Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 175 Nonsense
In the afternoon, a light rain came unexpectedly, and a hazy rain curtain covered the small Baifeng Town.

Following Major Jedi's instructions, all the survivors rushed to the warehouse, and Ou Yang was very surprised to see Cardin in the crowd.

He couldn't help feeling a little depressed.

At Ou Yang's signal, Zhu Yiming and Jiang Yuwei also saw Cardin.

Zhu Yiming's face darkened. "Damn it! Good people don't live long, but evil lasts for a thousand years. So many people died last night, but how come this guy is fine?"

Ou Yang said coldly: "Watch out for this kid!"

Cardin had already seen the trio, and although his expression didn't change, he was already cursing in his heart.

Yesterday he attacked Parker from behind and killed him, replacing Parker to smuggle intelligence with smuggled information, with the sole purpose of killing these three Orientals.

There were countless casualties in the town last night, and less than three digits are still alive. How come these three Orientals are like indestructible cockroaches and have managed to survive?

Jedi asked softly, "Is everyone here?
"Everything is here." The temporary adjutant nodded.

Jedi's eyes swept over everyone, and the words he wanted to say were on the tip of his tongue, but suddenly got stuck.

The TV was still broadcasting the news: "Our latest news: early this morning, the southern region was attacked by unidentified forces. Police engaged in a fierce exchange of fire with the attackers, killing and injuring several attackers. As of now, the identity of the attackers is still unknown.

The scene switches, and a high wall stretches as far as the eye can see, covered with barbed wire that also stretches as far as the eye can see. A large number of police officers and American soldiers are guarding the wall.

On the other side of the wall, hundreds of attackers lay in a pool of blood.

The scene cuts back to the studio: "In view of the serious situation at the border, President George signed a presidential order this morning authorizing state police and border forces to use all means to prevent refugees from crossing the border."

This time there was no picture.

"Earlier today, the 1st Marine Division was ordered to advance southward. By noon, they had fully controlled the Banama Canal, blocking the large number of refugees from Southern Mexico on the south bank of the canal."

In the picture, military vehicles are running and a group of American soldiers armed to the teeth are blocking the river bank.

"News from the Octagon: A large number of refugees from South America are attempting to travel north by sea. The guards have blocked the southern coastal area. Anyone landing without permission will do so at their own risk!"

The scene switches, and countless large and small ships fill the sea, heading north.

Studio: "News of riots breaking out across Southern Mi has spread. Chaos of varying degrees has occurred in various locations, crime has surged, and citizens are panic-buying supplies. Many wealthy businessmen are rushing to the Doomsday Fortress in Kansas..."

Jedi sighed quietly, "Everyone has heard about it, the fungus has spread."

Everyone had heard some news to some extent, and they were all silent. The atmosphere was extremely depressing.

Jedi's eyes were complicated. "There are only so few people left in the entire Baifeng Town. The reinforcements that were supposed to arrive this morning had to be dispatched to other areas due to the spread of the fungus."

"Don't we have to defend this place anymore?" an old man asked in surprise, "Then what were we working so hard for?"

"Is it necessary to continue defending?" Jedi asked, "Our goal is to stop the fungus from spreading, but the fungus has already spread. There's no point in staying here, so... I've decided to give up on Baifeng Town!"

Jedi continued: "But I respect your choice. Those who want to leave can leave, and those who don't want to leave can stay in the town."

"What about you? Are you planning on leaving or staying?"

"I plan to leave." Jedi answered very calmly.

"Will there be more supplies in the future?"

"There won't be any more," Jedi said. "The fungus is only confined to Bear State, and the Rice Palace can still support it. If it spreads to so many places, we'll definitely have to change our plans... However, the supplies that have already been shipped won't be taken away. Those who leave won't be able to take much with them, so the remaining supplies will belong to those who stay. There's enough to last for a long time."

He paused and continued, "This isn't a nuclear war, nor is it an alien invasion. All we need to do is find a deserted place to hide and wait until everything is over before coming out."

"But how long will it take?"

"I don't know, maybe a few months at the shortest, or three to five years at the longest," said Jedi.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know." Jedi shrugged. "Right now, there's a large-scale outbreak in many parts of Southern Midwest, and smaller outbreaks in the southern states. There's no news in other areas yet, so it should still be safe... Whether you leave or stay, you're risking your life for tomorrow. I hope everyone will consider this carefully."

Having said everything that needed to be said, Jedi shut his mouth and waited for everyone's choice.

On TV, the news has ended and an epidemic prevention expert has come on.

The host asked very directly: "Doctor, what suggestions do you have for this sudden riot?"

The epidemic prevention expert calmly said, "First, let me correct one thing. This isn't a riot, but a new infectious disease. The Department of Health has officially named it fungal schizophrenia."

The host was stunned: "Schizophrenia, isn't it a mental illness? How can it be related to fungi?"

"The causes of schizophrenia are very complex. A very important contributing factor is drug abuse. The fungus that causes schizophrenia produces a highly hallucinogenic substance after entering the human body. It is this special substance that causes schizophrenia."

The host suddenly realized: "I see, so what suggestions do you have for fungal schizophrenia?"

"My advice is simple," the expert said, staring intently at the camera. "Stay home as much as possible. Don't drink unsterilized water. If you notice anyone behaving unusually, hide away and notify the police immediately. If you notice anything unusual yourself, contact the police or the Department of Health immediately. The health department will provide free medication... Finally, fungal schizophrenia is not something to be feared. It can be treated and prevented. Don't believe the rumors..."

"Burning newspapers at graves is just fooling the ghosts!" Zhu Yiming curled his lips and sneered, "Fungal schizophrenia, why not call it new phantom lung?"

"Everyone's telling the truth, okay?" Ou Yang said with a playful expression, "But they didn't dare to talk about the severity of a large-scale infection."

It is not a big problem if ten, eight, or even twenty or thirty people out of a hundred are infected. As long as the proportion of normal people is large enough, the infected people will not cause any waves.

However, the proportion of immune people is only 11.4%, and many of them will be injured or killed by attacks from infected people. It would be a blessing if the actual survival rate can reach half of the theoretical number.

With such a small number of immune people, it is impossible to maintain the normal operation of social order.

After the epidemic prevention expert finished speaking, the host asked, "Doctor, there's a rumor that the pathogenic fungus isn't naturally occurring, but rather man-made. What do you think about that?"

"Is that so?" the epidemic prevention expert was surprised. "The possibility of artificial creation is very small and very difficult. I think it is more likely to form naturally... Ever since humans appeared on Earth, the war between humans and microorganisms has never stopped, such as the Black Death, the plague, and the Spanish flu.

The epidemic prevention expert paused for a moment and took a breath. "Fungi are a very large family, with over 300 species that can infect humans, such as athlete's foot, common warts, and various molds. The pathogenic mechanism of phantom lung fungus is quite unique, but it's within our understanding. Although our understanding of fungi is limited, treatment is quite difficult..."

The host quickly interrupted: "Is there a fungus that can infect the brain?"

The expert stumbled a bit, but quickly adjusted himself: "Of course, fungal meningitis can cause symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fever, cognitive impairment, seizures and coma."

The host then asked, "What is the difference between fungal meningitis and fungal schizophrenia?"

"There's a huge difference. The former directly affects the brain, while the latter is just a complication caused by lung infection..."

"Is this true?" A bearded old man, his face filled with shock, said, "Can viruses be created?"

"It's fungus!" Lao Mi next to him corrected.

"With today's technology, what can't be created? I've always said that the biochemical crisis isn't a fabrication, it's a warning to all of humanity!"

"That's right!"

"That's right!"

Watching the fun, Lao Mi was full of criticism. Cardin rolled his eyes and suddenly said, "Dongfang, you said you were there when the epidemic broke out, right?"

Ou Yang sneered: "Why, you want to resort to discrimination again?"

Although this guy didn't say it directly, he hinted at it very clearly.

"No, not at all!" Bearded Lao Mi immediately denied, "He only represents himself, it has nothing to do with us!"

The other Lao Mi nodded in unison and quickly made their positions clear.

Cardin's smile froze on his face, and he looked at Lao Mi, who had betrayed him, with a strange look, as if to say: We are in the same group, how could you betray me?

Ou Yang said calmly, "You haven't read the official Brown Bears investigation report, right?"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was stunned.

The bearded man asked curiously, "Investigation report? Is there such a thing?"

Ou Yang thought about it and it made sense. When the military blocked the brown bear, they not only blocked transportation, but also communications. It was normal that the outside world did not know the details.

"According to the US military's investigation, Patient Zero is named Emily..." He briefly recounted what he knew.

Although it did not mention what happened in the Municipal Hospital, nor did it say the final outcome of Patient Zero, the timeline was very clear, which stunned Lao Mi who was present.

"That's ridiculous. If you are so good at making up stories, why don't you write a novel?" Cardin strongly rejected Ouyang's statement.

Ou Yang curled his lips and ignored it.

Instead, a few Lao Mis kept speaking up for Ou Yang.

Jedi couldn't bear to watch it any longer and stopped it loudly: "Alright!"

No one listened at all.

He raised his voice: "Alright!"

Still no one cares.

Jedi roared, "Alright!"

Now everyone could hear clearly, and the scene finally quieted down.

"I don't want to hear that nonsense." Jedi pointed at Cardin and scolded, "Have you thought it through? Hurry up!"

After a moment of silence, an old man raised his right hand first: "I'll stay!"

He has no ties, is alone, and is alive wherever he goes. Instead of taking the risk of leaving, he might as well find a deserted place to hide here.

"I'll stay too!" said another Lao Mi.

"I want to go home!" The third Lao Mi made a choice, "My wife and children are still waiting for me at home, I have to go..."

The crowd quickly split into two groups, those who stayed and those who left, basically half and half.

Seeing that everyone had made their choices, Jedi clapped his hands and said, "Very good, let's get ready!"

Ou Yang glanced at Cardin, who gave him a provocative look. Both sides ignored each other and left the warehouse one after another.

"Keep an eye on him," said Ou Yang.

He really wanted to teach Cardin a lesson, but now was not the time.

"I understand." Zhu Yiming said.

Jiang Yuwei didn't say anything, but nodded.

The three men deliberately waited outside the warehouse until Cardin walked away before leaving.

The next step is to gather supplies as quickly as possible.

Ou Yang said: "First, we need a car. Let's go back to the camping area and find a suitable RV. Then we need weapons, food, and fuel..."

Things have their priorities, so preparations should be made based on the most urgent ones first.

The trio rushed back to the camping area as soon as possible. There was no room for selection. When they saw a complete RV, they opened the door to see if the key was in the car.

After a while of searching, I found a few cars with keys and finally chose a small RV.

Next is the weapons. Two silenced submachine guns were obtained last night, and many militants were killed this morning. Ou Yang also got one for himself.

The caliber is nine millimeters, and there are plenty of bullets.

In addition, tactical lights, scopes, and various small accessories are also fully equipped.

American soldiers have a tradition of purchasing their own weapons, and purchasing their own accessories is even more common. It is not difficult to put together a complete set. You just need to search through the bodies of fallen American soldiers a few times.

Ou Yang does not believe in ghosts or gods, but out of the most basic respect for the dead, he always says sorry sincerely and takes off his dog tags or other items that can prove his identity.

He naturally wouldn't keep them himself, but he could collect them and hand them over to Jedi for disposal.

During this period,

In addition to the submachine gun, Ou Yang also placed the M249 in the car.

Now that PKM is gone, we need a big guy to keep things under control!

He always felt that submachine guns were too weak, lacked penetration, and had insufficient range, but this thing was a silent weapon and was most suitable for dealing with infected people.

In addition, Ou Yang also wants to get a sniper rifle.

The 191 is good. It can fire single shots with high precision as well as continuous bursts. However, it has too few bullets. With each shot, one bullet is gone. There is nowhere to buy it in the United States. It is better to replace it with a local weapon where bullets are easier to find.

But after searching around for a long time, I only found a bolt-action rifle, and it was broken.

Ou Yang did not give up and went to find Jedi to ask, but it turned out that none of the guns in the garrison met Ou Yang's requirements.

The latest M27 meets the requirements, but this rifle, which is said to replace the M249, is currently only equipped with the Marine Corps. The main equipment of the National Guard is still the M4 and M249, as well as a small amount of 6.8mm next-generation squad weapons.

Ou Yang was somewhat interested in 6.8mm firearms, but unfortunately they were not available here either.

Fortunately, the M249 is the main force today. Whether it is the 191 or other rifles, they are just icing on the cake and are far from indispensable.

In the evening, those who decided to leave were finally ready.

There were more than forty people and more than twenty vehicles, more than half of which were RVs, and the rest were all military vehicles, including two armored vehicles.

Although it was getting late and it seemed that it would be better to wait until tomorrow to set off, but Jedi didn't want to waste time, so he waved his hand and led the team off.

(End of this chapter)