Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 369 Idle Talk
Ouyang was also completely baffled. Although this thing had the shape of a jet engine, its design was rather cartoonish and its size was too large. It was not a traditional airship, which was really puzzling.

Jiang Yuwei was equally baffled. The three of them pondered for a while but couldn't find a clue.

No problem, Ouyang immediately took out his phone and scanned the object with a smart device. The network immediately provided the answer: S1800, a new type of wind-powered airship...

Hey!
All three were stunned. Zhu Yiming stared at the airship floating in the air: "This thing can generate electricity?"

He could hardly believe it was true. As a news anchor, he always kept up with current events, but before today, he had never heard of an airship generating electricity.

Ou Yang continued reading: "The internet says this thing is equipped with twelve wind turbines."

Zhu Yiming was incredibly impressed and exclaimed, "Which genius came up with this? It's absolutely amazing! Is this science fiction coming to life?"

The construction of the new city is nearing completion, but one problem has yet to be completely resolved: the power supply issue.

The child has no mother; it's a long story.

Although the new town is located on Saint-Va Island, it is designed and built according to domestic standards. Because there are no high-rise buildings and a large number of prefabricated components are used, as well as scientific engineering management methods, it only takes three to five days to build a residential building. All kinds of infrastructure are available, and the power consumption is comparable to that in China.

After decades of development, China has a well-developed infrastructure, including traditional hydropower, thermal power, and nuclear power, as well as clean wind and solar power. Its power generation accounts for 32% of the global total, making it the world's number one!

In comparison, the United States generates less than half of its own electricity.

The original plan was to use wind and solar power in the new town, but solar power requires a lot of land, and while Saint-Va Island is not exactly a land-scarce place, it doesn't have that much vacant land either.

Wind power is more complicated. It is not only affected by environmental factors, but also requires laying foundations, erecting tall towers, and finally installing generators. The amount of work involved is considerable.

Tidal power plants are also an option, but there is no suitable terrain on Sanva Island, and the construction period is also a major problem.

It requires a large investment and has a long construction period.

To solve the electricity problem, a brand-new wind-powered airship was directly deployed, which can not only solve the electricity problem of the new town, but also supply power to the East Town and the main island.

The three returned to the table, and Ou Yang raised his glass: "Come on, let's drink to our development!"

"Cheers!" The three of them each took a big gulp.

Ou Yang put down the can: "Actually, there's another technology that's quite suitable for the new city. I don't know if you've heard of it."

"What? Don't keep me in suspense."

"A space power station!" Ou Yang chuckled. "It's about generating electricity from solar energy in outer space and then sending it to the ground using lasers or microwaves. Unfortunately, the technology is not yet mature, so it can't be put into practical use for the time being."

Zhu Yiming rolled his eyes: "Then what are you talking about?"
"You can't say that! Who knows, one day our fantasies might become reality!" Ou Yang waved his arms. "Just think about it. Once the technology is mature, we can collect electricity from the sun and use it on the ground. If the receiving device can be miniaturized, that would be even better. Cars, ships, all electric vehicles can be directly powered by electricity without needing batteries. Houses won't need to run electrical wires either; they can just receive the electricity and pay according to their consumption. The application prospects are infinitely bright!"

"Wow, you really dare to dream!" Zhu Yiming was initially a little dismissive, but he quickly became immersed in the scene described by Ou Yang.

Is it science fiction?
That's true to some extent, but with the current speed of technological development, it might just become a reality someday.

He said with deep feeling, "Hey, don't you guys feel the same way? Things have developed so fast these past few years. I'm still so young, but when I watch the news, I always have this feeling that I'm going to be left behind by society!"

“Absolutely!” Ouyang took another big gulp and nodded in agreement. “Putting everything else aside, just take our tactical goggles for example. When I was in middle school, they were something from science fiction novels. And now, in just a few years, we can wear them on our faces!”

“No problem!” Zhu Yiming agreed. “My dad told me that when he was young, there were always people who would find ways to bully us and try to cause trouble at the drop of a hat. Look at us now, who has the guts to do that?”

“We were indeed born in a good time.” Ou Yang picked up a piece of coconut and put it in his mouth. “It’s a pity we’re stuck in this godforsaken place. We don’t know when we can go back.”

“It shouldn’t be far,” Jiang Yuwei suddenly said.

The two men, who had been rambling on and on, were both stunned.

Zhu Yiming asked in surprise, "What do you mean? Did you hear some news?"

Ouyang also asked, "Has there been any new research findings?"

Jiang Yuwei nodded gently: "Teacher's research has made new breakthroughs."

"In what aspect?" Zhu Yiming asked impatiently.

Jiang Yuwei shook her head dejectedly: "I don't know, I'm just a handyman, I can't understand anything."

"Oh, I see!" Zhu Yiming was very disappointed.

"No, why are you asking so many questions, as if you can understand them?" Ou Yang immediately changed the subject. "For us, it's good to know that we've made a breakthrough. Maybe one day we'll be able to deal with the phantom lung bacteria!"

"I hope so..." Zhu Yiming nodded, quickly composing himself. "Come on, let's stop thinking about it and continue!"

They clinked glasses, drank, and Jiang Yuwei put down her beer: "I've heard something else."

"what?"

"The plan is to move the research from the ship down," Jiang Yuwei said. "Then the ship will only be used for medical purposes, and no more research."

Ou Yang and Zhu Yiming were both stunned.

"Where are we moving to?" O'Yan asked. "Santa Vale Island? Are you staying on the ship, or coming ashore with us?"

This is no joke. There are tens of thousands of residents in the new city, but not many are immune to the virus. If we move the research ashore, what if something goes wrong and the virus leaks? Wouldn't that be a disaster?
"Teacher Zhou meant that I should come to the island with him."

"Isn't that going too far?" Ouyang said with dissatisfaction.

Jiang Yuwei smiled and said, "There are only a few people with immunity. If I don't go, who will? Don't forget, I just finished my first year of university. If it weren't for immunity, how could I have stayed in the lab? I certainly wouldn't be working alongside the professor!"

"I think you need to think about this carefully," Ou Yang cautiously advised.

"What? Are you worried about me?" Jiang Yuwei stuck out a finger and traced it on the can. "Research always has to be done by someone. If it's not me, it'll be someone else."

Zhu Yiming opened his mouth, clearly wanting to say something, but then closed it again, constantly giving Ou Yang meaningful glances. Seeing that Ou Yang didn't react, he was so anxious that he wanted to slap this blockhead a few times.

The atmosphere's already built up to this point, so why don't you take the initiative?
Ou Yang rubbed his palm against his thigh: "I am indeed a little worried."

Jiang Yuwei asked softly, "What if it were you? Would you go to the island or stay?"

Ou Yang immediately shook his head: "That's different!" "How is it different?" Jiang Yuwei's fingertips paused.

Ou Yang pursed his lips, unsure of where to begin. After a moment of deliberation, he said, "I can come to the island to help, but I don't want you to continue working with the research group."

Jiang Yuwei smiled and said, "I know you're doing this for my own good. Don't worry, there won't be any problems."

Zhu Yiming couldn't listen anymore: "So, which island is it?"

"I don't know." Jiang Yuwei shook her head. "There's still no news about which island they'll be going to... If nothing unexpected had happened in Linfu, there might already be a result."

"I see!" Ou Yang nodded, feeling quite regretful. "It would have been better if we had reached a conclusion sooner."

"That's enough, you two," Zhu Yiming interrupted. "We've finally managed to get together, let's not talk about those upsetting topics, okay?"

Ou Yang shrugged: "Then tell me, what should I say?"

"Speaking of which... well, if I think about it, it's been exactly a year since the pandemic started, hasn't it? Haven't the US made any moves at all?"

Hearing this, Ou Yang and Jiang Yuwei also became interested, with the former immediately saying, "Let me check!"

I unlocked my phone and typed in the keywords, and the latest news immediately popped up: "It really happened... Independence Day celebrations canceled, and this even made the news? Isn't that expected?"

"Anything else, anything related to the pandemic?"

Ouyang scrolled down: "Various protests have broken out in various places... These kinds of protests, like marches, are not about fighting the epidemic!"

Zhu Yiming and Jiang Yuwei exchanged glances, both looking puzzled: "At a time like this, they still dare to gather together for a march? Are the Americans really not afraid of death?!"

“What’s the big deal?” Ou Yang wasn’t surprised at all.

When I was in the epidemic area, I saw many of the American people's reckless behavior. It was just a mass protest. What's so strange about that?

“A fierce clash broke out between protesters and police trying to stop the march. Gunfire resulted in the deaths of 21 officers and injuries to more than 40 others; police returned fire, resulting in over 100 deaths and more than 300 injuries… Good heavens, this is really something!” Ouyang looked at the content on his phone. “Isn’t this chaotic enough already?”

Zhu Yiming took a sip: "Honestly, I don't find it strange at all... Is there anything else?"

Does the continued expansion of the epidemic area count?

"No, isn't that the proper thing to do?"

“Prices are soaring… Oh, that’s news from the beginning of the year; the University of Tokyo announced cuts to funding… That’s been going on for a while now; using reverse transcription gene technology to process stem cells and clone lungs for transplantation to conquer phantom lung disease…” Ou Yang suddenly looked up, “Isn’t this our research?”

“It was shared with the US.” Jiang Yuwei, who knows a little about the inside story, said, “No matter where the research institution is, as long as there is a breakthrough, it will share it with the US as soon as possible.”

No explanation was needed; Ouyang and Zhu Yiming immediately understood.

It's simply a matter of letting the Americans test the effectiveness of new technologies. After all, they have a lot of infections over there. Moreover, those infected have no human rights whatsoever, so they can experiment without any psychological burden.

If the pandemic can be resolved, all will be well; if not, then we will continue research and experimentation.

It's quite frustrating, really. South America has more cases, but this area is completely overrun, and there's no way to find a partner unless we send people deep into the epidemic zone.

In North America, the occupied territories within the United States continue to expand, already exceeding half of the country's territory, but more than 40 percent of the cities remain under the control of the White House.

In contrast, the situation is not so serious in Canada, a country with a vast land area and a sparse population.

In other words, the only country with both an urgent need and the capability to conduct experiments is the United States, making it the first choice for proving new technologies.

Zhu Yiming asked curiously, "Haven't we done any experiments in this area ourselves?"

"I'm not too sure about that," Jiang Yuwei shook her head. "They probably didn't do that on the Hua Tuo ship, right?"

“Actually, I don’t think it’s necessary to move the laboratory ashore. The Hua Tuo shouldn’t even be here!” Ou Yang tapped the table with his fingertips.

Zhu Yiming raised an eyebrow: "It's only a few cans, you've had too much to drink, haven't you?"

"This is nothing!" Ouyang scoffed. "Don't you believe me? Let me ask you, are there any cases on Saint Varanasi Island?"

The only known cases were all on the ship, and Zhu Yiming immediately shook his head: "No!"

"So, there are only so many test subjects... I don't mean to disrespect the infected, but that's the reality. The team on the Hua Tuo ship has to experiment with various treatment plans on volunteers, but how many survivors are there on the ship?"

Ouyang downed the rest of his drink in one gulp: "I don't want to call volunteers expendable, but for the experiment, they are indispensable expendables. How can we experiment with new technologies without enough infected people?"

Though the words were rough, the principle was sound. Ou Yang's few words silenced both Zhu Yiming and Jiang Yuwei.

"Just you wait and see. Before long, either the Hua Tuo ship will return to the epidemic area, or we'll find a way to bring back some infected people. We can't rely on just the few volunteers on board."

"Our people should have all evacuated by now, right?" Zhu Yiming asked uncertainly. "Even if we go back, will we be able to find other volunteers?"

Studies in other regions primarily focused on white people, while only our own research targeted people of Asian descent.

Although race does not have a significant impact on the fight against Pneumocystis vulnificus, research must be rigorous and no factor can be ignored.

"That's the opposite. Unless the US is completely overrun, there will always be infected people." Ou Yang held a different view. "How many people have we evacuated in total? How many are left there? Let's bet that those who don't want to leave haven't been infected yet. Once they are infected, they'll go to the US. If the US pays attention to them, fine. But if they ignore them completely, they'll definitely come after us!"

"I'm not drunk. I'd only bet with you if I were out of my mind!" Zhu Yiming decisively refused. "Hey, these islands are pretty peaceful. If they knew we were planning to set up a research institute here and send infected people overboard, wouldn't the locals riot?"

“The locals don’t know, but if it were me, I would definitely blow it up,” Ou Yang said frankly. “Once the news spreads, many of our people will also object.”

"Well, well!" Zhu Yiming mimicked the Tianjin accent, which was only about three-tenths similar. "We finally escaped from that hellhole, and now you're setting up a research institute? Isn't this just adding fuel to the fire? If it leaks one day, won't it immediately turn into a biological crisis!"

“It’s not that exaggerated. Just find a deserted island, right?” Ou Yang turned to Jiang Yuwei as he said the last two words.

"Of course!" Jiang Yuwei replied affirmatively. "Otherwise, we would have moved the research institute up here long ago. Why would we need to negotiate with the neighboring government?"

"Come on, let's have another one." Zhu Yiming raised his glass. "Let's just relax. As for this pandemic, we can't go back to our homeland until it's over. Let's take it one step at a time!"

(End of this chapter)