Chapter 139 Time Flies

Quantitative changes cause qualitative changes, Xinghe explained in a single sentence why the vaccine was only effective against airborne viruses.

"Actually, I am surprised that you could develop a vaccine. It is key to the survival of many humans to this date. Without a sufficient population base, any talk of resisting or even counterattacking the Serpent People would be empty. It is precisely because you have developed the vaccine that Earthlings can retain hope. For this, I must express my respect to you," he said.

Xinghe bowed with hands folded in front, an ancient ritual, a Han dynasty etiquette.

The person in the white lab coat suddenly lost his speech. He was stunned for a moment, then wiped his face with his hand, and said, "I... It wasn't me, I... cough cough."

After clearing his throat, the man in the white coat looked around and then he spoke loudly, "Can I speak now? May I speak now?"

Li Wen stood up and said loudly, "You can speak, it's been declassified now. It's time for your achievements to be known by everyone!"

After Li Wen finished speaking, the person in the white coat said with a trembling voice, "It wasn't me, it was my mentor, Mr. Zhong Renhuai, the top pathologist and infectious disease control expert in our country. After the outbreak at Golden Coast, he received orders to rush to the epidemic area to collect virus samples. Later on, I found out that there were... there were intelligence personnel who said it might have been an experiment by Aliens."

What would have been considered the behavior of a madman now appeared exceedingly wise.

"Mr. Zhong Renhuai collected the virus samples, and then he announced locally that the virus was definitively genetically modified. At that time, he didn't know about the Aliens, and thought it was a Gene Weapon developed by some country. There were no vaccines available then. On the plane back to his country, Mr. Zhong Renhuai made a clear judgment... that he might have been infected. All four of them could have been infected, because the protective measures at the time were not able to resist the virus, as they discovered that airborne viruses could be protected against, but there was an unavoidable risk of infection during the process of collecting virus samples from patients' bodies."

According to Mr. Zhong Renhuai's instructions, we only made the highest level of protective vehicle on Earth, and picked up the gentleman at the airport. He had already organized and written the basic characteristics of the virus and made judgments. He directly stated that the virus was very likely a modification of the rabies virus."

Xinghe asked seriously, "What happened after that?"

"Mr. Zhong Renhuai and his three students developed symptoms while in the quarantine vehicle. After the quarantine vehicle reached a fully isolated laboratory, the driver and researchers onboard developed symptoms, and then..."

The man in the white coat choked up again, speaking in a low voice, "From May 18th when the virus samples were collected, to August 5th when the first generation of vaccine was developed, all 164 personnel who had contact with the virus samples... developed symptoms. 577 staff members drawn from military hospitals were sacrificed. Our most elite experts went one after the other, almost all of them sacrificed, until the vaccine was developed..."

Silence, a deathly silence.

The person in the white coat continued to choke up and said, "Don't respect me; I'm merely standing on the shoulders of giants, walking the path paved by my preceding, sacrificed peers. I... am not worthy."

Xinghe frowned. In the deathly silence, he slowly said, "This is what I don't understand about Earthlings; you are already a wise race, but you... seem unafraid of death. Wang Hu was like this, and so are you..."

Just then, one of the scientists present suddenly turned and bowed to the man in the white coat, followed by more people, until finally everyone bowed to those few in white coats.

Li Wen was also bowing, tears streaming down his face. After he stood up, he turned to Gao Yuan and said softly, "There are no fruits that fall from the skies unbidden. We were able to produce a vaccine and unconditionally share the production process and workflow with the entire world, and provide virus samples because we made a great sacrifice! Wang Hu is a hero, as is Mr. Zhong Renhuai, represented by the scientists and medical experts. Without them, none of those people in the refuge today would be possible. This project and work were originally top-secret, but today, I think it is time to declassify them, to let people know that their survival is because some sacrificed their lives."

There is no such thing as peace and quiet times; it's just someone else carrying the weight for you.

It's understandable why the process of researching and developing the vaccine was top-secret; those deceased medical workers could only silently bear the burden for others, just like the nuclear project back in the day.

Gao Yuan sincerely appreciated those who had sacrificed themselves because he could survive to this day, to the arrival of Xinghe, because people had exchanged their lives for the chance for many others to live.

Gao Yuan didn't even know the name of the man in the white lab coat, but he knew this person represented all those who had made sacrifices. His bow was from the bottom of his heart.

The man in the white coat continued with a choked-up voice, "Thank you, everyone... Let's not waste time. Please, Xinghe, explain to me what you mean by qualitative changes caused by quantitative changes."

Xinghe said gravely, "The number of viruses transmitted through the air is limited, but once inside the host, they reproduce en masse. When the quantity reaches a certain threshold, they alter the human neural transmission system and destroy the brain, causing humans to lose the ability to think and survive in a state just before the death caused by rabies. That's why the vaccine is ineffective against the virus spread by patients—because there are simply too many viruses, and the human body's defense mechanisms are rendered useless."

This explanation was understandable to everyone, and Xinghe continued, "The virus is just a virus, but the Serpent People's virus has become a weapon, a weapon-grade virus. Naturally, it must be met with a weapon-grade vaccine. I administered the vaccine to Gao Yuan, but these vaccines did not manage to remodel his body in time to build sufficient defense mechanisms, so his chances of survival will be very low. And back then, Gao Yuan was also contaminated by the blood of an Armored Beast, infected with an even more ferocious virus, so I don't think he can survive."

"Yes, the three viruses rejected each other, attacked each other, and then miraculously all became inactivated, while the host survived. It's unbelievable, how was it achieved? What's the principle behind it?"

Xinghe shook his head and said, "I don't know. The only explanation is that, within Gao Yuan's body—the battlefield—three gene weapons reached a probabilistic miracle. The viruses were equally matched and in the end annihilated each other. This explanation isn't perfect, but it's the only reasonable one. As for how exactly it happened, I have no idea."

"So it really is a miracle that can't be replicated?"

The person in the white lab coat seemed very unwilling to accept this, while Xinghe expressed his regret, "I'm afraid so. My medical pod is destroyed. If you want to create a better vaccine, you can only isolate samples from Gao Yuan's body and cultivate them. This work will be very lengthy, but there's no other way."

The person in the white lab coat said helplessly, "That will take a very long time, but... thank you. The vaccine you've brought is more efficient, with a completely different defense mechanism, or rather, an offensive in place of defensive mechanism. Even without a ready-made vaccine, the inspiration to us is already significant. Now, I have another question, just how significant is the virus' transformation effect on the human body?"

Xinghe was silent for a moment, then he suddenly said, "Now, please allow me to introduce someone. He is a miracle in evolutionary history, a miracle in probability. He's the only person I know who has accepted the combined effects of three gene weapons and survived the pain that I can understand but cannot imagine. He is Gao Yuan."

Gao Yuan was already somewhat nervous, and after hearing Xinghe's words, he felt even more anxious.

Being dissected for research was out of the question, but he couldn't avoid being an experimental mouse for a few days, right? However, considering those who sacrificed themselves to fight the virus, Gao Yuan felt it was worth it to be a lab mouse. If he wasn't willing to make even this slight contribution, he would consider himself unworthy of being human.

Gao Yuan could never understand the mindset of those in novels who, even though they represent a new direction in evolution and possess the key to saving humanity, refuse to share it.

In his view, making such a minor, insignificant sacrifice was nothing. If one became the hope of humanity, would the nation allow dissection for research? With current technology, do you need to dissect a person to study them? A small tissue sample is enough; a syringe full of blood is enough to clone a person. Saying that research must involve dissection is an insult to intelligence.

Li Wen looked at Gao Yuan and smiled, "Now you know, stand up and let everyone see you."

Gao Yuan stood up, somewhat embarrassedly waved his hand at the scientists who turned their heads towards him.

Xinghe pointed at Gao Yuan and said, "Come on, let them see your current physical fitness."

Gao Yuan braced himself and walked a few steps, then he began to feel natural. As the first person among humans to complete the mutation, this was nothing to be ashamed of. Aside from feeling embarrassed by the staring eyes, Gao Yuan was actually quite proud.

Gao Yuan moved to the front, and Xinghe looked at him with a smile, then spoke a few words in the alien language.

Afterward, Xinghe's mecha opened, and he said to Gao Yuan, "Go ahead, it will be finished quickly."

Gao Yuan turned around, stepped backward into the mecha, and then the mecha closed rapidly, leaving only his face exposed.

Unfortunately, no one knew what was behind the faceplate.

The mecha opened again soon, and after looking at the mecha, Xinghe loudly said, "Now his muscle structure is six times the strength of a normal human, his bone strength is four times, and his body density is basically the same as a normal human's, but it will definitely have increased. All bacteria and parasites in his body are dead. These are the most basic and simple data. His transformation has just been completed, and over time, just as with normal humans who exercise, this will lead to significant changes. Gao Yuan will become even stronger. Later, I can provide you with detailed data. Any other questions?"

The person in the white lab coat stuttered, "Muscle strength six times that of a normal human? What does that feel like?"

The question was directed at Gao Yuan, who after thinking for a moment, truly did not know how to answer.

Gao Yuan walked a few steps forward, then he started to run, and finally, he leaped high, touched the eight-meter-high ceiling of the command room, and landed heavily on the ground.

After standing up straight, Gao Yuan said to a scientist, "I guess it's something like that."