From Changdu

"Name."

"Zhou Zhi."

"Age."

The boy was silent for a moment, appearing somewhat cold. "Between sixteen and seventeen."

At this moment, there were bloodshot veins in his eyes, and he looked rather distressed.

"You have already asked me many times, and my answer remains the same: I don't know."

"I don't know what happened."

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

"I stayed in the clinic the whole time; Dr. Bai Xiu told me not to go out."

Speaking of this, the boy's head seemed to ache, and he lowered it slightly.

"Then, Dr. Bai Xiu died. The other survivors left the clinic and went to the center of Blue Stone Town. From what I heard, their destination seemed to be the Central Hospital. I didn't want to go."

In front of the boy sat two people wearing white uniforms and masks, sitting upright and looking straight ahead.

"Why didn't you want to go?"

"I didn't want to."

Zhou Zhi replied, "They cannot interfere with me."

A faint surge of spiritual power stirred behind the boy.

"Oh."

The staff member on the left nodded.

"We will conduct a second [Pathology Test] on you later. If you pass, we will be responsible for sending you to a nearby safe town."

Zhou Zhi nodded slightly, maintaining a silent demeanor.

The two staff members left, and the air was filled with the scent of a special disinfectant. This smell was not pungent; rather, it had a faint, comforting quality.

Pushing the door open, the staff members walked outside.

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

"Captain."

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

The staff member said respectfully.

The middle-aged man was wearing an Epidemic Prevention Suit with a [Machete] tucked into his waist. He had two thick cigarettes hanging from his mouth as he took the report and glanced at it.

"Zhou Zhi, male, sixteen years old."

"Apprentice at Bai Xiu Clinic."

"Based on the current search of all areas in Blue Stone Town, it matches his description."

"He is an ordinary survivor who possesses spiritual power."

The staff member was very respectful, as the middle-aged man before him could certainly be considered a person of status.

Changdu Epidemic War Corps, Third Branch Vice-Captain, Ni Jie.

"He and his master, that so-called [Doctor], collected corpses during the Plague Advent and attempted to perform lung removal surgeries to prevent the spread of the plague... although that Zhou Zhi has been vague on that matter, it can be roughly inferred."

A look of appreciation appeared in Ni Jie's eyes. "His master died, and he completed the surgery."

"Judging by the state of the corpses, he succeeded."

"Very impressive. He gained spiritual power; this is heaven's reward for him."

The staff member could tell that Ni Jie was quite impressed by this boy.

"This incident is classified as the [Plague Exterminator Qiu Ti Plague Creation Incident], which resulted in only a handful of survivors in the entire town."

Thinking of this, the Plague Exterminator's face turned extremely grim.

These were all living, breathing lives.

But...

Just one plague disaster.

And they were all dead.

The city was full of Mucus Men; the sheer impact of that.

And this was within the human world, inside the Xuanyuan Kingdom.

"The corpse of [Chen Yao], the illegitimate daughter of the Chen Family head, was discovered at the Central Hospital in Blue Stone Town. It had been destroyed, and it is preliminarily presumed that she was killed by Qiu Ti."

"As for Qiu Ti, he died by the Plague-Slaying Blade [Black Kite] of the [Seven Shining Stars] Chen Chaosheng. It can be inferred that Qiu Ti captured the Medical Student who had wandered into Blue Stone Town, captured Chen Yao at the same time, and killed her."

"The Shining Star arrived, and in his rage, he killed Qiu Ti."

As for why he did not collect Chen Yao's body.

Ni Jie remained silent.

It was said that the Seven Shining Stars did not care for this younger sister of hers, all because their father doted on her excessively.

"What a troubled time this is."

Ni Jie looked at the ruined walls before her: "The epidemic prevention system of the Pingchang Circuit has been at peace for far too long."

"Draft a written report on this incident and submit it."

The staff member lowered his head: "Yes."

Inside the room.

Zhou Zhi opened his eyes.

This was a room in the temporary base of the Epidemic War Corps.

Although Zhou Zhi was not allowed to leave, at the very least, they were treating him quite properly.

Blue Stone Town was large enough that there would always be a few lucky survivors.

And Zhou Zhi was exactly that kind of person.

Chen Chaosheng's human skin, along with the [Black Kite], is buried deep somewhere in Blue Stone Town. Under normal circumstances, unless they dig three feet into the ground, these Epidemic War Corps members responsible for eradicating diseases won't find them.

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

Zhou Zhi thought carefully.

In the future, Blue Stone Town would remain a no-man's-land for a long time.

When that time came, he would certainly have the opportunity to return and retrieve those items.

Although those things were hot potatoes, they were also excellent assets for ensuring his own survival.

If the matter were truly exposed, he would simply abandon them.

After all, Chen Chaosheng was killed by Xia Yu, and it had nothing to do with him.

The only concern was...

Zhou Zhi's gaze turned cold.

The powerful figures of this world, the so-called [Chen Family] who held the power to eradicate epidemics.

The death of a figure like Chen Chaosheng would definitely stir up waves.

But at least, that was not something to consider right now.

What was needed now was a performance.

The same kind of... performance as that time.

At this moment, the door was pushed open.

A middle-aged man walked in.

The two thick cigarettes hanging from his mouth shifted slightly.

Behind the man, a Plague Exterminator dressed in white looked at the documents in his hand: "Zhou Zhi, you may leave."

"Wait a moment to collect five hundred Xuanyuan Coins and some supplies."

"After that, we will have a dedicated vehicle to take you scattered survivors to the nearby [Wuchang Town], where someone will be there to receive you."

Silence.

The air was filled with the taste of silence.

For a moment, the Plague Exterminator in white felt somewhat awkward.

"Mr. Plague Exterminator."

Zhou Zhi raised his head.

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

The Plague Exterminator in white shook his head: "That information is still in the search phase; we will release it to the public later..."

"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 epidemic so terrifying?"

Ni Jie coughed: "In this world, why are there so many 'whys'?"

"Epidemics are natural disasters that wreak havoc upon the world; that is simply the way of things."

"Otherwise, what would be the need for Plague Exterminators... though this time, it was our mistake... my apologies."

The Plague Exterminator in white widened his eyes.

This was the first time he had ever seen his captain apologize to someone else.

"I want to eradicate the plague."

Zhou Zhi spoke slowly, "I possess spiritual power."

"I do not want to go to Wuchang Town; I want to go to Changdu."

"I want to be like all of you, to eradicate the plague."

Hearing this, Ni Jie broke into a smile.