Following the direction Elder Miao pointed to, Xiao Lin saw Lao Li and about ten others gathered far away, looking over here but not daring to approach. About ten meters away from where Lao Li and his group stood, four young strong men faced them, presumably guarding those people.
"Elder Miao, is it just them? With so many virus carriers, is Xiao Jiu handling it all alone?" From outbreak to death took merely three to four days this time, this new mutated virus spread wider compared to the HTC4 outbreak years ago, with a startlingly short incubation period and rapid onset rate.
Elder Miao’s eyes carried countless emotions as he puffed on his pipe, then lightly uttered two words.
"Yes, if not for Xiao Jiu, there’d be no doctors left!"
After a resolute silence, Xiao Lin walked toward the crowd, followed by his driver carrying a medical kit. Without confirming the transmission method of the mutated virus, any impulsive action was suicide.
"You wait here." Xiao Lin said in an uncompromisingly calm tone to the two behind him after putting on protective clothing made of special material.
"Yes, sir!" No one dared to speak further under Xiao Lin’s intimidating gaze, looking at one another worriedly, guarding attentively; this wasn’t a joke, losing this crucial person was a responsibility they couldn’t afford.
"Young man, maybe you should ask Xiao Jiu to help make you a simple protective suit first?" Watching as Xiao Lin approached the virus carriers, Elder Miao timely called out.
"No need, I’ll take care of myself!" Xiao Lin nodded firmly, walking toward the group, recalling that epidemic four years ago as if it were yesterday.
And at that moment, a middle-aged man suddenly fell among them, foaming at the mouth, eyes bulging, then letting out a piercing scream, as if using all his strength to cry out.
Xiao Lin was startled, but the people nearby merely moved quickly away from the middle-aged man, while Xiao Lin and the two drivers behind him reacted more dramatically; it sounded almost like the roar of a beast.
Xiao Lin hesitated only slightly, then quickly stepped forward, directly reaching the middle-aged man without needing to part the crowd.
These were symptoms of poisoning. Xiao Lin ran two fingers quickly across the man’s major meridians before rising, his expression grave, then lightly sighed—unable to prevent this man’s death.
"Brother Xiao, are my mom and dad still savable?" Tong Tong, ignoring others’ attempts to stop her, quickly ran over, desperate to know the result. In her mind, Xiao Lin was like a god; nothing was impossible for him, and no one he couldn’t save, so she hoped—even with her father not far from her, she hadn’t noticed out of concern.
Seeing Tong Tong’s blind trust and hope in her eyes, Xiao Lin only smiled, gently stroking her head, rubbing her slightly coarse hair, not wanting to shatter a child’s pure and beautiful expectations. In truth, the situation here was much more severe and perilous than he imagined.
"Brother Xiao!" Tong Tong held Xiao Lin’s hand, not letting go.
"Tong Tong, do you trust Brother Xiao?"
Tong Tong nodded energetically, biting her lips, eyes already filled with tears.
"Why don’t you go play with Bei Bei? I’ll chat with your Grandpa Miao."
Watching her walk away, Xiao Lin looked half amused, half serious at the old man ahead: "Elder Miao, let’s talk privately." He walked towards the village’s edge, leaving no room for refusal.
"Mr. Xiao, speak your mind."
"These people aren’t simply infected with HTC4, are they?" Xiao Lin listened to the steady footsteps behind, intuitively perceiving from their solid and consistent gait this was a well-trained individual.
Elder Miao didn’t respond, only sighed.
"I hope Elder Miao won’t keep anything hidden from me. This is crucial; what’s happening in the village? Or rather, what happened?" Xiao Lin’s voice grew more serious.
Elder Miao’s hand never left his pipe, silently smoking, the intense aroma overshadowing the deathly aura emanating from him—a vibe Xiao Lin identified at first glance. Not that Elder Miao was a corpse, but the scent from him was like someone walking on the edge of the Ghost Gate, familiar only to those who often tread between life and death.
"Go get Xiao Jiu!" The old man took the pipe from his lips, tapping it against his sole before attaching it behind him. Three men behind him dashed far away silently; Xiao Lin observed but didn’t question, no need to ask.
"A medical team came earlier, just as the village began showing illnesses, symptoms indistinguishable from regular fevers," Elder Miao looked afar, slowly recalling with his aged voice.
Taking a deep breath, Elder Miao continued: "This medical team set up temporary tents for us, where you saw, left medicines and hurried away, claiming they had to go to the next village." As his voice turned colder, even tinged with resentment.
Xiao Lin remained silent, just listening.
"Initially, indeed some stopped fevering and coughing, able to walk normally. We thought the medicines were effective, but shockingly, within less than a week, those people mysteriously died." Elder Miao seemed agitated, his voice urgent.
"Elder Miao, you meant these were the earlier infected, correct?"
The old man glanced at the young man beside him, eyes showing some surprise and appreciation: "Yes! The first infected were relatives returning from working in other provinces."
"Elder Miao, as far as I know, those previously infected with the mutated HTC4 virus were people who had HTC4 years ago, and there must have been official statements advising against leaving certain areas, or if they must, they should get checked at local medical centers every three months."
"Statements?" Elder Miao snorted: "If we don’t go out to work, how do we eat?"
Uh... Xiao Lin fell silent and a bit helpless; poverty here couldn’t even be described by the word ’poor.’
"Like a nightmare, everyone who’s been in contact falls ill, especially the young and strong, showing more severe symptoms, without exception." Elder Miao picked up the topic again. (To be continued. If you work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote, your recommendation votes and monthly votes support are my greatest motivation.)