Chapter 14: Surrounding and Cutting Off the SARS Epidemic

  Section 1

  "The southern county of Jiaozhou has broken out in an epidemic, the government and media have not yet announced it, but the situation is very serious, local people are already panicking, rumors are spreading everywhere. The higher-ups have instructed that all level 4 and 5 special advisors who currently have no tasks be dispatched to the southern county to assist Special Doctor Professor in finding the source of the plague and help the local government and people stabilize the situation. If there are any lawless elements, they will be dealt with specially. Lao Qiang has already gone to the southern county as a military representative, Knife Child, Lan Ya, and you will set out together. My main skills won't be useful there, Shan Pao, although you haven't passed the exam yet, you are also an acting level 4 special advisor, so you have a part in this mission too."

  "What's the use of me going there if I'm not a doctor?"

  "It depends on the actual situation, major events or more people are better for handling things. This time you're under Knife Boy's leadership, you can learn a lot from it. If the task is completed well, then there's no need for an exam."

  "Obeying the arrangement of superiors, how about being treated as a fourth-grade special advisor?"

  "Nobody who comes here has ever considered the treatment issue, you are the first one. The sixth-level treatment, I suppose you already know, except for two 10% discounts, that's all. Are you in a hurry to save money and get married?"

  Looking at the ambiguous expression of the silver fox, Li Wei was speechless. He really wanted to say to him: "Mind your own business." Li Wei felt that this task seemed very dangerous and might even be life-threatening, so he had to go to Lan Ya's place to get the best equipment and medicine. The Yu Tong company seemed to have connections with the government, always helping them do things, but didn't directly have any relationship with the government. It was unclear whether the company was involved in real estate or not; this would need to be clarified later.

  On a plane flying to Jiangzhou South County, Dr. Bluetooth is reporting on the epidemic situation in Jiangzhou South County and the government's handling of it.

  Here is the translation:

  "So far, the epidemic has been controlled in Nangun area, and local panic has appeared. Board blue root rice vinegar, various medicines have appeared to be hoarded, some businesses have raised prices, and the local government controls the release of epidemic information, but rumors among the people are out of control, and the network is also under government control. The epidemic has already shown signs of spreading, and the number of deaths is increasing.

  The Huaxia Disease Control Center has just started researching, and our company's research personnel have found that this virus is highly contagious, with unknown genetic mutations, diverse transmission routes, including contact, air, droplets, and blood, all of which can transmit the disease. Currently, there is no specific medicine, and a vaccine is being developed.

  The reason has not been found yet. Our medical technology department is working hard to research, but the Huaxia Disease Control Center has not issued an alert. However, our company's internal warning system has been activated, and the work uniform virus prevention system has been upgraded. Respirators will also be distributed. The economic department is working on stabilizing medicine prices, the logistics department is handling material transportation, and a special team is investigating the cause of the epidemic to secretly assist the government in stabilizing the situation.

  This report is temporarily concluded here. Various situations and intelligence updates will be sent to each agent's mobile phone at any time. Relevant equipment will be dropped by plane."

  The people around Li Wei were expressionless, only he looked a bit flustered, and indeed, he was a little scared. Although he had mixed through two tasks, facing life and death for the first time, he couldn't help but be nervous. The knife beside him fiddled with the flying knife in his hand, the flying knife spinning around his fingers as if it were a living spirit, shining coldly, looking very sharp at a glance. Li Wei wanted to get close to him and said:

  "Brother Knife, this mission is very dangerous, I'm still a rookie, you must give me more guidance!"

  Diaozi nodded silently and continued playing with his knife. Li Wei's mood was complex, filled with worry, hoping that he wouldn't have to charge into battle.

  After getting off the plane, Li Wei and his party were taken to the Yutong Logistics Nanguo branch by a special car. They went directly to the top floor of the Yutong company, where many people had already gathered. After the last group arrived, the meeting about the epidemic began. The epidemic report was consistent with what Bluetooth had conveyed earlier. The special advisors were divided into 20 small groups, each consisting of three people. According to their abilities, they were respectively responsible for investigation, maintenance, safety, media, and logistics. Li Wei and Dr. Blue Tooth formed a group and were responsible for investigating the social relationships, work situation, and living situation of the first patient who died from the epidemic. They did not miss any details. After receiving all the materials, the three people left the top floor of the company and immediately started their investigation.

  Section 2

  After getting on the car, Bluetooth separately sent the information to Daozi and Li Wei. They decided to investigate the first deceased patient, Ji Dongping, male, 40 years old, who ran a hardware store. His wife was already infected, but his child was not infected because he lived in school. They rushed to the hardware store as reporters to conduct an investigation and collect evidence from surrounding merchants. Bluetooth Daozi sneaked into the closed hardware store and conducted a comprehensive scan of the hardware store and Ji Dongping's residence.

  They then rushed to the hospital, which was already under lockdown. The three of them entered the hospital as epidemiological investigation officers. The doctors and nurses here were all busy, and the hospital had been renovated to specifically treat patients with infectious diseases and suspected cases. The doctor in charge led them to change their clothes and come to Ji Dongping's wife's intensive care unit. The doctor only gave them half an hour, during which time Lan Ye and Diao Zhan questioned her and took notes.

  Then there was the second deceased patient, Yang Shangfeng, male, 30 years old, a construction worker, whose family lived elsewhere and resided on the construction site. The construction site had been shut down, but none of the workers showed any abnormalities. Bluetooth scanning was conducted on his bed and personal belongings, and Knifezi and Li Wei investigated by questioning the workers who were familiar with the deceased. According to the workers' accounts, it was discovered that Yang Shangfeng did not go to work after receiving his salary, instead going to a foot bath house where he met a foot washer and spent several days with her before something happened. The three of them went to investigate at the foot bath house, found the foot washer, and discovered she had mild symptoms but had not sought medical attention. They quickly took her away and reported back to the company's epidemic office while conducting an investigation, discovering that the first deceased patient had also been in contact with her. After contacting other investigation teams, it was found that several patients had also been in contact with her. Bluetooth recorded all the people the foot washer could remember, and through portrait sketches, various surveillance videos, and telecommunications records, each group found the individuals involved and brought them under control.

  At the epidemic press conference, special advisors gathered together, and each special group reported on their work: The media group believed it was necessary to disclose epidemic information to the outside world, even internationally, because the epidemic was expanding and rumors were gradually becoming more intense; The maintenance group assisted the police and hospitals in strengthening the screening of patients with the disease, but now is the peak season for personnel movement during the Spring Festival travel rush, and it cannot be ruled out that some patients have moved to other cities; The logistics group reported that the government and related companies had prepared various materials and medicines, but civilians were still rushing to buy Banlangen and white vinegar, despite their limited effectiveness; The security group communicated with the old gun, and currently there were no violent incidents in Nangun, and the government did not take any measures such as martial law or blockade; The investigation group had not yet found the source of the epidemic, but already had suspicious leads.

  The medical and health department has not yet developed a specific drug or vaccine for the pathogen virus, and research is ongoing.

  Superiors instruct each group to dispatch personnel to fully investigate the cause and source of the epidemic, abolish the safety team and logistics team, and merge into the investigation team and maintenance team. The media team supervises the network and cannot allow the media to release epidemic information and warnings earlier than the official. Special advisors from various municipal branch companies are on high alert and make all preparations.

  The top management of the company and the government thought that avoiding national panic was the most important, but the spread of public panic was extremely rapid, from surrounding cities to all over China, gradually spreading this unknown strange disease. With the appearance of the first case outside Jingzhou, in the following month, there were successive cases of epidemic patients all over China. The director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced the outbreak of the epidemic at a press conference, but explained that the epidemic was controllable and there was no need to panic. Then the whole country gradually strengthened its prevention and control of the epidemic.

  Section 3

  In the month since Li Wei and Daozi started investigating, the number of infected people in Nangou continued to rise. Medical staff were getting infected one after another, a head nurse died from the disease, and both the hospital and the Jingzhou government felt the severity of the situation. The Jingzhou government set up an epidemic office, and experts from the Huaxia National Center for Disease Control were dispatched to the scene. The investigation by Yutong Logistics' special advisor had reached a deadlock, with all clues pointing to a foot washer. The investigation into people who came into contact with her was tense, but two individuals could not be identified or located. They were code-named "Unknown A" and "Unknown B". Li Wei, Daozi, and Lanyi formed a team to investigate Unknown B's whereabouts, but they only had a blurry portrait to go on, making progress extremely slow. Lanyi used the Huaxia national household registration database, police data, and civilian surveillance footage for comparison, finding over a hundred suspected individuals who had been to Nangou during the epidemic period. Li Wei and Daozi investigated each of them one by one, ruling out suspects.

  At this time, the epidemic was still spreading, and an outbreak occurred in Huenei, the capital of Annam, a neighboring country of China. The international health organization reported that a team of experts from the International Disease Control Center went to Huenei, and after research, the disease was named SARS virus. As the outbreak in Annam spread, various countries condemned the Chinese government for delaying the reporting of the epidemic and not investing enough in its handling. The spokesperson for China's foreign affairs news apologized and revealed the situation of the epidemic, saying that the SARS virus had been brought under control domestically and emergency measures were being implemented.