Yangning.

Mojie paced in the alley behind the tavern, his hands deep in the pockets of his coat in an attempt to keep out the cold, his face wrapped in a thick scarf to ward off the stench that pervaded the streets. The snow that fell from the sky was almost white and barely stained by the smoke rising from the chimneys of the city. For the first time in his memory, the whole city was covered in white, not gray soot.

It's beautiful, but it's terrifyingly beautiful. The reason why snow is white is because there is not enough fire to stain it. There are not enough people. The city is dying. During the day, corpse trucks wander the streets, and people who are already sick are collecting those who have died. Roaring pyres were set in the center of each region. The priests of the temple all died by the straw, and there was no one to bury the dead. The only solution is to burn the body.

Even in this life-or-death moment, the people of the city were busy fighting for nothing, and the people were divided into two camps according to the cause of the plague: one group blamed the plague on mental corruption, and the other thought it was just an ordinary disease.

Religious people either stayed at home, fasting and praying, or wandered the streets in droves, whipping themselves with whips and preaching that the plague was a punishment for humanity. However, the threat of the end of the world only makes those who are less spiritually inclined more debauched. "Eat, drink, love" is their mantra. "Tomorrow, we're going to feed the rats!"

Mo Jie gritted his teeth, thinking about how terrible such a toast was. As Yangning's population became smaller and smaller, the rat population surged to incredible proportions. Superstitious peasants culled cats and dogs, and pests roamed the streets with unprecedented audacity. There used to be terrible stories about rats crawling into the cradle and gnawing on the babies inside. Bodies thrown in the gutter would be stripped to bones after a few hours.

The ratcatcher shook his head. Once upon a time, he would have thought that the ferocity and fecundity of rats would be good for his business. Now he doesn't feel that way anymore. He felt sympathy for the suffering of his countrymen, but he was also ashamed of his earlier thoughts. Profiting from someone else's suffering will only turn him into a parasite. In addition, the council has stopped handing out bounties, which means that he can no longer profit by catching rats. Because this time the problem is too big to be solved in this way. Like everyone else in the city, the nobles had to sit back and wait for events to unfold.

In the alley, a large black rat was running so fast in the snow that it didn't even shake its beard as it passed near the tavern. Mo Jie watched the abominable rodent walk towards the street, only changing direction when it approached a beggar who had collapsed in the doorway. Apparently, the poor creature was very lucky, and even a rat would not want to eat such a sick creature.

"Are you Mr. Mo?" A deep voice came from the darkness. Mo Jie turned around, dodging the retreating rat. He couldn't help but be startled. As the speaker stepped out of the shadows, Mo Jie found himself facing a tall figure, wrapped in a waxed canvas black robe. He wears a wide-brimmed fur hat on his head, a waxed canvas hood on his head, and a strange-looking mask on his face that reveals a protruding beak.

"You...... You're the doctor?" Mo Jie asked in disbelief. The terrifying-looking man bowed slightly. The ratcatcher felt a surge of anger in his heart. "Didn't I tell you to be careful? Why are you coming here so blatantly? ”

The plague expert shrugged helplessly. "The money you gave me wasn't enough for me to take the risk, and the people lying in the cemetery were the best examples."

"Get in on here, don't let anyone see it!" Mo Jie said hurriedly. When he reached out to pull the plague doctor, the doctor brushed his hand away with his heavy cane.

"I said I wouldn't take any chances." The doctor gestured with his cane to the tavern. "Take me to the patient, but don't touch me. I need to minimize physical contact. ”

Mo Jie was very unhappy with the plague doctor's condescending tone, but thinking of Tang Lian's bad situation, he still patiently led him through the side door of the tavern into the store. It's getting late, and even the store that should be bustling is long gone. The cook and his assistants all went home, leaving Hu Junling to receive a few customers who were still drinking.

When she saw Mo Jie appear at the door, she nodded and motioned for Mo Jie to come in. The ratcatcher and the plague doctor hurried past her. Mo Jie pulled the trap from the floor and climbed down the ladder into the cellar below, with Fox Junling and the Plague Doctor following him closely.

The cellars were filled with barrels of wine and barrels of sorghum wine, which bearded men stockpiled in case quarantine conditions would one day cut off all traffic between Yangning and the rest of the region, forcing them to survive only on what was already within the city walls. Mo Jie circled through the clutter of chests, just to find the faint glimmer behind the cellar.

Part of the room was separated by a broken curtain, and Tang Lian lay on a small mattress in the back. With a high fever, he pushed away the thick fur and blanket that Hu Junling had prepared for him. Despite the bitter cold wind in the cellar, Tang Lian's pajamas were soaked with sweat and clinged tightly to his chest.

Mo Jie looked down at the poor child, shook his head in pain, and then pursed his lips angrily. A few rats swirled around the tray, nibbling on the rushes they had knocked over. One of the rodents even began to bite the only lamp that was still clinging to the pole.

Mo Jie yelled at these hateful vermin, but the daring rats didn't even glance in his direction. It was only when he pounced forward, grabbing a mouse with one kick, that the scavenger instinctively and easily retreated and disappeared into the darkness. They didn't retreat far, their bright eyes gleaming in the shadows as they watched people gather around hospital beds.

Mo Jie hurriedly put the remaining rushes in order and pushed them back to his stand with frustrated violence. "Why don't you look at him!" When he lit the candle again, he yelled at Hu Junling. "You must not leave him alone! Rats will ......"

Hu Junling walked up to Mo Jie and put her hand on his chest. She knew that Mo Jie was not blaming her unfairly, he was just furious because he felt helpless. He was powerless to stop Tang Lian's decline, which he could not accept.

As Hu Junling comforted Mo Jie, the plague doctor stood next to Tang Lian, the glass eyes on his fancy mask reflecting the flames of rush grass. The patient was frightened back by the terrifying ghost hovering over his head, but had no strength to dodge the doctor's cane as it poked into his pajamas. The brass claw at the end of the stick hooked the fabric of the pajamas, lifting the clothes to reveal the patient's chest. As the doctor examined the patient, the smell of vinegar emanated from the bird-like mask.

"Plague," the doctor said blandly, then drew his cane from Tang Lian's clothes and slowly retreated from his bedside. He turned, his back to the tray, and his brass claws at the head of the staff were engrossed, struggling in the light of the rush fire.

Faced with the plague doctor's cold attitude, Mo Jie's fists clenched tightly. "Do something for him." He broke free from Hu Junling's arms. "You're a doctor! I know you can! Help him!"

The bird-like mask turned, and the glass eyes stared at Mo Jie's angry face. "I heard too many pleas, too many threats, but I didn't feel anything. If you want to evoke the good side of my nature, I'm afraid you'll come too late. They fled a few months ago. The Plague Doctor removed the brass claws from the flames and carefully observed the scorching glow of the metal. After dying a dozen times, you can truly not care. After the age of 100, you can't do it even if you want to. ”

"You must be able to do something," Mo Jie growled.

The Plague Doctor walked past the rat catcher and his woman, staring at Tang Lian's emaciated body. The doctor wore gloves and pulled out a small clay vase from the pouch on his belt. He coldly placed it on a box. "You pay me well, so I'll leave this to you. This will make him go very fast. He patted the mouth of the vial. God, if only I had more money so I could help more people. ”

"I'm not going to tell the council about this," the plague doctor's tone became stern. "By decree, I have to. In good conscience, it is my obligation. But, I guess it doesn't make a difference. The gods have decided that we will all die. It's just a matter of time. He turned and walked through the cellar towards the ladder. On the way, he grabbed a bottle of wine from a shelf against the wall. "After drinking this wine, I'll forget I've been here tomorrow morning."

It wasn't until long after the doctor left that Mo Jie left. His eyes were fixed on the bottle left by the doctor.

"Maybe that's for the best." Hu Junling whispered.

The ratcatcher raged through the cellar, one hand clutching the bottle. With an unspeakable roar, he threw it at the wall, shattering it to pieces.

"There must be a way!" Mo Jie roared.

Hu Junling heard the pain in her man's voice, and her eyes couldn't stop flashing with tears.

In the shadows, the rats began to run towards the rush mound.