By the time Li Du got out of bed, it was already April.
Hans didn't dare to tease him anymore. Lying in bed for a week was beyond his knowledge. If Li Du hadn't been getting better, he would have transferred him to a bigger hospital.
Li Du had hoped to be transferred to St. John's Red Cross Hospital, but considering that Sophie was a surgeon, he didn't have any authority over him.
Hannah visited him every day and brought him food. She was the most reliable person. Rose didn't do any chores, and Li Du didn't even dare to eat Hans's cooking.
Hannah didn't understand his cold. "You've never had a cold since you came to Flagstaff. Why is it so serious this time?"
Hans looked at him with a strange expression.
Li Du was very sensitive and noticed it. He asked, "What the f * ck is with that look? Don't tease me, I'm just wet from the rain! "
Hans smiled and didn't say anything. After Hannah left, he pulled a chair and sat down.
"What's wrong?" Li Du felt that something was wrong.
Hans said, "There's something I need to tell you. Be prepared, but I think you have a big heart. I'm sure you won't mind this kind of thing …"
"Don't be so wishy-washy, say it!"
"Okay, you haven't recovered from your cold for so long. The treasure hunters are saying that it's not a common cold. They're saying that you're infected with HIV and have AIDS."
"What?" Li Du was confused. "AIDS? F * ck, who's spreading rumors? Who the f * ck is so evil?! "
It was obviously a big deal for Hans to say this seriously. Otherwise, he would have said it in a joke.
Hans said, "Don't be afraid, you're not infected …"
"Of course I'm not infected, I'm still a virgin! How could I have HIV? "Li Du interrupted him angrily.
In the end, he hadn't fully recovered. He choked and started coughing.
Ah Meow ran over with a paper cup in its mouth. It was half-filled with water.
Hans gestured for him to calm down. "I know you're not infected. In fact, the hospital guessed it in the early days. Such a serious cold means that there's something wrong with your immune system."
The HIV virus itself, which causes AIDS, is not harmful to human life, but it can collapse the human immune system, and once the immune system collapses, the human life is not guaranteed.
To put it simply, if a cold virus were to attack a normal person, it would be automatically cleared by the immune system after a few days. However, if it were to attack an AIDS patient, it would turn into a severe cold, and then deteriorate into meningitis, pneumonia, and so on. Eventually, it would be fatal!
"The hospital did an HIV test on you and found that you're fine. It's just that your CD4 and CD8 immune cells are a little low. Of course, after treatment, you're already very healthy."
"What are CD4 and CD8?" Li Du was confused.
Hans had an expression that said, "They are all important immune cells in the human immune system. Forget it, that's not important. Anyway, you are actually very healthy."
Of course, Li Du knew that he was very healthy, but the people outside did not think so.
On April 2nd, the weather was sunny. After the rainstorm, Flagstaff had warmed up. Now, the grass was green and flowers were blooming everywhere.
In the morning, he was about to go out for a walk when he received a call from the owner of the Phoenix Steampunk Hotel.
On the phone, Bedes first asked about his recovery, and then said, "Li, don't lose confidence in life. AIDS is not scary. I have an old friend who has been living with AIDS for more than 20 years. He is quite experienced in this area. Do you want to get to know him?"
Li Du said helplessly, "Bedes, I don't know where you heard the rumor, but I don't have AIDS!"
"Ah? D * mmit, someone started a rumor? Then I'm really sorry. I also don't think you can have AIDS. Enjoy the sunshine. Bye, buddy. "
This phone call made him realize the seriousness of the matter. At night, Li Du called Hans over and said, "Bring me to the treasure hunter bar."
Hans hesitated. "I thought you didn't like to go to bars?"
Li Du said, "I'm curious, okay?"
"Okay, you're my brother. I'll listen to you. Let's go."
The bar that Hans went to was near the foot of the mountain where Li Du had found Ah Meow. That was Flagstaff's red-light district, and there were many bars nearby.
The bar they went to was called Primal Desire. The decorations were rough and wild. The bar counter, chairs, and tables were all made of granite and basalt. The wine glasses and decorations were made of wood. There were simple petroglyphs on the walls.
Hans said, "The owner is a smart man. Treasure hunters are all rough people. When they drink too much, they get into fights. It's easy to damage the tables and chairs. But since you used granite, there won't be any damage."
Li Du said, "Can't we just let whoever damaged it pay?"
Hans laughed. "You think it's so simple. First of all, do these rednecks have the money to pay? Second, won't cleaning and redecorating take up time? "
The bar was noisy, and the strong smell of alcohol permeated every corner.
Some scantily dressed women walked through the crowd. There were people constantly touching their breasts and buttocks. The screams of the women, the laughter of the men, and the sounds of flirting could be heard.
"So messy," Li Du lamented.
However, Hans liked this kind of messy environment. After he came in, he immediately shook his body to the music.
Soon, someone noticed him and shouted, "Big Fox, why aren't you taking care of your poor little baby on the bed? Why are you here to have fun?"
"Haha, he must be tired of playing with that kid's ass …"
"Are you guys blind? That's his partner, the sly China Li! "
The last shout was very loud. Many people heard it and turned their heads to look.
Li Du also turned his head and saw a familiar face. It was Rambis, whom he had beaten up in the Harley-Davidson warehouse.
Rambis noticed that Li Du was looking at him. He sneered and made a throat-slitting gesture.
Hans said, "If you care about their bullsh * t, then you've lost."
Li Du snorted and sat down. "Order me a bottle of milk."
Hans' eyes widened. "D * mn, women drink in here!"
Li Du said, "It's okay. Whoever calls me a woman, I'll drink with him!"
Hans grinned. He remembered Li Du's terrifying alcohol tolerance when he easily took down Mad Bull Lucas.
The bar was not a place to be alone. If you didn't cause trouble, trouble would come knocking on your door. As soon as they sat down, a drunken man walked over.
"Hey, kid, you've come to the wrong place. This is not a gay bar."
Homosexuality was the biggest way to transmit HIV. Blood-borne transmission was well controlled in the United States.
Hans pushed him away and said disdainfully, "Picardo, go back to your bottle. We don't talk to d * mn alcoholics."
"Alcoholics can live to 80 years old. Can people with AIDS live for another 80 months? Haha! "The man raised his middle finger and laughed.
Another treasure hunter walked over and said, "We don't discriminate against gay people, but we don't want to stay with people with AIDS. Big Fox, can you take your buddy and leave?"
The others added fuel to the fire.
"F * ck, I want to go home and hug my kid. AIDS, stay away from me!"
"No wonder this kid always gets his hands on treasure. He must have some dirty deals with those warehouse owners!"
"I heard that he made a deal with the devil. Haha, the devil entered him and he got HIV."
Li Du turned a deaf ear to these words. He asked Hans, "Do you know who spread this vicious news?"
Hans said, "I can check. Do you want to deal with him?"
Li Du glanced coldly at the surrounding treasure hunters and said, "No need. I want to deal with everyone. The instigator will not be able to escape!"
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