Heavy rain kept hamring against the doors and windows of the library gathering point, sounding with loud thuds and splashes.
Dozens of survivors had gathered here, each wearing the protective gear delivered by the Ergency Managent Bureau. Although the protection level was only ordinary, sothing was better than nothing.
After putting on gas masks, people had not spoken for a long ti.
And unlike hotels or hospitals with many separate rooms where people could isolate individually, the library only had main halls on the first and second floors where everyone had to stay together.
Fortunately, books were the one thing not lacking here; everyone held a book or scrolled on their phones to pass the ti.
In a corner of the second-floor hall, a young father and son sat together. The father was under forty, the son looked about ten, and they were reading side by side.
At that mont, the man suddenly felt unwell, his throat and head aching, his muscles inexplicably sore.
“What is this…”
He muttered nervously, a sense of unease and fear swelling inside.
He knew he had not been ill recently and had been in good health. Now that the sixth rule had been announced less than a day ago, his body showing signs so soon was not a good on.
“Dad, are you okay?” the son asked.
The man glanced around, took his son into the restroom, locked the door, then crouched down with his back turned to the boy.
“Son, look at the back of my neck, are there any red spots?”
The first stage of Blood Plague infection was red spots appearing on the neck and shoulders, the second stage involved internal and external bleeding, the late second stage led to bleeding from the seven orifices, and the third stage was fatal explosive bleeding.
The boy looked carefully, and the words he said chilled the man to the bone.
“Dad, I think there are.”
Boom!
With the thunder outside, the man collapsed to the floor with a thud.
Startled, the boy hurried to help his father: “Dad, why are you on the floor? Why are you crying?”
The man wiped his face, imdiately pushed the boy away: “Go, stay away from !”
“Dad…”
“Dad is infected with the virus. He may have only several to a dozen hours left, or he might explode blood very soon… you can’t stay near him, you…”
Before he finished, the restroom door was kicked open.
Several n stood at the doorway, looking at the man with shock and anger.
The leader cursed, “It was already suspicious when I saw you take a kid into the restroom. I didn’t think you’d be infected! Get out of the library now!”
“That’s right. If you don’t leave you’ll infect us all. We can’t have infected people inside the library!”
The man stood up: “I know, I know, I’ll leave, but my son is fine, he has to stay!”
The n hesitated. At that mont others in the gathering point heard the commotion and gathered around.
When they learned what happened, they all stepped back, frightened, away from the infected man.
“No way, you can’t leave his son! They’ve stayed together, if one is infected the other must be infected too!”
“That’s right, both of them must leave together, no negotiation.”
“Get out! Do you want to kill us all?!”
Voices shouted, pushing the father and son to leave the library.
The boy hid behind his father in fear. Facing the crowd’s accusations, the man said sharply, “I can leave, but my son must stay! If you don’t agree, I won’t leave!”
“What?!”
“You dare—if you don’t leave we’ll throw you out!”
“You threaten us while you’re alone?”
The man grit his teeth, pulled a multi-tool knife from his pocket, flicked out the blade and pressed it to his own neck: “Whoever dares throw
out, huh? Co on, I’ll splash you with my blood!”
Everyone recoiled and took a few hurried steps back.
They had no desire to be splattered with his blood. After all, they had not forgotten that this virus could be transmitted through the air and through blood.
“Don’t do anything rash!”
“I said I’ll go, but my son isn’t infected. You can check his neck and shoulders, they’re clean!” the man shouted. “Leave my son here and I’ll go. If not, I’ll sacrifice this life to spray a few of you with blood!”
The crowd exchanged glances. After inspecting the boy and finding no red spots, they reluctantly agreed.
The man breathed a sigh of relief and said to his son, “Son, you must behave, stay in here and survive. Dad… Dad will go first!”
“Dad!” the boy ran forward and hugged his father’s leg. “I want to go with you. Wherever you go, I go!”
“Don’t be silly, be obedient!”
“I won’t, I won’t listen! I’ll go with you!”
“You…”
“Your son says he wants to go with you, then take him.” Soone in the crowd said. “Don’t hurt the kid’s feelings.”
“Yeah. He’s not being forced. He insists on following you.” Another chid in.
The man scanned the crowd, his heart sinking.
He realized that because he had threatened them with his life, they already hated him. Even if he forced his son to stay, once he left the boy would be bullied by them… maybe even thrown out later.
Better to take him and go! Then, before the explosive bleeding, he could try to find a new, safe place for his son…
With that thought, he no longer hesitated and scooped up the boy: “Let’s go!”
The father and son hurried out of the library. As soon as they left, others closed the doors tightly and so produced disinfectant, spraying wildly around.
“Dad, where are we going?”
Not long after leaving the library, the boy’s question left the man at a loss.
He was about to answer when he coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, staining the bottom of his mask bright red.
So soon?!
He could hardly believe it; he had expected more ti. Already he was entering the second stage with external bleeding?
“Dad, Dad?”
“Son, run to the main street—”
He pushed his son away and, fighting the pain, forced the words out.
“To the street. If you see those black vehicles marked ‘Ergency’, beg them for help… they’ll help you… ugh!”
As he finished, another large mouthful of blood sprayed out.
“Dad! Dad!”
The man turned and ran in the opposite direction, trying to put distance between himself and his son. But not even dozens of ters had passed when his whole body trembled, and in the next instant he exploded in blood and died.
“Dad!”
The boy chased to his father, looked at his father drenched in blood, and began to wail helplessly.
The rain poured hard, swallowing his cries, and the father’s last instruction to go to the road and find an ergency vehicle was lost in the boy’s terror and grief…
The rain didn’t stop until the next morning.
So people wearing protective suits passed by and were shocked by the scene.
They stepped closer and first discovered the man who had died from explosive bleeding, then saw a boy sleeping face-down on top of him.
“The man obviously died from explosive bleeding, last night.”
“The boy’s chest is rising and falling, he’s alive?”
“Careful! The kid is covered in the man’s blood, he might be infected too!”
The boy, hearing voices, slowly opened his eyes.
He looked at his father’s corpse and began crying again: “Dad…”
“Child, is he your father?” one person asked.
Another moved behind the boy, checked his neck and shoulders, and told the others, “Clean, not infected.”
“He is my dad, we…”
As the boy spoke he suddenly looked with puzzlent at one of the young n among the group.
“Uncle, why is there a bug on your shoulder?”
“Huh?” The young man looked bewildered and checked his own shoulder. “What bug? Where?”
“I clearly saw it, a red bug…”
The man who had first questioned the boy went pale, quickly pulled open the young man’s protective suit and looked at the skin on his shoulder.
There was a bright red patch—the mark of Blood Plague infection.
“!!!”
Everyone was stunned.
“Why!” the young man broke down in despair, “I was wearing protective gear the whole ti!”
The group leader didn’t have ti for that, and imdiately focused on the boy: “Quick! This child is a Blood Plague adaptor—he has antibodies and can distinguish infected people. Get him to the vehicle and take him straight to headquarters!”
anwhile, at the Lihua Hotel, yesterday’s calm had evaporated.
Everyone hid in their rooms; the lobby still showed the two guests who had already exploded in blood and died.
Having seen them die that way, the others’ resolve collapsed, and people wailed and scread.
Many regretted not taking the protective equipnt given by Ergency Managent Bureau staff. Several people kicked on the mutual aid organizer’s door and cursed, blaming him.
But the door did not open and no sound ca from inside. They guessed that since the organizer had shown signs of bleeding early yesterday, he likely died from explosive bleeding in his room.
No one dared forcibly break the door for fear that a sealed room would contain the virus and opening it would spread infection.
The two corpses in the lobby were left untouched for the sa reason—no one had protective gear to handle them.
However, a day later, just as every resident cowered in their rooms praying not to be infected, the organizer’s voice suddenly ca over the loudspeaker.
“mbers, please co out.”
Was that… the organizer’s voice?
People in the rooms listened in disbelief, unsure if they imagined it.
“Co out.” The voice spoke again, “I have cleaned up the corpses in the lobby, you need not worry.”
Creak—
Doors opened and people stepped out, rushing to the first-floor lobby, where they saw the organizer smiling and standing in the center with his hands spread.
“My survival is the miracle you witnessed.”
“!!!!!”
Everyone stared at him in shock.
They had seen the organizer’s eyes bleeding yesterday, a sign of late second-stage Blood Plague, the next step being explosive bleeding and death! Yet…
“You are truly a master!” soone suddenly shouted. Others crowded around the organizer, believing him to be capable—a person who even the Fire Thief’s rules could not kill.
The organizer smiled, then his smile faded.
He pointed to soone in the crowd and said, “Only soone impure of heart will be taken by the virus. You are one of them.”
All eyes turned to the accused person, who said blankly, “What are you saying? I… how could that be?”
“Go to your room and accept the test.” The organizer said, and under everyone’s stare the man had no choice but to return to his room and close the door.
Less than half an hour later cries of pain ca from the room. The man rushed out, hands covering his face, blood pouring from his mouth, prompting the others to step back in fear.
“Master… save …”
The organizer did not hesitate. He stepped forward and took the man’s hand.
The man exploded in blood and died, the blood splashing all over the organizer, who remained unflinching. The retreating crowd cried out in alarm.
“I have faith; the virus will not touch .” The organizer calmly wiped the blood from his clothes with a tissue, then personally covered the corpse with cloth and carried it back into the room.
When he returned to the lobby, people were prostrated on the floor, looking at him with reverence as if he were an enlightened master.
Adoration, submission, fanaticism.
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