"What the hell? A mutated Super Syphilis?"
I recalled asking Zhu Jiajia at the hotel this morning, and that deceitful woman actually put on an act, claiming Yang Likai went crazy because he couldn't win her over. Now it seems not a single word from her mouth was true!
That second-generation wealthy Yang Likai must have already been infected by Zhu Jiajia at a place like Baijinhan. Who knows, his lower body might already be rotting, which is why he's gone mad trying to hunt down Zhu Jiajia. Damn, this is a life-and-death feud!
Doctor Park ignored my shock, frowning as she sternly gazed at Zhu Jiajia on the hospital bed. "I need to conduct a full-body examination to understand the situation. Step back."
Before I could stop her, Doctor Park swiftly pulled off the long autumn coat I had draped over Zhu Jiajia.
As the coat slipped off, Zhu Jiajia's body, which had sparked countless fantasies online, was laid bare in the air.
In her haste, she hadn't worn anything underneath, and those once alluring parts were now covered with alarming red spots.
Doctor Park was visibly startled, almost dropping the tongue depressor in her hand.
She adjusted her glasses, her gaze sweeping from the coat to Zhu Jiajia's body, finally locking onto my face.
"You two... didn't have any substantial relations, did you?"
I regretted it deeply, wishing I could travel back in time to slap some sense into my lust-driven self from yesterday.
But I knew there was no hiding this, and if I was infected too, not speaking up now would mean there'd be no saving me once the rot set in.
"Well... Doctor Park, last night we did... it did happen." I lowered my head, briefly recounting how I saved her and went to the hotel, skipping the inappropriate details.
After listening, Doctor Park took a deep breath. "Then you come over too. I need to run a series of tests on you as well. After all, you just had contact last night, and fluid exchange is the easiest way to transmit it. I'll need to draw some blood to check."
I obediently sat on the plastic stool beside me.
Doctor Park turned back to continue examining Zhu Jiajia, but as soon as she reached out, she suddenly screamed, jumping back two steps.
"This... this isn't right!"
I hurried over to look, only to see Zhu Jiajia's condition had worsened to a horrifying degree. Not only were there festering red spots, but on her chest and inner thighs, some translucent pustules with dark purple veins had rapidly formed. Those pustules seemed almost alive, faintly pulsating under her skin.
"Doctor Park, what's wrong?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"When you had relations last night, did she have these?" Doctor Park pointed at the pustules, her breathing becoming rapid.
"No... absolutely not! Last night her skin definitely didn't have these bumps!" I waved my hands frantically.
"Impossible... this is impossible!" Doctor Park's voice was slightly out of control. "This is already tertiary syphilis, combined with symptoms of some hemolytic virus. Normally, syphilis takes years to progress from stage one to three. How could she deteriorate like this overnight?"
Saying this, she immediately turned and rushed to the medicine cabinet, rummaging through it with a clatter. "We must inject a large dose of penicillin first to see if it can be suppressed. Student, sit tight, I need to draw your blood!"
I sat there, watching Doctor Park whirl around like a top.
She first injected the unconscious Zhu Jiajia, then quickly removed her contaminated protective gear, changing into a new set, and proceeded to draw my blood.
Doctor Park placed my blood sample on a high-tech-looking testing device. The machine emitted a soft hum, with lines rapidly dancing across the display.
After a while, Doctor Park looked at me with a strange expression, then glanced down at the instrument, her brows furrowing into a knot. "Strange... your blood profile... it's so strange."
"What's going on? Am I beyond saving?" My heart tightened.
Doctor Park adjusted her mask, speaking to me in an odd tone. "The tests show you've indeed been infected with syphilis. And it's not in the incubation period; your viral load is extremely high, and it's even started mutating. But... the strangest part is here: those viruses, after entering your bloodstream, only stayed active for a few minutes before rapidly dying off in large numbers. It's as if... they've encountered some kind of natural enemy."
Hearing this, I was initially stunned, then suddenly remembered the drug trial at the city's First People's Hospital on Saturday.
That bespectacled Doctor Yang casually mentioned that the drug was called "Meiliting," a special vaccine developed in the lab targeting syphilis and several new viruses, and they were struggling to find a healthy young body for live antibody experiments.
I mentioned the drug trial to Doctor Park.
After hearing it, Doctor Park's gaze suddenly turned into that of a scholar discovering a new research subject. "A special vaccine targeting syphilis? If it's true, then the antibodies in your body are invaluable. You're Zhou Peiyu, right? I'd like to draw another tube of your blood as a sample, is that okay?"
I nodded, not refusing.
After the second blood draw, I felt a bit dizzy.
Doctor Park settled Zhu Jiajia on an isolation bed, drawing the thick curtains.
I asked her to take good care of Zhu Jiajia, since I was the one who brought her here, and then I left the infirmary.
Walking back to the classroom, my mind was filled with Doctor Park's serious face.
Doctor Park's full name is Park Caiying, an international student from Smecta Nation with a deep family background.
For some reason, she didn't return to her country but stayed here to study infectious diseases.
She's only thirty this year, and her looks are impeccable, a typical elegant lady from Smecta Nation.
At our school, she's not only the school doctor but also a top professor at the School of Medicine, holding a prestigious position.
When I returned to the classroom, the early morning class was already halfway through.
My deskmate, Li Wenli, was already sitting there, wearing large over-ear headphones with a lollipop in her mouth.
As soon as I sat down, Li Wenli wrinkled her nose, scooting away in disgust, muttering under her breath, "Zhou Peiyu, what's that disgusting smell on you? Can you sit over there?"
I ignored her, feeling incredibly annoyed.
Li Wenli is quite peculiar. In terms of looks, she's no less than Zhu Jiajia, and her cool demeanor adds to her charm. But she's so sloppy, never bothering to dress up, her long black hair always a tangled mess covering half her face, always looking gloomy like she's depressed.
Plus, her sharp tongue makes her a target of isolation by the clique-loving girls in the class and dormitory. In the entire class, even the whole school, I'm probably the only one who occasionally talks to her.
"Hey, I'm talking to you, where the hell have you been?" Li Wenli took off one earphone, giving me a sidelong glance.
"Went to the infirmary, not feeling well." I replied perfunctorily, lying down on the desk pretending to be dead.
I didn't catch a word of the morning classes, my mind filled with those pulsating pustules on Zhu Jiajia's body.
Finally, it was noon, and there were no classes in the afternoon. Worried about Zhu Jiajia's condition, I headed back to the infirmary.
Zhu Jiajia seemed slightly better, the red spots on her face had faded a bit, but she was still in a deep coma.
Doctor Park was organizing data, looking exhausted. She glanced at me and suggested, "The current penicillin is just a temporary suppression, Zhou Peiyu. If her condition worsens by tonight, it's best to take her to the city hospital for a comprehensive examination. My equipment here is limited."
I nodded, agreeing to check back in the afternoon.
At three in the afternoon, I attended the archery club activity. Honestly, I was in no state to draw a bow, my mind filled with those mutated virus cells, even feeling like something was crawling in my blood.
This anxiety persisted until around six in the evening.
I planned to visit the infirmary to check on Zhu Jiajia.
But just as I reached the grove near the infirmary, a piercing scream shattered the campus night.
"Ah—! It's eating people!"