"Did something happen?”

After the interview, Chen Jiebin quickly walked to Lu Liang’s side; he had been paying attention all along.

He noticed that as Lu Liang spoke with his secretary, his expression grew increasingly uneasy, a look Chen had never seen before.

Lu Liang led Chen Jiebin to a corner and lowered his voice, saying, “There’s a problem on the mainland; a virus similar to SARS has started to spread.”

"SARS?” Chen Jiebin’s eyes widened with shock, and his expression became serious: “Are you certain?”

His ancestral home is Shunde Dalang, which was the epicenter of the public safety incident back then.

He was also a witness to the event and deeply understands the painful lessons that disaster taught the people across the three regions.

Just in Xiangjiang alone, the death toll exceeded 300. It’s important to note that transportation back then wasn’t as convenient as it is now, yet the virus could spread throughout the nation within months, even reaching Southeast Asia and spreading globally.

Chen Jiebin couldn’t imagine the devastating impact on the country and its people if SARS were to strike again in today’s advanced transportation era.

"I can’t guarantee it.” Lu Liang shook his head, not making any quick assertions.

He merely repeated what Sun Zheyuan had said: Hu Weiwei, along with her assistant and driver, were all infected, with clear signs of lung whitening.

Moreover, all employees or partners who had contact with her have been temporarily isolated and monitored by the hospital.

The local information has been blocked; if it weren’t for Hu Weiwei being the executive president of Tianxing, the news might not have come out at all.

"Mr. Chen, you’ll have to make your own judgment; I have things to do and must leave now.”

Lu Liang hurriedly left, and as he watched his retreating figure, Chen Jiebin’s expression grew grave: “The virus is back again.”

Soon after, on the way back to the company, Lu Liang suddenly received a call from the Wuhan Health Commission. The caller almost explicitly suggested that Lu Liang should not disclose the matter for now and leave everything to them to handle to avoid unnecessary panic.

After all, they could cover the mouths of ordinary people, but not Lu Liang’s, so they could only politely negotiate with him.

Because once it is defined as a public safety incident, whether or not those responsible bear any guilt, they will all be stripped of their positions.

Hearing this, Lu Liang couldn’t help but frown.

However, he could understand such an approach; after all, those above are aware that those below may not necessarily know. Moreover, when such incidents occur, the first measure taken is always to suppress the spread of information.

Although this approach has the suspicion of deceiving superiors and subordinates, there is a saying: one can trust the power of the masses but not the wisdom of the masses.

Those years, the rush for Banlangen, vinegar, and salt, countless cases proved that the wisdom of the masses was not to be trusted.

After pondering for a moment, Lu Liang asked, “Director Zhao, our company’s Mr. Hu, they probably aren’t isolated cases, are they?”

Director Zhao said in a serious tone: “Currently, there are 32 confirmed infections and a total of 126 people in isolation.”

"I would like to send them abroad for treatment; is that possible?”

Lu Liang proposed exchanging silence for an alternative arrangement.

He had read about SARS, realizing that the first batch of infected individuals was essentially guinea pigs, subjected to various aggressive hormone treatments, leading to either demise or severe debilitation.

Lu Liang’s capabilities are limited, unable to save everyone, but he could try to save the employees of his company.

He planned to send them directly to a high-end private hospital on Wall Street, convinced that they would surely receive proper care there.

Director Zhao frowned: “Mr. Lu, our medical technology isn’t inferior; Mr. Hu will certainly receive proper treatment. Additionally, this virus spreads very easily; the confined space of an airplane might lead to everyone in the cabin getting infected.”

"The transportation and related expenses will all be my responsibility, Director Zhao; you just need to agree.”

Lu Liang believed that with great rewards, there would be brave people, and he intended to take proper protective measures, truthfully informing them of the risks involved in this transfer.

After a long silence, Director Zhao suddenly said: “There are five infected individuals from Tianxing Automobile and thirteen observers. When will you send someone to pick them up?”

"Tonight at nine.”

"Alright, I’ll make the arrangements.”

"Thank you, Director Zhao.”

Ending the call, Lu Liang pondered for a moment, then turned to Sun Zheyuan, instructing: “Contact Lin Feng and have him gather all the cabin crew to come to my office.”

Sun Zheyuan frowned, vaguely guessing Lu Liang’s intention. He cautiously asked, “Mr. Lu, are you going to tell them the actual situation?”

He felt this was not appropriate; it would be better to issue direct orders since knowing too much isn’t necessarily a good thing for those below. At worst, you could provide some appropriate compensation afterward.

Lu Liang’s gaze grew cold: “I hope this is the last time; don’t entertain such thoughts again.”

He didn’t consider himself a good person, but he always believed he was someone with principles.

With money offered, people would risk their lives willingly; it was a consensual transaction.

Even if someone accidentally got infected and even succumbed to the disease, he wouldn’t bear any psychological burden.

Startled, Sun Zheyuan quickly said, “Mr. Lu, actually, I’m worried that too many people will find out…”

Lu Liang remained expressionless, raising his hand to interrupt Sun Zheyuan’s explanation: “Stop right there.”

Sun Zheyuan responded, a bitter smile fleeting across his face, suddenly feeling like he had walked a narrow path.

Half an hour later, Lu Liang met all the crew members for the two shifts in his office.

Twelve males, sixteen females, the men handsome, the women beautiful, totaling 28 people.

They looked at each other and whispered, each being able to see the confusion in one another’s eyes.

They usually only saw Lu Liang on the plane; it was their first time in his company’s office.

Lu Liang looked at them and softly said: “In a moment, some of you will need to go to Wuhan to pick up some of our Tianxing Automobile employees and then fly directly to New York, where I’ve arranged for someone to meet you.”

"The situation this time is a bit special because they are all patients with a highly contagious pneumonia. I’m worried that they might not receive proper treatment in mainland hospitals, so I want to send them to New York for treatment.”

"Although both you and they will be wearing protective suits, minimizing the risk of virus transmission, you’ll need to spend 12 hours together in a confined space, so there’s no way to entirely rule out the possibility of infection. Therefore, this flight mission is not mandatory.”

"But if anyone is willing to go, I will reward each person with 5 million in cash, deposited into your account. Consider it.”

Once Lu Liang finished speaking and picked up the water cup to take a sip and patiently await their response, unexpectedly, in the next moment, someone raised their hand and shouted: “Mr. Lu, I am willing to go.”

"Mr. Lu, pick me, pick me.”

"Mr. Lu, pick me. Remember me? My flying skills are top-notch, I even taught you how to fly.”

Faced with the eager responses from everyone, Lu Liang was taken aback and couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you reconsidering? It’s quite dangerous.”

At this moment, a young and attractive girl stepped forward with a smile and said, “Even if we accidentally get infected, Mr. Lu wouldn’t abandon us, right?”

This statement made everyone burst into laughter and nod in agreement.

Money is not the main concern; they could do without it or use some if provided because they all saw Lu Liang’s care for his subordinates.

After all, this flight would cost at least thirty to fifty million; which company boss would be this generous?

Moreover, Lu Liang could have chosen to hide the truth or find other excuses but instead, he repeatedly emphasized the danger.

Sincerity is the ultimate weapon, far superior to those capitalists who send employees to their deaths.

Even for someone with a bit of pathological knowledge, knowing that in situations where both parties wear protective gear, even radiation can be blocked for a short time, let alone a tiny virus.

Although Lu Liang described this flight as very dangerous, the actual situation should not be that risky.

Lu Liang was somewhat moved, and he chuckled softly, “Let’s draw lots then, and choose with the minimum personnel.”

Sun Zheyuan glanced at everyone and quietly went to prepare the lottery tools; he still underestimated Lu Liang’s charisma.

At nine in the evening, a bus carrying medical staff and equipment drove into the hospital, taking away Hu Weiwei and 18 others directly to the airport for boarding.

"Can you hold on?”

Lu Liang frowned, watching the screen where Hu Weiwei barely looked human, her eyes sunken, and blood streaks covering them. .

Her condition was far worse than Lu Liang had imagined, more like poisoning rather than viral infection.

Not just her, through the communication device, Lu Liang could hear the coughing sounds as if they were going to cough up their guts.

Hu Weiwei managed a smile on her pale face, “Shouldn’t be a problem, after all, Mr. Lu has yet to fulfill my stock options.”

"Then you must live well.” Although Lu Liang had a smile on his face, his heart grew heavier.

He said a few words to everyone on the bus, telling them not to worry and that the illness could be cured.

After finishing, Lu Liang ended the video call and called Wilson, speaking in an almost commanding tone, “I sent eighteen people over. No matter what you do, you must cure them.”

Sensing the unusual tone from Lu Liang, Wilson hastily said, “Don’t worry, I’ll try my best to come up with a solution.”

Honestly, he wasn’t confident, who knew what those biological maniacs would come up with.

But one thing he did know, Asians are more susceptible to infection and becoming critically ill.

Just like how whites have a strong body odor, the physical constitutions among races are indeed different.

"Are you showing off?” Lu Liang’s tone turned cold.

"I’m just stating a fact, you should calm down now.”

"I’m very calm.”

Wilson gave a wry smile, thinking it was best not to continue the conversation with Lu Liang. He hurriedly said, “Let’s leave it for now, I’ll contact the hospital for you.”

Listening to the busy tone from the other end of the line, Lu Liang exhaled deeply, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart.

At the same time,

Brief messages started to leak online.

For instance, certain areas getting cordoned off, other places undergoing large-scale disinfection, and some people being taken away inexplicably.

But as soon as these messages were sent out, they disappeared like stones sinking into the sea, intentionally covered up, leaving the internet appearing peaceful and clear.

As night deepened, the Golden Dragon Index, which had been soaring high for a week, suddenly plummeted during the day, with hundreds of billions of US dollars in capital fleeing frantically.

The total market value of 7300 billion US dollars kept dropping, evaporating 825 billion US dollars within just five minutes.

The past week’s gain felt like a dream, trapping countless retail investors who chased the highs.

“???”

"What happened?”

"What’s going on here, big brother?”

"A sudden collapse without reason, isn’t that an A-shares specialty?”

"It doesn’t seem to be a sudden collapse without reason, everyone quickly look at this news article.”

A stock forum friend shared a news article, stating that a large number of officers and soldiers who participated in the Games fell ill after returning to their country.

The article’s author suspected that East Country was hiding some kind of epidemic disease, with symptoms resembling the global public safety crisis from 2003.

The article also claimed that the overall national quality of East Country was low, eating anything possible, speculating that they ate something bizarre again this time.

"Damn, which devil is harming people again? Aren’t pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, and fish enough for them?”

"If they eat the same things as us commoners, how would they showcase their different social status?”

"Wuhan? Heard bats are a specialty there.”

"Can people eat this stuff? Goddamn it.”

"Indeed, only foreign media dare to report it, I, as a local, didn’t even know a thing.”

"SARS? It’s back again?”

As time passed, even though major platform moderators worked overtime, they couldn’t contain the spread of information.

Public opinion exploded completely,

And the Golden Dragon Index continued to decline amid public controversy.