Chapter 440: Chapter 436 Viral Infection (1)

As Zhou Qi announced the start of the martial arts competition, Xiao Wan, as everyone expected, repeated her usual tactic and conceded defeat after barely holding on for two minutes. Lin Dong won the match almost effortlessly.

Ling Chen, who had originally wanted to see Lin Dong’s capabilities, was greatly disappointed by the quick ending.

Returning to his room, under Xia Yue’s supervision, he spent the entire morning in bed.

When mealtime came, Qiu Yong and the others gathered in Ling Chen’s room, waiting for the waiter to bring their meals.

"Be extra careful in this afternoon’s competition, Ling Chen, to prevent your injuries from recurring," Qiu Yong cautioned, covering his mouth with his hand and constantly coughing, his face turning bright red.

"Big brother, are you okay?"

Qiu Yong waved his hand and said, "What could possibly be wrong? Don’t worry unnecessarily; just take care of yourself."

During the conversation, the waiter brought a lavish lunch to the room on a cart.

After lunch, Qiu Yong and the others went back to their rooms for a nap. Having laid down all morning, Ling Chen, with nothing else to do, turned on the TV and casually selected a movie to watch.

Around 1:40 in the afternoon, Ling Chen checked the time, feeling it was about right to head to the venue to prepare, and went to knock on Qiu Yong’s door.

"Big brother, it’s me!"

Before the door opened, a series of intense coughs reached Ling Chen’s ears. When the door opened, Qiu Yong was covering his mouth, coughing incessantly, his complexion unhealthy and his spirits low.

Ling Chen asked with concern, "Big brother, are you sick? Let me have a look."

"It’s just a minor illness, no need for a fuss." Perhaps due to severe coughing, Qiu Yong’s voice was hoarse.

"How can that be okay? What if a minor illness turns into a serious one?" Saying this, Ling Chen, ignoring Qiu Yong’s protest, took him back into the room. Once seated, Ling Chen carefully checked Qiu Yong’s pulse.

The pulse was normal; no major issues. It was likely just a severe cold.

"Big brother, since you’re not feeling well, you should skip the competition this afternoon and rest. I’ll ask the medical staff to bring some cold medicine over."

Qiu Yong nodded, "Then call your second brother to accompany you."

"Understood."

Leaving the room, Ling Chen went straight to Xu Ming’s room. As the door opened and he saw Xu Ming, Ling Chen was momentarily stunned, staring at him in surprise.

Feeling his astonished gaze, Xu Ming asked, "Ling Chen, what’s wrong?"

"Second brother, your eyes... why are they red?"

Hearing this, Xu Ming immediately turned around and walked into the bathroom, examining his eyes in front of the mirror. Indeed, his eyes were full of blood vessels, appearing congested and alarming.

"Second brother, do you feel unwell?"

Xu Ming shook his head. "No, I feel normal."

While talking, a bout of coughing suddenly came from the doorway. Ling Chen turned to look and saw Xia Yue walking in, her cheeks reddish, her breathing accompanied by continuous coughs, very similar to Qiu Yong’s symptoms.

"Sister Xia."

Ling Chen quickly walked over, asking with concern, "Are you also sick?"

"Maybe it’s just a cold." As she finished speaking, Xia Yue noticed Xu Ming’s bloodshot eyes and exclaimed, "Second brother, what’s wrong with your eyes?"

"I don’t know either. If Ling Chen hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have noticed."

Ling Chen thought for a moment and said, "Second brother, fifth sister, you two stay in the room for a bit. I’ll go to the medical room and get some medicine for you."

The symptoms of Xia Yue and Xu Ming were not as severe as Qiu Yong’s. He surmised that the source of the illness was with Qiu Yong, and because everyone had been together for a long time, it had spread.

However, when Ling Chen arrived at the medical room, he realized the situation was not as simple as he had imagined. The medical room was filled to capacity, overcrowded, with most people stuck outside.

Moreover, these people had symptoms similar to Qiu Yong’s, including coughs and red eyes. Some even had large patches of red rashes on their skin, which looked disturbing.

Strange!

Ling Chen frowned. Why were so many people sick? And all at the same time? Could it really just be a coincidence? He shook his head, unable to believe it. This morning, during the competition, there was no sign of this problem, but in just three to four hours, a massive outbreak had occurred. There must be an issue.

In his contemplation, hurried footsteps approached from afar, heading this way. Ling Chen looked up to see Zhou Qi and Zhong Yang leading over thirty Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion Disciples, all with serious expressions, clearly realizing the seriousness of the sudden incident.

"Elder Zhou, Elder Zhou is here."

Upon seeing Zhou Qi appear, the crowd outside the medical room immediately surged forward, all talking at once.

"Please, everyone, calm down."

Zhou Qi gestured with his hand and said, "We are aware of the situation. Please rest assured, Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion will handle this fully. However, please cooperate with our efforts."

"Elder Zhou, as you can see, there are so many people sick, and the medical room has limited staff. In my opinion, it’s best to dock the ship as soon as possible to not delay everyone’s treatment."

"Everyone, please stay calm; we have already started heading back. However, it will take at least two days to reach the nearest port. Until then, I hope everyone stays organized, and we will ensure everyone’s safety." After finishing, Zhou Qi gave Zhong Yang a look, who understood immediately and began organizing people to head to the deck.

Seeing this, Ling Chen quickly returned to Xu Ming’s room and gathered all members of their group in Qiu Yong’s room. As expected, everyone else had varying degrees of symptoms.

"It was all fine this morning; how could this suddenly happen?" Yuan Yun said with a furrowed brow.

"It’s still unclear what’s going on. People from Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion are investigating."

While talking, Ling Chen checked everyone’s pulse, trying to find the cause of the illness. However, what puzzled him was that everyone’s body seemed perfectly normal, and their pulses were steady, not at all like those of sick people.

Knock, knock, knock!

At this moment, a knock came from the door.

Ling Chen got up and opened the door, only to see several men in protective gear standing at the doorway with medical kits.

"What is this..."

"Sorry, we’ve been ordered to check on every guest."

Hearing this, Ling Chen immediately stepped aside and welcomed the medical staff into the room.

After drawing blood, a medical staff member spoke, "Before the lab results are available, please stay in your rooms and do not go out unnecessarily. If you need anything, contact our staff."

Seeing the people preparing to leave, Ling Chen quickly followed and asked, "How much do you know about this sudden illness?"

"Sorry, there are orders from Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. No comment can be made."