Chapter 77

When the old Persian cat talked about Nuwa's plan, his expression changed on the spot. Coupled with Lu Bixing's weird body genes, Lin Jingheng actually had a rough guess. He would sometimes make insinuations, but he never pressed forward with persistence - Because everything seems to be fine for Lu Bixing now, he is active and active every day, like a teenager with excess energy. He thought that no matter what happened in the past, whether it was sad or happy, it was all in the past.

　He thought...

　for a moment, Lin Jingheng suddenly remembered that when they were still on Beijing Star, he took Penny to Xinghai Academy to deliver a mecha to Lu Bixing. By chance, he passed by the back window of the lecture theater and heard Lu Bixing talking about exotic pets. A few words -

　"Have you ever seen something with the head of a human and the body of a snake?"

　"Someone gave it to my father. I sneaked into the basement and found her, a girl..."

　"Then I shot her to death.

　" Five years should not be an overnight treatment process. It will probably go through countless failures, countless trials, and countless collapses.

　And how tenacious and fragile should human life be?

　For a little boy, his biggest hope every day was that it would snow on Planet Gloria so that he could get permission to go out and play for a while. When he accidentally broke into the basement of One-Eyed Eagle due to bad behavior, he saw a scene that was like the human laboratory of an alien. What was he thinking?

　The One-Eyed Eagle may not be able to concoct the exotic pet himself, but since he paid for it, of course there will be someone more crazy to do it for him.

　Isn't buying and selling a disguised form of indulgence?

　Those human-headed monsters looked at him lifelessly through the weak nutrition cabin one by one. They all shared his same illness and were all here because of him.

　When he first discovered it - when a young man impulsively raised his gun and shot to death the girl who was still alive...

　who did he want to kill?

　Lu Bixing always seems to be very good at living and having fun, and can even elevate trivial things like eating, drinking, and eating to aesthetics. Sometimes he goes too far, almost like a young man who is inexperienced in the world.

　Would such a person ever find survival itself too difficult to sustain?

　However, no matter how difficult and unbearable it is, he will probably have to keep flying forward in his life like an arrow that can never turn back after being fired. Otherwise, how should a cowardly evader face the risk of hiding a virus? How can a one-eyed eagle face the more than 300 million faces that have disappeared into the dust... and how can it face the humanoid monsters in the cold basement that have been deprived of everything?

　The two were silent for a long time.

　"Look," Lu Bixing forcibly broke the silence, and boldly patted Lin Jingheng's stiff shoulder through the isolation suit, "This little thing is not pleasant, and it doesn't help the problem we are currently trying to solve. Why do you have to ask? ? Let's talk about it first, even if you have heard about this, you don't need to comfort me or pity me, otherwise I will fall out with you very violently."

　Lin Jingheng suddenly felt that it was difficult to breathe, as if a stone heavier than his life was pressed on his heart. There was a lump in his throat and he was speechless for a moment. He felt a little nauseous, maybe because he was choked by the words he couldn't speak, maybe because the heavy isolation suit was placed on his body, and he stayed stiff in one position for too long. It felt like a liter of acidic water had been injected into the gap between the shoulder blades in his back. It "squeaks" at the slightest movement.

　The next moment, Lin Jingheng realized that this was no ordinary muscle stiffness.

　He quietly pressed the wrist of the isolation suit and waited for the sound in the earphones three times, followed by a mechanical voice: "The current armpit/body temperature is 37.9°C."

　Low fever.

　Lin Jingheng slowly exhaled the air stuck in her chest, and the knife hanging above her head finally fell to the side. It was not heart-wrenching, but accompanied by the memories of Lu Bixing's thirty years, there was a long and deep feeling. Dull ache.

　Lin Jingheng said nothing and silenced Zhan Lu in the mental network. Then she stood up quietly and looked at the route map to stay away from Lu Bixing, calculating how long it would take to get to the place where Hope said.

　When Lu Xin brought the Rainbow Virus antibodies to the eighth galaxy, he must not have thought that his son would be entangled with this kind of thing for his whole life. It's like he didn't expect that he didn't die from the overt and covert attacks of the Management Committee, nor did he die from the assassination by the pirates in Heart of Rose. Even though he had survived until now, he might be about to die from an unexpected virus mutation. This unexpected event Home can make up a human comedy.

　Watto's time jumps to a new day.

　The Milky Way City of Morning Star is ushering in dusk. The self-defense team members wearing isolation suits line up in a line. They have been running around for a day, but they have not made enough water or rice. Because they are too exhausted, they fight each other. There was no communication between them, and their posture as they hurriedly walked through the neighborhood looked murderous.

　Residents peeked out of the cracks in the windows and secretly speculated on what these people were doing. They are already struggling in dire straits and are stretched thin, and they really don't want anyone to add fuel to the fire - whether it is the Alliance or the Pirates.

　On Saturday, my steps were heavy and I looked up towards the sunset. The sky was clear and blue, with spreading clouds in the distance. It was a clear, dry and good weather. Daystar has superior climate conditions and suitable temperatures. Galaxy City is divided into dry and wet seasons, and it feels like spring all year round. It is suitable for the growth of many kinds of animals and plants... except for people.

　Just when his mind was filled with random thoughts, suddenly, a scream came from a crowded residence not far away.

　It was a woman, and the sound she made was almost heartbreaking. It lasted for half a minute, and the bystanders were breathless. Then it paused for a few seconds, and then turned into a hoarse cry. She was crying and saying something. .

　Saturday suddenly had an ominous premonition for no reason. He raised his hand to signal everyone to stop, and he raised his legs to walk into the small residential building. Before he could stand still in the narrow stairwell, a man rolled and crawled. Di ran out from inside, bumped into Saturday, and fell on his back. However, he neither apologized nor cursed. He fluttered his limbs and staggered out as if he had seen a ghost.

　This man was wearing a dark blue shirt with the brand name of a certain pharmacy embroidered on the collar. He was excited on Saturday - he knew that there were some poor people in the eighth galaxy who were like this. They would not go to the hospital when they were sick, let alone use the medical cabin. Usually, you will find an acquaintance from a nearby pharmacy to check it out. The salesperson in the pharmacy often has some medical knowledge and can diagnose some common diseases according to the script, and then sell the backlog of expired medicines to these poor people who love to die.

　Saturday grabbed his collar and said, "Why are you running!"

　The man's legs were as weak as noodles and he couldn't stand up when he was poked on the ground. He said incoherently: "Cai, Rainbow..."

　Saturday's eyes widened suddenly. , the bit of sweat that was covered by the isolation suit instantly became cold. He took out the medical scanner and ran upstairs in three steps and two steps. He saw an unkempt woman kneeling in the corridor, holding an unconscious little child in her arms. Girl, the girl's little face was burned red, and there was a strange blood stain on her hand, which had begun to fester.

　The scanner emits a uniform alarm signal, indicating that this is an infected person.

　And this girl is not on their search list!

　On February 15, New Star Era 276, a six-year-old girl named "Angela" was confirmed to be infected with the mutant rainbow virus without ever being near a key epidemic prevention area or leaving her home. She was responsible for patrolling the area. The self-defense captain immediately ordered people to quarantine the entire residential area on Saturday. With a glimmer of hope, he asked someone to get antibodies for the rainbow virus.

　As expected, the old antibodies were of no help. He could only contact Turan while watching helplessly as the virus destroyed the girl's immune system. She was too young and vulnerable. She became ill much faster than an adult, and the disease started to fester. The skin spread to her entire hand at a speed visible to the naked eye. Before it could completely take root on this small body, the girl died of complications from organ failure.

　A camera three blocks away captured what happened forty-eight hours before the girl became infected.

　After a quick investigation, it was found that apart from her own family, the only living things the little girl had come into contact with were a group of harmless sparrows, one of which pecked her finger.

　Among the known traditional ways of spreading the rainbow virus, there is no precedent for other animals to carry the virus except scavengers that accidentally eat the corpses of the deceased. Scavengers infected with the virus will get sick faster than humans, instead of flying around carrying the virus.

　This means that the mutant rainbow virus can quietly lurk in any living creature and be carried to any place by them.

　This is just the beginning.

　In the next two hours, Turan received five suspected cases in a row, and the guard captain's nerves were stretched to the extreme - the virus may have spread.

　What spreads faster than the virus is people's fear.

　Ever since meeting an infected person at the night market, vague rumors began to spread in Galaxy City. At that time, they were quelled by Lu Bixing's bragging in public, and the attack did not start for a while. Unexpectedly, in the next day or two, people infected with the rainbow virus came one after another. Appear one by one. Amid the huge panic, the air in Galaxy City began to become thinner, and the entrance to the only public hospital was crowded. People wore gloves and masks, wrapped themselves up in full gear, and demanded that the hospital immediately explain the source of the virus and distribute rainbow masks. Viral antibodies.

　The hospital was surrounded by violent crowds and had to be temporarily closed. Foucault brought a group of Self-Defense Forces with guns to maintain order, but they were also blocked by desperate people inside the hospital walls.

　"Captain, I'm afraid this is not the answer," Weasel ran to ask Turan, "Are you going to send someone to give them an explanation, or are you going to take action directly? You have to decide quickly. In short, we can't let them crowd together like this, in case there is someone in the middle With two infections, it will be really uncontrollable when the outbreak breaks out."

　White was helping Turan count the remaining medical supplies: "How about we reveal the truth and tell them that this is a mutant virus and we don't have antibodies now."

　Turan and Weasel . Almost at the same time.

　Turan: "No."

　Weasel: "Don't talk nonsense."

　Turan: "The memory of the Rainbow Virus in the Eighth Galaxy is too deep. We don't even know what the mutant virus is now, and announcing it hastily will only make it worse. Panic, we don't have credibility and the ability to completely control Galaxy City. We will be very passive when chaos occurs.

　" They can do anything. They threw patients who were still alive into the fire and burned them alive. They even burned alive people who had been in contact with the patients and were not sure whether they were infected. Do you think these things are happening? Are they all done by interstellar pirates?" Weasel sighed, "As for those who have been infected, they are just kind enough to hide their illness, and some people will deliberately break into the downtown area and pour their blood into the crowd. You kiddos don't understand. I experienced it during the Rainbow Virus period. Half of the people died not from the virus, but from cannibalism. A virus can divide people who have no grievances into two groups: life and death. A camp."

　White didn't dare to say anything.

　"Let me tell you," Weasel stretched out his rough and yellowed hand and asked Bai Yinwei next to him for a cigarette. When he lit it, he quickly moved forward and took a stingy puff, refusing to spit out any more white smoke. , "Captain of the guard, when it's time to cheat and kidnap, don't be too moralistic. You listen to me, put all the infected people in the hospital and isolate them, and then find some placebos like glucose saline and give them to calm the residents first. Although the mood is a bit evil, it is only a moment to delay. Now it depends on whether One-Eyed Eagle and Teacher Lu can find a way."

　Turan had no choice but to nod, and at the same time quickly briefed Lin Jingheng on the crisis on Venus. .

　The rising body temperature made Lin Jingheng sweat and shiver at the same time. He said in a deep voice quickly: "Assemble the mechas and blockade Galaxy City immediately. Be careful to release space field interference in case there are... Zhan Lu, what's going on? "

　Before he finished speaking, Turan's signal suddenly disappeared.

　"Sir, there is a violent energy reaction near half a sailing day. We are about to enter the activity area of ​​unknown armed forces. If the communication is not cut off, the probability of remote signals being scanned is as high as 75%."

　As soon as Zhan Lu finished speaking, a huge hologram The outline of the opponent can already be seen on the projection - it is a mecha fleet, with about a hundred small mechas, patrolling near the "Anti-Black Society's lair" that Hope told him, and they are ready, as if they are "waiting" to crash into them. Rabbit on the stump!

　Lin Jingheng and Lu Bixing's hearts sank at the same time.

　Hope is uneasy!

　As soon as the signal was cut off, Turan was stunned for two seconds. He immediately reacted and said angrily, "Where's Hope! I'm going to kill him!"

　This time, Hope was no longer treated like a guest. He was brought up by two Silver Guards. , the collar of the long windbreaker has been pulled down to the shoulders.

　However, no matter whether he was steamed or braised, Lin Jingheng and the others had no way out.

　"Back then, Reinborg's Rainbow Virus swept across the eighth galaxy within a month and even spread to the Alliance. After the Rainbow Virus in the Emma Star Laboratory broke out within seventy-two hours, no one was spared. If anyone had been exposed to the patient's Animals may carry viruses, such as sparrows, mice... bugs flying everywhere in the wild, so assuming the worst, it may be too late to block Galaxy City." Lin Jingheng's throat began to become inflamed, as if he was being cut back and forth with a rusty knife. Touching his throat, he cleared it as quietly as possible and tasted the smell of blood.

　Lu Bixing had an intuition that something was wrong, because Zhan Lu had become unusually silent just now, and the talkative artificial intelligence communication function was almost shut down, as if it had turned into a navigation robot that asked questions and answered questions. However, he was not sure, after all, Zhan Lu followed It is common for Lin Jingheng, the unlucky master, to be banned for no reason.

　"Lin, are you okay?"

　"Not yet." Lin Jingheng replied calmly, "Zhan Lu, shrink your mental network and be invisible."

　Lu Bixing: "If the epidemic cannot be controlled, Captain Turan Guard will not be able to contact you. , how will it be handled?"

　Lin Jingheng: "..."

　If the epidemic cannot be controlled, Turan will pack up her combat power and evacuate the vicinity of Galaxy City as quickly as possible. At the same time, in order to prevent the further spread of the virus, she may consider a missile.

　However, after hearing Lu Bixing's words, "I owe this place since I was born," Lin Jingheng couldn't say these words anyway.

　"I remember when we were in the underground warehouse of the factory, Captain Turan once asked you whether you would consider contacting the 'center' in extreme circumstances," Lu Bixing asked, "What is the center? What kind of situation is considered an extreme situation?"

　At this point, At this point, there was nothing to hide in front of anyone. Lin Jingheng broke the rules and was too lazy to worry about what image she had in Lu Bixing's mind. She explained in a few words the big hole she had dug in the alliance: "Before I left the alliance, I gave Baiyin The Ten Guards arranged their places to go. Among them, except for the Silver Ninth Guard who were waiting for deployment, the others were lurking near Lu Xin's old departments in the seven major galaxies. When the time came, they would be responsible for lighting the last fire. The connection network established between me and the Shirogane Juwei is three elements."

　Lu Bixing is knowledgeable and knowledgeable, and he immediately realized what the "three elements" refer to - remote key, center and backup center.

　The remote key is a remote connection established through the known jump points of the seven major galaxies. As long as the alliance is not blown up and the Silver Ten Guards are not hastily transferred, even if Lin Jingheng goes outside the territory, he can control the overall situation in real time.

　And if there is a one in 10,000 possibility that this remote communication network really fails, then the second contact method will be adopted - using the pre-agreed "center" as a signal transfer station to re-establish indirect contact. Furthermore, if even the "center" loses contact, there is another "backup center" as double insurance.

　"The alliance was suddenly invaded by pirates, the Garden of Eden was shattered, and all long-distance communications between me and the Ten Silver Guards were cut off," Lin Jingheng said. "My transit center was chosen to be in Voto - Voto was out of control."

　Lu Bixing simply said . I don't know what to say. I feel that Lin Jingheng must stay away from gambling in this life. Otherwise, all the shit in the world will not be enough to fill his negative luck to zero: "What is your backup center?"

　"One "A person I trust very much," Lin Jingheng said, "Silver Three is the technical department and will bid farewell to Silver Fortress after I leave. I left them a letter of recommendation and asked them to follow that person... who is the first person in charge of the Alliance Military Commission. Man, Marshal Wulf."

　Lu Bixing's eyes lit up: "Isn't Marshal Wulf sitting in the Angel City Fortress?"

　If we are really desperate, can we ask for help from the alliance through this channel?

　Lin Jingheng's eyes shot out through the protective shield, and she shook her head slowly.

　"After meeting Chong San," he whispered, "I can't trust anyone in Angel City now."