The third emergency Party Committee meeting of Zhongbao Town Party Committee was in session.
The first emergency meeting had been held when the duty room received a call from Tashui Village.
At that time, Secretary Zhou and the members of the leadership team who were on standby gathered in the third-floor conference room and completed the first meeting in under ten minutes. They made specific arrangements in response to the sudden incident of “suspected rabies patients attacking people,” including but not limited to:
Coordinating the police station and township hospital to immediately send personnel together with township officials to the scene to assess the situation; issuing warnings to all villages and communities; notifying all village-level leaders on duty in various areas to return to the township government as soon as possible; reporting emergency information upward; and adjusting other overnight work accordingly.
About half an hour later, he saw a video posted by Director Chen Yunhao in the township government work group—at the same time, the power went out.
The transformer in Zhongbao Town had been struck by lightning and damaged. The township government activated its emergency generator, but it could only supply basic power to the government building and the police station.
After power was restored, all township cadres rushed to Secretary Zhou’s office. When something happens, people look to leadership—leadership is the backbone.
But Secretary Zhou, the backbone himself, didn’t even make it back to the third floor. He directly held a second round of coordination in his office on the second floor.
Each member of the leadership team took responsibility for their own areas; Deputy Township Head Lao Mo and Deputy Township Head Wei led cadres with military or veteran backgrounds to investigate the situation at the Tashui Village office.
Now, the third emergency Party Committee meeting of the night was being held.
This time, it was in the third-floor conference room.
On the electronic display screen, footage brought back by Director Xiao from the township hospital was playing.
At this point, Township Head Deng was still unreachable. Lao Mo and Deputy Township Head Wei had been out for about half an hour; by distance, they should already have reached Tashui Village office.
Meanwhile, among the medical staff who had retreated from Tashui Village, Dr. Xiao Tang had been infected and had bitten the deputy director of the township hospital.
The deputy director was immediately vaccinated and placed in isolation, with medical staff monitoring his condition. He had already developed a fever.
This development prompted Secretary Zhou to call an immediate third Party Committee meeting. The situation was urgent—whether or not higher-level reinforcements could arrive in time, the local Party committee had to respond quickly and make collective decisions in advance.
Director Xiao sat at the end of the conference table, trembling all over. The Party and government office had not given her bottled water, but instead a cup of hot jasmine tea.
The warmth and floral scent helped ease her fear and anxiety slightly.
A full wall of screens covered the office. Though not high-definition, they were immersive enough.
In the footage, Dr. Xiao Tang—now infected and symptomatic—was being restrained on the ground by the hospital director and others using pitchforks and batons.
Although his movements were stiff, he was extremely fast and incredibly strong. He eventually broke free.
After a chaotic struggle and people scattering, the camera steadied again. The director lured Dr. Xiao Tang into a storage room area, pinned him at the waist with a riot fork, and called for help.
Even though everyone was frightened, they did not lose rationality. Hearing the director shout “Got him! Got him!”, they rushed back and worked together to shove the infected doctor into the storage room—then locked the door, blocked it with cabinets, and sealed the windows in one coordinated effort.
“According to Nurse Fan Xiaoqiu, Dr. Xiao Tang was bitten on the ear by Secretary Huang at the village office.”
Director Xiao reported while holding her hot tea, trembling as she spoke.
“On the way back from the village office, they drove extremely fast. It took them about twenty minutes to return to the township hospital.”
“Based on current analysis, Dr. Xiao Tang developed symptoms about twenty minutes after being bitten. At first, he could still run and jump with clear thinking, but later became mentally sluggish. Before full onset, he experienced cardiac arrest.”
“Nurse Fan Xiaoqiu said that when they first arrived at the village office, Secretary Huang came out but did not immediately attack them—he likely still had some awareness. But after going berserk, he began attacking township cadres. Other infected villagers also do not attack each other, only uninfected people.”
“The infected individuals currently observed show stiff limbs. When inactive, they move slowly. Once triggered, they become highly aggressive with greatly increased speed and strength.”
“The deputy director has been bitten. He has been vaccinated, placed in restraints, fitted with a mouth guard, and is under single-room observation.”
“When I left, he reported fever, thirst, and body stiffness. Blood samples have been taken for preliminary testing. The numbers are beyond my understanding, and the hospital has requested that samples be sent to at least a provincial-level medical institution for research.”
Party and government office staff member Gulili was rapidly taking notes in the red Party Committee record book. She also gently patted Director Xiao’s leg under the table to comfort her.
Director Xiao squeezed Gulili’s hand in return; she liked her jasmine tea very much.
Secretary Zhou sat at the head of the table. Behind him, the red background with gold characters (“Serve the People”) carried a stabilizing presence.
Around him, according to Party Committee ranking, sat two deputy secretaries, the chairman of the People’s Congress, the discipline inspection secretary, organization/publicity/United Front committee members, a deputy township head, the judicial office director, and the police station director who had rushed over.
The heads of the service center and agricultural service center had already taken most township cadres to prepare shelter sites and were not present.
“Comrades, tonight is an exceptional situation. Both our geological disaster emergency plan and epidemic prevention plan have been activated. Extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary response. Everyone must remain at their posts tonight.”
“Division leaders must ensure that if any cadres feel unwell or need short rest, departments coordinate internally to maintain uninterrupted staffing.”
“At present, we only need to discuss one issue.”
“Before higher-level rescue arrives, what can we do in advance to prevent the spread of the outbreak and protect public safety within our jurisdiction?”
“Please set aside burdens, take responsibility, and speak freely from the standpoint of the people.”
Everyone fell into thought.
The deputy secretary in charge of Party building and personnel spoke first:
“Before communications were cut, village committees in all communities had already been assembled at the Party and public service centers. Given tonight’s conditions, power may fail at any time and we cannot establish checkpoints in this storm.”
“I suggest that we immediately compile lists of Party members and volunteers manually. Once the storm stops, we should set up observation points at mountain passes around Tashui Village.”
“The transmission speed of this mutated rabies is astonishing. After losing consciousness, patients still show strong aggression… By the end of tonight, we cannot estimate how many villagers may be infected. We must consider the worst-case scenario.”
“For example—our cadres may not return. Residents near the village office might be awakened and open their doors…”
Her speculation sent chills through everyone.
“We cannot treat infected individuals as ordinary villagers. We must maintain distance while staying vigilant. If suspicious individuals are found at checkpoints, they must be reported immediately…”
At this point she frowned—communications remained a major problem.
“If reports cannot reach us in time, villages must act flexibly, with the absolute bottom line being: no bites, no infection.”
The word “flexibly” hung in the air ambiguously.
Secretary Zhou understood, but still asked, “Deputy Secretary Lin, what exactly do you mean by ‘flexibly’?”
She narrowed her eyes slightly. “That depends on how we define the infected—from medical, legal, and practical perspectives…”
She left no room for loopholes.
The deputy secretary in charge of politics and law, Vice Secretary Wang, suddenly interrupted:
“I want to ask a very important question.”
Everyone turned to him.
In his forties, stern-looking, once a police officer, he spoke carefully:
“My subordinates said this virus looks like something from zombie fiction. And according to the hospital, Dr. Xiao Tang experienced cardiac arrest. So are these infected people alive, or dead?”
“If alive, we use living methods. If dead, we use dead approaches.”
The People’s Congress chairman slammed the table.
“What nonsense! Are you suggesting we kill infected civilians like in foreign TV shows? Do you even know where you are? Can you not see the five words behind you?”
Behind Secretary Zhou, in bold red-and-gold calligraphy:
Serve the People
Vice Secretary Wang calmly replied, “Between living civilians and possibly brain-dead aggressive infectious sources—who do you choose?”
The chairman sneered. “Only higher authorities can make that determination. We have no right to define that ourselves.”
The judicial office director hesitated:
“If it is confirmed that they are brain-dead or completely without consciousness or rational capacity, legally they could be treated similarly to criminal offenders…”
The deputy in charge of health quickly added:
“Even ordinary rabies is essentially incurable once symptomatic…”
Meaning: they will die anyway.
The chairman grew furious again, while others debated further.
The police station director cautiously stated:
“If the patient is completely uncontrollable and poses immediate lethal risk, we are still authorized to use firearms…”
Discipline inspection secretary tried to calm everyone, emphasizing coordination and caution.
But tension continued to rise.
Meanwhile, in the provincial capital Chengdu, at the Provincial First People’s Hospital, a large number of bite victims were rushed in by police and ambulances.
Emergency staff ran out in urgency. Some patients had severe tissue loss and massive bleeding.
A full emergency response was activated: surgery, orthopedics, anesthesia, and transfusion teams mobilized instantly.
All non-emergency treatments were suspended.
Amid the chaos, one exhausted police officer sat down in the emergency waiting area to rest.
Moments later, he suddenly tilted sideways—and began convulsing…