Chapter 64
Faced with this unusual situation, the two exchanged a glance and then began to dig with all their might. At first, their attention was entirely focused on whether there were any human figures, and they never expected that the roots of these trees had been cut off.
When they were halfway through digging, the mud above began to sink continuously. Digging through the mud, they saw a small hole in front of them. Qingyun put his hand in and found that there was still space on both sides. Obviously, something had broken through the hole below, and there were holes everywhere under the tree roots.
Groundhogs? If we had those, wouldn't the kids have caught them and made them extra for dinner by now?
In short, the cause has now been found.
Qingyun straightened up and patted the mud off his body. "I don't know what's been drilling holes here. As soon as the roots grow back, they get bitten off again, which is why it eventually withers away."
Mu Helian understood the situation without her having to explain.
Now that we know what's going on, we must take immediate countermeasures.
“Pouring water on it definitely won’t work,” Mu Helian said thoughtfully, resting her chin on her hand.
That's true. Although trees have been planted here, the soil structure is still a mixture of sand and soil. It drains quickly and has a loose structure. Once water is poured in, it can easily cause the soil to collapse and rot the roots.
“Every tree is different. We don’t know if the healthy ones have already been hollowed out,” Qingyun said, looking up. After thinking for a long time, she finally spoke, “Here’s what we’ll do: first dig up the base of the trees that are clearly showing signs of withering. If only some of the small roots have been bitten off, there’s still hope. Don’t touch the main root if it hasn’t been severed.”
After saying that, he pointed to the tree in front of him that was obviously dead and said, "Don't hold out hope for trees like this, whose main roots have been completely bitten off. Just cut them down and keep them for firewood."
Mu Helian nodded in agreement, "Since pouring water doesn't work, why not use fire to smoke it out?"
Qingyun wanted to, but Muyun City didn't have enough firewood to smoke it, which was a problem.
"Don't worry about that, I have a solution."
After he finished speaking, Qingyun had no objection, and the two went their separate ways to get ready.
It was quite a challenge to find Liu Er. It took a lot of effort to finally locate him in one place. At that moment, he was still passionately berating his men for being useless. He was quite surprised to see Qingyun arrive and quickly whispered something to the person next to him.
Upon learning the purpose of Qingyun's visit, they dared not be careless. After all, at best, the tree died on its own; at worst, it was due to their mismanagement and failure to discover the problem in time. Such a charge could be capital offense, so they immediately ordered someone to summon several strong men.
"Bring the person here," Qingyun said suddenly, watching the people preparing to leave.
"What kind of thing could possibly burrow in this desert?" Liu Er muttered, scratching his head. He'd lived most of his life and never heard of such a thing.
Hearing the muttering beside him, Qingyun ignored it and just sat on the sand, propping his head up as if he was thinking. Once everyone had arrived, he began to give instructions.
Because some tree roots might not be severely bitten and could potentially be saved, it's important to avoid damaging them with a single dig. Therefore, when digging to a certain extent, it's necessary to gently pull on the roots to check their firmness. However, to prevent some people from using excessive force, it's also important to pay attention to the feel of the roots.
Another issue is fire prevention, but that's not urgent yet; we need to wait for news from Mu Helian.
"Leave the roots that aren't completely severed untouched." After saying this, he gestured for everyone to disperse.
Before he could take more than a few steps, he remembered that he should have made it clear to Song Junwu on the spot that he needed more manpower. He was now struggling with whether or not to go back to the command post when he heard someone call his name from behind.
Feng Sijing rushed over, saying, "I haven't seen you all these days. I thought you'd run off somewhere."
"Speak quickly if you have something to say."
Seeing this, Feng Sijing didn't waste any words. He said that Mu Helian had brought a message that she couldn't come to the sand dunes for the time being because of a plague that had broken out in Muyun City. No one knew what it was, but everyone was half-dead and in very serious condition.
Upon hearing this, Qingyun frowned slightly and asked for details, whether people outside the city could still enter, when the plague started, and why everyone had symptoms. After speaking, she looked at Feng Sijing with some resentment in her eyes, "Why didn't you ask clearly?"
Feng Sijing squinted and scratched the back of his head. He had been called over in a hurry and was initially unwilling to speak. But then, as if remembering something, he said, "But she said that she has already taken care of the things she wanted to do for you."
After listening to what the other person said, Qingyun pushed him aside and prepared to see what was going on. If it had happened a long time ago, Song Junwu would have told her when he found her. Could it have suddenly erupted in such a short time? Feng Sijing behind her tried to stop her. He felt uneasy just getting close to her. This girl still wanted to go over. "It's no use! Aren't you just going to your death? Just leave this kind of thing to that kid Song Junwu."
Qingyun shook off the other person's hand and instructed him, "Go back and take a shower first, then stay at home and don't go out. It's best to wash your hands with some alcohol."
My goodness, washing hands with wine, how extravagant!
Feng Sijing inwardly complained, but didn't show it on his face. He hesitated, wanting to grab the other person's hand and stop in mid-air, unable to move forward or backward. He didn't want the other person to leave, but it was clear that Qingyun was not someone who would listen to him.
At this moment, Muyun City was unusually quiet. There were few pedestrians on the streets, and only people in military uniforms patrolled around with their swords. The autumn wind blew through the city and carried a strange, sweet and pungent smell. The usually bustling streets were now deathly silent.
As expected, Qingyun was stopped, but the masked soldier gestured for her to follow. Her cloth shoes sank directly into the wet mud, and the dirty mud stuck to the surface of her shoes. If you looked closely, you could see that the mud water had a faint black tinge.
The two arrived under a awning, and the soldier gestured again that she could go inside.
Unexpectedly, what came into view were Song Chaoyun and Song Junwu standing on either side, with a huge wooden table in the center of the awning, on which was probably a map. Then they saw the man holding a bamboo ruler in his hand, gesturing on the map. Hearing the noise, the two of them turned their heads and looked over.
Song Chaoyun was not wearing her usual elaborate attire, but rather a trousers and skirt outfit. Her hair was simply adorned with a hairpin and a few small hair ornaments, which looked simple yet heroic.
"I knew you'd come." Hearing the woman's voice, Qingyun nodded. "I can't just leave something this big unattended."
Song Chaoyun continued, "It's not that you're the only one who can do things well."
Upon hearing this, Qingyun paused. She naturally didn't mean it that way, but now wasn't the time to argue. She quickly asked Feng Sijing again, only to learn that the plague had actually been going on for some time, though it was unknown to most at the time.
Initially, people who contract the disease develop lumps on their bodies. These lumps are hard and painful, like stones. Others just think they have corns and don't pay attention to them. But later, things get worse and worse. The skin starts to turn red and purple, and many of them even begin to ulcerate, constantly oozing pus. At the same time, they experience high fever, vomiting blood, trembling lips, and a dull gaze.
It wasn't until a neighbor reported it that they realized most of Muyun City had fallen.
“The first batch of infected residents have died. Their bodies are a dark purple color, severely swollen, and have a very strong odor.” Song Junwu put away the bamboo ruler and looked at Qingyun seriously.
Qingyun felt a sense of familiarity upon hearing these symptoms, as if they were a mixture of various things, but she couldn't quite place them.
Upon hearing this, she asked where the main epidemic areas were concentrated.
Song Chaoyun stretched out her hand, her slender fingers pointing to a spot on the map. Then she moved her hand again, drawing a circle with her half-arm, and said in a deep voice, "The entire Muyun City."
Upon hearing this, Qingyun frowned even more deeply. This meant that there was no specific outbreak location, and the patients were scattered throughout Muyun City.
Qingyun remained silent, and the entire tent was filled with a silent pressure and tension. This was a tough battle, and it might not be something they could handle simply by managing it. Suddenly, a male voice broke the atmosphere, "There are still differences." Song Junwu pointed to a place with a bamboo ruler, "For example, this street in Muyun City has far fewer patients than other places."
After saying that, he glanced at the two of them from left to right, "Do you know where this place is?"
Upon hearing this, Qingyun quickly stepped forward and looked in the direction of the gaze. She remembered this place; most of the wealthy families in Muyun City had bought houses here. It could be said that this street was full of rich people. But what did this have to do with the plague?
"Have you found out what kind of disease it is?" she continued to ask.
The two people in front of them shook their heads, saying that this epidemic was very different from the ones recorded in the books in previous years, and they were still looking for the reason.
Suddenly, Qingyun realized what was happening. Considering the symptoms of the withered tree today, could it be the plague? The concept of the plague is rarely discussed in modern times, or rather, she had never experienced it in her life. The only time she had heard of it was in books, which explained why she couldn't remember it.
After checking the system data, it was found that this was indeed the case. However, the plague in Muyun City this time was a combination of several subcategories of plague, which explained why it was not recognized immediately.
After sharing his conjecture—or rather, his conclusion—with the two of them, Song Chaoyun asked hesitantly, "But where did this come from? The city is very well protected against rats."
“You probably don’t know this, but the reason the tree is dead is that the roots have been hollowed out. There’s no way it’s a rodent.” Qingyun rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought, oblivious to the two people’s confusion, and continued to state his conclusion. “I just don’t know how they managed to get to Muyun City from such a far away place.”
Suddenly, I realized that there are three main routes of plague transmission.
The first route is rat-flea-human. After ingesting a rat carrying the pathogen, the flea will release the plague bacillus, which will then bite a human, thus directly transmitting the virus.
The second method is through transmission between infected individuals via droplets, blood, coughs, and other means.
Third, direct contact with dead rats or animals carrying pathogens, or contaminated clothing, can all lead to infection.
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