Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 201 Special Infected

Ouyang immediately searched the guard's body but found nothing similar to the key, including the magnetic card.

Pam pointed to the electrical box on the wall and reminded her, "I think you should take a look at that!"

When Ou Yang opened it, he found it wasn't a distribution box at all. Inside were two rows of switches, one above the other, each with a key hanging below it and a number indicating it was to be memorized.

Ouyang immediately found the corresponding key and asked as he opened the door, "Pam, my dear friend, do you know where my companion is?"

“Sorry,” Pam shrugged regretfully. “They were taken away by the guards for fighting, and we don’t know where they are.”

Ouyang had a premonition, but hearing this still made his heart tighten: "They're not here?"

The door opened, and Pam came out, saying with absolute certainty, "He's not here."

Old Black from next door was impatient: "Hey buddy, can you open the door for me too?"

Ouyang took off the key and shoved it into Pam's hand: "It's yours now, okay?"

"It's my pleasure!" Pam said, patting her chest in thanks.

He did not do it himself, but distributed the keys, and the people opened the cell doors themselves and regained their freedom.

Ouyang shouted at the top of his lungs, "Does anyone know where my companions are? Does anyone know—"

He walked from one end of the corridor to the other, but not a single old man could answer his question.

"Perhaps you could ask the guards," an unfamiliar old man said, glancing sideways at the corpse on the ground.

Ou Yang suddenly realized and began to regret that he had been too heavy-handed. He wished he had left one alive.

Suddenly, a fierce argument broke out on the other side. Two young Americans were arguing over the guard's sidearm, neither willing to give in.

Several elderly Americans remained in the jail, refusing to come out, and even argued vehemently: "Hey, what are you doing? This is an official refuge. Do you want to go against the Lion State government?"

There was even an old man with a mean face who shouted at Ouyang through the iron bars: "Didn't you see him kill the guard?"

Old Mi scoffed, "Are you blind? How could this possibly be a refuge for those involved in legal disputes?"

Ouyang had a headache and waved his arms, shouting, "Listen to me... listen to me... listen to me!"

He pulled out a Glock 19 and fired two shots, finally calming everyone down.

Ouyang yelled at the top of his lungs, "Listen to me, this isn't an official shelter, it's an organ black market! They're going to transplant your hearts and lungs to wealthy infected people!"

The sarcastic old man simply didn't believe it: "Impossible!"

Old Mi, still in jail, nodded repeatedly, expressing his deep agreement.

But many older Muslims chose to believe, especially Pam and other church members.

A bearded man in his early thirties stepped forward: "I've been here for two weeks. I swear to God, all my companions who arrived before me have been taken away by the guards, and none of them have come back... Is there anyone who has been here longer than me?"

The crowd looked at each other, but no one stepped forward.

Now, even Old Mi, who was most convinced that this was a safe haven, began to waver.

Ouyang pointed in the direction he had come from: "If you don't believe me, you can go over there and see. There are many people in the autopsy room whose internal organs have been removed!"

After saying that, he turned and walked away.

“Black, Clark, where are you going?” Pam called out.

“Go find my companions.” O’Yan stopped, hesitated for a moment, then drew his Glock and handed it to Pam.

Pam looked utterly devastated: "Oh, please don't do this!"

"I've already wasted a lot of time!" Ou Yang's expression was complicated. "The guards will be here soon. Take care!"

Pam gritted her teeth and whispered, "I'll go with you!"

The bearded man suddenly leaned closer: "I know a very secluded place here where you might find your companions."

Ou Yang's eyes lit up: "Then what are we waiting for!"

The bearded man led the way excitedly: "My name is Ferguson, may I call you Clark?"

Ouyang quickly followed up: "Of course."

Pam followed without hesitation, and the rest of the old Americans looked at each other and then swarmed after him.

Ouyang didn't want so many people following him, but he couldn't refuse.

It's simple and convenient to go alone, but if so many people gather together, it's very likely to attract a large number of guards to surround and attack them.

Many old Americans remained, and they didn't trust Easterners at all.

In a short while, a group of guards appeared. Some of the remaining Americans were indifferent to the situation, while others became guides, eagerly pointing the way for the guards.

Without saying a word, the guards immediately locked up all the remaining old rice in the cell.

At this moment, Ouyang and the others, led by Ferguson, found a passage hidden in a corner.

If no one had led the way, neither Ouyang nor any of the other veterans would have ever discovered this passage!

As soon as he opened the door, Ouyang smelled a faint spore scent and couldn't help but feel a little wary: Where is this place?
Just as he was about to throw something down to test if there were any guards, Pam walked in with her gun: "Nobody's here, it's safe!"

The others then followed them into the basement, only to find that it was also a straight corridor with a row of cells on each side.

The group looked at each other in bewilderment. Was this another place where immune individuals were being held?

Ou Yang gestured for everyone to stay behind, and one person went closer to observe, discovering that the cell contained a severely infected person whose body was covered in bacterial spots.

Plaques are a unique phenomenon in people with severe infections. Simply put, it is caused by the proliferation and aggregation of fungal hyphae under the skin, resulting in changes in skin color.

If you peel back the skin, clusters of mycelium will be exposed.

At this stage, the infection is already very serious. In the next phase, the hyphae will emerge from the skin, turning a perfectly healthy person into a horrifying sight with their entire body covered in hyphae.

Ouyang had only read about bacterial plaques in documents before; this was the first time he had seen them in person.

An even more unexpected situation occurred: when the infected in the cell saw an armed guard outside, they shrank into a corner like frightened rabbits and shouted in terror, "Don't kill me!"

His voice was very strange, like two pieces of wood rubbing together vigorously, both dry and hoarse, but the pronunciation was normal.

Ou Yang could hardly believe his ears. He stared at the other person and looked him up and down. It was indeed a severely infected person, but how could someone with this level of infection be conscious?

Pam and Ferguson approached from behind, their eyes filled with fear.

More immune individuals gathered around, then split up to check the other cells: "These are zombies too!"

"I'm here too!"

The infected reacted differently to strangers outside. Some approached the door, curiously peering in; some ignored them, showing no interest; but most huddled up, terrified.

But all infected people have one thing in common: they still retain self-awareness!

Everyone knows that severely infected people are called zombies because they have completely lost their self-awareness and are left with only pure instincts.

But what about these special infected individuals?

Finally, one of the infected women couldn't hold back any longer and gripped the railing tightly with both hands: "Please, please, save me, I don't want to die!"

Judging from her figure, she should be a young girl in the prime of her life, the most beautiful age, but now she looks neither human nor ghost, making her unbearable to look at.

“I’m sorry,” Ouyang said, “I don’t know how to save you.”

"How did you all end up like this? Did you take some new drug?" Ou Yang's gaze was complicated, unsure how to comment.

If a new drug were to emerge that could keep severely infected individuals sane, would it be a blessing or a curse for humanity?
“We are not infected, nor have we taken any special medicine.” Another infected person stepped forward, his tall and broad body giving people a very reliable feeling.

“Uncle Andrew!” The girl looked over immediately, her eyes filled with dependence and trust.

Facing the curious gazes of the crowd, Andrew slowly pulled open his clothes, and the crowd immediately let out a suppressed gasp—on his chest covered with white fungal spots, there was a crooked scar, clearly left by surgery.

Andrew's gaze was melancholy: "Everyone here is immune, just like you."

The crowd erupted in an uproar; some were terrified, some were confused, and others immediately covered their mouths and noses.

Is this a new mutated fungus that even immune individuals cannot escape?

Pam blurted out, "Impossible!"

Ouyang cautiously inquired, "How did you all end up like this?"

"Because we received a lung transplant from an infected person," Andrew whispered the answer. The little girl beside him couldn't help but cry, but there were only sounds, no tears.

"Caroline, don't cry," Andrew whispered to comfort her.

Ou Yang stared in disbelief, even his breathing became labored: "How could this be?"

Along the way, he witnessed firsthand how ruthless the forces controlling the black market were, but he never imagined they could be this insane.

Everyone else was also horrified. How could a human being transplant an infected lung into an immune person?

Ouyang felt that Andrew was someone he could talk to, and immediately asked, "Does everyone who gets a transplanted infected lung end up like this?"

“Yes,” Andrew said, “but some people are faster and some are slower.”

"What about consciousness? Can everyone remain conscious?"

"Not entirely. Those who can remain conscious are all here; those who cannot remain conscious have disappeared."

Ouyang originally wanted to ask Andrew how long he had been there, but looking at the fungal patches on his body, he knew it must have been quite a while.

"Can you let us out?" Andrew asked calmly. "You're wearing a guard's uniform, but you're definitely not a guard, right?"

Ouyang was confused. After thinking for a while, he said, "I sympathize with your situation very much, but I don't know whether I should let you out."

“I understand.” Andrew nodded, looking up. “I heard gunshots. You’re not in a good situation, are you?”

“Indeed,” Ouyang said.

"These damned scumbags have conducted countless experiments on us, leaving us with inescapable pain!" Andrew's expression changed for the first time, turning into a ferocious grimace of hatred. "I want revenge! I want vengeance! I want to make those scumbags wish they were dead!"

"You're so right!"

"Revenge, revenge—"

Many infected people stood up and shouted in unison.

Their time is running out; if they miss today, they may never find another chance.

The immune individuals present were also infected, waving their arms and loudly echoing the sentiment.

Ouyang made up his mind: "Open the door!"

He felt no psychological burden in making this decision.

Apart from the immune individuals, there are no innocent people left in this place.

The prison doors opened, and dozens of severely infected individuals stepped forward.

An equal number of infected people remain in their cells and refuse to come out, but no one criticizes their choice.

The ever-growing mycelium severely damages their health, to the point that they move much slower than ordinary people, exhibiting a stiff, mechanical quality.

Some infected individuals have had their eyes filled with fungal hyphae, resulting in severe vision impairment. In a few cases, their eyeballs have even ruptured due to the fungal hyphae, a sight that is both horrifying and pitiful.

But all the infected who were determined to seek revenge went out without hesitation.

Just as he stepped out of the basement, a group of guards arrived. They were all stunned to see the escaped immune person standing with a group of severely infected people.

They knew what the base was for, but few knew what experiments the corporation had conducted on immune individuals!
Faced with numerous guards, old and new grudges surged into his heart, and Andrew suddenly roared, tearing off his clothes and... skin?
Without the skin covering them, large swathes of hyphae are exposed to the air, moving automatically as if they were conscious, even without wind.

The guards were terrified and were about to open fire when Ouyang fired first, killing and wounding more than a dozen guards in a hail of bullets.

"Quick, grab the gun!" Ou Yang roared.

The immune individuals immediately sprang into action, looting the guards of all their weapons, including the tranquilizer guns.

Even so, many immune individuals are still left unarmed.

But at this point, there was no time to worry about that. Just now they were hiding from the guards, but now they were actively looking for trouble with them, doing their best to eliminate the enemy and collect weapons.

The guards not only have an advantage in weaponry, but they can also monitor the movements of Ou Yang and his men through the monitoring room, giving them a significant advantage.

However, the special infected individuals didn't have much time left. Their remaining rationality was completely dominated by hatred, and none of them were afraid of death.

Having experienced a living hell, they have no fear of death, only a sense of transcendence at the prospect of liberation.

The immune individuals were cornered by the guards, facing certain death if they did not resist. Under the immense pressure of life and death, they unleashed extremely powerful combat strength.

There are quite a few immune individuals with military experience, including more than a dozen immune individuals in Ferguson, some of whom even served on the battlefield!
At this time, William had already arrived at Warehouse D. He thought that resolving the chaos would be a simple matter, but he did not expect that the immune individuals would come one after another without fear of death, and they managed to mess up his elimination plan.

After suffering dozens of casualties, the small group led by Ouyang finally managed to seize a batch of weapons and arm all the immune individuals with combat experience.

The next step is a planned counterattack, continuously reaping the lives of the defenders and further strengthening our own power.

With fewer and fewer guards remaining, they were forced to tighten their defenses and concentrate everyone together.

William's face was ashen, and he gritted his teeth as he commanded, "Seal off Warehouse D, release the anesthetic gas, immediately!"

(End of this chapter)