Chapter 173: Riverside
Chen Dong, who had been lounging on the sofa playing on his phone, shot to his feet at the sound of the scream. He exchanged a look with Li Huiran, and they rushed out together.
They opened the door to the secretary's office. Xiaoyu was collapsed on the floor by her desk, her body covered in bloody scratches she had inflicted on herself. Her legs were the worst, a mangled, bloody mess. A few thumb-sized fish scales had sporadically appeared on her calves.
Xiaoyu looked up at Li Huiran, crying out wretchedly, "President Li, what's happening to me?"
Li Huiran couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. 'How could a perfectly healthy person end up like this?'
Chen Dong took out twelve Silver Needles and inserted them into various points on Xiaoyu's body. It wouldn't stop the curse, but it would significantly reduce her pain and itching.
After he was done, Chen Dong grabbed a tissue from the desk and used it to pick up one of the scales Xiaoyu had scratched off. A faint, strange power seeped through the tissue and began to creep up his arm.
Chen Dong cursed under his breath. "Damn it, this curse is contagious!" He whipped his head around to look at Li Huiran.
Li Huiran simply shook her head. "I'm fine!"
But Chen Dong could already feel the faint power of the curse on her. He immediately swept Li Huiran up, set her on a desk, and rolled up her pant leg. One or two red dots had appeared on her fair calf. Chen Dong was certain they hadn't been there before.
He asked Xiaoyu urgently, "Think hard. Have you gone anywhere out of the ordinary these past few days?"
Xiaoyu hugged her legs tightly, not daring to scratch no matter how much her body itched. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, "The only thing was, I went to the riverside last night to clear my head. I played in the water for a bit, but that's it!"
'Riverside, water, fish scales!' Chen Dong didn't hesitate. He picked Xiaoyu up off the floor and said to Li Huiran, "We're going to the river!"
Li Huiran nodded immediately, grabbing her car keys and following Chen Dong.
It was the busiest time of year for the Li Group, and everyone was occupied. The hallways were mostly empty, but Chen Dong could still feel the faint power of the curse emanating from the offices he passed.
Xiaoyu was the source of the contagion. She had only been at work for a little over an hour, yet she had already infected more than half the staff. The curse's infectiousness was terrifying.
Chen Dong's expression was grim. He asked Xiaoyu, "What time did you go to the river yesterday?"
"2:10 AM," Xiaoyu replied with certainty.
Chen Dong wondered why a young woman would go to the river at two in the morning. 'Wasn't she afraid?' From 2:10 AM to the current time of 10:20 AM was exactly eight hours. That meant there was an eight-hour incubation period between contracting the curse and the onset of symptoms.
Chen Dong couldn't take everyone to the river at once; besides, it would be pointless. They still had about eight hours. As long as he dealt with the source of the curse, the affliction on the others would naturally disappear. Moreover, Chen Dong still didn't know what the final stage of this curse looked like, so there was no need to cause a panic.
The three of them piled into Li Huiran's Ferrari, with Chen Dong again holding Xiaoyu. The situation once more made Li Huiran consider buying a new, more spacious car.
On the way, more and more scales appeared on Xiaoyu's legs. It wasn't just her legs, either—scales had begun to sprout on her back and hands as well.
With Xiaoyu giving directions, the three of them quickly arrived at the spot. It was close to the office, only a ten-minute drive away.
It was a scenic riverfront park. The bank was lined with food stalls, and many people were out for morning exercises, strolls, or simply enjoying the view...
The river was wide and the water was calm, dotted with a few small boats used for both sightseeing and fishing.
Chen Dong looked at the crowd and felt a surge of despair. 'If I can't solve this curse quickly, how many people will get infected?'
Not knowing if it would help, Chen Dong immediately called the two doctors he knew, Xue Tianxiang and Jiang Yao, and told them to prepare a large supply of anti-itch and pain-relieving medication.
The three of them went to the spot on the bank where Xiaoyu had played in the water. Chen Dong crouched down, cupped a handful of water, and examined it closely.
After a moment, Chen Dong frowned. There was nothing wrong with the water. This was both a relief and a cause for concern. 'If the water itself were the problem, this curse would be far too terrifying.' But he was worried because it meant the source would be much harder to find.
Chen Dong handed his phone to Li Huiran. "I'm going in for a look."
With that, he dove into the river.
Several bystanders immediately started shouting warnings at Li Huiran. "Hey, miss! Get your friend out of there! You're not allowed to swim here!"
Li Huiran explained awkwardly, "He'll be right out!"
This section of the river was quite deep, reaching over a hundred meters in the center. Strong swimmers had drowned here in the past, which was why swimming had long been forbidden in this area.
Chen Dong dove to the riverbed but didn't find anything out of the ordinary. The water was a bit murky, but that didn't hinder him. Relying on his True Qi and his sensitivity to auras, he knew nothing in the vicinity could escape his perception.
Schools of large fish darted back and forth around Chen Dong. First came large carp, twenty to thirty pounds each, followed by black carp and sturgeon weighing over a hundred pounds. Chen Dong couldn't help a stray thought. 'I've only been in the water for a minute, and I've already attracted a bigger school of fish than any bait could.'
The fish didn't do anything, simply swimming around him in ever-increasing numbers. Chen Dong didn't sense any curse energy from them. It seemed the curse had nothing to do with these large fish.