Localized

Epidemic Prevention Center.

Zhou Zhi stepped inside, carrying the Blade Case.

"Zhou Zhi..."

Sun Shun's face was deathly pale. Strange, round bumps faintly dotted his skin.

There was also some fluid inside his nasal cavity, but he was keeping it under control.

Le Wei was dead.

Sun Shun had sent the message.

Clearly, Sun Shun was in a wretched state.

The lower half of his standard Plague Armor was shattered, torn into strips. His Plague-Slaying Blade had no scabbard and was exposed. Like his skin, it bore tiny, round, phantom-like spots, resembling a rash.

Zhou Zhi didn't ask what had happened, because Sun Shun would tell him himself.

It was simple. Sun Shun and Le Wei had teamed up, and their efficiency had been decent. They had quickly suppressed the second [Strange Incident], gaining more spiritual power and a sizable number of contribution points.

Success could fuel ambition. That was nothing surprising.

Sun Shun soon set his sights on the [Suhui Central Academy—Strange Incident].

This time, the incident had reached the [Disease Seed—Advanced] level.

By the usual standards, this wasn't an incident that Apprentice Plague Exterminators were completely incapable of handling. It was simply more troublesome and dangerous.

For that reason, Sun Shun hadn't planned to go suppress it with Le Wei alone.

In other districts of Suhui Town, there were other epidemic prevention personnel just like Sun Shun, including some of his classmates.

After spending an afternoon contacting people, Sun Shun had gathered a team of eight... In Xuanyuan, a standard plague-fighting team usually had five members. Sun Shun thought this team was quite good.

They were all Apprentice Plague Exterminators... ambitious members of the epidemic prevention staff who wanted to grow stronger.

They set out.

And then...

"Only me and one other person, my classmate... made it out."

Sun Shun's face was still pale. He furrowed his brow, looking as if his head hurt. "I feel... sick..."

Zhou Zhi's gaze flickered.

[Sun Shun]

[Combat Level: Apprentice Plague Exterminator]

[Pathogenization: 36.8%]

[Status: Weakened]

[Source of Pathogenization: Chickenpox Plague]

[An overconfident young man ought to pay a price... But it seems someone else paid it for him. What a sad thing.]

"Several days ago, a plague appeared inside Suhui Central Academy. Some teachers and students in one class developed high fevers and nausea, and tiny white swellings spread across their bodies."

Sun Shun panted, his head lowered. "The information currently provided by the Epidemic Prevention Center is that this plague belongs to the [Infectious Disease] category, but its exact type still needs further study... Or we can suppress it outright."

"But..."

Zhou Zhi shook his head. "The higher-ups don't want an Official-level Plague Exterminator to step in. Their idea is... if we can't resolve it, just wait a week for an Official-level Plague Exterminator from outside to handle it."

Sun Shun said nothing. He couldn't forget that terrifying scene.

Zhou Zhi's eyes turned cold.

Sure enough, in a world ruled by plagues, death came far too easily.

Although he didn't know Le Wei well, the thought of a girl like her dying without warning still stirred his emotions.

"The students and teachers in that class have all been completely pathogenized and are being contained inside the school. A plague of this level won't spread much farther, either, so... the higher-ups are planning to wait."

Zhou Zhi held the Blade Case and crouched slightly.

"Sun Shun."

"You still have something to tell me, don't you?"

"For example, do you have inside information that's making you so eager to suppress this plague?"

"Or... are you planning to go back to the academy and want me to come along?"

At Zhou Zhi's words, Sun Shun's expression changed. He seemed to be struggling with something.

Then he let out a long breath.

"Fine. I can tell you. It's no secret."

"At Professor Jin Pingyang's promotion banquet, the Changdu government will draw a large number of people from the Outer City to enter the Inner City. There'll be awards and honors..."

"The standard is the contribution points earned from suppressing Strange Incidents in the Outer City."

"When the banquet begins, the [auction] sponsored by the Inner City will be held at the same time. As long as you've made some contribution to suppressing a Strange Incident, even if it's only a little, you can qualify for the banquet—and then you'll have a place in Changdu."

"There's something else, something very important."

Sun Shun raised his head. "Advanced Disease Seeds and above always have a [Pathogenized Object]."

"If you help me suppress this plague, you can have the Pathogenized Object. I'll only take half the contribution points, too."

Zhou Zhi didn't reply. He only thought it over.

Sun Shun was really fixated on this.

Or was it...

"I don't think the two of us, even with a few survivors, can suppress this incident."

Zhou Zhi lifted his head slightly.

Going by what he knew,

of the eight Plague Exterminators, only Sun Shun and one other person had returned.

That other person was currently unconscious in the hospital. If his family hadn't had money, he would probably have died of pathogenization already.

So, was Sun Shun the only one who had actually made it back alive?

"We can find more people!"

Sun Shun said quietly. "[Su Family Clinic]'s Su Xing—he's an Official-level Plague Exterminator!"

"Even without field experience, he'd be enough to suppress this incident."

"Zhou Zhi, I heard you get along well with Su Xing's daughter, Su Rongrong. Maybe..."

Zhou Zhi cut him off. "All right. That's a good suggestion. I'll think about it."

He waved a hand and turned to leave.

Behind him, a trace of resentment flashed in Sun Shun's eyes.

Outside.

As soon as Zhou Zhi stepped out, he saw someone carrying away Le Wei's body, covered with a white cloth.

Judging by their appearance, they were the girl's parents.

They had cried until they could barely summon any strength, murmuring to the body beneath the white cloth.

The mother was saying things like, "Why did you become a Plague Exterminator?" and "If only you hadn't come here."

Zhou Zhi thought the poor mother was right. He shook his head.

Changdu had enjoyed peace for a long time. With so many deaths all at once, the entire Epidemic Prevention Center felt utterly silent and bleak.

Suhui Central Academy.

An elementary school.

Zhou Zhi stood outside, wearing his Plague Armor.

He looked up at the strange fog hanging over the school.

Inside, what seemed to be colonies of microorganisms were spreading.

The entire perimeter of the school had been placed under lockdown.

"[Micro Pestilence Zone]... That's probably what you'd call it."

Zhou Zhi stared ahead.

The area affected by pathogenization had its limits. Generally, it spread outward from the Disease Core at its center.

The surrounding residents had already been evacuated. A stretch of gloom lay ahead of him.

"Plague Exterminator, sir... When will this ever end?"

At the school gate, an old man in a security guard's uniform—apparently the school's gatekeeper—saw Zhou Zhi's outfit and began to complain.

"I'm stationed here, and I'm scared too. What if those plagues get out... I'm an old man..."

"They won't."

Zhou Zhi replied calmly.

The old man seemed reassured. He coughed twice. "Still, it's so pitiful. An entire class of people... By the time they were diagnosed, one of them had already been pathogenized. And then..."