Wasteland Development Diary.

Chapter 611 A2 Avian Influenza

In this winter filled with persistent coughs, the medical department responded swiftly to both prevention and treatment, bringing the infection situation in Shagang under control very quickly.

It was only now that Zhou Yi realized that increasing one's life strength could not prevent disease.

Contrary to common sense, the most severely impacted by this winter viral infection sweeping across various regions are actually the enhanced humans and light-based species.

These infected individuals, ranging from mild symptoms like general weakness and difficulty breathing to severe conditions requiring emergency treatment in the ICU, may experience life-threatening situations.

Ordinary people infected with the new strain will generally recover within one to two weeks.

Da Vinci explained, "The new strain was named 'Human Infection with A2 Avian Influenza' by the Holy Mountain because it reached the danger level of A2, meaning Skywalker could also be deeply infected."

"This is a viral disease that spreads among birds. The original carrier was the red-eyed vulture, which originated from the decaying carcasses left behind after being killed by killer rats. However, the reason why the carcasses themselves produced mutated viruses is unknown."

“A2 originally spreads among light-sensitive organisms, and its rapid proliferation is inseparable from light-sensitive organs, causing strong direct damage and destruction to them. It can lead to blood clots in the body, aggravate hypoxia, and cause an overreaction of the immune system, requiring mechanical ventilation or ECMO support. If rescue is not timely, the patient is at risk of death.”

"Even the self-healing enhanced humans and light-nano species, according to our medical tests, have irreversible tissue scarring in their light-nano organs, and their organ functions have significantly declined."

"The reason why ordinary people have milder symptoms is that they do not have light-absorbing organs, so the number of viruses is difficult to increase and the number is limited, so they can quickly reach a dynamic equilibrium."

Zhou Yi's expression turned strange upon hearing this.

It can only be said that nature is indeed a huge dynamic equilibrium system, which will always weaken the dominant players.

He then asked, "How are the company's employees doing?"

"Within the company, there are 16 enhanced human employees. Among them, Feng Ying, Chen Yin, and Jin Xizhu are all doctors and nurses at the hospital, so they are very vigilant. All of them received early treatment and intervention at Maria Hospital, so their symptoms are relatively mild."

Da Vinci said, "On the other hand, the staff of the LightNav were slightly more seriously affected. It was mainly Nightclaw and Hunter Sea who had been in a more serious condition for 1-2 weeks before, but they recovered quickly thanks to organ repair surgery and the replenishment of life-extending stem cells."

"It's also because the organ repair surgery has been confirmed to be effective that the hospital is currently overcrowded, with a large number of light-type and enhanced humans coming to see the doctor and wait for surgery. Even Maria Hospital, which is of its current size, is already severely congested, with tents and sleeping bags set up outside... The number of people who have made appointments for medical treatment has exceeded 3."

Zhou Yi glanced in the direction of the hospital through the floor-to-ceiling window.

There, various light-elemental beings and enhanced individuals lined up, each occupying a small space, some sitting, some squatting. The spectacular sight of the sea of ​​people reminded him of train stations during the Spring Festival travel rush of the past.

It was noisy everywhere, and the hygiene became terrible with so many people. 99 Maria nurses were not enough, and the company had to send out many electric cats to maintain order and prevent conflicts and fights between patients.

After all, they are all powerful beings with great destructive power, and most of them come from other places. In addition, they are very irritable and prone to emotional outbursts after getting sick.

These are all objectively existing problems.

Fortunately, the medical department had set up many temporary white shelters to protect against the wind and snow, and also to facilitate maintaining order. In addition to the silver-masked nurses, there were also some doctors with canned heads whom we had never seen before.

They wore white coats, and their heads, like tin cans, could slowly rotate, with wavy lines of light emanating from their silver, rotating faces. Like the silver-masked nurses, they also had numbers, printed on the chest and back of their white coats.

At this moment, the canned doctors are examining the patients waiting outside.

Zhou Yi was somewhat surprised: "Are those the new Iron Doctors developed by Maria Hospital?"

"Yes, Chairman."

The da Vinci imaging vehicle replied, "Maria Hospital developed the Iron Doctor based on the Iron Nurse two years ago. According to the most basic training rules, resident physicians also need three years of internship. So, although this batch of Iron Doctors can directly access and reproduce various treatment and surgical records from the hospital, they cannot yet perform diagnosis and treatment independently."

"Currently, they are all interns, totaling 12."

"Because there are so many patients, these intern doctors will conduct a preliminary diagnosis first, providing advice and reassurance to those with mild symptoms, and promptly identifying and treating those with severe symptoms."

Zhou Yi nodded: "This is a very good measure."

Patients are always anxious and fearful when they come to the hospital. Some symptoms may seem minor to doctors, but they are definitely major issues from the patient's perspective.

Having a doctor come over and talk to them to confirm their basic condition helps to calm them down.

Zhou Yi couldn't help but think of something else: "By the way, I've been looking at the daily reports for the company's Strong Foundation Program. Out of 5000 employees, 2700 have already completed the program. Are there any issues with them?"

"Please rest assured that this round of infections has had almost no impact on the Strong Foundation Program."

The Minister of Medicine in front of me said, "The Strong Foundation Program currently has two branches."

"The first part consists of employees who have been completely enhanced by hydrogen flow. They do not have photonic organs; their genetic mutation means they still rely on high-energy food—mainly Dead Sea fruit—for sustenance."

"The second method is to acquire power through the Transformation Fruit, which is essentially fruit parasitism. It's basically the same as the Mud Tree Man method, where a special plant organ develops inside the body through the fruit itself, allowing long-term access to the fruit's power. It just utilizes the muscle and fat tissue in the body, turning it into a special reinforced fibrous structure."

"Compared to traditional companion plants, the variety of fruit is much gentler and easier."

"Because neither of these mechanisms is a light-organ pathway, this round of A2 infection is unaffected."

Zhou Yi frowned: "Plant organs... No wonder there are still quite a few employees who are unwilling to use the Hundred Transformations Fruit and continue to wait for the genetic mutation route of the hydrogen flow."

"Chairman, it always takes time for new things to be accepted."

Da Vinci said, "In the past, the Strong Foundation Program itself was the first thing that was rejected. The genetic variation of hydrogen flow and the telekinesis exhibited by the initial test subject Beta made many people feel that it was dangerous and frightening. Now the same is true for the 'Variety Fruit'."

"In fact, both have their advantages."

"The genetic mutation pathway is indeed most compatible with humans because it only unfolds a part of the existing genes. The downside is that it requires continuous intake of Dead Sea Fruit, otherwise it cannot replenish the large amount of energy consumed in the body."

"Energy replenishment has always been achieved through relatively inefficient methods of food intake."

"The efficiency of the human food chain is approximately 10-20%, meaning that as energy flows along the food chain, the next trophic level receives about 10% of the energy of the previous trophic level. About 90% of the energy is lost during the energy flow process; this is commonly known as the 'one-tenth rule.' Therefore, the longer the food chain, the more energy is consumed at each trophic level." "The energy transfer efficiency from solar energy to plants is 1-2%, while at the next trophic level, from plants to herbivores, it's 5-20%. Even just considering these two links together, the actual transfer efficiency is only 0.05%-0.4%... Therefore, with each trophic level, the loss increases significantly."

"The 'Hundred-Change Fruit' gives the human body a certain energy absorption capacity, just like the leaves of the Pan Tree, which can absorb death rays, but it is not a traditional light-absorbing organ."

"It is at the first trophic level, and its energy transfer efficiency is inherently at least 20 times higher than that of genetic mutations. This is its innate advantage, and it does not require continuous supplementation with Dead Sea Fruit."

Da Vinci stated, "The final testers will understand why genetic mutations become recessive—it's because they're no longer suitable for survival in the current environment. In fact, the 'Ever-Changing Fruit' mode is a more advanced enhancement mode."

Zhou Yi suddenly realized.

This is a math problem. The data shows that the Hundred Change Fruit model has a great advantage, but many people can't get over that psychological hurdle.

Ultimately, people tend to believe that things that have existed in the past are more reliable.

However, change is only a matter of time.

Humans are ultimately a group that pursues practical results.

During the winter flu season, all territorial water owners were affected to varying degrees.

While the Eastern Continent was making every effort to contain the spread of the disease, the Western Continent, where battles were raging, was teeming with sick people from all sides, making it the most peaceful winter in recent years.

Various regions are working together to procure medicines and send critically ill patients to high-level hospitals with ICUs.

Not only was Queen Mary Hospital in Sakong crowded, but Mount Sakong, a medical center in the wasteland era, was also severely congested, and even implemented entry and exit controls, requiring one person to enter and one person to leave the city.

The Heavenly Kingdom also suffered a severe impact. Fortunately, there were hospitals in various places, and under the Black Emperor II's emergency medical plan, although medicine was still scarce, the order was relatively stable.

This made Zhou Yi sigh.

The way to unite everyone was indeed to create a powerful common enemy.

In the fourth month of winter, the Holy Mountain developed a highly effective drug, the A2 polymerization inhibitor. This drug can inhibit viral RNA replication, and the treatment course is usually 5-10 days. Mass production began and it was distributed to various regions.

However, this drug alone is not enough; other supporting treatments such as oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation, and anti-infection measures are also needed to complete the auxiliary treatment and observation.

In this winter when everyone is sick, the pharmaceutical industry has become extremely prosperous, and the strategic value of hospitals in each region has been fully demonstrated.

In regions with advanced hospitals, A2 infection and treatment are generally relatively stable, while areas lacking medical resources suffer severe losses.

The most severely affected population is the light-emitting nano-species.

Since most human enhanced individuals live and work in various cities, they are very familiar with hospitals and can quickly find reliable hospitals for treatment.

However, the Guangna species either live in Guangna City or live in the Dead Sea as a group.

Faced with this special infection of light-sensitive organs, they initially tend to tough it out, but when it becomes severe, they start to panic and become disoriented.

This group prioritizes personal growth and rarely gets sick in the past, while regional infrastructure and welfare are severely inadequate.

The inadequate medical care became a gaping wound, causing a large number of patients to fall ill one after another. Many infected individuals continued to deteriorate in condition but did not receive medical assistance, resulting in the highest death toll.

Those who come to Shagang for medical treatment and surgery are mainly these people.

The three leaders of the Hai Ren Gang—Hua Li of the Hua Yi Tuan, Hai Lao Qi of the Guo Hai Hui, and Jiao Zi of the San Dao Gang—also rushed to the company to ask for help and get medicine.

Zhou Yi personally received them.

"Please rest assured, everyone. We have a dedicated channel with Holy Mountain for the supply of drugs, and the A2 inhibitors you need will be prioritized and there will be no shortage problem."

"Maria Hospital has built a new emergency building, where critically ill patients can go directly for surgery, including life-saving stem cell repair. So far, there have been no deaths among the patients being treated at the hospital."

"And the children of your three gangs, they've all been vaccinated and are wearing masks. The infections at their schools have also been brought under control. Everything's fine, don't worry."

Zhou Yi's words immediately put the sea people leaders at ease.

"Thank you, Mr. Zhou, and thank you to the company. Looking back now, we are so lucky that our Flower Dress Group was appreciated by the company so early on."

"Whatever orders the company gives, we will go through fire and water to carry them out."

"It is an honor for the Three Knives Gang to be able to work for the company."

Everyone complimented them, and it was because they had indeed benefited from working with the company.

Especially when faced with such force majeure, the company remained as stable as Mount Tai, and various resources were never cut off. Compared with other distressed regions, the difference was truly like night and day.

Zhou Yi politely raised his teacup: "Let's help each other out and make money together."

All the gang leaders raised their glasses: "We will follow Mr. Zhou's arrangements!"

After we finished discussing business...

Hua Li from the Flower Dress Group suddenly said, "Mr. Zhou, we recently received some rather sensitive information, and we were just about to report it to you..."

"This A2 virus may have been caused by deliberate poisoning rather than being formed naturally."

Zhou Yi became interested: "Tell me in detail."

(End of this chapter)