Chapter 612 - 480: Street Lockdown and Quarantine Order

Lin Miao inspected the village temple inside and out once more, but found nothing suspicious other than this fresh civet cat skin in the kitchen woodpile.

Standing at the doorway, he saw Lien Yurou approaching with a medical kit, possibly in a hurry, as the girl had a fine layer of sweat on her forehead as she came closer.

"Yurou, you’re here?"

"My lord, you asked Mei’Er to send me a message, and I came over immediately," Lien Yurou nodded, simultaneously taking off the medical kit from her back.

"Give me the kit, make sure you are protected; this could be the source of the ’ma plague’," Lin Miao cautioned.

"Yes, my lord."

"When you come in, don’t touch anything recklessly, follow my instructions!"

Lien Yurou followed Lin Miao into the village temple, entered the backyard and saw Mr. Cen, dead on the bed, with a partially decayed face. She was quite frightened, if she hadn’t prepared ginger in advance, she might not resist running out to vomit.

"Recognize it?"

"These are dead symptoms of ma plague," Lien Yurou nodded, recalling the ma plague she had experienced in childhood vividly.

"Wear the intestine gloves, follow my instructions, I need to extract these pustules for testing, to check the concentration and survival rate inside of the ’smallpox’ virus..."

"Smallpox virus?"

"It’s what you call the ma plague virus. I named it; once this virus spreads, it scatters everywhere like a goddess spreading flowers, causing widespread infection," Lin Miao explained; smallpox is the name on Earth, in this world it is called "ma plague."

Lien Yurou muttered to herself, "Such a lovely name given to such a terrifying disease."

"Be careful, although he’s dead, the virus is still alive. Even though you have had smallpox and have immunity, it’s best not to touch," Lin Miao whispered with concern.

"Yes, I know," Lien Yurou agreed, her eyes sparkled with joy.

Beyond the face, pustules on other body parts were also extracted one by one, forming the first-hand material for studying the smallpox virus.

"Mr. Lin, we’re here..." Soon after, the village chief and others arrived, they had all taken protective measures.

No one dares to risk death.

"Soon, carry Mr. Cen’s body out and burn it without burial, to eliminate the ma plague virus from him. Also, this village temple must be sterilized inside and out, ventilated, and it’s best if for the next month no one enters inadvertently, especially items used by Mr. Cen; anything unnecessary should be burnt!" Lin Miao instructed.

"Yes, rest assured, everything will be done as you say," the village chief assured, patting his chest, "Should we find someone to perform rites for the soul?"

"Best not to bother about that for now. Once the ma plague passes, do as you see fit," Lin Miao replied.

The village chief naturally nodded in agreement.

After extracting the pustular liquid, Lin Miao took a paper bag, placed the civet cat pelts inside, and asked Lien Yurou to find a ceramic jar to seal it with wax.

Otherwise, he dared not take the civet pelts back.

A sealed laboratory must be built in Miao Manor to ensure the virus does not leak during experiments.

It would be best to find a separate courtyard away from Miao Manor.

The matter ought to be discussed with Yue Mei’Er upon return; there should be no problem, and if necessary, building one in the wild is also feasible.

...

Xia Zhu arrived, along with Senior Sister Sun Youwei, bringing a large batch of anti-epidemic herbs and supplies.

Now Dongshan City only allows exits, not entrances.

It’s chaotic within the city, mostly full of complaints.

But once the ’ma plague’ outbreak was heard, many went insane, fleeing frantically, especially some wealthy families inside the city. Many owned properties and farmland outside the city, upon hearing the news, they immediately took their families and fled.

Clearly, Pei Jian underestimated the extent of the ’ma plague’ spreading outside the city.

His aim was to reduce the city’s population, for if gathered together, the ma plague would spread more easily, and with no cure, survival depends solely on tough luck. Should too many deaths occur, his tenure as magistrate might be over.

Thus, he simply let capable individuals leave, reducing the city’s anti-epidemic burden.

Evidently, confirmed ’ma plague’ cases are within the city too, otherwise Pei Jian wouldn’t issue such orders.

Yet, he remains unaware of conditions in suburbs and villages outside. Once severity outside increases, those leaving might face higher infection risks.

But with fewer people inside, population density drops, reducing infection chances, and even if he tries to stop them from leaving, it might prove futile.

Regarding blocked information, the Xue Family Manor is not the target; Pei Jian doesn’t hold absolute control in Dongshan City, preventing total information block.

Moreover, an Imperial Envoy is in Dongshan City; facing such a major issue, Pei Jian dares not act without informing the envoy.

Lin Miao, upon hearing the news, was initially furious, as this behavior was extremely irresponsible for a local official.

But calming down, he understood; the difference in cognition means one cannot impose modern human-centered thoughts on officials of this world.

In their view, balancing gains and losses renders this choice optimal; even if Lin Miao became magistrate, without organized action capability, it would be futile.

In his past world, only Hua Country could achieve such mobilization, where a single order from above mobilizes the nation, strict enforcement ensues.