Prince Xia's eyeballs were red, his fever intermittent, his consciousness blurred, and he no longer recognized people. Most frighteningly, his fingernails were evolving into the likeness of predatory animals, becoming incredibly tough and strong, much like the claws of cats and wolves.
Human fingernails could not possibly transform like that, becoming so sharp and hard.
Gu Chaobei analyzed, suspecting Prince Xia had been infected with some animal virus.
Initially, he thought it was rabies, but later realized it was clearly not. Rabies caused photophobia and hydrophobia, which he tested, and Prince Xia showed no fear of these.
"Has he turned into a zombie? Or a vampire?"
Gu Qingcheng's mind flashed these two possibilities.
"It's hard to say. Later, I noticed his teeth were also trending towards becoming sharper. The strangest thing is that despite these changes, he hasn't died.
Furthermore, the Heir had the Prince's limbs securely chained to the bed.
I never saw the Princess or the Young Heir on the ship."
Gu Chaobei finished in one breath.
"There are problems, many problems," Gu Qingcheng frowned.
"Yes, I spent a few days with him and used all sorts of Western medical methods, both pharmacological and physical cooling, but none could help him, so I had to return defeated.
Fortunately, the Heir didn't get angry, and we left at just the right time," Gu Chaobei said.
"The Heir is fully aware of Prince Xia's condition; he's grasping at straws. Moreover, this is the first time he's holding power, so he doesn't have much aggression," Gu Qingcheng analyzed.
"Mm, that's why I want to stay in the room and observe for a few more days, to see if there are any further changes in his body.
If not, that would be the best.
Perhaps humans and animals can infect each other, but humans and humans might not necessarily be contagious, because I saw that the people serving Prince Xia were all the same old staff.
If Prince Xia's illness were directly transmissible from person to person, those people should have been gone by now. It's precisely because of this that I suddenly thought of conducting experiments with human-animal interaction."
Gu Qingcheng and the other two understood completely. Gu Qingcheng comforted him,
"Dad, don't worry, everything will be alright."
Gu Chaobei chuckled,
"Alright, I've said what I needed to say. You all leave with peace of mind. I'm going to continue eating my three-cup chicken."
Hu Lanfang felt both pain and happiness.
The pain was whether her husband had been infected with a virus; the happiness was that her husband still enjoyed her three-cup chicken.
Fortunately, as the spouse of a doctor, even if she didn't say it, she had long prepared herself mentally.
After the initial excitement, Hu Lanfang gradually calmed down.
If her husband was infected, she would have to become stronger to be a pillar of support for everyone.
Her mother's current state was what Gu Qingcheng admired most.
Despite her mother's usual lack of domestic skills, her clumsiness, and her seemingly unreliable nature at home, when she buckled down, she possessed a commanding aura that instilled a great sense of security.
When she got serious, she could seemingly march to the front lines and plug a gun emplacement with her own body!
Given the current situation, her father was likely not in immediate danger.
The three of them then went downstairs.
Afterward, Mi Guo found an opportunity when Hu Lanfang wasn't around and asked,
"Sis, what exactly is going on with Dad?"
Gu Qingcheng replied with annoyance,
"It's all the fault of the Prince's mansion. It's best to have less to do with these noble families. Getting involved with them always brings bad luck.
Alas, if only we had sped up and bypassed them, not boarded their ship."
Mi Guo also felt regretful upon hearing this.
At this moment, Gu Qingcheng's eyes suddenly lit up, and she said,
"So many days have passed, Prince Xia's condition must have changed again. Mi Guo, why don't we go back and take a look? Perhaps then we'll know if Dad is okay."
Mi Guo was also delighted and agreed, saying, "Okay."
He also hoped to do something for his father.
Thus, that night, while her parents were asleep, Gu Qingcheng left a letter on the kitchen table and, along with Mi Guo, departed the yacht. They took a speedboat to search for Prince Xia's large ship.
Gu Qingcheng docked the yacht in a hidden, deserted bay and activated its fully automatic defense system. Even if someone attempted to approach, they would be ruthlessly denied boarding.
As for food and drink, Gu Qingcheng also took out some rice, flour, oil, vegetables, and fruits and placed them in the yacht's kitchen for emergencies.
Although her parents could also retrieve items from her storage locker, what if something happened to her?
If she died, her parents wouldn't be able to open the locker.
Given the tense situation, Gu Qingcheng had prepared for the worst.
Without her control, the yacht could not automatically activate. Therefore, her parents were essentially confined there.
Of course, if she died, these restrictions would be removed, and the yacht would disappear after her parents disembarked.
That was a story for another time.
The next morning, Hu Lanfang woke up and couldn't find her daughter or Mi Guo anywhere, a sudden sense of unease filling her heart.
When she rushed to the kitchen, she saw a letter from Gu Qingcheng tucked under a glass on the dining table.
Hu Lanfang opened the letter and read that Gu Qingcheng intended to go with Mi Guo to investigate Prince Xia's situation and seek the truth, asking her parents not to worry and assuring them they would return safely.
Hu Lanfang was understandably worried and hurried upstairs to find Gu Chaobei.
Gu Chaobei was sleeping soundly, only startled awake by his wife's frantic knocking.
He quickly asked what was wrong.
Hu Lanfang urgently told him to open the door to talk.
Gu Chaobei, still groggy from sleep, heard his wife's call. Decades of respecting his wife's wishes, a skill honed over years, kicked in, and he obediently went downstairs to open the door.
However, as soon as the door opened, he snapped awake and immediately tried to close it. Hu Lanfang, seeing a crack in the door, immediately pushed against it. With such force, the door swung inward.
Gu Chaobei and Hu Lanfang, separated for so many days, suddenly came face to face.
Gu Chaobei was startled and instinctively covered his mouth and nose, saying,
"Why did you barge in like that?"
His tone was as if Hu Lanfang had caught him by surprise during his first bath.
Hu Lanfang, torn between laughter and tears, said urgently,
"Qingcheng and Mi Guo ran off, saying they were going to investigate the truth."
"What? What are these two children thinking?"
Gu Chaobei, at this point, no longer cared about facing his wife or the possibility of infection. Besides, given the circumstances, they had already met and breathed each other's air.
There was no avoiding it now.
"They just left a letter and ran off while we were asleep."
Hu Lanfang quickly showed him the letter.
Gu Chaobei became even more anxious upon reading it:
"Even if the Heir is incompetent, he has a strong army and many men. Just the guards who accompanied me that day had unfathomable martial skills. I didn't even dare to resist, fearing he would cleave me in two with a single blow."
"Ah? That formidable? Then if Qingcheng goes, isn't she walking into a tiger's den?"
Hu Lanfang broke into a sweat from anxiety and said,
"Why don't we go find them?"