Rat's words caused the doctor's expression to change.
In fact, it was not just Rat. Almost all the players could taste the metallic taste in their mouths. Other than that, they could also smell the strong odor of ozone. Many of them felt their temples tighten, their eyelids stinging, and their chests burning.
However, most of the players in this quest were veteran players. It was not their first time facing danger. No one would make a fuss over such a small matter. Moreover, there had just been an explosion, and many places were still burning. Of course, they did not expect the air quality to be good. However, some of them did associate it with chemical materials.
Until the doctor spat out a word, "Nuclear radiation!!!"
"Hmm?" Kratos frowned.
"We have just been exposed to high-intensity nuclear radiation. No, to be more precise, we are still exposed to radiation!" The doctor looked very nervous. His voice could not help but tremble.
"How can you be sure of this?"
"Radioactive iodine. The radioactive iodine produced by nuclear radiation has a metallic taste. During the recent Fukushima nuclear accident, many interviewees mentioned that they tasted metal when they were exposed to radiation."
"Wait a minute, we are in SL in the 20th century. Could the background of this game be …"
Although Rat did not say the name in the end, it was no longer important. All the players present knew what he was going to say.
Chernobyl!
The nightmare of hundreds of thousands of people. It was the most serious and terrifying nuclear accident in human history. It was the first nuclear accident to be classified as a level 7 nuclear accident. The other level 7 nuclear accident was the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. At its most dangerous, the Chernobyl nuclear accident even pushed the entire European continent into the abyss.
"We are in Chernobyl!!!" The repairman's expression sank. "This ozone smell is the smell of high-energy nuclear radiation ionizing the air. It smells like a thunderstorm. We are here. April 25th, 1986. Or was it the 26th? I can't remember. Anyway, we are here! Chernobyl's reactor number 4. It was the reactor that exploded just now. "
As he spoke, two more explosions came from the other side of the metal door. This time, however, the explosion was not as violent as the previous one. The corridor only shook slightly.
Rat was completely dumbfounded. "We were exposed to nuclear radiation? We're still at the center of the explosion. Are we going to die soon? "
"I heard that the radiation level after the explosion of Chernobyl's reactor No. 4 was 30000 roentgens per hour," the maintenance worker's face also turned extremely pale. "No living creature can withstand such a high amount of radiation."
"The situation isn't that bad. 30000 roentgen should be the total amount of radiation. The specific amount of radiation varies greatly depending on the area. Although we are very close to the reactor, the explosion happened in a building," the doctor calmed down and continued to explain. "Although concrete can't help us completely isolate the radiation, it can help me block a considerable amount of radiation. We're definitely dead, but we should still have some time. "
"How long has it been?"
"I'm not sure about the exact time. It depends on everyone's physical condition." "A few days, a few weeks, a few months. If we're lucky, we might even live for a few years … Of course, there are people who die after a few hours. We don't have any equipment in our hands, so we can't detect the current amount of radiation. But one thing is for sure, the sooner we leave here, the better."
"No wonder this quest is called The Invisible Killer, and there's no time limit." Coconut's face was gloomy.
Now, everyone felt as if a time bomb had been embedded in their hearts. The numbers on the dial were ticking, representing the rest of their lives. No one knew when the needle would hit zero.
Just a few minutes ago, most of the players thought that this would be an easy and pleasant journey to gain experience. With Simon leading the team, it didn't matter who the opponent was anymore. However, no one expected the situation to take a sharp turn in an instant.
They were about to face an invisible and deadly enemy. Under such circumstances, no matter how powerful Simon was, there was nothing he could do to deal with such an enemy. Hence, the players no longer had the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere they had before. But even if morale was low, the players still accepted reality in the shortest time possible.
Zhang Heng asked the doctor, "Is there any way to prolong our survival time?"
"I will try to explain our current situation in simple terms. The nuclear radiation produced by nuclear fission reactions, or more accurately, ionizing radiation, includes all kinds of rays, such as alpha rays, beta rays, gamma rays, X-rays, neutrons, and so on. These rays can be roughly divided into two categories. One is the high-speed particle stream mainly composed of alpha rays, beta rays, and neutrons, and the other is the high-energy electromagnetic waves such as X-rays and gamma rays."
The doctor sped up. "Whether it's high-speed particle streams or high-energy electromagnetic waves, the most fundamental cause of harm to the human body is the transfer of energy. Matter is made up of atoms, and our bodies are no exception. The energy carried by high-energy electromagnetic waves will be absorbed by the atoms after entering the body, and then released in the form of kinetic energy, thus destroying the molecular structure. High-speed particle streams are even more powerful because they have mass, and they can directly destroy molecular bonds.
"The stratum corneum and protein are still manageable. Even if they are destroyed, they can gradually recover. But the most terrible thing is the destruction of DNA. Because the genetic information carried on it guides all cell activities in the human body, if the DNA is destroyed, our cells will not work normally. Unfortunately, even with the level of technology in the 21st century, there is nothing we can do about this kind of damage at the molecular level. So the hospital's treatment can only help you alleviate some of the pain or extend your life through equipment, but … "
"But what?"
"We can't do anything about external radiation. All we can do is try to avoid places with high radiation values. But we can still find a way to reduce internal radiation. The metallic taste we taste now comes from iodine 131. Iodine 131 enters our body through breath and food, and eventually accumulates in the thyroid gland. To solve this problem, we can inject some iodine into the body in advance," the doctor said. "It's equivalent to going to a restaurant and occupying the table first. So, I suggest we go to the hospital first and find some iodine tablets. They should be of some use."
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