Chapter 182: Chapter 181: I’m in the Epidemic Zone
A highly contagious plague of this magnitude could easily spiral into a global catastrophe. Shen Feng alone, even with his two major skills—the Nanomechanical Cluster and Consciousness Antennae—would be hard-pressed to stop it.
He had to gather the full strength of the Salvation Army and implement preventative measures on a global scale!
Especially in Hua Country!
Although logically, Shen Feng should have treated everyone equally, he was one of the Hua Country People, after all, and his greatest concern was still his homeland.
Human civilization might have no borders, but the Savior had a nationality.
Moreover, researching the virus would also require the assistance of the top elites in the medical world.
Although Shen Feng himself had conducted in-depth research into virology and the like, he wasn’t a true professional, after all.
...
Inside the Hua Country CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) headquarters in Yanjing, Li Tongchen was anxiously staring at the news on TV. He hoped to find some information related to the epidemic in Japan, but was left somewhat disappointed.
Ever since receiving the alert from the True Apocalypse Game, he had immediately flown to Yanjing to personally meet with the heads of the national health and disease control departments and explain the severity of the situation.
Although Hua Country had yet to receive official confirmation from the Japanese government, they took Li Tongchen’s words extremely seriously.
After all, Li Tongchen was now considered the leading figure in Hua Country’s entire medical community. His outstanding contributions during the Petrification Disease incident meant that no one dared ignore the words of such an expert.
Furthermore, having been tested by several major epidemics in the past, everyone instantly went on high alert.
Because of this, Hua Country immediately strengthened security at all ports of entry and placed individuals arriving from Japan and Eagle Country under temporary quarantine for observation.
With its extensive experience in epidemic prevention and control, along with the most comprehensive and efficient response system in the world, Hua Country’s entire medical system mobilized in just a few hours.
However, although they had already begun quarantine procedures—even going so far as to quarantine entire planes arriving from Japan—there had been no serious news from the Japanese side. It was as if all was calm.
Even the terrifying and gory videos of infected individuals that had been posted online were dismissed by the Japanese government. They claimed they were just pranks and that the so-called "Evil Spirit" Virus didn’t exist at all.
In contrast, over in Eagle Country’s New York, the Eagle Country CDC had already activated its emergency response mechanism. They not only locked down several major New York airports but also sealed off and isolated entire apartment buildings and residential areas, treating the situation as a major crisis.
According to an official from the Eagle Country CDC, the initial symptoms of the virus were not obvious. However, the infected truly developed a desire to eat people and became extremely aggressive.
Fortunately, according to Martin, a medical expert from the Eagle Country CDC who had been one of the first to have contact with the infected, the virus was not that contagious. It was primarily transmitted through the exchange of bodily fluids and blood; airborne transmission was not as severe as the rumors suggested.
Several of Eagle Country’s most authoritative disease control experts formed a panel, examined the infected, and ultimately announced that the spread of the Evil Spirit Virus had been brought under initial control.
But from the very beginning, Li Tongchen wasn’t convinced.
After communicating with the other twelve medical titans who had simultaneously "discovered" the Petrification Disease, they all harbored doubts. They even developed a strong sense of mistrust toward the Eagle Country CDC.
’If the Evil Spirit Virus was really this easy to control, the Savior would never have issued such a grave warning...’
Just then, the image on the television screen suddenly changed. A news anchor appeared alone, speaking with a solemn expression:
"We interrupt this broadcast for a special report. This station has received video footage from Japan’s Narita Airport, leaked by an anonymous source. Due to the special circumstances, we are airing this breaking news."
The next moment, the screen changed abruptly, showing a group of infected individuals devouring other people!
Before "dining," these infected individuals even put their hands together and shouted, "Time to eat!" as if they were at a family dinner.
The camera then pulled back, revealing the entire scene at Narita Airport.
Zombie-like infected individuals were climbing into the cabin of a recently landed plane, carrying out a horrific massacre.
The footage cut again. This time, it seemed to have been filmed from a moving car, showing scenes from the streets of Tokyo.
Pedestrians being hunted down, burning vehicles, infected people roasting corpses, thick smoke billowing, endless screams—the streets were in a state of uncontrolled chaos. It was hard to believe this was Tokyo!
The goriest parts of the footage had been censored, but it was still easy to see exactly what was happening.
Li Tongchen casually switched to a few other channels and found that most of them were now reporting on the incident. Apparently, they had all received the video footage simultaneously, and with the tacit approval of the propaganda department.
"...According to satellite data, large-scale riots are currently occurring throughout Tokyo and its surrounding areas. However, the Japanese government has still not released any information to the outside world. Experts speculate..."
BZZZT... Just as the news anchor was speaking, Li Tongchen’s phone suddenly vibrated. He glanced at it immediately, and a long-awaited line of text appeared:
"The cataclysm has begun. Enter the Stone Statue Apocalypse mission scenario immediately!"
He took a deep breath, the anxiety on his face easing slightly.
’With the Savior here, we have a pillar of strength.’
Thanks to his distinguished status in the country’s medical community, Li Tongchen had his own office at the CDC.
He quickly walked over and closed his office door, took the "Other Shore" Virtual Reality Headset from his suitcase, and put it on. Then, he lay down on a nearby sofa and initiated the connection.
A fleeting sense of vertigo washed over him, his vision went black, and then he found himself in an auditorium.
The auditorium was enormous, apparently having been temporarily expanded to the point where it was comparable to a stadium.
But despite the modifications, Li Tongchen recognized his location from the buildings visible outside a nearby window.
’The national CDC building in the Capital, from the Stone Statue Apocalypse mission!’
Li Tongchen’s seat was near the front. In the seats around him, figures were continuously materializing—they were the players logging into the game.
The moment they received the message from the True Apocalypse Game, they had immediately begun preparing to enter virtual reality.
Some players who didn’t have their equipment on hand were now rushing to the locations where their virtual reality devices were stored.
While others, including the high-level officials in their respective countries, might still doubt the existence of the Evil Spirit Virus, these players had believed Shen Feng completely from the very start.
That was why, for the past dozen or so hours, they had been working hard to push their home countries to strengthen various epidemic prevention measures and avoid any delays.
A few minutes later, over seven thousand players had materialized. They all began to exchange the information they had gathered.
"Mr. Li, do you have any news from Japan? What on earth is happening over in Tokyo?" a player asked Li Tongchen.
Li Tongchen frowned. "I don’t have any information right now. We’ll have to ask Mr. Ito..."
As he spoke, he looked toward a player who had just materialized.
The player’s name was Ito Sanroku, and he was one of the first thirteen Disciples, a medical expert from Japan.
Ito Sanroku looked nervous and flustered. Upon hearing Li Tongchen’s words, he hurriedly replied:
"I’ve been in Hokkaido these past few days, but I’ve already contacted my friends in Tokyo, including officials at the Ministry of Health*. They all said nothing was wrong... It’s just..."
"Just what?" Li Tongchen asked.
"Just a moment ago, I received a call for help from a friend who works in the government. He said his own colleagues are hunting him down!" Ito Sanroku’s face was pale with anxiety. "I need to see the Commander! I must ask the Commander for help! Something terrible must have happened in Tokyo!"
At that very moment, on the stage at the front of the auditorium, the figure of a hooded youth slowly materialized. It was the Commander they had all been waiting for.
Seeing that over eight thousand people had arrived, Shen Feng nodded and spoke:
"The situation is critical, so I’ll be brief. All of Tokyo has become an epidemic zone. The government of Japan has delayed releasing any information and has even actively concealed the outbreak. I suspect the entire Xia Pass district has fallen completely, and it’s possible all cabinet members have already been infected."
As soon as he said this, all the players present revealed expressions of shock.
Xia Pass was where the administrative organs of the Japanese government were located.
Although they had vaguely suspected as much, they had never taken the thought seriously. This was the central government of a major nation, after all. How could it fall so easily?
But now that the speculation came from the Commander himself, it carried a completely different weight.
Trembling, Ito Sanroku rose to his feet and asked Shen Feng:
"Commander, may I ask... How do you know about the situation in Tokyo?"
’He truly didn’t want to believe the Commander’s words. He was still clinging to a sliver of hope that this was just the Commander’s speculation.’
’After all, only a dozen or so hours had passed since they received the warning. How could such a widespread infection possibly occur in such a short amount of time...’
’Besides, the Commander must have learned of this through satellite surveillance or some other remote means. Maybe... maybe it wasn’t entirely accurate...’
Shen Feng swept his gaze across the crowd and said slowly:
"I am in the Tokyo Epidemic Zone."