The bell of Jianghan Customs House tolled as usual, and the Yangtze River still surged eastward without pause. Yet Jiangcheng itself had come to a standstill. Once a bustling city, it now felt as though someone had pressed the pause button. The streets were empty; only the occasional shriek of an ambulance siren tore through the silence as it sped past. Subway station gates had long since crashed shut, and on the Yangtze Bridge, nothing remained but the howling of the wind, whispering the city's solitude and resilience.
But beneath this eerie stillness, a silent war raged on. The heroic people of Jiangcheng fought the disaster in their own ways. No longer mere citizens, they had become warriors, erecting lines of defense against the virus with nothing but mortal flesh and unwavering will.
Across communities, volunteers in masks and protective suits hurried through alleys and apartment blocks, delivering daily necessities. Their figures seemed lonely against the desolate streets, yet their steps were firm. Every time they knocked on a door to hand over fresh vegetables or medicine, the eyes behind the door gleamed with grateful tears.
"Thank you… thank you so much," an elderly woman said shakily through the crack of her door.
Volunteer Xiao Li smiled. Though his mask concealed his face, warmth shone through his eyes. "Grandma, don't mention it. This is our duty. Please rest at home, and call us anytime you need help."
She nodded, eyes brimming with emotion. She knew these young people risked themselves daily so that seniors like her could remain safe at home, away from the threat of infection.
Meanwhile, Jiangcheng's medical staff were battling fiercely on the front lines. Hospital corridors echoed with hurried footsteps. Beneath their protective suits, they were drenched in sweat, but none paused. At every bedside, doctors and nurses worked frantically, racing against death itself to snatch lives back from the virus's claws.
"Oxygen levels dropping!" a nurse shouted, voice tight with urgency.
A doctor rushed forward, hands flying over instruments. His gaze was sharp, the world narrowing to the patient before him. He knew each second mattered; the slightest mistake could cost a life.
"Prepare for intubation!" he ordered decisively.
The nurses moved as one, practiced and precise. Fatigue lined their faces, yet none complained or faltered. This was their duty, their mission.
In another wing, the temporary Fangcang hospital was equally tense. Beds lined the space wall-to-wall, and patients kept arriving. Healthcare workers darted between them with barely a moment to rest, their suits soaked through with sweat, their eyes unwavering.
"Let's push through! We have to settle every patient today!" the field hospital's director urged, voice weary but resolute.
The team nodded. Many had been working over ten hours straight, but no one admitted exhaustion. They knew the battle was far from over—they had to endure.
Elsewhere, scientists toiled ceaselessly in brightly lit labs. Machines hummed as data streamed across monitors. Researchers hunched over screens, hunting desperately for the virus's weakness.
"These numbers aren't right—run the test again!" one said with a frown.
His colleague adjusted instruments quickly, repeating the trial. Anxiety flickered in their eyes, but determination blazed stronger. Only by finding the virus's flaw could they arm the front lines with hope.
"Send the latest results to CDC immediately!" their team leader barked, urgent but focused.
Fingers flew over keyboards. The lab seemed cut off from time—nothing existed but data, numbers, and the looming weight of responsibility. Every second counted.
All across Jiangcheng, ordinary heroes fought in extraordinary ways. They were simple people, yet their deeds were great, building walls of resistance with their own bodies, safeguarding the city's fragile hope.
"How's the analysis coming?" Fang Zhiguo asked, eyes bloodshot from sleepless nights, his voice hoarse.
"We extracted the EASV virus from residue in the black case, but found no vaccine," Qin Xiao reported. "I cracked the suspect's phone—only one text: 'Mission accomplished,' sent to an untraceable virtual number. It confirms he was the one who planted the virus."
Er-Ge growled, "Trace his movements over the past ten days."
"On it." Qin Xiao tapped swiftly on the Skynet system. "Look here—ten days ago, he drove from Chongming Island to Jiangcheng."
"Damn that old fox Kawashima," Er-Ge cursed. "He used his daughter as a decoy to draw our focus, all the while scheming behind the scenes. Rotten to the core!"
"It seems," Fang Zhiguo murmured, "our battlefield has shifted to Shanghai."
Jiangcheng's people still fought on bravely. And Fang Zhiguo and Qin Xiao knew—their own battle was just beginning. The true mastermind remained in the shadows, waiting for them with a far deadlier game.
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