Strange Disease

By the following evening, a thin mist had risen among the mountains, and the air carried the unique dampness and faint chill of the wilderness.

A sleek soul-guided off-road vehicle bearing the Spirit Pagoda emblem drove steadily out of Clear Spirit City. Zhao Lin had already taken Zhou Mingyu (sword) and the others through all the city's sights that day, and now they followed the winding mountain road toward Clear Spring Town on the outskirts—the final destination of their journey.

Inside the vehicle, Zhou Mingyu (sword) sat in the back seat with his eyes closed, resting calmly. Zhao Lin sat in the passenger seat, looking somewhat restrained, though his eyes held a young man's distinctive excitement and solemn regard for the mission.

Every so often, he secretly observed the Inspector in the back seat through the rearview mirror, repeatedly turning over his father's grave words from the previous night.

About half an hour later, the vehicle entered a valley embraced by lush green mountains. In the distance, wisps of cooking smoke curled upward, and a town of considerable size came into view.

Clear Spring Town—true to its name—had been built beside a crystal-clear mountain stream. White-walled, gray-tiled buildings stood in orderly layers along both banks, carrying an ancient yet elegant charm.

Beyond the town lay vast terraced fields and flourishing orchards. Farther away stretched rolling mountain forests, said to conceal natural caves and cascading waterfalls that drew visitors from afar.

Looking out at the scenery, Zhao Lin's face relaxed into a slight smile. He was just about to introduce Clear Spring Town's history and unique features to Zhou Mingyu (sword).

"Inspector, look—that's Clear Spring Town. In the early years, this was only a small village of a hundred or so households, living off the mountains. Later, soul masters and wealthy merchants from the city discovered the wondrous caves and forest hot springs here. More and more tourists came after hearing of them, and little by little, it grew into what it is today—one of the most popular places for leisure around Clear Spirit City..." Zhao Lin's voice carried a hint of pride.

However, as the vehicle gradually approached the town entrance, the relaxed atmosphere inside abruptly changed.

The expected lively scene of swarming tourists and hawkers calling out their wares was nowhere to be seen. In its place was a suffocating air of grim tension.

At the town's only entrance, the formerly symbolic wooden fence had been temporarily replaced by heavy chevaux-de-frise gleaming with cold metallic light.

Dozens of soldiers in standard soul-guided armor stood in ranks on either side, soul-guided rifles in hand and expressions cold, forming a tightly sealed line of defense.

A short queue had formed at the entrance, made up of local residents barred from entering and a few scattered outsiders who appeared to have wandered here by mistake.

Their faces all bore confusion, unease, and a trace of panic.

Several officers in plain clothes but with sharp, capable demeanors held some kind of soul-guided instruments as they conducted strict questioning and identity verification on everyone attempting to enter the town. Their movements were swift and carried an unquestionable forcefulness.

The soul-guided off-road vehicle slowly came to a stop a hundred meters from the checkpoint.

At some point, Zhou Mingyu (sword) had opened his eyes. His deep gaze passed through the window, calmly sweeping over the armed military formation ahead and the grim atmosphere. His brows drew together ever so slightly.

The smile had long frozen on Zhao Lin's face, replaced by deep shock and confusion. He pushed open the door and followed Zhou Mingyu (sword) out. Together, they walked toward the queue.

Standing at the end of the line, Zhao Lin stared at the scene of people being subjected to rigorous inspections one by one and could not help crying out in a low voice.

"What's going on? Checking everyone individually? Why is this such a huge operation?" His voice was full of disbelief. "Even during peak tourist season, when the place was packed shoulder to shoulder, at most the city's law enforcement squad would send a few people over to maintain order and prevent stampedes or disputes.

"But this... this is clearly a military takeover! What are they trying to do? What happened in Clear Spring Town?"

He instinctively looked at Zhou Mingyu (sword) beside him, hoping to find an answer or a trace of understanding on the face of this Inspector from headquarters.

Yet Zhou Mingyu (sword) merely watched the scene ahead in silence, his gaze lingering on the soldiers' equipment, emblems, and the movements of the officers conducting inspections, as though analyzing and judging something.

Clear Spring Town was a peaceful little town famed for tourism. The sudden large-scale martial lockdown by the Federation's regular army was anything but ordinary!

Behind this, something major must have happened—something serious enough to alarm the military and require news of it to be tightly sealed away.

Zhao Lin's heart sank. His father's carefully arranged "relaxing trip" seemed to have crashed into an invisible high wall.

The grim scene before them cast an ominous shadow even over Clear Spring Town's originally beautiful mountains and waters.

In the end, with the military strictly forbidding entry, the group could only return to Clear Spirit City first.

But Zhou Mingyu (sword) recalled the health station in Clear Spring Town, the medical crosses, the medical personnel wrapped up from head to toe, and the ambulances screaming past...

He did not return directly to his room to rest. Instead, he went straight to the temporary office at the top of the pagoda that had been specially prepared for him as Inspector.

He had barely taken his seat behind the broad ebony desk when a steady knock sounded from outside the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Liao Shan strode in quickly. The senior deacon of the Clear Spirit City Spirit Pagoda wore an expression of worry and urgency.

"My lord, it's an epidemic," Liao Shan said in a low voice, his tone grave. "A strange disease never seen before is spreading fiercely through Clear Spring Town!

"According to the reports sent back by the people we dispatched into town, it develops extremely quickly and has bizarre symptoms—high fever, irregular purplish-black blotches on the skin, delirium, even violent tendencies... A considerable number of people in town have already been infected. Multiple quarantine zones have been established, and all suspected and confirmed patients have been gathered under centralized control."

"Mm. Keep watching this matter. Inform me immediately if anything happens."

After hearing Liao Shan's report, an ominous premonition rose within Zhou Mingyu (sword).

Sure enough, just as expected, Liao Shan hurried over the next day with another report.

"My lord, something has happened. Many cases appeared across the city overnight. The city is now under lockdown, and the epidemic seems to be continuing to spread toward other regions."

Zhou Mingyu (sword) was startled as well. He immediately notified Pagoda Master Zhao and had the pagoda's healing-type soul masters assist in treating the patients.

He also reported the situation directly to headquarters before heading into the city to inspect the situation.

In just one night, the thriving sight of bustling streets in Clear Spirit City had vanished without a trace. Every household had shut its doors tight.

The streets held only soldiers patrolling in full protective gear and medical workers carrying out viral disinfection operations. From time to time, the urgent wail of ambulance sirens echoed through the air.

The entire city had suddenly become bleak and deserted, the air thick with oppression and unease...

Under the name of Spirit Pagoda support personnel, Zhou Mingyu (sword) arrived at the hospital, only to find it already overflowing with people. Everywhere were patients' agonized cries, family members' panic, and the heavy footsteps of doctors racing through the corridors.

For some reason, the sight of this living hell left Zhou Mingyu (sword) with an unbearable feeling in his heart...

But as Zhou Mingyu (sword) continued wandering aimlessly through the hospital, he sensed an exceedingly chaotic "power of faith" gathering above the hospital and the quarantine camp!

Thanks to the great deal of power of faith still stored in his sea of consciousness from Xie Jiayun, Zhou Mingyu (sword) now understood much about the power of faith and was able to sense its existence.

No, it should not be called faith!

It was a force utterly opposite to the power of faith, filled with emotions such as panic, resentment, and pain. As the number of patients and the degree of their suffering increased, it continued gathering above Clear Spirit City.

And it seemed to be slowly flowing toward somewhere...

At that moment, Zhou Mingyu (sword) realized it.

This incident was man-made!!!