Plague bacteria could only survive and multiply in large numbers inside a living host. In dry air, they survived for only a few hours.
Once a few hours had passed, she would put the things back into her smart bag.
While sharing Mu Ling's senses through Shared Senses, Su Cheng had already cleared the weeds from the five square meters around her and sprayed the area with 84 disinfectant for basic disinfection.
It was too dark now to travel through the mountains, so Su Cheng planned to spend the night in this clearing.
She was currently on the outskirts of the mountain, so she did not have to worry too much about wild animals at night. She just did not know where she would end up after crossing or going around it.
Su Cheng lit a strand of dry grass with her lighter, then used it to ignite the pile of weeds.
The flames flared up with a whoosh, lighting the surroundings.
Rather than sitting beside the fire, Su Cheng sat some distance away. Wearing her protective suit, she was already drenched in sweat.
Su Cheng unzipped her protective suit. Although the heat source had warmed the air, it was less stifling than inside the suit.
Ash drifted from the burning weeds, and a scorched smell filled the air.
Su Cheng's sticky hair clung to her scalp, and sweat from the stuffy suit covered her forehead and temples. Only after taking out some water and gulping down more than half a bottle did she feel much cooler.
Taking off the protective suit was far more comfortable than sweltering inside it, but Su Cheng still fastened it again after quickly finishing her water and chocolate bread.
The clearing had already been sprayed with disinfectant and exposed to the fire's heat, but Su Cheng's deep-seated fear of infectious disease still kept her cautious.
Let it be stuffy, then. Better than getting sick.
Su Cheng gazed at the blazing fire and considered her plans for the next few days.
The supplies in her smart bag were enough to last her five days in place if she rationed them, but Su Cheng recalled the village she had seen through Mu Ling's eyes.
It would be such a waste to leave those abandoned supplies to rot. How wonderful it would be to take them back to the apartment.
Su Cheng coveted them badly.
Not every instance offered a chance to stockpile supplies.
At most, Su Cheng had better resistance than the native inhabitants. She was not immune to every poison and disease, and could not recklessly head straight into an infected village.
The safest approach was to have Mu Ling enter the village and carry things back for her.
But Mu Ling could not use her smart bag, and staying in this instance too long would weaken her soul... so she could not leave all the supply gathering to Mu Ling.
Su Cheng sighed, unable to think of a good solution for the moment.
Once darkness fell, more mosquitoes appeared in the mountains, their buzzing intensely annoying.
Su Cheng took out her insect repellent and sprayed herself again for extra protection, staring at the fire in boredom.
Night had fallen in this instance, but Su Cheng had only just woken up at the apartment before coming here. Despite the darkness, she was not sleepy at all.
Perhaps she could stock up on a few books if she had the chance. Su Cheng had night vision and needed no light to read.
The next time she encountered a similar situation, she could read, learning something new while passing the time.
The flames in the pile of weeds gradually dwindled.
Su Cheng took two eggs from the bamboo basket and placed them in the ashes at the edge of the pile, using the residual heat to cook them.
After a few minutes, only scattered embers remained of the flames.
Su Cheng fished out the eggs and waited for them to cool.
After eating the eggs and drinking another half bottle of water, Su Cheng sat back down and gazed at the brilliant stars overhead, waiting for dawn.
Though this instance had been ravaged by disease, nature seemed untouched. Cicadas still chirped, and the starry sky stretched on without end.
Su Cheng had always wanted to go camping in the wilderness, but work had kept her from doing it.
Well, now she was being forced to camp outdoors, and she would probably have plenty more chances to spend time in the wilderness...
As five o'clock approached, a pale light appeared on the horizon.
Su Cheng had not slept all night, but she still felt fairly alert.
Su Cheng stood up, sprayed alcohol over the bamboo basket, and put it into her smart bag.
There were actually several dead mosquitoes on the ground where she had been sitting, presumably thanks to the mosquito repellent.
"This brand of mosquito repellent works well. I should stock up on more when I get the chance."
Su Cheng stretched, torn between setting up a temporary camp nearby and crossing the mountain to see what lay beyond...
Before she could decide, Su Cheng suddenly heard footsteps approaching and slipped behind a large tree nearby.
The footsteps drew closer.
Two familiar figures led the way: the two plague doctors from yesterday.
Seven or eight people followed them, old and young, supporting one another as they walked.
They had brought all the surviving villagers who could still move here first thing in the morning.
The group grew excited at the sight of the ashes left by the burned weeds and the clearing stripped bare of grass.
"This is it! The divine messenger must have lit that fire last night. She was guiding us here!"
"I smell something strange in the air. Did the divine messenger leave this behind...?"
"Heavens... the divine messenger must be nearby..."
They spoke excitedly, a certain hope appearing in their eyes. Suddenly, they all knelt, bowed their heads to the ground, and shouted, "We beg an audience with the divine messenger!"
"We beg an audience with the divine messenger!"
"We beg an audience with the divine messenger..."
The repeated cries of "divine messenger" gave Su Cheng a headache. That strange smell someone had mentioned was merely the lingering odor of alcohol and 84 disinfectant.
Su Cheng took out her chainsaw and said, "I can't save you."
The crowd instantly fell silent at her voice.
A child tried to look up, but an adult pressed his head down, warning him with a look not to be disrespectful.
Someone wept in despair. "Has God abandoned us?"
"What did we do wrong...?"
"How can we earn God's forgiveness...?"
These believers thought the plague was God's punishment. They begged for His forgiveness, unable to accept being abandoned by the One they prayed to day and night.
Unfortunately, Su Cheng was not a messenger sent by their God to save them.
She was not a doctor and did not know how to treat the plague, nor did she have any medicine that could treat it.
Su Cheng sighed softly. "Quiet."
Her voice was not loud, but the sorrowful crying stopped at once, turning into stifled sobs.
Perhaps, to them, as long as the divine messenger was willing to speak, they still had a chance to receive God's forgiveness.
Su Cheng continued, "You can only save yourselves from this plague. It's contagious, and rats and fleas transmit it to humans."
"First, immediately separate and isolate those without symptoms from those already infected. Gather and burn the bodies of people and livestock that died of the plague. You must bathe! Shave off dirty, unkempt hair, exterminate rats, and clean the streets to maintain a clean environment..."
Su Cheng told them every remedial measure she knew.
"Bloodletting and inducing vomiting won't cure it. They'll only worsen the symptoms... the disease has already spread widely. All you can do is limit the damage before it gets worse."
After finishing, Su Cheng turned and headed into the woods.
Su Cheng could not save them. She had said so from the start.
She could not coldly turn away, but she would not put herself at risk for them either.
So she would not approach them or return with them. All she could do was tell them these remedial measures.
If the villagers could not accept it and rioted, Su Cheng would show no mercy with the chainsaw in her hands.
Whether they believed her was their own business.
Only after Su Cheng's footsteps faded did the kneeling villagers raise their heads in bewilderment.
"So we were wrong to think not bathing was holy...?"
"Is she really a divine messenger...?"
"But if she isn't, why hasn't she fallen ill? I saw her wearing clothes as white as snow just now. I've never seen clothes like those..."
"Doctor, should we do what the divine messenger said?"
The two plague doctors were silent for a long time. "I don't know... but let's try. As the divine messenger said, all we can do is limit the damage before it gets worse..."
Su Cheng took out her shovel and pushed aside the grass blocking her path.
It seemed she no longer needed to make a choice. She could not stay on this mountain.
If there was a first group, there could be a second.
Just as there were villagers who believed in God and begged His forgiveness, there would also be villagers who resented God and raged at the injustice.
Once word spread of Su Cheng's title as a "divine messenger," who knew what sort of people it would attract?
Su Cheng did not regret revealing herself to tell the villagers how to prevent the disease, but she would not stay to deal with unnecessary trouble either.
There were plenty of insects in the mountain forest, so Su Cheng simply sprayed herself with more insect repellent, hoping all kinds of bugs would turn around and leave once they smelled her.
"Whoosh, whoosh..."
Su Cheng faintly heard the sound of flowing water.
Following the sound for about five minutes, she did indeed find a little stream, its running water clear enough to see the bottom.
Su Cheng spotted a gray hare drinking and instinctively softened her footsteps, slowly closing the distance between them.
The hare's long ears stood alert as it drank, watching for any disturbance.
Su Cheng took out her dagger, aimed, and threw it.
Whoosh-
The dagger plunged into the ground right beside the hare, its handle quivering slightly.
Startled, the hare darted into the grass in a few quick bounds and disappeared.
"So close..."
Feeling a little disappointed, Su Cheng walked over and retrieved her dagger.
If she could catch a hare, it would probably taste delicious roasted... if she had seasonings.
Su Cheng noted seasonings as a supply she lacked.
"Following the water might lead me out of the mountain forest..."
Su Cheng continued walking downstream and discovered small red wild berries she had never seen before growing on some bushes.
"I wonder if they're edible..."
Su Cheng picked all the berries and put them in her smart bag.
Remembering how she had missed the hare, Su Cheng took out her dagger and practiced her throwing motion as she walked.
Unfortunately, after that gray hare, Su Cheng did not encounter another rabbit.