noveltune Chapter 24 Plague?
Chapter 24 Plague?
The continuous rain has lasted for a whole week and shows no sign of stopping.
The gray sky hung low, as if it might collapse at any moment.
The icy rain, mixed with a bone-chilling cold, shrouded the city in a damp and chilly gloom.
Nanyang Public School, a school that is usually full of vitality, looks somewhat desolate at this moment.
The red brick exterior wall was covered with large patches of dark green moss, which was slippery and sticky.
Chinese class in the afternoon.
Su Changming stood on the podium, holding a copy of the Book of Songs, and was lecturing on the line, "The wind and rain are dark, but the rooster crows incessantly."
The rain pattered against the glass outside the window, making an unsettling sound.
The classroom was noticeably emptier than usual.
The lecture hall, which was originally packed with students, now had several empty seats scattered around.
Su Changming's gaze swept across the front row.
Lin Xiaoman was originally sitting there.
Ever since that day when he boldly asked the question, this girl has become his number one fan.
He always sat in the first row during every class, and he loved to run to the office whenever he had free time, bringing him some homemade snacks.
But today, that spot is empty.
"Didn't Lin Xiaoman come today?"
Su Changming put down his book and asked a question seemingly casually.
Not only Lin Xiaoman, but also several acquaintances including Yao Xiwei and William did not attend class.
In the audience, Lin Xiaoman's roommate, a girl with pigtails, stood up, her expression somewhat unpleasant:
"Reporting to Professor Su, Xiaoman... she's ill."
"Are you sick?" Su Changming frowned slightly. "Is it serious?"
"They say it's the flu."
The girl hesitated for a moment, then shrank her neck, seemingly feeling a bit cold.
"Many people at school have gotten sick these past few days. At first, it was just a cough and a low-grade fever, and everyone thought it was just a cold. But then they found that more and more people were getting sick..."
Hearing this, Su Changming didn't press further. He simply nodded, gesturing for the girl to sit down, then picked up his textbook and continued lecturing as usual.
Soon, the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class.
Instead of going straight back to his office as usual, Su Changming picked up his lesson plan and turned to walk towards the school's infirmary.
As soon as I arrived in front of the small white building where the medical room was located, a wave of disinfectant and moisture hit me.
The corridor was packed with students.
All the curtains were drawn tightly shut, making it completely airtight.
But they were all pale-faced and shivering even though they were wearing thick coats.
Su Changming stepped into the consultation room.
The air here is much more polluted.
"Professor Su? What brings you here? Are you feeling unwell?"
The school doctor, Old Chen, who was busy and overwhelmed, looked up, saw Su Changming, and quickly greeted him.
"I've come to see my students." Su Changming's gaze swept over the sleeping faces on the hospital beds.
Lin Xiaoman was lying on the innermost hospital bed.
In just two days, she seemed to have lost a lot of weight.
When she saw Su Changming arrive, she forced a smile on her pale face and tried to get up to greet him.
"Don't move, lie down."
Su Changming quickly gestured for her to lie down.
After offering a few words of comfort, and seeing Lin Xiaoman close her eyes wearily, Su Changming pulled Old Chen to a corner.
"Dr. Chen, what exactly is this disease? And why is it so contagious?"
Old Chen sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "I can't say for sure. The symptoms are like the flu, but not entirely. These children have abnormally high white blood cell counts, and their body temperature fluctuates... The most troublesome thing is that their mental state is very poor, as if they have been frightened."
Just as the two were talking.
"Bang!"
The door to the inner laboratory was suddenly and violently kicked open.
Immediately afterwards, a heated argument broke out.
"No! This is impossible! You bunch of quacks! You have no idea what this means!"
The voice sounded familiar.
Su Changming looked in the direction of the sound.
A tall figure in a white coat was seen grabbing a young nurse by the shoulder and shouting loudly.
That's... William?
If it weren't for his signature blond hair and bright blue eyes, Su Changming would hardly have recognized the masked man in front of him.
A month ago, he was still that elegant British gentleman. He had been attending classes for the past few days, and although his mental state wasn't very good, it wasn't like this now.
At this moment, William's hair was as messy as a bird's nest, his eyes were bloodshot, and his white coat was wrinkled and crumpled.
"Professor William! Please calm down!" The nurse was so frightened that she almost dropped the tubes of blood samples on the tray in her hand.
"Give it to me! Give me these samples!"
William's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the vials of dark red blood.
"I need to take it back for testing! Only my lab has the equipment! This isn't just the flu! It's a curse! It's a plague!"
"Professor William, this is against the rules..."
"Rules? To hell with rules! If we don't hurry, it'll be too late! Everyone will die!!"
William roared and reached out to snatch the test tube.
"William, what's wrong? What happened?"
Su Changming stepped forward, put his hand in front of the nurse, and then gently patted William's shoulder.
During this time, he had become quite familiar with this foreigner. Compared to that deadbeat David, William was clearly much more upright, not only outstanding in ability but also in cheerful personality.
William also greatly admired Su Changming's academic level, and the two got along quite well at school.
Upon hearing the familiar voice, William turned his head in a daze and saw Su Changming's face.
The mania in his eyes gradually subsided, and he slowly regained his clarity.
"Professor Su... what are you doing here?"
Su Changming didn't answer, but simply patted his shoulder lightly and gestured towards the door with his eyes:
"This is a hospital ward, don't frighten the students. Come on, let's go outside and talk."
At the end of the corridor, outside the window, rain continued to fall. William leaned against the wall, took off his mask, and then took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. His hand trembled several times before he lit it.
After taking a deep breath, he exhaled a cloud of blue smoke, making him appear ten years older.
"Su, do you believe me?"
William turned his head, his azure eyes filled with helplessness and dejection:
"This is not the flu at all; this is a premeditated biological plague."
He clutched his hair in anguish:
"But I'm an outsider, I'm just a teacher, nobody believes what I say, the school board thinks I'm exaggerating, and some even... some people even suspect that I brought the virus."
Su Changming listened quietly, looking at the dejected man in front of him, without saying anything more.
She simply reached out and patted his shoulder, her tone calm:
"You're a doctor and a professor. Since nobody believes you, then let the evidence speak for itself."
William paused for a moment, looked at Su Changming, and nodded heavily.
The two chatted for a few more minutes. Watching William stub out his cigarette, straighten his white coat, and leave, the gentleness on Su Changming's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression.
If what he said is true, then where is the source of this plague?