Qiu Ti

The Dean's office.

The scent of disinfectant here was somewhat thin.

In its place was a faint, fishy stench.

At the very least, to Zhou Zhi, such a smell was highly irregular.

For the time being, the [Office] served as the operating room for this Plague Exterminator.

To the right of the main door hung a massive portrait.

The painting depicted the upper torso of a man whose face had been erased.

He wore a long white coat, possessing a sort of sickly refinement.

Beneath the portrait was the name of the man in the picture.

[Blue Stone Town Central Hospital, 44th Dean].

[Qiu Ti].

A bit narcissistic.

Zhou Zhi walked ahead with his slender frame, thinking just that.

There were no portraits of the previous forty-three deans; only this fellow's hung upon the wall.

Xia Yu looked somewhat nervous, her right hand remaining tucked inside her pocket.

"I've had a question for a while now."

Zhou Zhi spoke from the front: "Xia Yu, what exactly is in your pocket?"

Xia Yu shook her head: "N-nothing."

Since Xia Yu was unwilling to say, Zhou Zhi did not press the matter.

Ahead stood a door that was not particularly elaborate.

Zhou Zhi placed his left hand on the handle, while his right hand gripped his scalpel.

"Open it."

Yu Jinhai's cold voice came from behind, as if he would strike with his Plague-Slaying Blade should Zhou Zhi be even a second too slow.

Zhou Zhi did not hesitate and pushed the door open.

The sound of gears turning.

Mixed with the creaking of hinges.

It opened.

A strange fragrance rushed to meet them.

The scene inside the room slowly revealed itself to the group.

A sense of oppression welled up in their hearts.

Tension rippled through Yu Jinhai's nerves.

He dared not move his hand from the hilt of his Plague-Slaying Blade.

What met their eyes was an exquisite and elegant environment.

On the other side of a long desk, sitting in a towering chair, a middle-aged man dressed in a Western-style uniform looked at the visitors with a smile.

He sported a small mustache, a tan bowtie, and his short hair was slightly curled.

"Welcome."

The man said.

"Doctor Qiu, what on earth is going on?"

Upon seeing this man, Yu Jinhai seemed to heave a sigh of relief; he stood his ground and asked.

The person before them was indeed Qiu Ti.

Zhou Zhi pondered in his heart.

As Yu Jinhai's mentor, he had naturally met this sole Plague Exterminator of Blue Stone Town.

Under normal circumstances, when facing a formal-level Plague Exterminator, a Medical Student like Yu Jinhai should maintain the utmost respect, but now, of the five-man group that had arrived together, everyone except for their unknown captain was effectively finished.

Death and Pathogen-transformation had claimed them all.

[Qiu Ti]'s appearance could not be called handsome, but he possessed a strange quality. He folded his hands together, his smile receding slightly: "What is going on?"

"In truth, I am not entirely sure myself."

"I only know that after you and the other student left, the mysterious [Pestilence Calamity] descended upon Blue Stone."

"Among them were no shortage of [Pathogen]-level monsters; it took me several days to clear those creatures away."

Qiu Ti gestured toward the outside.

Before entering the hospital, Zhou Zhi had indeed seen the mounds of corpses—the Throat Beasts and Mucus Men—piled high like a trophy of war.

"It's just that..."

Doctor Qiu wore a troubled expression. "This place has already transformed into a Pestilence Zone. I haven't been able to locate the core of the contagion, so I can only let the monsters continue to spawn endlessly. I cannot exhaust my own strength for nothing."

"For a Plague Exterminator, spiritual power is finite."

Doctor Qiu's voice carried a convincing weight.

[Disease Core].

In any place that has transformed into a Pestilence Zone, there exists an origin of the contagion.

It is precisely because that origin continuously spreads outward that a full-scale outbreak of the pestilence occurs.

"Then, what about Zhu Xie and Meng Ling..."

Yu Jinhai was silent for a moment before asking, "Why did they end up like that..."

Doctor Qiu sighed and shook his head. "That is my fault."

"If I hadn't allowed them to go out and explore the Pestilence Zone, this problem wouldn't have occurred."

Doctor Qiu's face was etched with deep self-reproach. "But when the pestilence struck, the entire Blue Stone Town fell into such a massive calamity; even I was somewhat panicked at the very beginning."

"The first article of the Medical Department's Plague Extermination Manifesto is..."

Doctor Qiu's expression turned solemn. "[A Plague Exterminator shall stand before the masses]."

"Yet, I failed to do so."

Doctor Qiu's voice was earnest and sincere, filled with persuasiveness.

Yu Jinhai sighed. "Doctor Qiu, I still have..."

"Jinhai."

A bright voice rang out.

Behind Doctor Qiu was a narrow door.

The door was pushed open, revealing a handsome and serious face.

Zhou Zhi thought it was a face well-suited for leadership.

"What Doctor Qiu said is true."

This familiar voice made Yu Jinhai's pupils dilate.

In an instant, it was as if he had found a relative.

"Captain!"

"You... you're still alive!"

The handsome young man before him, wearing a white uniform with a ribbon tied around his head, was none other than the captain of the five-person intern group, Wu Ji.

Back at Pingchang First Medical College, Wu Ji was full of vigor, achieving enviable results in both scholarships and various competitions.

He was also the person whom the other four members of the squad trusted implicitly.

"Of course I'm alive."

Wu Ji shook his head. "However, I failed to protect the others."

"Under the pestilence, little Meng, A-Zhu, and A-Rui..."

A shadow seemed to fall over Wu Ji's handsome face.

Zhou Zhi's expression shifted, but he did not speak.

"However, at least it is safe here for now. With Doctor Qiu here, those monsters dare not approach."

"Jinhai."

Wu Ji placed his hand on the doorknob. "You've worked hard. Get some rest."

"As long as Doctor Qiu is here, we will all be fine."

Yu Jinhai nodded.

At this moment, Doctor Qiu seemed to notice Xia Yu and Zhou Zhi behind Yu Jinhai.

One was an ordinary person without spiritual power.

The other was an ordinary person with a sliver of spiritual power.

"Even in such circumstances, Student Yu continues to protect ordinary civilians. Such resolve is truly staggering."

Doctor Qiu sighed with emotion. "Everyone, come in. Inside is my operating room. While I cannot claim it is absolutely safe, at least you will be able to get a peaceful night's sleep."

A smile appeared on Wu Ji's face. "Come in..."

Yu Jinhai had only taken two steps before he suddenly stopped. "Captain, Chen Yao... where did she go?"

"Chen Yao, you say."

Wu Ji glanced at Doctor Qiu.

Doctor Qiu looked up. "That little student Chen has been settled inside by me. I heard from Student Wu that she has a noble status, so we couldn't just let her wander about."

Yu Jinhai nodded.

However, he did not continue forward.

"Jinhai."

The smile on Wu Ji's face seemed to freeze in place: "Ever since a moment ago, your hand has not once left your Plague-Slaying Blade."

"Is there... some kind of problem?"

Yu Jinhai's voice was somewhat parched as he addressed his captain.

"A-Rui turned ten minutes ago."

"Captain..."

"How did you know?"