Chapter 1007 - 485: Strange Illness and Late-Night Crisis

Of course, even if he wasn’t studying Spells, he was most likely out hunting monsters. Besides, the Red Dragon Team’s base wasn’t close to this military camp, so there was a high probability that he was still completely unaware of this.

However...

His spiritual Perception swept around the camp, revealing an exceptionally large number of patients lying motionless. Along with this came various varying symptoms such as abnormally high fevers, vomiting, and organ bleeding.

"Do the purification Spells and healing Spells used by the Priests have no effect on them?"

Gauss couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

Supernatural Powers existed in this world. Perhaps this acute, bizarre illness would be a terrifying thing for a rural village or even a fringe town, as there likely wouldn’t be any high-level Priests present there.

But in a slightly larger city, one could always find a Priest to handle it with purification.

Under the treatment of those Divine Arts, many bacterial diseases, bizarre illnesses, or demonic powers would be dispelled, taking effect much faster than the surgeries of his previous life.

Not to mention, this was the front line; the number of Priests, from low-level to high-level, was extremely impressive.

Monroe shook his head.

"This doesn’t seem to be a disease. I suspect it might be an incredibly troublesome and strange curse.

"It’s spreading rapidly through the army.

"Because the outbreak happened so suddenly, we haven’t found the cause yet. We can only provide emergency relief to the patients to maintain their vital signs."

As he spoke, a brilliant green light full of Life Force lit up again not far away, forming a dome that covered the many unconscious patients on the surrounding beds.

That was a Tier-4 Healing Divine Skill, [Life Spirit Light]. It could grant vitality to the living beings within its range, maintaining their Life Force.

In addition to that, there were purifying auras, Healing Skills, and mass healing Spells flashing from time to time—all Divine Arts capable of restoring Life Force.

There were so many patients; Gauss could see thousands with his naked eye.

More crucially, he also saw some people being carried in, indicating that the strange illness was also breaking out outside the barrier.

This was definitely no small matter.

If mishandled, it could even become a major crisis leading to the fall of the front line.

Even if only a fraction of the personnel fainted, a significant gap in the defensive forces would appear. More troublesome was the panic it would cause; even those who were temporarily safe might worry about contracting the strange illness themselves.

Gauss finally understood why Monroe was treating this so seriously.

Not only did he dedicate all his time here, but he had also set up a powerful barrier and strictly blocked the news from spreading across the front line.

However, this blockade undoubtedly couldn’t last long. If they couldn’t quickly find the cause and quell this crisis by dawn, when the monsters launched a new round of attacks, others would soon realize the partial lack of defensive forces and deduce that something terrible was happening.

The only silver lining was that the crowd swept up by this bizarre illness was mostly ordinary soldiers and Adventurers without Profession levels. Occasionally, there were a few Level 1 Professionals, but high-level Professionals had yet to show any symptoms.

On the other hand, these people made up the vast majority. If they all fell, it would be difficult to fully defend this long border relying solely on the relatively scarce high-level Professionals.

After all, the Demon Lords of the Green Dragon Army were no pushovers either. They would naturally stall the human powerhouses to create an opportunity for their Vassal Army to drive straight into the plains. Once the defense was breached and the plains fell, the strategic space for the human defenders around Barry would be further compressed, forcing them to retreat into the forest capital.

And that was undoubtedly a situation the human higher-ups did not want to see.

No one wanted to fight a war right on their doorstep; the harm it would cause to ordinary people was too great.

"I see," Gauss blinked. "Is there anything I can do?"

Different Professions had their own specialties. As a layman in this field, he naturally chose to trust the judgment of professionals.

He hadn’t studied much about healing and purification Divine Arts. This was related to his Profession; his Profession was a Magic Envoy, not a Priest who healed the sick and saved lives.

Monroe paused.

"To be honest, Gauss, my friend, I suspect this curse or strange illness might be the doing of the Green Dragon Army. Tomorrow, they might launch a new round of attacks in coordination with this.

"It might even happen right at dawn.

"I’ve actually already reported the sudden situation here to the higher-ups. There should be new reinforcements arriving soon, not just a larger medical team, but also combat personnel and various medical resources.

"However, for the next day or two, before more support arrives, we must hold this wall.

"This place cannot fall.

"I’ve already had someone gather the soldiers, but once a large number of people assemble, I’m afraid there might be a new wave of turmoil caused by the spread of the strange illness."

Monroe rubbed his temples. Throughout the day, he hadn’t just been moving his lips to order others around; as a Level 15 Paladin, he had actively participated in all the efforts.

Yet, he hadn’t expected the cause of the illness to be so unimaginably difficult to solve. The most pressing issue had now shifted from the symptoms themselves to the potential new wave of large-scale offensives the Green Dragon Army might launch as a result.

He didn’t even need to think to know that this sudden and bizarre illness couldn’t possibly be a natural outbreak.

Even if it was truly just a coincidence, the spies planted by the Green Dragon Army within the legion might have already discovered the anomalies in the camp.

The human side had similarly planted their own eyes within the Green Dragon Army. If they were to launch an attack, they would likely receive early news passed back by their inside contacts soon enough.

"I understand."

Gauss immediately realized the severity of the situation.

The absence of a massive amount of low-end forces forced those who could still move to take on more defensive tasks.

Some might say that a loss of only a few thousand people wouldn’t have much impact on the overall situation.

But this number of sick people was only the current situation. Once the war broke out, the disease would likely spread further among the crowd. By then, a significant portion of Bottom Adventurers and soldiers would lose their mobility.

Moreover, to maintain the lives of those patients, they had to allocate a large number of Priests and medical personnel, which in itself brought enormous trouble to the remaining garrison forces.

Normally in battle, if Adventurers and soldiers were injured and there was a Priest nearby to provide treatment, minor injuries could be quickly healed, allowing them to return to the fight immediately. Even severe injuries, once treated, could be prevented from worsening, greatly increasing the survival rate on the battlefield.

These were the sources of confidence for the frontline combatants.

Once the medical personnel were missing, the combatants would inevitably become overly cautious, falling into a difficult situation of being tied down and afraid of getting hurt. The blow to their morale would be immeasurable.

All these disadvantageous conditions meant that the bloody nature of the upcoming war would be far more terrifying than before—if it truly arrived as feared...

Just as the two fell silent, a falcon was flying rapidly through the dark, ink-like night sky.

If one looked closely by the thin moonlight spilling through the gaps in the dark clouds, they could see that the falcon’s eyes were exceptionally spirited, flashing with humanized anxiety and worry.

The Druid who had transformed into the falcon was flying at the fastest speed of his life. He needed to deliver the intel he had scouted back as quickly as possible.

The Green Dragon Army had marched!

And unlike any of the previous attacks, he could sense that the forces belonging to the Jade Forest were getting serious this time.

Overwhelming numbers of Demons were pouring out in full force!

It wasn’t just the countless bottom-tier goblins; even the regular legion of the Green Dragon Army, which had been stationed motionless in the rear, had begun to move.

Below and behind the falcon, several surging "black rivers" were galloping madly across the ground!

The Jackal-Wolf People, clad in elite Leather Armor and soft armor, rode on towering wargs, launching an incredibly fierce charge toward the walls and mountains. Their steps were agile and light, leaping over the craters and rocks on the ground without slowing down in the slightest.

Behind them, the cannon fodder formations advanced neatly, interspersed with large and small Elite Squads. Even further back were giant beasts and massive siege engines lumbering forward.

Perhaps until today, few could have realized that after a few relatively peaceful days, in this seemingly tranquil night, a full-scale war would arrive so unexpectedly.