Tenants and Death

The two saw Zhou Zhi, but their eyes only met for a moment.

Then, they said nothing more.

Le Wei seemed to have tasted some success; for the first time, she had successfully cleared a [Strange Event] head-on, which was excellent for building her confidence.

"Student Sun, aren't you going to ask Zhou Zhi about the next mission?"

Le Wei whispered. Although Sun Shun was younger than her, he was stronger, and he was the one leading the clearing of the event.

"No need."

Sun Shun snorted coldly.

"We are more than enough to handle the Strange Events in Suhui."

"Although we didn't obtain a Pathogenized Object this time, at least our spiritual power improved through contact with the [Ulcer], which is very important. You must know that there is a fixed standard for the amount of spiritual power a formal-level Plague Exterminator must possess."

"For your first time... you performed quite well, Student Le Wei."

Sun Shun said, "Take on a few more Strange Event missions. As long as we get some low-level Pathogenized Objects to sell, your [Plague-Slaying Blade] will be within reach. I won't let you come out at a loss."

A look of joy appeared on Le Wei's face.

"Of course, you also need to put in more effort. If it hadn't been for me this time, I'm afraid your injuries would have been much worse than they are now."

Sun Shun snorted coldly and walked past Zhou Zhi.

"It seems they succeeded."

Zhou Zhi nodded. Sun Shun was very cold, but Le Wei nodded in return.

There was one point of Sun Shun's that Zhou Zhi actually agreed with.

In this world, the vast majority of skills have no real barriers.

One only needs to do enough, fail enough, and even a person without talent can become an excellent individual.

Unfortunately, in clinical surgery, there are generally not enough patients for doctors to practice on.

Sun Shun and Le Wei completed their first Strange Event, and two days later, news arrived from the Epidemic Prevention Center in the inner city.

[The contribution points rewarded for all Strange Events in the outer city have been increased by a certain margin.]

The notice stated that this was to provide opportunities for young Plague Exterminators.

Sun Shun was overjoyed.

This had nothing to do with Zhou Zhi. Having just returned from a place like Blue Stone Town, he didn't want to see such cruel scenes of pathogenization again.

Patrolling along the way, the lives of ordinary people didn't seem to have changed much due to the current situation in Changdu.

There was even an illusion that business was better than before... oh, it wasn't an illusion.

Because of the increase in outsiders, the economy in Suhui was much more prosperous than before.

This job didn't require clocking in. Seeing that it was about time, Zhou Zhi headed straight back to the inn.

Inside the inn.

Aunt Mei, with a smile on her face, was busy hosting guests.

The recent influx of outsiders had made business at Aunt Mei's inn exceptionally good, making her beam with joy.

These travelers were a man and a woman.

They looked like a married couple.

They were carrying large black cases.

The woman's face had some wrinkles that could only be seen upon close inspection; her expression was wooden, lacking much emotion, and a portion of her hair was nearly white.

"Don't worry, the rooms are very nice. I can take you to see them right away... You know how the market is lately; rooms are in high demand. If you don't book now, they might be gone in a little while."

Aunt Mei said as she led the two upstairs.

The man's gaze fell upon Zhou Zhi, who had just entered.

"Who is that..."

"Oh."

Aunt Mei's smile widened: "This is the Plague Exterminator assigned to our inn by the Epidemic Prevention Center... You know, the most important thing for a good place to stay is safety."

"Besides, there is a clinic right next to us, so there's no need to worry about the encroachment of plague. In such a prime location, this price is very reasonable."

The man glanced at the woman, and the middle-aged woman looked at Zhou Zhi and nodded.

They followed the stairs up to the second floor.

The long, echoing footsteps left Zhou Zhi in thought.

Information flowed.

[An ordinary man].

[Pathogenization Index: 5.25%].

[An ordinary woman].

[Pathogenization Index: 3.66%].

Because it was only a brief encounter, Zhou Zhi could not be certain if the other party possessed spiritual power.

Zhou Zhi tapped his brow slightly.

Although it was a bit strange, many travelers had arrived at the inn over the past few days, and he did not have the ability to investigate each one of them.

About ten minutes later, Aunt Mei came down from upstairs, lifting her skirt, moving in a flurry and looking quite pleased.

"Brother Zhou, another big deal."

"Oh."

Zhou Zhi looked up: "Is it that couple from just now?"

"That's right."

Aunt Mei seemed to have recovered from her flu and sore throat, looking quite animated: "They rented a room for half a month all at once."

"That's not very long..."

Zhou Zhi remarked.

Aunt Mei walked toward the counter: "It isn't long, but they paid a month's rent."

"Their only request is to be disturbed as little as possible, and we don't even need to prepare food for them..."

Oh, I see.

Zhou Zhi nodded.

For Aunt Mei, not having to prepare three meals a day while receiving a month's pay for fifteen days was indeed a profitable deal.

However, Aunt Mei suddenly seemed to think of something and frowned.

"Brother Zhou, do you think there might be something wrong with these two? Being generous is a good thing, of course, but their spending is perhaps a bit too lavish."

Zhou Zhi took a sip of water: "I don't know about such things. After all, we aren't the Arrest Center; we aren't responsible for catching criminals, though that would be the case if they really were bad guys."

Knock, knock, knock!

The inn door was rapped on briefly.

Zhou Zhi knew who it was immediately.

The inn's door was generally not locked, often left wide open, but Zhou Zhi made it a habit to pull it shut; it was just his way.

And there was one girl who would knock regardless of whether the door was closed or not.

This was Su Rongrong's habit.

"Zhou Zhi!"

"Zhou Zhi!"

Su Rongrong knocked for a moment before pushing the door open and walking in.

The young girl's complexion did not look very good.

"Classes haven't resumed yet... your school is on quite a long break."

Zhou Zhi looked at the girl.

"Dead... they're dead... cough, cough..."

Su Rongrong was very anxious.

"People have died..."

Zhou Zhi's expression shifted slightly.

"Slow down, there's no rush."

Su Rongrong drank a mouthful of water, then looked up: "You know how our school was on break? It was because... because an epidemic appeared."

"Our school reported it, but there was no response for three days... until this morning."

"A few Plague Exterminators from the Epidemic Prevention Center arrived."

Zhou Zhi set down the water cup in his hand.

The district where Su Rongrong's school was located was not in the same direction as Zhou Zhi's patrol area; theoretically, it was not his responsibility.

"And then..."

Zhou Zhi asked in a low voice.

"They died, a lot of people died."

"Seven or eight Plague Exterminators came... it seems only two or three survived in the end."

"The area outside the school is under martial law now, and the current news is... classes won't resume for at least a week, they say there's a shortage of manpower."

A trace of lingering fear appeared on Su Rongrong's delicate face.

It seemed she had witnessed a truly terrifying scene.

At that moment, the Communicator at Zhou Zhi's waist chimed.

A physical message flowed through.

[Le Wei is dead].