Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang were on the fourth floor, where they had a clear view of the entire lobby.
At this moment, the outpatient hall had become chaotic. The child whose ear had been bitten off was crying loudly, and there were also many nurses, security guards and patients around who had been bitten by the crazed woman.
The crowd surrounded the mother and daughter. An agitated middle-aged woman immediately started yelling, "What's wrong with you? Biting people randomly, are you a mad dog?!" A man complained, "Damn, she almost bit off a piece of my hand. What are her teeth made of? They're even fiercer than a mad dog's!"
The security captain said with a stern face, "Everyone, disperse! Don't crowd around here, everyone disperse!" The nurses around were trying to calm the crowd down, and the head nurse from the Emergency Department shouted, "Friends who have been bitten, please come with me to the treatment room immediately for disinfection and bandaging. Please cooperate!"
Although the lobby was in chaos, the situation was quickly stabilized thanks to the joint efforts of the security guards and the nurse. Several strong young men escorted the mother and daughter to the security room, while all the bitten people were taken to the treatment room to treat their wounds.
Hospital Such chaotic situations are common in the Emergency Department. Drunk people come to the hospital in the middle of the night and cause a scene, and there are even couples arguing and coming to the hospital to fight each other. These doctors and nurses are experienced and, when faced with a patient suddenly biting someone, they did not panic but brought the situation under control immediately.
The crowd quickly dispersed, but Xiao Lou felt a sense of unease upon seeing this scene.
Those who were bitten must have been infected as well.
He recalled his experience in Zombie Town in Spade 2. Initially, the Zombie Leader, the carrier of the virus, attacked his own kind. Those he attacked quickly became infected with the Zombie Virus, and the virus spread overnight, turning the once peaceful town into a living hell.
Xiao Lou remembered it very clearly—first, the Zombie Leader was put into Morgue after death and suddenly came back to life, which was very different from the woman's sudden madness during the IV drip; second, in Zombie Town in Spade 2, the zombies were unconscious and slow-moving, and Xiao Lou was able to complete the game and get an A score by using The Peach Blossom Spring to kite them alone.
The woman who just fell ill was incredibly agile, biting over a dozen people in the outpatient lobby in just a few minutes—she didn't seem clumsy at all like the zombies in Spade 2. Moreover, her daughter didn't seem unconscious either; she was eating a child's ear while laughing.
Thinking of that Little Girl's strange smile, Xiao Lou felt a chill run down his spine.
—What exactly is going on?! Are they conscious, rational zombies? Or is this infection not caused by the Zombie Virus?
Xiao Lou didn't have time to think it through before quickly following Yu Hanjiang to the escalator entrance.
The two were about to go downstairs and leave the hospital when suddenly intern Xu Rongrong rushed over, panting, and said, " Professor Xiao, the head of the department just called and asked you to go to a meeting at the hospital."
Xiao Lou was taken aback: "A meeting?"
Xu Rongrong said, "They said it's an emergency meeting, all the institute leaders are here, and they want you to go to the conference center immediately."
Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang, who frowned slightly and asked in his ear, "Are you going?"
Xiao Lou thought about it carefully and said, "It's probably an emergency meeting about this virus. I'd like to listen in. There was a hint when I entered the secret room that I had to follow the instructions on the first day. If I don't go, I might miss important clues and won't be able to complete the game perfectly."
The hospital is actually quite dangerous at this point. Infected individuals have already appeared, and more and more people will become infected. If Xiao Lou goes to the meeting, he may very well be attacked by the mutated Infected individuals on his way.
But Xiao Lou's idea was also correct; the emergency meeting was definitely related to the virus and should yield some important clues.
Yu Hanjiang naturally supported Xiao Lou's decision. He nodded and, without saying a word, pulled Xiao Lou toward the office next door.
Xu Rongrong paused, looked at the man in the handsome police uniform, and asked in confusion, "Who is this officer?"
Yu Hanjiang said coldly, "I have questions for him regarding the investigation."
After entering the doctor's office, Yu Hanjiang immediately locked the door behind him and looked at Xiao Lou, saying, "This secret room doesn't have a card limit. Connect the Telepathic Connection first, so I can sense if you encounter any trouble."
Xiao Lou nodded, summoned Qin Guan, and used a skill to establish a Telepathic Connection with Yu Hanjiang.
After Yu Hanjiang entered the secret room, he received a call from a student who said that he had been attacked by a classmate and was about to die. When he and his colleagues arrived at the scene, the student who bit him had already escaped. The bitten person was lying on the ground clutching his arm, which was covered in blood and flesh.
Yu Hanjiang first brought his students to the hospital with his colleagues. When he entered the hospital's outpatient hall, he took a look at the hospital's floor plan. This was his professional habit: when he arrived at an unfamiliar place, he would first look for signs and look at a map. Therefore, he actually knew this hospital better than Xiao Lou.
Behind the main hall of the Municipal People's Hospital are two buildings: the administration building on the right, which is eight stories high; and the laboratory building on the left, which is ten stories high.
Yu Hanjiang pushed open the office window and pointed to the eight-story building to his right, saying, "If I remember correctly, the top floor of the administration building is the hospital's conference center. You should be having a meeting there later... See that window over there?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "I saw it."
Yu Hanjiang whispered, "When you're in the meeting, try to stay close to that window. I'll climb to the roof of the left-hand inspection building and set up a sniper rifle. If any mutated Infected suddenly attacks you, I'll immediately cover your retreat."
Xiao Lou looked up and observed.
Given the hospital's layout, the examination building has 10 floors, and the administration building has 8 floors. If Yu Hanjiang climbs to the roof of the 10th floor and sets up his sniper rifle, he will have a wide field of vision from above, and his firing range will cover all the windows on the 8th floor. As long as Xiao Lou stays by the window, any Infected who tries to approach him or attack him can be instantly shot down by Yu Hanjiang.
With Captain Yu providing cover, Xiao Lou felt much more at ease.
Yu Hanjiang added, "If the situation is more dangerous than you think, just jump out of that window, and I'll use the white silk to pull you directly to the roof of the inspection building. The distance between the two buildings should be about 20 meters, and the length of the white silk card is enough to bring you over."
Xiao Lou was stunned when he heard this. The administration building was eight stories high. If he jumped out of the window on the eighth floor and Yu Hanjiang used the white silk to pull him to another building from a distance, what if Yu Hanjiang slipped and he fell down and was smashed into a meat pie?
Xiao Lou suggested, "How about we use The Peach Blossom Spring to teleport directly?"
Yu Hanjiang said, " Peach Blossom Spring only lasts for half an hour, and your meeting may not be able to finish in half an hour."
The two were connected via Telepathic Connection. Yu Hanjiang noticed Xiao Lou's worry, so he gently pressed Xiao Lou's shoulder and said softly, "Trust me, the length of the white silk card is enough to pull you over directly."
Meeting his deep eyes, Xiao Lou no longer doubted him and nodded decisively, "Okay, if something happens in the conference room and I can't handle it, I'll just jump out the window and evacuate the way you said."
Yu Hanjiang said, "Let's go, stay alert."
The two walked out of the office. Xu Rongrong had been waiting at the door. When she saw Xiao Lou, she hurriedly said, " Professor Xiao, hurry up! The director called again to urge us. He said the meeting is at 12:30 sharp, but it's already 12:20."
Xiao Lou said, "I know, I'll be right there."
He and Xu Rongrong turned and went downstairs together, with Yu Hanjiang following beside Xiao Lou. Xu Rongrong was curious why the policeman was following them. It wasn't until they reached the fork in the road that Yu Hanjiang suddenly entered the inspection building, and Xiao Lou smiled and explained, "This officer is investigating a case."
Xu Rongrong said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions, continuing to follow Xiao Lou towards the administration building.
The two took the elevator upstairs together. Inside, Xu Rongrong covered her mouth and coughed softly. Xiao Lou turned to look at her and asked with concern, "How long have you had this cold? Have you taken any medicine?"
Xu Rongrong said with a smile, "It's been a week. I'm usually quite healthy and never take medicine for a cold. Anyway, the natural course of the flu is about a week, so I just tough it out. Taking medicine too often will damage the body's immunity."
Xiao Lou pondered that this intern named Xu Rongrong, since she was assigned to his side, couldn't possibly be just some insignificant nobody; perhaps she held some clues. Was her cold related to this infection?
Just then, the elevator made a "ding" sound, indicating that we had arrived at the top floor.
As Xiao Lou stepped out of the elevator, Xu Rongrong smiled and said, " Professor Xiao, your boss is in a meeting, so I won't go in."
She gestured goodbye to Xiao Lou, and Xiao Lou politely said goodbye as well, then turned and walked into the office.
**
Inside the office, the hospital leaders and department heads were all present.
Xiao Lou glanced at the window Yu Hanjiang had mentioned. There were a few empty seats there. He walked over, stood at the window, and looked up. He couldn't see anyone on the roof of the building opposite, but Telepathic Connection told him that Yu Hanjiang was there and had already set up a sniper rifle high up.
Yu Hanjiang's deep voice echoed in his mind: "Sit here. Don't worry, I can see everyone in your conference room. If anyone attacks you, I'll deal with the trouble immediately."
Xiao Lou nodded and turned to sit by the window.
The clock struck 12:30, and the elderly dean with gray hair said, "Alright, all the department heads and professors have arrived. Let's begin the meeting."
He took out a notebook filled with notes and said with a heavy expression, "I urgently called you here because I have some bad news to tell you—an unknown flu virus has infected the residents of our city. It is said that last night, a patient with a severe cold in the respiratory department of the Second Hospital suddenly ran out and bit people everywhere in the middle of the night. All the patients in the respiratory department, the on-duty doctor, and the nurse were bitten by her. This morning, everyone in the respiratory department died, and she was the only one who survived."
"Currently, the Second Hospital has been placed under mandatory quarantine. I just received a notice from the Ministry of Health instructing all medical staff to take preventative measures. Our hospital must urgently establish an expert team to study the structure of this virus and develop an antiviral vaccine as quickly as possible."
After hearing the dean's words, the surrounding doctors gasped.
An elderly professor couldn't help but ask, "Are all the doctors and patients in the respiratory department of the Second Hospital dead? The disease progressed so quickly overnight! What was the cause of death? Has there been a conclusion?"
The dean said, "Some bodies were taken for autopsies by the Forensic Doctor, and the cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage in all of them."
A male doctor nearby said, "In all my years in the infectious disease department, I've never heard of a virus that spreads so quickly and has such a high mortality rate... Death from brain hemorrhage? Flu viruses affect the respiratory tract; even if they mutate, they can't cause brain hemorrhage, can they?"
The doctors started discussing: "Is it transmitted through blood? Is infection only contracted after a bite and bleeding?"
The dean frowned and said, "Judging from the surveillance footage, the pulmonologists were bitten, but we can't rule out the possibility of droplet transmission, since they are all on the same floor as the pulmonology department, making them susceptible to airborne infection."
The head of the Emergency Department said, "By the way, I heard from my colleagues in the Emergency Department that a woman suddenly went berserk while receiving an IV drip and bit more than a dozen patients and medical staff."
The staff member has been taken into custody by security—could this be the " Infected " the dean was talking about?
The dean's expression suddenly changed: "What?! Why didn't you report such an important matter to me sooner!"
The head of the Emergency Department awkwardly touched his nose: "I only just found out about what happened ten minutes ago..."
Upon hearing this news, everyone's faces turned grim.
The hospital director reacted quickly and said sternly, "Call the Emergency Department immediately. All the medical staff who had contact with that patient this morning, as well as those patients who were bitten and have not yet been discharged, must be isolated in the infectious disease department!"
The head of the infectious disease department frowned and said, "I don't think it's necessarily a viral infection. We need to find a living infected person and examine them carefully to determine the cause. It could be a bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infection. Different infections require different treatment plans. We need to identify the pathogen before we can consider the next steps."
Xiao Lou sat beside him, listening attentively. The director of the infectious disease department was right. In fact, it is still uncertain what the pathogen causing the infection is. There are four main categories of microbial infections: viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Each category requires a different treatment.
The flu virus spreads through the air and can spread extremely rapidly. But this infected case has a unique characteristic: it attacks its own kind, spreads through blood, and the cause of death is brain hemorrhage, which doesn't sound like a flu virus mutation at all.
Is it just a coincidence that the infected person got the flu? After all, large-scale flu outbreaks are indeed common in winter.
Just then, a doctor hurriedly knocked on the door and came in, saying to the hospital director, "Director Lin, the head CT scan data of the surviving patient from the Second Hospital has been sent over."
The dean's face lit up with joy. He immediately had everyone draw the curtains, turned on the conference room slides, and logged into the database to view the video materials.
Seeing that all the curtains were drawn, Yu Hanjiang immediately asked Xiao Lou, "What's going on?"
Xiao Lou mentally explained, "We need to draw the curtains when looking at the Infected head CT scan, don't worry."
Yu Hanjiang said knowingly, "Be careful, and tell me immediately if anything happens."
As the projection screen on the wall was lowered, the head CT scan of Infected from the Second Hospital was clearly displayed— Xiao Lou gasped when he saw the image, and the doctors around him were also stunned.
On the CT scan of the infected head, countless white spots appeared. The entire brain tissue looked as if it had been occupied by a strange creature. There was no trace of normal brain tissue left in the patient's head!
The head of the infectious disease department nearly jumped up from his chair. He took a deep breath and said seriously, "It should be parasites."
The dean's face also turned extremely ugly: "His brain has been eaten, and he's still alive?"
The doctors around them found it incredible.
Xiao Lou clenched his fist lightly. He had been brought to the meeting; he wasn't an expert in this field and didn't need to speak. But listening to everyone's discussion, he gained many important clues—attending the meeting was indeed the right decision. Otherwise, he would never have known that this large-scale infection wasn't a virus, but an unknown parasitic organism.
This parasitic organism lives in the human brain and quickly consumes all the normal brain tissue.
They don't affect human movement because they occupy the human brain's control center, thus becoming the masters of the body and controlling the human nervous system, including physical movements, facial expressions, and language...
Infected individuals may appear no different from normal people on the surface, but the core of their brains has long been replaced.
Although zombies are disgusting, they are slow-moving and lack intelligence. Xiao Lou and his friends have a lot of attack and control cards, so it will be easy for them to deal with the clumsy zombies together.
But this Infected is not only agile, but also has a clever parasite in its brain directing it!
That's the scariest part.
After the scans were finished, the curtains were drawn back, and the conference room was filled with light. At midday, warm sunlight streamed into the room, but looking at the eerie CT images, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
After a moment of silence, the head of the infectious disease department said, "This news cannot be released, otherwise it will cause public panic. The infected people must be immediately isolated. We need to take samples of the parasite from their brains, culture them in petri dishes, and see what kind of organism it is and whether it can be killed with drugs."
Someone said in a deep voice, "But the problem is, these parasites eat human brain cells. From a medical point of view, these infected people are already in a state of brain death—brain death means they are dead! They seem to be alive because the worms are controlling their bodies. Even if we kill all the parasites, we still can't save the patients, right?"
Silence fell upon everyone once again.
Indeed, without a brain, can these things that can move and speak still be called "human"?
The hospital director said decisively, " Infected people can't be saved, but we can find ways to prevent it and stop more people from getting infected! An expert team has been urgently formed, and I will personally lead the team. Immediately isolate the infected people in the Emergency Department. At the same time, notify all staff members in the hospital to wear isolation gowns and gloves starting tomorrow, and take protective measures to prevent skin contact with patients' wounds!"
Whenever infections such as viruses, bacteria, or parasites occur, hospitals are always the first to be severely affected. Frontline medical staff face considerable danger. Although these doctors are characters from the drama "The Lover," Xiao Lou greatly admires their unwavering commitment. Throughout human history, many large-scale plagues and viral outbreaks have resulted in vaccines, but each time a bloody price was paid.
The hospital director was very decisive; he established an expert group and got several key hospital staff members to start working immediately.
The emergency meeting lasted for half an hour before everything was arranged.
Just then, there was a knock on the meeting room door. The person closest to the door opened it, and Xu Rongrong stood there smiling, saying, "Distinguished leaders, you haven't had lunch during this midday meeting, have you? I've ordered takeout for everyone." Several security guards followed behind her, carrying boxes of takeout into the meeting room.
Everyone in the conference room was taken aback, clearly not expecting a young doctor to suddenly come to the leaders' conference room to deliver food.
The head of surgery smoothed things over, saying, "This is Dr. Xu, who just joined our department. She ordered food for everyone out of kindness, haha. Everyone must be hungry, right? Why don't we eat first, so we can get back to work?"
Xu Rongrong walked in with a smile and asked the security guards to put the takeout on the table.
The head of the Emergency Department next to him licked his lips and said with a smile, "Thank you, I really am hungry."
Just when everyone thought he was about to grab his takeout and start eating, he suddenly grabbed the hand of a male doctor next to him and bit down hard!
Xiao Lou: "......"
******