Chapter 711: The Prince

In the back garden of the Fourth Infectious Disease Hospital in San Francisco, America, Alex Lachen lay on the lawn in a protective suit, his body empty and weak, his eyes staring at the sky with a hint of despair.

"Alex! What are you still lying there for? What time is it? Hurry up!"

It was the supervisor's voice, filled with extreme dissatisfaction.

Alex frowned, then forced himself to get up from the lawn. Even as he did so, he felt a bursting pain in his chest, his breathing heavy and extremely difficult.

But Alex still forced himself to stand and followed his colleagues to the hospital morgue. His job now was to work with his colleagues to transport the bodies there to the crematorium two kilometers away for cremation.

Because too many people died every day, and all the freezers in the morgue of the Fourth Infectious Disease Hospital were completely full, this work was very heavy.

Alex needed to follow the hearse on ten round trips between the two places, transporting no fewer than two hundred bodies.

But the pay was high, eight hundred gold shields a day—a sum that even most American gold-collar workers couldn't earn, but it was equivalent to what he used to make in half a month.

In this time when the economy had almost completely stopped, except for some closed factories still producing and the service industry nearly shut down, it was especially rare.

But today, for some reason, Alex couldn't muster any strength. After barely moving seven bodies with his colleagues, he suddenly felt dizzy. Then everything went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Alex? Damn it, what are you doing? The body fell on the ground; the employer will curse me out."

"Mr. Lachen, are you okay? He seems to be in shock. Call a doctor quickly."

"Before the doctor arrives, I think we should take off his mask and let him breathe. It's not convenient here; let's move him outside?"

Alex soon felt a bit relieved, because his gas mask was removed. But at that moment, Alex vaguely sensed his colleagues retreating in panic.

"Black spots, black spots—this guy has the plague!"

"When did this happen? Why didn't he get checked?"

"Black Death, shit! Shit! I had dinner with him in the cafeteria the day before yesterday."

"It should be fine, right? I remember he was wearing a half-mask at the time, and I even laughed at him for being too careful."

By then, a doctor had arrived and was examining him. Alex felt panicked; he reached out his hand, trying to grab something, but he couldn't move at all and grasped nothing.

At that moment, he saw a huge figure appear before him, looking at him with a fatherly gaze.

The figure was completely decayed, with pus oozing from some places. But Alex didn't find it disgusting at that moment, because the appearance of this 'father' filled him with warmth.

"Don't despair, child. You should learn to coexist with them. Life is equal and precious—"

The voice was vague, but it gradually made the pain in his body disappear. Just as Alex wanted to listen more intently to this voice, another equally warm hand grabbed his wrist.

"Don't listen, child. That is Chaos. Listening to his words can indeed spare you from the plague, but it will also turn you into a monster oozing pus."

It was an old man's voice, seemingly a pastor: "I sense your despair. Afraid of death? No, it's not for yourself. Is it for your family? Let me guess—you're an illegal immigrant, no health insurance, right? You're afraid of being sent to the ward?"

Alex was momentarily stunned, and the huge figure before him gradually dissipated.

"Child, you really should learn about the government's policies, or watch TV. Otherwise, talking more with your colleagues would also do. Our Church of Destiny announced two months ago that we would provide free medical care to all those without health insurance during the plague and called on the rich to donate. Trust me, the church will cover your medical expenses. All you have to do is fight the plague and survive strong—"

"He's probably not worried about insurance, Pastor."

This voice belonged to one of Alex's colleagues, but Alex didn't even know his name.

"I guess he's afraid of being deported, and his family is probably in a tough spot. I noticed that every day when he eats in the cafeteria, he packs half of it to take home."

"Then there's even less to worry about, child."

The pastor chuckled: "So you really should watch the news. Two days ago, Speaker of the House Dwight Payton proposed a bill. Once passed, all illegal immigrants who recover from the disease can get a five-year temporary residence permit in America. After that, illegal immigrants who comply with health regulations and report to the doctor promptly after infection can also obtain this right. Mr. Payton is a friend of the Lord in the mortal world, and the bill's passage is 100% certain. I have to say, though you are very selfish, you are a lucky guy."

Alex's spirits lifted halfway through the speech, and the despair that had filled his heart suddenly vanished without a trace.

Although he was just an illegal immigrant who didn't follow current events, he knew what kind of person the current Speaker of the House, Dwight Payton, was.

He believed this must be the will of the Lord of Destiny. Alex had heard that the great deity often used this man's hand to pass bills beneficial to the public.

"Now, tell me your family's names and address. They might also be infected. So, sir, you really are a selfish person—"

※※※※

"So far, we have monitored a total of 467 mutant genes."

While the war to eradicate the Blood Feast Maggots was raging in the Dark World and the Middle East, and the mortal world of the Light World was in deep trouble due to the massive plague outbreak,

on the 28th floor of the Magic Tower in Destiny Town, the atmosphere was also heavy.

"We have detected that these mutant viruses usually change due to the original host's intense emotional fluctuations. The more desperate they are, the higher the chance of mutation. That is clearly the power of Nurgle; He is using people's emotions to alter the virus's structure."

"Fortunately, the surviving mutant Yersinia pestis strains have not undergone fundamental changes. They still belong to the same group and are within the scope of the vaccines we have developed."

Athena rubbed her temples: "But our luck won't always hold, right?"

She knew that viruses, the simplest members of life, have their genetic codes or genomes mostly concentrated on nucleic acid chains, making them highly unstable. Any change in these nucleic acid chains can affect the traits of their offspring.

Thus, the genome of a virus is by no means static during its replication; it constantly undergoes spontaneous mutations.

And in a single infection, a virus particle replicates millions of times, creating an incredibly high chance of mutation.

Although most mutations may lead to the virus's death, the few that survive can cause changes in the virus's group.

And Nurgle's power is clearly driving these changes in a more harmful direction.

"Luck—"

Li Mochen glanced at Athena, then smiled bitterly to himself.

In fact, if not for his Wish spell preventing it and his 'Divine Cloud Spirit Fortune Purple Gold Pagoda' suppressing it, this mutation would have already occurred.

And now, the merit energy on the pagoda is being consumed fiercely every moment, already showing signs of being unable to keep up.

"We still have to rely on our priests." Prometheus sighed softly: "It's best to avoid patients developing too strong a sense of despair before death. Of course, policies must also keep up. According to my avatar's visits among the mortals, most of them are not truly afraid of death, but for other reasons."

"But now, besides the doctors, His Majesty's priests are the most hardworking group. Since the outbreak, most of them haven't had a proper rest. Due to frequent contact with patients, their infection risk is high, making it very dangerous."

Bismarck smiled bitterly: "This can't go on. I suggest using sedatives before patients die; it can effectively calm their emotions."

"That's a method, but it's inhumane and will cause controversy and dissatisfaction, possibly even leading to larger-scale panic."

Athena shook her head: "Unless absolutely necessary, we must never use this method. However, I've recently had an idea: to use the power of Lucifer and the Hellish Demon Gods. I myself and the Hindsight God can also provide some help."

Li Mochen immediately raised an eyebrow: "Are you confident?"

He roughly knew what help Athena and Epimetheus could provide—the Goddess of Wisdom and the Hindsight God could slow down people's thinking, making them dull. When people become dull, they can't think about all sorts of things.

And several demon gods led by Lucifer had similar effects.

For example, Beelzebub, Lord of Sloth, could make people lazy, too lazy to think; the arrogant Lucifer could make people proud—they would think, 'What is the plague virus? It's just trash; let's keep HAPPY, throw a party!' Beelzebub of Gluttony could make people hungry, too hungry to think normally, and so on—

"If you agree, I will do my best."

Athena's face was cold and stern: "No matter what, we have to hold out until the specific drug is developed."

Compared to the highly variable vaccine, she was more hopeful about the specific drug. The virus could mutate, but as long as it was still Yersinia pestis, its mechanism of harm and toxicity to the human body would be hard to change fundamentally.

"Then I'll leave this matter to you." Li Mochen didn't hesitate: "I'll have Isis cooperate with you and give you the utmost convenience."

Although Athena's strategy wasn't entirely aboveboard and violated morality, its effects should be quite good, and the aftermath minimal.

The current situation left them no choice. To prevent a greater disaster, they had to stop the power of the Chaos Gods from growing further in this world.

Li Mochen had even prepared to use any means necessary to control the situation if it worsened.

But for now, things were still okay. Their vaccine and specific drug still had a high chance of being developed before the virus mutated.

"Now there's another problem: in the Dark World, the spread of the epidemic is a bit fast."

Prometheus reported the new situation: "The environment there is more suitable for the virus to thrive, so the infection rate is already quite high. Fortunately, the personnel entering the Dark World generally have strong physiques and resistance, and their psychological quality is also good. For now, morale is still stable."

"Then let's leave it for now, but we must pay attention to strengthening medical resources there."

Li Mochen knew that if the mortality rate became too high, even a well-trained army would collapse: "Also, pay attention to epidemic prevention on each starship. These will be our core strength in the future; they must not have problems. As long as we get through this period—"

Li Mochen looked at his assistant, Eliza Targaryen: "Tell us about the progress of our Life Defense Plan."

"This plan has made significant progress."

At this moment, Alyssa was not only actually holding the position of 'Secretary' in the Divine Kingdom of Destiny, but also controlled and coordinated its military-industrial production.

The colonization suit from Plan A has been designed; it can defend against viruses once implanted into the human body. However, our bioscientists do not advocate large-scale普及 because Nurgle's interference with various organisms is growing stronger. And this colonization suit designed for ordinary people, due to cost considerations, has a relatively weak autonomous system. If they mutate under Nurgle's influence, it could lead to a biochemical disaster.

Then there's Plan B, led by Light Demon Industries, a protective suit made primarily of high-strength carbon fiber combined with ceramics and high-strength alloy. It can isolate over 99% of pathogens while ensuring human comfort and cleanliness, granting ordinary people a certain degree of defense and combat capability. Currently, Light Demon Industries has designed three versions, all with excellent performance.

After saying this, Alyssa spread her hands: 'But even the cheapest version with extremely weak defense costs over 43,000 gold shields. However, Prince Anthony believes the cost can be significantly reduced on the current basis; he is personally overseeing this plan, and it is expected to be lowered to 17,000 gold shields.'

This so-called Life Defense Plan is essentially about completely isolating humans from the outside world, cutting off the path of Nurgle's contamination.

'17,000 gold shields. Considering daily replacement and maintenance, each person needs at least three sets—'

Bismarck couldn't help rubbing his forehead: 'Currently, only some developed regions in the Bright World can afford it, right? With nearly 120 billion people worldwide, that's an investment of 6,000 trillion gold shields.'

'But this is the most feasible plan at present. If it can truly defend against Nurgle, then 6,000 trillion is not unacceptable.'

Diana smiled: 'And Prince Bismarck, you haven't considered future inflation. The industrial capacity of the Bright World is expected to explode, and civilian wealth will greatly increase. This is good news—at least it provides a safety net.'

'The problem is time.' The God of Strategy, Garcia Ferrin, frowned: '360 billion protective suits—how long will it take to produce them? A hundred years? Or two hundred?'

He knew that the production conditions for this high-strength carbon fiber were extremely苛刻, and currently, the Destiny Alliance was a major consumer of high-strength carbon fiber for warships and armor.

'This is actually secondary, Garcia. The key is public morale. As long as the product is available, it can effectively reduce public anxiety.'

Prometheus smiled: 'If all else fails, there's still the current medical protective suit, the cheapest at only 12 gold shields. Of course, it doesn't allow for unimpeded work, life, or combat, and it's very uncomfortable, but with slight improvements, safety can still be guaranteed to some extent.'

'Let's forget the medical protective suit.'

The God of Medicine, Patrick, shook his head: 'According to the latest feedback, it may not effectively defend against the plague. In some areas with poor sanitation, many medical staff have already been infected, with a rate as high as 7%. I was actually about to report this—the current protective suits must be improved. And their costs will inevitably rise.'

Prometheus was slightly taken aback; this was something he hadn't been aware of.

'Then Plan B is even more imperative.'

Bismarck sighed slightly: 'Prince Prometheus is right; this is indeed the most feasible plan at present. I can now push the government to conduct small-scale procurement, first普及 among all medical staff. Of course, Prince Anthony also needs to continue compressing costs and must尽快 develop methods for mass production.'

'Then let's do it quickly.' Li Mochen's expression relaxed: 'So our situation isn't really that bad.'

※※※※

After everyone left, Li Mochen pondered for a while, then returned to the top floor of the magic tower.

Recently, he hadn't devoted all his energy to vaccine and drug research, because he knew this approach treated symptoms, not the root cause. And even the protective suit Anthony was researching couldn't completely stop 'Nurgle'.

To contend with this Chaos Lord, one ultimately had to rely on divine authority.

So in these past few months, Li Mochen had expended a great deal of merit and divine power to elevate the divine authority of 'Immunity' to the ultimate level.

This was a natural progression. Previously, Li Mochen had spent considerable effort studying 'Immunity', but the divine authority never advanced. It wasn't until the recent virus outbreak, when humanity's desperate need for 'health' and 'immunity' surged, that Li Mochen finally crossed the ultimate threshold.

But compared to Nurgle's creation-level 'Life' and 'Plague', it was still fragile.

Li Mochen could only hope to contend with them if he truly elevated 'Fate' and 'Time' to the level of truth.

He was indeed no match for them in viruses and plagues, but if he possessed the truth 'Fate', he could even, with the help of the Divine Firmament Spirit Fortune Purple-Gold Tower, forcefully travel back in time under the gaze of the Four Chaos Gods and solve the problem directly from the source. He could lay the groundwork for the extinction of viruses at the genetic level, or prevent dangerous mutations from occurring.

This was the true hope for the Heavenly Mandate Pantheon and the Bright World to escape the contamination of the Four Chaos Gods.

Li Mochen dared not slacken in the slightest; he had almost abandoned all unnecessary or secondary affairs to concentrate on the study of Fate.

This journey to the outer realms had greatly shortened the time he needed to master the truth of Fate. Now, what Li Mochen had to do was to continue compressing and elevating on this foundation, so that day would come as early as possible.

However, there was one thing he had to do: the time jump every half month. Since obtaining the eighth wisp of Meritorious Purple Qi, Li Mochen's ability to travel back in time had greatly evolved. He consumed less vital energy, and the time he could stay in the past far exceeded before.

But unlike three years ago, Li Mochen no longer delved deep into the ancient eras. His time travel now mostly stayed in recent times, especially after he became the Root Controller of this world and integrated that large protocore.

The reason for this was to guide the generation of 'Source Matter'.

The growth and expansion of the world's origin would inevitably lead to the generation of more 'Source Matter', which in the East was called 'Xuanhuang Two Qi'.

This was also an excellent opportunity to enhance the strength of Li Mochen and the entire pantheon.

However, the process of generating 'Source Matter', its location and nature, were chaotic and difficult to control. In this regard, if Li Mochen had not already mastered Fate, Time, and the ultimate 'Causality', even as the Root Controller, he would have few options.

But Li Mochen could not only use his root authority to guide it slightly but also travel back in time to continuously make fine adjustments by leveraging the situation.

With the 'present' situation as a reference, Li Mochen was gradually improving his understanding of the generation trajectory and context of these Source Matters, increasing his control over them.

This time, when Li Mochen traveled back again and arrived at a certain deep layer of the earth's core, his eyes involuntarily showed intense joy and anticipation.

※※※※

At the same time, in the boundless Star Realm, in a void shrouded by immeasurable light, countless warships were gathering.

"Look, this is the final outcome of the Radiant Divine Path—"

The Fifth Prince of the Stellar Empire, Gene-Primarch 'Space Wolf' Leman Russ, stood with his hands behind his back in the void, his eyes mocking as he gazed at the great world that was burning fiercely, its heat felt even fifty star-distances away.

"You are generalizing from a single example, Johnson!"

Six other figures stood beside him: 'Dark Angel' El'Johnson, 'Imperial Fist' Rogal Dorn, 'Blood Angel' Sanguinius, 'Emperor's Child' Fulgrim, 'Iron Hand' Ferrus Manus, and 'White Scar' Jaghatai.

The latter was a Gene-Primarch who grew up among nomadic peoples. In the past, after the Terran Emperor rose to power, he created twenty Gene-Primarchs based on his own flesh and blood genes to forge his invincible Star Realm Legions.

But due to the interference of Chaos forces, these twenty Gene-Primarchs were scattered across the myriad worlds at birth. They grew up in their respective worlds and were eventually retrieved one by one by the Emperor.

And 'White Scar' Jaghatai Khan, in a world dominated by nomadic civilization, became the king of all tribes, the Great Khan revered by the entire world.

He said dismissively: "The reason the Light God of this world fell to this state is merely that after losing the war with the Luther Pantheon, he was severely injured and unable to control his own power. This is not a problem with the Radiant Divine Path itself."

"But if its power were not so overbearing, unable to tolerate other radiances, how could it have ultimately failed?"

'Space Wolf' Leman Russ still spoke with sarcasm: "I recall that the god-king of the Luther Pantheon had a divine rank of only twenty? As a God Above Gods, losing to a God King is truly disgraceful."

'Imperial Fist' Rogal Dorn also nodded: "The essence of this power is light, but the path is actually very dark. As far as I know, no Light God in this era has reached the Creation level."

'Emperor's Child' Fulgrim sneered: "So Horus chose the unity of light and darkness—a clever choice. But the problem now is that he seems to have lost the ability to integrate his own avatars."

"This is the power of Chaos," said 'Blood Angel' Sanguinius solemnly. "They laid the groundwork long ago and will not allow Horus to smoothly become a God Above Gods."

In fact, every one of them present faced this problem.

Each of the Emperor's twenty Gene-Primarchs was extremely powerful; with the Emperor's genes as their blueprint, they all had the potential to touch the authority of Creation. Thus, any one of them becoming a God Above Gods would put heavy pressure on the forces of 'Chaos'.

The problem was that when they were born, the Chaos forces, in scattering them across the lands, had already left traces in their minds.

This had always troubled all Gene-Primarchs; without resolving this, it was difficult to step onto the rank of God Above Gods.

"Enough! I gathered you here not to discuss the prospects of the Radiant Divine Path."

'Dark Angel' El'Johnson waved his hand slightly, interrupting their discussion.

As the Second Prince and Vice-Commander of the Terran Empire's Star Realm Legions, he held authority and power surpassing many other princes present.

"According to the latest intelligence, the Heavenly Mandate Lord of the Twin Worlds has once again thwarted the schemes of the Chaos Gods. Now, some of our enemies in the Star Realm, seeing his prospects, are trying to provide him with aid."

"The Pangu Pantheon and the Asera people—only these two for now, but there are actually more forces hidden behind them! They are doing their utmost to arm the Heavenly Mandate Lord's pantheon. And the latter—"

'Space Wolf' Leman Russ said coldly: "They are growing stronger every moment!"

"So you think the time has come to attack that Twin World?"

'Emperor's Child' Fulgrim had an almost feminine, delicate temperament and extremely refined features. He flicked his long hair and chuckled softly: "That little fellow, the so-called Heavenly Mandate Lord, makes you feel threatened, does he? How ridiculous!"

"But I don't think so! As far as I know, the forces of Slaanesh and Khorne are still ravaging that world. Their latest scheme was thwarted, but not crushed. And Tzeentch and Nurgle have already entered there."

This was 'Iron Hand' Ferrus Manus, standing shoulder to shoulder with Fulgrim, showing an extremely close relationship, almost like lovers.

"Now is not the time! Father is still sleeping on his throne, and the Void Network must be sorted out. Before he awakens, we cannot allow the Empire's army to enter that Twin World prematurely. Otherwise, we will confront the Four Chaos Gods head-on, and our enemies will also do their utmost to snipe us."

The so-called 'Void Network' was a void passage created by the Emperor using his authority over Time and Space, connecting all Terran territories.

Because the Terran Empire's territory was too vast, with up to 13,000 colonized planets and 1,700 large and medium-sized worlds, even though they possessed the strongest military force in the entire Star Realm, they were still beyond reach for many territories.

The Emperor had to connect territories in this way to enable rapid movement of people and troops between territories, functioning like the highway network of the Bright World.

At the same time, the forces of Chaos and the Empire's enemies were constantly eroding and attacking this 'Void Network', trying to cut off the Empire's rule over its territories.

'White Scar' Jaghatai also expressed agreement: "I think the current situation is quite good. The forces of Chaos are being suppressed by the Heavenly Mandate Lord. And that pantheon, under the interference of Chaos, will eventually become exhausted. I think it's best to stay on the sidelines for now."

"But the Heavenly Mandate Lord's own power is growing day by day; he makes me uneasy."

'Space Wolf' Leman Russ frowned: "His control over the world's origin is deeply entrenched; he could become a God Above Gods at any time! In the future, he will likely be a troublesome enemy for us."

'Blood Angel' Sanguinius said thoughtfully: "I want to know how much this gathering today is related to His Highness the 'King Without Land'?"

Everyone's gaze turned to 'Dark Angel' El'Johnson, who nodded expressionlessly: "Before this, His Highness the King Without Land did indeed make suggestions to me and expressed his concerns about the Twin World. However, our decisions need not refer to his opinions. As everyone knows, he recently suffered a setback at the hands of the Heavenly Mandate Lord. This is a disgrace to the Terran Empire, but he violated Father's admonition not to contact the Bright World. And I myself currently hold a dissenting opinion."

"The King Without Land—"

'White Scar' Jaghatai Khan snorted, expressing disdain. He did not like that merchant lord and lacked trust in him.

In his view, that 'King Without Land' was a parasite who used the Empire's prestige to continuously strengthen himself, contributing little to the Empire.

And these Terran lords were also one of the obstacles preventing them, the Gene-Primarchs, from advancing further to become Gods Above Gods; none wished to see the Emperor's power continue to grow.

Sanguinius then looked at 'Imperial Fist' Rogal Dorn: "You have directly fought with that Heavenly Mandate Lord. How did it feel?"

"His combat power is very strong; he is more of a combat type. His recent growth has been astonishing, and his talent must surpass all of us Gene-Primarchs."

But Rogal Dorn then sneered: "Yet I believe that when the Empire raises its army, he will be nothing more than an ant before a rolling chariot."

"Same feeling."

Sanguinius nodded slightly. He had also been present when Rogal Dorn fought Li Mochen, but his perception was not as direct as the former's.

"Johnson, I also do not think the Heavenly Mandate Pantheon can grow strong enough to oppose the Empire. His Majesty is using his power to transform that world, making it a territory where we can gallop freely. And before that, launching a war prematurely would only force our enemies to join hands. Those Chaos forces would rather that kid become the Supreme God than allow us to win. So now, is it six to one?"

'Space Wolf' Leman Russ frowned: "You will regret this. My intuition tells me that little fellow harbors subversive power within him. And the Wish-Granting Tower, a mythical artifact left from the previous era, likely surpasses the Truth level. His Majesty's several awakenings are related to it. This is a huge variable."

The Gene-Primarchs present looked at each other; they still had great trust in Leman Russ's intuition.

'Space Wolf', based on the Emperor's blueprint and with powerful genes derived from star beasts, had 'intuition' that had reached the level of Strong Truth.

"Not launching this war does not mean we will sit idly by regarding that world. We will keep an eye on it."

'Dark Angel' El'Johnson spoke again: "Sanguinius, what is the exact situation with Horus?"

"He has found an opportunity to become a God Above Gods, given by the Heavenly Mandate Lord."

'Blood Angel' Sanguinius's expression was somewhat complex: "The avatar he split off, the other Horus, is indeed very troublesome. The Chaos groundwork has given this Light God a strong self-will, almost becoming an independent entity. Ironically, it was precisely due to Horus's weakness that led to the rise of the Heavenly Mandate Lord and the defeat of the Chaos forces."

"But this means Horus's soul will be split. Horus cannot accept this, but he currently dares not take overly drastic measures, as it might lead to more intense, even reckless resistance from that Radiant Lord. And now, the opportunity to become a God Above Gods leaves him with no time for other concerns. The two entities in the Dark Abyss of Sin make him and his avatar feel extremely strained."

"Guess what I'm thinking?"

'Emperor's Child' Fulgrim laughed: "That Lord of Fate threw out a dog bone, and he had to obediently work for his enemy."

'White Scar' Jaghatai retorted: "Then if someone threw that dog bone to you, Fulgrim, what would you choose? To disdain it?"

"How could that be?" Fulgrim said very sincerely: "I would swallow it. Unless there is an imperial decree from Father, I would never give it up."

"Enough!"

El'Johnson, displeased, interrupted again: "Tell Horus to ensure the structure of the Twin Worlds is maintained. He descended to that world not only to obtain the opportunity to become a God Above Gods but also bears Father's mission. As the commander of all Gene-Primarchs and the twenty Star Realm Legions, this is a duty he must fulfill!"