Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 268 Welcome to Shalayton

The trio continued south, accompanied by some older Americans.

Everyone instinctively kept their distance to avoid crowding together and attracting drone attacks.

Ouyang and his team soon discovered that while many people had perished in the bombing, quite a few had also escaped. Looking back, they could see at least a hundred Americans in their line of sight.

The farther they got from the checkpoint, the more at ease they felt. If they encountered a fork in the road, many of the Americans would leave immediately. As a result, the group became more and more scattered. Before long, only twenty or thirty people, including the trio, remained, scattered and separated by hundreds of meters.

Initially, everyone headed south, but over time, they would occasionally run into a few old Americans heading north.

The Americans heading south were all weary from their journey; those heading north were mostly well-equipped, with masks covering their faces.

When the two sides meet, the former usually continues on its way without moving an inch, while the latter often hurriedly leaves the road from a great distance, the farther the better.

Just like the rice from the south is a raging flood... From a certain perspective, everyone from the epidemic area could be a mobile source of infection, which is equivalent to extreme danger.

A single mask is enough to distinguish people, so Ouyang simply found a mask and put it on his face.

Several American men heading north were so panicked that they only cared about running as far away as possible, leaving their cars on the highway.

Among the southbound group, an old black man immediately laughed and tried to take over the pickup truck, but his companion grabbed him and pointed to the bushes in the distance.

Ouyang looked over curiously and vaguely saw the car owner and his companion hiding behind a tree, aiming at the road.

Old Hei's smile froze on his face. Although he didn't want to give up, he eventually walked away dejectedly.

Having faced life and death several times, Lao Hei no longer wanted to have conflicts with anyone and tried his best to avoid any behavior that could potentially cause conflict.

As the group gradually walked away, the driver and his companions, worried about spores remaining on the road, stayed hidden in the bushes until more than half an hour later. They then cautiously came out, took out disinfection equipment from the car, and sprayed and sprayed each other with disinfectant for quite a while before setting off again.

Similar situations are not isolated cases. When passing by a villa built by the roadside, the ultraviolet disinfection lamps outside the door were on all day long.

Ou Yang was puzzled. Wasn't he afraid of getting skin cancer from being exposed to ultraviolet rays like this all the time?

Around 3 p.m., the group passed through an abandoned town. A group of old Americans poured into the town, and before long, a school bus came out and called everyone onto the bus.

Finally, everyone felt a sense of relief, as if they had been resurrected, because they no longer had to use their legs.

With a car, the speed increased dramatically, and in just over an hour, a small town appeared ahead. A road sign on the side of the road read in cursive script: Welcome to Salleton!

Ouyang immediately recalled his recent experience and wondered if this place was as bad as Kamed.

After walking a little further, several private cars, a few tents, and about a dozen old Americans appeared by the roadside.

There were also some elderly people camping in the distance. If you looked closely, it seemed as if there was an invisible wall blocking them from crossing the line.

Ouyang keenly observed that only some people were wearing masks.

The school bus was parked on the side of the road when an older Black man leaned out and asked, "Hey, buddy, what are you doing parked here?"

"For safety reasons, of course," the other person replied lazily. "A word of advice: don't get too close!"

After saying that, he left on his own.

The passengers on the bus immediately began to discuss the matter.

Ouyang took out his binoculars and immediately saw that a city wall had been built around the small town.

It wasn't a traditional city wall, but rather a structure made of bricks, steel plates, iron frames, and even stacked vehicles, blocking off all the roads and gaps between buildings to ensure that no one could sneak in.

In addition, there were vigilant armed personnel everywhere, on the walls, rooftops, and windows.

They weren't wearing military or police uniforms, but each of them had a full set of equipment, at the very least a tactical vest with magazines full of ammunition.

Ouyang put down his binoculars and couldn't help but click his tongue and complain, "Why does it look like a brown bear?"

No wonder all the foreign tourists stopped at a safe distance; the guards on the city wall must all be locals!
He couldn't help but marvel that even Old Mi knew how to keep up with the times!

Separating the epidemic area with blockade lines seems like a good idea, but the manpower and resources required are astronomical.

Conversely, defending a city is much simpler, requiring only a city wall.

There's absolutely no need for the military to intervene. Just organizing the locals, especially able-bodied men with families and children, is enough to make this wall impregnable. Outside the wall is the epidemic area, and inside is their home. It concerns everyone's vital interests. Anyone with a sound mind knows what to do.

Well, mobilizing the masses is Tokyo University's specialty, and Tokyo University has given Yonemiya a lot of excellent suggestions. Using locals to guard the wall might have been Tokyo University's idea.

Zhu Yiming took the binoculars and looked inside: "Wrong, brown bears aren't allowed out, and they're not allowed in here!"

Ou Yang rolled his eyes, not wanting to talk to a contrarian.

I took out my phone and pressed the power button. The boot screen appeared, but before the home screen appeared, the screen went black again.

The power is completely out.

Ou Yang sighed and held out his hand to Zhu Yiming: "Give me your phone!"

Zhu Yiming handed over the phone: "The battery is low, so be careful!"

"Got it." Ou Yang waved his hand casually. After turning on the device, the battery level was only 34%.

Not much, but enough.

The signal is weak, but it's still sufficient.

Ou Yang couldn't wait to dial Luo Hui's number, and the call was quickly answered: "Hello, this is Ou Yang!"

Luo Hui glanced at the caller ID and immediately guessed that Ou Yang's phone was probably dead: "You're here? Was the journey smooth?"

"Not exactly smooth sailing, but we were lucky," Ouyang said. "We've arrived at... a place called Salleton. They've built a wall around it, completely surrounding the city; there's no way to get through!"

The last sentence is the key.

In China, no matter how big the city is, there's usually an outer ring road, so you can just drive around it. But in the US, most highways lead directly into the city, so there's nowhere to go around them.

“Saletton?” Luo Hui’s voice suddenly rose half an octave. “You mean Saletton?”

Ouyang was completely bewildered: "Yes, it's Salaiton!"

“Then there’s no problem,” Luo Hui said. “There’s a buffer zone to the east of Salleton, which is basically a green channel for entering the city. You need to identify yourselves… Note that I’m referring to your dual status as both immunized and on foreign affairs. We have an office there, and I’ll immediately notify our staff to come out of the city to pick you up!”

"Wow, really?" Ouyang immediately perked up.

Zhu Yiming nudged his arm: "What do you mean, 'really' or 'fake'?"

"Great news!" Ou Yang hung up the phone. "Come with me!"

The three men immediately got out of the car, and several elderly Americans exchanged glances and followed suit.

But most people still had reservations and did not follow suit.

As soon as Ou Yang and the others got out of the car, they noticed several old Americans following behind them and immediately gave them questioning looks.

"Hey, brothers, I heard everything. I know you guys have connections. Take us with you. We have money to pay for the journey!" the white man in the lead said in broken Chinese.

Ouyang smirked and said, "We do have a way, but it only works for us."

It's said that Chinese is the most difficult language to learn in the world, so why is it becoming less and less of a secret?
"Huh?" Old Bai asked, puzzled, mentally reviewing what he had just heard. "I may not have said it well, but I'm sure I didn't mishear." Ou Yang sighed, "You can come if you want!"

Zhu Yiming asked in surprise, "Are we just going to let them follow us like this?"

"Go ahead and follow!" Ou Yang said nonchalantly, giving Zhu Yiming a wink.

If we don't let them follow, these old Americans definitely won't stand for it. Explaining it probably won't get them to listen either. They'll just think they're being selfish. Rather than wasting our breath, we might as well let them follow.

Zhu Yiming seemed to understand something, shut his mouth, and followed behind Ou Yang.

Salaidon is quite large, and it took the group nearly half an hour to reach the east side of the city.

Sure enough, there was a buffer zone here. Before we even got close, we saw a checkpoint with a dozen or so fully armed locals guarding it. A little further away, there were several DIY armored vehicles with machine guns mounted on their roofs, firmly guarding the road.

Ouyang felt uneasy whenever he saw the checkpoint; he was almost traumatized by it.

He noticed that none of the American campers were approaching the checkpoint, and that the American guards had noticed the unusual activity and had put down their guns, holding them in their hands as if ready to fire at any moment.

Then the machine guns behind were also set up.

Ou Yang was completely dumbfounded. Who the hell would dare to come near him?
Just as I was about to make a call to inquire about the situation, a black sedan with a flag on the front drove out of the city and slowly stopped behind the checkpoint. A tall Asian man opened the door, got out, and said a few words to the person in charge at the checkpoint.

The person in charge nodded and waved his hand. The guards, who had been on high alert, lowered their guns and were no longer tense.

Although the alert has not been lifted yet, the situation has become much more relaxed than before.

The man from the East crossed the checkpoint, raised his megaphone, and waved in the direction of Ouyang: "Come on over!"

The three men smiled at the same time and walked over. Old Mi gritted his teeth and followed.

But after taking only two steps, the guards at the checkpoint immediately looked over and raised their guns again.

Ou Yang and the others immediately stopped and turned around to look at Lao Mi who had followed them.

Old Mi innocently shrugged: "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Ouyang didn't speak, but gestured with his eyes for him to see for himself.

Old Mi's expression changed repeatedly. Reluctantly, he took a few steps back, distancing himself from the trio.

The guard lowered his gun again.

Old Mi was almost furious: "Why? Why is this happening?"

Ou Yang casually remarked, "Because we are Easterners, because we are foreign affairs personnel, because we are immune. What about you?"

Three questions in a row, each one a blow. Old Mi felt as if he had been shot three times in a row, clutching his chest tightly, almost suffering a heart attack.

The other American who came with him was filled with resentment and quietly gripped his gun.

But looking at the guards at the checkpoint, he suppressed his anger: "Why were they allowed in? Why were they allowed to get in?"

He didn't expect an answer, but a voice beside him responded: "Because they are Easterners."

What's wrong with Easterners?

"Easterners aren't much, but the Miyako Palace needs the support of the University of Tokyo, and the fight against the pandemic also needs the University of Tokyo's support." The man sighed. "Forget about it, unless you're immune, you won't have a chance to enter the city."

If Ou Yang knew what Lao Mi behind him was thinking, he probably wouldn't be able to control his expression.

You came here of your own accord, but now that you're being blocked outside by the guards, you're going to hold a grudge against a few innocent passersby. What kind of logic is that?
Human desires are insatiable!
Fortunately, he had no idea what happened next.

The three people arrived safely outside the checkpoint, where several guards approached with testing equipment and brought it to their mouths.

Blow a breath, green light, the guard turns around and nods.

The person in charge smiled with satisfaction and signaled to the guards to release the people.

The tall, Asian man stepped forward and introduced himself: "Hello, I am Duan Shuxun, deputy director of the temporary office. I have been sent to pick you up."

"Hello, I am……"

Duan Shuxun waved his hand to stop them: "This is not the place to talk, please come with me!"

After saying that, he led the three people to the car.

He got into the passenger seat and whispered to the driver, "Let's go back!"

The car turned around and returned. Duan Shuxun didn't speak, and the trio didn't make a sound either, silently watching the scenery outside the window.

The shops along the road were all open, and there were quite a few vehicles and pedestrians on the road, but regardless of age or gender, everyone wore a mask.

Moreover, there are different types of masks. The most common type is the gas mask, which covers half of the head and has the filter canisters on the left and right sides.

Another method is to hang the filter canister on your waist and connect it to your mask via a hose.

This is not a new invention.

Another type is the helmet version, where the entire head is covered inside the helmet, and the filter canister is not visible, presumably it is integrated into the helmet.

The weather isn't too hot yet this season; if it gets any hotter, the helmet probably won't be able to stay on for long.

Zhu Yiming leaned back and let out a comfortable sigh: "I don't know how long it's been since I've seen such a normal street scene. I really miss it!"

Having struggled in the epidemic area for so long, we have to be on guard against potential crises every moment. No matter how relaxed we are, there are always a few nerves that are tightly on edge.

It's different here. The city is still running normally, and the peace and safety make you feel completely relaxed.

Long-awaited, distant relaxation!

“Yes!” O’Yan agreed in a low voice, “The last time was in Bear City.”

"Kamad, right?" Zhu Yiming corrected.

Ou Yang smiled but didn't say anything. Jiang Yuwei reminded him, "Ever since we arrived in Kamed, we've been constantly hunted down. When have we ever had such a comfortable time?"

Zhu Yiming smacked his lips and nodded: "That's true!"

The car turned a corner and stopped in front of a building that wasn't particularly tall, with several guards standing by the gate with guns.

The guard stepped forward and saluted.

Ouyang's gaze fell on the guard's 191, and a look of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.

Duan Shuxun showed several documents and pointed to the trio in the back seat: "These are mine, and these are theirs."

A string of question marks immediately appeared above the three people's heads: What about ours?

After carefully checking his identity, the guard saluted and let him pass.

The car stopped, and everyone got out. Ou Yang looked up suddenly and saw the slanting sunlight falling on the red flag fluttering on the rooftop. A complex and extremely emotional feeling welled up in his heart.

Like a child who has finally returned home after going through many hardships.

(End of this chapter)