“Lock down the city?”
Wan Zhong was briefly stunned, but quickly
nodded. “Understood, Your Highness. I’ll take care of it immediately!”
As a soldier, obeying orders was his duty.
No matter what command Li Guanglong gave, he
would carry it out without hesitation.
“Wait…”
Just as Wan Zhong turned to leave, Li Guanglong
stopped him. “This plague is no small matter. We must enforce a complete
information blackout --- absolutely nothing can leak. If the officials in
Lincheng disobey or pretend to comply while secretly defying orders, remove
them from their positions and investigate immediately. Anyone who delays the
response should be thrown in prison!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
With that, Wan Zhong rushed off with purpose.
Now that he had the prince’s full authority, he
no longer needed to restrain himself.
He had long been fed up with those bureaucrats
in Lincheng --- always deceiving their superiors and playing politics.
They rushed to cash in on benefits but
disappeared when trouble arose. Their inaction had worsened the situation in
Lincheng.
Previously, he’d held back for fear of
interfering with the prince’s broader plans.
But now, it was different. Anyone who dared
obstruct the execution of military orders or play games behind the scenes ---
At best, they’d be dismissed. At worst,
imprisoned.
No room for negotiation.
…
While the situation in Lincheng was worsening,
things in Liyang City weren’t
any better.
Liyang was under Li Juntang’s control.
Ever since arriving last night, Li Juntang had
been busy non-stop.
Compared to Li Guanglong’s impulsiveness, Li
Juntang was clearly more shrewd.
Knowing his mission in Liyang was to contain
the plague, he had prepared a medical team in advance.
He also ordered rapid collection of the virus
strain for research and antidote development.
To speed up results, he even approved live
testing.
Beyond assigning the medical team to develop a
cure, Li Juntang also enforced an information lockdown.
This was to prevent panic and further spread of
the disease.
Though his methods were sound, he still
underestimated how fast the plague could spread.
In just one night, the number of infected went
from thirty-something to over a hundred.
Most troubling of all --- several infected patients
had escaped and were spreading the virus.
With no other choice, Li Juntang ordered the
closure of all nearby towns and sealed off every road and entry point.
At that moment, inside a temporary hospital ---
Li Juntang sat in the director’s office,
listening to his subordinate’s report, fuming with anger.
“What the hell have you all been doing? You
still haven’t caught a few plague patients after an entire day?” he roared.
“Your Highness, it’s like they knew our plans
in advance. They keep hiding and slipping away. By the time we get there,
they’re already gone,” the subordinate replied with his head bowed.
“You mean to say… there’s a mole among us?” Li
Juntang quickly caught on.
“Otherwise, they would’ve been caught by now.
And I believe this plague isn’t a natural disaster --- it’s man-made,” the
subordinate said, shocking everyone.
“Man-made?” Li Juntang narrowed his eyes. “You
think foreign enemies are behind this?”
“These people are deeply hidden. We haven’t confirmed
anything yet,” the subordinate shook his head.
“Then what’s the use of you talking nonsense?
Go investigate, now!” Li Juntang snapped.
“Yes, Your Highness!” The subordinate quickly
took his leave.
“I knew this plague wasn’t simple… So someone’s
sabotaging us behind the scenes.”
Li Juntang leaned back with his hands clasped
behind his head, deep in thought.
This plague response mission wasn’t his alone
--- his two older brothers were also involved.
Though each was in a different city, the
overall situation was similar.
So this outbreak wasn’t just about saving lives
--- it was a test.
A test of who had greater ability. A test of
who had the stronger influence.
At first, he hadn’t thought that far --- he
just wanted to complete the mission quickly.
But after hearing the report, he realized the
situation was far more complicated.
If this plague was man-made, then unless the
culprits were rooted out, it would never truly end.
That was the real issue.
With that thought, Li Juntang suddenly took out
his phone and dialed a mysterious number.
“Bring your team to Liyang City immediately. I
have an important task for you.”
…
At dusk, in Yangliu Village, Pucheng ---
“Boss, all newly infected patients have been
successfully quarantined.”
“The information is still under strict control.
The situation is currently manageable.”
“The renowned doctors brought in from Stonia
have all arrived. They’re now studying plague-curing methods under Mr. Rhys’ guidance.
We believe we’ll see results soon.”
“Based on current data, as long as no new
source of infection appears, the plague in Pucheng should be fully
containable.”
Su Lan was giving Margaret a detailed status update.
Although over a hundred new cases had emerged
that morning, the swift response and efficient intelligence network meant all
of them were already isolated within just half a day.
With Dustin, and over a dozen famous doctors assisting, curing those hundred-plus patients shouldn’t be a significant problem.
At least for now, they could breathe a little easier. - Ton
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