Landing on the Island, A Gentleman Never Leaves a Grudge Unavenged

In the short time Serena Feng turned back, more than a dozen new high-fever patients appeared in the casualty hold. She hurriedly changed clothes, masked up, and rushed inside.

"Take their temperatures—see how high the fever is." Serena handed a box of thermometers to her young medical apprentice. The apprentice moved quickly, darting into the wounded crowd, distributing the thermometers, and briefly explaining how to use them.

The young doctors from Jiangnan Medical Academy all knew how to use thermometers. Each had one, but treated them like family heirlooms—treasured and rarely used.

"Isolate the fever patients." Serena stepped forward to examine two of them, her preliminary diagnosis suggesting the fevers were caused by wind-chill, not wound infection.

"Now this is interesting." In the dim cabin, Serena flashed a cold smile in the candlelit shadows, brushed the dust from her clothes, and stood up to head outside.

"Guards!" Serena stood at the hatch, calling out loudly.

"Your Majesty..." The shadow guards appeared first, followed by the ship's regular guards. Serena nodded to the shadow guards, then addressed the regular guards: "Pass my order: Seal the casualty hold. No one enters or leaves."

The guards were puzzled and glanced up at Serena. Seeing her face like cold frost, they quickly lowered their heads and obeyed: "At your command, Your Majesty."

Only then did Serena look away, instructing the shadow guards: "Assist as needed. Anyone who resists—kill without mercy!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The shadow guards didn't dare hesitate and nodded in response.

Thud, thud, thud... The regular guards worked quickly, soon surrounding the cabin. Inside were only the wounded, army doctors, young medical apprentices, and a few junior soldiers helping care for the patients.

The army doctors and young soldiers caring for the wounded were briefly stunned by the scene, but several injured men stood up angrily and began accusing the guards.

"What’s going on? We’re hurt—now we’re being locked up too?"

"We fought with our lives, our own side against our own, and now we’re wounded. Instead of saving us, you’re locking us up—why?"

"Is this a plague? I just looked at those guys—their skin is red like boiled shrimp, and a lot of people have fevers. Is it contagious?"

A few people in the crowd deliberately stirred things up, with others chiming in as if to prove them right. Before they finished speaking, more wounded men suddenly cried out for help.

"Help! Help!"

"Ugh... Help!"

......

In an instant, seven or eight more patients spiked fevers. They all had one thing in common: no warning signs beforehand, and once the fever hit, their bodies burned frighteningly hot. Hearing the earlier talk, those nearby shrank away, terrified it was a plague that could spread.

The wounded who hadn’t cared about the provocations before now shifted uneasily, desperate to put distance between themselves and the feverish men...

Serena was grateful the injured were all soldiers. Though afraid, they didn’t panic like commoners or start making trouble.

With no supervisor present yet, Serena had to set aside her patients and calm the chaos among them first.

"Arrest those agitators." Serena removed her mask, pointing at several men mingling with the wounded, their eyes shifty.

"Why? Why arrest us? What crime did we commit?" The men shouted loudly, "Just because you’re the Empress, you think you can order people around and kill at will? What does a woman like you know?"

"Exactly! Our lives are already at risk, and instead of saving us, you want to arrest us."

Their voices were full of guilt, but they had no choice. None expected the fevers to break out now, so they could only bluff, hoping to spark a riot or mislead the others.

"I know enough!" Serena’s face grew cold as she barked, "For what you just said, I could have your whole family executed."

Serena spoke each word slowly, arms folded as she stood among the crowd. She looked unchanged from before, yet no one in the casualty hold dared speak—a stunned silence fell as everyone stared at her.

It was hard to believe this dignified Empress was the same woman who had just bandaged their wounds...

The contrast was astonishing!

The guards followed Serena’s orders and seized the agitators. The men protested, wailing, "Emperor, save us! Emperor, save us! We only fought because of your command... We didn’t know those pirates were our own men—this is all a misunderstanding!"

"Emperor, save us! Emperor, save us..."

"Ahhh... I’m dying, I’m dying!"

"Gag them and drag them out. Search them for anything suspicious." Serena’s eyes flashed with impatience. After issuing orders, she put her mask back on and, seeing the anxious faces of the wounded, paused to explain: "Don’t let yourselves be provoked. Those men’s sudden fevers are highly unusual—they may have been poisoned. Now they’re isolated; you won’t be harmed."

Seeing that the wounded were frightened but no one dared act out, Serena nodded in satisfaction and told the shadow guards, "Be thorough. I suspect there’s a traitor on board."

With that, she turned into the medicine room. Luckily, it was empty—Serena quickly activated her Smart Med‑Pack and redeemed a batch of emergency fever‑reducing medicine.

Medications like ibuprofen and Tylenol are usually for children, to prevent high fevers from damaging the brain. Serena had just diagnosed those feverish patients with dangerously high temperatures—without prompt treatment, their brains would suffer.

At this moment, only emergency fever medicine would do—bring down the fevers first!

There were plenty of fever patients, and after several rounds of medicine redemption, Serena was nearly out of Medical Ethics Points. She didn’t mind—she could always earn more.

Serena packed the medicine into a large basket and was heading out when she ran into Prince Nolan. He’d already learned the gist of the situation and was secretly relieved Serena was here and had acted so quickly.

"Do what you need to—leave the rest to me. To dare make a move under my nose, I’ll make them regret ever living." Prince Nolan strode forward, took the basket from Serena, and handed it to a guard. "From now on, let them handle this kind of thing."

"Alright." Serena flexed her aching hands and said, "There are too many patients—I don’t have time to talk. There must still be spies on board. Try to trace the source of the illness from them; I need to know the cause to treat it properly."

"Half an hour. I’ll have answers for you." Prince Nolan glanced at Serena, a flash of concern in his eyes. He wanted to tell her not to do everything herself, but knowing her temperament, he swallowed the words.

"I’ll put this on the Ghost King’s account—new grudges and old debts, I’ll settle them all!"

Prince Nolan didn’t need to think twice—this fever outbreak was no accident. If he hadn’t decided on a live drill, drawing out both the fevers and the spies, they’d all be doomed once the illness struck ashore...