Chapter 83: The Grasslands of Shuling City
Chapter 83: The Grasslands of Shuling City
Things went just as Qin Yu had expected.
A dangerous virus still presented a real threat to individuals in this era.
But for Human Civilization as a whole, it was hard to say it posed a serious threat.
Before the Intelligent Era, the spread of a dangerous virus could cause a global crisis.
But in the current Intelligent Era, even something like a zombie virus from science fiction wouldn’t be much of a problem.
Once it was found, its spread was pretty much doomed.
After sending in some Medical Robots and related Intelligent Machinery to control the spread of this special Diephagia Virus,
the spread of the Diephagia Virus was quickly and effectively stopped.
This Diephagia Virus, no matter how strong its infection ability was or how unique it was,
still didn’t go beyond the limits of what a biological virus could do. It didn’t affect the operation of Intelligent Robots.
With the Strong Artificial Intelligence from the Brain Intelligence Project helping, it was possible to quickly find all people who might be infected by the Diephagia Virus.
Even though it could spread in many ways,
once this dangerous virus was trapped in many small, separate areas,
the number of new infected people naturally got smaller and smaller, until it stopped completely.
The number of people infected by this special virus also steadily decreased.
Finally, this special virus, named Diephagia, stopped spreading.
Its reach was only from the North American State to a certain part of the South American Continent.
The Negentropy Research Institute got samples of the Diephagia Virus as soon as the Intelligent Machinery and Intelligent Robots got involved.
The researchers at Research Institute 011, with Qin Yu’s help, found a clear way to identify patients still in the fifteen-day incubation period very quickly.
This was a big help for the intelligent medical robots working to control the Diephagia Virus.
But just as the researchers at Research Institute 011 were rushing to try and find a possible cure for the virus,
this effort soon became pointless.
Because,
even though the Strong Artificial Intelligence was coordinating the intelligent medical robots,
and they gathered everyone infected with Diephagia Virus and tried many different treatments,
gave these patients lots of life support,
the final result was always the same.
People infected with the Diephagia Virus, after the incubation period ended and they got sick,
would lose their minds, their cognition, their consciousness very quickly.
They became easily angry and violent, like wild animals.
Even if restrained, they struggled madly.
After going through this for a while, the patients would suffer brain death.
Finally, their whole bodies would seem to break down genetically, leading to complete death.
Every single patient ended up this way.
The patient who lasted the longest only lived for seven days after getting sick.
In the end, every single person confirmed to be infected with Diephagia Virus died.
This scary virus had a one hundred percent death rate once you got it.
Not a single lucky person made it.
All the infected patients died. With that situation, there was no big need or urgency to keep looking for a cure.
For the researchers at Research Institute 011, the most urgent job now was probably to work on research for the Asteroid 2801 Impact Crisis, setting up Underground Shelter Cities, and other important projects.
Further study of this special virus could wait until after the crisis was over.
This sudden outbreak of the Diephagia Virus, which ended quickly thanks to heavy involvement from Strong Artificial Intelligence and intelligent medical robots,
didn’t threaten Human Civilization.
But in terms of the number of victims, it was still a tragedy.
From North American State to South American Continent, about a million people died because of ‘Diephagia’.
If the Diephagia Virus had arrived earlier, before the Intelligent Era, the results might have been much, much worse.
Also, earlier, the Strong Artificial Intelligence hinted it might have been man-made.
With the Strong Artificial Intelligence helping, they soon found the person responsible.
It was an elderly Researcher. When they found him, he too was already dead from the Diephagia Virus.
This old Researcher was very private; it was hard to find many people who knew him well.
It was difficult to figure out from the outside why he did it.
But in notes he left behind, like a suicide letter,
he basically explained where the Diephagia Virus came from and why he did it.
The Diephagia Virus was indeed what Qin Yu had thought it might be.
It was that special virus that had appeared in the South American Continent many years ago.
The grandfather of this elderly Researcher had also been a Researcher in the field.
He collected samples of this discovered virus and kept breeding and studying it.
Then the virus passed from this old Researcher’s grandfather to his father’s hands,
and finally from his father, it ended up in his hands.
Over the years, they hadn’t managed to unlock the secret hidden in this special virus that they wanted to solve.
But they did breed some variants of the virus.
The Diephagia Virus’s longer incubation period, which was different from the original special virus,
was something this elderly Researcher developed himself.
The reason he released the Diephagia Virus,
wrote the elderly Researcher,
was that he didn’t want this special virus, and all the research his family had done on it for three generations, to just vanish before the Doomsday Crisis.
He wanted to prove that the work they did meant something.
He wanted everyone to remember the research they had done on this special virus.
However,
his wish to be remembered is probably not going to come true.
After the Diephagia Virus incident ended,
even though they learned about this elderly Researcher’s existence,
to keep others from copying him and doing similar things before the Doomsday Crisis hits,
the people in charge decided to hide the details and not make them public.
Beyond that,
during the time Research Institute 011 got involved in this matter,
Qin Yu also learned some details about the Diephagia Virus.
As the ‘greatest biologist and Life Science scholar in centuries’,
Qin Yu noticed something odd about the virus very quickly.
Some of its mechanisms of action seemed to offer insights that could inspire research in the field of brain science.
However,
At present, it wasn’t the time to delve deeper into studying this Diephagia Virus either.
Right now, the most urgent task was dealing with the crisis brought by Asteroid 2801’s collision.
Other less critical research could all be put aside.
Across the world, people were still toiling and striving to cope with the Doomsday Crisis.
…
Outside Shuling City.
The unique landscape of coexisting grasslands, forests, and fertile fields, formed over a long time after the desert was improved by Yu-type bacteria,
Had vanished in a short span.
Forests were chopped down, grasslands were flattened directly, all cultivated into fertile land.
Before the Doomsday Crisis arrived, naturally, planting and harvesting as much grain as possible was best.
Though the sight of fertile fields, grasslands, and forests coexisting had been beautiful and harmonious,
People needed to survive to have the chance to appreciate it.
The head of Shuling Agricultural Company, the person in charge of this entire vast stretch of land,
Was now standing by the farmland under the setting evening sun, gazing out at the multitude of Intelligent Machinery busy harvesting in the fields.
Though the Doomsday emergency state revoked his previous retirement and called him back here,
More often than not, the Intelligent Machinery handled planting and harvesting according to plan by itself, needing little from him.
Now, looking at the lively swarm of intelligent agricultural machines blanketing the land,
He crouched down, picked up a handful of soil near the harvested rice stubble. Anxiety and a deep, sorrowful melancholy filled his eyes.
The anxiety came because, even though the Intelligent Machinery planted and harvested strictly to plan, and the crop yields likely met expectations,
He couldn’t help wishing the harvest was a little larger… that farming could move a bit faster.
That way, maybe one more person could be guaranteed rations in the underground shelters in the future.
The sorrow, however, was for the land itself.
Everyone knew time was incredibly tight.
So when drafting the agricultural plan, they naturally had to extract the maximum fertility from this land to the greatest extent possible,
Even harnessing the still relatively abundant energy to manipulate environmental conditions during crop production,
To squeeze out as much grain as possible within the limited time.
From the perspective of an agriculturalist, this land was under immense strain.
For many years prior,
After this former desert was improved by Professor Qin Yu’s Yu-type bacteria,
Shuling Agricultural Company, entrusted with farming this area, had carefully nurtured and tended to this land over generations.
Though cultivated, it was done according to plan, in a regulated manner,
Striking a maximum balance to prevent the land from reverting to desert.
But now, under the Doomsday Crisis, this clearly couldn’t be a priority.
Even though this agricultural head, who resembled an old farmer, knew perfectly well
That even if the land survived uninjured now, underexploited by humanity,
Asteroid 2801’s impact would likely turn it to scorched earth anyway.
He didn’t see a problem with the intense agricultural plan being implemented either.
If squeezing the land dry yielded more food, he’d support it.
However,
Human emotions aren’t purely rational.
None of this stopped the feeling of sorrow welling inside him as he held the earth scooped from the ground.
…
On the Lunar Surface,
At the Lunar Base, the Crater observation facility and its related research base.
Primarily due to energy issues, and secondarily transportation technology constraints,
When the Negentropy Research Institute and the Senior Leader discussed countermeasures for the Asteroid 2801 Impact Crisis,
They abandoned the plan of attempting to evacuate large numbers of people to the Lunar Surface before the impact.
The main strategy remained focused on building sufficiently deep Underground Shelter Cities.
Therefore,
By now, most personnel movement between the Lunar Base and Earth had ceased.
The personnel originally working at the Lunar Base, upon finishing their respective tasks,
Had been gradually withdrawn from the moon.
Still, a definite group of Researchers and staff remained on the Lunar Surface.
These were the Researchers primarily responsible for and involved in the operation of the Crater observation facility and related space studies.
Though now, the sole task of the entire Crater observation facility and its research team was just one:
Using the Crater facility to carry out long-term, continuous observation of Asteroid 2801,
Even though it was virtually certain Human Civilization could not directly prevent Asteroid 2801’s arrival,
That didn’t negate the need for Human Civilization to continue gathering as much information as possible about the asteroid and its latest status.
Presently,
Even though the Crater observation facility ran mainly via Intelligent Programs, requiring minimal human adjustment,
The Researchers stationed here found it hard to relax.
Most of the time, their focus remained intensely fixed on the incoming observational data.
“… Friends, comrades, we have news from Earth.”
“According to the current plan, all personnel who remain now on the Lunar Surface and who are willing to stay, will not be withdrawn at all until Asteroid 2801 strikes the Earth. We will witness the entirety of Asteroid 2801’s impact from here on the moon.”
“Naturally, those unwilling to stay can take the return capsules and depart gradually for Earth in the coming time.”
“The position we occupy now wouldn’t necessarily be that safe should Earth suffer a violent impact, either. Those who return will basically be eligible to enter the Underground Refuge Cities.”
“So, choosing to return is actually a good option.”
The Lunar Surface head announced this to the gathered Researchers still on the moon.
The group fell quiet momentarily, seemingly weighing the choice.
Soon, however, someone spoke first,
“I’ve never seen an asteroid hit Earth. It might be the most spectacular sight I’ll ever see in my lifetime. I’m definitely not going back.”
“What a silly thing to say… yet it makes sense…”
The Researchers chattered one after another.
In the end, not a single person chose to return to Earth.
…
Capital City,
On a university campus,
A young person, having just finished the day’s class, was walking towards the canteen.
These past days, because some retired old Professors had been recalled to the university,
The lectures delivered by those old Professors had increased.
This young person could feel the quality of the classroom learning environment had actually been quite good recently.
Under the shadow of Doom, some chose to give up.
Others, believing they couldn’t do much else anyway, poured every effort into studying,
Hoping to make contributions within their professional fields after the crisis.
This young person was the same,
Walking to the canteen, still pondering academic matters,
Pausing briefly at a street crossing,
Unable to resist gazing out towards the distant city,
Over this period,
The changes within the entire city had been vast.
Industrial capacity, surging relentlessly to meet the demands of constructing the Underground Shelter City,
Had pushed the city boundaries significantly outward.
Meanwhile, the cityscape now bristled with the architectural signatures of Computing Power Towers.
This young person understood,
Within those newly erected structures, countless Intelligent Machinery ceaselessly churned out products – all destined to become parts of Human Civilization’s chance for survival in the Doomsday Crisis.
And those Computing Power Towers formed the foundation enabling that Intelligent Machinery to operate cohesively, collaborating towards that singular goal.
The young person exhaled slowly,
Worries and anxieties persisted,
But seeing the city’s daily transformations offered a measure of solace.
This young person represented many across Huaxia Nation during this time.
…
The world, the civilization, moved forward through the days leading up to the Doomsday Crisis’s true arrival.
Plans responding to the crisis advanced relentlessly amidst this busy, tense atmosphere.
Time,
Moved quickly to December of the year 280.
At this moment,
Four months had passed since traces of Asteroid 2801 were detected,
And less than fifteen months remained before Asteroid 2801 arrived in full.