Chapter 132: Man-made Biochemical Warfare

"My God."

A collective gasp rippled through the group. The very people who had been laughing and chatting just moments ago had, in the blink of an eye, transformed into martial arts masters. The dozen or so armed rebels didn't even have a chance to put up a fight. Qin Yang searched the rebel leader who lay unconscious on the ground, but found nothing of use. Besides, he couldn't very well kill these men right in front of Sarah and the others.

"Qin Yang, you... you?" Sophie covered her mouth in astonishment.

Qin Yang glanced at her and smiled. "I just happen to know some martial arts. Nili is too dangerous, and I didn't want my people to come here and throw their lives away, so I selected the most skilled members of my team. We cannot stay here long. If these rebels don't return, their comrades will come looking for them."

"We can't just leave," Clara protested. "If the rebels come, the people here will be persecuted."

Xie Chengyang, who understood English, stepped forward and said softly, "They have already contracted the plague. Taking them with you would only subject them to greater suffering. My advice is to find villages that haven't been affected and teach them how to prevent the spread of the disease. If you insist on staying here, more people will only die in the agony of the infection."

"We... we..." The dilemma left Arthur and his companions looking pained.

Qin Yang checked his watch and said, "Leave some medicine and food, then go."

"Qin, you must have a way to save them, don't you?" Sarah asked, her voice filled with grief as she looked at the numb, listless villagers.

"I wish I could," Qin Yang said, helplessly wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Many choices in life are this painful, but you must remember your mission for being here. Don't be stubbornly headstrong. This river is the water source for dozens of villages. Thousands more are waiting for you to save them."

The group fell silent.

The facts were before them; they truly didn't have much time. Everyone knew that once the plague fully broke out, all of Nili would suffer immensely. With heavy hearts, they pulled medicine and food from their bags and set them down under a pavilion before boarding the boat.

"Aren't you coming?" Sarah asked, confused.

Qin Yang replied, "You need to spread knowledge on how to prevent the plague, while we must head deeper into Nili to collect enough evidence. This is a global infectious disease, and only by exposing it can we rouse more concern. Besides, we must draw the enemy's pursuit away by taking these armed rebels with us. Otherwise, if they find other villages, both you and the villagers will be in grave danger. Go, quickly."

"Thank you." Arthur extended his hand. "Qin, thank you."

"It's the least I could do." Qin Yang shook his hand.

"When will we see each other again?" Sarah asked painfully.

"I will come to the United States to find you." Qin Yang waved his hand, then paused. "Remember, always boil your water before drinking. Do not touch the blood of the infected. If you find any infected people in other villages, isolate them for observation immediately. You must understand the extreme danger of this plague; do not be reckless."

The group nodded one by one.

Watching them disappear from view, Qin Yang pointed to the people on the ground. "They must have vehicles. We'll use theirs to get to Kano."

"What about these people?" Xie Chengyang asked hurriedly.

"Kill them, of course. Do you want them to report back that we've moved on?" Qin Yang shot him a look. "I was just putting on an act before; now that they're gone, there's no need to pretend anymore."

The group was speechless—this guy changed faces too quickly.

Xie Chengyang and a few others stayed behind to dispose of the rebels, while Qin Yang led the rest through the village. The villagers, having seen them take down the armed rebels, were wary and kept their distance. Qin Yang was finally satisfied when he spotted the vehicles. Once everything was settled, they boarded a large truck, with Xu Lai at the wheel, and headed toward the city of Kano.

"Will the plague really break out?" Xie Chengyang asked.

Qin Yang sighed. "There are many types of plagues: cholera, smallpox, the Black Death, typhus, malaria, miasma, and more. In Africa, you have dengue fever and the Ebola virus. The latter is even more terrifying than AIDS, capable of killing within two days with a mortality rate of over 95 percent. I suspect cholera and the plague are the most likely culprits, given that it’s not just human corpses floating in that river. The villagers are in the incubation period, but I could already see black spots on some of them. I fear it's more likely the Black Death."

"Is Azalias out of his mind?" Xie Chengyang cursed. "Once any kind of plague spreads in Nili, the lack of medical infrastructure will make it effectively fatal."

"That is likely the outcome he wants," Qin Yang sneered. "Everyone knows that corpses polluting water sources will trigger a massive epidemic. Azalias claims to be an educated militant, but he's essentially waging a biological war of natural disaster, intending to let all dissenting voices be silenced by the agony of the virus. These rebels were probably just here to investigate the disaster situation. Anyway, stop talking about this. Notify General Zhao that everyone returning to the country from areas near Daner and Nili must undergo health screenings."

"Understood." Xie Chengyang opened the satellite phone.

He quickly made contact with Major General Zhao of the United Front Department.

"Chief, we have successfully infiltrated Nili and are currently heading to Kano," Xie Chengyang reported. "However, there is a situation we must report."

"Speak."

"The river near us is filled with human and animal corpses. We passed through a village earlier, and Qin Yang suspects a plague has already broken out, most likely the bubonic plague," Xie Chengyang said in a low, serious voice. "This river flows toward Daner. Azalias is waging a man-made biological war to eliminate all opposition through the plague. Qin Yang requests that everyone returning to China from countries near Nili be screened to prevent the plague from spreading domestically."

"Are you certain?" Major General Zhao was startled. The bubonic plague was no laughing matter. It was the strain behind the Black Death that ravaged Europe for three centuries and claimed two hundred million lives. It was highly infectious; if they didn't implement defensive measures, they could see a massive number of infections before they even had a chance to react. It would be an absolute catastrophe.

"Certain," Xie Chengyang confirmed.

"Stay safe. Also, if any of our hostages are found to be carriers, ensure you are not infected," Major General Zhao cautioned.

The call ended quickly.

Major General Zhao hung up and rushed out of his office, shouting, "Xiao Liu, contact the Epidemic Prevention Center immediately! Everyone returning from Africa must undergo monitoring. Use force if anyone refuses. Also, get the Old General and the Premier on the line; I have critical information."

He reached both men quickly.

The two, who were in the middle of a major meeting, were shocked upon hearing the news. They left hastily after speaking with the Chairman, leaving him behind to avoid raising suspicion.

"Is the information accurate?" the Premier asked as soon as he arrived at the General Staff headquarters.

Major General Zhao nodded steadily and pointed to a man. "This is Director Liu from the Epidemic Prevention Center. Qin Yang just sent us a set of photos of the Nili villagers. According to Director Liu, this is not just the bubonic plague; it is accompanied by cholera and malaria. Without effective defensive measures, this plague will sweep across a hundred-kilometer radius centered on Nili's Guru City within two days. After that, the spread will be even wider, potentially covering the entire southern region of Nili."

"Notify the World Health Organization," the Premier commanded. "This must be treated with the highest priority. Also, are the airport screenings set up?"

"Please rest assured, Premier," Director Liu said. "We have already dispatched personnel. Every passenger flying back from Nili, Daner, and surrounding countries will be screened. The plague has only just begun and is currently contained within Nili, so it hasn't become a global crisis yet. We must notify all Chinese residents in the vicinity of Nili immediately and have them evacuate to safe areas."

Qin Yang didn't know if the information he sent would get everyone's attention, but he believed in doing what he could. A deliberate plague was the most terrifying kind, and with Nili in the midst of a civil war, it was almost certain to break out.

"Most of Nili is already in Azalias's hands," Yang Guang noted, looking at the map and then at the numb, hollow-eyed Nili people they had passed on the road. "The Nili anti-government forces are cornered in Bauchi and Jos. Even though they're putting up a final stand, they have almost no chance of a comeback. Why would Azalias need to start a plague to harm the Guru region? Guru is under his control too. Why would he sabotage his own territory?"

Qin Yang took the map. "Azalias's plan is to dismantle the remaining anti-government forces using the plague, and the best way to spread it is through water. Since Jos and Bauchi are under the control of the anti-government forces, he would have to pay a heavy price to take them by force. The best way is to use infected people to spread the virus to all the villages along this river, and then have his army drive those people toward the anti-government strongholds. He could take those two cities without firing a single shot. Furthermore, judging by how he's been selling gemstones at low prices to buy arms, he clearly doesn't have the strength to completely annihilate them. That's why he came up with this wretched idea. But I suspect Azalias has more in store—what exactly, I can't guess."

"This guy really has no humanity," Zhou Kehai cursed under his breath. "He isn't even afraid of the plague spreading to himself."

"Who knows?" Qin Yang picked up a cup, swirled the water inside, and sneered. "If we encounter any insurmountable danger during this mission, I wouldn't mind giving him a taste of his own medicine—a lesson in biological warfare."

The group shivered, looking at the cup in Qin Yang's hand with a touch of fear.