Monday to Friday.
During those five days, nothing much had changed and the world seemed to be going on as usual.
However, that autumn was slightly colder than in the previous years.
The cold wind was blowing and yellow leaves fell onto the ground, paving the road with patches of gold.
Ye Lingchen walked to university and frowned slightly.
At some point, fewer and fewer people were seen on the road. Anyone who still out wore masks and walked in a hurry.
When he entered the school, he saw many students wearing masks and wrapping themselves tightly.
Crash!
A faint sound rang in Ye Lingchen’s ear. A student had fainted suddenly on the ground 50 meters away.
At that moment, students who were close to the collapsed individual were in a panicked frenzy. They sped up their footsteps to avoid the fallen student.
Ye Lingchen had just decided to go over and check it out when some school staff arrived. They carried the student away speedily.
The student looked up at Ye Lingchen with a flushed face. He was burning like a fire, and his mouth was still muttering something despite being unconscious due to the high fever.
The temperature of the fever was estimated to be around 40 degrees. His entire body was sore and weak, and he had probably not eaten for some time.
It only took a mere instant for Ye Lingchen to notice the student’s problem.
When he went into the class, there was a solemn atmosphere that was completely different from the usual hustle and bustle.
“Sh*t! The sophomore Zhao Yan just fainted and was taken away!” Little Gen inhaled sharply and had a terrified expression.
“The people in his entire dormitory have now been notified that they will be called up for an extensive medical examination.”
“It’s terrible! Many classmates in their class are scared to death,” Potato said. He was probably scared and could not help but shiver uncontrollably.
“What’s going on actually?” Ye Lingchen raised his eyebrows and said.
He has been caught up with writing novels recently, and his daily routine was rather mundane. He did not pay much attention to the outside world. How could things have become like that in just five days?
Panic seemed to strike the masses out of nowhere.
“Ye’zi, don’t you know?” Xiang was surprised. “Open up Weibo and take a look. There’s plenty of news notifications that you can read from.”
Ye Lingchen took out his phone.
Weibo’s trending searches exploded and practically all of them were about the flu. At the same time, Ye Lingchen finally knew about the name of the new disease—it was called Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu[1].
“An entire class in XX Elementary School has gone down with Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu.”
“Anyone below the age of primary six must be brought to a doctor if any symptoms of the flu are present!”
“Signs of Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu and how to prevent it!”
“Hospitals are now overcrowded; the whole city is in crisis; people panicking!”
Those series of trending searches made Ye Lingchen’s heart sink.
Spring and fall were the two seasons where influenza outbreaks often occurred. However, none of those previous occasions had ever been as virulent as the Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu. Crucially, it was a unique flu virus—ordinary drugs were unable to kill it at all!
Although many measures were already in place, it took a long time to develop medicine against influenza. People were unable to wait that long!
The reason for that was because…the flu was life-threatening!
“How can Zhao Yan get Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu?” Little Gen’s voice was faltering somewhat. Under the circumstances then, being infected with Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu was equivalent to being handed a death sentence—they could only wait until death came.
“Although Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu mostly targets children, adults with low immune systems will also catch the disease. The main point is that this flu is extremely contagious and very dangerous.”
“F*ck! That means I can’t go home on this National Day!” A piece of news popped up on Xiang’s cell phone.
“Due to the increasing severity of Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu and the mutation of the virus, adults are being affected as well. To prevent the virus from spreading, movement throughout the city is now prohibited!”
Those who wished to travel by plane or high-speed rail were required to go through an extensive inspection. One could only be allowed to proceed if it was 100% certain that the person virus-free.
Ye Lingchen realized the seriousness of the matter and began searching the news.
The Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu made the news only within the past two days, but many have already gone to the hospital seeking medical attention before the outbreak happened.
It was originally thought to be an unassuming flu, but prolonged periods of treatment showed no signs of improving. Instead, it worsened even more.
The initial manifestations of Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu were the same as that of a common cold, in addition to coughing as well as a sore and weak body. As time went on, fever developed and there would be little or no appetite. Motor skills would then worsen. Eventually, the high fever would continue intensifying and a person would then be consumed by the disease.
At the beginning of the class, everyone was a little absent-minded, including the lecturer and the rest of the students. Once class ended, the lecturer reminded students to be mindful of keeping warm and maintaining their health before dismissing the class.
The students left as well and headed back to their dormitories.
Ring ding ding!
Ye Lingchen’s cell phone rang. The caller ID showed that it was his mother.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Son, how are you at school?”
“Everything is fine on my side.”
“Recently, there’s been an outbreak of Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu. You must take care of your body. Your dad said that once you catch a cold and your health declines, you are likely to get Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu.” Xu Zhen’s voice was filled with worry. “You must drink plenty of hot water and prevent yourself from catching a cold, okay?”
“I know, Mom. You and Dad should also take care of your health.”
“Your dad is a doctor. We know what to do.” Xu Zhen said. She paused briefly before lamenting, “You have no idea how this flu is torturing people in the hospital. It’s too miserable.”
“Is it alright over at Dad’s hospital?”
“There are groups of people coming in every day to the hospital. The flu can’t be cured. No one can be discharged, only admitted. It’s full now. Your dad hasn’t come back in three days. I don’t think he’s had a good night’s sleep at all.” Xu Zhen’s voice was very heavy, “The hospital is full of crying of children and parents. ”
“Mom, tell Dad to take care of himself, don’t be too stubborn.” Ye Lingchen said.
He knew his father’s character well. In such a scenario, he was afraid that the old man might end up catching the bug.
Ye Lingchen sighed heavily after hanging up and looked at the photos posted on the Internet.
Suffering patients and crying relatives were all so helpless in the face of the virus.
At the same time, he began searching the Internet for an analysis of the Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu, as well as every detail on the disease’s symptoms.
Although his proficiency in Chinese medicine and Western medicine was not enough, he reached 70% in the former and 80% in the latter, Ye Lingchen believed that he was able to cure that flu!
Soon, countless pathologies began to quickly race through his mind.
It was then however, that his entire body froze slightly. The picture of Xiao Feifei’s past illness appeared in his consciousness. Her symptoms seemed to be that of Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu…
[1] 风热流感 is translated as Wind-Heat Syndrome Flu. It is known by various names, including Wind-Heat Type Common Cold and Common Cold with Wind-Heat Syndrome (abbreviated to CCWHS). Traditional Chinese medicine recognizes 3 different types of common cold, namely wind-heat syndrome, wind-cold syndrome and summer-heat dampness syndrome, of which wind-heat syndrome is the most common type (Ma et al., 2017, Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Vol. 37-2: 185-192). In the real world, however, it does not seem to be as contagious and life-threatening as depicted in this novel.