Rou Moyu's gaze was firm as she retorted, "Tie Zhenshan, unknown doesn't mean uncontrollable.
You seem to have forgotten one thing: most of these pathogens are concentrated in Dream City, still some distance from our respective territories.
Even if they break out, they can't launch an organized attack on our territories; at most, a few stragglers will wander over, and we are perfectly capable of defeating them one by one.
Furthermore, who says an unknown threat is necessarily scarier than a known one?
The seven-striped variant in the central area is the most terrifying known entity; if it's drawn out by a nuclear explosion, even our three factions combined will not escape slaughter!
What's more, if we're talking about unknown threats, the central area is the most dangerous place.
Currently, we know of the seven-striped variant, but who can guarantee there aren't other stronger entities in the central area?
Moreover, a nuclear explosion would draw out all the zombies in the central area, and that would be a true disaster."
Upon hearing this, Mao Wudi and Tie Zhenshan's expressions changed slightly.
They both knew that a three-striped variant was already comparable to an eight-striped zombie; a seven-striped variant was an unimaginable existence.
How strong was it?
Was it comparable to the theoretical twelve-striped zombie, or did it surpass that limit?
And Rou Moyu was right; who knew how many other unknown terrifying existences were in the central area?
Once a nuclear explosion triggered a chain reaction, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Mao Wudi pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "So what do we do now? We can't just stand by and watch.
You must understand, these 1,000 pathogens are only the first batch; who knows how many more batches will follow? How many will there be?"
Rou Moyu shook her head gently, her expression solemn.
"Naturally, we won't sit idly by.
I propose that our Three Overlord Powers each dispatch elite forces to form a joint army to closely monitor Dream City.
Once an outbreak of pathogens is discovered, as long as they are isolated, we will immediately encircle and eliminate them.
No matter how many pathogens there are, their number is finite.
As long as our strategy is sound and we defeat them one by one, there will come a time when they are all eliminated.
At the same time, we must strengthen our territorial defenses to ensure absolute safety."
Rou Moyu naturally wouldn't let the two men in front of her know that she needed to capture the outbreak pathogens for antidote research and self-rescue.
However, pulling these two forces into sharing the risk of capturing the outbreak pathogens was a win-win situation.
Tie Zhenshan thought for a moment, then continued, "Theoretically, it's feasible, but don't forget, in addition to the pathogens, there are also those virus carriers infected by the pathogens; they are equally highly dangerous.
Once they turn into zombies, although their strength is inferior to the pathogens, their numbers are vast and difficult to control.
At that time, I fear we will be spread too thin and simply unable to cope."
A glint of light flashed in Rou Moyu's eyes.
She deliberately didn't mention the virus carriers infected by the pathogens, precisely to wait for Tie Zhenshan and Mao Wudi to proactively raise this crucial issue.
This way, she could pull their forces into fully researching an antidote together, which would greatly increase the probability of developing an antidote, and naturally, her chances of survival would also increase by a few points.
She had already rejected the nuclear explosion plan, and the plan to fully research an antidote could not originate from her; otherwise, these two might discover her true intentions.
Rou Moyu said in a deep voice, "Brother Tie is absolutely right; the threat of virus carriers indeed cannot be ignored.
Unfortunately, we currently have no effective means to deal with them, which is truly difficult."
Mao Wudi nodded in agreement, his brows tightly furrowed: "Since that's the case, why don't we focus all our efforts on developing detection agents and antidotes?
Only when detection agents and antidotes are available can we truly control the situation."
Hearing Mao Wudi's words, Rou Moyu secretly rejoiced; this was exactly the outcome she wanted.
On the surface, however, she feigned contemplation, slowly saying, "Brother Mao's insight is profound; the research and development of detection agents and antidotes are of utmost urgency.
We can concentrate resources, and our three major factions can join forces to establish a special research team, allocate top scientific researchers, and strive to achieve breakthroughs in the shortest possible time."
Tie Zhenshan heard this, was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "That's the only way.
I hope we can develop effective detection agents and antidotes before the pathogens fully erupt."
The Three Overlord Powers' leaders reached a consensus, deciding to act immediately, form a joint army to monitor Dream City, and simultaneously allocate scientific research power to fully develop detection agents and antidotes.
After the meeting, the three leaders returned to their respective territories and began intensive preparations.
They still didn't know that Wan Youyu, that madman, had released out-of-control pathogens on the outer edges of their territories.
Nor did they know that even newly born pathogens could rapidly enter the brink of an outbreak simply by drinking fresh blood.
On the other side, Zuo Feng once again arrived at the abandoned town, patiently waiting for Firefly's support.
The variants could sense Zuo Feng's location, so Zuo Feng wasn't worried about them not finding him.
The reason he chose the town was because Black and the little ones he brought were not like Kong Ling, Fatty, and Roly Poly, who could simply disappear into the void, undetectable by anyone.
If they were to charge directly into E-City in such a grand manner, it's estimated that Mo Wentianya and Junlin Tianxia would join forces to encircle and capture them.
Da Bai Tu had previously written to say that Black had also evolved to three stripes, and Ying'er, Tiegada, and Huo Er were also on the verge of evolution, and would all evolve to three stripes within a week at most.
After waiting for nearly an hour in the town, Zuo Feng finally clearly sensed that Black was less than ten thousand meters away from him.
Black's speed was not as fast as Kong Ling's, so it was normal for it to take nearly an hour to arrive.
Soon, Black appeared in Zuo Feng's line of sight, leading a group of little ones.
When Zuo Feng saw the two seven-striped companion beasts following behind them, he immediately gasped.
He never expected these two ceiling-level combat powers to also follow along.
If he hadn't known about these two little ones' past deeds, Zuo Feng would definitely have turned around and run; he couldn't afford to provoke seven-striped companion beasts.
However, with these two little ones present, as long as they were willing to act, subduing the variants would be a piece of cake.
After all, the newly discovered variants were only infinitely close to three stripes; facing the powerful existence of seven stripes, they were completely insignificant.
Zuo Feng took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and stepped forward to greet them.
He waved at the two little ones and greeted them, "Hello, Silky Crystal, Silky Ying, I'm Zuo Feng."
The names Silky Crystal and Silky Ying were given to these two little beasts by Firefly's girls.
Da Bai Tu had told Zuo Feng about this when she handed over the gourd vine at noon.
A hint of curiosity flashed in Silky Crystal and Silky Ying's eyes.
They understood human language, and their 'little companions' had already shared Zuo Feng's information with them, so they naturally had no hostility.
But their trust in Zuo Feng still needed time to build, mainly because Zuo Feng hadn't given them a 'meeting gift'.
They nodded slightly at Zuo Feng, acknowledging him.
Seeing this, Zuo Feng breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed they were as polite as Da Bai Tu had said.
Zuo Feng naturally didn't know that these two little beasts had been led astray by Firefly's little beasts; if he had given them a 'meeting gift', they would have been even more enthusiastic.