Chapter 108 – Control

extra ko-fi chapter for Shihane (5/12) & Thank you!

After he said those almost-promissory words, the person in his arms fell asleep.

Jian Mei, having drunk quite a bit, slept soundly. Even in his sleep, he rested peacefully in Lu Xingwang’s embrace.

Looking at the sleeping child, Lu Xingwang sighed helplessly. His gaze darkened as he watched him, and finally, he sighed again. He gently stroked Jian Mei’s head and said softly, “Good night.”

…

The next day

When Jian Mei woke up, he didn’t feel hungover.

Despite drinking a lot, he felt very little discomfort, which was quite unusual. After waking up, he got up, rubbed his eyes, and walked outside, where he heard a voice from outside the hall: “Mr. Jian, you’re awake?”

Jian Mei nodded, “Yes.”

A Ruo walked in with a smile and said, “His Highness instructed that when you wake up, I should take you to breakfast.”

Jian Mei felt a bit disappointed not seeing him upon waking. It seemed like this had been the case these past few days: Lu Xingwang was busy all day, only appearing at night, and by the time Jian Mei woke up in the morning, he was gone.

Jian Mei nodded, “Okay, thank you.”

A Ruo quickly replied, “No need to thank me.”

Although Lu Xingwang’s coronation ceremony had not yet taken place, many things in the palace needed to be moved and relocated, so there were more people coming and going. Even though no one dared to enter this hall, the sounds of people passing by could still be heard.

A Ruo said, “His Highness said you can move freely here. After breakfast, you can do whatever you like.”

Jian Mei was about to say he understood when his communicator received a message from the hospital. They said that a lot of patients had come in early in the morning, but there were too few staff on duty, so they needed some to return.

Normally, not many people appreciated Jian Mei, but in crucial times, they showed a different attitude.

Jian Mei did not refuse. He replied, “Okay, I’ll be back soon.”

After breakfast, Jian Mei told A Ruo, “I need to leave for a bit and return to the hospital. Please inform the Crown Prince when he comes back.”

A Ruo nodded and said, “I’ll arrange a car to take you.”

Jian Mei nodded and said, “Okay, thank you.”

A Ruo, who was considered quite senior in the palace, took great care of him. She responded, “No need to thank me; it’s my duty.”

Jian Mei got into the car and went to the hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, he was surprised to see the large number of people there, many of whom had coughing symptoms.

The assistant on duty, Xiao Zhi, came over and said, “Mei Mei, finally you’re here. We’ve been swamped. Many out-of-town priests couldn’t make it back, and some local priests couldn’t come because of a gathering today.”

Jian Mei frowned, “What’s more important, socializing or the patients?”

Xiao Zhi remained silent.

In a society like Stan Star, the concept wasn’t as strong as Jian Mei’s. Priests held very high status, so even when there were patients, they prioritized their own affairs.

Patients in the consultation room were coughing painfully, and the priest inside, due to being understaffed and their divine power being depleted, helplessly said, “Please wait a bit longer.”

The patients were in great discomfort.

Even Lu Yuncheng and Lu Yunshi, the brothers, had come over upon hearing the news. Being sons of a medical family, they had many social obligations, but they came immediately upon learning of the people’s situation.

Yunshi came over and said, “Mei Mei!”

Jian Mei, quite anxious, bowed upon meeting them. “Hello.”

Although Lu Yuncheng was his superior, Jian Mei was not overly formal. He said, “It seems many priests are exhausted, and many patients haven’t received treatment.”

Yunshi nodded, “I’ve been contacting people to come as quickly as possible.”

Jian Mei thought that if they could come, they would have arrived already. Yunshi, however, rolled up his sleeves and went into the consultation room to take over from other priests. He was a good doctor and, unlike some arrogant priests, didn’t hold himself too high.

Unfortunately, it was still far from enough.

Seeing some patients with fever outside who weren’t receiving proper aid, Jian Mei took the initiative as a nurse. He prepared ice packs to help cool down the patients and assisted in arranging hospital beds for those who needed to be admitted.

One of the children had a serious fever. Holding Jian Mei’s hand, he gently said, “Thank you, big brother.”

Jian Mei smiled, “You’re welcome. You need to rest well.”

The child’s voice was soft as he asked Jian Mei, “Big brother, am I going to die?”

Jian Mei’s heart clenched. He shook his head and reassured, “No, don’t think like that.”

“But I’ve been sick all along, and even my divine power can’t be used.”

“Healing you is the doctor’s responsibility,” Jian Mei comforted softly. “You’ll get better.”

The little boy seemed to be genuinely comforted by him and then relaxed his grip on Jian Mei’s hand.

Jian Mei patted the child’s head. “Go to sleep.”

After taking care of the child, Jian Mei sighed and left. The hospital had seen a surge in patients recently. Many of them wore expensive clothes. When Jian Mei was halfway there, his footsteps suddenly stopped because he suddenly realized something!This outbreak seems to have infected mostly people with divine power?

This speculation sent a shiver down Jian Mei’s spine. But once a thought began to linger in his mind, everything became unstoppable. Jian Mei quickened his pace and went to the records room, saying, “Hello, I’d like to inquire about something…”

Ten minutes later, he left the records room with a stern expression.

According to the records, Jian Mei’s guess was correct. Indeed, ninety percent of the people who fell ill this time had divine power.

Upon hearing Jian Mei’s report, Lu Yuncheng frowned. “The Imperial Capital got a lot of people with divine power, so the probability of getting sick seems higher.”

“But it can’t be this coincidental,” Jian Mei said. “It’s better to send someone to verify.”

Lu Yuncheng wasn’t one to ignore advice.

He nodded. “Alright, rest assured, I will verify it.”

Despite summoning back most of the priests, the hospital’s crowded situation did not improve much, for a simple reason – the number of patients here had clearly increased, and there were finally people with a second symptom – red rashes on their bodies, and varying degrees of organ failure, with signs of critical condition.

At this point, the doctors’ expressions turned grave.

Just as the doctors were preparing to use divine power to treat them, Jian Mei, somehow acquiring some light gauze masks, pulled Lu Yuncheng aside and said, “Put this on. This disease seems to be contagious, so don’t get infected.”

The other doctors laughed after hearing this. “It’s not necessary. We have all taken Bihui Pills, which are made to prevent infectious diseases. There’s no need to worry. These were made by the High Priest himself.”

Jian Mei was still not reassured. After all, so many people had already been affected; it would be better to be more cautious.

Lu Yuncheng also didn’t disregard his goodwill and nodded. “Alright, I’ll wear one.”

The appearance of the first severely infected person caused some panic in the city. However, the coronation ceremony for the Crown Prince proceeded as scheduled. Yet, on the day of Lu Xingwang’s coronation, some unfavorable rumors started circulating among the people. This was a planet deeply rooted in feudalism, so naturally, they would consider such a serious illness occurring during the Crown Prince’s coronation as an ominous sign.

Jian Mei thought it was baseless gossip.

Just two days after the first infected person showed signs of improvement under the combined efforts of the priests, many people breathed a sigh of relief. However, something even more terrifying happened.

Just as the patient was about to be discharged, he exhibited the most terrifying side effect: his wind divine power disappeared, as if cursed or as if the gods had withdrawn his power, leaving no trace of his divine power.

Panic spread through the hospital.

However, Lu Yuncheng made a decision at this critical moment: “We can’t let this information spread.”

If it got out, the consequences would be unimaginable. There were still many patients in the hospital, and new infections were still occurring. Therefore, if people found out about this, not only would the doctors be terrified, but the patients would also be unsettled.

Even the priests who specialized in healing were visibly afraid. “We interact with them every day. What if we get infected too? Then we would lose our own divine power too.”

Lu Yuncheng glared fiercely at him. “So you’re saying you won’t treat them anymore?!”

Silence fell in the room.

Jian Mei, who had always been just a bystander taking meeting notes, weakly raised his hand at this moment. “Can I say something?”

Because his divine power wasn’t particularly outstanding, and he didn’t have the healing power, the doctors hadn’t paid much attention to him before, feeling he had no right to speak. But at this moment, when everyone was at a loss, Jian Mei’s initiative was very important.

Lu Yuncheng said, “Go ahead.”

Receiving permission, Jian Mei began, “I think the most important thing right now is to prevent the spread of the disease. We should immediately start researching tools to test for infections and isolate those already infected. Additionally, we need to thoroughly disinfect and sterilize crowded areas. While it’s crucial to keep this information confidential, we also need to raise public awareness. If someone in a household falls ill, they shouldn’t dismiss it as a minor illness and avoid reporting it to the hospital. Otherwise, it will spread from one to ten, then ten to a hundred, and so on, worsening the situation.”

This child, usually unremarkable, stood up at a critical moment. He remained as ordinary as ever, but in this moment, he seemed to shine. He stood as a pillar of strength, dispelling the darkness and bringing light to the situation.

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