Chapter 92

The weather in the depths of winter was especially harsh.

It was only just past noon, but the already dim sunlight had been swallowed by dark clouds. The sky was gloomy and heavy, as if a great snow was brewing, making Qiaose’s already sullen face even uglier.

“I hope they can survive this cold winter.”

He sighed and made a devout gesture across his forehead and chest, his brow deeply furrowed with worry.

As Jiang Liu walked down the street, the few pedestrians had already retreated into their houses. The bleak, cold wind billowed her thin coat, and the cold air touching her arms made her shiver.

Beside her, Zhao Ziming was only wearing a long-sleeved shirt, hugging his arms with a pale face.

If he had known about the weather in this godforsaken place, he would have bought two down jackets before coming in.

Seeing their state, Qiaose felt a bit guilty. “I’ve made you suffer.”

It was all because this illness had come so suddenly, sweeping through half the town like a gale. Everyone was unable to work, and even getting enough to eat had become a problem.

Jiang Liu didn’t mind too much. She just frowned slightly at his words and looked at Qiaose thoughtfully. “You keep mentioning the mayor. Shouldn’t we go see him?”

Qiaose quickly shook his head, his expression even more worried. “According to etiquette, yes.”

He pointed to a building not far away. “But the mayor is worried about the residents. Even though he’s bedridden, he hopes you’ll treat them first. After the consultations, I will naturally introduce you.”

Hearing the words “bedridden,” Jiang Liu couldn’t help but tilt her head. “Is he very sick?”

“Yes. As of two days ago, he can no longer speak.” Qiaose sighed, then took a few steps forward and explained as they neared the building.

“All the patients are gathered in the clinic. Thanks to the mayor’s kindness, the residents can barely stay warm and survive. Miss Jiang Liu, please, no matter what, you must cure them. I will be eternally grateful.”

Qiaose pointed to a medical symbol on the building and bowed deeply to Jiang Liu. Then, he took a deep breath and regained his composure. “Please forgive me for not accompanying you. There aren’t many healthy people in town, so I need to help deliver food.”

He was indeed carrying a wooden bucket that he had brought from home. It was unclear what was inside, but he seemed to be carrying it with some difficulty. After walking just a short distance in the cold, a thin layer of sweat had already formed on his forehead.

“I understand.” Jiang Liu watched him leave, then turned to look at the three who were frozen into a huddle. “Let’s go inside first.”

The others couldn’t have been more eager, quickly opening the door and entering.

As soon as they pushed the door open, a wave of warmth from the charcoal fire washed over them, making even Jiang Liu let out an involuntary sigh. Her tense body finally relaxed, and her eyes scanned the surroundings.

Compared to Qiaose’s impoverished home, the clinic’s setup could be considered luxurious. There was even a thick curtain behind the door to keep the warmth from escaping. Through the gap in the curtain, Jiang Liu could see countless beds arranged inside. No one was talking; they were probably resting.

She didn’t rush in, instead turning her eyes thoughtfully. “Who do you think the NPC for this instance is?”

Logically, the guide NPC should be someone who pushes the players’ mission forward. In that respect, Qiaose was the obvious choice, but the sense of incongruity about him always made Jiang Liu feel something was off.

Zhao Ziming was the first to speak. “It’s definitely not that muscle-bound guy.”

In initial instances, the system would specify one’s identity, but the Points Arena clearly had no such rule.

Jiang He and Tang Rui had no judgment on the matter, so they just stared at him with wide eyes. “Why?”

They thought he was about to give a constructive answer, but Zhao Ziming just spread his hands and said very sincerely, “I asked Big Brother Gao before. High-level NPCs are never foreigners.”

Jiang Liu’s mouth twitched. “…Fine.”

Gao Yuan really did have a big mouth, but it was useful at critical moments.

Seeing Tang Rui’s speechless expression, Jiang Liu also shook her head and said thoughtfully, “I still think the mission is related to the church. Do you still have that cross?”

Zhao Ziming patted his chest. “Of course. That’s a life-saving item.”

Jiang Liu was relieved. Since it was a product of this instance, it might come in handy.

As they were talking, a wary female voice suddenly came from inside. “Who’s talking out there? Be careful not to disturb the patients.”

Then, the sound of light footsteps approached from within. The heavy door curtain was pulled aside, revealing a small figure. The moment her eyes met Jiang Liu’s, she froze.

It was the strange girl from the church entrance.

Her attire was very distinctive, and Jiang Liu recognized her almost instantly. She took a step forward and said, “Hello, we are the new doctors. Qiaose asked us to come and see the patients.”

“Doctors?”

The girl repeated the word, and the defensiveness in her eyes gradually dissipated. She then clumsily lifted the curtain. “Then please come in. Be quiet, they just fell asleep.”

As the curtain was opened, a strong smell of disinfectant wafted out. It fermented in the stuffy air and rushed into their noses, stinging their eyes and making them want to cry.

Jiang Liu managed to hold it in, holding her breath to acclimate herself. Jiang He, however, was choked into a couple of coughs and muttered something about a weird smell.

The girl’s expression immediately soured. She turned and shot Jiang He a fierce glare. That look wasn’t one of a young girl in her prime, but rather one filled with thick disgust and agedness, as if an old soul was hidden within this young body.

This extreme contrast between youth and old age, appearing in a stooped yet pretty girl, was itself a bizarre sight.

That one look made Jiang He’s scalp tingle, as if he were being stared at by a Vicious Ghost, and the hair on his body stood on end.

Jiang Liu gave him a reassuring look, signaling them not to speak for now.

This was a makeshift clinic. Judging by the furnishings, it should have originally been an opera house. Now, most of the furniture had been removed, and the spacious hall was filled with beds, on which frail bodies were curled up under the covers.

Having learned his lesson from Jiang He’s experience, Tang Rui didn’t dare to speak casually. He just glanced at Jiang Liu and whispered, covering his nose, “Sis, it stinks in here.”

He didn’t know how to describe the smell. It was like a fully stocked refrigerator that had lost power for a month. The meat and produce inside had rotted and bred maggots, but instead of being properly cleaned, it was just sprayed with a few bottles of disinfectant as a cover-up and then frozen again.

When that disinfectant-laced ice mixed with rotting remains began to thaw, that was probably the smell in this room.

Jiang Liu didn’t speak, her eyes just followed the girl. “Are you the original doctor here?”

The girl, with a sour face, led them deeper inside. Hearing the question, she turned and gave Jiang Liu a strange smile. “The doctors are all dead. I’m just here temporarily to help.”

She didn’t seem to hold much hope for Jiang Liu’s group, merely stating as a matter of procedure, “All the patients are here. This notebook records their symptoms.”

The hunched girl handed a kraft paper notebook to Jiang Liu. It clearly stated that this place housed two hundred and seventeen patients. Each bed had a number in front of it. The first ninety-three had the most severe symptoms and had been sick the longest, with the severity decreasing down the line.

Jiang Liu glanced at the notebook for a moment before handing it to Zhao Ziming. She held her breath and approached a nearby bed. On it lay a bone-thin middle-aged person with messily cut hair, making it hard to tell if they were male or female. Their eyes were half-closed as they lay on the bed, as still as a corpse.

The closer she got to the bed, the stronger the pungent smell became. She held her breath and checked the person’s eyes, feeling that this didn’t seem like a normal state of sleep.

Besides, it was too quiet here. Qiaose had said the patients here would go mad.

The hunched girl seemed to sense what she was thinking and said with a pout, “They’re given a Sedative Injection every noon. Otherwise, I can’t look after them.”

After speaking, she shrugged, a hint of mockery in her smile. “No one can watch them.”

“What are the specific manifestations of their madness?” Jiang Liu withdrew her hand, her brow tightly furrowed.

The hunched girl looked increasingly impatient. She glanced at Jiang Liu and said coldly, “What else? They jump up and down, making a fuss about getting out. If you provoke them, they’ll even attack people.”

As she spoke, her expression suddenly became weary. “When they wake up in a bit, you’ll see for yourself.”

“I’m a bit tired and need to rest. I’ll leave the afternoon to you. Everything you need to do is written on this.”

With that, she turned and left without another look at Jiang Liu.

The way she walked was very strange. If she stood up straight, she would be of normal height, yet she insisted on hunching over, her hands curled in her sleeves, and her legs moved with incredible speed. She was gone in a flash.

If an unsuspecting person saw her from behind, they might mistake her for an old lady.

“What a strange person,” Tang Rui said, scratching his head as he stared at her retreating back. He kept his hands tightly over his nose; if he had to smell this any longer, he was going to pass out.

Zhao Ziming waved his hand impatiently. “Why don’t we get some air? This room is almost unbearable.”

The patients needed a good environment to rest even more. If they had to lie in a place like this every day, they might as well just die.

“We can’t open the door.” Jiang Liu shook her head. The touch of the middle-aged person’s body still lingered on her fingertips, and she sighed as well. “Their body temperature is too low. The draft will make it worse.”

“How low can it be?”

Zhao Ziming muttered suspiciously, still unconvinced. He boldly reached out to touch a nearby patient. The moment his fingertip touched the person’s face, he shivered and looked at Jiang Liu as if he’d seen a ghost. “Wait, is this even a person?”

This person was like a block of ice; touching them even felt a bit cold to the hand.

No wonder the room was filled with stoves. He was starting to sweat just wearing a single layer, yet these people were huddled under thick cotton quilts.

Tang Rui had wanted to try too, but after hearing Zhao Ziming’s words, he shivered. “Sis, could these people be dead already?”

Jiang Liu’s gaze fell on the chest that was still rising and falling slightly. “They’re still alive for now.”

But it was unclear for how much longer.

Just as she finished speaking, she suddenly heard Jiang He stumble backward with a series of thuds. In his panic, he bumped into something, which fell to the ground with a dull thud. But Jiang He didn’t seem to notice, his teeth chattering as he spoke.

“He… he seems to be awake!”