"I've finally gotten in touch with you! How did you — "
"How did you end up like this?"
Bel had dark circles under his eyes. He looked lethargic, probably because he'd been crying. His eyes were swollen, and his beard was unkempt. But when he saw the stripes on Silin's face, he fell silent before he could finish.
"It's fine, don't worry about me. Just tell me what you need," Silin said. Although Bel, the prince of the Firehawk Royal Family, could be quite unreliable at times, he had never been this dejected before.
"I'm … I'm fine. Silin, how did you get the Zebra Virus too? Where are you right now? Are you receiving treatment? "
"I'm in the eleventh star region."
Bel was speechless. That was a heavily infected star region, one that could be completely abandoned.
A moment of silence later, Bel asked, "Did you talk about the Zebra Virus at Cousin Gaga's wedding?"
It was obvious that Bel already knew the symptoms of the virus. He asked, "Are there infected people outside the eleventh star region as well?"
"Yes!" Bel rubbed his forehead. The dark circles under his eyes were particularly obvious.
Bel explained the situation. His mother had been feeling unwell on her way back from a visit, and zebra stripes had started appearing on her skin. Over eighty percent of the people she'd brought with her were affected. The rest were being tested for the incubation period, and those that couldn't be released were kept in quarantine.
The Fire Eagle Queen had only gone out to visit her family because she was bored. The Fire Eagle King, Bel, and the others hadn't been allowed to go with her. After receiving the news from the steward, the Fire Eagle Royal Family panicked, the Royal Academy of Sciences panicked, and the news began to leak out of the empire. Everyone began to reject anyone from the eleventh star region. At the same time, everyone felt insecure. No matter what the government said, they didn't believe it. There were rumors that the disease was incurable, and those who were unfortunate enough to contract it could only wait for death.
"How's your mother doing?" Silin asked.
Bel shook his head. "It's not good. She's in the isolation ward right now, and we can't get in touch with her at all. We can only communicate with her through communicators and video feeds, but if we talk to her for too long, she'll show signs of fatigue."
Bel sighed. "The Royal Academy of Sciences' potions can only serve as a buffer. They say they can solve the problem if they can find the source of the Zebra Virus, but they're using all the resources of the Firehawk Royal Family to search for the source of the Zebra Virus. The two armies of the empire are also searching for it, but they haven't made any progress yet. Silin, you … "
Bel hesitated for a moment. After all, Silin was also infected. He couldn't be too negative in front of a patient.
"It's okay. Just ask me if you have any questions," Silin said.
Bel took a deep breath when he saw that Silin really didn't seem to care about the current situation. "The main reason I'm contacting you is to ask about the actual situation of this virus. You're more knowledgeable in this field than I am, and I don't believe the words of those people. Tell me, is there really no other way?"
"I need time." Silin didn't tell Bel about his research. He hadn't gotten the final result yet, so he couldn't promise too much before he could confirm it.
"Time …" Bel covered his face with a grimace. "I know we need time, but it's uncomfortable here! It's really uncomfortable! "Bel tapped his chest heavily on his chest.
Bel used to be a man who never left his room, but now he spent almost all of his time outside the quarantine room.
"She'll recover soon. It shouldn't take too long. Now, use any medicine that can act as a buffer to buy some time for your mother to hold on. Don't give up on herself. If she gives up on herself, even if the medicine is made, I'm afraid it'll be very dangerous."
"It's really not long? It won't take long? " Bel's eyes were red as if he had grabbed onto his last lifeline. In fact, he thought that Cillin was just comforting himself.
"It's the truth. Don't tell anyone about me yet, especially the Gen Family. Just wait for the news. There should be a solution very soon. "After a pause, Cillin said," I promise! "
Silin adjusted the angle of the communicator and pointed it at Huimao, who was curled into a ball and snoring away. "Look, this cat is sleeping pretty soundly. Does it look like it's worried?"
Not at all.
Bel was truly envious of Huimao's ability to sleep so soundly. He didn't even dare to close his eyes. If he did, he'd feel like he'd never see the people he was familiar with again. He forced himself to look at them as best he could.
"Silin, does Teacher Guan know about your situation? If you need protection, don't hesitate. I'll be able to help. "
"Thanks, but it's fine. I just talked to him, so don't worry about me being stubborn."
"Take care of yourself. If, and I mean if, things get really bad, contact us more often."
"Don't worry, everything will be fine. Really! "
After ending the call with Bel, Silin closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.
The source of the Fire Eagle Consort's Zebra Virus infection should be the two people who escaped. These two people were active carriers of the virus, spreading the virus, and then the infected people continued to spread it, spreading it more widely and infecting more people.
Silin had already sent the information about the two people to Guan Feng. Guan Feng had already arranged for his men to capture the two "virus carriers" and take control of the areas they had been to. Of course, that was, if they were still alive.
Silin also gave some information about the Zebra Virus to Guan Feng. He was in charge of leaking the information to Black Viper and the RAS. It would be a good thing if they could find a better way to cure the Zebra Virus. However, although Celine had listed a lot of information about the Zebra Virus pathogen, he did not mention the unknown substance that he had absorbed into his body. Just like the chip in his body, it was a secret he had to keep.
If it weren't for this discovery, there probably wouldn't be a viable cure for the Zebra Virus in the short term. Even if an effective medicine could be made in the end, it would cost the lives of countless people and the destruction of many planets.
The robot who brought the drug to the planet to search for seriously ill patients to conduct drug experiments finally sent back a message. Looking at the data and the patient's reaction after being injected with the drug, Cillin combined the data and modified the original drug so that it would be more effective on the human body.
There were more than fifty people who were injected with the first-generation medicine. They were all severely infected and immobile, and many of them were on the verge of death. Forty-one people showed signs of improvement after the injection. Six out of the remaining nine were more resistant to the medicine because of their constitution, so the medicine wasn't very effective. He would have to wait and see. The remaining three people died not long after the injection. It wasn't because the medicine didn't work, but because they were all physically weak. For example, the elderly or those who had been in a suboptimal state all year round. Their bodies were too fragile, and they were already critically ill. They passed away before the medicine could save them.
It was good that it was effective.
The modified medicine would be injected into the people on the planet in large batches, but the process would take some time. In order to save as many critically ill people as possible, Cillin sent the molecular formula and other information of the first generation medicine to Guan Feng to save the severely infected beyond the eleventh star region. It was only limited to the severely infected people. Silin still needed to make some improvements to the medicine, and they would receive better and safer medicine in the end.
After Guan Feng received the information about Silin's medicine, he found a person he was on good terms with from the RAS to synthesize the medicine. Although this person wasn't a high-ranking executive, his academic attainment was no less than theirs. He had the right to compete for the position, but he wanted to spend more time on his own research. This was the difference between him and the people who were still sitting in the meeting room.
The information on the synthesis of the potion was quickly transmitted to the various people in charge. Now, there were voices of protest and distrust everywhere in the Empire. It was filled with anger, despair, and curses. After the people in charge of the various places injected the first-generation potion into those who were in critical condition, a large number of them survived. The stripes on their bodies also showed obvious signs of fading, and their vital signs gradually became stronger.
The people who were panicking because of the Zebra Virus finally calmed down a lot, but the panic caused by the virus hadn't dissipated yet. They still wanted nothing more than to find a safe shell to hide themselves in.
Right now, Guan Feng's fame in the affiliated schools was even greater than the other executives. It was because Guan Feng had already received the first generation cure for the Zebra Virus while they were still holding emergency meetings in the conference room.
Not long ago, there were people who accused Guan Feng of leaving the emergency meeting for no reason, ignoring the safety of the empire's citizens, and ignoring the lives of important people. But now? Guan Feng's actions were undoubtedly a heavy slap to the face.
However, Guan Feng didn't take all the credit. He released a statement through the official media and explained that it was all his student Silin's work. Moreover, Silin was also infected by the Zebra Virus, and he had spent all his time and energy on research even though he was infected. Therefore, he, Guan Feng, would like to pay tribute to everyone who worked tirelessly and even when they were sick...
The statement caused a lot of noise, but some of the executives of the RAS looked like shit all day long. They also locked themselves in their labs, claiming that they were doing research. No one knew what was really going on, and they didn't care either. Right now, everyone's attention was on Silin, and they were most concerned about when the second-generation medicine would come out.
Although Guan Feng had pushed all of the credit to Cillin, his status as a famous mentor of his own school and a famous academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences had been elevated even higher. There were a lot of people who hoped to receive Guan Feng's guidance in the future, and everyone knew that Guan Feng's students were either important people or people who could contribute a lot to the empire like Cillin. Who wouldn't be envious when they became famous?
Bel had learned about the first-generation medicine as well. His eyes were practically brimming with tears when he heard that the first-generation medicine had come out, and he immediately told his mother a lot of things through the quarantine room's communicator. He was so excited that he took a little too long to talk, so his father pinched his ear and ordered him to go back to sleep.
After all, everyone had been guarding the quarantine room until now, and no one had slept a wink. They were afraid that the quarantine room would be gone by the time they opened their eyes again. After receiving the good news that the first-generation medicine was a great success, the Fire Eagle King sent Bel and the others back to rest. Everyone needed rest too much, and if they continued like this, a bunch of people outside the quarantine room would collapse before the people inside had even died.
At the eleventh star region, the so-called special department personnel such as Gu Xin and Tu Ba were cooperating with Silin's operation. Kristi Hadar and the emperor of the Mist Bodhisattva Empire had ordered them to cooperate with Silin's operation as much as they could. Silin had the highest authority to command all department personnel stationed at the eleventh star region, and he had also sent out a portion of the military to start treating the eleventh star region.
The special department was in the open, and the robots were in the dark.
At the same time, the military and government personnel of every planet were forced to cooperate. Those who didn't would be punished by the department personnel. What else do you want at a time like this? Profit? Fuck off!
Silin sent someone to the basement where the second batch of medicine was being tested. He injected the second generation medicine into both the critically ill person and the dog inside.
The planet was already under the control of the newly dispatched army. The messy streets were being cleaned up by large cleanup machines, and the extremists who had gone too far had been killed. Maybe they weren't like this because of the virus. The chaos caused by the virus was nothing more than a fuse for them to vent their bloodlust.
The second generation medicine was a lot more successful than the first. Black Viper had also developed a couple of medicines based on the information Silin had provided and the results of the first generation medicine. However, Silin's second generation medicine was slightly better than the first.
Silin wasn't satisfied with the second generation medicine's success. It was because the second generation medicine still had a flaw, but Silin didn't know how to fix it in the short term. That was why he summoned some people from Black Viper's research department as one of Black Viper's three leaders, including Neo, who was stubbornly refusing to inject himself with the medicine he had developed. There were a lot of people who were in the same situation as Neo. Although they weren't critically ill, their thoughts and attitude made them look like idiots to most people.
The second generation medicine had been handed out, and many places in the Empire with infected people switched to using it. Everyone was much more confident when they saw the results. The government used the second generation medicine's momentum to spread encouragement and attack those who spread "rumors".
Silin didn't pay attention to any of this. He gathered some people from Black Viper to discuss and improve the second generation medicine's flaws. Silin had his own way of dealing with these paranoid research maniacs. Soon, everyone, including Neo, was discussing the second generation medicine through their communicators.
This was a summit without any RAS personnel. Later on, it became known as the "Zebra Summit". The public's understanding of the summit was limited. Some people speculated that Cillin had gathered a lot of hidden geniuses to participate in this meeting, and most of these mysterious folk experts were infected with the Zebra Virus. That was why a lot of people went to the eleventh star region to search for the "real person" after the conference. Many versions of the "Zebra Summit experts" had appeared, but Cillin couldn't help but feel helpless. That being said, he had to admit that there were a lot of scholars who had been buried for a long time because of this event. Of course, this was a story for another time, so let's not talk about it for now.
Speaking of which, the people of Black Viper shared their thoughts as if they had found a common voice when Cillin gathered them together for the seminar. In their opinion, the Empire was filled with humans who weren't of their own race and had the intelligence of chimpanzees. Their IQ wasn't on the same level, so of course they wouldn't say anything if they didn't agree. That was why they were a lot more relaxed now that they had found their own kind.
The discussion at the conference was intense, and it was all professional knowledge. Even some people in this field might not be able to understand it. In Tu Ba's words, it was so profound that it made one's hair stand on end. This was the deep understanding of a soldier. Soldiers could understand the use of various machines, could understand the analysis of many kinds of codes, and could understand signal dissection. However, things like virus research were like listening to a book from heaven to them. They weren't in the same plane.
After the conference, the third generation medicine was finally produced. This was the perfect medicine in everyone's heart. Even those with weak constitutions or those with strong rejection could use it without any side effects.
The Firehawk concubine's condition quickly improved after using this medicine. With the popularization of the third generation medicine, everyone knew the name "Silin" and the "Zebra Summit" that produced the third generation medicine. Silin didn't take all the credit, but the people from Black Viper couldn't be made public, so they hid their key information.
Silin looked at the planet being repaired through the paintings on the starship. From space, the planet was no longer filled with flames, nor was it covered in haze.
The small city that Silin had stayed in was also gradually recovering.
The sky had become clear. One could see the white and clean clouds after the end of the chaotic world. The blue sky made people want to sink into such clarity.
Although it hadn't been too long since the outbreak of the virus, it was only a few dozen days. But after that, it might be a few years, a few decades, or even until they grew old. The people on this planet wouldn't forget this gray memory.
The woman in the basement was also standing outside. She didn't bring out a stool and just sat on the ground while leaning against the building. Beside her, the little girl was hugging the pet dog that survived and basking in the sun on the street that had been cleaned up.
There were some children running on the street. There were still some streaks on their faces that hadn't completely faded, but their bodily functions were already recovering. Soon, they would be able to run and jump to their heart's content. After this, people treasured this God-given mobility even more.
The joy of escaping from death's door wasn't very intense. There were no cheers or crazy shouts. Everyone just smiled faintly as they looked at the children who had survived the disaster running on the street.
The city that was riddled with holes under the sun was no longer the same as in their memories. However, this kind of city that was coated with a layer of golden light made people tear up uncontrollably.
Everything would be better.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
