Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Seliana Smithy, Andrew brought Von Lycaon directly to the experimental workbench.
Although he hadn't yet seen exactly what had happened, the severely shattered small isolation chambers unmistakably indicated the severity of the incident.
Von Lycaon instantly understood that this matter was absolutely not as simple as he had initially thought.
He couldn't help but turn his head to look at Andrew beside him.
Facing Von Lycaon's questioning gaze, Andrew didn't hide anything. Without any ambiguity, he directly placed the data and photographs recorded during the repeated experiments right in front of Von Lycaon.
Subsequently, he spoke up:
"Although my main purpose was to verify whether the vaccine I have on hand has any effect on this mutated Frenzy Virus, the results are as you can see—it has absolutely no effect whatsoever."
At this point, Andrew shrugged somewhat helplessly before continuing,
"So, there's no harm if you just treat this as a report on the symptoms that appear after a virus infection."
Von Lycaon, meanwhile, silently flipped through the mutation symptom report Andrew had recorded.
But as he flipped further back, and saw that the results of every single experiment were virtually identical, he became increasingly alarmed.
This was especially true when he saw the final line strikingly written:
Currently, aside from relying on formidable willpower and frenzied combat to forcefully overcome it, there is no method to alleviate it.
Looking at this line, Von Lycaon couldn't help but look up. Staring at Andrew with utmost solemnity, he asked,
"Esteemed Manager, could this virus be..."
Although Von Lycaon didn't finish the rest of his sentence, Andrew understood exactly what he wanted to ask.
Immediately, he nodded and affirmed with certainty,
"That's right. This thing is the main culprit that caused Nineveh to undergo such an incredibly anomalous mutation. It could also be considered the greatest hidden danger currently lurking within the entirety of New Eridu."
Of course, if this was merely the pure Frenzy Virus, Andrew wouldn't have treated it with such high alert.
After all, even if it was completely incurable without a vaccine after infection, the threat it posed still wouldn't reach the level of becoming New Eridu's greatest hidden danger.
What Andrew said next was the true reason why he took it so seriously—to the point where he essentially asked Belle to search for a rift for his return journey the moment he got back.
Looking at the frowning, contemplative Von Lycaon before him, Andrew said very seriously,
"Based on my understanding of this virus's nature, for the infection to reach this degree without the source ever getting close to Nineveh... there must definitely be artificial factors behind it."
"Moreover, to be able to bypass the Defense Force's informants without leaving a single trace—that's something that only an organization could achieve, at the very least."
At first, without conclusive evidence, Andrew hadn't dared to make any hasty judgments.
But during the intercept battle and the fight against Nineveh, Andrew felt that the likelihood of this speculation was growing larger and larger.
And in the end, the appearance of the nearly fully developed Gore Magala hidden within Nineveh's body thoroughly confirmed the theory he had formed in his mind.
Because for a new Gore Magala to be born, an embryo could only be formed by injecting an extremely concentrated seed of the Frenzy Virus.
This was absolutely not something that could form in a short period of time through an airborne infection.
After all, if it had truly grown this slowly and gradually spread across Nineveh's body, the Defense Force should have discovered it long ago.
But the intelligence from the Defense Force that Andrew had previously obtained at the Scott Outpost stated very clearly:
It was precisely during a short observation interval of just a few hours that Nineveh suddenly exhibited anomalous movements and the mutation symptoms of a Frenzy Virus infection.
That was exactly why the entire Defense Force had been caught so off guard.
Therefore, all other possibilities had already been ruled out by Andrew.
And after eliminating every other possibility, this seemingly most impossible conclusion had to be the final truth.
The Frenzy Virus on Nineveh had been actively planted by someone intentionally and methodically.
And this was precisely why Andrew attached so much importance to this matter.
A pure virus was indeed nothing to be overly afraid of.
Even without a viable vaccine on hand, once the transmission route was known, its harm could be vastly minimized through quarantine.
At the end of the day, it couldn't leave the Hollows anyway; if they couldn't afford to provoke it, they could at least afford to hide from it.
But a virus that not only lacked a cure but was also being artificially and deliberately spread by an unknown organization... that was a massive fucking problem.
This was absolutely not a situation that could be prevented by ordinary quarantine.
If the opposing party used this to instigate another incident similar to Nineveh within the Hollows, the current New Eridu wouldn't even have any good countermeasures at all.
Meanwhile, because of Andrew's words, Von Lycaon instantly realized exactly how immense a threat this matter posed to New Eridu.
Immediately, carrying a trace of anticipation, he couldn't help but ask,
"Esteemed Manager, may I ask if you discovered any intelligence regarding that organization behind the scenes during the previous intercept battle?"
Unfortunately, Von Lycaon's expectations were destined to fall flat this time.
Facing Von Lycaon's pressing question, Andrew carefully recalled the events for a moment before simply shaking his head and saying somewhat helplessly,
"This organization is very careful. Moreover, when the rampaging Nineveh was moving, it had long since destroyed all traces in its surroundings, resulting in the Scoutflies being completely unable to track them via any tracks."
"So, after my investigation, I at least didn't find any valuable intelligence."
"Is that so... What a tremendous pity indeed."
Hearing that Andrew didn't have any further intelligence either, Von Lycaon couldn't help but feel a sliver of disappointment.
However, he quickly pulled himself together.
Compared to remaining completely ignorant and only reactively mounting a countermeasure when the mastermind hiding behind the scenes finally revealed themselves...
Now, having received Andrew's warning to conduct targeted investigations and preventative measures in advance, the situation was already vastly better.
"In that case, I roughly understand your needs."
Based on what Andrew had explained earlier, Von Lycaon had a certain hypothesis regarding the assistance Andrew required. He spoke with full confidence,
"Esteemed Manager, you must be hoping that we can help you investigate the true identity of this mastermind hidden within New Eridu, as well as help you find a scholar capable of developing a vaccine against this mutated Frenzy Virus, yes?"
Listening to Von Lycaon's analysis, Andrew couldn't help but sigh in admiration, thinking to himself that Von Lycaon truly lived up to his position as a shot-caller in an organization directly under The Mayor's command.
Even under the circumstance of asymmetric information, he was actually able to guess almost perfectly.
However, Andrew had no intention of hiding anything.
In response to Von Lycaon's guess, Andrew merely shook his head and said,
"Although you're very close, you got the second part wrong."
"I don't need you to help find a scholar who can develop a vaccine against this mutated Frenzy Virus. Instead, I'm looking for a scholar who can achieve mass production of the existing vaccine at the fastest possible speed."
"Oh?!"
Hearing this, Von Lycaon was instantly quite surprised. He immediately spoke up in utmost astonishment,
"Please forgive my lack of perception, I hadn't realized that you were also a scholar, Esteemed Manager?! Or could it be that you actually already have a sufficiently reliable scholar candidate within New Eridu?"
In a flash, the social circle that Andrew had displayed in New Eridu thus far flashed across Von Lycaon's mind.
But there didn't seem to be any information regarding a sufficiently reliable scholar among them.
Could it be... that Mr. Meow-Da, the feline Thiren who had only recently appeared yet acted incredibly familiar with Mr. Andrew?
Upon hearing this, Andrew instantly realized that Von Lycaon had misunderstood.
Immediately shaking his head, to prevent Von Lycaon from making wild guesses, Andrew continued to explain earnestly,
"No, no, no. I don't know any sufficiently reliable scholars in New Eridu, and I myself am most definitely an absolute meathead."
"Then...?"
Hearing this, Von Lycaon instantly furrowed his brows in slight confusion.
Without giving him the time to ask the questions in his heart, Andrew took the initiative to continue speaking.
"Therefore, I plan to take a trip back to find a scholar who can absolutely produce a vaccine against the mutated Frenzy Virus at the fastest possible speed."
"Did you say... go back?!"
The moment he heard this, even Von Lycaon—whose composure was usually impeccable and who could remain completely unfazed no matter what happened—couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:
"Just where... are you going back to?"
Everyone in New Eridu knew that the land beneath their feet was humanity's final isolated city, and also humanity's last hope.
Yet Andrew actually said he wanted to go back to find a scholar?!
The underlying information and possibilities contained within that statement completely exceeded Von Lycaon's imagination.
Having completely anticipated Von Lycaon's reaction, and having already prepared for his subsequent actions, Andrew frankly continued:
"Other people might not be able to find out, but you, who were once assigned by The Mayor to investigate me, couldn't possibly have failed to find out, right?"
Andrew tilted his head slightly. Looking straight into Von Lycaon's eyes, he said seriously,
"The fact that before that specific point in time less than four months ago, I had never appeared in New Eridu."
The unspoken understanding between the two—or rather, the unspoken understanding between Andrew and The Mayor—was actively brought to light by Andrew, yet Andrew didn't show the slightest intention of placing blame.
After all, Andrew knew very clearly.
When the leader of a place discovered a person with immense strength and unclear motives suddenly appearing within the city, conducting a secret investigation on them was an incredibly normal thing to do.
Rather, the fact that they merely investigated in secret, and even actively provided assistance before his stance was fully confirmed, already demonstrated their friendly attitude.
And of course, Andrew bringing this matter up now wasn't to hold them accountable, but to explain.
He stated with absolute candor,
"I am someone who transmigrated here from another world due to an accident. And this time, I am going to return to seek the help of my former scholar companions for research."
In response to what Andrew said, Von Lycaon merely remained silent for a moment before nodding with utmost seriousness.
Almost without hesitation, he believed Andrew's words.
Aside from his trust in Andrew as a person, it was more so that if the truth really was as Andrew said, all the previously unreasonable aspects suddenly made perfect sense.
However, after accepting this point, Von Lycaon inevitably developed another worry:
"Esteemed Manager, if that organization acts while you have returned to your original world..."
Hearing this, Andrew instantly understood what Von Lycaon was worried about, and thus immediately spoke up,
"Don't worry. During the previous experiments, I've already confirmed that this virus dust will completely dissipate very quickly outside of a Hollow."
The previous experiments had already allowed Andrew to figure out some basic information regarding the mutated Frenzy Virus.
And this was also one of the main reasons why he dared to return to the Monster Hunter world.
Immediately, he continued,
"Based on the dissipation speed I recorded earlier, even if the highest concentration of the Frenzy Virus appears outside of a Hollow, it will completely dissipate in just a few short seconds."
"Although enclosed spaces can slightly delay it, it's merely a delay of a few more seconds.
The reason why the white mice exhibited such obvious infection symptoms was simply because their physical constitution is just far too weak."
"If replaced with humans, the effect would actually be vastly reduced.
So, at least according to the current situation, the Frenzy Virus cannot exist independently outside of a Hollow."
As for how Andrew was able to preserve all these individual portions of Frenzy Virus materials, one could only attribute it to the divine power of the system.
In fact, the reason why the effect in the laboratory was so potent earlier was partially due to this aspect as well.
Subsequently, Andrew added,
"To prevent any anomalies from occurring in the Hollows during this period, I will also leave my partner, Meow-Da, here."
"With its strength, even if those guys really make a move and actively infect another Ethereal on Nineveh's level again, there won't be any problems."
But at this point, Andrew couldn't help but pause for a brief moment before continuing,
"It's just that without Meow-Da's support this time, bloodshed and sacrifices will be unavoidable."
Hearing this, and realizing that Andrew wasn't completely unprepared, Von Lycaon instantly relaxed a bit. Nodding, he said to Andrew,
"In that case, please wait a moment while I contact The Mayor."
Von Lycaon was very clear.
Although his relationship with Andrew was already quite good, that wasn't the reason why Andrew was formally telling him this.
And the true purpose of Andrew explicitly confessing this matter to him right now was never purely just to let him know.
Rather, his learning of this matter was just a byproduct.
Andrew's true objective was to have him act as an intermediary and a bridge, in order to relay this matter to The Mayor backing him.
Von Lycaon clearly understood this point, yet he didn't feel any dissatisfaction.
Being able to act as the middleman between the two was actually a manifestation of both Andrew and The Mayor being willing to trust him.
Thus, upon receiving Andrew's approval, he completely openly dialed The Mayor's private line right in front of Andrew.
And The Mayor on the other end of the phone had similarly clearly been waiting for quite some time.
After Von Lycaon's call went out, almost the instant it rang, it was actively picked up by The Mayor.
____
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