Plague Doctor

At 4: 00 a.m., the sky was still dark and dark.

That wasteland was five square kilometres long and the front-line personnel were transferred in batches from the command centre without knowing that it was an emergency evacuation.

From the outset, front-line personnel have performed a series of radiation tests and have not detected any high intensity abnormal radiation, but of course there is natural radiation.

But now nobody at the top can be sure if there's a kind of "locust radiation" in those “natural radiation" that can invade human genes?

What was human DNA like before?

This “before” refers to the origins of mammals many, many, many hundreds of millions of years ago.

Before modern humans complete genome-wide sequencing, it is difficult to believe the fact that about 5-8 per cent of the human genome is derived from ancient viruses. Most belong to retroviruses that invade the host's cells and then implant their own genes into the host's DNA for parasitic purposes.

These viral genes are involved in the operation of the host cells and modify the way they function as they wish. The retrovirus is also transmitted to the next generation of the host with sperm or egg, and then to the next generation, thus becoming an endogenous retrovirus.

The reason humans are human today is because they look like this, they have the tissues of the body, the nerves and thoughts of the brain… these viral genes are inseparable.

After hundreds of millions of years, humans and these viruses have long been a symbiosis.

It's not just humans, it's mammals.

If you knock out any of these virus genes, the scientific community has done relevant mouse experiments before, and the mouse dies very quickly.

These virus genes are relatively stable in humans, and if any new virus wants to be added to this symbiosis, like the HIV virus —— it's also a retrovirus -- it's a big problem, it triggers what's called a disease, a very difficult disease.

However, the therapeutic effect of a virus implanted in a human body carrying a specific exogenous gene is one of the directions of gene therapy.

So, is it possible that the pathogen of locust disease is a specific genetic information that is implanted by a radiation pathway into a human gene or triggers a specific genetic mutation?

The parasitic genetic hypothesis.

Wang Ruoxiang immediately attached great importance to these two hypotheses of locust disease.

She has always been a bully and a smart person, and although these are uncertain hypotheses, they are well founded.

The first is that the entire body of the patient can be transformed into a locust, which is most likely a cellular, DNA, genetic thing.

The second is the possible association of mutated regions, where nuclear radiation can mutate DNA and have genetic effects.

In fact, before that, the research department had done some DNA testing to compare patients to parasites, to compare patients to each other, to see if there were any signs of virus invasion. Now the Command Center also supports these hypotheses from the research department, but it takes time to test them.

Except for the six subjects who already had xerolocusts in their bodies who were urgently transferred to another vacant unmanned quarantine building, none of the patients could be transferred for the time being.

Principal Choi's self-destructing contagious range, the possible radiation range, is centered around him and has a circular area of about 8,000 square meters.

“I've been wondering, what's so special about those unusual soils? ”

This is another cause of Wang Ruoxiang's hypothesis that there is no difference in composition testing, but is the soil there already contaminated by another radiation? The difference is, can't we analyze the existing detection technology? And insect eggs in the soil, they're not the key, they're probably the product of radiation.

Of all these thoughts of hers, counting them is the one that makes Grandpa Tong instantly worse.

If that wasteland is really another mutated area... then it's only worse than the nuclear radiation mutated area.

They can't even figure out where the dividing line is, there is no obvious radiation, movement and change, and there may have been changes, but they can't notice, because wasteland, grassland, almost everywhere, where people are already sparse, as long as buildings, roads, etc. do not disappear, even some minor changes are unknown.

“If the wasteland is also connected to a different space, the things in the two spaces can only enter and exit their respective spaces, like the mutated areas. But what if Lee Woo-ho's wormborne people aren't? Can they go into different spaces? ”

Wang Ruoxiang's idea is also very reasonable. Even if the vast majority of the people here in the Apocalypse are sparse, with the technical and human resources of the sky and machine bureau, it is difficult to find their whereabouts. Existing surveillance leads indicate that they either headed for the wasteland or the cars were still parked there.

So where'd they go? Another space? Like that cluttered cat, like those locusts.

In contrast to these people, the primary task of the Command Centre is now to deal with everyone who has travelled to the deserted areas.

Will these people become wormbearers, too?

If it is radiation propagation and the self-radiation before the spontaneous explosion is not strong enough to infect others, the only good thing is that a large number of contacts or indirect contacts do not require isolation and supervision. There may also be a dose equivalence, with people who have passed the safety value morbidity, and people who have not passed the safety value in the recessive phase.

Principal Choi stayed for about 1.5 hours that day without any protection, which is an exact test value.

Some of the manned personnel, who have been there for more than 30 hours, have had shifts, but the temporary camps are there.

Even in protective clothing, it lasts more than a few dozen times longer...

The evacuation, therefore, took place in secrecy and could not give rise to suspicion on the part of front-line personnel, whose status was now unknown.

As for the GOA concentrator team, they were rushed back to the nuclear radiation mutation area.

There were a total of 12 members entering the wasteland at that time, of whom 6 were from the Sky Machinery Bureau, Shinning, Feng Wei, Deng Xie Mai, Peacock, Ink Green and Uncle Egg. They arrived at the same time, walked at the same time, stayed for 31 minutes, took a turn, and were transferred away.

So these 12 people are at risk of infection, but because of their different physiques and inconsistent dose equivalents, they also exhibit different symptoms.

Of these, peacocks are the most symptomatic.

At this point, the concentrator team was still evacuating, and Peacock was in a single compartment, doing a small experiment.

She gave Catherine control of her body and retreated to her second personality. This change, Catherine had a strange feeling of physiological influences, because she was less spiritual than a peacock and more strongly influenced, “I'm hungry... I want to eat dirt, I have a resistance, let me not say...”

By contrast, peacocks feel much more relaxed.

Ever since she suddenly rose to the thought of eating locusts, she has kept herself from thinking blindly but has not wavered, but now she is calm.

It also means that… their body, indeed, is infected with locust disease.

There was silence in the secret command room. Grandpa Tong, Yao Shinian and others were all very ugly. The situation was slipping towards Wang Ruoxiang's hypothesis.

Without waiting for them to think, another piece of bad news came out of the radio station, “There are people on the wasteland front who won't evacuate! Someone won't evacuate! ”

Five members of the Ministry of Spells, 10 former members of the Ministry of Printing, and a total of 163 members of other agencies and departments.

These 178 are front-line personnel operating within a two-square kilometre radius of the wasteland.

“Get me over there!” Grandpa Tong was calm and the person in charge there was Yu Xiaoyong sent by the Ministry of Spells.

Yu Xiaoyong, the captain of the former Arctic Wolf Squad, has always performed well. Joining the Spell Department was also placed in high hopes, but later due to the study of the Seven Secrets of the Earth Syndrome, that mental disorder occurred, and he was imprisoned with Wang Ruoxiang and others, but was reinstated with him last year.

Together, the deputies will reuse Wang Ruoxiang and Yu Xiaoyong. If any of them rebel again, everyone will be involved.

And now, now that things are going on, NASA doesn't need any more chaos...

Soon, images appeared on the communication screen over the Wasteland Front Line, in the temporary camp headquarters, and Yu Xiaoyong's tight face.

Behind him, there was a team of people, all familiar to Grandpa Tong and Yao Shinian, who personally chose to join the Ministry of Spells and the Old Seal Department.

“Master Tong... we ate a lot of mud, at first, but suddenly... I couldn't help it...” Yu Xiaoyong's messy voice quickly became slightly trembling, his eyes became red, "We couldn't help it, I wanted to say, but the body suppressed, as if there was a voice to stop it, I couldn't fight it...”

Turns out these people haven't lost their minds, they haven't gotten that sick yet.

But they knew what they were doing and guessed that the move would not be easy.

“I can feel that there are places in my body that are converting... I can see bugs in them from my palms...” Yu Xiaoyong swallowed, “I can't help it, we ate too much mud, we've converted enough... we go back, we don't eat mud, we lose reason, we stay here, we go crazy, we will always lose control...”

Grandpa Tong, Yao Shinian and other elderly people are also temporarily confused.

Rational monitoring stones do not work, it is not dark erosion, it is radiation and variation.

“The suicide note we wrote before we left was used this time… 163 of us here, 82 willing to commit suicide, spells and old stamps all willing, remaining colleagues, we do not force. But I suggest you blow this place up with a missile, don't let them go, they will become enemies...

We have to act, while we still have reason, while we are still ourselves... dirt, we want dirt, eat more, we can see God... as if there is a voice saying so, maybe I will spell, I hear more... the locusts team, I think I can be a locust... no, I am Yu Xiaoyong...

Now, don't look at the screen, but the tape may be worth it... Master Tong, sir, I'm sorry, this is the end of our battle... ”

Yu Xiaoyong saluted a military salute to the camera. This right hand pulled out the pistol between his waist, pointed at his head, and pulled the trigger.

Boom! The bullet went through the head, spilled blood and spilled silk white translucent locust larvae.

The others behind him, with their pain, struggle and determination, also raised their guns.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...

Fifteen shots were fired.