Nedong district was in chaos. After a report of a plague carrier reached the ears of the refugees, in particular the leading awakened among the refugees, they immediately killed guards close to them to enter the city.
The Zhu sect martial experts could easily handle over a hundred regular civilians, however awakened fighters were much different. Each had different powers and specialities that were impossible to understand before they utilised them.
Burning flesh, frozen guards and inhuman screeching was heard from every angle of this chaotic battlefield, held between the southern border guards and refugees. This battlefield was like no other, as refugees could be seen harnessing the elements to slaughter and maim, whilst being pounded with gunfire from the guards' outposts.
Due to the chaotic situation, many missed the small team of awakened refugees climbing the southern wall barely a mile from the battlefront.
Led by Pyro awakened Yang Hao, the team of ten stealthily entered the outer city past the walls and followed the dilapidated buildings to avoid being seen.
"Boss, what do we do now?" One underling excitedly spoke up.
"Now?" He thought to himself for a few seconds before replying; "The old plan is a no-go. I won't take a city just for its people to be cursed by the plague anyway. We take as much supplies as we can carry and head east towards central China."
The group had no complaints. They had seen the disaster named the plague before, and the destruction caused in its wake. In their opinion, this city won't last two days once a carrier enters the city.
After discussing their plans, the small group headed towards the inner city to steal supplies, before leaving through the north river on a stolen boat.
----
Zhu Pao, the elder in charge of the southern wall, was currently fighting off four awakened each with their own powers.
One was giving him a particularly hard time with his ability to alter gravity at will. Luckily, it could only effect metals as to ensure his sword was useless in the fight.
Finally beheading the final refugee, he gasped for breath as he half kneeled on the floor. He had been fighting both awakened and non-awakened refugees for over two hours straight.
The scene in front of him looked like a massacre. Only a few of the southern guards remained, but compared to their losses, the refugee camp was almost eradicated. Thousands of dead bodies piling one side of the southern wall, the surviving refugees looking on in horror and some even vomiting at the ghastly sight.
Zhu Pao rose to his feet, taking a deep breath and yelling towards the surviving refugees "Get back to the camp! I won't ask again!".
The refugees ran like scared rabbits, with Zhu Pao's blood-stained face and robe, in addition to his fuming temperament and strength, they understood they were not his match.
Zhu Pao was truly angry. Having fed and given these people a place to stay, they reply with violence and nonsensical slaughter. Worse off, dozens of refugees fought through the blockade, and entering the outer city behind them. He had no idea if any infected reached the civilians or not.
After updating upper Zhu sect elders of the situation, more groups of guards came to re-establish order at the southern wall. Martial law was also enacted within Nedong district, with strict orders to report strangers that may be harbouring the plague to the authorities.
At this moment, Tang Sheng entered the inner palace with his disciple Mia at his side.
Looking at the chaotic environment with elders and upper members of the sect running around exasperated, he wondered if the city had already encountered the plague.
"Mia" He turned to his disciple.
"Yes, Master?" She replied, curious as to why he had such a stern expression.
"Tonight, we leave for central China"
"What? Master, I have no complaints to travelling, but your disciple and this city.. will you leave them? Is this about the plague?" She asked
Tang Sheng bent down to her level, speaking in a soft voice. "My disciple, I am not worried about Zhu Mao nor this city, as a disciple of mine isn't easy to kill. What I am worried about, is you"
"Me? Even if I get the plague, can you not heal it? won't travelling to central China only delay the inevitable?" She surmised, confused at her master's judgement.
"Mia, you act like I'm omnipotent. I am just a mortal, although others believe me not to be. In central China, a disciple of mine resides. If anyone can cure this plague,
it will be him. Besides, I've been in seclusion for so long, it's time to go out and see the world. Nedong district is too small for me now." He spoke with a smile.
Mia nodded in understanding. Saying their goodbyes to Zhu Mao, they left towards the Eastern mountains, beginning their journey to central China.
----
6 days later, in the Imperialist faction, the Qing dynasty once again gathered due to a pressing danger. The plague had reached the eastern borders of northern China and had started to infect both guards and civilians in nearby cities. The Qing emperor, Qing Genji, had ordered a complete annihilation of any human showing symptoms of the plague, including nosebleeds, collapsing and white eyes.
This, however, only ceased the efficiency of spreading the virus, and was not a permanent measure. Scientists all over northern China were gathered and forced to work on a cure for this virus with their own citizens as experimental subjects, but no hope had come.
The only positive note was the finding of immune awakened with traits similar to pestilence, unique classes drawn to the research of poison. These unique awakened were coined 'Plague doctors' and were sent out to carry research on the cure with unlimited funding. They were able to make progress on a cure multiple times faster than qualified doctors, scientists and researchers and were henceforth the forefront of the fight for a cure.
Qing Genji, however, was not so optimistic.
"Father, if the plague doctors are able to continue progressing at this rate, we may have a cure within weeks" Prince of the Qing dynasty, Qing Neha, spoke to cheer his father up.
Emperor Qing turned hostile immediately at these foolish words. "You fools! We don't have weeks! we barely have days! Didn't you listen to the status reports? This virus is highly infectious and almost impossible to detect once in the body, until symptoms are clearly shown. This means half of the country could be infected and we wouldn't know it for over a day!"
Calming down, the Qing emperor ordered in a stern voice, "Enact quarantine throughout the Western cities and districts. I want them split from the rest of the population. This won't stop the plague, but it will give us enough time to work on a cure. Yes, yes all we need is time."
A minister meekly rose to his feet, asking the question on everybody's minds. "Your majesty, there are hundreds of cities in the western districts. If we quarantine them all with the infected, won't they all die? That's millions of lives!" He gained courage as he spoke, eventually shouting at his emperor in rebuke.
Qing Genji turned to that minster and scowled. Raising his hand, a blade shot through his throat with supersonic speed. Before anyone could ask where the blade came from, the minister had already dropped to the floor, dead.
This was the emperor's unique skill, [The blade of Punishment]