Chapter 94 - 90: Notice
The old man coughed, his body sinking lower and lower until it bent into a Bow. He knelt on the ground, head hanging low, and didn’t move for a long time.
"Dr. Zhao, what... what kind of disease is this? Is it contagious?" Deng Guang asked, looking at Zhao Pu beside him.
Zhao Pu’s throat felt dry. "I don’t know. Mr. Qin, I need to go back for a minute."
More and more neighbors came downstairs, and a few faint coughs could be heard here and there from the crowd.
"But if it is contagious, it’s most likely spread through droplets. We have to stay away from anyone who’s coughing, keep our homes clean, and... don’t gather in groups. I repeat, do not gather in groups."
Perhaps it was just in his head, but as he spoke, Zhao Pu felt a tickle in his own throat, like he was about to cough.
He couldn’t be sure if it was a psychogenic cough brought on by somatization, or if he was actually infected.
At that thought, Zhao Pu stopped in his tracks. ’If I’m infected, going back now would only endanger Shuhuan.’
Zhao Pu took a couple of steps to the side. "Mr. Qin."
Qin Ziwen, who had been gazing up at the sky, lowered his head. The weather hadn’t changed, but after witnessing that scene, the sky seemed bleak and gray to him.
"Dr. Zhao, what if it’s really an infectious disease?"
"If it is, the few of us can’t handle it alone. We’d need the entire Gated Community’s cooperation to stamp it out completely, but..." Zhao Pu shook his head.
’Judging by everyone’s recent behavior, getting the whole Gated Community to cooperate... the thought alone felt daunting.’
After a moment of thought, Qin Ziwen said, "Let’s meet up in... 602 later. Go and let your families know first."
After they split up, Qin Ziwen went to Apartment 101 in Unit 1 of Building 6 to find Wei Zhaohua. He warned him and his family to avoid going outside unless absolutely necessary for the next few days.
The color drained from Wei Zhaohua’s face, and his voice became strained. "Are you sure it’s not just a common cold? My... my father-in-law, he started coughing a little this morning."
Qin Ziwen fell silent, not knowing what to say.
Wei Zhaohua forced a smile. "I understand. Thanks for the warning."
Next, Qin Ziwen went to Building 5 to tell Li Yue to stay home for the next few days and avoid going out as much as possible.
"Got it, bro. You guys stay safe, too." Li Yue said from behind his door, watching Qin Ziwen walk away.
Apartment 602, Unit 2, Building 8.
The five of them were gathered in the room.
"I’m a surgeon; this isn’t my area of expertise," Zhao Pu said with a wry smile. "But I think we need to prepare for the worst. This is a highly contagious bacterium or virus."
He took out a pen and paper. "Don’t be too nervous. In theory, the body’s immune system has a chance of fighting off any virus or bacterium. It’s not a guaranteed death sentence just because you catch an infectious disease.
"The healthier an adult, the stronger their immune system, and the greater their chance of overcoming it."
"So what do we do now?" Qin Ziwen asked.
Zhao Pu mulled it over. "Individually, we need to protect ourselves. Wear masks. I have some surgical masks stocked at home; I’ll hand some out later. If we run out of masks, we can tear old clothes into cloth strips, sterilize them in boiling water, dry them, and make makeshift ones.
"On a daily basis, we need to disinfect and sanitize everything, and wash our hands frequently. Avoid crowded places. Ideally, we should also disinfect our surroundings."
Qin Ziwen looked at Zhao Pu. "And if we were to handle this as a whole Gated Community, what would that entail?"
Zhao Pu frowned. This would be a completely thankless task.
He couldn’t help but try to talk him out of it. "Mr. Qin, that will be very difficult."
Qin Ziwen was silent for a moment before speaking. "Let’s at least try. If we just let it spread, the Gated Community will be filled with the sick and the dead. How are we supposed to live then? Hide in our homes and never go out? Or do you think we can just find somewhere else to live?
"This isn’t just our problem anymore. It’s the entire Gated Community’s problem. We should get the word out now, while the number of infected people is still relatively small, and see what the others plan to do."
If the other residents of the Gated Community showed no strong desire to save themselves, then Qin Ziwen could only respect their choices and let fate run its course.
’Worst case, I’ll just seal my doors and windows and hide at home. I have the spring and a food stockpile, so I can live frugally and hold out for over half a month without any issues.’
But then he remembered a critical problem.
If a large number of residents died, the percentage of households in the Gated Community with an awakened Home would rise. Once it hit twenty percent, it would automatically trigger a three-day countdown to the crossover.
Three days later, a new group of residents would arrive. The moment they came into contact with the existing patients...
’Oh, great. A perfect cycle.’
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Someone was knocking on the door downstairs.
𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
A moment later, the faint sound of conversation drifted up.
Soon, there was another knock from the apartment directly below them. It went on for a moment, then stopped.
BANG BANG BANG. This time, the knocking came from the apartment across the hall.
"There’s an infectious disease going around the Gated Community. Please take precautions at home and avoid gathering in crowded places. If you find anyone in your family coughing, please report it immediately..."
They could hear the voice from outside the door perfectly clearly.
It seemed someone had beaten him to it and was already notifying the Gated Community’s residents.
Soon, the knock came at their door.
A masked Zhao Pu got up and opened the door. Outside stood a middle-aged woman, also wearing a mask. "There’s an infectious disease going around the Gated Community. You all need to take precautions and stay out of crowded areas. In the early stages, it presents like a common cold, with coughing, a low-grade fever, and fatigue—symptoms similar to a normal cold or flu."
A hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Pu’s eyes. "How do you know the symptoms in such detail?"
"I’m with the Alliance Mutual Aid Association. Our leader is the one who told us all this," the middle-aged woman said. "Would you like to join our Alliance Mutual Aid Association? We’re one big, loving, harmonious family."
Zhao Pu looked back at Qin Ziwen, who said, "We’ll think about it."
"Alrighty then. If you decide to join the Mutual Aid Association, remember to give them my referral number. I’m Number 14." After speaking, the woman smiled, waved, and continued up the stairs.
Once she was gone, they closed the door.
Qin Ziwen remarked, "This Mutual Aid Association certainly reacts fast."
Zhao Pu shook his head and said with a sigh, "But this is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause. The best way is to gather all the patients, separate them from the healthy residents, and then centralize the disposal of their waste. Once their symptoms subside, they should be quarantined for observation, and only after they’re confirmed to have recovered can they be sent home for further monitoring."
Deng Guang thought Zhao Pu’s idea was unrealistic. "And who’s going to take care of these patients? Who’s going to collect and handle their waste?"
"Let’s go and ask," Qin Ziwen said. "Since the people from the Alliance Mutual Aid Association are spreading the word, it means they also want to contain the epidemic. After all, we all have to live here. A deteriorating living environment is bad for everyone."
When the masked woman came back downstairs, Qin Ziwen told her he wanted to meet Zou Jianghe.
"Oh, dear. He’s the president of our Mutual Aid Association. You can’t just meet him that easily," the middle-aged woman said, looking troubled.
"We’d appreciate it if you could ask for us. This is Dr. Zhao, a former practicing physician. He has some thoughts on this disease, and we just hope to make life better for everyone," Qin Ziwen said, handing her a small portion of falcon meat.
The middle-aged woman took the bag and peeked at the meat inside. Her face immediately broke into a wide smile. "Oh, so he’s a doctor! I knew he looked like a kind man. No need for such formalities! I’ll go ask for you. Our president is actually a pretty nice guy."
Twenty minutes later, the middle-aged woman returned, her attitude much more enthusiastic. "I put in a good word for you, and the president agreed to see you. I’ll take you to him right now."
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