Yun Ming heard the young girl's words and temporarily set aside his speculations about her identity, refocusing on the current situation as he spoke coldly.
"Indeed! A man-made Great Plague!"
"What a massive undertaking!!!"
Oscar, hearing Yun Ming claim the plague was man-made, didn't react immediately and asked in confusion.
"This plague is man-made? How can you be sure?"
Hearing Oscar's question, the young girl explained.
"Because for half a month, not a single piece of news has reached outside the city."
Yun Ming added in detail.
"As an important economic and trade hub of the Silves Kingdom, given normal population flow and the fact that the city wasn't sealed for the first three days of the outbreak, news of the plague and the situation in Saga City should have spread by now."
"But the reality is, there is no movement from the outside. We passed through the town closest to Saga City yesterday; there was no sign of the plague there, nor did the people show any panic or urgency regarding the source of the outbreak. Everything concerning the plague is contained within Saga City—it's terrifyingly quiet!"
"There are two possibilities for why the plague hasn't spread or been reported in other regions. First, they aren't suffering from a plague at all, but a common cold, and the deaths in the city are due to other causes; second..."
"Those who left Saga City during those three days were all taken care of!"
"So, there must be someone pulling the strings behind this!!!"
Yun Ming didn't elaborate on how they were "taken care of," but everyone present understood his meaning.
Hearing the explanations from the young girl and Yun Ming, Oscar felt a chill run down his spine. Recalling the other information the Felt Hat Man had mentioned earlier, Oscar exclaimed.
"Could the mastermind be the City Lord of Saga City, Ye Chuan?!!"
"But how could such an anomaly in such a large city be kept hidden?"
The young girl answered Oscar's question, sharing her deduction.
"It's impossible to keep it hidden forever, but it's doable for a short time."
"The outside world doesn't know the situation inside Saga City, and the people inside are trapped by the City Lord's lockdown order and his series of anti-plague decrees, unable to step outside. As long as the mastermind stores enough supplies within the city to prevent shortages, keeps the death toll within a certain threshold, and enforces strict military control over anyone entering, they can keep it hidden for a while."
"However, judging by the fact that these civilians managed to escape, twelve days is likely the limit of the deception; the city guards inside are starting to waver."
There were over twenty people who escaped—not many, not few—and among them, only one was a Soul Master, with a few others showing signs of military training. Most couldn't fight at all; it was highly probable they escaped by using connections with the guards or were guards themselves, which is how they succeeded.
"Furthermore, judging by that Horse Chopping Blade Great Soul Master who repeatedly tried to prevent news from leaking, and the sufficient supplies to sustain the whole city, the mastermind has immense power in Saga City and must be inseparable from the City Lord's Mansion. In the worst-case scenario, the mastermind is Ye Chuan himself, but that cannot be confirmed yet!"
Hearing the young girl's explanation, Oscar looked at Saga City in the distance and felt that it was incredibly dangerous!
Meanwhile, Yun Ming listened to the young girl enlightening Oscar while multitasking, checking the health of the Black Armor Soldiers and the escaped civilians to see if there were any plague samples.
After the young girl finished explaining to Oscar, she ran to Yun Ming's side. She didn't disturb him, just watched silently, wanting to see if he could find any other information and wanting to see what he looked like when he was young.
As for why she only watched and didn't help, it was because she didn't really understand medicine; she saved people through her powerful Martial Soul abilities, and she didn't really need things like medicine.
For the next half hour, Yun Ming searched for cases, the young girl stared at Yun Ming, and the other three silently ate "dog food." Yang Wutian was different from Yang Wudi; he had little interest in medicine. If you asked him how to kill or how to torture someone to cause more pain, he was an expert. But asking Yang Wutian to save someone? Forget it.
Half an hour later, Yun Ming had checked everyone and found nothing. It was possible they weren't infected—after all, they wouldn't carry the source of infection—or perhaps when the young girl treated them earlier, she had incidentally cured the plague. In Yun Ming's memory, the Angel of Hope's "Light of All Living Things" soul skill had the ability to treat certain plague-related diseases.
Seeing Yun Ming finish his check, the young girl asked softly.
"How is it? Any findings?"
Yun Ming looked at the earnest young girl and shook his head.
The young girl wasn't disappointed. After a moment of thought, she said gently.
"Old An, let's enter the city!"
Old An didn't mind; with his strength, he could handle whatever changes occurred in Saga City.
After calling out to Old An, the young girl said goodbye to Yun Ming with lingering reluctance.
"Although I don't know how big the conspiracy inside the city is, I want to try to save more innocent people. I'll leave these residents to your care. Goodbye..."
My love!
Before she could finish, the young girl turned around and walked toward Saga City, carrying the regret of having met only to be separated again.
Watching the young girl, who knew there was a major problem in the city yet still insisted on going in to save people, new memory fragments began to surface in Yun Ming's mind.
They were still memories of that woman. Although the situation she faced was different from the young girl's, they both chose the path of saving all living things, even if it meant putting themselves in danger.
Looking at the young girl's departing back, Yun Ming suddenly felt he had started to like her. It wasn't like the fleeting heartbeat from before; it wasn't because of her beautiful face or slender figure, but because of her pure, kind heart.
Watching the young girl slowly moving away, Yun Ming said with a calm expression, though his voice seemed a bit louder than usual and carried a trace of imperceptible tension.
"Let's go together!"
"I said I would get justice for them!"
Although the latter part was indeed Yun Ming's true thought, only he knew if there was any other meaning behind it. In any case, to Oscar, it sounded like Yun Ming was making excuses for his "tag-along" behavior.
Hearing that Yun Ming was going to take risks for love, Yang Wutian felt a complex mix of emotions—the child was growing up too fast! But it was just entering Saga City; Yang Wutian wasn't afraid in the slightest. Even if such a large city surely had Soul Saint-level Soul Masters, what did he, Yang Wutian, have to fear? If there were too many enemies and they couldn't win, wasn't there still an expert archer?
The young girl heard Yun Ming's words and turned to see him looking calm, though his ears were slightly red. Her eyes curved like crescent moons, and a gentle smile appeared on her face. Even though he had lost the memories of their past, he still chose to walk by her side.
The young girl responded softly.
"Alright, let's go together!"
After speaking, the Young Girl remembered that they hadn't formally introduced themselves yet. She trotted over to Yun Ming, came to a stop in front of him, extended her jade-like hand, and introduced herself.
"Let's have a proper introduction!"
"Hello, I am Ya Li!"
Yun Ming looked at Ya Li before him, reached out his own hand, gently grasped her soft palm, and spoke.
"Hello, I am Yun Ming!"
ps: Seeking monthly tickets and recommendations.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader