Almighty God of War - Chapter 70

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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070

There was no way he could sleep in this situation.

Guyang Cheongang stayed up all night in his quarters, practicing Energy Circulation and Breath Control with the Transcendent Impermanence Divine Art.

He no longer felt fatigue even after staying up for several nights.

This was unimaginable during his sickly days.

At dawn, after finishing his qi circulation and opening his eyes, Akasha’s voice resonated in his mind.

[Doctor.]

‘Did you find a treatment method?’

[Unfortunately, the method I mentioned yesterday is difficult to use.]

‘What’s the reason?’

[I analyzed the medicinal herb data from the Life and Death Medical Classic and found components that could have direct antibacterial effects against the plague bacteria. However…]

Difficulty was evident in Akasha’s following voice.

[Most of the herbs containing those components were legendary spirit medicines like Ten Thousand Year Ginseng King, He Shou Wu, or Azure Stone Milk that cannot be obtained even with money. With natural medicinal herbs alone, we can only strengthen immunity but cannot avoid this disaster.]

‘…’

Guyang Cheongang fell silent.

They were back to square one again.

[However, it’s not that there’s no method. Instead, Doctor, you will have to endure some hardship.]

‘If we can just eradicate the plague, what does my suffering matter? What method is it?’

[Eliminating the pathogens using nanobots alone without medicinal herbs.]

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes flashed at Akasha’s answer.

‘Is that possible? What’s the principle?’

[The nanobots recognize the outer membrane proteins of the plague bacteria as antigens, then eliminate the bacteria.]

‘How do the nanobots eliminate the bacteria?’

[There are three options.]

Akasha continued in a calm voice.

[After the nanobots enter the patient’s body, there’s the photothermal method of burning with localized heat, the mechanical method of destroying cell membranes with nanobots, and the chemical method of destroying DNA with reactive oxygen species. Any of these methods will have no problem eliminating the pathogens.]

‘There must be problems with implementation, right?’

[Nanobots must be connected to your internal energy to function properly. However, the plague is occurring simultaneously across vast regions. It’s physically impossible for you to stay in all those areas and supply power to the nanobots.]

‘You must have thought of a solution too, right?’

[Yes. We create pills and embed nanobots in them. The pills serve as a medium to safely transport the nanobots.]

‘A medium…’

[When a patient swallows the pill and the nanobots penetrate the body, they can start autonomous activity using the patient’s bio-energy as a power source. We just need minimal power to maintain the nanobots until then.]

Guyang Cheongang immediately thought of a solution.

‘We create energy storage circuits in the nanobots and pre-charge them with my internal energy.’

[Correct. However, to save thousands or tens of thousands of people, we need to manufacture an enormous number of pills, and your internal energy consumption will be massive accordingly.]

‘I won’t die, right?’

Guyang Cheongang asked jokingly.

[I will not allow such a terrible situation.]

Akasha answered firmly.

‘Are there enough nanobots?’

[Not enough.]

‘How many?’

[The number of nanobots in your body is 100,000. About 30 units per pill would be sufficient.]

‘How many pills do we estimate we need to manufacture?’

[Considering the population of Jiangxi Province, we need to produce at least one million.]

‘To make one million pills, we need 30 million nanobots… There are far too few nanobots. If there was no solution for this, you wouldn’t have brought up pills in the first place, right?’

It was a statement filled with expectation and trust.

[A solution is possible, but again, your sacrifice is required.]

‘You said you wouldn’t let me die, right? Then that’s fine. What method is it?’

[Converting your cells into biological nanobots. They’re not complex nanobots like those belonging to me, but ones with simple functions only, so creating about 30 million units wouldn’t be difficult.]

Guyang Cheongang frowned.

‘My cells?’

[You absolutely will not die.]

Human cells are known to average 37 trillion in adults, or about 39 trillion including microorganisms.

The number of cells that die and are newly created daily ranges from at least 50 billion to 200 billion.

So consuming about 30 million wouldn’t be fatal.

Guyang Cheongang swallowed a sigh and said.

‘That’s enough theory. Proceed with the design using the fastest and most reliable implementation method. There are less than 60 hours left. Time is of the essence.’

[Understood, Doctor. I will now begin designing the nanobot treatment, codename Evil-Repelling Divine Pill.]

After finishing his conversation with Akasha, Guyang Cheongang stood up.

And before leaving the room, he used his internal energy to change his complexion back to a pale appearance with clear signs of illness.

He also adjusted the flow of qi to make his now robust physique appear thin and precarious as before.

Everything was preparation for the grand performance that was about to begin.

As he headed to the main hall of the main building with Elder Hwang’s support, the servants and maids who saw him held their breath.

A trembling voice flowed softly from someone’s lips.

“The Grand Young Master… has awakened!”

Even seeing the Grand Young Master they thought would die walking out on his own feet, they couldn’t believe it.

Guyang Baek and Dong Yeonhwa, along with the younger siblings who greeted Guyang Cheongang in the main hall, were so happy they nearly shed tears.

“Gang-a!”

“Elder Brother!”

“Big Brother!”

However, the joy of reunion didn’t last long.

After seating Guyang Cheongang, Guyang Baek opened his mouth with a heavy expression.

“There are rumors that a terrible epidemic, a plague, is spreading from villages about a hundred li north of Nanchang.”

His voice was loud enough for the servants and warriors outside the main hall to hear.

“What? A plague!”

Dong Yeonhwa, greatly alarmed, screamed almost like a shriek.

The faces of everyone inside and outside the main hall turned white.

The plague was that terrifying an epidemic.

Guyang Baek looked at Dong Yeonhwa, Cheongi, and Cheongcheong and said.

“Wife, take the children and leave the family estate immediately for Gilan. The Saeun Guild Master there has considerable friendship with me, so if you take my letter, he will arrange quarters for you.”

Dong Yeonhwa’s eyes shook like waves meeting a typhoon.

“Wife, we don’t know when Nanchang might be swept by the epidemic. As the head of the Guyang Family Estate, I will remain here and work with Gang-a to find a way to prevent this disaster.”

“Darling…”

Dong Yeonhwa grabbed Guyang Baek’s arm and spoke in an earnest tone.

“We can’t leave just us, abandoning Gang-a who just rose from his sickbed and you. We must immediately inform Father and seek help from Golden Tower Manor.”

Guyang Baek sighed long and continued with a stern expression.

“Sigh… Wife, we cannot trust Father-in-law. If we ask for his help, he will certainly use it as an excuse to swallow our entire family estate. I will protect our family with my own strength!”

“Darling…”

Several servants and maids inside and outside the main hall were listening to their conversation.

This had various meanings.

The conflict between the two and Dong Yeonhwa’s strong dependence on Golden Tower Manor.

Guyang Cheongang spoke to Dong Yeonhwa.

“Mother, don’t worry. When I studied medical arts at Bamboo Forest Manor, I also researched epidemics.”

“I know your medical arts are excellent, but epidemics are a different matter. They’re not something that can be handled with medical arts.”

“No. I can create medicine to prevent this plague. So please take the younger ones to a safe place for a while. We can’t keep Cheongi and Cheongcheong here, can we?”

At those words, Dong Yeonhwa nodded with tears in her eyes as if she had no choice.

She left the family estate that very day with Cheongi and Cheongcheong.

The twenty or so servants, maids, and warriors were also frightened by rumors that the plague was descending toward Nanchang and left following her.

No matter how stern Dong Hyeondo’s orders were, they could not surpass the fear of death that had arrived right before their eyes.

In less than an hour, the family estate had transformed into an empty shell where it was difficult to sense any human presence.

Only then did Elder Hwang realize the meaning of what Guyang Cheongang had said the night before, and he clicked his tongue inwardly.

“By morning, there will be no need to worry about the sentries’ eyes.”

Those words had been referring to exactly this situation.

Elder Hwang went to the secret residence with a completely at ease mind.

And he brought Du Jinseong, who had been staying there, to the family estate.

The Guyang Family Estate had become a fortress for just four people, completely free from Golden Tower Manor’s surveillance.

After seeing his family off, Guyang Baek immediately prepared to go out and meet the Namchang Prefect.

Guyang Cheongang called Elder Hwang and Du Jinseong.

“Please accompany Father as well.”

Du Jinseong asked.

“Is there something specific you want us to do?”

“Yes. While Father meets with the prefect, please spread rumors about the plague throughout all of Namchang City. Whether it’s inns, taverns, or anywhere people gather, it doesn’t matter. Only by revealing the truth can everyone prepare.”

And he handed Du Jinseong three letters he had written throughout the night.

“Two Brothers, these are to be sent to Bamboo Forest Manor, Heavenly Fragrance Tower, and the Du Family Head in Payang. Please commission them as urgent priority at the Namchang Express Bureau inside the city.”

“May I know the contents?”

“To Bamboo Forest Manor, I wrote warning of the plague’s outbreak and that I would soon send the Evil-Warding Divine Pills as treatment, asking them to do their utmost to save patients. I’m also sending Evil-Warding Divine Pills to Heavenly Fragrance Tower and the Du Family Head, but not in quantities suitable for sale, so I told them to focus entirely on defending against the plague.”

The fact that Heavenly Fragrance Tower and the Du Family Head had deep relationships with the Guyang Family Estate was still a secret that must not be known in Gangho.

That’s why, unlike Bamboo Forest Manor, he told those two places to focus only on their own defense.

Du Jinseong received the letters and bowed his head.

“Understood, Grand Young Master.”

Guyang Cheongang had also included instructions in the letters not to tell people that he was the one who created the Evil-Warding Divine Pills.

He did not want the world’s attention.

After Guyang Baek and the others left, only Guyang Cheongang remained in the training room.

Before the three returned, he completed the design of the Evil-Warding Divine Pills with Akasha—the only weapon to face humanity’s worst disaster.

If Akasha’s super-intelligence had not evolved to the third stage in Payang, it would have been impossible to complete the blueprint in such a short time.

Past noon, Guyang Baek and the others returned.

Sitting face to face in the training room, Guyang Baek’s face was filled with disappointment and anger.

“I barely managed to meet the Namchang Prefect. But that man refused to acknowledge the existence of the plague. He only showed an indifferent reaction and never gave a definitive answer that he would take active measures.”

Elder Hwang and Du Jinseong also reported the results of their assigned tasks.

“After commissioning the letters at the Namchang Express Bureau, we posted dozens of public notices about the plague everywhere and went around inns and taverns spreading rumors to people. The city is already beginning to boil with ominous rumors.”

“Well done.”

Guyang Cheongang handed the two men a new medicinal ingredient list and gave instructions.

“From now on, please buy as many of the medicinal herbs written on this list as you can obtain from the market.”

Du Jinseong received the medicinal ingredient list he handed over, then tilted his head and asked.

“Grand Young Master, are these… really the ingredients for the Evil-Warding Divine Pills?”

The list was filled with only ordinary medicinal herbs that even he, who knew little about medicine, could see were commonly available in the market.

It was hard to believe that divine pills capable of preventing the plague could be made from such things.

Guyang Cheongang smiled and answered.

“That’s right, Two Brothers. When I add a bit of my own secret technique to those ordinary medicinal herbs, the Evil-Warding Divine Pills will finally be complete.”

He could not explain nanobots to the two people before him.

Apart from it being top secret, even if Guyang Cheongang told them, it was not within the realm of understanding for people of this era.

At his confident answer, Du Jinseong no longer raised questions and nodded.

Elder Hwang also silently accepted the order.

The two men immediately went outside to obtain the medicinal herbs.

When Guyang Baek also returned to the study, leaving Guyang Cheongang alone, he asked Akasha.

‘Are the preparations finished?’

[Yes. All preparations are complete, Doctor.]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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