Plague Doctor

After being woken up by Wang Ke, Gu Jun crawled out from bed. He went to the attached bathroom to clean himself up before following Captain Wang.

"Due to some reasons, we currently believe that Spirit Child is not a spy. Now we need to contain morale because it is not impossible that those warnings were purposely left behind by the enemy just to mess with us since we were so close on their heels. Even though we did not capture anyone from the previous operation… we did salvage a batch of items, and they consist quite a lot of clues." Wang Ke filled him in on the latest update. Gu Jun listened carefully. The scenario that Captain Wang posited could be true, but Gu Jun did not think that was the case.

It was now 8 am. The people in the camp had risen. As Gu Jun followed Wang Ke, he realized that there were few soldiers. Most occupants here were normal civilians who suffered from Malformed Banyan Disease. They were all fixed with fake limbs. They regarded him from afar, vessels of fear and confusion.

"This time, it was the 'Demon Hunter' unit that came from the Special Mobile Force," Wang Ke said with respect. "This is a very small scouting unit. They specialize in dealing with missions related to abnormal energy. They have been in existence for decades. The members have been rotated several times, but they always complete the mission they are given."

'Members rotated several times?' Gu Jun wondered. 'Is it due to promotion, injury, or their S value spiraling out?'

Then he saw a unit of about ten people waiting for them. There were several armored vehicles next to them

"There are only fifteen members in the Demon Hunter unit. The largest fella at the front is the unit leader, Xue Ba." Wang Ke made the introduction. "Many people get the impression that he comes from the Action Department, but that is not the case. Captain Xue was moved there from Abnormal Energy Investigation Group."

If not for the clarification from Captain Wang, Gu Jun would have thought that, too. Xue Ba looked less than forty. He was over 190 cm tall, had crew cut, strange jaw, bushy beard, and the muscles on his arms, chest, and legs were stretching the fabric of his military apparel. This was the picture of a powerful man. If one had to make a comparison, Wu Dong looked more like a gym rat, while Captain Xue was like a character that walked out from Contra.

"I used to work with Captain Xue before," Wang Ke said. "Don't think you can fool him because of his appearance. Captain Xue is a very clever person."

Gu Jun nodded. Well, he was sure of that. To be able to lead such a special unit, the man had to be both physically and intellectually impressive. Furthermore, the selection process at Phecda was so strict. Then again, Gu Jun had to admit, knowing that such a man was leading the team, he did feel more secure.

"Ol' Wang, Doctor Gu." Xue Ba waved and greeted them. His voice was strong and powerful. The other teammates turned toward them, openly studying Gu Jun. After Gu Jun joined them, he got to know the others through Wang Ke's introduction. Fifteen people, fifteen faces, fifteen names, and fifteen roles—Gu Jun tried his best to remember them. Some of them were there to provide scientific technical support; some were there to handle the weapon. There were males and females, but everyone gave off the same air. Everyone was the best of the best.

"It's time to go." After the brief introduction, Xue Ba hurried the group into the vehicles. Before he left, he patted Wang Ke on his shoulder. "We'll go for lunch when I return."

He then turned to pat Gu Jun on his right shoulder. "Ah Jun, you'll ride in the medic car. Ask Uncle Dan to help you get to know the place."

"Erm, okay…" Gu Jun felt the scapula in his shoulder almost breaking. 'Is this man really not Hercules reincarnated?'

Uncle Dan, whose full name was Luo Dan, was the team doctor. He was the eldest member at around fifty. He had a round face and head. Only several brushes of hair were left on his head. He held a thermos with wolfberry water. He was the most open member of the team. He seemed to share a good relationship with everyone, the kind of character who had lived long enough to be able to survive anything. He overheard Captain Xue, and Uncle Dan laughed heartily and said, "Come over, kid. Follow me. Finally, they've granted my request for an assistant!"

Gu Jun couldn't help but smile.

Then, the members of Demon Hunter got into the separate cars, and the vehicles soon departed. The medic car that Gu Jun was in was more like an armored ambulance. There were some medical appliances, mobile surgical beds, shadeless lamps, gurneys, and so on inside the car. Of course, there were also stores of medicines and blood bags. Due to the fieldwork medic training he had received, Gu Jun was familiar with all these things, and it shouldn't be a problem for him to utilize them. Inside the car, other than him and Uncle Dan, there was a male nurse in his thirties. His name was Zhang Huohuo, a muscular man too, who was currently driving the car.

"Uncle Dan, where are we going?" Gu Jun asked. It appeared like the members of this group were more than they appeared. A nurse who was also a driver? Impressive.

"A very strange place," Uncle Dan said mysteriously. "Ah Jun, do you believe in the supernatural?"

Gu Jun's heart skipped a beat. What did Uncle Dan mean by that? "I didn't use to believe it, but I am not so sure now."

"That is the right way to see it. There are too many things in the world that we still do not understand. In any case, you'd better be mentally prepared. We could face anything during this mission." Uncle Dan had just said something serious before he segued into a joking mood. "Breakfast time, breakfast time! After all, it is the most important meal of the day."

At the same time, the cavalcade of cars was heading toward the northern side of the Eastern State, deeper into the mountainous range. The journey took about an hour. Gu Jun realized that they were heading toward Gu Rong Village.

Half an hour later, the potholed road and the abandoned signs along the road verified his suspicion. Their destination was a rather secluded holiday area. There were already military checkpoints when they were not far from Gu Rong Village. They passed through them smoothly, but normal civilians would definitely be stopped. According to the internet, Gu Rong Village was emptied due to the discovery of an ancient ruin. To protect the archaeological find, all the villagers had been relocated, and the place had closed for business.

The cars moved through the quiet jungle. Gu Jun looked out the window. The serene scenery could put him at ease, but he felt increasingly agitated.

It was too quiet. A place like this should be noisy with wildlife activity, but he heard nothing. When strange shadows leaped through the trees, there was curious rustling. It also appeared to make the smell of decay that lingered in the air almost thicker.

Gradually, the cavalcade made several turns, and in the end, Gu Jun saw a village far down the distance, Gu Rong Village.

A big banyan tree that had completely withered stood right down that direction.