Chapter 8: An Ill-Timed Cough
“Okay, okay, I understand.” Lu Li hung up the phone, opened his laptop, and started searching for news about “Mulan City.” It was the teacher in charge of the Chuanhai No. 1 High School team who had just called. He said that the other students and teachers were locked down in a villa on the outskirts of the city and told Lu Li to stay in the hotel and not go out. The hotel had plenty of supplies, and they should wait for further notice from the school. As for the Academic Competition? Now was not the time for competitions.
Not long after he hung up the phone, a hotel staff member knocked on the door. He explained that due to the special circumstances, all districts were on lockdown. If they needed anything, they should contact the hotel staff, who would deliver it from the warehouse. They were advised not to go out unless absolutely necessary. After saying this long string of words, the staff member hurried downstairs, as if he had more important tasks to attend to.
The trending topics online were all related to Mulan City, such as “Zombies Appear in Mulan City,” “Mulan City Plagued by Black Death,” and all sorts of other wild speculations. Lu Li finally found a legitimate piece of news. A netizen posted a photo of a hospital, saying that there was an acute infectious disease spreading in Mulan City and asking everyone to stay indoors and cooperate with government control measures.
The overwhelming amount of news was all declaring one thing: Mulan City had changed.
Lu Li put on a jacket and walked out of the hotel. As he walked, he sent a message to Chen Jianing: “Where are you now?”
“Right outside where you’re staying.”
Lu Li looked up and saw Chen Jianing’s small figure and her large silver suitcase. She was stopped by the security guard at the entrance, looking extremely pitiful. Lu Li explained the situation to the guard and then led Chen Jianing directly to the fifth floor of the hotel. Their pace was quick, as if they were infected by the tense atmosphere of the city.
“Do you know what happened?” Chen Jianing was visibly nervous, her mouth chattering non-stop. “Oh my god…”
“I don’t know, I just woke up, my mind is still a mess.” Lu Li looked at the clock. It was eleven o’clock at night.
“I was waiting for the bus at the bus stop, I waited for a long time, but no bus came. Then I suddenly saw ambulances with their sirens on, speeding recklessly on the road. I was scared, so I wanted to walk back to school. But when I reached the end of the block, two policemen stopped me. They put up a cordon, made me take my temperature, and asked me to register my personal information. They said I couldn’t leave… But I was just going back to school…” Chen Jianing poured out all her worries, her face pale. It seemed like she was really frightened.
Is it really that serious?… Lu Li’s heart skipped a beat.
“And look at this.” Chen Jianing grabbed Lu Li and showed him her phone.
It was a short video of about ten seconds. In the video, three or four young men were walking on the road when they suddenly collapsed one after another, as if possessed. The title of the video was: “Deadly Virus Appears in Mulan City! Please Share!”
Chen Jianing’s hand gripping Lu Li’s sleeve tightened, crumpling the fabric. “What should we do? Is something really wrong? People were walking on the road perfectly fine, how could they suddenly faint? Do you think they fainted or… or died?”
“I don’t know.” Lu Li felt a bit irritated. This kind of situation beyond his control made him uncomfortable. “This video might not be real. Just relax.”
As soon as Lu Li opened his hotel room door, he rushed to his computer, logged onto the ticket booking platform, and tried to see if he could buy a ticket back to Chuanhai. At this moment, the people he was most worried about were his family and friends in Chuanhai: Sister Yameng, An Baili, and Chu Jingyi. Unfortunately, all train and plane tickets from Mulan City were suspended, and it was extremely difficult for private cars to leave the city.
He saw online that some people had taken antipyretics and driven on back roads to get out of the city. People trapped in Mulan City were trying every means to break through the government blockade, which in turn attracted criticism from residents of other cities. The online environment was in chaos. Some bullet screen websites were flooded with comments like “Witnessing history” and “Witnessing history”… It made Lu Li feel uneasy.
Mulan City had suddenly become an isolated island. Fish, shrimp, crabs, and even sharks were swimming around the island in a frenzy.
Lu Li turned around and saw Chen Jianing sitting on the floor, staring at her phone and constantly refreshing the screen. The blue and white light from the phone screen cast a gloomy and sorrowful shadow on her face.
“Do you have any family or relatives in Mulan City?”
“No, I came to university alone.” Chen Jianing finally tore her gaze away from her phone. “I already called my family. They want me to go home quickly and not stay here.”
“You can’t go back. All ways out of the city are blocked. Even the students from Chuanhai No. 1 High School can’t go back, let alone ordinary people.” Lu Li’s calm voice gradually calmed Chen Jianing’s anxious heart. She asked again, “What happened? People online are saying there’s a black death outbreak in Mulan City. Are… are we all going to die here?”
“It’s not the black death, it’s some kind of new infectious disease. The officials haven’t given it an official name yet.” Lu Li also sat down on the carpet, facing Chen Jianing. “You can only stay in the hotel for now, but the good news is that at least you don’t have to worry about food and water.”
“How long will this last?”
“I don’t know.”
Chen Jianing’s voice was tinged with tears. “I knew I shouldn’t have come out. It would have been better to stay in school.”
Lu Li didn’t have the time to comfort her now. After letting Chen Jianing calm down by herself, he left the room and went to the corridor to call Secretary Long back. He called three times, but the line was busy. Just as he was about to give up, Secretary Long called back. However, it wasn’t Secretary Long who spoke, but Chu Xiaodong.
“Xiao Lu, are you in Mulan City?” Chu Xiaodong’s speech was faster than usual, and there was chaotic background noise, as if he was in a crowded area.
“Yes.” Lu Li’s answer was calm and concise.
“Listen to me carefully.” Chu Xiaodong took a deep breath. “Do you have any symptoms of fever, headache, or cough?”
“No.”
“Good. Then don’t move, stay where your school arranged for you. Send your body temperature to Uncle Long’s account every day. I will send someone to pick you up as soon as possible. Remember, don’t come into contact with any Mulan City locals!” Chu Xiaodong’s tone was extremely serious.
Mulan City locals? Lu Li suddenly thought of Chen Jianing…
“Uncle Chu, what exactly happened?”
“A new virus has emerged in Mulan City. It’s estimated that the city will be locked down for at least three months. I’m flying to the capital to participate in the discussion on countermeasures. I don’t know much else. I’ll let you know as soon as I have any news. Oh, and pay attention to personal hygiene in the coming months…” His voice became intermittent towards the end. It seemed that Chu Xiaodong was very busy.
Lu Li hung up the phone, still pondering what Chu Xiaodong meant by “Mulan City locals.” He returned to his room and saw Chen Jianing still sitting on the floor. He was about to call out to her when he suddenly saw her covering her mouth and coughing harshly.
“Cough, cough…”
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