CHAPTER 297: CHAPTER 285: DISDAINED!

Perhaps no one had ever seen Master Miao so enraged. The villagers dared not take any further actions; they stood dazed, looking at the elder they respected. Even though they felt unjust inside, they dared not disobey.

"But he killed our relatives!" Someone shouted, and the disputes erupted once again.

"Did anyone see it with their own eyes?" Master Miao stared at Miao Jiu.

"I... I... they stopped breathing..." Miao Jiu’s voice grew smaller and smaller, until it was almost inaudible at the end.

"We will discuss everything once the rescue team arrives in the morning. If you’re not afraid of death, feel free to go inside, and I’ll give you a verdict right now. Otherwise, wait until tomorrow when the professionals arrive. I, Miao Yikun, will keep my word and definitely give you an explanation."

Xiao Lin listened clearly from inside the tent. Such an aura was not something an ordinary person could possess, let alone a man of ninety. After inputting a long string of numbers into a dialogue box, the screen switched to a black interface. He typed in Miao Yikun and waited for a response.

After a few beeps, the interface indicated that the person did not exist. Xiao Lin frowned and thought it was time to have a good chat with Night Eagle. While contemplating this serious issue, he didn’t slow down at all, placing the frozen slice under a microscope. The cellular structures quickly appeared before his eyes, confirming what he had anticipated. At the same time, he became even more curious about the origin of the anonymous email.

If the previous information was a kind of provocation, now he felt it was a warning. His intuition told him this person belonged to those wandering in the gray area, one who did not belong to any organization or faction, nor to any interest. It might be mere curiosity, which remained unknown.

The activity factors of bacteria within the frozen soft tissue made him break out in a cold sweat. The rapid proliferation invaded the nervous system wantonly, destroying the human immune system. This was the virus’s characteristic, determined by the body’s metabolism for its incubation period. Now, he was merely using acupoints to block body functions, but this was not a long-term solution. If not handled carefully, these patients might really never wake up and end up as vegetative states, which meant he was taking a risk.

Dispersing the crowd, the elder stood on the open ground, but the person inside never showed up. And he didn’t want to go in either, not out of lack of understanding but out of recognition of the other’s backing and intimidation, the recognition of the title of military doctor.

A ray of dazzling light pierced through the clouds and touched the ground. Occasionally, a pigeon soared through the air, emitting a faint cry. The villagers were early at their doors, pinning their hopes on the distant places after a sleepless night.

Tong Tong opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Xiao Lin’s handsome face, buried in his work, pen swiftly writing something. His tightly knit brows seemed knotted with melancholy. Under his high nose bridge, his tightly pursed lips made Tong Tong’s heart skip a beat. To her, Xiao Lin was an attractive man; what happiness would it be to marry such a man? Yet, only a beautiful woman like Dr. Xia would be worthy of such a man. Thinking of this, Tong Tong couldn’t help but lower her head.

"Since you’re awake, go wash up. The experts will be here shortly." No sound escaped Xiao Lin’s ears; even when he was focused, he would hardly miss anything. This had already become a habit. Staying vigilant was one of the key rules for maintaining life.

"Mm!" Tong Tong ran out with her head down, and Xiao Lin also stopped taking notes, folding the small paper and putting it into a storage box.

In the distance, several cars slowly drove into public view, hearts pounding along with them. Yet, seeing Xiao Lin emerge from the tent, their resentful gazes were more than obvious. He shrugged indifferently at this and was the first to walk down the dirt slope. The cars struggled to climb the high hill. He didn’t mind waiting at the top, but he couldn’t let the prestigious professors from the Tri-service General Hospital lose their dignity.

"You must be Xiao Lin, Dr. Xiao, from Yanjing!" A stranger’s gaze looked at a middle-aged man getting off the car. Xiao Lin couldn’t recall knowing such a person.

"I am!"

"Ah, hello, hello!" The middle-aged man shook Xiao Lin’s hand vigorously. "I’ve heard so much about you, finally fortunate to meet."

"May I ask who..."

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Yu Rong, a relative of Dean Yu."

"Ah!" Xiao Lin exclaimed briefly, not saying more. Several people then got out of the car, looking somewhat weary. "Let’s go up and see the patients first."

"Alright!"

"Professor Yu, you came from other regions, how is the situation there?" Xiao Lin was very concerned about the other areas’ infection cases. Due to too many emergencies, he hadn’t gotten a chance to visit other sites.

"The number of deaths is increasing. Initially, the outbreak rate was thought to be within the scope of original HTC4 infectees. Now it looks like not only have the original infectees relapsed, but some ordinary people have also been infected." Yu Rong tightened his neck, appearing a bit cold, and pointed to the middle-aged man beside him. "Well, this is Professor Qin, who has been researching the HTC4 virus for many years. He was also involved in the antidote earlier.

Professor Qin looked to be in his fifties, had a bit of a belly, wore glasses on his nose, and had his hair tied in a big bun, looking like a well-read cultured person.

"Hello!" Xiao Lin extended his hand, but the latter ignored him and walked up, leaving Xiao Lin a little awkward.

"The HTC4 virus is a very rare bacterial organization, which harms life by compromising the immune system, much like AIDS, by weakening the body’s immunity," Professor Qin said as he walked.

"Professor Qin, is there any further progress in developing effective control methods now?" Xiao Lin asked in a deep voice.

"We are waiting for the lab report!"

As they spoke, the group had reached the front of the ancestral hall. Professor Qin pinched a few tufts of Mugwort, sniffing them curiously and asked, "This vegetation is hard to grow here. How did you get so much of it?"

"Dr. Xiao brought it," Miao Jiu handed protective clothing to everyone before moving to the farthest distance from Xiao Lin.

"Oh? Mugwort has the effects of invigorating circulation, dispelling cold, reducing swelling, dissolving mass, and reviving life. Its aroma repels mosquitoes, among other effects. It seems Dr. Xiao is knowledgeable in traditional remedies." Professor Qin gave Xiao Lin a meaningful look. To gather so much Mugwort in such a short time was no ordinary feat, although this young man appeared quite unremarkable.

"Professor Qin, you give me too much credit. I just saw it mentioned in some medical books."

Inside the Miao Clan Ancestral Hall, the scent of herbs filled the air, refreshing the mind. The simple facilities made these professors shake their heads; here were perhaps the most primitive medical setups they had ever seen, if they could be called facilities at all.

"Ex...Experts!" Miao Jiu gently called a few times from behind to catch their attention, then continued, "Could you check if they are still alive?"

Professor Qin glanced at Miao Jiu in confusion, then shifted his gaze to Yu Rong. Curiously, he lifted an infected person’s eyelids, checked their breath, and made a surprised sound: "You all should come and have a look."

Seeing Professor Qin’s bewilderment, the others did the same, looking extremely astonished.

"Are they dead?" one person softly asked another, unsure.

"Why not check their main artery, Professor Qin?" Xiao Lin suggested from the side. Normally, it’s difficult to feel the pulse rhythm; when bodily functions drop to a certain level, a person seems dead, as if life has stopped. This means the virus loses its foothold and cannot develop rapidly, which is his hypothesis.

"How did you do that?" A trace of shock flitted across Professor Qin’s face.

"Professor Qin, do you think my method is feasible?"

"You’re being reckless!" Professor Qin appeared very agitated, his face reddening till it reached his ears.

"Professor Qin, it’s not good for you to get excited. High blood pressure can lead to a cerebral hemorrhage," Xiao Lin replied calmly. "I just want to give these infected individuals more time to wait for recovery. The real hope lies in your hands."

"You..."

"The HTC4 mutant virus infection is no longer just within the original infection range. I believe several professors have already confirmed this elsewhere. The only fortunate thing for us is that its transmission is still limited to droplets, coughs, and saliva and not through airborne contact infection control, so..."

"Young man, are you teaching us what to do?" a slightly younger man said with a disdainful look. Xiao Lin raised his head to look at him, wanting to say something but was stopped by Yu Rong shaking his head, hinting that this person had a special status.

"Elder Zhang, how should we handle this?" Professor Qin was very respectful to this person. Xiao Lin couldn’t help but take a few more glances at him, standing behind them.

He seemed hesitant about whether to hand the documents in his hand to these people. He wasn’t underestimating their abilities but rather hesitant to trust that they had the capability.

The person referred to as Elder Zhang explored a patient’s body, judging by his technique on the meridians, he was also someone knowledgeable about medicine, but there was still a gap when it came to unlocking the acupuncture points. Observing quietly seemed to be the approach here.

"For now, these people will be in no immediate life-threatening situation," Elder Zhang patted his hands and straightened his clothing. He then asked, "Where is the laboratory?"

"There is a temporary military tent. Some equipment inside can be used," Xiao Lin replied.

"Let’s go have a look." Elder Zhang didn’t seem to fully trust the equipment Xiao Lin mentioned. He walked outside with others, saying, "Yu Rong, bring the instruments from the car, and be careful not to damage them." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)