The helicopter landed.

Four biohazard soldiers instantly jumped down from the cabin, their rifle muzzles quickly sweeping several critical vantage points.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

After confirming the site was secure, seven or eight staff members dressed in protective suits emerged, carrying various medical supplies and equipment.

Leading them was a middle-aged man of short stature wearing black-rimmed glasses, who spoke first, inquiring about the person in charge of the cruise.

Everyone instinctively focused their attention on Gu Ji.

"Hello, I'm Jian Na."

The middle-aged man showed a flicker of surprise in his eyes, seemingly not expecting the person in charge to be such a young woman, but out of professional conduct, he politely said:

"Hello, I am Jin Ji Ri, Chief Physician of the Infectious Disease Department at the Jeju Island Naval Hospital, in charge of assisting with the Platinum Star Cruise infection incident. There will be several more rounds of supply drops tonight, representing a token of goodwill from our Republic of Korea!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a sudden "click" sound startled everyone.

It turned out to be a staff member recording with a camera.

That's expected.

These days, not many people "do good deeds without leaving their name."

With so much personnel and funds expended, there has to be some promotion to provide an account to both the international community and their own citizens, otherwise, it would be all for nothing!

"Thank you very much. We have already prepared the test samples."

Gu Ji remained emotionally unperturbed.

Dr. Matsushima promptly handed over an insulated box, containing blood, vomit, feces, and raw meat samples from mild and severe cases, enough for the laboratory to conduct tests and analyses.

Jin Ji Ri did not take over but waited for the biohazard soldier to come up, pull out a spraying gun from a backpack, aim at the insulated box, and pull the trigger, hiss—!

In an instant, a large amount of white powder sprayed out, fully adhering to Dr. Matsushima's arm and the box.

Military disinfectant powder!

Gu Ji narrowed his eyes slightly. The caution and thoroughness of the South Korean military, in turn, made it easier for him to quickly identify the virus species and complete the side mission.

After taking the test samples, the four biohazard soldiers left with the helicopter, leaving only a few medical staff.

Their aim was simple humanitarian aid; naturally, the South Korean military wouldn't get involved with the cruise and risk a messy situation, nor would they allow Japan to seize a diplomatic handle.

"Tell me about the current situation inside the cabin..."

"It's very severe. Of the 3,700 people on the ship, more than five hundred are currently infected!"

"14%?"

Jin Ji Ri was also startled by this number, with an infection rate of one-seventh; in epidemiology, this doesn't just qualify as severe; it's terrifying!

He proceeded to inquire in detail about the three elements of infectious disease, the symptoms manifested by the patients, and the containment measures.

Based on the existing prevention and control measures, he added a few new pieces of advice, which Gu Ji agreed to one by one.

He had mastered public health skills to the professional standard, stronger than the ship's doctor, Dr. Matsushima, but certainly not as expert as Jin Ji Ri, the infectious disease chief professor.

Along the way, many South Korean tourists and staff, seeing Jin Ji Ri, moaned and pleaded, hoping he could take them back home.

But Jin Ji Ri could only shake his head helplessly, clearly unable to make such decisions himself.

Seeing the disappointed looks on the South Korean tourists, Gu Ji couldn't help but ponder, if this had happened on a Xia Kingdom cruise, the country would spare no effort to save everyone.

Yet now...

Dragging his weary and drowsy body, after a full disinfection, Gu Ji returned to his cabin. It was already eleven at night, and there was still no sign of Ito Meiyu; it seemed she was determined to fight until the end.

Recalling her previous kind acts, it suited her character.

After washing up, he lay in bed alone, contemplating the identity of the mastermind and drifted into sleep.

When Gu Ji opened his eyes again, the sunlight painfully stung his pupils, making them burn as he reached out to rub his eyelid: "Cough, cough..."

"!!"

He was suddenly jolted awake by his instinctive cough.

The next instant, before he could recover from the shock, a warm trickle flowed down his nasolabial fold, across his cheek, and onto the pillow.

Gu Ji turned his head to see a glaring crimson patch on the pristine pillow, like a winter-blooming plum blossom, bleeding and spreading!

His back tensed.

Coughing, bleeding.

It's a virus infection!!

Gu Ji stared with stinging eyes, utterly baffled as to how he could have been infected.

He hadn't come into contact with raw food, infected bodily fluids, or excrement.

Could it have been during his visit to the intensive care unit yesterday...

He hastily wiped his nasal cavity with his hand, but the blood flowed uncontrollably like an open faucet, while his complexion flushed as if from intoxication.

The disease manifested rapidly.

Both he and Morioka displayed symptoms of massive virus infection within a short time frame!

Was it Ishiguro Yonezawa, the mastermind, or someone else?

Who was it really?

Who?

The more Gu Ji thought about it, the more sluggish his mind became, until a sudden stab of pain hit him, "Ah... Meiyu! Meiyu!"

"Uh..."

A few amorous moans came from beside him, followed by exclamations and screams: "Oh my God! Sister, how are you..."

"Don't come over here! Did anyone approach the guest room yesterday?"

Hearing footsteps, Gu Ji struggled to endure the needle-like headache and hurriedly propped himself up to shout.

"I... I don't know, I was downstairs taking temperature readings. By the time I got back it was late at night. Sister, you're bleeding a lot!"

Ito Meiyu covered her mouth, her face filled with panic.

"Stay away from me, no... don't touch anything."

Gu Ji spoke with difficulty as he managed to feel for the walkie-talkie, took a few deep breaths, then said: "Dr. Jin, Matsushima, I... I've been infected, immediately send medical staff to transfer me to the intensive care unit, also send Ito Meiyu to the medical isolation zone."

After notifying the medical staff, he patted his head, squeezed his eyes shut, then reopened them, trying to make himself clear-headed, and changed channels successively:

"Police station, confirm Ishikuro Yonezawa's location."

"Surveillance room, check who approached room 3029 yesterday, let the police investigate..."

After issuing several commands in succession, Gu Ji finally couldn't hold on and collapsed onto the bed.

Upon waking again, he was already on a hospital bed in the intensive care unit, beside him appeared a youthful and sweet face, with pigtails, fair skin, and a pair of charming eyes.

It's Ito Meiyu!

"Why are you here..."

"She volunteered to come over to take care of you, there are too many critically ill patients in the ward, and the nurses can hardly manage."

Dr. Matsushima said from the side.

"The virus test results are out, it can be confirmed that it's a genus of the Norovirus, very similar to Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, specific name unknown, suspected to be a new mutant virus, currently no antigen vaccine available."

By the end, Dr. Matsushima's tone was noticeably a bit despondent.

From the moment the virus broke out, Gu Ji had become the spiritual pillar of this cruise ship, it was his initial words: "As long as you believe him, you can survive", that kept the 3700 passengers persisting.

But now, even he had fallen.

"CCHF then..."

Gu Ji opened his mouth, waited for a moment, without receiving the system's completed side quest prompt, apparently the virus name must be confirmed thoroughly.

He turned his head, and with difficulty asked, "Meiyu, aren't you afraid of being infected..."

Ito Meiyu shook her head, looking at him with eyes full of tenderness: "Not afraid, as long as sister is here, I'm not afraid!"

"Cough... cough..."

Gu Ji coughed twice, then asked Matsushima: "Matsushima, since Meiyu is here, you go ahead and take care of the other patients..."

Matsushima's eyes were somewhat wet and red, nodded.

After she left, Gu Ji called out "Walkie-talkie", Ito Meiyu hastily retrieved it from the bedside table, helped him press the police station's channel: "It's Jian Na, how's the investigation going?"

"Miss Jian, besides you and Ito Meiyu, only a cleaner has done routine disinfection in room 3029, we've interrogated the cleaner, found no suspicious signs."

Not getting the answer he wanted, Gu Ji could only shake his head.

Just as Ito Meiyu put down the walkie-talkie, a phone vibration came again, she patiently helped to pull out the phone, answered, it's Tanamura Katsushin:

"The investigation of Ishikuro Yonezawa is still ongoing, but the source of infection and the suspect behind it have been identified. Through virus testing results shared by the South Korean Government, we found the same virus in the Hokkaido University microbiology laboratory, it's a special variant of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, named Yezo, it began infecting humans as early as 2014, and has infected and killed 7 people this year."

[Side Quest: Confirm Virus Type Completed!]

[Hidden Quest Activated: Find the Truth of the Cruise Ship Massacre!]

Completed?

Because of the virus's erosion, the system's prompt sound made Gu Ji's brain hurt even more, he forcibly sorted his thoughts:

"So you've investigated this lab, someone leaked the virus?"

"That's right, the Yezo virus project team is not big, besides the responsible professor, there are only 2 doctoral candidates, 8 master's candidates, among them one master's candidate is quite suspicious, recently took a leave of absence, also booked a ticket for the Platinum Star Cruise Ship, named... Ito Meiyu!"

"Beeep beeep beeep..."

The phone suddenly hung up.

The air seemed to stagnate.

A cold sweat burst up Gu Ji's spine to his skull, his heart began to race, just as he prepared to yell.

Suddenly, Ito Meiyu's face fiercely appeared in front of him, grabbing his neck tightly, her once charming and sweet features, twisted all into malice and madness:

"My good sister, sorry, Meiyu has also deceived you!!"

With a pathological smile, her fingers exerted constant pressure, the skin ravaged by the virus, like a tomato scalded by hot water, simply got squeezed open and bled.

Under the intense suffocation, Gu Ji couldn't make any sound, his vision became darker and darker.

Until his consciousness completely faded...

...

...

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