On the Ark.

"Yes, there isn't one; it's a disconnected number. But..."

"But what?" Nearl asked.

"Are you looking for someone named Lin Ye? I hacked into Chernobog's communications bureau, searched for the name Lin Ye, and found his number."

Lin Guang glanced sideways at Shining: "So, that veterinarian lied to Shining?"

“…I don’t think so. Lin Ye’s real number and the number reported by Flash News are very similar, differing by only one digit. So, I think she simply remembered it wrong,” Fen said.

Shining: "..."

Nearl: "..."

“Okay, I’ve located his position,” Finn said quickly. “His current location is…”

……

Chernobog Third Hospital.

Lin Ye stood with Aesop in front of the Third Hospital, the closest hospital to where they lived. It had closed down a year ago due to a medical malpractice incident; over 90% of the departments and doctors had been relocated, leaving only a few outpatient clinics and a handful of elderly doctors treating minor ailments for nearby residents. In the current riot, the doctors had naturally all fled home, making the entire medical building look like a ghost town, devoid of any human presence. But Lin Ye had a vague feeling that Yilan was inside.

A little girl who discovers she has been infected with the virus will naturally rush to the hospital. Even though she knows perfectly well that hospitals can't save those infected, she'll still hold onto some hope, and that's perfectly understandable.

“Listen,” Lin Ye said to Aesop, “You wait for me here, I’m going inside to find Yilan.”

Is my sister inside?

"It should be there, at least I think it is."

"Then I'll go with you..."

"Don't be stubborn." Lin Ye patted Aesop on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Leave it to me."

Lin Ye's words affected Aesop once again, and Aesop nodded heavily.

So, Lin Ye took a deep breath, reached into his pocket, gripped the cold grip of the Colt Python gun, and stepped into the hospital alone.

Chapter Nine: Conflict with the Infected

Lin Ye didn't like hospitals because he had too many dealings with them during his childhood. He was frail and sickly from a young age, and part of his childhood was made up of the pungent smell of disinfectant.

So at that time, the doctors and nurses in the hospital didn't seem like angels in white to Lin Ye; they were demons from hell. Whenever these demons solemnly discussed his condition with Lin Ye's parents, his father would always have a grim face, chain-smoking, while his mother would wipe away tears with tissue after tissue. Thus, in the hospital, the young boy felt a deep sense of oppression, and as if by conditioned reflex, he felt breathless as soon as he entered the hospital.

However, Lin Ye, who came into this world, became a doctor in a white coat (veterinarians are also doctors), which makes one sigh at the irony of fate.

Chernobog is currently experiencing an outbreak of infection, and this hospital, which is on the verge of bankruptcy, can't even get a single squad of military or police personnel to maintain order. So the doctors have all fled, and Chernobog Third Hospital is completely deserted... That's how it should be.

But in reality, when Lin Ye pushed open the door of the inpatient department, he was not only greeted by the strong smell of disinfectant, but also by despairing and wary gazes.

The corridor was packed with people.

To be precise, the corridor was crowded with "infected people".

Lin Ye took a deep breath.

His guess was right; there were definitely more infected residents than just Ilan. And the first reaction of those infected was naturally to rush to the hospital. Each of them knew very well that current medical technology couldn't cure the infected, and their hopes were destined to be extinguished.

Perhaps it has already vanished.

Lin Ye slowly walked past them.

Unless they take off their clothes, it's difficult to distinguish between a normal person and an infected person just by looking at them. Therefore, they weren't sure whether the person dressed as a doctor was normal or infected. If normal, was he there to treat them or to arrest them? If infected… if even the doctor was infected, what hope was there?

No matter how they thought about it, despair lingered in the hearts of the infected and could not be dispelled.

While the infected observed Lin Ye, Lin Ye was also observing them. Undoubtedly, this was the first time he had encountered so many infected people. He could easily see the crystals growing beneath their clothes. If you cut open their bodies, you would find their internal organs had also turned into pieces of stone. The thought sent a chill down Lin Ye's spine, but he suppressed it and searched for Yilan in the crowd.

He believed that the young girl was very likely to be there.

His guess proved correct, for he soon found the girl huddled in a corner at the end of the corridor, her head buried in her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly. Although he couldn't see her face, Lin Ye knew it was Yilan.

So he walked over quickly: "Ilan."

The girl looked up, and when she saw Lin Ye, a look of surprise and panic flashed in her eyes. She instinctively tried to back away, but she was already in the corner; where could she possibly go?

Lin Ye then grabbed her hand: "Where are you going?"

Tears welled up in Yilan's eyes: "Brother Lin Ye, I... I've been infected."

"I know, I know," Lin Ye tried to reassure Yi Lan. "It's okay, don't panic, it's okay."

"The police will kill me." Yilan couldn't stop her tears. "They'll lock me up, put me in jail. I don't want to die, Brother Lin Ye, I don't want to die, and I don't want to go to jail." She grabbed Lin Ye's hand, her eyes pleading. "Brother Lin Ye, please heal me, okay? Please, I'll give you all my money, please heal me, okay?"

Lin Ye felt a pang of heartache at Yilan's appearance. That innocent girl had become like this. He wished he could find the person who spread the virus immediately and shoot all three of his bullets into that evil brain.

But now, all he could do was hug the little girl, patting Ilan's back as he whispered, "Don't worry, it's alright, I'm here."

Lin Ye's ability came into play once again. Yi Lan, who had been crying so hard she could hardly breathe, gradually calmed down. Then, as if she had thought of something, she immediately pushed Lin Ye away.

"Brother Lin Ye, stay away from me, don't let me infect you."

Seeing Yilan, who had pushed him away and was now huddled in a corner, shivering with her arms wrapped around her shoulders, Lin Ye felt an even greater pain in his heart.

Is that why she ran away from home? To avoid infecting her parents and younger brother...?

Thinking this, Lin Ye bent down again and hugged Yilan in his arms.

"It's alright," Lin Ye said softly. "Brother will take you home."

Perhaps Lin Ye's abilities worked again, because this time Yilan did not refuse Lin Ye. She buried her head in Lin Ye's shoulder and sobbed softly.

"Wow, there are still doctors at this hour."

A mocking voice came from behind Lin Ye. Lin Ye turned around and found a group of people standing behind him. The one who spoke was a blond man with dog ears who looked very slovenly.

Looking at the iron rod in the man's hand, Lin Ye had a bad feeling, but he didn't show it. He just hugged Yi Lan tightly and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Are you infected?" the blond-haired man asked.

"What's it to you?"

“Of course it’s related, because everyone here is infected.” The blond man spread his hands. “Everyone here is our compatriot. If you weren’t our compatriot, then naturally I wouldn’t let you leave.”

Lin Ye narrowed his eyes, vaguely guessing the other party's identity.

"You're the organizers of this riot?!" Lin Ye asked. "You're the ones who spread the virus?"

A maniacal smile returned to the blond-haired man's face: "What do you mean by 'spreading the virus'? We just hope there are more of our compatriots."

Those standing next to Huang Mao laughed, while the infected sitting on the ground looked up at them, their eyes revealing a complex mix of emotions, including anger, despair, and fear.

Yilan grabbed Lin Ye's clothes and whispered, "It's him."

"What did you say?" Lin Ye didn't hear clearly.

"He's the one handing out candy..."

Lin Ye clenched his fist.

Meanwhile, someone whispered something in the blond-haired man's ear, and after hearing it, the blond-haired man laughed even louder.

"A veterinarian?!" The blond-haired man pointed an iron rod at Lin Ye's nose. "You're a veterinarian?! Please, even the doctors have all run away, what can a veterinarian like you do here?!"

Lin Ye quietly reached into his pocket and grabbed the handle of the python's gun. But he didn't rush to take the gun out, because he only had three bullets, and he was facing a group of infected people on the verge of insanity.

After the blond-haired man finished laughing, Lin Ye calmly said, "How about letting me leave?"

"You're letting me leave?" The blond-haired man looked at Lin Ye, his lips twitching. "What do you think?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than an iron rod swung down from behind Lin Ye and struck him on the head.

He groaned and collapsed.

Chapter Ten: A real man only needs to remember one thing to survive in this world.

Lin Ye never expected that he would be tricked.

Damn it, I haven't even finished speaking yet!

A metal rod struck the back of his head, causing excruciating pain followed by dizziness, and then he collapsed to the ground. As he instinctively tried to get up, another foot stepped on his right hand, pulling the flustered Yilan away from him.

"You're not infected." The blond-haired man looked down at Lin Ye. "What are you doing here? Is this little girl your relative? But aren't you a pure human?"

"The police?" The infected man who attacked Lin Ye slung the iron bar over his shoulder. "Would the police send a weakling like you?"

"He's not a policeman. Didn't I just say he's a veterinarian?"

The infected who had started the disturbance burst into laughter, as if they had heard a hilarious story, while the rest of the infected kept their heads down, not daring to speak. Ilan, crying, tried to run to Lin Ye's side, but was held tightly by the infected who had ambushed Lin Ye.

"What's going on, little girl?" the infected person who had ambushed Lin Ye said. "You're one of us now, he's your enemy." He then raised his foot and stomped hard on Lin Ye's wrist, emphasizing each word, "Our enemy!"

Lin Ye felt like his hands were about to be crushed, and he showed a pained expression, while the rioting infected became even more jubilant. They were like a group of people who were high on drugs, their smiles full of ferocity and mania.

The blond-haired man walked up to Lin Ye, slowly squatted down, and patted Lin Ye's face: "So, doctor, what are you doing here? There are no patients here, are there? You should be in those alleys, in those trash cans, finding those sick cats and dogs, not here."

Lin Ye gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to groan, and then slowly said, "I'm not a member of the police, nor am I here to find any patient... I'm just here to take this child back."

"Where are we taking it?" Yellow Hair grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Of course, we'll take her home."

"She has no home anymore." Huang Mao glanced at the sobbing Yi Lan and said softly, "The people gathered in this hospital have no home anymore."

His words seemed to stir up the emotions of the remaining infected. The eyes of the rioting infected seemed to burn with fury, while the rest trembled even more violently, probably thinking of the future, sobbing softly. Occasionally, when they looked up, their expressions revealed an undisguised despair. Because they were all from Chernobog, they knew what fate awaited the infected in Chernobog, because they had all used various methods to deal with the infected in the past, and now, they were about to be dealt with in the same way.

"We will resist!" the blond-haired man suddenly stood up and shouted. "They won't give us a way to live, so we'll find one ourselves. We'll show them our determination! We'll let them know our anger! We'll smash the skulls of everyone who oppresses us and everyone who resists us!"

Like a spark falling into dry tinder, it instantly ignited the infected's fury.

The rioting infected brandished their weapons, shouting that they would make all the non-infected in Chernobog pay the price. The other infected slowly raised their heads, looking at the blond-haired man who was loudly proclaiming his ideology, their hands clenching tighter and tighter.

Lin Ye took all of this into account.

The later infected were losing their minds, which is why they were so easily manipulated by the rioting infected. They seemed to have forgotten that the rioting infected were the very ones who had turned them into infected. Whether willingly or unwillingly, they ignored this fact and instead labeled their enemies as the military and police of Chernobog and the rest of the non-infected.

Only then did Lin Ye understand why his country had the world's strongest anti-drug efforts. Because people who lose their minds are truly terrifying; Huang Mao could stir up the emotions of a hundred or so people with just a few words and then lead them all into the abyss.

He has to do something.

Something must be done.