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墨書 Inktalez
In the Central Africa region, an Ebola outbreak has resulted in nearly a thousand deaths. Currently, there are no effective medications to combat this disease, and prevention is the primary focus to temporarily control the local epidemic.
When Li Nan saw this news on his computer screen, his professional sensitivity prompted him to pay close attention to its developments. However, the media's focus was solely on the Chinese government's international medical aid to Africa, lacking detailed medical insights. This left Li Nan somewhat disappointed, but soon after, he shook off that disappointment.
"Wow! It's already five-thirty in the afternoon; I'm going to be late for work..." Li Nan muttered under his breath as he hurriedly grabbed a jacket and rushed out of his rented room.
Li Nan studied medicine, majoring in Clinical Medicine during college. He had always performed well academically and, upon graduation, began working at a Tertiary Hospital in the city as an intern. His six-month internship enriched his pathological knowledge significantly. However, the path of becoming a doctor relies heavily on accumulating experience and professional knowledge, making it a long journey. Li Nan had prepared himself for this arduous battle early on, which is why the Ebola outbreak news caught his attention.
Today, Li Nan was on night shift duty, and as an Intern Doctor, he could not afford to be late. When he realized it was almost six o'clock, he hurried towards the hospital.
Li Nan rented a little over forty square meters of space not far from the hospital where he worked. He usually walked there since it was difficult to get a taxi due to its location. Thus, he reluctantly viewed this as an opportunity for exercise.
After navigating through several neighborhoods, Li Nan noticed that time was running out and quickened his pace. Suddenly, he collided with someone coming from the opposite direction.
Li Nan lost his footing and instinctively leaned back but still crashed into the other person. They both bounced off each other like rubber balls—one nearly fell flat on their face while the other ended up sitting on the ground.
"Damn it!" Li Nan involuntarily cursed under his breath as he braced himself with both hands on the ground, almost losing face. However, since he was the one who had run into the other person, despite feeling angry, he couldn't express it.
After shaking himself off and standing up, Li Nan found that only his hands were slightly scraped; there were no serious injuries. He decided to check on the guy who had fallen in front of him.
"Hey man! Are you okay? I really didn't mean to bump into you..." Li Nan intended to apologize and downplay the situation, so his tone softened. However, when he looked at the person he had knocked down, he was taken aback and couldn't finish his sentence.
Common people often find themselves entangled in trivial disputes that seem endless. What happened to Li Nan today was nothing unusual; typically, one would just let it go for peace's sake. Just as Li Nan was about to admit his mistake calmly, he noticed that the man sitting on the ground looked furious with bloodshot eyes.
"Is it really necessary to be this angry over a minor collision?" Li Nan assessed the man's physique—around thirty-four years old with an average height but well-developed muscles. He wore a polyester short-sleeve shirt that seemed ready to burst from his muscular build.
Li Nan thought this might not end well; if this guy decided to lash out, he wouldn't stand a chance. So he mustered up his courage and apologized again.
The irate man sitting on the ground didn’t respond or show any intention of getting up. Li Nan assumed that perhaps the guy felt embarrassed and took a step forward intending to help him up. After all, one shouldn’t strike someone who is smiling; besides, Li Nan appeared harmless enough—his attitude shouldn't be so hostile!
Li Nan found himself next to a square where several older women were dancing as evening approached around six o'clock. The lively music filled the air with energy!
At that moment, as Li Nan collided with another passerby coming toward him, it caught the attention of several older women heading towards the square. Instantly, two or three women in their fifties or sixties gathered around curiously.
"This young man is a bit too reckless, charging forward without thinking."
"Youth can be impulsive, but that guy is being overly dramatic. He doesn't seem to have any serious injuries, yet he's just sitting on the ground and not getting up. Could he be trying to... scam someone?"
A couple of middle-aged women nearby began discussing, while Li Nan remained unconcerned. As a doctor, even though he was an intern, he was quite familiar with treating minor injuries. Would someone really try to scam him over something so trivial?
"Aunt Li, look at that man's eyes; they're bloodshot. He seems really angry, like a rabbit. It's just a bump; why is he so worked up?"
"I think there's something off about that man's eyes. Normal people's eyes wouldn't be this red, and his expression seems strange too... Aunt Wang, stop gawking; the music has started over there. Let's hurry!"
Aunt Li and Aunt Wang exchanged a few words and realized the atmosphere felt off, so they decided to leave the scene.
Li Nan was reminded by Aunt Li's comments that indeed, the man in front of him seemed unusual.
"Wow, everything feels wrong here. This guy isn't going to go crazy, is he?"
Suddenly, the man across from him bared his teeth and drooled, his eyes burning red, sending chills down Li Nan's spine. He instinctively froze, stopping just half a meter away from the man.
Li Nan was momentarily paralyzed. Having studied medicine, he was accustomed to dissecting frogs and human anatomy without fear. After starting work at the hospital, he had seen plenty of gruesome sights and was unfazed. However, facing this man with bloodshot eyes made him shiver internally. "How could a normal person exhibit such symptoms?"
How could a normal person exhibit such symptoms?
Li Nan continued to ponder when the man who had fallen suddenly sprang up and lunged at him with flailing arms.
Caught completely off guard—absolutely unprepared—Li Nan's body reacted instinctively as he leaned back at lightning speed. Although he dodged the Red-Eyed Man's sudden grab, he fell to the ground hard, hitting the back of his head against the pavement. A ringing sensation filled his head as dizziness set in; Li Nan realized he would likely suffer a concussion.
Having avoided the Red-Eyed Man's grasp, Li Nan didn't have time to worry about his head injury. He attempted to get up and shouted for help, but everyone around scattered in fear, unwilling to assist. To them, this scene in the square looked like just another argument or brawl; it was unlikely anyone would even think of calling the police.
It’s easy to ignore what doesn’t concern you; society has become this way—who can you blame?
As the person involved in this situation, Li Nan knew this was far from a simple brawl. The man before him was terrifyingly dangerous. Although he couldn't articulate why, Li Nan's medical instincts told him that this Red-Eyed Man was definitely a patient—a dangerously deranged one—whose threat level rivaled that of Ebola.
What is Ebola? Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever virus that spreads only among primates and has an extremely high mortality rate. However, humanity is not entirely helpless against it; with proper control measures in place, the virus can be contained and prevented from spreading widely. The reason for large-scale outbreaks in Africa is primarily due to inadequate medical facilities and environments that allow the disease to proliferate.
Ebola, while terrifying, is nothing compared to the W Virus; it pales in comparison and is hardly worth mentioning. However, this was something Li Nan could not have anticipated.
The Red-Eyed Man lunged forward but missed. Li Nan dared not let his guard down for a moment and immediately tried to crawl away from the spot. However, his legs felt heavy, and he found himself unable to move.
Li Nan looked up and saw a pair of red eyes staring intently at him, saliva dripping, filled with greed, while a large hand gripped his ankle.
Li Nan's body was pressed against the ground, but he couldn't muster any strength. He was being slowly dragged backward by the person behind him, whose mouth seemed to be preparing for a feast, with Li Nan himself as the main course.
"What on earth is happening? Did I forget to check the calendar before going out today?" Li Nan thought, realizing he was in grave danger. His mind was in chaos, and he felt tense all over.
The Red-Eyed Man pulled Li Nan's head closer, drool splattering onto his face. In his panic, Li Nan tried to break free but felt the effects of his earlier concussion starting to kick in; he felt dizzy and weak.
The Red-Eyed Man leaned in closer, making a "gurgling" sound as if delighted by the prospect of capturing a tasty meal. At that moment, however, Li Nan remained surprisingly calm. Ignoring the thick saliva on his face, he suddenly opened his eyes wide and stared directly at the Red-Eyed Man.
This moment of observation brought clarity to Li Nan's mind. He began to piece things together and realized that this person was not merely red-eyed. The eye sockets were deeply sunken, devoid of pupils, and the skin on his face was unusually loose, almost as if it could fall off at any moment. All these signs indicated that the person before him was clearly not alive!
Li Nan noticed that the Red-Eyed Man's chest did not rise and fall; during such a struggle, one would naturally need to breathe heavily due to the intense aerobic activity involved. The body requires significantly more oxygen than during normal activities, necessitating an increased breathing rate to sustain movement. Yet this Red-Eyed Man showed no signs of breathing—something no living person could manage. Furthermore, Li Nan observed that the wounds on the Red-Eyed Man's hands oozed a viscous black liquid instead of blood. This creature was definitely not alive! Absolutely not!
With a sudden surge of determination, Li Nan fought back like a trapped tiger, using all his strength to struggle against his captor. But instead of releasing him, the Red-Eyed Man opened his mouth wide and lunged toward Li Nan's face.
"I'm going to die!" Li Nan suddenly closed his eyes as if awaiting the judgment of death.
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