The next day, at six o'clock in the morning, Wan Yunting and the others were woken up by Huang Hongying to get ready.
Ten minutes later, Wan Yunting, Long Xingyu, Zhao Peng, Zheng Xuelan, Zhou Luolin, and twenty other team members were gathered at the military mess hall…
Then, seeing Huang Hongying and Lin Dongxiang in military uniform enter with Huang Guoqi, they noticed Wan Yunting also in uniform and smiled, "Doctor Wan, you suit military attire quite well."
Wan Yunting looked at his military uniform. Of course, there were no insignia on the shoulders or collar, just the uniform itself. To help him integrate, Chief He Yongchang had personally given him two sets for daily wear.
"Thank you."
Wan Yunting was also happy to wear the uniform. After all, wearing it gave him a sense of patriotic fervor, as if he bore the responsibility of protecting the nation.
Zheng Xuelan and Zhou Luolin kept glancing at Wan Yunting. Although he was a scoundrel, he was undeniably handsome. Especially in this military uniform, it seemed tailor-made, and he exuded a powerful aura.
This made Long Xingyu even more displeased. His gaze towards Wan Yunting became increasingly cold and dismissive, feeling as if the man was stealing all his thunder.
Most importantly, the woman he admired was getting close to him!
At this moment, Nie Xiaoyu also arrived, accompanied by a handsome, dark-skinned, and upright young NCO. He was Yang Hewei, a veteran in charge of maintaining the unit. He announced to everyone, "After breakfast, we will set off. We will escort you."
"Alright."
Wan Yunting, Huang Hongying, and the others nodded.
Long Xingyu immediately picked up a bowl of porridge and smiled at Nie Xiaoyu as she approached, "Xiaoyu, I've served you a bowl of porridge..."
However, Nie Xiaoyu didn't even look at him. She went directly to Wan Yunting and Huang Hongying's table, picked up a bun, and started eating, leaving Long Xingyu extremely embarrassed.
Yang Hewei also came to sit beside Wan Yunting. He happily extended his hand, "Hello, Doctor Wan. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Yang Hewei, and I am the captain responsible for escorting you."
"Hello, Captain Yang."
Wan Yunting politely shook hands with Yang Hewei, who had a rugged and sunny smile.
Yang Hewei, however, seemed to regard him as an idol and said with a smile, "I admire you greatly. I wonder if I'll have the chance to spar with you?"
Wan Yunting, who was eating a bun, paused and turned to look at Yang Hewei. The man's eyes were shining with excitement. It turned out he wanted to fight him. Wan Yunting smiled helplessly and said, "We'll spar when we have time."
"Great, it's settled then."
Yang Hewei was excited, but he didn't know that this action would lead to him regretting it immensely one day.
After everyone finished their meal, they quickly returned to pack their belongings and then assembled in the square. Simultaneously, a platoon of maintenance soldiers and several armored vehicles were there to escort and protect them.
"Everyone, get in the vehicles."
Four military SUVs were used for their transport, with two more for the soldiers, and four armored vehicles leading and trailing the convoy.
Led by Yang Hewei and Nie Xiaoyu, the convoy slowly drove out of the headquarters and headed towards Niger City…
Nie Xiaoyu accompanied them mainly to have Yang Hewei familiarize her with the environment and explain the mission details, as Yang Hewei's peacekeeping mission would end and he would return home in three months.
Wan Yunting, Huang Hongying, Lin Dongxiang, Huang Guoqi, Long Xingyu, and Zheng Xuelan, the six of them, were in one SUV. As the convoy left the headquarters and drove along a paved road towards Niger City, the asphalt soon turned into a dirt road. They passed through a small town and saw another contingent of foreign peacekeeping forces stationed there.
Yang Hewei got out of the car and conversed with an NCO from the foreign unit for a while before they were allowed to proceed…
Wan Yunting and the others lowered their car windows as they drove on the bumpy road, and some in the back were already carsick.
But they could only endure the discomfort of motion sickness and continue towards Niger City.
"This country is truly backward."
Looking at the rudimentary towns and villages of Mali along the way, the dilapidated buildings in towns that had suffered from war, and the emaciated local people, it was evident that the country was not only backward but also experiencing the chaos and poverty brought about by war.
"Peace doesn't exist in this world; we are just fortunate to live in a peaceful country!" Huang Hongying said with a sigh.
Wan Yunting, Zheng Xuelan, and the others nodded in agreement, feeling only sympathy for the common people of this country…
After a four-hour journey, they finally arrived in Niger City in the northern part of Mali. From a distance, they could see a city built on the mountainside. The tallest building was no more than twenty stories, with most being two or three stories high, and there was also a slum.
And the place where the Red Demon Ravirus had broken out was precisely in this slum!
The Chinese peacekeeping forces' stationed area was one kilometer northwest of Niger City and only two kilometers from the slum. Consequently, thirteen people stationed there had already been infected with the Red Demon Ravirus and were now isolated in a dormitory building, receiving treatment from the military doctors.
Due to the terrifying nature of the Red Demon Ravirus, the military doctors were helpless and could only do their best to save them and maintain the soldiers' lives.
"Captain Luo, Captain Yang and his team are here!"
From the watchtower of the stationed area, a peacekeeping soldier spotted a convoy approaching, with a bright red Chinese flag on one of the vehicles.
"Open the gate."
Immediately, a middle-aged man in uniform shouted, and Yang Hewei's convoy quickly entered and stopped in the small square. Wan Yunting then opened the car door, and he, Huang Hongying, and the others alighted. Everyone carried their belongings and looked around the small stationed area. Both the buildings and the environment could not compare to the headquarters.
"Little Yang…"
"Old Luo…"
Yang Hewei approached the captain named Luo Guowei, who was also the highest-ranking commander of the stationed area, and pointed to Wan Yunting and Huang Hongying, saying, "I've safely delivered Director Huang and the others."
Luo Guowei immediately looked at Huang Hongying and excitedly went to say, "Director Huang, you've finally arrived…"
Huang Hongying shook his hand and looked at a separate two-story dormitory building in front of them. The area below was sealed off, prohibiting anyone from approaching within ten meters of the building. She asked Luo Guowei, "The infected soldiers are arranged in that building?"
"Yes."
Luo Guowei, with a haggard and sorrowful expression, said, "In just a few days, we have lost seven soldiers, and thirteen are currently infected, with three in critical condition."
"Director Huang, Director Lin, Professor Huang, we are all waiting for you to save them."
Luo Guowei's eyes were filled with excitement and hope as he implored Huang Hongying and the others, "You must save them."
Huang Guoqi said, "Let us go and see first."
"Alright, but you must wear protective suits." Luo Guowei said, then immediately turned and shouted to the people behind him, "Go get protective suits for Director Huang and the others immediately…"
Soon, Wan Yunting, Long Xingyu, Huang Hongying, Lin Dongxiang, and the rest of the group were fully equipped with protective suits, masks, and goggles, sealed from any exposure.
Luo Guowei was also wearing a protective suit. Yang Hewei and Nie Xiaoyu wanted to follow, but Luo Guowei refused because the Red Demon Ravirus was too terrifying to allow unnecessary personnel inside. Only professional medical teams like Huang Hongying's were permitted.
"They are on the second floor. Please follow me…"
Luo Guowei personally led Huang Hongying, Lin Dongxiang, and the others upstairs. Wan Yunting, Long Xingyu, Zheng Xuelan, Zhao Peng, and others followed closely to the second floor. Before entering the rooms, they could hear various groans from inside, and several military doctors in protective suits were sadly squatting by the door, crying…
"Old Zhang, why are you crying here?"
Luo Guowei saw military doctor Old Zhang and the others crying by the door and immediately went up, his heart suddenly pounding. He asked, "Have any more soldiers died?"
"Wuwu, Captain Luo, I'm useless…"
Military doctor Old Zhang sobbed uncontrollably. Luo Guowei's body stiffened on the spot. He turned to look at the dormitory rooms. Each room housed six people. Now, six young soldiers infected with the Red Demon Ravirus lay moaning in agony on six beds. One of the beds was occupied by a soldier who had stopped moving.
"It's Xiao Lei, he's gone, wuwu…"
A female military doctor couldn't bear it and cried bitterly. They had already watched eight soldiers die, and they were powerless to do anything. That sense of helplessness made these military doctors break down, feeling utterly useless.
Huang Hongying, Lin Dongxiang, Huang Guoqi, and behind them, Wan Yunting and Long Xingyu, all had solemn expressions. They immediately entered the rooms and looked at those lying on the beds with swollen, red skin…
And there were patches of fluid-filled blisters, some soldiers had scratched these blisters, leading to severe infection and ulceration, which was shocking and terrifying to behold.
The soldier who had just lost his life had a face completely ulcerated, causing Zheng Xuelan, Hou Haiyan, Peng Yuxiang, and others to stare with horror. A wave of nausea rose in their throats. Several women couldn't bear the sight and ran out to vomit.
Military doctor Old Zhang quickly shouted, "You can't take off your masks here. The virus can spread through respiration. Hurry outside…"
"Hold it back."
Huang Hongying sternly reprimanded Zhou Luolin and the others. Zhao Peng and the others could only swallow it back forcefully. They cast fearful glances at the fallen soldier on the bed, not daring to look again.
"It's too terrifying."
Lin Dongxiang looked at the soldiers infected with the Red Demon Ravirus, their bodies and skin uniformly red, accompanied by symptoms of fluid-filled blisters. They had seen many plagues and viruses in their medical careers but had never encountered such a terrifying virus.
"The lungs are infected by the virus, and so are the kidneys. This virus is very potent, and there is currently no drug that can control its spread within the body…"
"In other words, once infected with this virus, it's a death sentence?" Lin Dongxiang turned to military doctor Old Zhang, shocked, and asked.
Old Zhang nodded, his voice hoarse, "As of now, that is indeed the case!"
This outcome caused Huang Hongying, Huang Guoqi, and the others to fall silent.
Even Wan Yunting's expression was extremely grave. He looked at a soldier lying on the bed in front of him, whose face was covered in fluid-filled blisters, the blister on his left cheek having ruptured, oozing a foul, bloody pus that assaulted the senses and instilled fear in one's heart…