Chapter 95 - 91: Building Leader

Building 2, Unit 1, Apartment 202.

When Qin Ziwen followed Zhao Pu through the door, two people were inside, talking.

One of them was a stranger, but the other he had met once before.

It was the old doctor from Renhe Hall.

Their conversation came to a halt.

Dr. Sun leaned back in a faded wooden chair, his fingertips twisting the tip of his goatee. His gaze swept over Qin Ziwen before settling on Zhao Pu, and he gave a slight nod.

It was Zou Jianghe, sitting next to him, who moved. He stood from his stool, his gaze circling the two newcomers before he hurried over to greet them, his right hand already extended toward Zhao Pu. "Dr. Zhao, welcome!"

After they shook hands, Zou Jianghe finally turned to Qin Ziwen and teased, "Trying to see you is quite the challenge, Younger Brother Qin."

Qin Ziwen replied humbly, "I’ve been a bit busy the past couple of days and couldn’t get away."

"Haha, I understand." Zou Jianghe let out a laugh. "In this godforsaken place, just staying alive is hard enough. We’re all busy."

He stepped aside as he spoke, gesturing to an empty sofa. "Have a seat. You’ve actually come at the perfect time. Dr. Sun and I were just discussing how to handle this epidemic."

Qin Ziwen and Zhao Pu sat down. "Chairman Zou, how did this epidemic start?"

At the mention of this, the smile on Zou Jianghe’s face faded. "It seems to be related to the animal carcasses that washed up after the flood. In the beginning, a lot of people went to see Dr. Sun with similar symptoms. When questioned, we found that almost all of them had eaten meat from those dead animals.

"Frankly, it’s all because of the food shortage. If we had more to eat, who would be willing to touch that stuff?"

Qin Ziwen frowned slightly. He hadn’t expected that to be the source.

’But I thought this disease was contagious,’ he recalled. ’Dr. Sun has treated so many patients...’

Zou Jianghe said admiringly, "Dr. Sun was infected himself at the start. Afterward, he used his own body for experiments and managed to find a cure for the disease."

Zhao Pu looked at Dr. Sun in astonishment. ’This man is the real deal.’

Dr. Sun slowly shook his head. "This illness is a form of pneumonia, likely a bacterial lung infection. During the incubation period, the outward symptoms are similar to those of a common cold. Boiling Honeysuckle and dandelion into a tea can provide antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, which alleviates the symptoms. Then, licorice and Mint can be used to stop the cough and protect the trachea. But a full recovery ultimately depends on one’s own immune system. I regularly practice Ba Duan Jin, so my immunity is fairly strong, which is how I managed to pull through.

"People with poor immunity—the elderly, children, and anyone with a compromised immune system—would probably have a very hard time surviving it if they get sick."

Zhao Pu frowned. "Dr. Sun, since we were brought here, many people haven’t been able to eat properly. Their mental state is poor, and they perform hard labor all day. Even a healthy adult’s immune system wouldn’t be in good shape after a long time in this environment. From that perspective... if the pathogen spreads, things could get very dangerous."

Zou Jianghe sighed. "You’re not wrong. That’s why Dr. Sun and I are discussing how to proceed. Our current idea is to appoint a representative for each apartment unit. They’ll be responsible for two things: first, registering the status of all residents, and second, isolating anyone with symptoms in an empty apartment within the unit to avoid infecting their families.

"Moving all the patients into a single building would be a logistical nightmare, and people would be unwilling to cooperate. But if we do it on a per-unit basis, they won’t be too far from home. I believe most people would find that acceptable."

"So far, we’ve already chosen representatives for seven units. But we’re still deliberating on the others. My Alliance Mutual Aid Association was just recently formed, so our foundation isn’t strong. If we appoint people rashly, they won’t have the authority to get things done."

Zou Jianghe’s gaze fell on Zhao Pu as he spoke. "Dr. Zhao, you’re a doctor. If you step up now, you’ll surely gain everyone’s trust. Besides, you have Younger Brother Qin with you, right? With the two of you working together, how about I put you in charge of Building Eight?"

Zhao Pu was taken aback. ’Me? The representative?’

’Even if they’re picking a representative, it should be Mr. Qin.’

Zou Jianghe then looked at Qin Ziwen. "Younger Brother Qin, what do you think about Dr. Zhao being the representative?"

Qin Ziwen seemed slightly surprised as Zou Jianghe stared at him, awaiting his answer.

Qin Ziwen nodded. "I support Dr. Zhao for the position."

Zou Jianghe was visibly pleased. "Haha, with everyone united, our Gated Community can only get better and better! Dr. Zhao, Younger Brother Qin, once you’ve gathered the data over there, report your findings. Dr. Sun and I will coordinate on our end. I’ll dispatch people to gather medicinal herbs. In addition to the herbs, I also have some antibiotics and anti-inflammatory pills. If we all work together, we can overcome this crisis!"

After leaving Zou Jianghe’s apartment, Qin Ziwen and Zhao Pu walked side by side.

Zhao Pu lowered his voice. "Mr. Qin, I want to be clear, I have no ulterior motives. I really think you should be our unit’s representative."

Qin Ziwen said, "Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t really matter who takes the position."

’He genuinely didn’t care. What was the point of being a unit representative anyway? Besides, it was a title bestowed by Zou Jianghe. In his eyes, titles like "representative" or "chairman" were all meaningless. Such positions are useful in times of peace, where order exists. But in a place like this, only force was the true foundation of personal strength.’

’Instead of wasting time vying for power and status, he’d rather recruit more subordinates, craft more weapons, and forge more sets of Armor.’

The image of Zou Jianghe surfaced in his mind. He had a neutral opinion of the man.

For now, they had no conflict of interest. No conflict meant no friction.

And in this particular case, regardless of Zou Jianghe’s motives, he was, in effect, doing something beneficial for the residents of the Gated Community.

Seeing that Qin Ziwen was genuinely unconcerned, Zhao Pu finally breathed a small sigh of relief. He had been worried that Zou Jianghe’s attempt to sow discord would damage their relationship.

’He wasn’t an idiot. How could he not see that Zou Jianghe was trying to win him over? First, he’d singled him out for a handshake upon their arrival.’

’Then, he’d nominated him to be the representative for Unit 1 of Building Eight.’

’But in Zhao Pu’s eyes, it was all superficial. Even if he joined the Alliance Association, he would be nothing more than an ordinary doctor.’

’But if he stayed with Mr. Qin, he might get a chance to obtain a Card!’

’With so many people in the Alliance Association, even if they had Cards, it would never be his turn.’

Right now, Zhao Pu just wanted to cling tightly to Mr. Qin’s coattails; he couldn’t afford any misunderstandings.

Qin Ziwen instructed Zhao Pu, "Dr. Zhao, when you get back, start acting as the unit representative. First, get a headcount, including anyone who’s sick or showing symptoms. Don’t worry if people try to hide it. Just be careful and make sure you don’t get infected. I need to head out for a while."

"Okay." Zhao Pu’s heart warmed at Qin Ziwen’s concern.

Back at his apartment, Qin Ziwen gathered his things and prepared to head for the mountains.

’Now that things in the Gated Community were starting to get organized, he shouldn’t waste the day.’

’He didn’t know how many people would die from this epidemic. The more deaths, the smaller the population base, and the higher the proportion of people who would awaken a Home.’

’He had a feeling that his time in this forest was running out.’

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