Chapter 556 Rumors

Jun Wuduan's words were a warning to him, a warning to those who were greedy and self-righteous, who thought they could "control" this Hou for their own use and bring them huge benefits, just like Ye Wanxi.

Money and silk are enough to move people's hearts, let alone such a ready-made "treasure".

Their junior sister's willingness to take on this hot potato stems from her kindness, but that doesn't mean some people can use high-sounding excuses to morally blackmail her, nor does it mean some people can attempt to occupy the moral high ground and force their junior sister to hand over this little thing voluntarily.

Without Ye Wanxi, Hou is a true man-eating beast. It's one thing for them not to see or appreciate Ye Wanxi's efforts, but if they repay kindness with enmity, they will surely be trapped in their own web.

Jun Wuduan was very satisfied with Xiao Jihui's tact. Some things are obvious, but there are always some people who think they are different from ordinary people and can break the norm to greedily take all the benefits for themselves.

His reprimand today is both a warning and a prophecy. He's laying it all out in advance so that those who know what's good for them will be mentally prepared should something go wrong.

His junior sister is just his own little pet; there's no reason for her to be so restrained and have to be mindful of others' opinions.

Ye Wanxi, who was focused on communicating with the little guy, was unaware of Jun Wuduan's conversation with Xiao Jihui, but Feng Tianyu heard it all clearly.

He did not stop him; in fact, one could say he tacitly approved of Jun Wuduan's actions. Jun Wuduan's attitude toward the matter was also his attitude.

As it turns out, their concerns were quite prescient.

The Hou's situation is special, and Academician Liu and others dared not make direct contact with it. The existing equipment here is also insufficient to support their careful study of the many viruses carried by this Hou.

After discussing it with Academician Liu, Xiao Jihui immediately sent a message to Xiao Baihui, asking him to send over another batch of more advanced equipment.

Such equipment would inevitably require approval to be transferred out rashly, which would alarm some people.

The fact that the Hou, which had escaped after being suppressed underground for thousands of years, had been found could not be kept secret, and Xiao Baihui did not want to stop it.

There are basically two opinions on this matter. One opinion is that such a terrible and uncontrollable thing needs to be humanely destroyed immediately and cannot be left alive. The other opinion is that it can be left alive, but it must be guaranteed to be used for one's own purposes.

Xiao Baihui paid no attention to either of these claims.

Jun Wuduan relayed the details of his conversation with Xiao Jihui to Xiao Baihui afterward.

Xiao Baihui did not find Jun Wuduan and others' protective remarks offensive; on the contrary, he thought they were perfectly reasonable.

He had already found the answer to how terrifying the Hou was in various materials, and they should indeed be grateful that there was someone who could restrain it.

But not just anyone can be that person.

Some people are so stupid they can't see this point, and Xiao Baihui doesn't want to stop them, because you can't stop someone who wants to die.

All he could do was try his best to build a good relationship with Ye Wanxi and the others, send as many people as possible to protect them, and make his stance clear.

The equipment arrived quickly, and the researchers dared not be careless in the slightest. For the next few days, Academician Liu and his colleagues spent almost 24 hours a day in the laboratory, to the point of neglecting sleep and meals.

Hard work pays off, and their efforts soon yielded results.

Although there is still a long way to go before success, nothing is more exhilarating than seeing a glimmer of hope in despair.

However, a few days later, Ye Wanxi and the others heard some infuriating news.

The heroes on the front lines are doing everything they can to find a way to survive and a solution, but some people are dragging their feet from the rear.

"What's wrong with these people? They've already been diagnosed, yet they still go out. Don't they know they're carrying the virus and can infect other people?"

"It is precisely because they know this that they have to run. They feel they are not going to survive, so they want to take more people down with them."

"How could this be?" Qi Yingxuan's eyes widened. "Have their brains been eaten away by a virus? If they're sick, they should just get treatment. Maybe they'll have a chance to survive. Running away and not getting treatment will only make them die faster. I really don't understand what these people are thinking."

Ye Wanxi frowned, her expression grave: "This is the fifteenth case this month. At first, only confirmed cases were running away, but in the last two days, some people who were taken to quarantine but haven't been tested have also started running away."

"Why are they running away? Do they think the doctors will eat them? Or do they think that as long as they don't get tested, they won't be diagnosed and they'll be fine? Do they think the virus will deliberately avoid them and not corrode their already damaged brains?"

“Some people do think that way, but they run away mainly because of some rumors.”

"Rumors?" Everyone's attention immediately turned to Xiao Jihui. "What rumors?"

"Recently, some people have been secretly spreading rumors that this is a particularly terrible infectious disease, an incurable one. Because medical resources are insufficient, those who are diagnosed with the infection are not being taken for treatment, but are instead being taken to jail to die. Once you are diagnosed with the infection, there is only one way out: death. How can you not run away?"

Ye Wanxi and the others: "..."

"No, are they brain-dead? They believe these kinds of rumors. They ignore so many cases of patients recovering and being discharged from the hospital, and they just think that others want to harm them? They are adults, don't they have any judgment at all?"

Qi Yingxuan has recently been requisitioned to use the teleportation array, working himself to the bone every day, running around doing manual labor. To make matters worse, he's been labeled an "accomplice." How can he not be furious?

Ye Wanxi and Feng Tianyu, however, were thinking a little more deeply: "Where did the rumor originate? Have the people who spread it been caught?"

Xiao Jihui shook his head: "These kinds of rumors are just hearsay, and the current situation is quite special. Not to mention these verbal rumors, even some media reports often contain speculative guesses. We can't possibly catch them all."

Unfortunately, some people are easily swayed, and given the current climate of fear and uncertainty, what was originally a one- or two-tenths-of-a-word statement might be embellished and become five or six-tenths more credible.

Don't underestimate those five or six points; if you actually encounter them, it's enough for some people to risk their lives for that fear.

"Where do most of these people who are running come from? Are they scattered or concentrated in a certain area?"

"They are scattered, and they are all quite far apart, almost all in different provinces and cities."

Ye Wanxi and her companion exchanged a glance, becoming even more certain of their guess: "If it were just one place, one or two times would be one thing, but it's so scattered and so frequent..."

Xiao Jihui wasn't stupid. Hearing them say that, he immediately realized what they meant, and his face darkened slightly: "You suspect that someone is deliberately spreading rumors?"

(End of this chapter)