Chapter 36: Chapter 36

Chapter 36 "The border’s a mess because of that lab," Paul sighed, frustration clear in his voice. "Everyone’s afraid of getting infected. It’s pure chaos out there."

The lab’s doctors were all foreigners, but Professor Erk stood out as the most renowned. He was a true expert in the field.

Danielle opened the needle pack and pulled out the silver needles. She needed to do acupuncture on the men at Fortress first, to slow the virus down before she could focus on creating the antidote.

One by one, she inserted the needles into the patients, working through their acupoint. After a while, the men lying in bed started to feel relief. The pain eased, the itching subsided, and their bodies seemed to relax.

"Paul, you need to do this every six hours," Danielle instructed. "Use the same acupoints I showed you. I’m going to the lab to work on the antidote."

Acupuncture was only a temporary solution. To really stop the virus, she had to develop the antidote.

She wrote down the herbs she needed and handed the list to her subordinates, sending them out to gather them.

Meanwhile, at the military command center.

Inside the conference room, Garrett sat at the head of the table, his face serious. "I’m sure you’ve all heard about the chaos at the border. The higher-

ups are taking this very seriously."

"Sir, the border unrest is linked to a sudden lab that’s been studying the IV2 virus, which is highly contagious. Many people have already been infected, and they’ve captured innocent civilians for human experiments." Elliot, who had briefly met Danielle, reported, having struggled to gather intel due to the chaos at the border.

"Sir," Justin from the Tiger Assault Squad added, "Major Darling’s report matches what we’ve found. Three main factions are controlling the border:

Hades Fortress, Shadow Fortress, and Wulf Clan. Recently, Hades and Shadow have been active there, and getting in will be tough."

"Sir, even though these three factions control most of the area, they don’t get along. We could use this opportunity to wipe them out," Maximus, leader of the Hawk Assault Squad, suggested.

Justin frowned. "It’s not that simple, Maximus. If it were, the border would’ve been cleared already. These guys have the latest weapons, and we still don’t even know where the lab is."

Maximus scoffed, "You’re scared, Justin. Hawk Assault Squad doesn’t back down from a fight."

Justin rolled his eyes. "You’re all brawn and no brains. Use your head for once."

"What did you just say?" Maximus stood up, ready for a confrontation.

"Enough!" Elliot’s voice rang out, cutting through the tension. As the leader of the Dragon Assault Squad, he had the authority to bring order. "If you’re going to argue, get out."

Luke, the quiet leader of the Lion Assault Squad, spoke calmly, "Our team reported that Shadow entered the border, but their plane was bombed on arrival. Shadow retaliated, taking out the attackers. It’s unclear whether it was Hades or Wulf Clan, but only they could’ve done it."

"It sounds like they’re already turning on each other," Justin observed. "War’s coming soon. Why not push things along?"

Luke agreed. "I’m with Justin on this one."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get to fighting!" Maximus stood, eager for action.

Justin gave him a disapproving look. "You’re all muscle and no brain. Do you ever stop to think before you act?"

Maximus’ face reddened. "You’re dead, Justin. I’m going to settle this with you." Elliot rubbed his temples, exhausted. "Enough! We’re not here to bicker. Our first mission is to locate the lab and rescue the hostages."

Garrett listened carefully to the reports, his expression stern. "They’ve taken Professor Erk hostage. This mission is about more than just rescuing the hostages-we need to get him out too. He’s a biologist, and he’s crucial to our efforts."

"Sir, let us handle this. We’ll get it done," Maximus said confidently.

"Sir, Tiger Assault Squad has the brains to get this done. We’ll handle it," Justin responded.

"Sir, we’re ready for combat," Luke added.

"Sir, I recommend all four Assault Squads combine for this mission. We can’t bring too many-it would be too obvious. Each squad leader should pick two of their best men." Elliot proposed, understanding that no single squad could handle this mission on their own.

Garrett nodded. "I agree with Elliot. This mission will be a joint operation between all four Assault Squads, and Major Darling will be in charge. You’ll all work with him and follow his lead. Understood?"

"Understood, sir," Elliot, Justin, Maximus, and Luke said in unison.

Danielle gathered the herbs she needed and went to the lab. She’d already figured out the antidote for the virus; she just had to turn it into pills. After a few hours, she had the antidote ready.

Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David)

Chapter 35 She quickly distributed the antidote to her subordinates and had the infected men take it. She’d made enough to give to everyone, even the uninfected, to prevent further contamination.

There was still a lot to be done.

The infected men started feeling better soon after taking the antidote. The itching stopped, the pain eased, and their fevers went down.

The men, now laughing in relief, couldn’t believe the transformation. After days of suffering, they were finally feeling like themselves again.

"I feel better! No more pain."

"Me too! The itching’s gone."

"My fever’s gone down too."

"Same here, same here!"