Strange Illness

By the following evening, a thin mist had risen among the mountains, and the air carried the dampness and slight chill unique to 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 and the others around all the sights in the city that day, and they were now following the winding mountain road toward the final destination of their trip—Clear Spring Town on the outskirts.

Inside the vehicle, Zhou Mingyu 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 the excitement unique to youth and a serious attitude toward the mission.

From time to time, 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, smoke curled up from cooking fires, and a fairly sizable town came into view.

Clear Spring Town—just as its name suggested, the town had been built beside a crystal-clear mountain stream. White-walled, gray-tiled buildings stood in orderly layers along both banks, simple yet elegant in style.

Beyond the town lay broad stretches of cultivated terraces and verdant orchards. Farther away were rolling forests, said to conceal natural caves, cascading waterfalls, and flowing springs that drew tourists from afar.

Looking at the scenery outside, Zhao Lin showed a faint, relaxed smile and was about to introduce Clear Spring Town's history and features to Zhou Mingyu.

"Inspector, look, that's Clear Spring Town. In its early days, it was only a small village with a hundred or so households, living off the mountains. Later, Soul Masters and wealthy merchants from the city discovered the spectacular caves and forest hot springs here. More and more tourists came by reputation, and it gradually developed into its present size, becoming one of the most popular leisure destinations 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 crowds of tourists and hawkers calling out did not appear. Instead, an oppressive air of grim tension greeted them.

At the town's only entrance, the originally symbolic wooden fence had been temporarily replaced by heavy anti-vehicle barricades gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.

Dozens of soldiers in standard soul-guided armor stood on either side with soul-guided rifles in hand, their expressions stern as they formed a tight defensive line.

A short queue had formed at the entrance, made up of local residents blocked outside and scattered outsiders who appeared to have wandered here by mistake.

Confusion, unease, and a trace of panic showed on all their faces.

Several officers in plain clothes but with a sharp, capable bearing held some kind of soul-guided instrument as they conducted strict inspections and identity verifications on everyone attempting to enter the town. Their movements were swift and forceful, allowing no room for doubt.

The soul-guided off-road vehicle slowly stopped a hundred meters from the checkpoint.

At some point, Zhou Mingyu had opened his eyes. His deep gaze passed through the window, calmly sweeping over the armed military formation ahead and the grim atmosphere surrounding it. His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

The smile had long frozen on Zhao Lin's face, replaced by profound shock and confusion. He pushed open the door and followed Zhou Mingyu out of the vehicle, the two of them walking together toward the queue.

Standing at the end of the line, Zhao Lin watched as each person underwent a rigorous inspection and could not help exclaiming in a low voice:

"What's going on? Checking people one by one? Why is the security this tight?" His voice was full of disbelief. "Even during peak tourist season, when the place was packed, at most the city law enforcement team would send a few people 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?"

Instinctively, he looked at Zhou Mingyu beside him, hoping to find an answer or even a hint of understanding on the face of this inspector from headquarters.

However, Zhou Mingyu merely watched ahead in silence, his gaze lingering over the soldiers' equipment, insignias, and the inspection officers' movements, as though he were analyzing and judging something.

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

Something major must have happened behind this—something serious enough to alarm the military and require the news to be strictly sealed off.

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

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

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

But Zhou Mingyu recalled the clinic in Clear Spring Town, the medical crosses, medical staff wrapped up from head to toe, and ambulances speeding past with sirens blaring...

Rather than returning directly to his room to rest, he went straight to the temporary office at the top of the tower, specially prepared for him as the inspector.

He had only just sat down 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. A trace of worry and urgency showed on the face of this senior deacon from the Clear Spirit City Spirit Pagoda.

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

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

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

After hearing Liao Shan's report, an ominous premonition rose in Zhou Mingyu's heart.

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

"My lord, something has happened. Many cases appeared throughout the city overnight. The city is now under lockdown, and the outbreak appears to be continuing to spread into other areas."

Zhou Mingyu was startled as well. He hurriedly notified Pagoda Master Zhao and dispatched the Healing System Soul Masters within the tower to help treat the patients.

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

In only one night, the bustling prosperity of Clear Spirit City's streets had vanished without a trace. Every household had shut its doors tight,

and the only people on the streets were soldiers patrolling in full protective gear and medical personnel carrying out virus disinfection operations. From time to time, the shrill alarms of ambulances could be heard.

The entire city had suddenly become cold and deserted, and the air was filled with oppression and unease...

Under the name of Spirit Pagoda support personnel, Zhou Mingyu arrived at the hospital, only to find it already packed to capacity. Everywhere, there were the anguished cries of patients, the panicked confusion of their family members, and the heavy footsteps of doctors running through the corridors.

For some reason, the sight of this living hell left Zhou Mingyu feeling deeply unsettled...

But as Zhou Mingyu continued wandering aimlessly through the hospital, he sensed an extremely mixed and chaotic mass of "Faith Power" gathering above the hospital and quarantine camp!

Thanks to the considerable amount of Faith Power from Xie Jiayun (Healing) still stored within his Sea of Consciousness Space, Zhou Mingyu now understood Faith Power quite well and was able to sense its presence.

No, it should not be called faith!

It was a force completely opposite to Faith Power. It was filled with emotions such as terror, resentment, and pain, and as the number of patients and the severity of their suffering increased, it continued to gather above Clear Spirit City.

And it seemed to be slowly flowing toward a certain place...

At that moment, Zhou Mingyu realized that this incident was man-made!!!