MG - Chapter 378: Enhanced Toxin (Patreon)

Absolute Shadow hung up the phone and sat at her desk for a moment, gathering her thoughts.

This would have been difficult to arrange in the past, since the director of the Zuanka Tech Clinic held the same rank as she did.

But Derek Su was now a provincial-track champion, and ever since his debut, his presence had pushed racing technology forward. As far as Mecha Island was concerned, he had become a highly valuable asset.

That gave Absolute Shadow enough weight to make a demand this forceful.

The director of the Zuanka Tech Clinic was named Luna, and she worked under Xinyan.

Between Absolute Shadow and Derek Su, their combined influence now outweighed Luna's, so asking Luna to come meet Derek Su in person was not unreasonable.

With that thought, Absolute Shadow immediately dialed another number.

...

Derek Su did not bother lowering his voice when he stepped onto the balcony to make the call.

The healing-type Mecha Girls inside the room heard him ask to see the director as well.

They did not mock him for putting on airs, but they were not optimistic about his chances either.

Director Luna spent most of her time at the Xinyan Research Institute and was almost never free.

Getting someone that busy to come over, let alone come meet him personally, was harder than climbing to the sky. Even Derek Su's status as a provincial champion should not have been enough.

Derek Su brought Stella back into the office and sat down to wait.

The Mecha Girls made him a cup of tea, gave Stella a can of pineapple-flavored nutrient solution, then returned to their work.

Half an hour later, a vertical-takeoff fighter jet landed outside the clinic.

A tall Mecha Girl stepped out. She wore a white robe and gold-rimmed glasses, and her long, pale-purple curls looked as soft as clouds.

Derek Su glanced at her through the office's floor-to-ceiling window.

He had a feeling she was the clinic director. Armed Forces Department Mecha Girls flanked her as she stepped away from the aircraft, and the aura around her immediately set her apart from ordinary Mecha Girls.

He could not help admiring Absolute Shadow's efficiency. She had said she could bring Luna over, and she had actually done it.

The healing-type Mecha Girls in the office, meanwhile, were collectively stunned.

No way?!

Director Luna actually came?

Even the owners of top-tier clubs could not get someone like her to show up in person.

They stared at Derek Su as though he were some kind of monster.

...

A short while later, the office door opened.

Luna walked in. Her gray eyes swept across the room from behind her gold-rimmed glasses and immediately met Derek Su's gaze.

Derek Su had expected such a busy director to be somewhat aloof, but Luna instead gave him a gentle smile and spoke in a calm, soothing voice.

"You must be Mr. Derek Su, the provincial-track champion. May I ask why you wanted to see me?"

As she spoke, the healing-type Mecha Girls in the office brought over a chair for her without being asked.

Luna sat down and elegantly crossed her long legs, which were clad in black stockings. She was still holding a stack of unfinished documents, making it obvious that she had rushed over in the middle of work.

Her impeccable attitude actually made Derek Su feel a little embarrassed.

He scratched his head and pulled Stella closer. "Here's the situation. Ever since my Mecha Girl was attacked yesterday, she's been coughing, sneezing, and having a runny nose. The symptoms are almost like a human cold. Your clinic couldn't find anything wrong with her, but I'm sure this is more than simple physical weakness. I'd like you to personally examine Stella."

Luna had been about to explain that this clinic already had the most advanced medical equipment on Mecha Island. If the examination showed nothing wrong, then there should be nothing to worry about.

But then she remembered the unusual visitor who had come to the Xinyan Research Institute today: Governor Eden.

Luna and Torch had both been there. Eden said she had come to purge a toxin from her body, and the two of them entered the laboratory together.

The toxin came from a new weapon used by the Hunters, Shadow Steel. Despite being called "steel," its original form was not metal at all, but a highly toxic gas. The Void processed and compressed it into a strategic resource hard enough to be forged into weapons, and it was eventually classified as a metal for convenience.

In a sense, the name itself also helped conceal what it really was.

Trying to treat Shadow Steel with methods designed for heavy-metal poisoning or radiation exposure would obviously do nothing.

Fortunately, after the first Void invasion, Torch had already studied captured Shadow Steel from the front lines and figured out how its toxin worked. However, frontline Mecha Girls were protected by their mechs, so very few had ever been poisoned, and the toxin had no effect on humans. As a result, the detoxification method had never been made public.

Apparently, the treatment involved information that was considered too sensitive to disclose.

Any Mecha Girl who developed symptoms could simply go to Torch for treatment.

A Mecha Girl cut by a Shadow Steel weapon would be poisoned and develop symptoms resembling the human flu.

In the short term, the effects were relatively mild.

The victim would feel weak and groggy, but her life would not be in immediate danger.

Over time, however, once the toxin completely contaminated the AI Core, there would be no saving her.

While Luna was thinking, Stella suddenly sneezed three times in a row.

She rubbed her nose in frustration and wiped the "snot" away with a tissue.

Clear red streaks appeared on the tissue, darker than they had been that morning.

Luna noticed them too, and her expression changed immediately.

"Y-you said your Mecha Girl only started showing symptoms last night?"

"Right." Derek Su nodded. "I remember it clearly. It's been thirteen hours and forty-three minutes since her first sneeze."

He had not even needed to check the time.

"The toxin is spreading faster than before!" Luna shot to her feet and motioned for Stella to hand over the tissue.

Stella was embarrassed at first, but after Derek Su gently patted her head, she suppressed her shyness and handed it over.

Luna studied the "snot" with an extremely serious expression. The contrast made the whole scene look strangely absurd.

"There's circulatory fluid mixed into it. Normally, this shouldn't happen until about a month after infection."

Luna frowned, then looked toward the healing-type Mecha Girls nearby. "How many Mecha Girls at the clinic are showing symptoms similar to Stella's?"

One of them paused before quickly answering, "Thirty-seven, including Stella. Every one of them was at yesterday's Panlong Mountain Tournament. Some were spectators, some were competitors, and almost all of them were caught in the effects of the spatial collapse bombs."

"I see. That explains it." Luna struck one fist into her palm. "I'll report this to Governor Torch immediately."

She then turned to Derek Su with both apology and gratitude in her eyes. "You've been a tremendous help today. I suspect the rebel organization has made new progress in its toxin research and increased its potency. It's fortunate that you insisted on calling me here. Otherwise, I might still be completely unaware of the problem. If Mecha Girls suffered because of that, the consequences would be unforgivable."

She pressed her palms together and bowed to Derek Su.

"Is this toxin easy to treat?" Derek Su asked anxiously.

"If we catch it early, there won't be a problem. Hmm... once circulatory fluid starts appearing when a Mecha Girl coughs or has a runny nose, it becomes somewhat dangerous.

"Stella's symptoms are still in the early stage, so please don't worry."

"All right." Still shaken, Derek Su tightened his grip on Stella's hand.

This Mecha Girl named Luna gave him a very dependable impression.

For now, he chose to trust her and finally relaxed a little.

Whatever kind of toxin it was, none of that mattered as long as it could be treated.