Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 450: Vaccine

Chapter 450: Vaccine

Vlad immediately sent a signal, causing his battalions to halt their advance. The warriors, who had been moving steadily forward moments before, froze in place at his silent command. He stood at the forefront of the formation, his gaze fixed on the distant swarm of mosquitoes that hovered in a loose cloud. Although he was worried, it was not as if he and Overlord had not prepared for a situation like this. The armor his warriors wore had been designed to isolate gases and prevent the bite of even the smallest insect. Yet, even that might not be enough in the grand scheme of things. The hive mind was endlessly resourceful, and Vlad needed to be careful.

He wasted no time and dashed forward toward the swarm of mosquitoes at full speed. It did not take him long to approach the insect’s cloud; as soon as the mosquitoes detected his presence, they scattered in all directions.

Vlad’s eyes narrowed. The movements of the mosquitoes were not random; it was clear that the hive mind understood these small creatures posed no real threat to him. Instead of wasting them in a futile attempt at harming him, the hive mind was trying to preserve the biomass. Dispersing the mosquitoes ensured that at least some portion of these units would survive.

Without hesitation, Vlad made his move. He dashed forward again, focusing his efforts on one particular mosquito unit that he managed to catch mid-flight. His hand shot out like lightning, grasping the tiny Levithan creature with a grip so precise that it could neither escape nor be instantly crushed. With his other hand, Vlad summoned demonic flames. A massive burst of hellish fire erupted in every direction, consuming a significant portion of the mosquitoes that had attempted to flee.

After that, he tightened his grip on the captured mosquito, holding it firmly for closer examination.

"A.I. Chip, scan it. I want to learn the nature of this thing and its purpose," Vlad commanded in a calm, measured tone. A faint beep echoed in his mind as the A.I. Chip acknowledged his command.

[Beep! Scanning target.]

The robotic voice of the A.I. Chip echoed in Vlad’s mind. Moments passed as the invisible sensors did their work, analyzing the creature at a microscopic level.

[Beep! Levithan unit carries a virus]

Immediately, Vlad’s heart sank. The possibility that the hive mind had managed to engineer a new virus capable of harming the human race so quickly filled him with dread. Yet the A.I. Chip was not done.

[Beep! The virus seems to be designed to neutralize the Levithan Virus and immunize those yet infected.]

Relief flooded Vlad’s senses. Instead of a new, more devastating plague targeting humans, this was a vaccine intended to save the Levithan forces themselves from the effects of the Levithan Virus.

"So it is just a vaccine," Vlad muttered to himself. This turn of events was both comforting and troubling. The Levithan Virus, which had been meant to weaken the enemy, had indeed wreaked havoc among their ranks. But now, the hive mind had engineered a solution in less than a week.

Now that the initial wave of panic had faded, Vlad was able to relax and understood that it made sense that the human mind only managed to develop a vaccine and not a fully fledged virus. Creating something entirely new was difficult, but countering an existing threat could be achieved much faster, especially for an adaptive hive mind. Overlord created the Levithan Virus after months of computational effort. It would have been too much if the hive mind managed something similar in just a week.

Focusing once more, Vlad used the A.I. Chip to send a message to all the higher-ups and generals in the army: "There is a new Levithan unit with the form of a mosquito in the battle. It carried a vaccine against the Levithan Virus. Expect the Levithan resistance to be stronger from now on."

"Ahhhh, the Levithan Virus was supposed to last three weeks, but we only got one," Anglius’s voice echoed over the open channel. Frustration was evident.

"It is unfortunate but not something unexpected. We all know just how ingenious and resourceful the hive mind is," came Jormguanr’s voice. They had all prepared for adversity, expecting the hive mind to find a way around the obstacles placed before it.

"It might not have been what we expected, but still, we managed to gain immensely during these last couple of days. We are about to dominate the Ztan Country," Freya chimed in, her voice carrying a note of optimism that cut through the tension. The Levithan Virus had not lasted as long as hoped but had done tremendous damage. They had gained ground and inflicted colossal losses on the enemy.

Vlad could not help but smile. The fact that everyone maintained their fighting spirit, sharp focus, and undiminished will despite the bad news reinforced his confidence in them.

"It is important we speed our movement," Vlad said to his generals. "Even if immense, the Levithan forces around this area must still be very weak, and the drones should have perished. We must set them on fire, so the hive mind cannot even think about reusing their biomass."

"Yes, my King."

"Will do."

"Yes, Master."

Vlad gazed to the south of the Ztan Country, where the influence of the Levithan Virus had spread. Now that the hive mind had a vaccine, it would undoubtedly try to stabilize its forces. The window of opportunity was small. Yet instead of pushing directly south, Vlad turned his attention east toward the Jerar Country. The Jerar Country shared a border with the Wendy Country, where the heart of the Levithan Race was located. Since the virus permeated the Ztan Country, its effects had also spread to neighboring lands.

"I will march into the Jerar Country," Vlad said through the A.I. Chip, making sure all his generals heard him. "All of you, make sure to clean the Ztan Country and reach the border with our full power."

Then he dashed back to his troops and raised his voice. "March. Into the Jerar Country. At full speed!"

"Yes, Sir!" came the unified roar of hundreds of thousands of troops. Their collective voice boomed across the landscape.

Their energy exploded outward as they surged forward at more than fifty kilometers per hour, a breakneck speed for such a large force, possible only through their extraordinary training and enhancements.