Chapter 233: The Biological Network

Kilian and Aaron quickly loaded the controller into one of the military vehicles. A black sack had already been pulled over the man’s head while Patrick administered the highest safe dosage of sedative his body could tolerate.

It wasn’t enough to suppress the parasite itself, but it would keep the controller unconscious for the next few hours and, hopefully, prevent him from interfering before they reached Cinders of Dusk.

Watching the truck disappear through the camp gate, Gideon and Patrick finally returned to the containment tent.

The aftermath was just as chaotic.

Several corpses of infected civilians were being carried away by Freebound’s members while nurses hurried to clean the blood that stained the frozen ground and the overturned furniture.

The smell of iron still lingered inside the tent, making the atmosphere even heavier than before.

The civilians who remained inside the containment cages had completely calmed down.

They stood or sat quietly, staring at the bloodied tent with pale faces and frightened eyes.

Judging from their expressions, most of them had no idea what had just happened.

Gideon could hear their whispers clearly. His hearing had long surpassed that of an ordinary human.

"What’s happening?"

"Oh my God... Look at all that blood."

"They’re... they’re going to kill us, aren’t they?"

The whispers spread from one containment cage to another. Fear quickly turned into panic as more people began asking the same questions, their voices growing louder with every passing second.

Before the situation could escalate, Jade stepped inside the tent.

The conversations immediately died down.

She slowly walked toward the containment cages, stopping where everyone could see her. There was no panic on her face, only the calm authority that had led Climber Rift for years.

"You don’t need to be afraid," she said, her voice firm yet gentle enough to soothe the frightened civilians. "No one here is going to end up like those people as long as you continue cooperating with us."

Her gaze slowly swept across every containment cage before she continued.

"What happened today was our failure, and for that, I’m truly sorry."

A few people lowered their heads while others quietly listened.

"My team is working together with Greenwarden and White Veil to find a treatment for all of you. Until then, you’ll remain here where we can keep everyone safe."

She paused briefly before adding another reassurance.

"If you wish to contact your family, we’ll allow you to write letters. My people will inspect them first before sending them, but we’ll make sure they reach their destination."

The atmosphere gradually relaxed.

Shoulders that had been tense moments ago slowly dropped, and several people finally let out relieved sighs. The fear hadn’t disappeared, but it was no longer spiraling out of control.

One elderly woman carefully stepped closer to the bars of her containment.

"Pathmadre..."

Her frail voice trembled.

"I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I couldn’t control my own body... I kept hearing voices..." Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. "I’m scared."

She swallowed before continuing.

"But... I trust you. You’ve protected this settlement for more than five years. You’ve always been a better leader than most faction chiefs I’ve met."

Her hands tightened around the metal bars.

"So... please... Don’t abandon us."

Jade gave a slow nod.

"We won’t. We’ll do everything we can to treat you. Until then, keep fighting those voices and don’t give up. We’ll keep making progress, and when it’s safe, every one of you will go home."

The elderly woman quietly nodded before stepping back.

The rest of the civilians gradually settled down as well, some returning to their beds while others simply sat in silence, no longer looking at the guards with fear.

Gideon watched everything without saying a word.

It was a good approach.

Jade never made promises she couldn’t fulfill. Instead, she acknowledged her failure, explained what they were doing, and gave the civilians something tangible to hold on to.

’I need to learn from her,’ he thought. ’These people trust her enough to calm down with just a few words. At least... for now.’

***

The temporary staff room inside the containment tent was noticeably quieter than the chaos outside.

A folding table occupied the center of the room, cluttered with maps, patient reports, and several blood samples Patrick had collected from both the infected civilians and the captured controller.

Through the canvas walls, muffled voices and hurried footsteps still echoed across the containment camp as Freebound’s members continued restoring order.

Patrick carefully removed his bloodstained gloves before washing his hands in the basin placed against one corner of the tent.

Jade closed the entrance behind them, making sure no one would interrupt their discussion.

Only then did Gideon break the silence.

"The controller knew who I was. Not just my face, but my position as well. He called me ’Chief’ the moment he saw me and even tried to convince me to join them."

Jade settled onto the folding chair across from him.

"Well, you are the one who captured him. Isn’t it possible he overheard someone mentioning you? Aaron and Kilian aren’t exactly known for keeping their voices down whenever they’re together."

"It crossed my mind," Gideon admitted. "But that doesn’t explain the way he looked at me. It wasn’t the expression of someone recognizing a name he had overheard. It was as if he had been expecting me from the very beginning."

He paused, recalling the encounter inside the tent.

"And there was something else. He wasn’t fighting like the infected we’ve dealt with before. He wasn’t relying on brute force or psychic abilities alone."

"He adapted to Aaron and Kilian’s movements, created openings, and even manipulated their positioning against each other. He is turning smart."

Patrick slowly dried his hands before turning toward them.

"So you believe the parasite is capable of sharing information between its hosts."

"I think it’s possible," Gideon replied. "We already know the parasite can influence the human nervous system and alter behavior. If it can transmit commands, there’s no reason to rule out the possibility that it can also transmit memories or information gathered by others infected."

Jade frowned. "If that’s true, then this entire containment camp has become one giant intelligence network. Every infected we keep alive could be gathering information for the parasite without us even realizing it."

Patrick remained silent for a moment, thoughtfully rubbing his chin.

"...It actually aligns with one of Arthur’s research notes."

Both Gideon and Jade looked at him.

"Arthur documented about the parasitic ant queen. All of us in the room should already read it."

Patrick walked toward the table and flipped through a stack of documents until he found Arthur’s notebook.

Jade folded her arms. "And you think Leon used the same principle?"

"Yes, if he is also the one who engineered the parasite in the queen ant, which is likely."

Patrick placed the notebook on the table and tapped it.

"If Leon managed to engineer a parasite capable of integrating itself into the human nervous system while borrowing the communication mechanism of a mycelial network, then every infected individual would become another node within a much larger biological system."

Gideon narrowed his eyes. "So instead of individual parasites communicating with each other..."

"...they’re all connected to the same network," Patrick finished. "The information doesn’t necessarily travel from one infected to another. It simply becomes accessible to every parasite connected to that system."

The implications settled over the room.

Jade was the first to break the silence.

"If that’s the case, fighting them will become increasingly difficult. Every battle teaches the parasite something new. It won’t continue making the same mistakes forever."

Patrick nodded. "Exactly. Their movements will become more coordinated as the network accumulates information. Eventually, they’ll begin adapting to our tactics instead of merely reacting to them."

Gideon stared at the book. He read it once, still remembers it clearly, and now everything makes sense.

"Then a network this large can’t simply exist on its own."

Patrick looked at him, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"That’s the conclusion I arrived at as well. Every biological network requires something that maintains it. If our hypothesis correct, then this parasite should also possess a central biological nexus."

Jade raised an eyebrow. "You mean a hive mind."

"Something similar," Patrick replied. "Perhaps not a queen in the biological sense, but certainly a central host responsible for synchronizing the network. If that host exists, destroying it could collapse the entire information-sharing system."

Gideon’s eyes slowly widened as the pieces finally came together.

"So instead of hunting every infected, we identify the center of the network," he finished. "Destroy the hive mind, sever the connection, and every infected becomes isolated."

"Precisely."

Patrick’s smile grew slightly.

"Of course, this is still only a hypothesis. We don’t have enough evidence to conclude that’s truly how the parasite functions."

He reached for another stack of papers before pulling out a neatly organized list.

"In the meantime, I’d like to begin testing several antiparasitic and antifungal medications. If the parasite is still in its early developmental stage inside some of the patients, we may be able to interrupt the infection before it fully integrates with the nervous system."

He handed the document to Gideon.

"I’ve listed every medication I want to test, along with the equipment we’ll need. An MRI machine would be especially valuable. If we can observe how the parasite develops inside the brain over time, we’ll gain a much clearer understanding of what we’re dealing with."

Gideon accepted the papers and glanced over the list.

"I’ll make the arrangements as soon as possible."

He folded the document and slipped it into his bag before looking back at Patrick.

"I also need to examine the controller as quickly as possible. Once you’re finished here, come to the territory."

Patrick gave a small nod.

"Of course, Chief. I’ll brief my assistants and make sure they can continue the work here while I conduct the first round of experiments with the controller."