Free Web NovelChapter 223: Chapter 223: The Prediction Comes True
At their side, Miao Zhi and Yang Xiangyun looked on in shock, not having expected this at all.
"If you value that hand, move it," Su Li said, her gaze fixed coldly on Doctor Yang.
"You... I’m telling you, if you blow this out of proportion, you’re dead!"
After his outburst, Doctor Yang gave a cold sneer and withdrew his hand.
"We’ll see who’s finished," Su Li retorted coolly.
Doctor Yang’s face flushed crimson. He was about to say something, but the supervisor cut him off.
"That’s enough." The supervisor rubbed his temples. He had no interest in hearing Doctor Yang ramble on and addressed Su Li directly.
"Su Li, I’ve already reported the situation you described to my superiors. We should have an update in two or three days at the latest. We’re not ignoring your opinion."
Su Li nodded. "I know, but time is of the essence. I have to do something in my own way."
Her gaze was cold and hard. "After all, I’m also in a state where I could be infected and fall ill at any moment."
"Hah... infected and falling ill, hah..." Doctor Yang shot to his feet.
"Let me tell you, Su Li, there is absolutely no infectious disease here! None of what you said today will happen! If this really is dengue fever, if people actually start dying, I’ll answer for it with my life!"
He threw out the words and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
But just a few steps out the door, he ran right into a procession of people draped in white funeral cloth, wailing their hearts out.
The child who had been sent away in the middle of the night for vomiting blood... was dead.
Hearing the mother’s cries, Doctor Yang collapsed to the ground.
"It can’t be... This was just an accidental death... It can’t be..."
He muttered to himself as he stumbled backward, his face a mask of horror, drenched in a cold sweat.
"AHH... My sweet boy..."
The heart-wrenching wail shattered the already fragile peace of the night in the residential compound.
What happened over the course of that night proved Su Li’s words, step by agonizing step.
Every single word. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Su Li had said, "Those whose fevers have gone down aren’t actually cured. The fever will return in one to three days."
That night, more than a dozen adults and children whose fevers had previously subsided began to spike temperatures again.
Su Li had said, "We can’t just blindly use fever reducers. They must be used with caution while we provide targeted treatment. Otherwise, the resulting complications can be deadly..."
That night, several patients who Doctor Yang had been treating with fever-reducing pills and injections successively showed signs of collapse, convulsions, and began vomiting blood.
Su Li had said, "Time is of the essence. We don’t know how many more people will be infected with each day we waste."
That night, half of the adults who had previously shown no symptoms began to develop fevers and fall ill.
This included Grandma Cui, Miao Zhi, and the very same women who had been shouting the loudest that morning. freёwebnovel.com
Overnight, dengue fever erupted on a small scale, and the epidemic spread.
The people who had accused Su Li of pretending to be an expert just to scare everyone, of making trouble out of nothing, of all sorts of things—every last one of them fell silent.
Seeing their neighbors and even themselves fall ill, they finally began to panic.
But panicking was useless. This wasn’t a problem that could be fixed just by getting anxious.
Forced to finally take the problem seriously, the authorities accelerated their response, but they couldn’t move faster than the news.
After returning, Yu Zhengqing immediately reported the incident to his superiors, hoping they would broadcast the news as soon as possible.
Because a dengue fever outbreak had occurred in a coastal city not long before, the higher-ups took the matter very seriously. They decided to send a team of reporters down the next day to investigate and report, and Yu Zhengqing was to accompany them.
They worked through the night to get the news van ready, but just as they finished, the latest news from Su Li’s end arrived.
Someone had died.
The television station immediately adjusted its schedule, running a report on the midnight news using the footage from Yu Zhengqing’s interview.
The broadcast immediately garnered widespread attention.
Relevant government units, hospital doctors, and medical experts were mobilized overnight. The first wave of personnel arrived before dawn the next day.
Yu Zhengqing was part of this first wave.
The dengue outbreak had first occurred in a coastal city; why it had suddenly appeared in this small town was still under investigation. Nevertheless, the situation was now being taken seriously.
Overnight, the world turned upside down.
When the families in the residential compound woke up the next day, they discovered that everything had changed.
Everyone in the residential compound was separated into two groups: those who had started running a fever and those who hadn’t. They were placed in makeshift hospital wards and designated rest areas, respectively.
With the town as the epicenter, a full investigation and diagnosis confirmed the outbreak was indeed dengue fever.
The only way to control or prevent the spread of the dengue virus is to combat its mosquito vector.
Specialized personnel were assigned to handle these tasks.
Dengue fever is a disease with a long history of occurring worldwide. Once it was identified and taken seriously, professionals would handle the prevention and treatment.
However, Su Li was still incredibly busy. She had been the one to first notice the anomaly, and her knowledge of dengue fever was comprehensive, so she had more than enough to do.
Everyone, from doctors to the heads of various response teams, asked Su Li to join their discussions or to brief them on the situation.
Su Li held nothing back, telling anyone who asked everything she knew.
Even after things started to get on track, Su Li still couldn’t get any rest.
Little Tang Mo’s fever had broken, but Grandma Cui had collapsed. The old woman was already exhausted—mentally and physically—and the illness came on with a vengeance, bringing a high fever that refused to go down.
Su Li had to monitor Grandma Cui’s condition, keep an eye on Little Tang Mo, and, on top of all that, deal with the other families.
The very families who had previously cursed and hindered Su Li had done a complete one-eighty. Now, they had to ask for her opinion on everything. They wouldn’t feel at ease without her confirmation; without Su Li’s nod of approval, they were doubtful and suspicious of everything and everyone.
A single word or nod from Su Li was more effective than an imperial decree.
As for Doctor Yang, the man they had trusted before, he had fallen into a state of utter dejection and silence.
No one consulted him for any of the subsequent prevention and treatment efforts. And although no one had officially held him accountable yet, he no longer dared to show his face.
When the deceased boy’s mother learned the whole story, she had a complete breakdown and transferred all her hatred onto Doctor Yang and Yang Xiangyun.
Doctor Yang’s arrogance and bluster were long gone, and he became a withdrawn, silent figure.
Yang Xiangyun was overcome with guilt. Apologizing wasn’t enough; she wanted to atone.
She wanted to return to her duties but wasn’t permitted, so she did whatever she could to help.
She volunteered for the dirtiest, most strenuous tasks, trying to make up for her mistakes and offering sincere apologies to everyone she could.
Unfortunately, it had little effect.
The army wives who were once so friendly to her now either ignored her completely or greeted her with cold sarcasm. People even started gossiping again about the time she tried to take Little Tang Mo.
"...She almost got that boy killed. Imagine what would’ve happened if she’d actually succeeded."
"So shameless. A young woman trying to snatch Su Li’s child."
Yang Xiangyun was so ashamed she could have died, and she cried a great deal in private.
Miao Zhi, whom Yang Xiangyun had been caring for diligently, felt very sorry for her and also guilty, but with her unrelenting high fever, she had no energy to say much.
