Lu Gang glanced ahead briefly before returning to Zhu Yanyi. "There is a man collapsed on the ground ahead. She looks like a beggar in tattered clothes. I don't know if she fainted from hunger or illness."
Zhu Yanyi didn't hesitate. "Let's go check. If she is sick, we must help. Life is precious." As a doctor, she valued life above all else.
Zhu Yanyi and Lu Gang pushed through the crowd. She saw a man lying on the ground. Her clothes were ragged, and she smelled of sour sweat. Dust covered her face, making it impossible to guess her age.
Zhu Yanyi did not mind the dirt. "Please make way. I am a doctor."
The onlookers quickly stepped aside. People in this era were decent; someone had already called for help. There were no fake accidents here. Fainting was real fainting, and sickness was real sickness. However, crowds still gathered to watch.
Zhu Yanyi squeezed in, knelt down, and checked the man's complexion. The dust was too thick to see clearly. She reached out to take her pulse. Her expression changed slightly. "Brother Luo, call an ambulance from the Capital Hospital immediately."
"Yes." Lu Gang moved aside to make the call.
After hanging up, Zhu Yanyi whispered another instruction to Lu Gang.
Lu Gang paused, then addressed the crowd. "Fellow villagers, since this man collapsed here, we must handle it. Police will come to ask questions shortly. Please go to the teahouse nearby and have some tea. We will pay for it. We just need you to witness that our young miss was just passing by and happened to find him."
"Sure, sure." The crowd had no objections. Free tea was a bonus. They quickly moved to the teahouse, and Lu Gang went to arrange it.
Meanwhile, the ambulance from the Capital Hospital arrived rapidly. Zhu Yanyi and the patient were taken directly to the hospital.
Upon arrival, Qin Tianxiang handed Zhu Yanyi a doctor’s coat. Zhu Yanyi put it on while instructing the emergency doctor pushing the gurney. "Take her to the isolation ward immediately. Sister Qin, please notify Director Gu."
"Okay."
After the patient was moved to the isolation ward, Zhu Yanyi opened her medical kit. She first gave her Spirit Spring water to drink, then began treatment with golden needles.
Gu Jingtian arrived upon hearing the news. Zhu Yanyi saw her and said, "Senior Brother, you came at the right time. Please help give her a bath."
Gu Jingtian was stunned, then smiled helplessly. "You didn't call me just to wash him, did you?"
"Half and half. There are other matters, but we will discuss them after you finish bathing her." Zhu Yanyi stated directly.
Gu Jingtian had no objection. Since the patient was male, it was best for him to handle the bathing.
The patient was taken to the adjacent shower room. After the bath, she was brought back out. Zhu Yanyi handed a cup of Spirit Spring water to Gu Jingtian. "This is for you."
Gu Jingtian looked at Zhu Yanyi, then drank it. "What happened?"
"Take her pulse, and you will know." Zhu Yanyi said slowly.
Gu Jingtian was full of doubt but took the pulse without hesitation. His expression changed slightly. "Plague."
"Yes." Zhu Yanyi said directly. "If my judgment is correct, it is likely the bubonic plague."
The bubonic plague is a severe infectious disease caused by Yersinia pestis, primarily transmitted by rat fleas. It is a natural focal disease widespread among wild rodents. Clinical symptoms include fever, severe toxemia, swollen lymph nodes, pneumonia, and bleeding tendencies. Historically, it caused massive pandemics with millions of deaths. In chaotic times, it spread frequently with extremely high mortality rates.
Gu Jingtian carefully examined the patient. "The patient has a fever, swollen lymph nodes, difficulty breathing, and wet rales in the lungs. These are clear symptoms of the bubonic plague." Gu Jingtian looked at Zhu Yanyi. "How did you find this person?"
"I had a relaxed day off. I found her on the way home to see my parents. A crowd had gathered around her." Zhu Yanyi sighed. The habit of Chinese people gathering to watch scenes was truly bad.
"This is bad. The bubonic plague is contagious. Those onlookers could easily get infected." Gu Jingtian was worried. If it spread, the entire Capital would be in danger.
Zhu Yanyi nodded. She knew this, so she was prepared. "I gave a bottle of Spirit Spring water to Lu Gang. She asked those people to drink tea, mixing the water into it for prevention. There should be no problem."
Since the source of the infection was unknown, news of the plague could not be spread, or it would cause panic.
"That is good." Gu Jingtian relaxed after hearing Zhu Yanyi’s words.
Zhu Yanyi added, "But you must report this to the authorities quickly. We need to find out this person’s origin to locate the plague zone."
"His clothing does not look like someone from the Capital or surrounding cities," Gu Jingtian said seriously.
"Yes." Zhu Yanyi told Gu Jingtian, "I will handle this side. You handle the outside matters."
Gu Jingtian knew this could not be delayed. He left immediately and called Elder Yun from the director’s practice chamber.
Elder Yun received the call and said, "Jingtian, I will send people to take photos of the patient immediately. We will use facial recognition to find his data. However, it would be best if you could wake the patient up, even for one minute."
Gu Jingtian thought for a moment. "Okay. I will tell Junior Sister. Waking him for a few minutes is possible, but you must be quick."
Elder Yun agreed and hung up. He then called the Big Boss.
The Big Boss said directly, "Elder Yun, you are temporarily in charge of this matter. You must find the source of the plague no matter what."
"Understood." Elder Yun quickly made arrangements via phone and then personally led a team to the Capital Hospital in secret.
Zhu Yanyi saw Elder Yun and her team arrive and frowned slightly. "Why are you coming to such a place? If you need photos, bring a camera, and I will take them for you."
"Girl, is there a way to wake the patient for a few minutes? We want to ask him a few questions," Elder Yun said.
Zhu Yanyi looked at Elder Yun. "If you are the one asking, I will not let you in." She stated her meaning directly.
Elder Yun pointed to a young man on his left. "He will go in. He is responsible for this matter."