Chapter 1564: A Drop in the Bucket
Team Leader Wu shook his head, indicating that he himself hadn't seen Nie Xuan in quite some time.
Xu Huo said nothing more and instead stepped into the teleportation device.
This teleportation device was shaped like a door, and its use was as simple as opening a door. However, the two sides of the door were not connected, so one couldn't see the situation on the other side. But once activated with energy ore, it could be positioned based on latitude and longitude, allowing one to accurately reach their desired destination.
Opening and closing the door took only a second or two. The other end of the device connected to the Special Defense Department safe zone in Lian City. As Xu Huo walked out, he saw Jiang Qiao standing with two players three meters away, waiting. Upon seeing him emerge, they visibly relaxed. Jiang Qiao said, "This is urgent, so I won't go into details. I'll take you directly to the quarantine hospital."
Xu Huo had no objections. He followed Jiang Qiao into the helipad within the safe zone and boarded a helicopter.
Aside from the pilot and Jiang Qiao, there were three other players accompanying them. Except for Jiang Qiao, the others maintained their usual silence. Xu Huo's gaze swept over them, and he asked, "Who is currently in charge of the mutant fungus incident in Lian City?"
"Team Leader Lu and I are," Jiang Qiao replied.
Team Leader Lu was not a stranger either. She was a middle-aged woman who seemed easy to get along with and was relatively close to Nie Xuan. However, as a team leader promoted later, she had previously been stationed in Jing City.
"Is Minister Ji not in Lian City?"
After the last incident where several important figures on the government side were killed, the former Special Defense Department Minister Fan was replaced. Xu Huo had met the newly appointed Minister Ji once after receiving psychological treatment from Tang Guangbo. He seemed much more tactful than Minister Fan.
Jiang Qiao paused slightly, avoiding a direct answer, and said, "The minister has other urgent matters."
Xu Huo asked no further questions.
The helicopter quickly arrived at the hospital. As they disembarked, Jiang Qiao put on a full protective suit. "This used to be a laboratory. After the mutant fungus infection broke out, it was used to house patients. Anyone entering must wear protective suits and face masks."
As she spoke, she had a nearby player retrieve a set of protective suits. "These are top-grade protective suits specifically designed for the mutant fungus environment."
Xu Huo put one on and followed the group into the hospital.
Entering from the helipad required passing through a disinfection room. Only after thorough disinfection would the inner door open. Team Leader Lu had been waiting for some time. She shook hands with Xu Huo solemnly and said, "On behalf of all the infected individuals, the Special Defense Department thanks you."
Xu Huo nodded. "I want to see the person who used the fungal solution first."
Team Leader Lu made a "please" gesture, indicating he should go ahead.
Beyond the disinfection room were three more controlled rooms. The first two were still for disinfection, while the third was for identity verification. Only after everyone passed verification would the main door open.
Behind the main door were not wards but two rows of observation rooms. Beyond the observation rooms were the isolation rooms for the infected.
Team Leader Lu led Xu Huo into the first room.
"The first four batches of patients have all died. This is Patient Zero from the fifth batch, whose condition is more severe. After using the detoxifying fungal solution you provided to Qian Qiyun, their condition has improved, but overall, it's still fluctuating, and they haven't fully escaped danger."
The treatment records the Special Defense Department had sent him included the medication process for this Patient Zero. The King Fungus solution had indeed taken effect. After being removed from the human body, the mycelium of the King Fungus could survive for a short time if properly handled, which was enough to counteract the growth of the mutant fungus. The solution made from live King Fungus mycelium was more effective than the solution previously preserved by the Special Defense Department for this reason.
There were players in the room drawing blood from the patient.
"We've tried many methods to cultivate the detoxifying fungus, but none have succeeded," Team Leader Lu said, visibly haggard. Her voice was low. "Now, more and more people are getting infected. If we don't replenish the fungal solution in time, many will die in a short period, especially pregnant women and young women."
The targeted release of a special mutant fungus aimed at women capable of bearing the next generation revealed the perpetrator's intentions without saying. Before the mutant fungus appeared, if someone had said that wiping out a race's women would completely destroy that race, most people would have found it absurd and ridiculous. The method seemed feasible in theory, but in practice, it was impossible. Yet who could have imagined that Country X would actually face this problem?
Given the growth rate of the mutant fungus and the survival time of the patients, once it spread on a large scale, it would be essentially irreversible. The country didn't have enough protective suits to use, nor did it have an effective method to completely cut off the flow of the mutant fungus. Treatment was also at a loss. Even the medical staff entering the quarantine hospital had to undergo on-site training before they could start working. So now, the Special Defense Department was responsible not only for guarding the quarantine hospital but also for participating in daily treatment work.
"I know the Special Defense Department's request is a bit unreasonable, but we are willing to pay any price to save this disaster," Team Leader Lu said, looking at Xu Huo with a plea. "I want to know, can the detoxifying fungus save these people?"
"How many infected patients are there now?" Xu Huo asked.
After a brief silence, Team Leader Lu reported a number.
That number was at least double what had been in the materials previously sent to Xu Huo. Xu Huo didn't give her false hope and said directly, "I'm sorry, but it can't even save a third of them."
"The detoxifying fungus has harsh requirements for its living environment and cannot grow on a large scale. The fungal solution I gave you was already the accumulation from daily operations. Even if one dose could save one person, it would be a drop in the bucket. And given the current situation, one dose isn't even enough."
"Is there no other way?" After a long silence, Team Leader Lu muttered to herself.
Xu Huo was powerless. The King Fungus inside him came from Clown City. In the underground fungal cavern of Clown City, among countless fungi, only this one—or rather, this strain—of detoxifying fungus had been born. If it hadn't happened to grow on the Nuwa Stone and been discovered by Xin Lang, the King Fungus would never have reached his hands. But the underground fungal cavern of Clown City had already been destroyed. He had also tried to have the King Fungus mycelium directly attach to the Nuwa Stone, but it was far from the growth volume Xin Lang had once described, and it couldn't survive for long either.
He guessed it was due to the growth environment, but the underground fungal cavern of Clown City was irreproducible. Moreover, his understanding of the King Fungus was far inferior to Xin Lang's. To this day, he didn't know how Xin Lang had completely transferred the King Fungus to him. His later various attempts had only resulted in releasing mycelium—perhaps it had something to do with the Nuwa Stone, but there was only one Nuwa Stone.
"The Special Defense Department has studied the black liquid you left behind in the Ting City safe zone. It was entirely composed of dead mycelium," a player standing behind Team Leader Lu and Jiang Qiao suddenly spoke up.