Plague Doctor
chapter-290

Translator: Lonelytree

‘Child, is this not the arrival of a new era, is this not a turning point in history… If not for this plague, you people will still continue to work like rats in the sewers. Instead of fighting darkness, you were part of the darkness.’

When Gu Jun and Wu Siyu arrived at the press conference, they could hear some whisperings in the undercurrent of the hubbub. ‘The whole world will know about you. They will dissect your looks, your ability, your background, and your identity. They will praise and love you but soon they will be sick of you because you will be incapable of stopping the imminent tragedy for you are a plague doctor…’

After giving the military salute, Gu Jun took a deep breath and sat down. Before him were more than 10 reporters and a handful of cameras turned towards him. Indeed, the global audience was watching and this was a historical turning point. Even after their many ordeals, the elite members were nervous to show themselves before the public, with the exception of Wu Siyu.

The whispering in Gu Jun’s ears grew louder, it was practically howling at him. ‘Where does this voice come from? Is it a mental attack? Or the manifestation of anxiety within me?’ Gu Jun did not know but he tried his best to silence it. His mind was made and he would not be persuaded off course by these white noises despite how uncomfortable they made him…

“Dirty-minded Jun?” Wu Siyu next to him could sense his discomfiture, she leaned over to whisper, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Gu Jun responded. There was a dark energy within him for he had consumed one before. Furthermore, he had a history with Afterlife Cult so the appearance of voices in his head was not anything new. Perhaps this was the equivalent of the ‘black fog’ in China. If the new leader of the Chinese special forces had a nervous breakdown before the country, it would definitely shatter public confidence. Gu Jun focused his mind and told the chaos, ‘The new era has indeed arrived, as it always does, but I’m sorry, it will not be an era that you anticipated.’

The voice was silent for a moment before returning with vengeance, ‘Then what kind of era will be it? An era of distrust? Country pitted against country, department against department, and individual against individual? Everyone has their own goal to pursue so conflict is inevitable… But wait a minute, you already know that, so, if anything, you are only going to usher in an age where the conflicts will be more pronounced.’ Suddenly, Gu Jun’s mind wavered and he saw some images. He could somehow tell that they were comments from the internet. They reeked of the distrust, mockery and abuse against Phecda within and without the country. The altercations were escalating. ‘Is the voice channelling images into my mind?’

Despite everything, Gu Jun was impressed because he could sense that the origin of the voice was not nearby. It reminded him of his long-distance communication with Wu Siyu when they were continents away… The voice was crystal clear in his mind despite the distance. It proved that he shared a connection with the owner of this voice for better or for worse.

The distorted voice began again, ‘Worms will never truly unite even before death. Face it, even the smallest of arguments will shatter any possibility of unity.’

“Next, we shall invite Captain Gu as the representative to speak.” The host announced then. Gu Jun did have something on his mind to say, but he was there to play a role that day, which was to be the mouthpiece for Phecda. The script that he was given had been heavily vetted.

The voice mocked, ‘Listen to yourself, speaking those untrue words. Compared to the depth of supernatural energy and supernatural existence, how frivolous they sound. Since you have refused ascendancy, then struggle in the mud with the rest of the worms. Live in mud and die in mud.’

“Good afternoon, everyone.” Gu Jun glanced at the script before looking right at the camera. The voice annoyed him and his jaws gritted tightly. Before he knew it, a choice had been made. After reading out loud the first sentence, Gu Jun put down the script. He wanted to have his real thoughts speak through. The host and press officers frowned with surprise and consternation. ‘What is he up to?’

“It is now 2.25 am but the medical staff and workers are still fighting inside the surgery room, labs and their designated posts at the frontline. I wish to send my deepest respect to every single one of them for they are all heroes.”

The reporters listened quietly. Even the crowd before the screen piped down. Most of the audience were either lying in bed comfortably watching the press conference on their phone or cuddling up with their families watching the news in the living room. However, at the same time, there were others who were still fighting to save people’s lives. Gu Jun strayed from the script, even though his words brooked no problem, the fact was the Chinese administration was not used to unplanned surprises. The directors backstage panicked, ‘Should we cut off the livestream?’ Thankfully, experienced leaders like Elder Tong and Yao Sinian assured them of Gu Jun’s ability. He knew what he was doing. Xue Ba, Lou Xiaoning and Uncle Dan on stage peered at Gu Jun, the latter did not look like he was losing control and Wu Siyu did not send them any warning either.

Ignoring the voice, Gu Jun continued sternly, “People might think that we are the ones who have gained victory over the pandemic but that is not true. To win over the disease, to prevail over every tragedy, we need unity from all parties. Without the members from disease control centre, without the cooperation from the public, evacuation would not be done so effectively; Without the lab workers, the drug would not be made; Without the fearlessness of the frontline medical workers, the patients would not be saved; Without the determination of the patients and their family members, the disease would have consumed more innocent lives.” When he said these words, his heart quivered. Faces of many people crossed his mind. He might not know them personally but he would never forget the feeling of their eyes settling on him.

“Over the past few days, I have been reading the wills of the frontline workers who have unfortunately passed away.” That was a job assigned to him by Phecda to see if he could make connection with the thousand-eyed worm and to ensure that the departed had truly gone to the great beyond. Incidentally, that helped forge a connection between Gu Jun and these nameless heroes. He continued solemnly, “Huang Lin, 28 years old, main physician at Jiang Xin Hospital. Her dying wish was to study another degree in veterinary medicine and to marry her boyfriend. The things that were on her mind when she was on her deathbed were her parents and her pet dog, Dou Dou.

“Lee Huaihai, 32 years old, San Hai Hospital’s main physician. His will was that he could get a few months of holiday to get away from the city and relax with a series of books. Before his death on duty, Doctor Lee serviced the Department of Respiratory Medicine for six long years and never asked for a day of break.

“Yang Fang, 25 years old, Phecda Action Department Member. His will was written before he departed for his last mission. He wanted to go home to share a meal with his mother. He missed the taste of his mother’s braised meat because he had not been home for 2 years already due to his work.”

Gu Jun had already summarized the wills but even as he went through them, the stack never seemed to deplete. And the stack of wills he was given was only the ones who had died at San Hai City. Some did not even have the chance to write down any words before the disease claimed them.

“He Feng, 43 years old, San Hai City Disease Control Centre’s in-house Expert. His wish was for his parents, wife and daughter to survive. Mr. He wanted to see his daughter grow up healthily and safely, he wanted to be there for her when she went to primary school, secondary school, and college. He wanted to see her fall in love and to marry her off to the love of her life.

“Shen Haoxuan, 18 years, he was supposed to start university after this summer holiday. His last wish was to confess his love to his high school crush.”

Gu Jun tried to not let his voice catch but his eyes were red. Some of the reporters wept silently.

“These were all normal people with normal wishes.” Gu Jun continued. “They were imperfect but they are the true heroes of this story.”

The voice silenced.

“This world is not perfect, it is not flawless by any means but for these small wishes, it is worth protecting.” Gu Jun’s focused gaze glinted dangerously as he announced the decision made by his superior. “To do that, we Phecda will be the first to participate in the new international organization, The Global Occult Alliance, a measure taken by the country to counter against the threat of the supernatural. I wish that every country will be able to put down their differences to come towards a holistic and in-depth cooperation.

Only

“Our goal is very simple.” This was something Gu Jun added, it was meant for the media as well as the voice, “We will destroy anything that wishes to stand in the way of human tranquillity.”

The reporters buzzed noisily. Even the viewers before the screen were shocked. Who would have thought? Right after the revelation of a secret department, an international organization was to be built!

Gu Jun then stood up, he was followed by his other teammates. All but one of them looked serious as they gave a final military salute to the camera. They then retreated backstage while the reporters busied with their breaking news.

On the way back, Gu Jun could not hear the voice anymore. ‘Better stay away and hide because I am coming to get you.’

Indeed, what he did earlier was a declaration of war, he was done being on the defensive end. It was a new era with a new organization and new way of operating.

He would smoke these cultists out one by one. He’d yank their tails like he did with the lab rats to end their despicable lives. He believed that this would effectively usher in the true golden era.

…