Qiu Ti

The Dean's Office.

The disinfectant smell here was faint.

In its place lingered a slight, rank stench.

At least, to Zhou Zhi, such a smell made no sense.

For now, the [Office] was this Plague Exterminator's operating room.

To the right of the entrance hung a massive picture.

It showed the upper body of a man whose face had been erased.

He wore a long white coat, and looked sickeningly refined.

Below the picture was its subject's name.

[Blue Stone Town Central Hospital, Forty-Fourth Director].

[Qiu Ti].

"A little narcissistic, isn't he?"

Zhou Zhi's tall, slender figure walked ahead as he thought this.

There were no pictures of the first forty-three directors here. Only this fellow's hung on the wall.

Xia Yu looked a little nervous, her right hand resting in her pocket the whole time.

"I've always had a question."

Zhou Zhi spoke from up ahead. "Xia Yu, what exactly is in your pocket?"

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

She didn't want to say, so Zhou Zhi didn't press her.

Ahead stood a plain door, not particularly ornate.

Zhou Zhi put his left hand on the handle and gripped a scalpel in his right.

"Open it."

Yu Jinhai's icy voice came from behind them. It sounded as if the slightest delay would bring his Plague-Slaying Blade crashing down.

Zhou Zhi didn't hesitate and opened the door.

Gears turned.

The hinges creaked.

It opened.

A strange fragrance wafted out.

The scene inside slowly came into view.

A sense of oppression welled up in their hearts.

Tension raced along Yu Jinhai's nerves.

He didn't dare take his hand off the hilt of his Plague-Slaying Blade.

What met their eyes was a refined, elegant room.

On the far side of a long desk, a middle-aged man in a Western-style uniform sat in a tall chair, smiling at his visitors.

He had a small mustache, a brown bow tie, and short, slightly wavy hair.

"Welcome," the man said.

"Doctor Qiu, what exactly is going on?"

Seeing him, Yu Jinhai seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He stopped and asked.

The man before them was Qiu Ti.

Zhou Zhi considered this.

Yu Jinhai had been Qiu Ti's apprentice, so he had naturally met the only Plague Exterminator in Blue Stone Town.

Normally, a Medical Student like Yu Jinhai should show the utmost respect to a full-fledged Plague Exterminator. But now, of the five who had come together, everyone except the unknown team leader was as good as lost.

Some were dead; others had succumbed to the disease.

Qiu Ti wasn't particularly handsome, but there was something strange about him. He clasped his hands together, his smile fading slightly. "What's going on?"

"To tell the truth, I'm not entirely sure."

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

"Among the creatures were even monsters at the [Pathogen] level. It took me several days to clear them out."

Qiu Ti pointed outside.

Before entering the hospital, Zhou Zhi had indeed seen heaps of corpses of monsters like [Throat Beasts] and [Mucus Men], piled up into a grisly monument.

"But..."

Qiu Ti looked troubled. "This place has already become a Pestilence Zone. I haven't found the Disease Core, so I can only let monsters keep appearing. I can't drain my strength for nothing."

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

Qiu Ti's voice carried a convincing weight.

[Disease Core].

Every place that had become a Pestilence Zone had a source of infection.

It was because that source kept spreading outward that the Pestilence erupted everywhere.

"Then what about Zhu Xie and Meng Ling?"

Yu Jinhai fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Why did they turn into that..."

Qiu Ti sighed and shook his head. "That was my fault."

"If I hadn't let them go out and explore the Pestilence Zone, this wouldn't have happened."

Deep guilt was written across Qiu Ti's face. "But when the Pestilence struck and all of Blue Stone Town fell into such a terrible calamity, even I panicked at first."

"The Medical Department's Plague Extermination Manifesto begins with..."

Qiu Ti's expression turned solemn. "[Plague Exterminators must stand before the multitudes]."

"But I failed to do that."

Qiu Ti spoke with such earnest sincerity that it was hard not to believe him.

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

"Jinhai."

A bright voice rang out.

A narrow doorway stood behind Qiu Ti.

It opened, revealing a handsome, earnest face.

Zhou Zhi thought it was the kind of face that suited a leader.

"What Doctor Qiu said is true."

At the familiar voice, Yu Jinhai's pupils widened.

For an instant, he looked as if he'd found a family member.

"Captain!"

"Y-you're still alive!"

The handsome young man before them wore a white uniform, with a ribbon tied around his head. He was Wu Ji, the leader of this five-person group of Medical Students.

At Pingchang First Medical College, Wu Ji had been a rising star, earning enviable results in both scholarships and competitions.

The other four members of the team all looked up to him.

"Of course I'm alive."

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

"Under the Pestilence, Little Meng, Ah Zhu, and A-Rui..."

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

Zhou Zhi's expression shifted, but he said nothing.

"Still, at least it's safe here for now. With Doctor Qiu here, those monsters don't dare come up."

"Jinhai."

Wu Ji rested his hand on the doorknob. "Thanks for all your effort. Get some rest."

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

Yu Jinhai nodded.

Only then did Qiu Ti seem to notice Xia Yu and Zhou Zhi behind Yu Jinhai.

One ordinary person without spiritual power.

One ordinary person with a little spiritual power.

"Even in a situation like this, Student Yu is still protecting ordinary people. That kind of resolve is truly astonishing."

Qiu Ti sounded moved. "Come on in, everyone. This is my operating room. I can't promise it's completely safe, but at least you'll be able to get some sound sleep."

Wu Ji smiled. "Come in..."

Yu Jinhai had taken only two steps when he suddenly stopped. "Captain, where is Chen Yao?"

"Chen Yao..."

Wu Ji glanced at Qiu Ti.

Qiu Ti lifted his head. "I settled Miss Chen inside. Student Wu said she came from a distinguished family, so we couldn't let her wander around."

Yu Jinhai nodded.

But he didn't move forward.

"Jinhai."

Wu Ji's smile seemed to freeze. "Your hand hasn't left your Plague-Slaying Blade since just now."

"Is something... wrong?"

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

"A-Rui succumbed to the disease ten minutes ago."

"Captain..."

"How did you know?"