Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 478 The Crisis Remains Unabated
She was a woman with brown skin, long, brown-gold hair in a high ponytail, who looked to be in her thirties and had a very exotic look.

It wasn't that she was particularly beautiful, but rather that her features, distinctly different from those of other Europeans and Americans, possessed a striking, unusual beauty. When the police stopped her from moving forward, she cautiously leaned against the wall, pushing a suitcase. Upon seeing the fierce police dogs approaching her, her face paled, revealing fear. She unconsciously wiped the agate bracelet on her wrist, then quickly hid her hand behind her back, as if remembering something.

This scene naturally did not escape the eyes of the police at the scene, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the woman.

"Wang!"

The ferocious Tibetan Mastiff from southern Xinjiang province exuded an intimidating aura even when standing still. When it barked at the woman, she trembled so badly she almost collapsed to the ground. It turned out that not only Lin Ge, but even a trained police dog, detected her scent upon closer approach. The Mastiff even seemed eager to break free of its leash and subdue the woman, but its handler quickly calmed it down.

Even so, the suspicion surrounding this brown-haired woman was strong enough. Even if Mimi's growling from so far away was merely a suspicion, the police dog's reaction now was enough to prove that this woman was definitely involved.

Not only the police, but even several tourists around her are now making the same judgment, secretly moving a few steps away from her.

Even at this point, the woman stubbornly questioned the Chinese police loudly in English, asking what they were trying to do to her and whether they were illegally restricting her personal freedom.

"Madam, we need to check you! We suspect you are carrying illegal items. Please cooperate with us."

A young police officer spoke to her in fluent English, then looked around and said, “Ladies and gentlemen! We are very sorry, but the items this lady is carrying may pose an infectious threat. For your health and safety, we need to conduct a series of medical tests on all of you who were on the same flight as her. This is for your safety, so please cooperate with us for an orderly and expeditious testing process. Professional staff will then guide you to the designated testing area to complete the security check as quickly as possible. If you have any objections to our work, please cooperate with us to leave this area, where relevant staff will handle your complaints and suggestions. Thank you.”

"Contagion? Virus?"

A middle-aged man, who was a little older, exclaimed in surprise. As if he had realized something, his face suddenly turned extremely ugly.

Upon hearing the word 'virus,' the people around her paled. They instinctively moved further away from the woman, their gazes filled with anger and rebuke.

The isolated and helpless woman lowered her head and remained silent, watching quietly as a policeman took her suitcase away, and then two other policewomen invited her to leave the scene.

As she left, everyone kept their distance from her as if avoiding a snake or scorpion, afraid of having any contact with her.

Only after she disappeared around the corner, accompanied by the police, did these people begin to curse angrily.

"Could I please have a face mask? Thank you."

The middle-aged man who had spoken earlier looked at the policeman beside him and said urgently, "Seeing your serious attitude, I think I've already guessed what it is. So for our sake, please give me a mask first, OK?"

The police officer turned to look at Wei Zhengxun, who nodded and gestured for a female ground staff member behind him to come forward with a plastic tray filled with individually packaged blue filter masks.

The middle-aged man was the first to come over, take the mask, tear open the packaging, and put it on.

With this person taking the lead, everyone else, whether they were skeptical or didn't believe it, quickly put on their masks.

Seeing that everyone was so cooperative, Wei Zhengxun breathed a sigh of relief.

The most important mode of transmission for the Tiger virus is through oral saliva. Wearing a mask can prevent the vast majority of cross-infections. Currently, it's uncertain whether the people at the scene are already infected and carrying the Tiger virus; isolating them is the best course of action. As for letting cats or dogs sniff these people to see if they have the Tiger virus... unfortunately, the Tiger virus cannot be detected by smell if it hasn't been infected; what can be detected is the harm it causes to living organisms. The fact that someone knowledgeable about the Tiger virus is willing to cooperate with the police and lead by example is the best news for the police right now.

"this way please!"

The police officers, relieved, did not open the exit passage but instead directed the people back to the safety passage.

This time, no one resisted, and all the passengers left with the police. Their luggage was also required to be inspected and disinfected, and after it was confirmed that the substance was a 'virus,' no one objected.

Because, regardless of the circumstances, during the dozen or so hours they spent traveling from South America to Chu City, they and the crew were the people closest to the woman suspected of drug use. They were the most likely to be infected, not the police officers at the airport.

When their lives are threatened, they do not mind seeking protection from the country's police.

"what are you doing!"

Lin Ge's ears twitched as he suddenly heard a panicked roar in the distance.

Sensing something was wrong, he rushed over and saw the South American woman pinned to the ground by a policeman, unable to move. However, the string of agate beads she was carrying had broken and scattered, with the smooth beads even rolling across the cordon and all over the lobby.

Curious or well-meaning travelers bent down to pick them up, but were quickly and loudly stopped by the police officer escorting the South American woman. He hurriedly climbed over the fence to deal with these dangerous items, but unexpectedly a small group of cats suddenly appeared, chasing after the scattered agate stones without hesitation, carrying them back to this side of the passage.

This scene relieved the police officer, but drew strange looks from the surrounding passengers. However, just as she was about to leave, a police officer approached her and invited her to stay nearby for her safety.

The woman was stunned when she heard that the agate stones on the ground might contain a virus.

Like her, there were five or six other passengers whose agate stones had rolled to their feet. Just in case, they too had to go through a check before they could leave.

"Why didn't you keep a close eye on her?"

Wei Zhengxun stared at the person in charge of escorting the suspect with bloodshot eyes. If these agate stones were indeed found to contain the virus, then this time there was almost a major disaster.

"I never expected her to do something so blatant! Isn't that just courting death? No ordinary person would do something so stupid!" The person in charge was also very aggrieved. He had no idea that the person he was escorting this time would be mentally ill.

"But you should know that the Tiger virus threatening Chu City this time is related to terrorists! They are terrorists! Terrorists who dare to self-destruct! You never expected this, you never expected that, but can you imagine how ruthless terrorists can be?"

Wei Zhengxun roared in extreme anger.

If these cats hadn't happened to see and help, who knows if these scattered agate stones might have been missed? If even one had been overlooked in a moment of carelessness, the whole incident could have turned into a zombie apocalypse movie! And if the virus got out of control, the extent of its infectivity would be terrifying—even God probably doesn't know!
Is this something to joke about?
Is this something that can be taken lightly?
Why didn't you subdue the suspect immediately when you saw her acting strangely?
What? Handcuffed?

Are handcuffs some kind of magic solution?
What? A foreigner?
Are foreigners your father or your mother?

Wei Zhengxun was truly furious this time. If those cats hadn't appeared in time, he might have really caused a huge mess. Even if he argued that a lowly policeman in the city had never encountered anything like terrorists, all those meetings and training sessions he'd attended recently were for nothing, weren't they?
Wei Zhengxun still feels terrified when he thinks about it now. If someone had been infected with the Tiger virus without knowing it and left the airport, who knows how terrible the spread of the virus would have been.

There is a famous theory called the six degrees of separation, which simply means that a person is no more than six people away from any other person. In other words, you can get to know any stranger through a maximum of six people.

This statement also applies to the highly infectious nature of the Tiger virus. A single Tiger virus can potentially infect any target in the world after only six transmissions. And this weakened, mutated Tiger virus, after six transmissions, actually possesses lethality. Even if this weakened, mutated Tiger virus no longer has the ability to kill, it can still cause illness, even serious illness! And if the target is the young or frail, it can still be fatal!

Why is the entire city of Chu now so terrified of the Tiger virus and this incident?
The reason is actually that simple!
Its transmissibility is enough to spread globally, its potential for causing endless harm to the human body is enough to warrant endless trouble, coupled with our current incomplete understanding of it, and Professor Li Shousheng's concerns about the possibility of viral evolution or even re-mutation, all of which make this matter absolutely not something to be taken lightly. Even if only one or fewer individuals of the Tiger virus remain hidden somewhere within the country, it could potentially erupt again when everyone is careless.

"Close off the airport exit and all internal passages. All areas that passengers from the previous flight passed through, including adjacent areas, as well as the entire exit hall, must undergo emergency disinfection!"

Wei Zhengxun issued the order without hesitation.

Accompanying Wei Zhengxun was Chief Qin of the airport police station, who was about to order his officers to carry out the order when he suddenly realized something and his eyes widened in surprise. He said, "Secretary Wei, is emergency disinfection in time? I just paid a little attention when I passed by, and there are only about twenty minutes left before the next flight lands! This is also an international flight from Charles de Gaulle International Airport in France! If we block the exit, how will they get off the plane? Will the plane be stuck on the runway after landing? What about the next flight? This will trigger a chain reaction, and may even force all flight schedules across the country to be adjusted! Moreover, we can't let the French flight leave the airport through other means. No one can guarantee that there isn't a second wave of suspected carriers of the Tiger virus on this flight! If they find a loophole and slip away, this problem will be very troublesome!"

"Twenty minutes for clearing the area plus disinfection time?"

Wei Zhengxun's face darkened.

It's not that it's impossible, but if the disinfection is rushed and not done properly, the virus could still remain. If it happens to land on someone passing by, the situation becomes even more dangerous!
"Secretary Wei, hasn't the higher-ups considered this aspect?"

Director Qin felt like he was about to stop breathing. Did the higher-ups think that as long as the suspect was caught, everything would be fine, without considering the possibility of a second wave of enemy attacks?
"Based on the actual investigation, Chairman Mao gave a mandatory disinfection time of thirty minutes! Originally, this time would have been more than enough, but this time we also have to clear the entire exit hall! Moreover, generally speaking, the daily passenger volume of Tianchi Airport is not high, and we have a total of four terminals and more than a dozen boarding gates. In the event of an incident, we could simply close the terminal in question and have passengers use other terminals. But this time... the exit is shared!"

Wei Zhengxun's expression turned grave. He finally understood why the foreign woman had scattered potentially virus-carrying jewelry outside the exit. Her purpose wasn't to infect anyone; she was clearly trying to throw the airport into chaos!
Only when the airport is in chaos can their people take advantage of the situation.

Furthermore, it's impossible to urgently change the departure direction at this point, as the relevant testing equipment cannot be moved at will. In other words, the options are either to conduct a hasty disinfection at the risk of contamination, to conduct a hasty security check at the risk of enemy infiltration, or to simply detain these foreign friends arriving in China on the plane until disinfection is completed. There is no fourth option that can be implemented in a short time.

And another important point is...

The enemy can use the same tactics countless times! Terrorists are never afraid of sacrifice; they can send out countless suicide bombers to do the same thing as the woman before.

If the domestic police's defense fails even once... it's equivalent to a complete failure, and the consequences will be unimaginable.

Wei Zhengxun took a deep breath, finally truly understanding why the international community created the special definition of "terrorist," which almost excludes them from the list of human beings. Because these people employ far too many vicious methods, making them impossible to deal with without swift and decisive action. And yet, they wear human skin, able to infiltrate any country and any mode of transportation, turning everyone nearby into hostages or even victims! Even with all the inside stories surrounding 9/11, the people on the planes and in the two buildings remained innocent! And this time, a steady stream of passenger planes, carrying immense danger, were hurtling towards Chu City.

At this point, Wei Zhengxun could only force himself to calm down as quickly as possible.

Seeing that Director Qin was still waiting for a reply, he said with a serious expression, "Let's not talk about anything else now. Get all the disinfection done as soon as possible! No matter what happens later, the disinfection cannot be done perfunctorily or changed! Every minute you dawdle here is wasting precious disinfection time! Also! Prepare a large number of masks in all terminals! From now on, every passenger disembarking from the plane will be required to wear a mask! If anyone asks for a reason, say it is a national order that must be followed! Anyone who dares to refuse will be restricted and deported!"

"I will arrange for them to supervise the disinfection process thoroughly and ensure that no blind spots are overlooked."

Director Qin hung up the phone, but his brow remained furrowed with worry. "For now, let the planes from Charles de Gaulle Airport linger in the terminal for about ten minutes! Once the terminal is disinfected, let them continue waiting there. Ten minutes each time, twenty minutes in total, should be enough time for the exit to be disinfected. I just hope there won't be a second wave of infected people anytime soon, otherwise the airport will really be forced to close. Then there's another problem: what about the plane from South America? There's no doubt they're infected with the Tiger virus, but they belong to Dorothea Airways. Should we send them back directly? What about the passengers who bought tickets? Refunds aren't a big problem. But like I said before, if this happens two or three times, even if we double the size and manpower at Tianchi Airport, it won't be enough!"

Wei Zhengxun waved his hand, indicating that the matter had already been considered. He then explained directly, "The higher-ups will contact the country and airline directly regarding the aircraft and arrange for it to be taken to the nearest military airfield for thorough disinfection and search. In addition, another aircraft will be dispatched to transfer the passengers there. The aircraft will land and be transferred after the disinfection is completed, so it won't delay the passengers' journey too much."

"But if we involve the military, and something happens to the plane on its return journey, it'll be like mud stuck in your pants—it'll be a mess, and you won't be able to explain it at all."

Director Qin gave another wry smile.

"This is not a problem we should be concerned about! This Tiger virus incident is not just a problem of Chu City! This matter has reached the highest levels, and the country will do everything it can to resolve it."

Wei Zhengxun looked up with emotion, sighing as he spoke.

This was the first time he realized how difficult it was to work alone. Before, when he followed the secretariat and received orders from his superiors, every command seemed simple and natural, as if it were the obvious thing to do. But now, when it was his turn, he realized that every order he had to give was incredibly stressful. The enemy wasn't stupid, reality wasn't a game, and the consequences of a single wrong order were something no one could bear.

Moreover, it was only the first day of the Military World Games, and the enemy's aggressive pressure made him almost unable to breathe.

And this attack will continue for at least ten more days!

Even longer!
(End of this chapter)