2013

Chapter 9: Meeting

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Under Liu Yan's arrangement, the last note was handed over to Zhang Min.

Then Liu Yan made a decisive move, stuffed Cassia Ming into his room, handed him a book and a stack of newspapers to pass the time, and Meng Feng brought his lunch.

"Don't run around." Liu Yan said, "This is for you."

Jue Ming took a bottle of green tea, which Liu Yan had brought out from the school cafeteria earlier, and was always reluctant to drink.

Caesar nodded, unscrewed the cover, took a look, and returned the cover to Liu Yan.

one more bottle.

Liu Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "You keep it, maybe you can change it in the future."

Liu Yan changed the shirt that was sweating all over his body, put on a vest and went downstairs, the fat man with gold teeth said strangely, "Hey, Manager Liu is here."

Liu Yan glanced at him, turned into the workshop, and asked, "Where's Brother Sen?"

One person pointed the way, and the fat man followed Liu Yan nonchalantly. Liu Yan walked to the middle courtyard in a secluded part of the chemical plant, where Lin Musen was lying on a stone chair in the shade of a tree and taking a nap.

"All arranged?" Lin Musen said slowly without opening his eyes.

Liu Yan said: "It's almost done, I recruited a man named Zhang Min, he is very good."

Lin Musen said: "I see, he handed over half a carton of cigarettes, a lot of food, and a box of medicine."

The fat man stepped forward with a flattering smile, and touched Lin Musen's chest. Lin Musen slapped his hand away, and gave him a cigarette. Liu Yan.

The fat man's face immediately turned black.

Liu Yan took it and asked, "What did you arrange for him to do?"

Lin Musen sat up, supported the stone chair with both hands, and said: "He said he can do any job, he is a veteran and a doctor. I didn't want to give him work when he was free, but he wanted to be busy. I Let him and Meng Feng form a team and go on patrol in shifts."

Liu Yan nodded, stopped talking, and didn't leave.

Lin Musen said: "What else do you need?" Those words were addressed to the fat man with golden teeth.

The fat man with golden teeth said: "It's all right." After saying that, he left resentfully.

After the fat man walked away, Liu Yan said: "Who is he, is he one of your subordinates?"

Lin Musen said: "No, it's the owner of a restaurant in the city. I was looking at his place. When we retreated, he gave me all his belongings and food reserves, and asked me to take him away. Thanks to his rice noodles Food, you guys just made it through the beginning. You're smart and know what to do and what not to do."

Lin Musen raised his eyebrows, Liu Yan avoided the question, and said: "Zhang Min is a doctor, my senior sister is a chemistry major, and a graduate student in bioengineering. They may have some clues about the cause of this zombie outbreak. Do you want to hear your own opinion?"

Lin Musen raised his eyes and said: "The outside has become like this, where and how did those zombies come from, and what does it matter to me? The current task is to survive, understand?"

Liu Yan said: "I think we should at least know why they move, what restrictions they are subject to, where their weaknesses are, and where their habit is to migrate."

"How does temperature, humidity, and the environment affect them? Know yourself and your enemy, and you will win every battle. If you can find out the reason, maybe a lot of people will die less."

Lin Musen said indifferently: "Then just listen."

Liu Yan said: "After dinner, I asked the people I think are reliable to gather together, we have a meeting, and call you again?"

Lin Musen nodded slowly.

Meng Feng and Zhang Min were leaning on the rocky beach beside the stream, leaning on their respective guns. The evening sunset rays rolled on the scale-like water surface and rushed downstream.

Zhang Min was assigned to a group with Meng Feng. Today is the second day of cooperation. He is on duty from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm to prevent zombies from floating down the river and landing suddenly.

Zhang Min wore a pair of military gloves with fingerless fingers, and buried himself in his wallet, which contained a photo of himself and Cassia Ming.

Meng Feng also changed into a full set of wear-resistant camouflage military uniform, the jacket was heat-resistant, and he only wore a thin vest.

Meng Feng: "Where do you think these military equipment come from?"

Zhang Min shook his head, very confused, no matter how tough Lin Musen was, he would not dare to openly rob a military vehicle.

"The equipment is not very complete." Zhang Min said: "There are only six guns, and the bullets are scarce. It looks like they were picked up."

Meng Feng groaned, and said again: "What is that?"

Zhang Min smiled, and opened the wallet to show him, inside were card stickers made by Cassia Ming, and two couple credit cards of Q Boy and Q Girl.

Meng Feng said: "That boy is you... Eh? Brother, this doesn't look like a father and son."

Zhang Min smiled awkwardly: "It's what you say."

Meng Feng frowned and looked at Zhang Min, Zhang Min said: "You are too, right?"

Meng Feng said: "Understood, you too."

Zhang Min nodded happily, and confronted Meng Feng like a secret signal, the distance between the two of them became much closer, Meng Feng asked: "Your kid... he doesn't have parents?"

Zhang Min explained: "When I was just discharged from the army, my father went there. There were no relatives at home, and I had no skills. I couldn't apply for a license, and I didn't know what to do. I went up to the mountains in my hometown to collect herbs every day, and then gave them to the collectors of Chinese medicinal materials. The shop. I found him in a valley one day, and it happened that there was a place where cassia seeds grew in that valley, so he named it cassia."

Meng Feng said: "No identity certificate? Didn't you go to the police?"

Zhang Min shook his head blankly and said: "There is nothing, his brain is still damaged, and he didn't speak until three months after he was rescued. Later, he went to a big hospital in the provincial capital to see him. His bone age knows that he is almost eleven. I I entrusted my comrades at the police station to inquire everywhere, but they didn’t find any missing persons. Finally, an acquaintance gave me a certificate and settled down.”

Zhang Min let out a hilarious laugh and said with a self-deprecating smile: "It's nothing, I don't have that kind of thought, it's just that he's very clingy, always clinging to me, buddies don't dare to... Well, just relying on each other, let's not mention it. What about your kid? ? Are you two doing well?"

Meng Feng said unhappily: "What do you think of the expression on his face that someone owed him money?"

Zhang Min smiled and comforted: "Live a good life, and you will grow up in the future. Everyone is alive, so you should be happy. Support each other."

Meng Feng nodded slowly.

"Philosopher." Liu Yan came out for a walk by the river after a busy day's work. He was wearing a vest, knee-length cropped pants, and a satchel slung across his back. He wandered over lazily and asked, "What are you doing?"

Xie Fenghua pushed his glasses, said with a smile: "I'm talking about you, you have dominated the fate of so many people, who will control your destiny?"

Liu Yan put his hands in his trouser pockets and shrugged his shoulders indifferently: "I don't control anyone's fate. It's just a signpost on their forked road. Whether to stay or leave is a matter that has long been doomed. I just tell them Should we go left or right. Have you seen the two tall men coming out on patrol?"

"Here." Meng Feng said, "What instructions does the leader have?"

Liu Yan came over and sat down, Zhang Min raised his eyes and said, "Where is Cassia."

Liu Yan: "In my room, I arranged a room for you. It's next door to Meng Feng and me. It used to be a small single room where a foreman lived." He said and handed over the key: "I gave him a share of dinner. You will take him to your room later."

Meng Feng stepped aside a little, the two leaned against a stone, Liu Yan took out a stack of sawtooth discs cut from tin cans from his shoulder bag, and began to fiddle with the last sunlight before dusk.

"What is it?" Meng Feng said.

"A weapon that is convenient for women and people who don't know how to use guns." Liu Yan said: "Don't touch it, you may cut your hands."

Wearing canvas gloves, he assembled the sharp can lid and two rods and began to make a spring.

As the sun set, a fire was lit by the river, and the next team came to hand over the guns and began patrolling along the river bank.

A cloth was spread beside the bonfire, Liu Yan's senior sister Fang Xiaolei, Zhang Min, Liu Yan, Meng Feng, Ding Lan, and Xie Fenghua sat around, opened four cans, and a pot of steamed buns steamed by Yu Ma in the cafeteria.

Water was burning on the alcohol stove next to it.

Several people chatted casually, the long river at night is very beautiful, the moon rises from the east of the mountain, and the mountains and plains are covered with silver light.

"Ding Lan, you should steal something." Liu Yan said, "Last time I saw Lin Musen has a lot of chicken feet."

"You are a foodie." Fang Xiaolei gave Liu Yan a sideways glance; "Be careful of the gangsters beating you up."

Ding Lan laughed, and then said: "I dare not take it, for fear that he will check the accounts, but do you know how many things he has stored?"

"How much?" Meng Feng asked.

Ding Lan: "There are many, many, basically all the food in Yuzhen is in the warehouse."

Everyone had no idea, Ding Lan said: "You can't imagine, he killed people, and the warehouse is full of looted things. It took me a whole day to finish ordering. According to our diet, it is enough for 500 people. For several years."

Xie Fenghua said: "To be honest, according to the principle of a small society, what he needs most now is people. Ding Lan and I calculated that if he gathers a small group of about 650 people, he can just maximize his benefits. It is dangerous to have fewer people, and there is no sense of urgency, and no amount of reserves is safe. More people can unite to protect themselves, do more things, and start production... "

"Can you convince him, but I think he probably won't listen to you." Liu Yan said, "He told me that if he recruited a total of 100 people, he would stop recruiting. Such a small number of people can't produce at all..."

"Hush." Zhang Min moved his ears, signaling to keep quiet.

When Lin Musen came, he stopped talking immediately.

"Tell me, what's your opinion?" Lin Musen took off his gloves and said calmly.

Liu Yan said: "Let's share our experiences first, starting with the senior sister."

Fang Xiaolei began to say that what happened to Xie Fenghua and others was similar, but when it was Zhang Min's turn, Zhang Min explained in detail what happened along the way, including the incident about herself and being bitten, but skipped the inside story of Cassia Ming's injury.

The bonfire reflected Liu Yan's face, he said: "The vaccine is effective?"

Fang Xiaolei thought for a while and said, "When you were infected, it might be the first wave, because you resisted the vaccine because of your own conditions."

Zhang Min nodded slowly, and Fang Xiaolei said again: "But now after mutation, the virus has undergone a second mutation, so don't try again with a fluke mentality."

Lin Musen suddenly said: "If some blood is drawn from him..."

Liu Yan said: "Don't have such thoughts."

Lin Musen said lightly: "Why? Maybe just a little..."

For a while, fearful thoughts filled everyone's hearts. After a long time, Zhang Min smiled awkwardly and explained: "If my blood transfusion can save people, brother, I won't be stingy with that blood, but you don't have antigens in your body. Let's estimate the blood type. That's not right, how do you say this..."

Fang Xiaolei interjected: "To be clear, he can't do it. Even if all the blood in your body is transfused to you, you will only gain the ability to resist pathogens in a very short day or a few days. This is called passive in biology. immunity."

"According to the current outbreak situation, this will be a long and almost endless long-term war of resistance. It cannot be solved with a few tubes of serum. If you want to survive, you need a vaccine, Mr. Lin."

"What's the difference?" Lin Musen said coldly.

"Serum is used for passive immunity in a short period of time. It has the effect of resisting bacterial endotoxins. The time is very short, and it may not work. The vaccine is to inject the virus into you, so that you can gain the ability to resist the virus forever. I I don't know if he has developed antibodies, I think 'no'." Fang Xiaolei emphasized her tone: "As long as there are conditions, I will conduct experiments."

Zhang Min said: "If there is a chance, I would also like to try..."

Before that sentence was finished, Liu Yan immediately stopped him with his eyes, and Zhang Min stopped talking.

Lin Musen snorted.

Fang Xiaolei said lightly: "Don't discuss this issue any more, Zhang Min, don't be so stupid as to let the zombies catch you, understand?"

Zhang Min replied: "I understand."

"Talk about your elder brother." Meng Feng changed the subject and said, "What else did he say?"

Zhang Min: "When dealing with zombies, you can cut off the end of their spine." He raised his hands slightly, holding the virtual head, and made a twisting movement: "It's the same as dealing with normal people."

Lin Musen nodded thoughtfully, and Fang Xiaolei said, "Xiaokun told me that your senior brother followed his classmates to take refuge in the second garrison of the South China Military Region. Can you get in touch?"

Liu Yan said: "No, we can think of a way later, it is always safe to follow the military region."

"I think." Xie Fenghua said: "The key now is, what is your long-term goal?"

"Stay here and wait for the army to come to rescue; or rely on your own strength to survive." Xie Fenghua said softly: "Your food will always run out, why don't you send someone out to contact the army, and now the outside world Without knowing anything, it is impossible for the country not to take countermeasures."

"Little girl, I haven't seen you before." Lin Musen said.

Xie Fenghua smiled and said, "I'm not one of your people. I live by the river and come here to eat."

Lin Musen glanced at Xie Fenghua vigilantly, then at Ding Lan, but Liu Yan was thinking about something else, and said:

"Senior Sister, according to what Zhang Min witnessed, after being bitten by a zombie and infected, there will be a short period of coma before transforming into a new zombie."

Fang Xiaolei frowned, nodded and said: "Yes, after Mr. Zhang's friend was bitten by his daughter, it took a long time before he fell into a coma. After..."

"About seven hours." Zhang Min said: "During this period, the pupils dilated, the body temperature became cold, the blood stagnated, and gray spots appeared on the face."

Fang Xiaolei said: "Seven hours, as long as you grasp this time well and observe carefully, you don't have to be too afraid of viruses. People often die in fear."

"Yes." Zhang Min nodded in agreement.

Liu Yan said: "Is it possible for this virus to mutate?"

Fang Xiaolei nodded and said, "Very likely."

Lin Musen got up and said, "I don't understand, you guys talk slowly, and after finishing speaking, Liu Yan will summarize the valuable news and report it to me."

Liu Yan handed him the cutter made from the can lid, and said, "Find a zombie and try."

Lin Musen took the new weapon and left.

Fang Xiaolei glanced at his back and sighed, "If he didn't explain clearly just now, he might have eaten Zhang Min raw."

Liu Yan was also a little chilled when he heard Lin Musen mention blood, and said in a deep voice: "He didn't show it, he must be very scared. I'm afraid that Zhang Min will be regarded as a mobile blood bank..."

Zhang Min said: "As long as I can save it, I will not be stingy. I don't mind being a blood bank."

Everyone looked at Zhang Min, but no one spoke.

"That's it." Zhang Min said: "If Cassia is infected, I will also ask others for some serum. Is it useful? Just a little, if it doesn't work, is it not enough? More... I can understand this Feeling."

Meng Feng joked: "So it's not necessarily a good thing not to be infected. You escaped the mouth of the zombies, but were eaten by thousands of living people. If you saved this one, can you not save that one? Blood, enough to save everyone? This is really bad."

Everyone laughed.

Fang Xiaolei said; "If you want to be able to contact the epidemic center, or be able to play a role in the progress of this vaccine research and development, you must first find an organization... Without a laboratory, can you make a centrifuge? Liu Yan."

Liu Yan bit the bullet and said: "I... try. I have never paid attention to medical machinery and equipment... You have to give me the blueprint."

Fang Xiaolei said, "How could I have blueprints?"

Liu Yan said: "You should at least give a general description. The distance is like a mountain. I haven't even seen a centrifuge... By the way, other people may have a situation like Zhang Min's and have resisted an infection."

Fang Xiaolei nodded slightly: "I just think that if you are idle, you are idle. Anyway, I don't care. The gas pipeline of the molecular microscope and the centrifuge petri dish test bench reactor are all entrusted to you, and they will be delivered within a week. Do you hear me?"

Liu Yan screamed: "What are those! I've never heard of them!"

Fang Xiaolei ignored Liu Yan, and changed the subject, "Perhaps the high temperature environment has also become an indispensable catalyst, greatly shortening the coma time, Zhang Min, what do you think?"

Zhang Min nodded slowly: "Anyway, this virus must have mutated."

Meng Feng could barely understand, unlike Lin Musen who was confused like before, he asked now: "Can this disease be cured?"

Fang Xiaolei said: "I haven't even seen what this virus looks like, so I can't define it. Liu Yan, come on... After you give me all the equipment, let's take it one step at a time. In fact, there must be other people who have happened to it." Antibody. Now most of the medical institutions in the world are already researching it, have you ever seen that kind of vaccine?”

Zhang Min said: "They said it was a new drug from the United States."

Fang Xiaolei nodded slightly: "It is very likely that it is a vaccine that is not completely successful and needs to be improved, but once the zombie tide breaks out, I have to use it first."

Meng Feng asked again: "If this goes on like this, what will happen in the end?"

Fang Xiaolei said: "In the epidemic, there is a calculation formula. The speed of infection is related to the population per square kilometer. It also combines the transmission rate obtained by sampling individual cases, which involves..."

Liu Yan: "Let's talk about the conclusion."

Fang Xiaolei was very difficult to speak, and finally said: "A very very very rough estimate, if there is no vaccine and no isolation measures are taken, it will take about eighteen months for the whole world to be infected."

"So short?!" Liu Yan was instantly moved.

Fang Xiaolei said: "Eighteen months later, except for a few areas that are isolated by the natural environment, most of the population centers will be left with these living dead."

"And then." Meng Feng couldn't help saying.

Fang Xiaolei: "Then if we are safe, such as hiding in the mountains, waiting for them to decay and be recycled by nature, it will take about fifteen to twenty years."

Liu Yan said: "So it's safe, you can come out."

Fang Xiaolei said: "There will still be viruses lurking, it's hard to say."

Liu Yan thought for a while and said, "Your assumption is only the worst."

Fang Xiaolei: "Of course, if you think about it, a new and improved vaccine will come out sooner or later. Assuming Zhang Min still carries the antibody, I'm sure it won't have much effect. Otherwise, why would the doctors die?"

Liu Yan: "By the way, even if there is no serum, scientists can study a fungus that rapidly oxidizes, erodes, and rots corpses, decomposes all zombies, and allows them to burrow into the soil in advance. The high-temperature environment cooperates with fungi and rotting microorganisms, and the spread is properly controlled. , it is not difficult to destroy them."

Fang Xiaolei smoothed her hair, and the diamond ring on her hand gleamed.

"That is to say, there are many smart people in the world, and you are one of them." Fang Xiaolei smiled and said, "Remember the equipment."

Liu Yan just forgot about this matter and was brought up again, with an expression of wanting to cry.

Fang Xiaolei said: "If you can convince that underworld leader, I suggest that everyone migrate north together. I need zombies for research."

Liu Yan: "Well, I think the farther north you go, the safer it is. It's almost autumn, and the cold can make zombies lose their ability to move."

Zhang Min said in a low voice: "And I also discovered something, do you know?"

Focusing on Zhang Min, Zhang Min said: "They don't eat animals, and they don't touch plants. They only eat people and their own kind. Why?"

Meng Feng said: "Isn't that good, at least you don't have to worry about zombie animals everywhere."

Liu Yan nodded, Fang Xiaolei said: "This may be determined by the characteristics of the virus, but the natural environment has not been destroyed, it is considered a good thing, human beings are also a part of nature, in this world, even if all human beings are extinct , the environment has not changed much.”

Liu Yan said: "So you want to say, in fact, all human beings should die?"

Fang Xiaolei smiled softly, shook her head and said, "Of course not, we have to live well, there is always hope for everything."

Meng Feng said: "Live, go back to take a shower and sleep, let's go."

Zhang Min smiled and said, "It's a good thing not to have to pay the mortgage, as long as you're alive."

Liu Yan shook his head helplessly, looked at the ring on Fang Xiaolei's hand, and then at her eyes.

"Live." Liu Yan said: "I will meet my brother one day."

Fang Xiaolei nodded with a smile, and the crowd dispersed, Liu Yan said: "Philosopher, let's see if there are zombies crawling out of the river at night when I treat you to a meal..."

"I will scream loudly and call the police." Xie Fenghua nodded happily.

Ding Lan said: "Don't pay attention to him, come into the factory and live with us."

Liu Yan walked back along the river. Fang Xiaolei was right. Human beings are insignificant to the entire planet. Perhaps this catastrophe that swept the entire world is just a blink of an eye for the five billion years of the earth. .