Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 379 Stormy Night

The wind picked up and the rain intensified. People couldn't stand with the wind at their backs, and they couldn't move forward against it. Everyone was soaked to the bone, and the cold seeped into their bones, making them shiver uncontrollably.

Fortunately, the beach was flanked by cliffs, which shielded the group from much of the wind and rain, allowing them to safely approach the coconut grove.

Lu Wei yelled at the top of his lungs, "Don't go into the woods! Don't go into the woods—"

Not only are coconuts on the tree at risk of falling, but the coconut tree itself can also topple over at any time. If it hits someone on the head, it won't just result in a couple of bumps.

Everyone felt a strong sense of danger and no one ventured into the woods. Instead, they searched for coconuts on the relatively safe perimeter. Before long, each person returned to the lifeboat carrying several coconuts.

As soon as the hatch opened, the wind and rain rushed in, chilling everyone to the bone, but seeing the coconuts in everyone's hands warmed their hearts again.

There’s food!

People need food to survive; they'll get hungry if they skip a meal. Besides, they'd been hungry for more than one meal. Their eyes lit up when they saw the coconut, and they eagerly reached out to take it.

Although they weren't a group, they had all been through danger together, and there were no dramatic scenes like "Why should I give you the coconut I brought back?" Everyone received more than one coconut.

But how to get it into your mouth became another problem, creating a sense of frustration, like a mouse trying to pull a turtle, with no way to start.

Some people, driven by extreme hunger, would scratch with their fingers until their nails bled, but it didn't damage the outer skin at all.

“I saw someone online bit it with their teeth…” Fu Yao said weakly.

Immediately, several rough-looking men opened their mouths wide and began to viciously gnaw on the coconuts.

Then, everyone who tried to bite into a coconut failed miserably, and the most successful ones only managed to leave two rows of teeth marks on the outer shell.

"Holy crap!" Bai Yu touched his loose teeth, spitting out the taste of blood. "You can bite this thing open with your teeth?"

Fu Yao looked completely innocent: "In the video, I saw that he just bit it with his teeth!"

Bai Yu was furious: "You try biting me!"

“That’s right, how can you bite it open?” someone immediately chimed in.

Fu Yao originally wanted to argue a bit, but seeing that she had angered everyone, she immediately fell silent.

"Who knows how to open a coconut?" Bai Yu asked.

Everyone looked at each other, but no one said a word.

"Hou Yu, isn't your family from the South?"

Hou Yu shook his head: "Give me a machete or an axe, and I'll definitely show you how to do it, but I really can't do it bare-handed!"

He was rather thin and didn't look like someone with much strength.

"We can use a sharpened stick!" someone else suggested.

"How about finding a rock?"

"That's fine too..."

Everyone chatted amongst themselves. Ouyang, sitting by the cabin door, smirked, picked up a green coconut, and chopped off its outer skin with a knife.

Then he put down the military knife, grabbed the opening, and tore it off fiercely, immediately tearing off a large piece of the outer skin.

Everyone stared blankly at the scene, speechless.

Why bother looking for sticks and stones? It's opened right here.

Everyone watched with envy. Lu Wei and Luo Han were the first to try, but their first step was not smooth. It took them several cuts to make the same notch in the coconut.

It's easy to peel, but it's a bit strenuous, unlike Ouyang which does it so easily.

The others were even less able to do anything and could only watch Ouyang helplessly.

Ouyang peeled the coconut shell, then used two more sharp cuts to find the coconut meat and juice. He breathed a sigh of relief and handed it out, saying, "One by one, there are some!"

Hou Yu hesitated for a moment, then pointed weakly at the tip of the coconut and said, "No need for all that trouble. Just make a few more cuts in this spot; there are holes in the shell!"

A row of question marks immediately appeared above Ou Yang's head: Is that so?
After cutting it open several times, they found several holes about the thickness of a finger.

However, the hole is a bit small. It's fine to drink some juice, but if you want to eat the fruit, you have to open the shell... He had seen online that coconut sellers can peel a coconut egg in no time, but unfortunately he doesn't have that skill.

This method was quite simple. Lu Wei and Luo Han joined in, and soon everyone drank coconut juice, then cracked open the shells and ate the meat. Although they weren't full, at least they had something in their stomachs and didn't have to go hungry anymore.

Some people mentioned that the core of a coconut tree is edible and delicious, but after looking at the wind and rain outside the boat, they immediately gave up the idea of ​​going out.

Everyone was exhausted, but no one could sleep. Song Rui hesitated for a while before asking in a low voice, "We'll be alright, right?"

His eyes were fixed on Lu Wei, filled with hopeful light.

Lu Wei nodded: "Don't worry, our people will come when the weather gets better!"

Ou Yang didn't even look up, pretending not to hear.

Lu Wei makes it sound so easy, but whether he can actually be saved is really hard to say!

He could smell spores in the breath of several people, indicating that they were not only infected with Pneumococcus but had also passed the incubation period, so even if they received the PEP medication immediately, it would be useless.

Nothing? How could that be!

But even someone with no emotional intelligence wouldn't tell the truth at this time.

When someone asked about Saint-Va Island and the new city, Lu Wei told them what he could, which immediately drew gasps of admiration and envy.

Anyone with eyes can see that unless a miracle occurs and a cure is found, it's only a matter of time before the entire continent of America falls.

At this time, on the sea not far from Mia, there was a brand new city that was completely unaffected by the phantom lung disease!
Which Arabian Nights series is this from?
Everyone started asking about the new city, and Song Rui asked the most direct question: "Can we enter the new city?"

Lu Wei hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth: "As long as you're not infected, it's fine."

"Great!" A cheer erupted from the cabin.

Ou Yang sighed inwardly.

Several are in the budding stage, and the number in the incubation stage is unknown.

There are only a dozen or so people in total. Even if we optimistically estimate that 10% of them are immune, at most three people can be vaccinated. The others are either already infected or on their way to being infected.

He had witnessed too many cruel scenes and had long since learned his lesson; he would not easily show sympathy.

Moreover, Ouyang was also feeling very heavy-hearted at the moment.

Since arriving on St. Václav Island, he and his companions have been free from phantom lung disease and have the illusion that they can live in peace and no longer need to worry about the pandemic.

Little did he know that a mere storm and a cruise ship would shatter all his illusions.

Luo Han noticed that Ou Yang was acting strangely and nudged him with his elbow: "What are you thinking about? Why are you so quiet?"

Ouyang snapped out of his reverie and forced a smile: "I was thinking about cruise ships."

"What's there to think about with a cruise ship?" Luo Han asked, puzzled. "Haven't all these problems been solved?"

Ouyang countered, "Is it really resolved? Can you guarantee there won't be a second one?"

Luo Han wasn't stupid; he understood the implication and fell silent as well. On the surface, this incident seemed to involve only a cruise ship, but the ship wasn't heading for the Canon Islands; it was sailing directly to Sanva Island!
In other words, the new city has been targeted by a powerful organization in the Americas. The cruise ship is just the first test, and there may be a second and a third ship later, until the ulterior motives are achieved.

At this moment, Ouyang and Luohan still couldn't guess what the forces behind them were planning. The only thing they were certain of was that the other party was definitely not seeking cooperation.

Perhaps they coveted the location of Saint-Va Island and planned to seize it as a base; or perhaps they had their eye on the new city and were preparing to take over its territory while waiting for the right opportunity.

Well, both the South and North are too chaotic, and finding a safe place to settle down is extremely difficult.

Occupying the new city and using it to radiate influence throughout the entire region is certainly impossible, but this place is not only far from the epidemic area, but also far from the mainland, and there is enough distance between it and the Allied forces' cordon. It is not easy to develop and grow stronger, but it is not difficult to live in a corner.

Lu Wei inadvertently noticed the two whispering to each other, their expressions serious, which piqued his curiosity.

However, he was busy dealing with everyone's various questions and didn't have a chance to ask them yet.

Suddenly, an unusually clear whistling sound came from outside. The lifeboat swayed a few times in the gale, and everyone fell silent in unison, holding their positions nervously like a group of wooden figures.

The lifeboat was anchored on the beach, its bottom sinking into the sand. With the mountains on both sides blocking the wind, it remained very stable.

Is the sudden shaking simply due to stronger winds, or is there some other reason?
"Won't there be any danger?" Xu Zhou asked anxiously.

"No...definitely not!" Song Rui said firmly, "What are you thinking about!"

At times like these, the most important thing is to stabilize people's morale and nip any unfavorable words or actions in the bud!
Few people believed Song Rui, but no one was foolish enough to expose him.

Ouyang pressed his face against the window, but could only see complete darkness. Undeterred, he continued to wait until a bolt of lightning ripped through the sky.

He was astonished to see that the wind blowing across the cliffs had created faint white lines, and the coconut trees in the distance were leaning to one side or the other, with not a single one still standing upright.

After waiting a while longer, the lifeboat began to rock more noticeably, and everyone was terrified, losing all interest in asking any further questions.

They returned to their respective places, some huddled together and talked quietly, some were alone and lost in thought, and some leaned together and closed their eyes to rest.

Although the position was very uncomfortable, their exhaustion allowed them to relax their tense nerves and gradually drift off to sleep.

The cabin gradually quieted down, but the sound of the wind outside became even clearer.

Ou Yang and the others also gathered together to discuss for a few minutes, then two of them rested while one of them remained on duty.

Don't think that lifeboats are so small that there's no need to leave people on guard. Who knows where these people come from?

Sleep is fine, but you have to hold onto your weapon the whole time.

Ouyang felt as if he had returned to the epidemic area. Although his eyes were closed, every cell in his body was on high alert.

Half-asleep, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. He abruptly opened his eyes, quickly drew his pistol from his waist, and pressed the muzzle against the dark figure in front of him: "Who!"

At the same time, Luo Han, who was on night duty, also raised his gun without making a sound and pointed it at the man.

The moment the man's fingertips touched the holster, two guns were pointed at him, and he froze, too afraid to move!
The lights had been turned off at some point, and Ouyang couldn't see who was in front of him at all, so he fired the gun entirely by instinct.

The question startled everyone awake. Song Rui fumbled for the light switch, illuminating the man's face: "Ju Ye? What do you want?"

Ju Ye forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "If I said I was sleepwalking, would you believe me?"

Everyone simultaneously gave them a "Are you kidding me?" look.

Burning newspapers at a grave? Are you kidding me?

Ou Yang pushed the gun forward, making Ju Ye's forehead ache: "Tell me, who exactly are you!"

He didn't know where Ju Ye came from, but in the Americas, there were almost no areas where guns were prohibited; at most, there were strict restrictions.

Here, everything related to firearms is common sense. Touching someone else's gun without permission is extremely dangerous, and you deserve to be shot dead on the spot if you are caught!

Ju Ye's face was pale, devoid of any color, and her lips trembled so much that she could barely speak coherently.

Ou Yang's tone was icy: "Keep acting! Keep acting!"

Ju Ye looked like she was about to cry: "I really, really didn't mean to steal it, I just wanted to touch it!"

"It's pitch black, what are you touching? Why don't you just say you wanted to touch the girl and came to the wrong place?" Ou Yang said bluntly, and the shy girl immediately blushed.

But some were bold enough not to be shy at all, and they stared wide-eyed at it endlessly!
Ju Ye was stunned for a moment, then suddenly turned to look at the girls, feeling utterly regretful.

Yeah, why didn't I say I touched the wrong place?

Although the consequences are equally serious, they are much lighter than being caught red-handed stealing a gun!
The problem is, how can we change our minds in time? We can only stick to one path and see what happens.

Anyone with a sound mind would not believe his excuse. Without saying a word, Ou Yang tied Ju Ye up and dragged him aside for a thorough interrogation.

Despite the cramped space inside the cabin, the others instinctively kept their distance, quietly discussing their experiences after meeting Ju Ye, breaking them down in hopes of finding some clues.

Lu Wei and Luo Han both found it troublesome and were figuring out how to get Ju Ye to talk.

Ou Yang took a deep breath and stepped forward: "You two have different statuses, so leave this to me!"

,

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Trying to be polite and civilized with the other party at this time would only make things difficult for yourself. Even if Lu Wei and Luo Han wanted to tear the other party apart, they couldn't use underhanded tactics.

Ouyang was different; he was an unofficial member, which made him much more flexible than his colleagues.

Lu Wei hesitated for a moment: "Okay, it's up to you!"

Ou Yang nodded, dragged Ju Ye to a corner, and used the Great Memory Restoration Technique to help him straighten his mind and confess... He didn't use any drastic methods, but those he had seen in movies and TV shows were enough.

However, this guy was more resilient than I expected. Although he screamed as loudly as a pig being slaughtered, he just stubbornly refused to say anything.

"Seriously, I really admire tough guys, but I admire even more the process of a tough guy breaking down!" Ou Yang increased the intensity without hesitation, and Ju Ye couldn't take it, letting out a series of howls.

Even those who were merely bystanders couldn't help but feel a chill.

To be honest, Ouyang was not as calm as he appeared, but he was very clear about one thing: being merciful to the enemy was the same as being cruel to himself!
Putting everything else aside, once the cruise ship successfully arrives at St. Vary, the epidemic will spread rampantly among hundreds of thousands of compatriots. Who can bear such consequences?
Thinking of this, Ouyang would immediately cast aside all his weaknesses, leaving only coldness and hatred.

At this point, the others started to feel sorry for the kid and began to whisper among themselves, "Could they really be wronging him?"

"Are you stupid!" the still-sane companion immediately reminded him, "The gun theft was fake, wasn't it? How are you being wronged?"

Perhaps knowing she couldn't escape it, or perhaps unable to bear it any longer, Ju Ye suddenly burst into tears: "I'll talk, I'll talk, I'll tell you everything, please let me go, please let me go..."

“Go ahead and say it, I’m listening!” Lu Wei said.

"He, he's the one who made me steal it! We're in cahoots!" Ju Ye suddenly pointed at Song Rui, her eyes filled with malice.

Song Rui was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage. He was about to argue with Ju Ye to get to the bottom of things when the latter pointed at Bai Yu: "And him too!"

Then, pointing to Xu Zhou, she said, "He is also..."

In the blink of an eye, he had already pointed out more than half of the dozen or so people!

"So, besides the three of us, everyone else is your accomplice?" Lu Wei almost laughed in anger. "Why don't you just say the three of us are with you too? Forget it, don't ask anymore, just keep them tied up like this, we'll talk about it when we get back... Alright, everyone, get some rest!"

Professional matters should be left to professionals.

(End of this chapter)