by <unknown>
More importantly, the size of the sniper rifle was nothing out of the ordinary. It was just slightly larger than a rifle and nowhere near an anti-material rifle in terms of size.
On the other end, the steel plate was completely punched through. A large hole with a diameter of ten centimeters was formed at its center.
"Not bad at all."
Chen Chen nodded. His brows curled up in a frown as he turned to Cheng Cao. "Cao, what do you think?"
"Its destruction power speaks for itself. Still, firearms aren't measured by pure destruction alone."
Cheng Cao thought for a moment before continuing. "I think that when it comes to firearms, as opposed to its destructiveness, what's more important should be its stability and consistency of output. For example, the lifespan of the barrel, the rate at which the rifling wears out, and whether the weapon can maintain its performance in complicated terrains such as a desert, plateaus, rivers, and oceans. These are all factors to consider when manufacturing firearms."
"I understand."
Chen Chen nodded in response. It was true that power alone did not mean anything. Its power had to be complemented by other features before it could be safely considered a qualified firearm.
Why was the AK47 an indestructible staple? That was because it was able to survive both extreme cold and heat alike as well as maintain its performance in all sorts of intricate situations.
Simply put, the reliability and ease of control of firearms should come before its pure measure of power.
After that, Chen Chen had the Black Knights test the three firearms and their respective performance. These weapons would still have to be modified several more times before they could become a standard issue.
Chapter 194: Terror Strikes |
Chen Chen was always under the impression that the Galaxy pendant had other outlets for releasing its energy apart from using such primitive methods of collisional release.
Unfortunately, Chen Chen could not find any alternative methods for releasing its energy apart from resorting to such primitive methods. He had tried immersing it in a chemical solution, attempted to simulate it using extreme heat and cold, and many other experiments but to no avail.
It made sense he would have trouble with it considering it was alien technology. In the movies, they were an advanced civilization that had long developed interstellar travel technology where they were capable of obliterating the Earth with just one shot. Therefore, it was no surprise that Chen Chen was unable to solve the mystery behind the Galaxy pendant using the technology currently available to him.
Just as Chen Chen returned to the laboratory and was getting ready to continue practicing his "Field", his phone suddenly rang. Chen Chen took out his phone and saw it was Qian Wenhuan who was calling.
"Boss, there's an epidemic going on in Windhoek, Namibia's capital."
There was a sense of urgency in Qian Wenhuan's voice. "More than three hundred people in Windhoek have been hospitalized since last evening. They all displayed symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, internal bleeding, external bleeding, fever, and such. The hospitals in Windhoek are all overcrowded. The Ministry of Health just requested assistance from our company."
"Are those people properly quarantined?" Chen Chen turned into a frown.
"The officials say that they have been quarantined," Qian Wenhuan answered.
"In that case, donate 500 isolation suits and some tools for disinfection to them for now."
Chen Chen thought for a moment. "Based on the symptoms you just described, it's likely Ebola. This isn't all that surprising. Ebola usually breaks out in the Western African region but they occasionally happen in the Southern African region as well. This virus isn't very contagious anyway so there shouldn't be much to worry about here."
"Understood."
Qian Wenhuan took note and ended the call.
Chen Chen did not let this piece of information trouble him. After all, this was not the global pandemic that broke out three years ago. The world and its countries were well informed of the terrors of Ebola and spared no effort in stopping it.
Besides, Ebola was a powerful and lethal virus. Its high fatality rate even proved to be detrimental as it tended to kill its hosts before they were able to spread it. This was the reason that a true outbreak never happened.
Therefore, Chen Chen was not worried about Windhoek being unable to contain the spread of the virus. A simple setup of a quarantine zone should suffice.
With that, Chen Chen turned to look at a deck of poker cards set on a table. In one swift motion with his hand, the deck of cards flew and landed on his palms like a pigeon returning to its nest.
At this point, Chen Chen's mastery of "Field" already rivaled that of the protagonist in Chronicle to around the midway point of the movie.
This was the fruit of Chen Chen's hard work over the past few months.
Of course, Chen Chen still had much to improve in terms of strength. Up till this point, Chen Chen had only absorbed no more than thirty pieces of crystalline fragments which were barely one percent of the amount which the protagonist had absorbed.
As a result, the potency of Chen Chen's Field was increasing at a snail-like pace. Even till now, Chen Chen was only capable of moving objects weighing up to 500 grams at most.
With that said, whatever he lacked in terms of Field potency could be compensated with the appropriate weapons.
When Chen Chen invoked a thought, a box levitated out of his pocket. With a soft click, the box opened and several almost completely transparent graphene cards came flying out of it.
When Chen Chen extended his palm, the cards magically danced around atop his palms as if they had come to life.
With a gentle snap, the graphene cards launched off one after another and nailed themselves into the head of a mannequin positioned five to six meters away.
Chen Chen was visibly pleased with what he saw. As opposed to suddenly gaining immense powers that were difficult to control, he would much rather experience gradual growth like this one step at a time. This way, he was able to effectively maximize his strength.
After training for some time, Chen Chen seemed to have suddenly recalled something. He sat on the desk and turned on the computer while at the same time instructing, "X, help me hack into the internal network of Namibia and get the latest update of the virus spread."
"Understood!"
Little X responded almost immediately. After that, the computer processor began operating at full speed as countless web pages were closed as soon as they were opened. After half a minute of this routine, several specially selected web pages appeared before Chen Chen.
"These are the latest updates concerning the spread of the virus. A total of 1,230 people in Namibia's capital, Windhoek, are suspected of contracting a hemorrhagic fever. These areas are now locked down completely. 321 of these patients are currently receiving treatment in the hospital. The Windhoek City Hall are falsifying their claim by saying that there are only three hundred infections.
"That's not the end of it. With Windhoek acting as the central point, its surrounding cities including Bergland, Okahandja, Wilhelmsthal, Sul Lovatyre, and seventeen other cities as well as fifteen villages in the surrounding area all reported similar outbreaks. The earliest case dates back to three days ago."
Chen Chen frowned when he heard the news, "This means that Windhoek is the core of the outbreak and it was able to spread the disease to populated regions up to hundreds of kilometers away in just three days?"
"Yes," Little X replied.
"Something's not right. This doesn't line up with the rate of infection of Ebola which is transmitted via body fluids."
Chen Chen thought for a moment before instructing again, "Expand the search range. Go through all of the intranets of all countries in the African continent. Compile all of the details of similar outbreaks and send them to me."
Little X immediately got to work.
The search this time took considerably
longer. After close to ten minutes later, a thick sheet of detailed report densely packed with relevant data was printed.
"In the African region, eight countries including Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Congo have all reported similar diseases."
Little X elaborated, "The earliest reported case was as early as seven days ago. However, since there had been plenty of similar outbreaks of infectious disease in the past in Congo, it was simply overlooked. The outbreak in Congo has now spread into 13 cities and 25 villages. More than 5,000 cases of infections have been discovered."
There was a heavy shadow cast over Chen Chen's face. While listening to Little X's reports, he looked at the foot of the report and noticed a shocking number displayed on it.
The total number of reported infections and covered-up infections in all countries combined had exceeded thirty thousand!
"Something's off, something's really off here…"
Chen Chen muttered to himself and further instructed, "Look up the data of the count of people infected by Ebola outbreak over the last 40 years as well as the scope of those outbreaks. Compare that data with the current outbreak."
Following Chen Chen's orders, a graph charted with comprehensive data appeared on the computer display.
"The first appearance and outbreak of the Ebola virus were reported in the year 1976, which claimed 270 lives before disappearing. The second outbreak was reported in 1995, claiming 245 victims. The most recent outbreak was reported in 2018, in which 1,600 people were infected and a thousand of them died from the virus."
As Little X's robotic voice began to report the findings, Chen Chen could see from the charted graph that all of the readings, whether it was infection count or scope of the outbreak, were all at least ten folds of the previous instances of outbreaks.
"I knew it, these cases are unlike regular Ebola virus."
This revelation only served to further cement Chen Chen's previous belief. A dark gloom cast over his face. "If this disease was allowed to spread in Africa, it's going to greatly impact Eco Science City's business."
Chen Chen got up as he instructed, "X, issue the order. All staff is prohibited from leaving the city range in the following period. Also, dispatch all of the B.S.S. and Black Knights members. Completely lock down the Eco Science City and don't allow any locals to enter!"
Chapter 195: Prediction |
"X, how many people do we have in both B.S.S. and Black Knights combined?"
"There are seventy members in B.S.S. and another fifty in Black Knights. Both departments are on duty."
"It's not enough."
Chen Chen said while shaking his head, "Get the mercenaries of Tara Strategic Resource to return to headquarters and enlist them into B.S.S. temporarily. They'll be working together to lock down Eco Science City."
"How will we be locking it down?" Little X enquired quizzingly.
"Have all of the security personnel put on fully-enclosed negative pressure protective suits and set up barriers around the entry and exit points of Eco Science City. Nobody is to enter or leave the city without receiving my permission. Also, lock down all of the stores and hotels within the city. Don't allow people in the city to freely move around."
Chen Chen thought for a moment and suddenly realized something. "This pandemic will spawn a large number of refugees in Namibia. They'll come in droves and gather around the city barriers. There's a chance they might force their way in. It's bad for the company's image if we don't do anything about them…"
Chen Chen added again. "Right, get several engineering teams and have them set up dozens of basic wards outside the city border as soon as they can. The design doesn't have to be anything intricate, it only needs to meet the basic criteria of a common shelter."
"Understood!"
As Little X began passing on the orders received, Chen Chen picked up the phone and dialed a number.
After several rings, came the voice of a man who sounded to be of considerable age.
"Chen Chen, facing any kind of trouble on your side?"
"Chief Quintina, I believe you should be asking if you're facing any trouble on your side instead."
Chen Chen left the laboratory during the call and began making his way toward the elevator to the surface.
"What do you mean?"
There was a spontaneous silence on the other end of the phone. The man who was Namibia's Minister of Defense carried an imposing aura even when on the phone.
However, Chen Chen was entirely unfazed and turned the question around. "Does Chief Quintina not know about the ongoing pandemic outbreak in Windhoek?"
"Pandemic? Shouldn't that be handled by the Ministry of Health?"
There was a tinge of surprise in Quintina's voice. It sounded like he truly had no idea about the matter at hand.
Chen Chen sneered. "The Ministry of Health is playing it off like they don't know about what's going on. They just requested assistance from my company without sparing me the truth. There are currently more than 1,200 people in Windhoek infected with hemorrhagic fever and the disease has spread as far as thirty kilometers away. And yet, I was told there are only three hundred cases. It's rather obvious that they are trying to force me on the frontlines."
"What? There are already so many people infected in Windhoek?"
The astonishment in Quitina's voice was growing. "I don't know about this. If that's true, then there's no use contacting me. There's nothing I can do for you."
"No, there's a lot you can do for me."
Chen Chen explained, "Safe to say that the situation with the pandemic will only worsen in the future. I need an established force to help me lock down my city and prevent refugees from swarming in."
"…"
Silence on the other end of the phone.
"Of course, as compensation, I'll be taking in your family as well as the families of soldiers in your platoon."
Chen Chen added. "And if their families are infected, I'll be treating them for free. Of course, whether they can be properly treated or not isn't for me to decide."
"Will the situation really become so dire?"
Quintina's voice on the phone was starting to turn dry.
Chen Chen was so infuriated that he found himself laughing. "Chief Quintina, hemorrhagic fever is extremely contagious. Although the exact mortality rate hasn't been tabulated due to it being the early stages of the outbreak, up to thirty percent of the infected are essentially crippled already. Can you not piece together from these facts just what sort of virus it is?"
"Could it be… Ebola?"
The man on the other end of the call sucked in a breath of cold air.
"Apart from this virus, I really can't think of any other virus that causes hemorrhagic fever and boasts such a high fatality rate."
Chen Chen explained, "I also suspect that this stem of virus is a new subtype. After all, it's spreading incredibly quickly. Terrifyingly quick, if I may add. My suggestion is to get in touch with Congress and also request assistance from WHO. If we wait until the other countries realize what's going on, there's going to be a long queue for the ones requesting assistance."
"A long queue?"
Quintina was first taken aback by the statement before it occurred to him that Chen Chen was subtly hinting that the contagious disease was beginning to make its rounds around other countries.
With this in mind, Quintina took a deep breath before replying in a suppressed tone, "I understand. I'll relay your message to Congress. As for the matter of dispatching troops to lock down the city, I can't guarantee I can issue the order immediately, but I'll do my best. Is it alright for me to send my wife and children to your side now? Will you keep them safe?"
"Don't worry, even if the pandemic were to get out of hand, I promise you that they'll be the last to be infected."
With that, Chen Chen hung up.
After that, Chen Chen made a call to Zurama, the Minister of Investment and Energy as well as several chiefs and parliamentarians who were clo
ser to Chen Chen's faction. He even got in touch with the customs department of Walvis Bay.
Chen Chen had a hard time containing the sneer from surfacing on the corner of his lips when he heard them all casting their pride aside and begging him with lowered voices.
Taking in the family members of the higher-up Namibian officials was a good way to put them in his debt. It was also a good way to gain some leverage since this would surely improve their confidence in the safety of Eco Science City.
This was Chen Chen's motive.
Even after accomplishing all this, Chen Chen still felt it did not suffice. After a moment's thought, he raised his head again. "X, dispatch a team of Black Knights and have them bring two patients from the outbreak zone. Make sure to take the appropriate preventative measures."
"Understood, are you planning to study the virus?" Little X asked curiously.
"Of course, this is for self-protection."
Chen Chen continued taking large strides as he elaborated, "After all, you have to understand that as the pandemic grows in severity, the 'Level-4 Biosafety Lab' in the research center will essentially become the pillar of hope in the entire Africa continent. I'll inevitably be involved in the conversation whether it's matters concerning civil rights or international public opinion.
"In that case, instead of being forced to concede the laboratory to WHO, it's wiser to take the initiative. If things go well, we may very well become the leading force in combating the pandemic. This will be a great boost for our company's image and international standing!"
"Understood!"
Little X answered, "I've dispatched a team of five Black Knights to the material department to pick up the negative pressure protective suits. They'll be departing in half an hour."
"Excellent."
Chen Chen sighed in relief before suddenly remembering something. "Right, if memory serves me correctly, North America and the Mainland already developed a vaccine for Ebola as early as 18 years ago. Check if the ones who had received the vaccine in the past still contracted the disease."
