Chapter 56: The Infectious Virus

In the evening, soldiers began to gather in the cafeteria for their meal. Chef Jiang forced himself to remain calm as he served everyone. It wasn’t long before the first batch of soldiers who had consumed well water began to show symptoms of discomfort; they first experienced dizziness, followed by relentless vomiting, and quickly collapsed on the ground.

The poisoned soldiers were urgently sent to the medical station, where the military doctors were overwhelmed with the situation, yet they could not determine the specific cause of the illness. The soldiers groaned in pain, with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea showing no signs of relief.

The military area fully sealed off the cafeteria and carefully checked all food and water supplies, but the results were disappointing—nothing was found.

Moreover, individuals who had been in contact with these soldiers also began to show varying degrees of symptoms. The military leaders recognized the seriousness of the situation and immediately isolated those who had been infected, deploying a large number of medical personnel from the military hospital to assist.

The military district notified Chen Feng and He Zhengping to be in charge of the investigation into this incident. Chen Feng felt the heavy responsibility and dared not to relax, while Mu Nanhe, hearing about the situation, insisted on participating; he understood the massive impact this event could have on the troops and wanted to contribute to solving the crisis, even if he had to do so from a wheelchair.

The three men moved through various corners of the military district, carefully checking every inch of the cafeteria— from the food storage room to the cooking stove, not overlooking any place that might hide a clue. They also questioned the cooks one by one, but the information they gathered was very limited; everyone claimed that everything was normal and that they hadn’t noticed any irregularities.

Subsequently, they headed to the water source, looking at the well that provided daily water for the entire military district, with grave expressions on their faces. They inspected the surrounding environment of the well, finding no traces of forced entry or any suspicious objects. Chen Feng crouched down to examine the well opening closely, hoping to find a hint, but ultimately came up empty-handed.

He Zhengping was busy arranging for the grouping and isolation of individuals with varying degrees of contact and illness within the troops, while soothing efforts were also underway.

At the medical station, the doctors exhausted all sorts of conventional testing methods but had yet to determine what caused the soldiers’ poisoning. This placed immense pressure on Chen Feng and Mu Nanhe; as time ticked by, the condition of the poisoned soldiers grew increasingly dire, and they felt as if they were groping in the dark, unable to find a direction.

At this moment, Yang Qingyan was still on the mountain, enjoying the tranquility of nature. She strolled through the woods, breathing in the fresh air, feeling the vibrancy and vitality of all living things, while strengthening her special abilities, invigorated and refreshed. After carefully searching for rare medicinal materials, she hummed a little tune and walked back home with a light step.

However, upon arriving home, she found the house empty; Mu Nanhe was not there. A sense of doubt and worry surged within Yang Qingyan; at this time, Mu Nanhe should have been home waiting for her. She hurriedly put down her basket and checked the note left by Mu Nanhe on the table.

Not bothering to rest, Yang Qingyan immediately hurried toward the military district.

Anxiously rushing to the entrance of the troops, she was stopped by a sentinel on guard. “Sorry, the troops are temporarily sealed off. No one is allowed to enter without permission,” the sentinel said firmly, his gaze carrying an undeniable authority.

Yang Qingyan hurriedly explained, “I’m looking for Mu Nanhe; I am his wife and a doctor. I have something very important to discuss.” Her voice bore an edge of urgency, and beads of sweat had formed on her forehead. The sentinel hesitated for a moment, then picked up the walkie-talkie to report the situation. A short while later, Mu Nanhe arrived hurriedly in his wheelchair.

“Qingyan, why are you here?” Mu Nanhe asked, looking both surprised and worried.

Yang Qingyan quickly rushed to Mu Nanhe’s side, saying breathlessly, “I found your note when I got home and realized something had happened to the troops. What exactly is going on?”

Mu Nanhe sighed heavily, and his already burdensome mood seemed to weigh even heavier with this sigh. Slowly, he began to recount the entire course of the cafeteria poisoning incident to Yang Qingyan. He described each detail meticulously, from the initial discovery of soldiers showing symptoms to more and more individuals collapsing, and to the chaos and emergency rescue operation that ensued.

“Now the doctors have exhausted all conventional testing methods, but they still can’t determine what exactly caused the poisoning. And the condition of the soldiers is incredibly urgent; if we can’t quickly find a way to detoxify, the consequences could be unimaginable!” As he said this, Mu Nanhe’s voice trembled slightly, worry etched across his face, his brow furrowed tightly, forming a deep crease.

Yang Qingyan listened quietly as Mu Nanhe spoke; her expression gradually became serious. After he finished, she paused for a moment before resolutely saying, “Take me to see them; perhaps with my experience, I can help in some way.”

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Mu Nanhe’s eyes, and he immediately nodded in agreement. Thus, the two of them rose quickly and hurriedly made their way to the medical station.

As they donned their protective gear and entered the medical station, a tense and oppressive atmosphere hit them instantly. The poisoned soldiers lay quietly on their hospital beds, their faces as pale as paper, devoid of any color, looking extremely weak. Occasionally, sounds of muffled groans would escape their lips, tightening one’s heart upon hearing them.

The doctors busily moved back and forth among the beds, holding various medical equipment and medications, but in the face of this unknown toxin, they appeared to be at a loss, showing signs of agitation and unrest.

Yang Qingyan rushed to a bed where a soldier lay, bending down to observe him intently. She gently lifted the soldier’s eyelid to examine the condition of his pupils; then she measured his pulse. After doing all this, she didn’t forget to inquire with the nearby doctor about what specific tests had been conducted and their corresponding results. Finally, Yang Qingyan closed her eyes, calming her spirit, and utilized her unique ability to sense the viral traces hidden within the soldier’s body…

After an extremely detailed and subtle diagnosis, Yang Qingyan’s long, willow-like eyebrows knitted tightly together, forming a small frown. She gently shook her head and, in a somewhat heavy tone, said, “As of now, I don’t have any clear leads on this condition. However, this kind of symptom feels vaguely familiar, as if it were caused by a complex and rare toxin recorded in ancient texts. It’s just… sigh! Perhaps because the time is too distant, I’m unable to recall which specific toxin could lead to this situation.”

Mu Nanhe, hearing this, flashed a glimmer of hope in his eyes: “Qingyan, even a small clue could be crucial. Think slowly, and together we will find a solution.”

After listening, Yang Qingyan furrowed her brow deeply. After pondering for a moment, she said, “Nanhe, I request the troops to test the water source and the food that was consumed. Perhaps we can find clues.”

Although Mu Nanhe was somewhat puzzled, he had complete confidence in Yang Qingyan’s abilities and immediately contacted the troop leader to make the request. Upon hearing about Yang Qingyan’s medical skills, the leader readily agreed.