“Back then, when I was having my episodes, I was hallucinating, right?” Isabel said. “The hallucinations were basically always of you, not my husband or any other man.”
“Oh, the signal is bad, I can’t hear what you’re saying.” Jiang Ye feigned deafness.
“My husband messaged me a couple of days ago, saying he wants to come live here. Running errands out there doesn’t earn much, and every day he goes to desolate, ice-covered, sunless planets. Jiang Ye Star at least has lights and wild grass. I’ve established myself here, and he can come help me. Maybe he’ll earn a little less, but it’ll be safer and more stable.” Isabel sighed. “I’m a bit hesitant about whether to let him come.”
“That’s your family matter, you guys discuss it amongst yourselves.” Jiang Ye heard clearly this time. “I’m lenient on alien immigration, and in the future, I even plan to bring in some criminals. So basically, anyone can come.”
“If he comes, I won’t be able to flirt with you like this anymore; I’ll have to consider his feelings.” Isabel’s tone was melancholic. “I’ve even thought about separating from him. I might not love him anymore, or perhaps I never did. I’m happier spending time with you than with him.”
“No! Be cautious about such things, don’t act on impulse.” Jiang Ye was helpless. “Isabel, you can’t mistake desire for love, nor can you treat marriage as mere pleasure.”
“It’s all just a bunch of hormones!” Isabel suddenly became agitated. “Stop lecturing me, you little brat, I’m older than you!”
“Nonsense, I’m over a thousand years old! You have to call me Thousand-Year Overlord!” Jiang Ye retorted without politeness.
Isabel was momentarily speechless. This indeed seemed like an ancient monster, merely frozen in time.
The fires near the fortress had died down, the red and yellow flames spreading outwards, forming walls of fire as tall as a person. The scorched earth emitted a wispy white smoke that, carried by the wind, rose to the smooth outer walls of the fortress, transforming into swirling white tides that engulfed the massive structure. Jiang Ye and Isabel both dropped their burning wooden sticks and stood watching quietly, like tiny insects on a sand dune gazing up at a sandstorm.
With this large-scale burning, the viruses in the environment should be mostly eradicated. However, it was still unknown where the viruses originated. The Mill people hadn’t airdropped any weapons, nor had any facilities resembling chemical weapon factories been discovered. These Joy Flu viruses seemed to have blown in from nowhere. If the Joy Flu were to break out again, they would have to try to apply for disinfectants, as there was hardly any grass left to burn in the vicinity.
“Do you remember the first time we met? My spaceship was also burning then, with much more smoke than this,” Isabel said.
“I remember. Your spaceship burned very thoroughly. Later, I went into the wreckage to search, but I couldn’t salvage anything valuable, just scrap metal shells,” Jiang Ye said with a hint of disappointment. “What year is it? They still use flammable materials for critical components. I don’t understand.”
“I also remember you had a base vehicle back then. Do you still have it?” Isabel asked.
“Yes, it’s in my underground garage, but it’s useless now, purely a souvenir,” Jiang Ye said. “When I went to Junction Star to be awarded the rank of General, the military personnel told me not to spend money on upgrades anymore. They said even with upgrades, I wouldn’t get anything good. Now that I’m a General, I can just trade for what I want with money, which is much cheaper than the Galactic Mall. The Galactic Mall is for fleecing people; their prices are usually three to four times the market rate.”
“It wasn’t like this a few years ago. The rules must have changed in the last couple of years,” Isabel said. “I also remember when I stayed at your place and slept in your bed.”
“Mm.”
“Back then, I saw your hair. You hadn’t cut it in a long time, and it was messy and dirty, but for some reason, I wanted to bury my hands in your hair and mess it up! Your back and chest were broad, and your arm muscles were firm. I could see your pecs and abs through your clothes. When I got close in bed, I felt how hot and elastic those muscles were. I couldn’t control myself and wanted to scratch, punch, and pinch…” Isabel took a deep breath.
“Stop! Stop! Why did the topic suddenly get so weird!” Jiang Ye exclaimed in alarm. “Isabel, your saliva is about to drip out of my headset! Can you be a little more reserved?”
“Boring!” Isabel said. “I’m going back to sleep. You stay here and keep watch for a few hours.”
“Good night.” Jiang Ye turned and watched her walk back into the birth house.
Just two minutes after Isabel left, a new message popped up on Jiang Ye’s faceplate.
[Final Analysis of Joy Flu Virus]
[Currently, five strains of Joy Flu virus have appeared. This virus can spread between humans, mammals, and some birds. Transmission methods include mother-to-child, respiratory, digestive, contact, and vector-borne transmission.]
Jiang Ye thought, “Holy crap, this thing’s transmission skills are fully maxed out. There’s almost nothing it can’t spread through.”
He figured it made sense. After all, they were weapons manufacturers. The Mill people naturally wanted this thing to spread as fast as possible. Since it was artificially designed, why not include all transmission routes?
[This virus is optimally active between -140 degrees Celsius and 120 degrees Celsius and can survive in the environment for up to 12 weeks. In addition to tolerating extreme temperatures, this virus also exhibits resistance to high pressure and radiation. In laboratory conditions, it can withstand pressures of 600 megapascals and can still survive in large quantities after 50,000 roentgen of radiation. It is a rarely encountered, hard-to-kill virus.]
Jiang Ye’s vision went dark. This thing just wouldn’t die?
How could they stop the Joy Flu? Did they really have to resort to the method of “eliminating the host”?
He finally understood why biological weapons had been banned in the past. This thing was too sinister; when used effectively, it was far more terrifying than nuclear bombs!
[Recommended sterilization method: Use high-concentration disinfectant. Disinfectants specifically for Joy Flu are being fast-tracked for production by four bioweapon companies under the military, and it is expected that the majority of needs will be met within one week. Pay attention to food safety, maintain a regular lifestyle to enhance immunity, and avoid going to epidemic areas.]
[Currently, there is no effective medication. The Air Force Species Extinction Bioweapon Testing Base is accelerating research and development, with trial production of specific medicines and vaccines expected in two to six weeks. Patients can be given small doses of sedatives for initial treatment, and it is important to supplement adequate energy to prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications.]
[After the onset of Joy Flu, the main symptom is strong stimulation of the brain and nerves, leading to the secretion of various hormones that produce feelings of stimulation and happiness, while inhibiting the secretion of hormones that eliminate these feelings. It does not cause direct death, but it poses a huge risk to infants, pregnant women, and the elderly. There have been 1,281,5638 reported cases of Joy Flu, resulting in 48,120 severe cases and deaths, 70% of which were infants, pregnant women, and the elderly.]
Jiang Ye felt heavy-hearted. Although his troops were mostly young and strong, after contracting this disease, they would lie on the ground twitching, foaming at the mouth like crabs, appearing no different from dead. This was just the beginning of the outbreak, and the number of deaths was still small, but he suspected it would become terrifyingly high later on.