Chapter 535  Siege 2 

Soon, they arrived at the animal pens.

Several veterinarians from different packs had already gathered there, examining the animals and discussing the situation among themselves.

“How are the farm animals?” Addison asked directly the moment she arrived.

As soon as the veterinarians saw her, they immediately bowed in respect. But when they lifted their heads, their expressions were heavy with worry.

Seeing their troubled faces made Addison’s frown deepen.

A faint sense of dread crept into her chest as she waited for them to speak.

At the moment, Levi was still busy directing the warriors, emptying the temporary storage and loading the crops onto the carts, so he couldn’t leave his post to come check on the animal pens.

But Addison couldn’t help thinking about the situation.

’What could our enemies possibly gain from making the farm animals sick?’

At first, it seemed pointless.

But then another thought crossed her mind.

If the animals grew sick… and eventually died…

It would mean a severe loss of livestock.

For the werewolves, who were naturally carnivorous, meat was essential to maintaining their strength and vitality. Without enough meat, their muscles would weaken, their bodies would deteriorate, and their overall combat ability would decline.

And if that happened…

They might not even have the strength to defend the kingdom if enemies attacked from the borders.

As this possibility formed in her mind, Addison felt her heart grow heavier.

It was as if she had just uncovered the true reason behind the sabotage.

“Reporting to the Princess,” one of the older veterinarians began respectfully. “We have already examined all of the farm animals.”

The elderly man was the most experienced among them. Over the years, he had dealt with countless livestock diseases and outbreaks that could easily wipe out entire herds if left unchecked.

“But from what we’ve observed,” he continued, his expression grim, “the animals appear to be suffering from symptoms similar to swine flu. However, this illness is far more severe.”

Addison’s expression grew colder as she listened.

“It doesn’t only cause fever,” the veterinarian explained. “It also seems to attack their respiratory and digestive systems simultaneously, almost as if their bodies are experiencing multiple organ failure.”

He paused before continuing.

“At the moment, we still haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact cause of the disease. But based on the symptoms we’ve seen so far… it’s extremely deadly. If left untreated, the majority of the livestock could die from it.”

Mary’s face immediately turned pale.

“But,” the veterinarian added quickly, “because we discovered the symptoms early, we still have some breathing room. If we can study the illness quickly enough, we may be able to develop a treatment method with at least a forty-five percent chance of success. That might be enough to prevent the animals from dying in large numbers.”

As the elder finished speaking, Addison fell silent.

The answer to the suspicion growing in her mind now seemed to be lying right in front of her.

’So I was right…’

The enemy’s target wasn’t just the camp.

They were aiming for the livestock.

It was not only the animals.

Even the grains and vegetables they had spent so much effort gathering are also at stake.

If those resources were destroyed, it would cripple the werewolves’ food supply and weaken the entire kingdom.

But one question remained.

How did the enemy do it?

Poison?

Was it a fast-acting toxin that damaged the animals’ organs and made them collapse all at once?

Perhaps a slow-acting poison that had been secretly administered over time by the spy within their ranks, something that could be triggered now to push the camp into panic and chaos.

If everyone became distracted dealing with the crisis…

That would give the enemy the perfect opportunity to make their next move.

Either way, Addison knew she couldn’t allow the farm animals to die.

Not when their resources were already limited.

Not long ago, she had even given a portion of their livestock to Leon’s tribe, which meant the number of animals available for their own consumption had already decreased. If they lost more livestock now, it could easily lead to an insufficient food supply for the entire kingdom.

And that was something she absolutely could not allow to happen.

Taking a steady breath, Addison straightened her posture and looked at the veterinarians in front of her.

“So,” she asked seriously, “what is our action plan from here on?”

“For now,” the old veterinarian replied, “the only thing we can do is use herbal medicine to treat the symptoms we already recognize in the animals’ bodies.”

He paused briefly before continuing. “But since we still haven’t identified the root cause of the illness, this method can’t be a long-term solution. At best, it will only slow the progression of the disease.”

He let out a quiet sigh, his shoulders sagging slightly. “It’s like trying to patch a balloon that has a hole in it. Unless we find where the hole is, the air will keep leaking out no matter how many patches we apply.”

The admission carried weight.

This elderly man was the most experienced veterinarian among them, yet even he was struggling to determine the exact cause of the sickness.

Without proper tools or facilities to conduct detailed examinations, they were forced to rely on limited resources and improvised methods.

“Have you checked for poisoning yet?” Addison asked.

The moment she said that, the old veterinarian’s eyes widened slightly, as if a new possibility had suddenly dawned on him.

Until now, none of them had seriously considered that angle.

Most of the veterinarians had assumed the sickness was caused by the animals being kept in such crowded pens. With so many animals confined in a limited space, it was difficult for the caretakers to clean the area thoroughly. Over the past few days, bacteria and viruses could easily have accumulated.

And with the weather turning hotter, those microorganisms would have multiplied even faster.

In their minds, the explanation had been simple: the pens had gradually become a breeding ground for infection. Once a few animals became sick, the illness spread rapidly from one to another, especially since the animals were packed so closely together.

Given how busy everyone in the camp had been, the infection might have already grown severe before anyone noticed.

But Addison’s question changed everything.

What if the sickness they had assumed was a bacterial infection… wasn’t an infection at all?

What if it was poison?

“We’ll investigate that possibility,” the veterinarian said, nodding respectfully to Addison. “Please give us some time to cross-reference the symptoms and conduct a few small experiments.”

After saying that, he turned and walked back toward the other veterinarians. Soon, the group gathered together and began discussing this new direction in their investigation.

Addison could clearly see the shock on their faces.

Earlier, they had all come to the same conclusion that the illness was most likely caused by a bacterial infection. Considering the hot weather, the cramped conditions in the animal pens, and the overall environment of the temporary camp, the explanation had seemed perfectly reasonable.

But now that a new possibility had been raised…

They could hardly believe it.

Still, none of them dismissed the idea outright.

After all, their packs had already been attacked before. If their enemies were capable of such actions, then poisoning the livestock was not an impossible scenario.