Chapter 96: An Unexpected Discovery

Zhang Xingmin had not yet had the chance to extend an invitation to Andreas when he suddenly noticed that something seemed amiss with the water the latter was drinking. Andreas had just uncapped a bottle of mineral water and was about to take a sip when Zhang Xingmin seized it from him. He blinked in surprise. How could this man named Daxin be perfectly normal one moment and suddenly act so strangely?

Julia perceived the tension and inquired anxiously, "Is there an issue?"

"Examine the batch number on this bottle of water. Isn't it from the counterfeit batch?" Zhang Xingmin thrust the vessel toward Julia, urging her to verify it herself.

Julia had assisted in tracing the path of the tainted water previously and retained clear recollections of certain product batch codes. She accepted the mineral water bottle from Zhang Xingmin's grasp, scanned it rapidly in her mind, and confirmed that it indeed belonged to one of the problematic batches.

Learning that Andreas had consumed the contaminated water, Julia asked with visible alarm, "Where did this water originate? How long have you been drinking it?"

Observing the wary expressions on his sister's and Daxin's faces, perceptive Andreas immediately grasped the situation. He retorted, "Do you believe this water is problematic?"

Julia nodded gravely. "This forms part of the tainted water responsible for the global epidemic."

"But I've consumed nothing but this mineral water!" Andreas exclaimed in bewilderment. Given Julia's claim of its danger, he wondered how prolonged consumption had yielded no adverse effects.

Julia and Zhang Xingmin exchanged puzzled glances at the surrounding empty bottles. With daylight fading, they deferred further inquiry until morning, consulting the physician. Julia's resolve appeared unshakable; the staff's negligence in serving Andreas the tainted water left no room for easy forgiveness. When she was absent, even minor lapses warranted severe scrutiny.

After exchanging a few final pleasantries, the gathering dispersed. They retired early in preparation for the significant matters awaiting them the following day.

The next morning arrived with all rising at dawn to assemble promptly at the square. The European reception staff had changed, and Julia remained absent due to other commitments.

Originally, after Julia discerned the tainted water's issue the previous evening, she had lain awake through the night. Early that morning she visited the relevant authorities to seek details, only transferring the escort duties for the Chinese delegation to another party. Leadership of the team mattered little, as the inspection's core objectives remained unaffected. Soon afterward, personnel from the European Medical Academy arrived to extend their welcome to the Chinese visitors.

The European representatives first outlined the epidemic's local progression. Since its initial outbreak in Jinling City, the super bacterium's spread, though not overwhelmingly contagious, had accelerated globally thanks to natural calamities and human interference, encompassing Europe as well. Existing hormonal and antibiotic treatments proved ineffective against this pathogen, compelling medical staff to observe helplessly as infection rates climbed and victims succumbed to agony.

Despite maximal efforts comparable to those in China, European medical institutions proved powerless before the super bacterium's relentless assault...

The initial breakthrough came unexpectedly from individuals entirely unconnected to medicine, an outcome that stunned all present.

Roughly two and a half months prior, local police and industrial authorities had been investigating and eliminating the tainted water shipments according to Chinese directives. To their astonishment, they discovered that beyond distributing through supermarkets to civilians and officials, the tainted stock had also reached specialized institutions—the Vienna Special Nursing Home.

Upon receiving this revelation, the authorities acted swiftly. They first scrutinized procurement personnel, probing for misconduct or bribes during the acquisition. More critically, they needed to confirm whether any residents of the nursing home had ingested the contaminated water.

Recent treatments revealed that the transformed mermaids exhibited profound changes in vitality. Even robust youths like Andreas now appeared frail, unable to recover from the prior destructive trials.

Confronted anew with the water crisis, they feared these unfortunate souls might not endure. What astonished observers was that, unlike outsiders, the mermaids who had drunk the tainted water displayed neither illness symptoms nor premonitory signs.

Upon receiving the physicians' test reports, the research center's professors initially disbelieved the findings. A consensus held that mermaids' immune systems were inherently more fragile than humans'; they succumbed to viruses and bacteria harmless to ordinary constitutions. The super bacterium, which overwhelmed even human defenses, should certainly overwhelm delicate mermaids!

They suspected fabrication: the doctors had concocted reports certifying the mermaids' wellness to shield corrupt parties. Undoubtedly, illicit dealings lurked here.

Yet when the professors personally examined the mermaids' health, they confirmed the physicians' accuracy. The data spoke truth—these mermaids remained untouched by the super bacterium. Might their constitutions prove less fragile than assumed?

This intuition proved correct. The mermaid transformation experiment, integral to the shadowy "Deification Plan," yielded beings without gender distinctions, resolving long-standing societal inequities between male and female rights. Their reproductive capacities and overall health improved markedly, alleviating issues like declining birth rates and intractable maladies.

European Medical Academy experts remained unaware of these broader implications. Through extended testing, they isolated the epidemic's ineffectiveness against mermaids: their immune systems released phagocytic cells that eradicated the bacteria with ease, akin to humans neutralizing common cold viruses. Additionally, mermaids produced a unique protein exerting an irreversible influence on disrupting the super bacterium's operations.

When the nursing center staff relayed this explanation to Julia, she rejected it outright. Even absent mortal peril, distributing problematic water by quota to the mermaids constituted a perilous and irresponsible act.

Facing Julia's unrelenting insistence, the staff could only summon Andreas to intervene and pacify her.

Andreas had yet to arrive when Zhang Xingmin's inspection team crossed paths with him. From a distance, Daxin spotted Julia engaged in heated argument with the staff. He hastened over to learn the details.