Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 241 On the Eve of Collapse

About ten minutes later, an excited yet bewildered report came from the front lines: "The rule scan wave in the Purifier deployment area is showing abnormal fluctuations!"

"The scan frequency and intensity are fluctuating irregularly!"

"The energy output of one of the large containment devices experienced a brief instability of about three percent."

"The Purifier units appear to be interfered with!"

"They paused further joint debugging and began resuming region scanning and target identification!"

"The scanning wave seemed to linger for a few seconds in the direction of that strange signal, but ultimately failed to lock onto us!"

""

Did it work? !

Although the effect was weak and short-lived, it did interfere with the purifier!

A brief cheer erupted in the study room, but it quickly subsided.

Everyone knows this is only temporary.

With the Purifiers' technological prowess and logical reasoning abilities, they can quickly analyze and eliminate this interference.

But at least they proved that interference is possible!

However, this bought some valuable time for the front lines!

"Immediately analyze the specific characteristics of the interference signal and the Purifiers' reaction data!" Master Veronica's eyes gleamed. "We need to optimize it and find a more stable and effective interference method!"

"Rolling, you did a great job."

"Rest and recover immediately."

Luo Lin was taken back to his residence and fell into a deep sleep with the help of medication.

He slept very soundly.

When I woke up, it was already the next morning.

Although I am still mentally exhausted, I have recovered most of my energy.

The honeysuckle seedlings were returned to the cultivation tanks, and their condition is slowly recovering.

Duden brought the latest news.

"After experiencing the anomaly for about two hours, the Purifier seems to have adjusted the scanning and shielding parameters, and the interference effect has been greatly reduced."

"But their original joint commissioning schedule was indeed delayed."

"Based on the latest observations, it is preliminarily determined that the start time of the purification process may have been delayed by approximately twelve to twenty-four hours."

"Furthermore," Duden lowered his voice, "the internal strife within the committee is getting even worse."

"The Combat Department and the Empire believe that we have proven that the Purifiers are not uninterruptible. They demand increased investment in the development of more powerful jamming and even attack methods, and advocate taking this opportunity to launch a limited but powerful raid on the Purifier deployment sites in an attempt to destroy at least one key device."

"The research department and some senior officials strongly opposed it, believing that the success was largely due to chance and luck, and that a forced attack would be extremely risky and could completely enrage the Purifiers, leading to unpredictable consequences."

"They advocate for further research to find more fundamental solutions, such as—trying to use Moonflower or Arbitrators to establish some kind of rule-based dialogue with the Purifiers."

The disagreements, after achieving even the smallest successes, have become more acute and irreconcilable.

Luo Lin listened, understanding dawning on his mind.

This is the kind of infighting and shortsightedness that Master Veranica had previously warned him about.

When faced with a crisis beyond their own power, different factions within a large organization often make drastically different choices based on their own interests, ideologies, and fears.

These choices could drag the entire organization in an unpredictable direction, or even cause it to fall apart.

He suddenly had a clear premonition:

The Shadowraven Tower, this seemingly powerful wizarding organization, may find its inherent structure and philosophy unable to withstand the increasing pressure as it faces crises related to the Watcher's Legacy and internal conflicts in the future.

Disintegration, or at least profound restructuring, may only be a matter of time.

So, what about him?

Should we remain in this potentially turbulent system and drift along with the tide?

Or should we seek a more independent and broader path that belongs to us?

The idea became clearer than ever before.

But he knew it wasn't the right time yet.

Right now, we must focus our efforts on dealing with the threat of the Purifiers.

"Does Master Veranica have any new instructions?" Rolin asked.

"The master told you to go see her immediately after you recover," Duden said. "It seems there's a new mission regarding Moonflower and—the information the Arbitrator mentioned about other potentially benign imprinted individuals or safe houses left over from ancient experiments."

A new mission?

Luo Lin stood up.

It seems that, under the shadow of the Purifiers, another, more secretive and lengthy path of exploration has quietly begun.

And perhaps hidden on this path is the key to breaking the current deadlock, or even transcending the current situation.

In Master Veranica's study, Rowling not only received the mission to find other benign imprinted individuals or safe houses to obtain more information about ancient experiments and possible countermeasures, but also learned a shocking inside story from the master.

The faction within the committee that advocates for a military confrontation with the Purifiers, without obtaining the consent of the Master and most of the high-ranking officials, secretly contacted several radical research institutes within the Holy Tower and some hawkish generals in the Imperial military, preparing to organize a destructive experiment targeting the Purifiers' deployment sites without authorization!

The operation will take place tonight!

This operation is highly likely to ignite a full-scale conflict with the Purifiers.

Master Veranica ordered Rolin to immediately and secretly travel to the Seventh Forward Base to attempt to contact Blake's squad and the frontline commander, doing everything possible to prevent or at least delay this dangerous unauthorized operation.

Time is running out!

When Rowling woke up, the simulated daylight outside the window had just turned gray.

He sat up, supporting his still somewhat heavy forehead. A wave of soreness washed over him, but it was much better than the near-exhaustion he had felt the night before.

The lingering smell of the therapist's medicine still lingered in my nose, and the dull pain inside my body was slowly subsiding.

He looked at the culture tank on the low table beside the bed.

The silver flower seedlings stayed quietly inside, their silvery light brighter than the night before. The regular patterns on the edges of their leaves were faintly visible, and the spiritual energy they emitted was steady yet tinged with weariness.

The little one is recovering quite well.

Footsteps, deliberately kept quiet, came from outside the door. Duden pushed the door open and saw that Rowling had already sat up. He quickly walked over.

"How are you feeling? The medical department said you need to sleep until at least noon."

"Not bad." Luo Lin's voice was a little hoarse as he stretched his neck. "What's the situation outside?"

Duden's expression immediately became complex, a mixture of excitement, worry, and a hint of unease.

He pulled up a chair and sat down, lowering his voice: "The signal jamming from last night worked!"

"Although it only lasted two hours, it did disrupt the Purifiers' deployment rhythm."

"Frontline observations indicate that they have readjusted their scanning parameters, slowing down the joint commissioning process by at least twelve hours, and possibly more."

Rowling nodded; this was expected.

With that level of interference, gaining even this much time was already a stroke of luck.

"What about the committee?" he asked.

Duden's expression became even more conflicted, and he subconsciously pushed up his glasses: "It's causing a huge uproar. General Brand and Master Karen of the Combat Department believe this is a major breakthrough, proving that the Purifiers are not invincible."

"They strongly demanded that more resources be immediately allocated to the development of more powerful jamming and even offensive weapons, and—"

He paused, lowering his voice even further: "They argue that we should take advantage of the window of opportunity when the Purifiers are distracted and their attention may be diverted, and organize an elite raid with the goal of destroying at least one outer containment device."

"The reason is that passive defense will never solve the problem. We must demonstrate our determination and ability to retaliate in order to make the Purifiers think twice and even gain leverage in negotiations."

Rowling frowned.

Actively attack the Purifier's deployment point?

This idea is insane.

Not to mention the slim chance of success, if the other party is angered, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Master Veranica and Master Aldrich objected?" he asked.

"Of course I object!" Duden spoke faster. "Master Aldrich slammed his fist on the table, saying that this is gambling with the safety of the entire Scorching Hell and even the surrounding area."

"Ms. Serena also pointed out that we haven't even fully understood the principle behind that kind of interference signal, and its stability is extremely poor. The risks of taking rash action cannot be assessed."

"Most people in the research department are on their side."

"But there are also many who support General Brand," Duden sighed, "not just those in the Combat Department and the Imperial military."

.

"I've heard that several representatives of the traditional schools of thought on the committee, as well as several heads of the resource management department, are privately inclined to take more proactive action."

"They felt that the Holy Tower could not appear weak, especially in the face of the Empire."

"and----"

He hesitated for a moment, glanced at the doorway, and then continued, "Moreover, there are rumors that certain factions believe that the Purifiers have demonstrated a level of technology that is too advanced. If they could obtain something from them, even just fragments, it could be revolutionary for the future development of the Holy Tower."

"The risks are high, but the rewards are even more tempting."

Luo Lin felt a chill run down his spine.

Greed and the desire for the unknown can sometimes drive people to make risky decisions more than fear.

The organization is clearly not monolithic; differing ideologies, interests, and fears are intertwined, pushing the entire organization to a dangerous crossroads.

"What is Master Veranica's attitude now?" Rolin pressed.

"The master is still trying his best to mediate and find a balance, but the differences between the two sides are too great." Duden shook his head. "This morning's emergency meeting ended in discord."

"General Brand left looking very grim, as did Master Cullen."

As they were talking, the encrypted communication amulet on Rolin's wrist, which was directly connected to Master Veranika, suddenly became slightly warm and emitted a short, rapid fluctuation.

It was an urgent summons from Master Veranika.