“That’s right, we don’t believe you. Our people were killed by you!”
“Those so-called expert doctors deserve to die. Everyone they treated ended up dead. They must be devils in disguise and should be sacrificed to the mountain god!”
“Yes, sacrifice them to the mountain god! Hand them over!”
The villagers were agitated, pushing forward and trying to break through the iron fence.
“Commander, explaining to them is useless. We need to use force to deter them!” the captain suggested urgently.
The saying “bad people come from poor mountains and turbulent waters” was well understood by the captain. He had replaced the bullets in his gun with blanks, ready to intimidate these unruly villagers if necessary.
Although blanks wouldn’t kill, they could still cause significant pain if they hit someone. If they struck a vital area, there was still a risk of fatality.
“Commander, fire a few shots to scare them off for now. We can’t let them continue causing trouble here!” the major behind the colonel urged anxiously.
The colonel shook his head coldly. “Even if we drive them away now, what then? Can you prevent them from sabotaging the camp at night?”
“They already harbor great hostility towards us. If we fire, their hostility will only increase. They will refuse our help and treatment, resulting in more deaths!”
“But letting them continue like this isn’t a solution either!” the major sighed.
“We are soldiers of the people and must consider the people’s welfare. If we have to endure some grievances, so be it. If they break in, whether they smash things or attack us, we can only avoid them and not retaliate!” the colonel decided.
“Yes, sir!” The major reluctantly agreed.
“Also, send someone to protect the expert doctors in the camp! Use force if necessary!” the colonel ordered quickly.
Leo saw that the situation was getting out of hand and prepared to step forward. But before he could move, Monica took a few steps forward and shouted at the villagers, “You are all wrong! There is no mountain god here. Your illness is not a punishment but caused by a virus, a virus!”
Monica’s pale face turned red from exertion.
The villagers closest to her turned around, looking at her with confusion.
They were very curious and surprised by this sudden appearance of a beautiful foreign woman.
“Listen to me, I am a doctor. I came here to help you fight this virus and restore your health!” Monica covered her mouth with her hand. “Please stop and listen to me!”
Hearing her shout, more villagers stopped and turned towards her.
“I am the vice president of the United States Medical Research Association and an experienced doctor!”
“I believe that if I can find the source of the virus infection, I can cure the ‘strange disease’ you mentioned!”
Monica tried to appear sincere as she spoke loudly.
“What did you say you are?” A man with a Mediterranean hairstyle squeezed out of the crowd, looking Monica up and down with a frown.
“I am a doctor, a specialist in viruses from the United States Medical Research Association!” Monica said, quickly taking out her credentials and showing them to everyone.
“Did you hear that? This foreign woman is also a doctor. We can sacrifice her to the mountain god too!” The bald man ignored Monica’s words and shouted to the villagers.
As soon as he spoke, the villagers became even more agitated and immediately surrounded Monica, intending to grab her.
Monica’s bodyguards were terrified and rushed towards the crowd to rescue her.
But it was too late. Before they could reach her, the crowd had already surrounded Monica, blocking them outside.
“Grab her! Sacrifice her to the mountain god!” The villagers shouted as they reached out their dirty hands to grab Monica.
“Ah! Stay back! All of you stay back!” Monica screamed in terror.
She had never encountered such a situation before and was utterly terrified, feeling a deep sense of despair.
Just as a few villagers were about to grab her, a figure suddenly descended from above.
The figure swiftly kicked out with both feet, knocking down several villagers in front of Monica.
The sudden figure was none other than Leo.
Leo’s face was cold as he pulled Monica into his arms, turned with her body, and kicked out again.
A male villager attacking from behind was kicked hard and sent flying into the crowd.
“Anyone who comes closer will face my wrath!” Leo shouted fiercely, releasing a powerful aura while brandishing a talisman that flashed with terrifying firelight.
Feeling the intense pressure and seeing the frightening firelight, the villagers instinctively quieted down, looking at Leo with fear in their eyes.
Monica clung tightly to Leo, her face pale and not daring to make a sound.
But she quickly calmed down because Leo’s warm chest gave her a strong sense of security.
“Who are you?!” The bald man was the first to recover and questioned coldly.
“Eugene, do not be rude to the Taoist priest!” The old village chief quickly scolded Eugene and then looked at Leo with respect. “Sir, was that a Taoist talisman for exorcising evil spirits?”
“Yes,” Leo nodded.
“My apologies for any disrespect!” The village chief bowed respectfully to Leo after receiving confirmation.
“Chief, don’t be fooled by him! Does this guy look like a Taoist priest?!” Eugene said angrily.
“Shut up!” The village chief glared at Eugene before turning back to Leo with anticipation. “Young master, are you here to help us exorcise evil spirits?”
Leo’s earlier display reminded the village chief of something he had seen a Taoist priest do when he was younger, so he believed Leo was no ordinary person.
“I am here to help you, but I am not a Taoist priest,” Leo replied calmly.
“See, Chief? I told you he’s not a Taoist priest!” Eugene said excitedly.
“You are not a Taoist priest?” The chief looked surprised. “Then how can you help us?”
“My friend just told you that your village is suffering from a virus infection, not related to any mountain god!”
“I am an Atrarian traditional doctor, so I can naturally help you!”
“Atrarian traditional doctor?” The chief frowned and looked at Leo again.
Other villagers also scrutinized Leo and began whispering among themselves.