Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 287 Three-Stage Transportation

Undoubtedly, most people's first reaction to this scene would be shock and horror, but the trio had witnessed the completely bacterialized Patient Zero firsthand. Although they couldn't help feeling uncomfortable, they didn't have any particular thoughts about it.

Lu Wei was somewhat surprised that he did not see the expected abnormality, and continued, "From infection to stage two, the average time is only about a month. In such a short time, there is simply no time to cultivate new organs. Therefore, our most important research now is to find a way to control the progression of the disease and delay the time to enter stage two."

"Did you find it?" Ouyang asked.

"Not yet." Lu Wei was a little disappointed, but he wasn't discouraged.

Ouyang then asked, "Can't we think of a way to speed up the organ cloning process?"

"This is also one of the key research directions." A familiar voice interrupted the conversation. "No matter which direction a breakthrough is made, it will be an epoch-making discovery. At that time, whether it is lung transplantation or multi-organ transplantation, the problem can be completely solved."

Ou Yang turned his head and saw that it was Zhou Jimin who was speaking.

But he wasn't as optimistic as the researchers.

Imagine your body being completely hollowed out, and then having a new set of internal organs – it's enough to send chills down your spine.

Even though I knew it was to save lives, I still felt uneasy: "I'm not a medical professional. I have some idea about lung transplants or heart-lung transplants, but transplanting all the internal organs together, how many blood vessels? How many nerves? If something goes wrong during the surgery, will there be any long-term effects?"

Blood vessels are secondary; the key issue is nerves. Any problem with these nerves can lead to extremely serious consequences.

In mild cases, it can cause lower limb paralysis; in severe cases, it can cause high-level paraplegia, or even leave the person unable to move, like a person in a vegetative state.

Zhou Jimin frankly said, "Problems will definitely arise, and we can only solve them one by one. We also prefer lung transplantation."

Zhu Yiming suddenly said, "It's too much trouble to stuff them into the stomach one by one. It's easier to clone a new body and transplant the brain directly."

“Young man, you have a good idea, it’s a good approach.” Zhou Jimin chuckled and patiently explained, “Theoretically speaking, transplanting the brain is definitely simpler, but have you thought about it? An adult’s lungs weigh an average of just over one kilogram. You only need one kilogram of stem cells to print a lung. The heart and lungs together weigh less than two kilograms.”

“But a complete human body weighs at least 50 kilograms. By the time the new body is grown, the patient’s ashes will have long been scattered.” Zhou Jimin spread his hands, looking helpless. “Moreover, organ cloning is only one direction of research. There are still many technical difficulties that have not been overcome. For example, how to make the printed organs work. And even if they can work, it doesn’t mean they can work for a long time. This is also a problem that must be solved.”

At this point, Zhou Jimin sighed: "Medicine is not child's play. If any seemingly insignificant link goes wrong, all our efforts may be in vain. Therefore, we must keep a clear head. We must carry out the research that needs to be done, no matter how difficult it is, but we cannot place all our hopes on research such as organ cloning. The safest and most important research direction is to figure out how to use drugs and technologies to control the disease and even cure it."

"In short, we still have a long way to go. At this stage, what infected people lack most is time. All we can do is try every means to buy time for them."

Jiang Yuwei, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked, "Professor Zhou, if the research achieves a breakthrough, can these new technologies be used on ordinary people?"

That one question silenced everyone.

Lung transplantation is not difficult; it is a very mature surgical procedure.

The problem lies in the technology of 3D organ printing. Even if it is successfully invented, what is the cost of cloning a lung? What is the cost of the surgery? And what are the costs of medication and labor to control the disease?

Treating one person requires a huge amount of money and time. With thousands or tens of thousands of infected people waiting in line for treatment, how long would it take to save them all?
Just thinking about it makes my head tingle.

After a long pause, Zhou Jimin said, "First, we must find a treatment method before we can talk about whether to treat it or not."

This is also an exceptionally heavy topic.

Ou Yang followed up with, "Professor Zhou, in science fiction movies there's something called a retrovirus. Could we use gene technology to kill Pneumocystis phantomii?"

“There is research in this area, but the research team is not on Hua Tuo, and I don’t do research in this area either, so I really don’t know the specifics.” At this point, Zhou Jimin sighed, “In recent years, global medical technology has developed rapidly, and many new technologies and methods that have overturned traditions have emerged. However, it is not so easy for these technologies to be effective.”

Next, he introduced the other research directions to the trio.

Desperate for a cure, the medical team tried every method they could think of.

For example, there is a saying that walking barefoot on sun-heated sand can cure athlete's foot, based on the principle that fungi cannot withstand high temperatures.

Generally speaking, the optimal temperature for fungal growth is between 22 and 37 degrees Celsius. Although everyone thought that raising body temperature could not cure pneumoconiosis, they still held onto a sliver of hope and began research in this area, trying to raise the body temperature of infected individuals to see if they could eliminate the hyphae in their bodies.

The results showed that a low-grade fever was completely ineffective, and even 40 degrees Celsius was equally ineffective. In the end, the body temperature was raised to 42 degrees Celsius, but the phantom lung bacteria remained unaffected.

In addition, research has found that as the disease progresses to a certain stage, the hyphae gradually fuse with muscles and bones, making them difficult to separate.

At this time, the mycelium can actually play a certain protective role for the human body.

At this point, Zhou Jimin gave Ou Yang a meaningful look, as if to say that Ou Yang's situation was very worthy of study.

Ou Yang couldn't help but feel a little strange. So all you've said is to manipulate me, right?

After leaving the research area, the three of them felt even more depressed. Zhu Yiming couldn't help but call out to Lu Wei, "Hey, we're not researchers, why are you showing us all this?"

“Whether or not you do research is not important. What is important is that you are about to become a part of the research team and you must know what we are doing and the intention behind doing it.” Lu Wei said seriously, “If the epidemic is a war, then everyone on this ship, including the infected people in the quarantine area, is a soldier charging into battle.”

Zhu Yiming couldn't help but curl his lips, thinking to himself that this rhetoric was too outdated. It might have been able to convince people to get excited decades ago, but nowadays, it's better to save it!
Lu Wei seemed oblivious to Zhu Yiming's expression: "A third-rate army can only maintain cohesion through money or violence, but our team is different. Everyone knows what the ultimate goal is and is willing to work hard for it. This is not only our invincible magic weapon but also our unique spiritual core..."

Zhu Yiming immediately composed himself and became solemn with respect.

Why do armies in other countries collapse after suffering 30% casualties? Yet, a certain company of the Iron Army, originally numbering less than 200, was repeatedly wiped out and rebuilt during the Battle of Shangganling, with a cumulative total of nearly 1000 dead, a casualty rate of over 500%, but the position remained in the hands of the Iron Army.

Lu Wei let out a long breath, gripped the railing with both hands, and gazed at the distant sea: "Actually, everyone at home knows, and we at the higher-ups know too. The research ahead will be very difficult, but as long as we work hard, there is hope. Don't you agree?"

“That’s right!” Ouyang patted the railing and said sincerely.

Perhaps society is too restless now, perhaps modern information is too developed, or perhaps people's thinking is too complicated. In short, people today no longer have the purity they once had.

You may disagree, you may think it's foolish, but you can't help but feel a certain respect for someone like Lu Wei. "Alright, go back and rest. We'll officially start work tomorrow," Lu Wei said.

But the trio didn't wait until the next day; they started working that very day... Mainly Ou Yang and Zhu Yiming, while Jiang Yuwei was assigned to the lab by Zhou Jimin to be an assistant to the others.

When they first started this job, there were bound to be some bumps along the way. Fortunately, the two of them had already developed a tacit understanding. Ou Yang was responsible for controlling the target, while Zhu Yiming was responsible for feeding and administering medicine. They quickly mastered the methods.

Not only can they successfully complete their own tasks, but they can also help their colleagues. After a day's work, they even have time to go up to the deck for some fresh air.

The Hua Tuo ship did not stay in one place all the time, but constantly adjusted its location according to the weather. On the fourth day after the three men boarded the ship, they had to be transferred with the ship due to strong winds and high waves.

When the boat finally stopped, I had no idea where we were; all I knew was that the boat was rocking violently.

If it were a regular rocking motion, that would be fine, but it was back and forth, left and right, with waves constantly hitting the porthole, making a loud banging sound as they slammed against the steel plate.

Zhu Yiming vomited all the way while hugging a trash can, and Jiang Yuwei wasn't much better off, lying on the swaying bed, groaning half-dead.

Although Ouyang didn't vomit, his stomach was churning and his throat was churning with acid.

Between vomiting spells, Zhu Yiming angrily complained, "Is this a life for humans? Is this a life for humans?"

It was several hours later when the shaking subsided.

It was already dinnertime, but the three of them had empty stomachs and didn't want to eat anything. In the end, Lu Weisheng had to drag them to the restaurant and get them to eat something.

"It's okay, everyone feels like this when they first get on the ship, they just throw up and throw up, you'll get used to it," Lu Wei said with a smile.

Two days later, the Hua Tuo ship returned to port.

When they arrived at Shy Stew, they happened to encounter a special transport ship that had just arrived.

The ship was piled high with containers, but there wasn't a single crew member. The entire voyage was controlled by satellite.

Upon arrival at the destination, instead of entering the port, the ship remained at sea, transferring the containers from the ship to the Galaxy before entering the port to unload the cargo.

There was no contact whatsoever from beginning to end.

So it turns out that only one ship docks every time? This is confirmed; they're deliberately trying to annoy the US!

After all the containers were unloaded, Ou Yang witnessed several drones flying out of the ship's hold and spraying disinfectant from bow to stern.

It is said that this disinfection is not done once or twice, but every once in a while, so as not to give the spores a chance to slip through.

Ou Yang thought the ship came from China, but he later found out that it was not like that at all. It had set up more than a dozen transshipment points on the ocean and was using a three-stage transportation system.

Ships originating from China only travel on routes between China and primary transshipment points; another group of ships only travel between two transshipment points; and finally, there are special transport ships that travel between secondary transshipment points and the United States.

I heard that there are still some people guarding the first-level transfer point, but once you get to the second-level transfer point, it becomes unmanned, all of them are engineering robots, and no human intervention is needed for loading and unloading.

Ouyang was stunned. Has technology become this advanced?

If some unlucky soul were shipwrecked and stranded on an island, would they think Skynet had taken over the human world?

It was only much later that I learned that although there were no people at the secondary transfer point, all the equipment was remotely controlled. The claim that there were no people on the island was true, but the idea that no one was involved was just a rumor.

In addition, the secondary transshipment point is located right on the blockade line jointly set up by various countries, and every round trip of the special transport ship is under close monitoring by all parties.

Especially on the return journey, the entire ship must be thoroughly inspected several times to ensure that no one is hiding on board before it is allowed to dock.

Therefore, each special transport ship undergoes special treatment, with all unnecessary equipment removed from the deck, and the cabins are not only completely sealed but also filled with nitrogen to artificially create an oxygen-free environment.

Ou Yang imagined the consequences of boarding a special transport ship. The deck was full of cameras, there was nowhere to hide. Even if he managed to sneak into the cabin, he would suffocate from lack of oxygen without anyone noticing. Even if no one discovered him, he would just stay in the cabin and slowly decay, with no chance of going ashore.

During a casual conversation about special transport ships, Lu Wei brought up another matter.

At the beginning of the pandemic, all parties wanted to send necessary supplies to the Americas, but did not want to risk the spread of the virus, so they came up with many ridiculous measures.

For example, once the ship arrives in the United States, it can simply be abandoned in the port and the Americans can pay for the ship instead.

Another example is choosing a time when the sea conditions are good and using the most rudimentary boats for transportation.

Some people even install inflatable buoys at the bottom of containers and place them on the water in safe waters far from the coast, using simple propulsion devices to send them ashore.

They also used methods such as airship drops and hot air balloon transport.

During that period, the domestic shipbuilding industry received a massive number of orders, and workers worked in three shifts around the clock to barely handle the orders from all over the world.

At least half of them were ordered directly by Americans, with the goods shipped directly to the United States.

It wasn't until the development of specialized transport ships and three-stage transport systems that the various chaotic situations gradually disappeared.

There are plenty of clever people who want to leave the Americas by airship or hot air balloon, but unfortunately, the countries have jointly built a three-dimensional defense line. There is sonar underwater, radar on the surface, early warning aircraft in the sky, and even satellites in space are part of the monitoring system. It is simply a net that covers the sky and the earth.

Ultimately, both the airships and hot air balloons were shot down by the fleet involved in the blockade.

Trying to sneak out? Dream on!
(End of this chapter)