Chapter 27: Apex Mutation (The Fungal Factor)
The news feed showing the banner **"GLOBAL ANIMAL MUTATIONS ACCELERATING"** was instantly amplified by the holographic **Earth**. The jovial atmosphere of the break vanished.
Carter stared at the screen. "Oh shit, Earth! What did I do now?"
*"My initial analysis was incomplete,"* **Earth** admitted, its voice stripped of its earlier, digital amusement, returning to its most serious tone. *"I was focused on the immediate physiological impact on humans at birth. The true vector of change is the **biosphere** itself, specifically the **plant kingdom**."*
The holograms surrounding Carter and Yolanda switched from staffing schedules to microscopic biological models.
*"The massive influx of mana did not just settle in the atmosphere; it saturated the soil and water tables,"* Earth explained. *"Plants, lacking a complex central nervous system or core, absorb and process this energy passively. They have become **mana batteries**."*
Earth projected a high-speed video of a patch of common grass, which visibly pulsed with energy, growing at an impossible rate.
*"The Mana-infused flora is being consumed by the herbivore population,"* Earth continued. *"This is not a sudden, dramatic genetic shift like Amina's. It is **subtle, metabolic loading**—like an elemental diet. The changes are first appearing in animals with high rates of reproduction and high caloric intake."*
The news feed cut to footage of a remote ranch in Montana where cattle were displaying impossible feats of strength and aggression, their horns glowing faintly green—an **Earth Magic** manifestation. Simultaneously, reports from the Pacific showed schools of fish moving with preternatural speed, their scales shimmering blue—**Water Magic**.
"So it's not random," Carter realized, connecting the dots. "The plants are taking on the elemental affinities of the land they grow in, and the animals are inheriting those affinities by eating them."
*"Precisely,"* Earth confirmed. *"The animal kingdom is experiencing a rapid, uncontrolled elemental evolution based on the mana concentration of their local food chain. This is not a human problem; it is an **ecological crisis**."*
Yolanda, watching the terrifying footage of the glowing cattle, felt a wave of nausea. "If it's the plants, then everything is contaminated. Our food, our produce... the air."
*"The level of mana in the air is harmless to non-magical humans,"* Earth assured her. *"But the food chain is now a magical delivery system. And it is accelerating the timeline."*
### Immediate Operational Shift
Carter pounded his fist on the table, the adrenaline overriding his fatigue. "The Academy is too slow. We're building a shelter while the whole world is turning into a magical zoo."
*"The focus shifts immediately from long-term education to **Immediate Containment and Threat Analysis**,"* Earth dictated. *"The Fortress Foundation is no longer just a school; it is a global crisis management hub. We must introduce Colonel Vance and the top security candidates to the true nature of the threat now, not later."*
"They'll run," Carter warned. "When they realize they have to fight glowing cattle, they'll bail."
*"They will not,"* Earth contradicted. *"Their profiles indicate a strong financial incentive and a deep-seated desire to protect order. We will offer them an impossible tool to combat an impossible enemy. They will stay."*
Carter looked at Yolanda, whose fear had transformed into a fierce, protective focus. She was already thinking like a Director.
"I need to get Amina into a full sensory shield," Yolanda insisted. "If the food is contaminated, we need to guarantee that everything we feed her and every child who comes here is entirely sterile and vetted."
*"A sound logistical priority,"* Earth praised. *"We will immediately begin construction of a completely independent, magically sealed **Biosphere Unit** beneath the Academy to grow our own food. Yolanda, that falls under your jurisdiction."*
Carter stood, snapping back into CEO mode. "Earth, get Colonel Vance and his security team back into this room. We are moving the 7:00 a.m. meeting up. It's time they understood what they're truly securing."
He looked at the news feed, which was now showing reports of a massive, black shape flying over the Canadian wilderness.
"This is not a clean, academic mission anymore," Carter said, a grim resolve settling over him. "It's a war for the planet's ecosystem. And we just hired the cooks."
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