Lan Jin for guidance.
But with the thing still hidden and unclear, how could she know the answer? She said, "Let's see what it is first."
As the plant-type users set the professors down, the tent roof that had shot up came crashing back down with a bang.
The noise drew Captain Zhang and the others over right away. But the three patients injected with the vaccine were still tangled inside the fallen canopy, hidden from view.
When they finally struggled out, the sight made Captain Zhang clutch his own hands and stumble back, muttering nonstop, "Oh God, not this thing again."
Captain Wang echoed him, "Wasn't it supposed to be improved? Why are there still tentacles?"
Sure enough, after their bodies changed, every pore and opening had sprouted writhing tentacles.
The only difference from what happened in the Capital city base was that last time it started with animals, this time it was humans. But in the end, there wasn't really a difference. Tentacles were tentacles, and they were disgusting.
It was Captain Li's first time seeing such a scene. He and his team raised their weapons, ready for a brutal fight.
But the veterans from the Capital city base had plenty of experience. They didn't even need Ling Jiang to freeze the tentacles. Lan Jin unleashed a burst of lightning, and the creatures collapsed instantly.
Captain Li stared, dumbfounded. "Wait, that's it? It's over already?"
"Our base's ability users are really strong, especially Lan Jin. She's the strongest of us, and she didn't even use her full strength," Captain Zhang said proudly. "Come on, let's take a closer look."
Captain Zhou followed, twitching at the corners of his mouth, thinking silently: Show off all you want, just because she's powerful. But his feet didn't stop moving forward.
Lan Jin and her group reached the spot ahead of them. To prevent any surprises, Ling Jiang froze all the tentacles into a solid block of ice. When the others arrived, Lan Jin frowned. "These markings on the tentacles are exactly the same as the ones we saw back in the Capital city base. Don't tell me this vaccine is the same one as before."
The three professors quickly objected. "What do you mean by that? Are you accusing us of doing something shady? We tested it before departure, and nothing like this happened."
Lan Jin said calmly, "I didn't accuse you of anything, so no need to get defensive. Besides, before the injection, none of us here ever touched your vaccine. If something went wrong, it didn't start on our side. I'm just saying it's strange, that's all."
What really bothered her was the odd pattern on the tentacles. At first glance, they looked like stripes, but on closer inspection, they were made up of symbols, almost like a coded script. They even resembled the eye-like markings seen earlier on the mutant caterpillars. It made her suspect all these creatures came from the same organization.
She wasn't the only one who noticed. Captain Zhang and the others saw it too, and their faces darkened.
After all, no vaccine should cause the same reaction across completely different hosts. Clearly, the problem lay with the vaccine.
Lan Jin didn't argue further. She'd never wanted to be too involved in this anyway.
But just because she stepped back didn't mean Captain Zhang or Captain Zhou, who knew more of the inside story, would let it go. The mutants were gone, but now it was time to have a proper talk with the professors.
As for the vaccines, they couldn't risk using them again. Captain Li was told to notify the base.
He, however, was still in shock over Lan Jin's strength. Even after being told, he only came back to his senses when Captain Zhang nudged him. "Oh, oh, right. Got it."
…
There were only a few people injected, and once those were dealt with, the immediate danger was gone. But the fevers kept spreading. According to the latest data, one-third of the population had already fallen unconscious from fever. That was a frightening number, though still nothing compared to the government base.
At the government base, the injured were far more numerous, and now half of them had slipped into comas.
The leaders were heartbroken watching the numbers drop daily. Captain Ji looked at the few children who weren't injured or feverish and suggested, "How about this? Let me take these healthy kids to the military base. It's closer to the Capital city base, and once they're inside, it'll be safer for them."
The government base had heard rumors of several powerful ability users at the military base. Sending the children there would give them better protection if anything happened.
They agreed without hesitation, and an hour later, Captain Ji set off with the children.
Two days later, the group arrived. But seeing the massive dog standing guard over the kids, even the adults felt uneasy.
Captain Ji muttered, "Damn, you guys even have a giant dog here."
Captain Zhang chuckled. "That's Nana. He's not an ordinary dog, he's incredibly capable."
Back at the Capital city base, Nana had helped herd puppies while also undergoing strict daily training. Now he was tasked with guarding the quarantined children. The key was, he really understood human speech. When Lan Jin told him who could enter and who couldn't, he obeyed without fail. Anyone not on the list was stopped cold.
He even remembered each healthy child's face. Just two days ago, a sick kid tried sneaking in to play with a healthy friend. Nana blocked him firmly and wouldn't let him pass, guarding better than any human could.
So when the new children arrived, Nana stood firm at the entrance, refusing to let anyone in without Lan Jin's orders.
Captain Zhang sighed helplessly. "Your Nana doesn't listen to anyone but you."
Lan Jin crouched beside him and stroked his fur. "It's not just me. He smells danger, don't you, Nana?"