Chapter 131: Tension

The three days of New Year’s Day passed in a blur.

The first snowfall of 2003 had finally arrived.

Snowflakes danced wildly across the sky, transforming the world into a different shade.

There was still a week and a half left at school before the final exams, after which he could go home for the holidays. The snow blanketed the ground, and the dropping temperatures suppressed the youthful hormones stirring within Zhang Tan’s body. Apart from attending classes, he spent the rest of his time holed up in his rented room, warmed by the radiator.

He played piano and sang, worked on his writing assignments, and did sit-ups—quietly and sincerely calming himself.

When tired, he would relax by watching the news.

But that day’s news made his brow furrow deeply. Reports emerged of a severe respiratory infectious disease suspected to be pneumonia in Guangdong, infecting several healthcare workers. The news seemed trivial, barely more than a curious report.

Yet it sent a shockwave through Zhang Tan’s scalp, tingling sharply.

Because the cases resembled the SARS outbreak he had lived through in his previous life. The SARS epidemic had nearly paralyzed China for half a year. The Minister of Health and the Mayor of Beijing had both resigned because of it. SARS was a battle that had gripped the nation with fear.

After his rebirth, Zhang Tan had recorded this critical event in his notebook, though with time, the memory of SARS had faded.

Indeed, SARS had shaken the entire country, leaving everyone anxious and fearful. However, Anhui was not a severely affected area; no one close to Zhang Tan had contracted the disease. The province reported only a handful of cases, with no deaths in Anhui, and all patients recovered. So, the crisis did not strike Zhang Tan with sufficient urgency.

At that time, Zhang Tan was just a sophomore in high school, a mere teenager. He only remembered the commotion, while adults were gripped with intense anxiety. People scrambled for Banlangen herbal medicine, vinegar, salt; they injected immunoglobulins, wore masks, and avoided going out—chaos reigned. That year’s entrance exam even omitted the physical education test.

“SARS is back, huh,” Zhang Tan muttered, scratching his head, feeling the unstoppable force of history.

He wanted to change the course of events but felt powerless.

The SARS outbreak was, besides being highly contagious, largely due to the government’s initial neglect. When reports came in, no immediate control or population movement restrictions were implemented, allowing the disease to spread from Guangdong. Only when SARS hit Beijing and the World Health Organization issued alerts did the government scramble into action.

“All I can do is post warnings online, but that’s almost useless.”

Still, Zhang Tan anonymously posted several messages on forums like Tianya, reposting news reports, urging people to take precautions, go out less, and avoid strangers. However, these new accounts seemed like misinformation to many. Some forums deleted his posts outright, while others left them ignored.

It was futile.

Posting only eased his conscience.

And this time, Zhang Tan was unsure how the government would respond.

Maybe the crisis could be avoided...

Every day, Zhang Tan searched for news about SARS.

But reports were scarce.

It was unclear whether the outbreak hadn’t yet erupted or was being covered up. After finishing his exams smoothly, nothing further developed. He packed his things and returned home that afternoon, once again warning his parents to close their internet café because of the infectious disease outbreak in Guangdong.

At first, Zhang Quanshun and Tan Mingxia didn’t believe him. But within days, the national disease control center appeared on-site to provide guidance and officially named the illness SARS pneumonia, letting a trickle of news slip out.

Though his parents didn’t close the internet café, they entrusted the cashiers and network administrators to manage it, deciding not to go there themselves.

“You’re worrying over nothing—there’s a country to handle any problems that arise,” Tan Mingxia grumbled.

In any case, Zhang Tan’s New Year passed amid his worries.

The shadow of SARS had not spread far, confined mostly to a few places in Guangdong where tension simmered. Elsewhere, celebrations continued as usual, because the government said nothing and few were aware. The entire Hefei city showed no abnormalities, yet Zhang Tan dared not relax. He prepared numerous hygiene measures at home.

He avoided going out during the holidays.

Who knew if a SARS patient might suddenly arrive from Guangdong?

Better safe than sorry. Having been given a second chance at life, enjoying a good quality of life, Zhang Tan was not about to invite death.

In this tense atmosphere, the seventh volume of his novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes was published on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. Zhang Tan had spent the holiday mostly indoors, allowing his writing to proceed smoothly. The Condor Heroes series was already complete, and he had begun drafting his next work, The Return of the Condor Heroes, with the outline long planned.

Jin Yong’s Condor Trilogy, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, and The Deer and the Cauldron were novels deeply etched in Zhang Tan’s memory, bolstered by abundant film and literary references, making writing them relatively easy. Other novels were different; many plot details were lost, and he could only incorporate classic scenes into his works.

Zhang Tan’s fame was on the rise, poised to reach legendary status if he persevered. Maintaining his reputation was paramount. He also sensed he might not write novels for long. Once he advanced from high school to film school, where he would formally study directing, his career would likely shift toward directing.

So, in the years ahead, he intended to produce as many classic novels as possible.

For the rest, he would write scripts and either direct or arrange for their filming.

The cold weather of the lunar January deepened, with Valentine’s Day and the Lantern Festival only a day apart.

After Lantern Festival, school resumed. The school environment was relatively isolated, and Zhang Tan could not think of a reason not to attend, so he had to continue going.

“You don’t have to go to the internet café if you can avoid it. The network staff are managing well enough. Pay them a bit more and let them relax at home for a while. Guangdong’s situation is worsening—there are already three or four hundred cases, five deaths, and over a hundred doctors infected.”

Before leaving, Zhang Tan reminded his parents once again and advised his sister, who was studying medicine, to keep away from SARS and stay safe.

Though the SARS outbreak was still being concealed and had not garnered widespread concern, Zhang Quanshun, Tan Mingxia, and Zhang Yan heeded Zhang Tan’s warnings, especially with the corroborating reports from Guangdong. The Zhang family lived in Gangji town, a rural village where infection risk was nearly zero.

In rural towns and villages, population mobility was low, making the spread of infectious diseases difficult.

In the blink of an eye, March arrived.

The final volume of The Legend of the Condor Heroes was published, and the publisher planned a book signing event in Huainan, where the series sold exceptionally well—second only to Hefei. Zhang Tan refused decisively. Others were ignorant of SARS, but he knew the truth.

Better safe than sorry. Even if cured, infection left many with lingering aftereffects, ruining lives.

The Anhui Arts Publishing House was somewhat displeased, feeling Zhang Tan was uncooperative with promotion.

But a few days later, the publisher’s leadership stopped proposing book signing events altogether.

On March 12, the World Health Organization issued a global alert, declaring that SARS had spread to Guangdong, Hanoi, and Hong Kong. The Ministry of Health could no longer conceal the outbreak and was forced to announce it publicly. The hasty and disorganized response triggered a sudden wave of SARS panic.