Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 286 Inside and outside the ship
The next day.

Ouyang, who had a good night's sleep, opened his eyes to the sound of melodious music. He swiped his finger to turn off the alarm, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and got ready. Looking at his neat short hair in the mirror, he smiled with satisfaction.

He couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd styled his hair. He only knew that when he was in the brown bear area, he was a handsome young man, but when he left the epidemic area, he had a full beard and a head of messy hair.

Ouyang also tried to trim it himself, but no matter how he trimmed or pruned it, it looked almost exactly like something a dog had chewed out, making him realize that it's like being in a completely different world.

After putting on their newly issued work uniforms, Ou Yang and Zhu Yiming arrived at the restaurant. While having breakfast, they met up with Jiang Yuwei, and the three of them entered the left area under Lu Wei's guidance.

Today is my first day on the Hua Tuo team. I haven't been assigned any specific tasks; my main focus is on getting familiar with the environment.

The left and right zones are completely isolated from the outside world, and the entrance and exit passages are like those of a spaceship, with a double-layered isolation door.

The two air-pressure sealed isolation doors give it a very futuristic feel.

Upon entering the cubicle, the outer door closed, and the system automatically ran a disinfection program, blowing air and shining light on the screens. After waiting for a full five minutes, with a hissing sound, the inner door slowly opened.

Ouyang immediately smelled a faint spore scent.

Lu Wei said, "To prevent spore leakage, the air pressure inside the isolation zone is always lower than outside."

Ou Yang nodded: "It's similar to a Level 4 biology lab, right?"

“Yes!” Lu Wei said, “You can also think of the quarantine area as a large negative pressure box.”

The passageway wasn't long; at the end was a small but very lively activity room.

At first glance, there was a sea of ​​heads, at least a hundred people crammed together, laughing and joking around a newlywed couple.

The man was probably in his early thirties, and the woman was around twenty-five or twenty-six.

Upon seeing Lu Wei, everyone immediately greeted him, as if they were very familiar with each other.

Lu Wei exclaimed with delight, "Wow, timing is everything! You two are pretty quick!"

The groom wore a simple, honest smile, looking somewhat embarrassed, while the bride was quite straightforward, warmly inviting Lu Wei to their wedding.

Lu Wei smiled and agreed, and then introduced Ou Yang and the others to everyone.

Everyone welcomed them, and the atmosphere was harmonious and warm.

Ou Yang realized something: these people could only move around in the quarantine area, they could not leave the cabin, let alone go to the deck. Although the ship's crew tried their best to provide the necessary entertainment, being stuck in the cabin all the time would eventually break even the most resilient person.

Even prisoners get time to go outside for fresh air, but for them, even seeing the sunlight is a luxury. So when there's finally some liveliness to brighten up their monotonous lives, they naturally put in all their energy and make a ruckus.

If it weren't for the persistent spore odor that reminded Ouyang that everyone living here was infected, he would look no different from ordinary people.

Zhu Yiming glanced at the time and said in a low voice, "Isn't it too early to start preparing so early?"

His voice was very soft, but a middle-aged man next to him heard it clearly. The man smiled and explained, "Young man, we're all like this now, how can we still be so poor? Just be casual and do what makes you happy."

Zhu Yiming was a little embarrassed and quickly explained, "I didn't mean anything by it..."

"I know you don't," the uncle said with a kind smile. "For people like us, who live day to day, being happy is more important than anything else, don't you think?"

Zhu Yiming fell silent, and Ou Yang and Jiang Yuwei didn't know what to say either.

Healthy people can never truly understand what it feels like to have an incurable disease. Any talk of empathy is utter nonsense.

At this moment, the newlyweds asked Lu Wei to say a few words. Lu Wei stood happily beside the newlyweds and gestured for everyone to be quiet.

"Dear fellow citizens, good afternoon! Today is a joyous occasion for a newlywed couple. On behalf of all the staff at Huatuo, I extend my heartfelt blessings to the newlyweds... I came here unexpectedly today and was unprepared, but don't worry, I will definitely bring them a congratulatory gift later!"

The crowd immediately applauded and cheered.

Ou Yang mentally assessed the speech. Although the tone was somewhat official and the content was a bit vague, the attitude was very enthusiastic and the tone was very sincere. It was acceptable, and the evaluation could not be higher.

The bride suddenly nudged the groom twice, and the groom's face immediately turned red, which immediately drew some teasing.

Seeing that the groom couldn't get away, the bride didn't care about anything else and directly called out to Lu Wei: "Brother Lu, forget about the wedding gift, could you give us some small umbrellas?"

What the hell?
Upon hearing this, everyone became even more excited.

Ignoring these frivolous people who kept making vulgar remarks, the bride said sadly, "Look at us now, what if I get pregnant..."

Lu Wei's smile vanished, and he nodded solemnly: "I'll think of a way, I'll definitely help you solve this."

"Thank you," the bride said with a smile, but behind that smile lay unspeakable bitterness.

Ou Yang had never thought about this before, but at this moment a thought popped into his mind: what would happen if two infected people got pregnant together?
Without a doubt, it is extremely irresponsible for infected people to become pregnant. Even if the child itself is fine, the parents will not live to see the child grow up and will become an orphan from birth. Isn't this a natural human tragedy?
Conversely, what happens if the hyphae grow into the baby's body?
For some crazy people, this might seem like a great research project, but for Ouyang, just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.

The United States is so big, and there are so many infected people. There must be quite a few pregnant women infected with Pneumococcus. Maybe someone is already doing research on this?
Don't talk about inhumanity. In some people's eyes, only they are the most important. Human rights and humanity are bullshit!
After leaving the left section, Ouyang couldn't help but ask, "Why did they choose this time to get married?"

“What kind of marriage is this? It’s just about living together.” Lu Wei sighed. “The bride’s name is Zhang Xiao. She’s twenty-six years old. She’s a top student who came to Lao Mi to study. Her family doesn’t know that she has pneumococcal infection. The groom’s name is Sheng Zichen. He’s thirty-five years old. Lao Mi killed his wife and children. He also got pneumococcal infection. He’s completely broken down.”

"The two of them got together because they were in the same boat. The authorities also strongly encouraged this kind of union. After all, they would be companions, and even if one of them passed away in the future, the other wouldn't be all alone."

These words weighed heavily on the hearts of the group, as if a stone had been placed on their shoulders.

Lu Wei added, “Under the pandemic, countless human tragedies have occurred. I advise you not to take them too seriously. Sympathy is fine, but don’t empathize with them, or you’ll become depressed sooner or later.”

Ouyang knew he was right, but he still felt very uncomfortable and wanted to do something for them. However, after thinking it over, he realized that there was nothing he could do.

After leaving the left section, the three followed Lu Wei into the right section.

This place is completely different from the left area. There is a straight corridor with iron cages on both sides. The area is pitifully small. Eating, drinking and relieving oneself are all done in that small space. The air is filled with the stench of urine and feces, as well as the sour smell of rotting food.

The smell of spores was so strong that Ouyang twisted his neck in frustration. By then, several immune individuals had already begun their work, wearing full protective gear and cleaning the filth from the cages one by one.

Zhu Yiming couldn't help but complain, "This environment is terrible!"

Lu Wei sighed, "It's not that we don't want to improve the environment, but the space on the ship is already small, and this place is full of severely infected people who can't take care of themselves. They can't control their eating, drinking, and relieving themselves, so we can only make do like this."

After saying that, he called over two immune individuals: "These are the new colleagues. Two of you, please demonstrate your work."

Immediately, two people stepped forward, fully equipped, and stood outside the iron cage. One person used a steel fork to control the infected person, while the other used a tool to pry open the infected person's mouth, first feeding them medicine, then water, and finally liquid food.

Ou Yang's face twitched: "This is our job?"

“Yes!” Lu Wei said expressionlessly, trying his best to maintain his persona. “Many of the people here have transferred from the left district. Be careful not to mention the situation here.”

Ou Yang didn't know what to say.

He could understand the ship's predicament, but was this really a good thing?

As if sensing his thoughts, Lu Wei sighed heavily but said nothing.

What can be said? No matter how much explanation is given, it cannot cover up the truth. Moreover, severely infected individuals are extremely dangerous, and the number of immune personnel on the ship is limited, so making do with what is available is unavoidable.

Moreover, feeding is only the beginning of the work. Next, we need to observe the infected person's condition, whether there are any changes in their emotions, and how they react to sound, light, and touch.

The same drug may make some people feel calmer after taking it, but others may feel no effect at all. It is necessary to conduct a large number of comparisons to obtain first-hand information on the drug's efficacy.

Moreover, not all infected individuals need to be force-fed; some who are in good condition will eat on their own once food is put in their mouths.

However, their eating manners were too unsightly, full of primitive wildness and casualness.

Watching the infected man gorging himself in the cage, Zhu Yiming suddenly asked, "Ouyang, what do you think he's thinking?"

Lu Wei was taken aback, never expecting anyone to ask such a question.

Ouyang thought for a moment and said, "If he is still conscious but is just hallucinating, he will definitely think that he is eating delicacies; if he has completely lost consciousness, he will only have the most basic instincts left, so it doesn't matter whether he thinks or not."

The atmosphere and the topic were both too heavy. Zhu Yiming let out a breath and said in a forced light, "It's the first time I've seen an infected person in their growth period so quiet. I'm still a little unaccustomed to it. Sigh, people!"

Ou Yang thought about it and realized that was indeed the case.

In the past, no matter where you were, you had to fight tooth and nail to find someone with a severe infection. Looking back now, it's really not easy to get to where we are today.

It was due to both skill and luck.

After learning in detail about the work of the immunization personnel, the group finally left the quarantine area. Including Lu Wei, the four of them rushed onto the deck and leaned against the ship's railing to look out at the boundless sea.

The strong sea breeze swept over me, blowing away the lingering smells on my body, but it couldn't shake off the oppression in my heart or straighten out my chaotic thoughts.

After they calmed down, Lu Wei led them on a tour of the research area.

The environment here is much better than the quarantine area; it's clean, tidy, and orderly everywhere. It's just that the various specimens and organs are unsettling.

Ouyang was immediately reminded of the days when he was being studied in the underground fortress.

Moreover, there was a glass cubicle in the corner containing a completely infected person, which brought the three of them back to Brown Bear University.

As Lu Wei explained, and we gained a deeper understanding of the research area, we realized that it wasn't much better than the quarantine zone.

The quarantine area was a suffocating environment, while the research area was extremely oppressive.

Unfortunately, Pneumocystis jirovecii is too difficult to deal with. Researchers have been unable to find a solution and have had to try the most basic methods over and over again, even including chemotherapy and radiotherapy in their experiments.

Simply put, it means treating the bacteria in the lungs as tumors or other similar diseases, such as by implanting a miniature radioactive source of iodine-125 into the lungs.

After trying various methods, it was discovered that the only way to completely cure phantom lung disease was through lung transplantation.

Well, whether it was the Hua Tuo ship or any other ship, no one thought in this direction at all. It was only after receiving the news from Ouyang that research in this area began!

"What if the mycelium has already spread?" Zhu Yiming asked curiously.

“Then replace all the affected organs,” Lu Wei said. “If all organs are infected, then replace them all!”

"A complete body transplant?" Zhu Yiming could hardly believe his ears. "How can that be possible? Where would we find so many organs?"

Even if you buy it on the black market, you probably won't find a suitable one.
“No transplantation is needed,” Lu Wei said. “Our research focuses on cultivating autologous stem cells, then using 3D printing to create new organs, which are then transplanted into patients… But cultivating stem cells is too slow, and we must transplant them before the disease progresses to stage two. It’s a paradox that is impossible to solve.”

"Phase Two? Is it the budding stage?" Zhu Yiming asked.

“Of course not.” Lu Wei shook his head. “The crude classification of germination and growth is only suitable for casual conversation, not for research. The second phase I’m referring to is the medical classification, which is a classification created by the research department for convenience.”

As he spoke, he led the trio to a row of glass jars containing various whitish organ specimens.

Lu Wei pointed to a jar containing lungs and said, "Phase one means the mycelium is still in the lungs and has not yet invaded other organs."

Then, pointing to another lung that looked similar, he said, "In stage two, the mycelium has already covered the lung and there is a risk that it will grow outwards."

Then comes the standard symptom: the mycelium has already emerged from the surface of the lungs and entered other organs: "This is stage three!"

"And this!" Lu Wei pointed to several pieces of bone that had been separated from the muscle. "Stage four means that the hyphae have grown into the muscle and bones... What's really amazing is that after reaching stage four, the progression of the disease actually slows down, as if the fungus doesn't want the host to die too quickly. When the host's body completely collapses and becomes completely useless, the fungus will suddenly erupt again, completely destroying the host's body in a very short time... And that's stage five!"

"This isn't the end. The next six phases!" Lu Wei pointed to a corner, "The complete and thorough bacterial transformation of the human body!"

(End of this chapter)