The Omniscient

Chapter 37: The Virus

“It’s time to leave.”

Huang Ji realized his identity could no longer hold up, as word of his actions had spread overnight. Just as he was preparing to leave, an unexpected encounter occurred.

At the staircase, a passerby carrying a thermos brushed past him, coughing violently.

It wasn’t unusual—after all, hospitals are full of people with various ailments. But Huang Ji’s face instantly changed, and he dodged to the side with an exaggerated motion, as if evading a bullet.

He was avoiding droplets.

His reaction was so dramatic that others in the vicinity turned to look, some even chuckling softly.

It was evident to everyone—he was disgusted by the coughing man. Most people might simply furrow their brows in annoyance, but Huang Ji’s jump was extreme.

The coughing man scowled and snapped, “It’s just a cold! Not the end of the world!”

“What’s wrong with you?” the man muttered and walked away, taking a seat in the waiting area.

The waiting area was crowded with patients sitting close together. The man continued to cough intermittently, his throat producing congested, raspy sounds. To ease his discomfort, he periodically sipped hot water from his thermos, keeping his throat moist—which only made the droplets from his coughing more abundant.

“Level six…” Huang Ji observed the droplets, assessing the virus’s infectivity.

This classification was part of a system Huang Ji had developed after advancing his medical knowledge, which aligned closely with international standards but included additional nuances.

• Level 1: Only spreads among animals, not infectious to humans.
• Level 2: Rarely infects humans, primarily an animal virus, with low human transmission potential.
• Level 3: Readily infects humans but only spreads between humans and animals, not person-to-person.
• Level 4: Transmissible between humans, causing epidemics.
• Level 5: Highly infectious, spreads rapidly with multiple transmission pathways, and the virus can survive outside the body for extended periods.
• Level 6: Extremely contagious, spreads very quickly, has a long incubation period, survives prolonged exposure to external conditions, and even asymptomatic carriers can transmit it.
• Level 7 (theoretical): A catastrophic virus capable of permeating the entire ecosystem, infecting all animals, and surviving extreme conditions like high/low pressure or temperature.

Level 7 viruses had no precedent and were the stuff of fictional zombie outbreaks.

Huang Ji always kept his perception of viruses active, so whenever he encountered a carrier, he would instinctively sense the virus’s level.

The moment the man coughed near him, Huang Ji detected a dangerously potent virus. The droplets were visible to the naked eye, sending a chill down his spine and prompting his evasive maneuver.

Though he couldn’t see the virus itself, Huang Ji could discern information about the carrier and infer details about the virus. This data was incomplete—he couldn’t read the virus’s RNA sequence or its precise biological mechanisms—but it was enough to draw conclusions.

“This virus is highly infectious—a new strain that has already triggered a global outbreak. The WHO classifies it as Level 5, but it’s clearly Level 6,” Huang Ji thought, frowning as he donned a mask. He had prepared the mask long ago to conceal his face, but now he was using it for its original purpose—protection.

“The nurses haven’t figured out that I’m a fraud yet, so I just need to avoid the doctors.”

Huang Ji was eager to leave, especially since the coughing man, whose symptoms would likely be dismissed as a common cold, was in fact a super-spreader. The man’s condition would worsen rapidly, with numerous severe complications, some of which could be fatal.

This virus was undoubtedly a top-tier pandemic threat. While its full genetic sequence had already been uploaded to the Global Influenza Database, domestic research was still in its early stages.

Huang Ji foresaw that the man would be misdiagnosed as having a common cold and then go on to infect countless others—he was a taxi driver.

“Tsk.”

Huang Ji approached the waiting area with his mask on and handed the man another mask.

The man, whose name was Tang Yan, looked up, confused. “What are you doing?”

“Put it on, Tang Yan,” Huang Ji said, calling him by name.

Tang Yan was about to retort, but his eyes widened as Huang Ji handed him a 100-yuan bill.

“Alright, alright…” Tang Yan quickly put on the mask.

Other patients noticed this exchange, their gazes shifting to Tang Yan. Someone whispered, “Wow, he got paid just to wear a mask!”

Tang Yan, now curious, asked, “Do I know you?”

“Want to make some money? Follow me,” Huang Ji said flatly.

With that, he glanced around to confirm that there were no other carriers in the area before walking away.

“What? Wait up!” Tang Yan, a greedy man, immediately abandoned his consultation and followed Huang Ji out of the hospital.

Huang Ji led Tang Yan to the parking lot, where Tang’s taxi was parked. Thinking Huang Ji wanted a ride, Tang Yan hopped into the driver’s seat and asked with a grin, “Where to?”

Huang Ji opened the back door, his expression stern. The moment he looked inside, a flood of information overwhelmed him—it was a viral hotspot.

“This car is a death trap.”

“Stay in the car. Don’t wander off,” Huang Ji said as he threw 200 yuan through the window.

“Got it!” Tang Yan replied cheerfully, clutching the money.

A short while later, Huang Ji returned with six bottles of disinfectant from a nearby pharmacy.

Handing over four of them, he instructed, “One for yourself, one for the front seat, one for the back seat, and one for the exterior. Use it all.”

Tang Yan’s eyes lit up. “Four hundred!”

Huang Ji opened his wallet, revealing a wad of cash worth about 2,000 yuan.

“Deal!” Tang Yan eagerly got to work, thoroughly disinfecting himself and the entire car. The task took nearly half an hour.

After a meticulous inspection, Huang Ji confirmed that the job was done and handed Tang Yan 400 yuan.

“So, what’s this money-making opportunity? Don’t tell me it’s just a few hundred bucks,” Tang Yan joked.

“Take me to the Western Suburbs, to the Lingguang Used Car Market,” Huang Ji replied.

“Eight hundred!” Tang Yan quickly upped the fare.

“Alright.” Huang Ji smiled.

Tang Yan promptly started the car and drove Huang Ji toward the outskirts of Shanghai. Under Huang Ji’s guidance, they eventually arrived at a remote warehouse.

“Here we are. Get out,” Huang Ji said as he stepped out of the car.

Tang Yan, eager for more money, followed him into the warehouse.

Inside, Lin Li, Zhang Junwei, and a few others, including Xiao Zha and another man recovering from acupuncture therapy, greeted them enthusiastically. Xiao Zha, in particular, was thrilled—after days of treatment, his condition had improved significantly.

Tang Yan suddenly felt uneasy about the situation.

Zhang Junwei noticed the taxi outside and muttered, “Why did the driver come inside too?”

Thinking Huang Ji had forgotten to bring money for the fare, Zhang Junwei instinctively reached into his pocket, intending to cover the cost himself.

Tang Yan muttered under his breath, “About the money… you haven’t paid me the 800 yet.”

Zhang Junwei, catching this, pulled out his wallet with a grin. “I’ll cover it. How much?”

“Eight hundred yuan,” Tang Yan replied.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Zhang Junwei’s face instantly darkened.

Tang Yan flinched and quickly explained, “No, no! That’s what we agreed on!”

“Eight hundred for a cab ride? Did you drive here from Cambodia?” Zhang Junwei raised his fist as if to strike him.

“Stop!” Huang Ji called out, stopping Zhang Junwei in his tracks.

“Pay him.”

Zhang Junwei was dumbfounded. “Seriously? Even if he drove from Nanjing, it wouldn’t cost 800!”

Without responding, Huang Ji gestured at Lin Li, who immediately pulled out the cash.

“No need, Brother Lin. I got it!” Zhang Junwei quickly intercepted, pulling out the money himself and handing it to Tang Yan.

Tang Yan pocketed the cash but didn’t leave. Instead, he asked, “So, is there more money to be made? This is just chump change.”

Huang Ji smirked. “Go sit in that corner and stay put. Don’t move.”

“Uh, what?” Tang Yan was bewildered.

Zhang Junwei instantly barked, “Get over there and squat!”

Tang Yan froze for a moment before stammering, “Wait, what’s this about? Hey, you guys—”

As he turned to leave, Xiao Zha and a few others closed in, tools like wrenches in hand.

“Whoa, whoa, no need for that! I get it! I’ll go, okay?” Tang Yan hunched over, grimacing, and shuffled to the corner of the warehouse.

A group of burly men stood half-circled around him. Tang Yan squatted in the corner, trembling.

“This is ridiculous! Hey! Boss! What did I ever do to you? Is it because I spat?” Tang Yan shouted nervously, taking a half step forward and glancing toward Huang Ji, who was inspecting some equipment across the room.

“Stay put!” Zhang Junwei bellowed.

Tang Yan quickly retreated back into a squat, practically on the verge of tears.

“Come on, I didn’t do anything wrong! Look, I admit it—I was sick, went to the hospital, coughed a little. Is that so unreasonable?

“And yeah, maybe a little spit came out. But that’s not a big deal, right?”

Zhang Junwei’s eyes narrowed. “Did you spit on our boss?”

“No, no, no! That’s the thing—I didn’t! I didn’t spit on him!” Tang Yan spread his hands in exasperation. “Your boss dodged it! I didn’t even come close!”

“So, over something this trivial, you guys dragged me all the way out here? Really?”

Even Zhang Junwei was confused at this point. He wasn’t sure how Tang Yan had offended Huang Ji, but that didn’t stop him from shouting, “Stay put and don’t move!”

Tang Yan sighed and muttered, “Fine, fine! I admit it, okay? I admit I cursed him out. Happy now?”

Zhang Junwei grabbed Tang Yan by the collar, lifting him slightly off the ground.

Tang Yan panicked and blurted out, “I’ll apologize, alright? I’ll sincerely apologize!”

“Come back!” Huang Ji called out from across the room.

Zhang Junwei let go of Tang Yan, ordering him to stay put, and walked over to Huang Ji.

Huang Ji took out the remaining bottles of disinfectant and sprayed Zhang Junwei down thoroughly. Then he instructed, “Avoid touching him, and make sure everyone else disinfects themselves as well.”

“What’s going on? Does he have some kind of disease?” Zhang Junwei asked.

Huang Ji nodded.

“What kind of disease?”

Huang Ji replied, “One that can kill.”

Zhang Junwei froze for a second before immediately yelling at his men to wash their hands.

“From now on, if you go near him, wear a mask. And don’t let him wander around,” Huang Ji instructed.

“Got it!” Zhang Junwei responded.

Huang Ji pointed to another warehouse nearby. “That one’s yours too, right?”

“Yes, we use it for storage,” Zhang Junwei confirmed.

“Clear it out and move all these devices inside,” Huang Ji ordered.

…

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