Liu Yuning took out a dagger and fiercely stabbed the intruder's heart. Xiao Yuande subdued a scaly-skinned patient with a stun baton. He Xiaoyu and He Jinghui's swords had already thoroughly separated the surrounding scaly-skinned bodies. Zhang Keying then shot and killed another scaly-skinned patient. As for me, I approached Gao Mingqiang, who had already been riddled with bullets...
"He Sheng, please kill me..." At this moment, Gao Mingqiang surprisingly regained his sanity.
"Mingqiang..."
"He Sheng, I beg you, kill me. I don't want to see my current state. I'm in so much pain. Cathinone is eroding my entire body."
"Mingqiang, didn't you already die? How is this possible?"
"I don't know either. I discovered this drug, cough cough." Gao Mingqiang spat out a large mouthful of blood, staining my clothes. He paused, seemingly expending great effort to catch his breath before continuing, "The organization, the people from the organization, they aren't here for these living people. They've taken the scaly-skinned disease to the cemeteries."
"What did you say?!"
"I saw it with my own eyes. The police cemetery, cough cough, and other cemeteries. The corpses there should have risen. I'm sorry, I'm still so useless. Kill me immediately! Do you hear me, He Sheng, I order you to kill me now!"
Gao Mingqiang roared with his last breath. My hand, which had been resting by my side, inexplicably tightened, and I raised the gun. I was still hesitating when Gao Mingqiang suddenly gripped my arm with both hands, pressing it towards the trigger, and shoved the muzzle into his own throat!
"Goodbye, He Sheng. To have found a friend like you in this life, I feel deeply honored!"
*Bang!*
Gao Mingqiang pulled the trigger into his own throat!
A bullet, as if traversing a long trajectory through time and space, completely pierced Gao Mingqiang's neck.
His eyes widened, his head drooped, and his hands rested on my shoulders. Yet, his feet stubbornly remained planted on the ground. This was a detective standing tall, embodying an unyielding spirit.
Confusion and sorrow flooded my senses. Gao Mingqiang had died before our eyes for the second time.
Though this incident was bizarre, I later learned from an expert that it was merely a temporary "resurrection" phenomenon caused by the stimulation of cathinone in the deceased. While a bit strange, it has been scientifically verified abroad that if a deceased person's nerves encounter certain special drug stimuli, such a phenomenon can occur.
Ignorance is truly the most terrifying thing, much like how, in the past, humans could not even imagine venturing into space.
We continued our exploration in the gymnasium and later found Xiahou, who was still battling the scaly-skinned patients. If it weren't for the tactical team providing cover, he would have long been torn to shreds by them. Upon our arrival, we joined forces with them and, attacking from both sides, eliminated all those detestable scaly-skinned patients.
After this incident, our research center relocated to the Health Bureau. There, Zhang Keying and Xie Chuchu were assisting experts in researching an antidote, and Ling Xiaotao, after recovering, also joined the research.
One day, He Xin also returned. Upon hearing about Gao Mingqiang's tragic end, He Xin wept uncontrollably. I knew how deeply she felt for Gao Mingqiang...
"What Brother Mingqiang said must be true. We must guard the police cemetery, otherwise, those policemen will... They are all martyrs!"
"I know. Without further ado, let's go and check."
We hadn't received any news recently, but since Gao Mingqiang had said it, it was unlikely to be false.
Upon arriving at the police cemetery, we found that many graves had indeed been disturbed. Numerous scaly-skinned patients in police uniforms were lurking around. Fortunately, the cemetery gates were closed. We saw a security guard inside the guardhouse, his intestines ripped open and discarded.
We lingered around the cemetery, not daring to fire our weapons. Fortunately, their numbers were not too large. After some consideration, we decided to temporarily seal them off here. Since they couldn't get out anyway, it would be better to subdue them once we had the antidote. We circled around, avoided the patients, and retreated. As we left, Liu Yuning said, "Alas, are we just going to leave like this?"
"Do you want to kill them directly? Listen to me, the antidote will be out soon. Just hold on! The scaly-skinned disease will eventually be overcome by humanity. Over the years, we have faced countless serious illnesses, natural disasters, and man-made calamities. I believe humanity can overcome this challenge as well!"
"He Sheng, why do you talk as if a catastrophe is imminent?"
"Isn't the current situation like that?"
We discussed how we added an extra lock to the police cemetery gates, ensuring the patients couldn't escape. Then, we drove to inspect other cemeteries. Fortunately, cremation was common now, so there weren't many traditional cemeteries. However, each time we checked, we found many patients tormented by cathinone.
We dealt with what we could. After the cemetery incidents subsided, the number of such patients in the city continued to increase. I was speechless, wondering when the turning point would come.
The daily count had risen from one thousand to two thousand. If this continued, the number of people infected with the scaly-skinned disease would only grow. If a widespread outbreak occurred, the consequences would be irreversible.
One day, we received orders from Director Zhang to escort some scaly-skinned patients to the detention center for temporary management, as hospitals were running out of space. After receiving the notification, we began to cooperate with some police officers and the patients' families, escorting batches of scaly-skinned patients into the detention center. What was this all about? Were those who contracted the scaly-skinned disease now to be treated like criminals?
However, it was a last resort. I went to a hospital and saw crowds outside. The families were arguing with the hospital, demanding treatment conditions for their patients, regardless of the cost. But now, even with ten times the consultation fee, there was no way to provide treatment for everyone under the current circumstances.
This was why Director Zhang had issued the order to transfer some scaly-skinned patients to the detention center for temporary management.
This gave us something to do. We had to watch these patients constantly, even needing supervision to use the restroom.
Furthermore, the patients' families surrounded the detention center day and night, clamoring for us to produce an antidote quickly. Later, some people went to the Health Bureau. I called Zhang Keying and Xie Chuchu almost every day to inquire about their progress, but they couldn't give me a definite timeframe.
Due to the widespread outbreak of the scaly-skinned disease in Guangming City, the entire nation took action, transporting supplies to the city.
Truck after truck arrived at Guangming City Station. Once the vehicles were parked, everyone began unloading the supplies. I carried boxes of items newly transported from other provinces, having them delivered into the detention center and distributed to the patients inside.
Recently, experts released information that using methadone and a large amount of saline solution could slow down the deterioration of symptoms. Thus, a large number of patients began using it. Initially, the effect was quite noticeable, but later it became ineffective, and the situation seemed to worsen.
Xiahou and I, along with others, guarded the detention center hall, assisting patients or their families when needed by fetching items, delivering medicine and food, or caring for the patients. Being guards also meant performing the duties of orderlies and nurses. We were all exhausted during this period.
But everyone persevered, believing that the true antidote would be released soon.
After observing for a few days, we noticed that the scaly-skinned patients slept during the day. However, at night, their emotions seemed to become volatile, and they argued with their families.
At this point, I intended to go over and comfort a patient. But before I could speak, the man's eyes suddenly turned red, and he began to choke the woman in front of him.
"You bitch, I know you want to kill me, don't you? You shameless thing, I knew you always had ill intentions towards me. Go to hell, I'm going to eat you!"
The man seemed to have lost his mind. His arm strength was astonishing. Xiahou and I rushed to intervene, pulling with all our might, only to find that neither of us could match his strength. Then, Xiao Yuande and Lu Chusheng arrived. They also exerted their strength to help me pull him away. It was only with the combined strength of the four of us that we finally managed to pull the man off.
But the fellow continued to curse, as if it were our fault. As several detectives were talking to me, a few more scaly-skinned patients nearby started to get agitated. We had to go and patiently counsel them. Without the help of several police officers at this point, we wouldn't have known what to do.
When dealing with such civil disputes, the police are more adept because they have dealt with various citizens for a long time and are familiar with such matters. Compared to us, the detectives, we are much more inexperienced in this regard. After Captain Huang of the police department finished dealing with the situation, he approached us and said, "Actually, we police officers also have a difficult job. For years, dealing with such disputes has been overwhelming, no less than what you detectives and the Punishment Squad face. We are all in law enforcement, so we all understand!"
"Captain Huang, thank you. If it weren't for you, these people would likely not have been pacified." Liu Yuning said gratefully.
"It's nothing, Captain Liu. Alas! In this situation, I don't know how long we can maintain order. I heard that the reactions of the scaly-skinned disease are getting worse day by day, and there have been incidents of patients injuring doctors at the hospital."
I said, "We can only urge the Health Bureau to speed up. Fortunately, other cities are also helping with research, so it shouldn't take too long."
"Let's hope so," Captain Huang said with a hint of dejection as he left.
He Xin sat down on a seat. After opening a bottle of mineral water and taking a sip, she complained, "Is there salt in this water? Why is it so salty?"