From Changdu

"Name."

"Zhou Zhi."

"Age?"

The boy fell silent for a moment, looking somewhat aloof. "Between sixteen and seventeen."

His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked rather sorrowful.

"You've asked me many times already. My answer is still the same: I don't know."

"I don't know what happened."

"I only know that [Pestilence] came, and many people died."

"I stayed in the Clinic the whole time. Doctor Bai Xiu told me not to go out."

As he spoke, the boy seemed to feel a pain in his head. He lowered it slightly.

"Then Doctor Bai Xiu died. Some other survivors left the Clinic and went to the center of Blue Stone Town. I heard their target was the Central Hospital. I didn't want to go."

Two people in white uniforms and masks sat upright in front of Zhou Zhi, looking straight ahead.

"Why didn't you go?"

"I didn't want to."

Zhou Zhi answered, "They can't make me."

A faint surge of spiritual power stirred behind the boy.

"Oh."

The worker on the left nodded.

"Later, we'll conduct a second [pathology test] on you. If you pass, we'll arrange to take you to a nearby safe town."

Zhou Zhi gave a slight nod, remaining silent.

The two workers left. The air was filled with the scent of a special disinfectant. It wasn't sharp or pungent; instead, it carried a faint, soothing quality.

They opened the door and headed outside.

[Changdu Third Battalion, Blue Stone Town Temporary Station].

"Captain."

"This is the statement from that [Zhou Zhi]."

The worker spoke respectfully.

The middle-aged man wore an Epidemic Prevention Suit, with a cleaver tucked at his waist and two thick cigarettes dangling from his mouth. He took the report and glanced over it.

"Zhou Zhi, male, sixteen years old."

"Apprentice at Bai Xiu Clinic."

"Based on our searches throughout Blue Stone Town, his account matches what we've found."

"He's an ordinary survivor with spiritual power."

The worker was extremely respectful. The middle-aged man before him was a person of considerable standing.

Deputy captain of the Third Branch of the Changdu Epidemic War Corps: Ni Jie.

"During the Plague Advent, he and his master—the so-called [doctor]—collected corpses and attempted lung-removal surgery to prevent the Pestilence from spreading... Zhou Zhi was rather vague about that part, but that's probably what happened."

Admiration showed in Ni Jie's eyes. "His master died, so he completed the surgery himself."

"Judging by the condition of the bodies, he succeeded."

"Not bad at all. He gained spiritual power—that's Heaven's reward to him."

The worker could tell that Ni Jie admired the boy.

"This incident has been classified as the [Plague Exterminator Qiu Ti's Pestilence-creation Incident]. It left the entire town with only a handful of survivors."

At the thought, the Plague Exterminator's face darkened.

Every one of them had been a living person.

But...

One outbreak of Pestilence...

And they had all died.

The town had been full of Mucus Men. The shock of it—

And it had happened in the human world, within the borders of the Xuanyuan Kingdom.

"Chen Yao, the illegitimate daughter of the Chen Family's head, was found dead at the Central Hospital in Blue Stone Town. Her body had been destroyed. Our preliminary conclusion is that Qiu Ti killed her."

"Qiu Ti, in turn, died by the Plague-Slaying Blade [Black Kite] wielded by [Seven Shining Stars] Chen Chaosheng. We can conclude that Qiu Ti captured the Medical Student who had accidentally entered Blue Stone Town, as well as Chen Yao, and then killed her."

"Star-Illuminated arrived and, in a fit of rage, killed Qiu Ti."

As for why Chen Yao's body hadn't been collected—

Ni Jie said nothing.

They said that Seven Shining Stars didn't like his half-sister. He'd only put up with her because their father doted on her.

"What a troubled time we're living in."

Ni Jie looked at the broken walls and rubble before him. "The disease-prevention system in Pingchang Circuit has been at peace for far too long."

"Write up a formal report on this incident and send it up."

The worker bowed his head. "Yes."

In the room,

Zhou Zhi opened his eyes.

This was one of the rooms in the Epidemic War Corps' temporary station.

Although Zhou Zhi wasn't allowed to leave, at least they were treating him decently.

Blue Stone Town was vast. Surely there'd be a few lucky survivors.

And Zhou Zhi was playing the part of one.

"Chen Chaosheng's Human Skin, along with [Black Kite], is buried deep somewhere in Blue Stone Town. Under normal circumstances, unless they dig up the whole place, the Epidemic War Corps members responsible for eradicating the Pestilence won't find them."

"And if they do find them, it has nothing to do with me."

Zhou Zhi thought it through carefully.

Blue Stone Town would become a no-man's-land for a long time to come.

When that happened, he'd surely have a chance to return and retrieve those things.

They were dangerous to hold on to, but they could also help keep him safe.

If the truth really came out, he could just abandon them.

After all, Chen Chaosheng had been killed by Xia Yu. It had nothing to do with him.

The only worry was...

Zhou Zhi's eyes turned cold.

The powerful people of this world—the so-called [Chen Family], who wielded the power to eradicate Pestilence.

The death of someone like Chen Chaosheng was bound to send ripples through the world.

But that wasn't something he needed to worry about now.

What he needed now was to perform.

To perform, just as he had back then...

At that moment, the door opened.

The middle-aged man stepped inside.

The two thick cigarettes in his mouth shifted slightly.

Behind him, a white-clad Plague Exterminator looked down at the papers in his hands. "Zhou Zhi, you can leave now."

"Come collect five hundred Xuanyuan Coins and some supplies."

"After that, we'll take you and the handful of other survivors to nearby [Wuchang Town] in a vehicle. Someone will be there to receive you."

Silence.

The air was thick with it.

For a moment, the white-clad Plague Exterminator behind him looked awkward.

"Mr. Plague Exterminator."

Zhou Zhi lifted his head.

"How many people are left in Blue Stone Town?"

The white-clad Plague Exterminator shook his head. "We're still searching for that information. Later, we'll release a unified statement..."

"Twelve people."

Ni Jie spoke up. "Including you."

"Why?"

Zhou Zhi looked at Ni Jie. "Why did so many people have to die?"

"Why is the Pestilence so terrifying?"

Ni Jie coughed. "How many whys can there be in this world?"

"Plagues are disasters. They wreak havoc wherever they go. That's simply how it is."

"Otherwise, what would we need Plague Exterminators for? ...Though this time, it was our failure. I'm sorry."

The white-clad Plague Exterminator's eyes widened.

This was the first time he'd seen his captain apologize to anyone.

"I want to eradicate the Pestilence."

Zhou Zhi spoke slowly. "I have spiritual power."

"I don't want to go to Wuchang Town. I want to go to Changdu."

"I want to eradicate the Pestilence, just like you."

Hearing that, Ni Jie smiled.