thenovelthief Chapter 601 - 273: The Wall
Chapter 601 - 273: The Wall
Anyone who becomes the Chief Secretary of Cheongwadae is naturally not simple.
Gu Ji knew that Li Xianzhen had long suspected that his constant targeting of the Wushan Base was for something beyond the MERS virus.
He had nothing to hide.
After all, "Jin Zhijiu" himself was labeled with the title of investigating the Wushan Base Laboratory explosion case, so in this calculation, the role the game assigned to him this time was quite reasonable.
After Gu Ji finished narrating everything he saw.
Even Li Xianzhen, despite his age, couldn’t hold back, staring firmly into the void ahead, his eyes looking soulless.
After a long while, he finally realized his momentary loss of composure.
"I understand. Thank you for providing the information. Regarding the matters of the Wushan Laboratory, do not announce them publicly for the time being, including to your superior."
"Understood, Mr. Li."
The prosecution’s investigation of the Wushan Base aimed to use leverage to blackmail the military’s high-ranking officials.
However, behind the Secretarial Office stands the President of South Korea, and since Li Xianzhen said this, it seems the President is ready to take action personally, not wanting the prosecution to seize the initiative.
Coming out of Cheongwadae.
Gu Ji continued thinking about the contents of the "White Coat Operation."
He meticulously sorted through all the text fragments he saw and temporarily came up with a few simple hypotheses:
Firstly, are the military’s previous attacks on him with weapon-grade anthrax and special staphylococcus related to the so-called "special deadly biological pathogens" in the plan?
The special microorganisms originate from a giant entity called the "Eighth Ball";
So is the "Eighth Ball" independently developed by the United States, or is it an unknown item acquired through some means?
Gu Ji is more inclined to believe the latter.
This is also his second hypothesis;
The action book mentions that the "White Coat Operation" is a virus defense plan.
If the "Eighth Ball" was really self-developed by a certain department or laboratory in the United States, why waste so much effort defending against itself?
Judging by synthesizing both aspects.
The U.S. military should have accidentally obtained the "Eighth Ball" and extracted special deadly biological pathogens from it.
On one hand, they utilized the post-World War II "Operation Paperclip," importing many Hans scientists, and using secret verbal agreements to exchange for Unit 731 data, developing various special bacteria and viruses from them;
On the other hand, the government and the military are also worried about backlash.
Therefore, to prevent deadly outbreaks and biohazards, they formulated the "White Coat Operation," conducting targeted exercises in advance, similar to the global pandemic exercise "201" organized by the CIA director when the Debba Laboratory closed in 2019.
The purpose is to prevent problems before they occur.
Having understood the action’s framework.
Gu Ji, however, has more questions arising in his mind.
Where did the "Eighth Ball" come from? Is it related to the game? Could there be a "Seventh Ball," "Sixth Ball," etc.?
Including when Wa Xueming previously interrogated Liangben Shuichi, this guy had said that the "Paradise" drug was stolen from the Xia Kingdom’s research institute, and it was just a derivative of it. Could it also be like the "special staphylococcus," originating from one of the "certain Balls"?
Various complex issues are piled up in front of him.
Just like the traffic jam on Jingzhou Ring Road during evening rush hour, all vehicles stuck at the intersection, not moving.
"It seems I still need to find a way to collect more intelligence."
Gu Ji temporarily gave up on the "White Coat Operation" and turned to focus on the MERS infection.
After such a turn of events.
He managed to nip almost all major virus outbreak sources within South Korea in the bud, and the remaining infected and their contacts were isolated and observed by the CDC and major private hospitals.
As of July 18, South Korea had reported no new MERS cases for 13 consecutive days, and there were no death cases, with 135 people discharged after recovery.
At midnight on July 27, 2015, the last person subject to isolation under the MERS incident in South Korea was released from quarantine.
According to the World Health Organization’s standards, if no new cases occur within 28 days from the last patient’s recovery, the public health incident can be declared over.
So at 7:30 AM that day.
Cheongwadae held a press conference, and the President of South Korea personally announced that the 2015 MERS incident had come to a complete end.
In that instant, there was a collective cheer from the wards in the AM hospital.
Through the window, Gu Ji could even hear a series of car honks outside on the street.
Since the first initial infected patient, a gray-haired uncle, was diagnosed on May 20, after 68 days, this national-level public health crisis, significant enough to be recorded in South Korea’s history, finally concluded peacefully.
Fortunately, thanks to Gu Ji’s rigorous investigation of the Wushan Base.
The death toll was precariously kept to 36.
[Ultimate Goal: Completely prevent South Korea’s sudden public health event and maintain the confirmed death toll below 36 to complete!]
[Unlocking Hidden Objective: Find the "Wall" in this South Korea virus crisis!]
Gu Ji looked at the floating game text in front of him.
To be honest, before experiencing this classic scenario firsthand.
He might also have agreed with the event summary recorded by the World Health Organization, believing it was just the South Korean government’s inaction, considering this as the chaebols pursuing their interests by any means;
But in reality;
The true "Wall" goes far beyond this.
The South Korean public also has a selfish side; putting aside the "disgraceful events" he personally witnessed in the outpatient hall, just looking at the two patients who spread the virus across countries, knowing they were close contacts, they still did not alter their itinerary.
Competition for food, masks, and medicines in supermarkets being hoarded by scalpers at exorbitant prices, disregarding quarantine rules, forcibly visiting infected individuals, and many other actions...