The Hospital

The town wasn't very large, and many essential facilities had only one location. The hospital was no exception.

Wenhe Hospital stood in the central part of Nanshui Town. It was surrounded by two residential areas and a commercial street—which was really just a cluster of snack stalls and clothing shops.

The guide's home, where Yu Xing and the others had been earlier, was closer to the edge of town. Now, as they walked to the hospital, they found the scene before them vastly different from what they'd seen on the outskirts.

"I give up," Zhang Yu complained to Yu Xing as he ate a flatbread he'd just bought from a roadside stall. "We've practically explored all of Nanshui Town ourselves. What exactly is the point of that guide?"

"I know it's because of family circumstances, but getting paid as a guide and then doing nothing is ridiculous—" Zhang Yu abruptly fell silent halfway through, nearly choking on his flatbread.

Two seconds later, he lowered his voice. "Captain... everyone here seems so weighed down."

Yu Xing was observing the area too.

When they'd passed the snack street earlier, they'd felt the festive mood was in full swing. Red cords for the Snow Festival hung in many places, and the townsfolk chatted and laughed. The streets were even crowded with people.

Yu Xing had even gotten the impression that no one in town stayed home; everyone was wandering around outside.

But the moment they entered the hospital grounds, the mood sank sharply. There were far fewer people. Some patients in hospital gowns had come out for fresh air, while family members of patients muttered incoherently to themselves.

Everyone going in or out of the hospital looked numb. Patients and family members alike were enveloped in an almost tangible aura of sickness, like