Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 94 Cities Under the Epidemic
After the sixth rule was implemented, people began to pour out of the various gathering points.

Before the official evacuation work even began, many people were already finding their own way out.

If the virus were only transmitted through the air, people might still seek refuge together. But since the virus can also be transmitted through blood, gathering people in one place becomes much more dangerous.

In particular, infected individuals will bleed to death within 24 hours. If they are unlucky enough to get infected by someone else's blood, that would be a truly undeserved disaster.

Even if we don't come into contact with the blood of an infected person, will the blood of an infected person create more viruses? This is what everyone is worried about.

Therefore, people decided to scatter and seek refuge separately, and many planned to leave the city.

Some people who know about viruses know that viruses that can be transmitted through the air may seem scary, but they don't necessarily guarantee infection.

Because some types of influenza are transmitted through the air. But not everyone gets infected.

This is also related to the degree of viral accumulation in the air. Some people believe that this situation may be similar to the snow disaster, where in sparsely populated areas, the virus accumulates less in the air, resulting in a lower probability of infection.

This idea spread rapidly online. Even after official statements clarified that the virus was still being urgently collected and studied, and no conclusions had been reached, people remained convinced that "fewer people mean fewer viruses in the air."

As a result, after a huge influx of people into cities, major cities have now experienced an equally astonishing outflow of people from the cities.

Large numbers of people, carrying food, drove their own cars or shared vehicles out of the city.

Some people choose to go to remote parts of the city, hide in an abandoned house, close the door tightly, and hope that they will be lucky enough to survive the next two weeks without getting infected.

Besides those who chose to leave, some chose to stay at the gathering point.

Some of them resolutely waited for official rescue.

Some people are driven by an extreme fear of surviving alone.

In their view, going to less crowded places might be the right thing to do, but even if it is, they dare not stray far from the crowd. The sense of security provided by the crowd is even more important to them than a higher survival rate.

Another group has adopted a completely passive attitude, staying at the gathering point, eating and drinking as usual, and not taking the virus seriously at all.

It's best if you don't get infected. If you do get infected, the worst that can happen is you die. Besides, there are other people around in the gathering place, so if you do get infected, you won't be the only one getting infected. You'll have someone to accompany you on your journey to the afterlife, so you won't be alone.

As a result, with different perceptions and different choices, the urban population began to diverge significantly.

The number of people who chose to stay at the gathering point was roughly equal to the number who chose to leave in order to survive.

Even if only half of the people choose to leave the city, it's enough to make car horns constantly ring throughout the city.

With millions or even tens of millions of people leaving the city, you can imagine how congested the roads would be.

"Beep beep! Beep beep! Beep—"

"Keep moving forward!"

"It's completely blocked!"

On the North Avenue leading out of the city, the man honked his horn and pounded on the steering wheel, but to no avail. The driver in front of him was also urging the car in front of him to hurry up.

The man wanted to get out of the car to see how far the traffic jam was, but when his hand touched the door handle, he immediately pulled it back as if he had been electrocuted.

"No, no... We can't go out, there are viruses in the air outside..."

Although the man knew perfectly well that his car couldn't be completely sealed off from outside air, he still felt safer inside the enclosed space of the car for psychological comfort.

"Di Di-"

The incessant honking continued, making the man extremely irritated.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled to ease his anxiety.

Although most people nowadays smoke personalized e-cigarettes, he remains a staunch traditionalist, still buying boxed cigarettes. He believes there's already enough electronics in our lives, and we should retain more non-electronic products.

"call……"

After finishing one cigarette, the man lit another.

The man was afraid of the virus and dared not open the window, so the smoke swirled inside the car.

He quickly finished another cigarette, and just as he was about to smoke his third, a car crash and screams suddenly came from not far ahead.

"What's wrong?!"

He quickly sat up straight and looked ahead. He saw a car not far ahead that seemed to have lost control, lurching forward and backward wildly, crashing into the vehicles in front and behind it several times.

The scream seemed to come from the driver of the car behind, a middle-aged man wearing a mask who got out of his car. He seemed to want to ask the driver of the car in front what happened, but after seeing something, he screamed and ran back to his car, causing a chain-reaction collision.

As the man was wondering what was going on, he saw the door of the out-of-control car, which had already stopped, open, and a person staggered out.

She only glanced at the man before her expression turned one of terror and fear.

Blood was gushing from the driver's seven orifices, dripping onto his clothes and the ground, but he seemed not to have lost consciousness yet, still struggling and shouting, "Help...help me..."

They are infected!
"Di Di!"

"Boom--!"

All the cars that were stopped and waiting nearby immediately started their engines, honked their horns, and tried to move away from the person. But the area was completely blocked, and there was no way to move. So they stepped on the gas and tried to crash into the cars next to them.

The scene was thrown into chaos, and the man holding his third cigarette, through the windshield of the car in front, witnessed the infected man struggle for a dozen seconds before collapsing to the ground, bleeding profusely, and dying. "Damn!"

The man immediately swerved the steering wheel, stepped on the gas, and crashed into other cars like the others, trying to get as far away as possible from the infected person who had died from a blood explosion.

Who knows if the virus from an infected person's body will be released into the air after they bleed to death? Wouldn't the probability of people nearby being infected be higher than elsewhere?

Those who saw the situation drove away, and those who didn't see it followed suit, causing chaos throughout the road.

……

Limei Hotel.

The residents of this gathering place, where Guan Tong had briefly lived, have settled down after the snow disaster.

Most of them are the original residents. If new residents want to join, they must participate in the mutual aid and sharing session held every morning, as required by the old residents.

Previously, when Guan Tong was there, this sharing session was not mandatory. However, due to the snow disaster rules, the original founder of the sharing session, Teacher Feng, died of a high fever. After the rules expired, the long-time residents unanimously decided that everyone living there must participate.

Now, an hour after the sixth rule, the Deadly Plague, was announced, all the guests of the Limei Hotel gathered in the lobby and sat in a group.

"We don't need to be afraid. As long as we stay strong, we will definitely get through this."

"That's right, the rules can't defeat us. As long as we unite, no virus is real and can't invade our bodies."

Someone suggested, "Let's all sing the theme song together!"

The suggestion was met with immediate approval, and everyone joined hands and began singing the association's anthem, "Tomorrow Will Be Better."

"The wings of hope are taking flight."

"The long-awaited wish is shining."

Let's shout together, "Tomorrow will be better!"

The singing of hundreds of people echoed in the hotel lobby, and everyone's face was filled with a warm smile.

"Tuk Tuk Tuk!"

Just then, there was a rapid knocking at the door. Looking out the window, one could see staff members wearing Emergency Management Bureau uniforms and virus protection face shields.

After the hotel's glass doors were damaged in the snowstorm, the residents replaced them with a large wooden door, leaving only a small window for communication and receiving items.

The person in charge of the gathering point got up and went to the window to ask, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"We're from the Emergency Management Bureau, and we're delivering virus protection equipment to various gathering points as ordered," the staff member said. "How many people are at your gathering point?"

The person in charge shook his head: "We don't need any protective equipment. We are all a group of pure-hearted people. Singing songs can help us resist the virus disaster."

The staff outside the window were taken aback, thinking they had misheard.

"What did you say?!"

“I said we don’t need it. Give those devices to those who are emotionally vulnerable; they might find them useful.”

The staff member angrily retorted, "Who are you! What right do you have to refuse equipment on behalf of others?"

“I am in charge of this gathering point. And I am not representing anyone else, because everyone thinks the same way I do.”

“That’s right, we don’t need those things.”

"Take it now!"

“Our anthem can ward off the virus. Look at us, there are hundreds of people here, and not a single one has been infected.”

Others came to the window and spoke.

The few people still sitting on the ground showed a hint of wavering on their faces. They undoubtedly wanted the protective equipment, but faced with the firm stance of the majority, they were momentarily swayed and dared not reveal their true thoughts.

Seeing this, the staff outside the window were momentarily speechless. At this moment, another staff member stepped forward and asked, "Are you sure you don't want protective equipment? These devices are limited in quantity. Once they're all distributed, you'll have to wait for new ones to be manufactured."

The person in charge of the gathering point nodded: "Yes, we are sure we don't need it."

“Let’s go then,” the staff member said to his colleague. “We’re responsible for distributing equipment to twenty gathering points; we can’t waste time here!”

“You…you’ll regret this!” The staff member said, both puzzled and heartbroken, before leaving with his companion and returning to the transport vehicle to head to the next gathering point.

After the vehicle drove away, the person in charge turned to everyone and smiled, saying, "I saw the strength of your resolve, which is very good. As long as we continue to hold onto a sincere heart, we will surely be able to..."

As the person in charge spoke, he felt a dampness on his cheek, as if water was dripping from above. He looked up in confusion, but the houses above were dry, without any water.

Looking down and forward, he saw that everyone was staring at him with terrified expressions.

He subconsciously raised his hand to touch his cheek. The wet liquid on his cheek was red. Was it blood? Where did it come from? His eyes?

The person in charge snapped out of his daze, looked at the people who were far away from him, and started walking towards the stairs, smiling as he spoke.

"Don't be afraid. I had a momentary wavering in my faith, which allowed the virus to take advantage of my weakness. But I will fight it to the end in my room. In 24 hours, I will walk out of my room with a healthy body. Then, please witness the miracle."

(End of this chapter)