The morning mist in the southern suburbs refugee camp was filled with suppressed coughing. Zheng Yuheng squatted in front of a simple wooden bed and gently took off his stethoscope. The cold metal surface was already stained with the temperature of his palm.
The boy in front of him was only seven or eight years old, but he was already coughing up blood. His cheeks were sunken like two dry wells, and the purple blood vessels were clearly visible under his almost transparent skin.
"The 37th case..." Zheng Yuheng muttered to himself, his voice full of helplessness and worry. He recorded the symptoms in his notebook, the tip of his pen trembling slightly on the paper, leaving a small stain of ink.
After finishing the recording, he turned to the nurse next to him. She was a young girl in her early twenties with a dark blue eye. "Place this child in the isolation tent No. 3 in the west. Remember, anyone who has come into contact with him must wash their hands with lime water and change their masks every two hours. There must be no slacking."
After finishing his instructions, Zheng Yuheng walked out of the tent with heavy steps. He took off the gauze mask that was already soaked with sweat and breathed in the relatively fresh air outside. The cold wind, carrying the scent of soil and herbs, poured into his lungs, slightly diluting the stench lingering in his nose.
The sound of horse hooves could be heard in the distance, and a group of cavalrymen raised a cloud of dust. The first one was a pitch-black warhorse. The man on the horse was as tall and straight as a pine tree, and his black cloak fluttered in the wind.
Xie Yun swiftly turned over and dismounted from his horse. His black military boots made a dull thumping sound as they stepped on the muddy ground.
"Brother, what's the situation?" Xie Yunshen's voice was deep and powerful. His eyes swept across the tent behind him and vaguely heard a cough.
Zheng Yuheng frowned slightly, motioned Xie Yun to go to a more secluded place, and then lowered his voice: "Something is wrong. Ordinary lung diseases will not spread so quickly, and the symptoms will not be so dangerous. The first case we found yesterday may have been spread earlier. Since yesterday, we have been admitting isolated patients, and there are already 37 people..." He paused, "and all the patients are concentrated in the West District."
Xie Yunshen's eyes suddenly became sharp, and his pupils shrank slightly: "What do you mean?"
"I suspect someone spread it deliberately." Zheng Yuheng's expression was serious, with a hint of anger and worry in his eyes.
Xie Yun frowned slightly and fell into deep thought. His resolute face was tense, and his mind was quickly sorting out various clues. After a moment, he slowly said, "I want to go see the old man from yesterday."
Zheng Yuheng understood his intention and pointed to the west area: "Tent No. 1." He paused and added, "Remember to take precautions. This disease is extremely dangerous."
Xie Yun nodded, without saying anything more, and then made a simple "㱕" gesture to Li Sheng. The two walked quickly to the material storage area, and Li Sheng took out a pair of imported rubber gloves from the pinewood box. He put on the rubber gloves neatly, and his movements were as skillful as if he was loading a pistol.
He picked up the spray bottle and sprayed lime water on Xie Yun's military boots. White powder fell on the shiny leather surface.
After getting dressed, the two walked through the makeshift quarantine area.
A yellow quarantine flag fluttered in front of the tent, and three lime lines formed concentric circles around the tent. Every seven meters, white powder drew a glaring warning circle on the frozen mud. Four armed soldiers stood on duty on a pine sentry post on the upwind side, with gauze soaked in carbolic acid wrapped around the barrels.
An iron plate at the entrance of the tent reads "Epidemic area, no trespassing" in Chinese and English. Next to it is a disinfection passage made of Northeast reed mats and tung oil cloth. The ground is covered with sorghum straw mats soaked in saturated lime water. People entering and leaving must step on the mats to be sprayed all around by disinfectants.
A medical worker wearing a gauze mask was using a long-handled sprayer to disinfect the volunteers who came out, and the medicine left dark marks on their cotton gowns.
The two walked to the front of tent number three. Li Sheng tightened the muscles in his right arm and used force to open the heavy double-layered door curtain. The canvas soaked in disinfectant made a grinding sound: "Young Marshal, you can come in."
As soon as the door curtain was opened, a strong pungent smell of medicine and disinfectant hit me in the face. The smell was like a real wave, almost suffocating me.
The light in the tent was dim, and more than 30 simple beds were arranged so that nothing could get through, leaving only a narrow passage in the middle. Two volunteers in gray shirts were carrying a stretcher, on which lay a child who was coughing up blood, and dark red blood foam splashed on the volunteers' washed, bleached collars.
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