Chapter 199

Chapter 199

The joys and sorrows of mortals do not resonate with one another.

The outbreak of the plague within the city was a calamity for the divine agents, but to the Redemption Society, it was merely an entertaining spectacle from afar.

After all, they possessed holy medicines and had no fear of the plague. What did the suffering of those ignorant masses have to do with them?

Especially the priests who had been questioned during the previous scandal with the explicit books, their fortunes had now reversed dramatically. The high-ranking executives who had dared to confront them before now saw the situation clearly. Not only did they come to apologize in person, but they also presented numerous gifts, hoping to rejoin the church as believers.

Heh, how naive they were to think such benefits would persist.

The priests and the faithful were ecstatic, let alone the bishop, who was originally in charge of managing the church. They had previously exhausted themselves to develop the church and, at times, had to cater to and appease those difficult commoners. Now, with the mask off, those ignorant people finally realized who truly held power in the city.

The Pope's strategic retreat was a masterstroke that hit them right where it hurt, especially when it came to human nature. Look, didn't you accuse us of trampling on humanity, disrupting communication, and violating human rights?

Now, see for yourselves, they can't even protect their own lives, yet they still have the audacity to criticize us!

The only downside was that they still needed to periodically bleed their followers for the sake of the faith.

The priests and bishops, one by one, had turned paler than the next. In their quest to uphold the Church's supreme status and appear untainted by illness, they had been ruthless in their bloodletting sessions these past days.

Yet, all of it was worth it, as long as they could endure just a few more... um, what happened after these few days again?

The excessive bloodletting had left the priests dizzy-headed, their wits significantly impaired. All they knew was that the Pope had promised that once a few more days passed, this city would belong to the Church, and with divine protection, the plague would naturally dissipate.

The squabbles of the common folk never reached the Pope's ears. Standing in his elegantly decorated yet discreetly luxurious living room, he gazed outside through the glass, directly at the direction of the dissenters.

The Church's headquarters, the original and grandest cathedral, was situated on the western side of the harbor city. They had retreated to their territory, leaving the eastern part to the unruly citizens led by players and Anthony.

These past few nights, the hospital's lights illuminated the darkness, every ward packed with patients, indicating that the plague was far from under control.

The Pope clutched his robe, then abruptly released it, comforting himself relentlessly: It'll be alright, they have the divine protection of the gods. Why should they fear a mere plague? Everything will be fine...

Yet, he couldn't comprehend why the gods held Amos in such high esteem, to the point of urging him to salvage their dwindling father-son bond at all costs.

At this thought, the Pope couldn't help but cover his abdomen. The wound from that day had long been healed by divine power, but the searing pain that pierced deep into his soul lingered obstinately.

That damn offspring!

"P-Pontiff," stammered a devotee who had come to report, momentarily at a loss upon seeing the pontiff's contorted and fierce expression at the door.

"Enter," the pontiff snapped, waving impatiently. "What is it?"

"T-THERE are some who wish to borrow medicine from you..."

"Hah, not a chance," the pontiff replied coldly, but quickly realized that such a response would undermine his usual benevolent persona. He paused and rephrased, "Our church has no medicine. Our immunity to the plague comes from our unwavering devotion to the divine. If they join the church and become the Lord's lambs, they will naturally receive this blessing."

"Yes, I understand," the devotee acknowledged, then asked, "And what about our fellow believers still hiding outside? Should we recall them?"

With people getting infected daily, it was too risky out there.

"No, let them remain in hiding. When the time is right, proclaim the Lord's blessings and glory among the masses," the pontiff decided after some thought.

In reality, he was fueling the chaos, inciting the uneducated masses into rebellion, thereby widening the church's strategic advantage from afar.

Anyone with sense would know which side to choose in this situation...

After the devotee left, the pontiff gazed at the distant landscape, inwardly urging, Let the chaos ensue.

Only those within the city walls knew that salvation lay in the hands of the Church, and thus they willingly became believers.

...

Anthony knocked on the third door. Normally, the hospital kept its records of doctors confidential, but with the current crisis and the absence of medical personnel to maintain order, he managed to acquire them. Of course, Anthony promptly destroyed the other documents to protect the doctors and nurses from potential harassment by frenzied patients. He had no intention of forcing their loyalty; after the first two refusals, he apologized and moved on to the next.

The door before him didn't swing open immediately, and a voice came from inside:

"Who is it?"

"Good day, I'm Anthony. You might have heard my name before."

To quell the chaos caused by the infected and to provide guidance to the masses, Anthony, as the leader of the resistance, had taken the initiative and made his presence known. It was likely that he had gained some credibility among the people.

"Anthony... Oh, you're the one behind the incident with the little yellow book?" The person inside asked with a peculiar tone.

Anthony nearly lost his composure. The natives were different from players; they still had to live in this world. However, remembering the overflowing patients in the hospital, he gritted his teeth and replied, "Yes, it's me."

"Wow, great job, buddy!"

"Cough, cough!" Another cough echoed from inside, likely belonging to a woman. The man who had just praised Anthony quickly changed his tone. "But that doesn't concern me. Is there something you need?"

"I know you and your wife work at the hospital. There are numerous patients there without care. I...,"

"Enough, I understand. You don't need to say more. Please, go back," the voice inside boomed. "I know why you're here, but sorry, I'm a doctor, not a deity. I can't help those patients without medicine."

"No, no, there are other patients besides those with the plague... They're all waiting for you too," Anthony said bitterly. "There are only 2 or 3 hospitals in the city not under the Church's control, and now all medical staff have left. Patients are just waiting to die in the hospitals."

A moment of silence followed, punctuated by muffled whispers as the person inside deliberated. After a while, the voice rose again, "I can't... The hospital is already packed with plague patients. It's a source of infection. Even if there are other patients, they might have caught the plague too. I have a family, I have loved ones."

Hearing this, Anthony could only sigh but didn't argue further. He gestured to the man beside him to put down the supplies.

"I've left a gift at the door. Please accept it. You're a good doctor, no matter what."

With that, Anthony didn't linger. He had more doctors to visit; even one more returning to the hospital would be a relief.

"Wait!"

At that moment, the person inside spoke up, seemingly after much deliberation, and then opened the door.

Inside stood a middle-aged man, appearing to be in his thirties, accompanied by a woman of similar age and a child around ten. The woman held onto the man's arm with a stern expression. The man smiled wryly at her and shook his head before turning to ask, "What would you do if a plague patient were to become agitated?"

"We plan to separate departments. The first and second floors will accommodate ordinary patients, while the upper levels will be for plague victims. We'll station personnel at the staircases to prevent infected patients from wandering freely. Doctors and patients will use different staircases and corridors, and we'll demarcate contaminated and safe zones. Of course, protective gear will be provided for all medical staff," Anthony replied in an organized manner, indicating that he had indeed given the matter some thought, rather than just appealing to the doctors' sense of duty without considering their safety.

The man was genuinely moved and turned to his wife. "After dedicating our lives to saving others, we can't abandon them now, can we?"

"You're quite eager to play the hero," the woman said, hands on her hips. "Do you think I don't want to go back? Well, you stay here and take care of the kids while I head to the hospital!"

"That won't do. I'm a doctor."

"Haha, when it comes to taking care of patients and managing nurses, you're not even as good as the tip of my little finger."

The couple almost came to blows, leaving Anthony at a loss. He wanted to mediate but didn't know how. Before they could come up with a solution, the door of the neighboring house opened. A person, laden with bags, stood there, clearly preparing to leave. Upon seeing Anthony and the couple, they taunted, "What's the point of arguing here? You'll all die sooner or later if you stay."

Anthony looked at him in surprise, noticing the abundance of luggage. "Where are you going?"

"Obviously, it's the Church. Nowadays, any sensible person knows which side to choose," the neighbor said matter-of-factly. Upon closer inspection of Anthony's face, he suddenly recognized him and added, "Ah, it's you! If not for your trashy publications, things wouldn't have come to this!"

The doctor frowned. "Hey, don't say that. Didn't you used to doubt the Church's actions as well? They're just voicing out what you couldn't."

The neighbor grumbled, "Haha, yes, thanks to them, the Church has given up on us, and we've ended up like this."

One of Anthony's associates stepped forward, indignant. "What are you saying?! If not for us, you'd still be in the dark!"

"Enough," Anthony interjected, holding up his hand, fatigue etched in his features. "Don't argue with him. We're all struggling. Nobody expected things to turn out like this... Let's go."

Bowing deeply to the medical couple, Anthony said, "Thank you very much for your help, but you have children. Please stay. Children shouldn't be without their parents. We need to find more assistance. Farewell."

As Anthony started to lead his subordinate away, the woman from the couple called out, "Wait!"

She hastily packed her belongings and approached Anthony. "If you're looking for people, I can guide you. At the same time, I'll check on your area at the hospital. If it's suitable and we confirm that your arrangements are safe, we'll come to assist you."

Seeing the surprise in Anthony's eyes, she smiled. "Hurry up. I barely won against him in rock-paper-scissors. Perhaps my other colleagues will lend a hand, too – helping both you and ourselves."

The neighbor, watching coldly from the side, simmered with resentment. Ignored, he secretly cursed them to eventually succumb to the plague while driving unhesitantly towards the Church-controlled area.

Despite the women's assistance, only a few agreed to return to their duties. Some even had no family left; perhaps they too had gone to the church. Yet, Anthony was no longer in the mindset to investigate further. After managing to rally a handful of doctors and nurses, he hurried back to the hospital, expecting chaos to have ensued.

To everyone's surprise, however, the situation at the hospital was not at all as Anthony had anticipated.