Chapter 3

A month after the accident, the clock on the wall of District 19 City Hall ticked like it was counting down to the end of a play.

Mayor Hamilton took a deep breath, trying to hide his frustration. He had never imagined he would be thrust into such a spotlight, but the situation could no longer be delayed; everyone was waiting for him to make a decision.

The tension in the meeting room was palpable, as if it could explode at any moment.

Mayor Hamilton suddenly slapped the table, his sharp eyes sweeping over the crowd, his voice low and powerful:"Ladies and gentlemen, our city is facing an unprecedented threat. At this point, talking is useless—tell me, what should we do?"

The entire room fell silent.

After a moment, Dr. James, the scientific advisor, cleared his throat and began to speak. He knew that everything started because of him, and today's meeting might decide his fate.

He pulled up a projector, revealing two terrifying magnified images on the screen—one of a black spore, dark as ink, like an abyss swallowing light; the other of a fungus, vivid like a hellish flower.

"This is an unknown fungus we found on animal corpses," he said, taking a deep breath, trying to stay calm."It has strong adaptability and reproduction ability, and it may even change some characteristics of its host..."

"Nonsense," General Yelizary from the military cut in coldly, her voice sharp as a knife."The key question is—can it be controlled?"

Dr. James's throat bobbed as he seemed to hesitate on how to answer.

"If we can conduct in-depth research, we might find a way to handle this," he carefully chose his words,"but..."

"But what?" The mayor's eyes turned dangerously sharp.

Dr. James paused for a moment before speaking slowly,"But we discovered that some characteristics of these spores... were already documented."

The room instantly froze.

The mayor frowned,"What do you mean?"

Dr. James gritted his teeth and continued,"When we analyzed the spores, we found some matching patent data in the database... They belong to several major pharmaceutical companies."

The mayor's face darkened,"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Dr. James gave a bitter smile,"These data trace back as early as ten years ago... In other words, before we first discovered this fungus, some companies already knew of its existence and might have even been studying it."

A deadly silence fell, General Yelizary snorted,"Capital's sense of smell is always sharper than the government's."

The opposition leader squinted slightly, his voice low,"If they knew all along, why didn't they warn anyone? Why weren't there any preventive measures?"

Dr. James's voice was barely audible,"Maybe... they never intended to 'prevent' it in the first place."

General Yelizary coldly interjected,"At a time like this, you still talk about conspiracy theories?! Regardless of the truth, the information must be strictly sealed, any leak will cause panic!"

The mayor looked at Dr. James with a tight frown,"Based on your data, can these spores be controlled?"

Before Dr. James could shake his head, the opposition leader sneered,"Control? Mayor, your 'animal flu' announcement is a joke. You can hide the truth temporarily, but not forever. Why not tell the public the truth?"

The mayor's face grew darker, he stared coldly at Dr. James,"First, explain—why were the safety measures in your lab so low? How did the leak happen?"

Dr. James was speechless for a moment, his voice lowered,"Our lab's risk level has always been low... We... never anticipated..."

"Countless lives are lost now, how am I supposed to answer to the citizens?" The mayor's tone was as sharp as a knife.

Dr. James felt a chill down his spine, he knew he was already on a moral scaffold.

The opposition leader calmly said,"Regardless of everything, we still need his expertise to save the day." He looked at Dr. James, his tone holding a last glimmer of hope,"Honestly, how confident are you in developing a cure?"

A light flickered in Dr. James's eyes,"I've secured funding and research support from several pharmaceutical companies. I estimate it would take about one to two years to develop a cure."

The mayor squinted,"One to two years? Other scientists estimate it would take at least ten years, how are you going to do it?"

Dr. James hesitated and then whispered,"Several major pharmaceutical companies... have promised to collaborate on developing the cure, which might shorten the time."

"Really?" The mayor stared at him, his gaze sharp,"Other scientists say it would take at least ten years, but you can do it in a year?"

"Several major pharmaceutical companies promised to collaborate, which could shorten the time." Dr. James tried to explain,"But before that, all infected organisms must be strictly quarantined."

The mayor tapped the table, musing to himself,"We could announce to the public that this is a rare flu spread by stray animals... As long as we seal off infected communities, we can calm the public..."

"I object!" The opposition leader cut in directly,"The lie will be exposed eventually, and when that happens, the government's credibility will collapse completely!"

General Yelizary snorted,"Credibility? Compared to national security, credibility is worthless." His hand instinctively moved towards his gun holster,"If anyone causes trouble, I'll make them quiet."

The room's atmosphere plummeted to freezing point.

The opposition leader glanced at the major's hand and smirked,"Do you think threatening me will work? The doctor says my cancer has already spread, if you want to shoot, I'll play along."

He turned to the others,"As politicians, we should face the crisis with the public, not cover up the truth."

The mayor's face darkened,"Our top priority is to control the situation. Unnecessary panic will only make things worse."

General Yelizary stood up, his tone decisive,"Discussion is over. This matter will be handled with top secrecy, any leaks will have consequences."

"Ridiculous!" The opposition leader slammed the table,"You're only creating more chaos!"

The room erupted into arguments, and in the end, no one could convince anyone else.

The mayor signaled the end of the meeting, asking General Yelizary to stay. After receiving a mysterious phone call, the mayor sat back in his chair, looking relaxed, the previous tension gone.

"General Yelizary, do you realize the gravity of the situation?" the mayor's tone was low.

"Yes, Mr. Mayor."

"We must take swift and decisive action to prevent any major incidents."

"Yes, Mr. Mayor."

"Good, now go and arrest the opposition leader!"

The major's mouth twitched slightly,"Yes, uh, what did you just say?"

"And, those disobedient folks too, lock them all in quarantine, not a single living soul comes out!" the mayor ordered.

A week later, in the dead of night, sirens pierced the sky—

"Attention, a new epidemic is spreading. For your safety, stay indoors and do not go outside."

Dr. James listened to the broadcast, his expression grim. He turned to his assistant Monica and whispered,"From now on, we must keep our mouths shut."

District 19 officially entered a state of emergency, with the military deployed in all major districts. The storm had arrived.