When Austin's private jet landed back in Anambra, he expected a quiet return to his warehouse. Instead, as his car approached the gates of his facility in Onitsha, he saw a sea of angry faces.
Hundreds of people were gathered, holding signs that read: "DIVINE MEDIC IS POISON!" and "FAKE DOCTOR, REAL DEATHS!" News cameras were everywhere. Reporters were shouting into microphones about "unconfirmed reports" of people falling into comas after using the Divine Glow Serum.
[SYSTEM ALERT: REPUTATION UNDER ATTACK!]
[SOURCE: PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE INITIATED BY SHADOW MEDICINE.]
[ADVICE: DO NOT RETREAT. TRUTH IS THE ONLY CURE.]
Austin stepped out of the car. His security team tried to push the crowd back, but Austin held up his hand. "Let them speak," he said calmly.
A woman ran forward, weeping. She held a young girl in her arms whose face was covered in a terrifying purple rash. "You did this!" the woman screamed. "My daughter used your serum, and now she's burning up! You're a murderer!"
Austin looked at the girl. His Eyes of Truth scanned her instantly.
[DIAGNOSIS: ARTIFICIAL TOXIN INDUCED BY 'SHADOW GAS'.]
[QUALITY: 0% - PURE POISON.]
[REMARK: THIS WAS NOT CAUSED BY THE SERUM. IT WAS PLANTED.]
Austin looked into the crowd and spotted a man in a doctor's lab coat—but he wasn't a local doctor. He was holding a small, silver device that was leaking a faint, invisible mist.
"Everyone, listen to me!" Austin's voice boomed, amplified by the System's energy. "This child was not poisoned by my serum. She is being poisoned right now, by that man standing in the third row!"
The crowd turned. The man in the lab coat tried to run, but Austin threw a Golden Needle with pinpoint accuracy. It didn't hit the man; it struck the silver device in his hand, causing it to explode in a cloud of purple smoke.
"That is the toxin," Austin pointed. "He is spreading it to make you believe my medicine is the cause. He is a 'Shadow Medic' working for people who want you to stay sick so they can stay rich!"
Austin walked over to the weeping mother. He placed his hand on the little girl's forehead.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: DIVINE PURIFICATION.]
[ENERGY EXPENDED: 40 SP.]
A wave of gold light washed over the girl. The purple rash faded in seconds. She opened her eyes and smiled. "Mommy? I feel better now."
The crowd went silent. Then, a roar of cheers erupted. The angry signs were dropped and trampled underfoot.
[MISSION COMPLETE: REPUTATION RESTORED!]
[REWARD: 3,000 EXP, ACCESS TO 'DIVINE ARMORY' - WEAPONS GRADE MEDICINE.]
[LEVEL UP: LEVEL 6 REACHED!]
The "doctor" who had been caught was dragged away by the police. But Austin knew this was just the first wave. Dr. Vane and Sarah Miller weren't just trying to kill him—they were trying to kill his brand.
He looked at the news cameras. "To the people watching in Lagos, Abuja, and around the world: My medicine is the truth. And the truth cannot be poisoned."