Chapter 197: Chapter 195: Seconded
New York University Langone Medical Center.
The nurse, Jennifer, was in full protective gear, wearing the latest model of bio-chemical suit as she did her rounds.
As a medical facility temporarily requisitioned by the newly established Special Epidemic Prevention Committee, Langone Medical Center’s isolation wards now held hundreds of carriers of the Evil Spirit Virus, as well as dozens of lightly infected individuals.
The vast majority of the Eagle Country’s top medical experts had converged here to begin on-site research into the Evil Spirit Virus.
The virus carriers could become infected at any moment, while the lightly infected would rapidly transition into a severely infected state.
Once they became severely infected—became what were known as zombies—the fate that awaited them was decapitation and dissection.
Jennifer had found it hard to adjust at first, but the attending physician told her that these mutated zombies were no longer human, so there was no need to feel any psychological burden.
Besides, at this distance and with their specialized bio-chemical protective suits, the chance of infection was practically zero.
There was nothing to worry about.
Of course, what truly put her at ease was the "Antiviral Serum" that had been administered to front-line medical staff like her an hour ago. It was said to be effective against the Evil Spirit Virus, rushed into production by pharmaceutical companies.
Jennifer had now overcome her initial fear, steeling herself with the professional ethics and conviction of a healthcare worker.
"Number 45, all normal..."
"Number 46, all normal..."
Jennifer made notes on her tablet as she checked each of the lightly infected patients’ rooms, which had been converted to resemble prison cells.
"Number 47..."
She had just arrived at Number 47’s room. The lightly infected patient here was a bald man. The last time she’d made her rounds, he had still been able to converse with her freely. He was polite and handsome, showing no signs of being infected at all.
Except, that is, for his constant pleas for Jennifer to put her hand through for him to kiss.
Actually, even that didn’t necessarily prove he was infected.
But the constant drooling and the greedy look in his eyes gave him away.
Aside from the fact that he seemed to want to eat her, Jennifer actually had a pretty good impression of Number 47.
But this time, Number 47 was different. He wasn’t waiting behind the thick iron bars to chat and drool at Jennifer. Instead, he was standing stiffly by the bed, his head tilted back as if he were looking at something.
It seemed he was staring at something on the ceiling.
"Number 47?" Jennifer called out.
He didn’t respond.
’Has he entered a deeply infected state? Is he about to turn?’
She had dealt with quite a few of these situations over the past few days. Once someone entered deep infection and fully turned into a zombie, she had to call security immediately. They would put a bullet in the zombie, then drag it to the lab for slicing and dissection.
"Number 47?" Jennifer asked again.
A part of her felt a pang of regret.
Just then, the bald man, Number 47, whipped around to face Jennifer.
Seeing his appearance, Jennifer couldn’t help but gasp.
Yellow fluid was now pouring from Number 47’s eyes, ears, and mouth!
Then, the corners of his mouth curled up into a grotesque smile. The next instant, yellow smoke erupted from his mouth and nose, spreading in all directions!
At the same time, in some of the surrounding wards, dozens of other infected individuals also began to spew yellow smoke, as if they had turned into human-shaped smoke grenades!
Jennifer immediately slammed the alarm, then turned and ran for her life.
She had no idea what the hell this was, but her years of experience as a healthcare professional told her that all hell was breaking loose again!
It wasn’t just New York University Langone Medical Center. Piercing alarms were now echoing throughout New York City, and even across the entire Eagle Country.
In every location where the infected were being held, a thick yellow fog began to emerge. Even places where lightly infected individuals were in hiding now became epicenters for the spread of the Evil Spirit Virus’s toxic mist.
Similar situations were also occurring in airport quarantine centers in Hua Country and other nations.
The individuals infected with the Evil Spirit Virus had become like giant smoke grenades, continuously spewing a thick, smoke-like toxic mist that spread rapidly through the air!
Although key regions in various countries had already begun administering a generic version of the Antiviral Serum, there wasn’t nearly enough time to inject everyone.
Fortunately, Hua Country had also developed a sprayable, inhalable version of the medicine and had shared its manufacturing method.
In the ensuing emergency, various types of aircraft—transport planes, crop dusters, and more—began flying at extremely low altitudes over cities, spraying the generic Antiviral Serum directly into the air to grant everyone immunity.
After the initial panic, the public erupted in cheers, expressing their sincere gratitude to the medical community for developing the "Antiviral Serum."
No one had expected that a treatment for the Evil Spirit Virus would be developed so quickly.
It was said that the thirteen medical experts who had previously developed the cure for the Petrification Disease had once again played a pivotal role in this research effort. For a time, these thirteen were practically revered as living saviors in the public’s eyes, and consequently, the social status of all healthcare workers saw a tremendous boost.
After all, these two terrifying plagues had been enough to strike fear into everyone’s hearts. One only had to look at the current miserable state of East Japan to understand what a widespread epidemic would look like.