Chapter 198 Extra
Many people think that black spot disease is caused by people in coastal areas eating fish. It was originally an infection in the sea, and the prion was transmitted from the fish to humans. If the country had not continued to strengthen control and provide relief to the people, the terrible two-legged sheep phenomenon would not have occurred in the areas under the jurisdiction of the government. After isolating the sea, the spread of prions was also controlled. I really don’t know what the situation would be like now.
A prion once caused a large number of deaths, and the places where black spot disease appeared densely were coastal areas, so people naturally attributed the virus that caused the disease to some products or even water sources in coastal areas, and even developed a resistance to those people in coastal areas who had never had black spots on their bodies.
Even the research team studying black spot disease focused on checking the fish and water sources in the sea area when investigating the source. However, they did not expect that with the in-depth inspection of the whole nation, they actually found some signs of black spots in several people who had never been to a coastal city and had never eaten any fish or seafood.
The key point is that the people who were discovered had never had contact with patients with melasma, and their life trajectories were very simple. People from the two regions had nothing in common in their lives, but they also got melasma, which is very puzzling.
It wasn't until an elderly person with melasma died of autoimmune system problems that a breakthrough was made in the research on melasma.
It’s not that no one has suggested before whether melasma is a type of skin cancer, but they didn’t find cancer cells in people with melasma. Even people with melasma didn’t show any symptoms, and no differences were found in skin samples. It wasn’t until the autopsy of the first elderly person who died of melasma that the problem was discovered.
This is a disease that destroys the autoimmune structure. After being exposed to strong ultraviolet rays, a destructive cell structure will form in the human body, hiding itself in the human body and slowly growing and then eating away at healthy cells, eventually causing death. It's just that this process is very long and there are no special reactions during the process, but once the disease breaks out, it will be a very painful death.
Therefore, most of those who have contracted black spot disease are fishermen who once made a living by fishing. Although the scorching sun makes it impossible for people to travel during the hottest time of the day, in order to survive, they will try their best to fish when the sky is bright and the heat is bearable.
The same is true for several people who have developed black spot disease in inland areas. They are all outdoor workers. Their common feature is that they are exposed to sunlight for a long time regardless of winter or summer.
This survey result is something many people did not expect. It is so hot outside and people hardly go out during the day. The number of times they are exposed to the sun during the entire hot season is very few. They can only look at the sky when the sunlight is not so strong. Who would have thought that they could still get this disease?
The announcement of the black spot disease attracted a lot of attention in the underground city. Even the originally planned glacier energy project was temporarily shelved. Before there was an effective way to isolate the harm of ultraviolet rays to the human body, they could not rashly send the team to make unnecessary sacrifices.
People at this time are more and more fortunate. They are fortunate that the decision to build the underground city was made when the disease had not yet appeared. Now people are hiding underground, and all the light is the product of technology. There is no need to directly expose themselves to the strong ultraviolet light outside, which can at least effectively prevent the formation of melasma.
Knowing that black spot disease is not a problem with water sources or fish, Mu Nan carefully examined Qin Huai for several days in a row. Because the disease was discovered not long ago, people still don't know much about black spot disease. No one knows whether it is caused by long-term sun exposure, or if the magnetic field changes and the climate is weird, problems will occur as long as it is exposed to the sun.
Qin Huai calmed his nervous nerves with a smile: "If there is a real problem, it won't be discovered in one or two days. Don't worry, if it is long-term sun exposure, then we will definitely be fine. We hardly go out during the day. If there is a problem as long as we are exposed to the sun, then there is no need to worry, because I am afraid that all humans will be extinct and no one will survive."
It was mainly a hot topic on the Internet, especially the death from melasma, which was described as quite horrific. Just imagine how painful it would be to suffer local cell necrosis. The pain of this kind of systemic necrosis from the inside out would be many times more severe.
"Brother, do you think other countries have underground cities now? Otherwise, how many people would die?"
"I don't know how many countries there are out there. As for the underground city, I can't say for sure."
The discovery of black spot disease made people nervous for a while, but because the entire living environment has now moved directly underground, people feel a lot more secure.
Some time ago, someone posted a message online, predicting how people's long-term lack of sunlight would eventually lead to human evolution and mutation. He even analyzed that their country had hidden in underground cities, but other countries were still developing on the ground. He wondered what the gap would be between their country and other countries after decades or even hundreds of years.
Now the comments on those posts have changed instantly. They are all saying that they don’t know whether they will evolve or mutate if they don’t get sun exposure, but everyone knows that they will definitely die if they do.
People have set up a special medical team for black spot disease, which is probably also to prepare for people to return to the ground one day in the future. In addition, Mu Nan heard from Qin Huai that a scientific research team has been set up above, which mainly conducts research on light energy shields, that is, using special materials to convert light energy to form a protective shield, so that people can return to the ground in the future without having to endure extreme environments. Of course, this is just an idea. If people want to put the idea into reality, they may have to work hard for hundreds of years.
But no matter what, with the gradual development arrangements from above and the continuous expansion of the underground city, people's lives have gradually become stable because they have moved underground. The environment has become comfortable, and without the restrictions of extreme natural conditions, the development speed has naturally increased.
After nearly a year of hard work, the three girls were finally moved from the shelter to a temporary small room, and then from the small room to a small duplex apartment of more than 80 square meters.
The apartment is in a good location, with a subway station downstairs, so it is well connected. Although it is not close to where they work, with work subsidies, the rent is not expensive. The subway is a bit crowded during rush hour, but at least they have a place to settle down. If nothing unexpected happens, this will be their home for the rest of their lives.
After the new house was completed, Yang Jing found Mu Nan to fulfill his promise of a big meal, and also invited them to their new home to warm up the house and get to know each other. Although they lived far away now and had to transfer subways twice, and the round trip time was almost two hours, being able to live such a stable life in this new city was a hard-earned happiness.
Although a restaurant is now open, since they are going to warm up the new home, it is better to cook at home. However, in order to fulfill their promise, Mu Nan and Qin Huai brought their own ingredients to avoid the life they have worked so hard to run becoming a negative number just to entertain friends.
They grew the vegetables in their own yard. After all, the yard was covered with soil, and although it looked nice to have a lawn, it was not practical. So later, under the leadership of Jian Chu, they reclaimed a corner into a vegetable garden to grow peppers and vegetables. By saving money on vegetables, the family could save some expenses. It was not easy to make money and prices were high, so they tried to save as much as possible.
Uncle Cai and his friends didn't come, so Cai Wentao took his younger sister and Xiaozhu with him. Xiaozhu's mother had to go to work and couldn't take a day off, so she couldn't go either. Since there were a lot of people, Mu Nan brought a chicken and a goose. These things are available outside now, but they are subject to purchase restrictions and are more expensive.
But Qinhuai's work benefits are very good. The company sometimes issues purchase coupons for some meat products. With the coupons, you can make reservations in advance at the mall without worrying about not being able to buy them.
In addition to meat, Mu Nan also brought several bottles of pork sauce made by Qin Huai, which tasted great when used for stir-frying or rice. Even Jian Chu suggested that Qin Huai make more when he has time and sell it in the cake shop, which would definitely have a market for it.
Jian Chu brought a cake. Because there were so many people, she made a big cake, which was definitely enough for everyone. Song Jia didn't have any special gifts, so he simply bald up his own vegetable garden as a token of his thoughtfulness.
Yu Feng brought a big bag of after-meal snacks, which were a couple's decades-old craft. The rice crusts were from a faraway place, and because Xu Ming loved them, Yu Feng would travel four or five hours to buy them for him. As there wasn't much else at home, only these snacks, he just took them as a gift.
They deliberately missed the morning rush hour when they went out. Now, not everyone in the underground city, but at least 80% of them have jobs, because all the benefits in the underground city, whether it is housing or consumption, are all linked to work. If you don't work, buying meat will be more expensive than others. So as long as it is not commuting time, the subway and other means of transportation are still very empty.
The group of people were carrying a lot of things in their hands. Since it was their first time going to the girls' place, they were not familiar with the route. As soon as they got on the subway, Yu Zibai and Xu Ming began to look at the stops to avoid getting off at the wrong one. Song Jia and Jian Chu were whispering to Mu Nan about a top customer they met in the store yesterday, and Qin Huai talked to Yu Feng about recent events.
Daniu gathered all the things next to himself to prevent these people from forgetting everything while chatting. Even though there were surveillance cameras everywhere and theft was punishable by severe penalties, one still had to be careful.
Mu Nan seldom goes out. The farthest he goes is usually to Qin Huai's workplace or Jian Chu's dessert shop. The last time he took the subway here was when he just came in. Now he couldn't help but look around to see the people on the subway. They were clean and fresh, with no holes in their clothes. Although some of them looked very tired, they didn't look very sad. Even fat people were still rare.
Seeing him looking left and right and his head turning in a certain direction, Qin Huai put his hand on the top of his head: "Aren't you dizzy from turning around all the time?"
Mu Nan whispered, "Do you feel like we're on a spring outing?"
Yu Feng, who was closest to them, found it funny: "Taking the subway is like a spring outing? It seems that your brother is too strict with you. Do you want to come and do some business with me? I guarantee that you can visit all the places in the underground city in a month."
Mu Nan shook her head repeatedly: "No, no, I enjoy the surprise of going out for a walk occasionally. It would be boring to run outside every day."
Seeing Yu Feng laughing at his thin arms and legs, Mu Nan hit back bluntly: "Thin arms and legs mean he can eat a lot. When will you treat us to the meal you owe us?"
Yu Feng raised his eyebrows: "When did I owe you food?"
Mu Nan smiled and said, "When I was with my brother, I treated him to a big dinner. When Jian Chu and Yu Zibai were together, we also treated him to a big dinner. Although you didn't get to eat it, your old Xu got to eat it. Now that you are together, shouldn't you treat him to a big dinner in return?"
Jian Chu raised his hand: "I second the motion! A big feast!"
Yu Feng glared at Jian Chu without any intimidation: "You are the only one who is making trouble."
Song Jia came over and said with a grin, "I specifically requested a large plate of braised pork!"
Qin Huai looked at Yu Feng with a smile: "Can't you be willing to treat me to this meal?"
Yu Feng glanced at Xu Ming and immediately said generously: "Please, please, please, order whatever you want!"
The group chatted and laughed, listened to the subway station announcements, followed the crowd to transfer, and when they got out of the subway station, the sky was bright and sunny again.
In the tenth year of the underground city, it was announced that glacial energy was officially mined. By this time, people had already made protective clothing that could resist ultraviolet rays. However, the ultraviolet rays were no longer the same as before the end of the world. Even thick clothes might not be able to block much, and protective clothing made of special grade protective materials had to be worn.
Because of the successful production of protective clothing, the energy team was able to set off. With sufficient energy, many scientific research projects suddenly made a qualitative leap.
Even though they lived in an underground city, they couldn't easily lose their territory on the ground, so they never relaxed their supervision of the land and never cut off contact with the outside world. It's just that many things were not known to the public.
For example, because there is nowhere to hide from the sunlight, melasma disease has spread around the world. When people discovered that the disease comes from ultraviolet rays and cannot be cured, the already doomsday environment has become even bloodier and more profitable.
Some countries moved their territorial plans underground only after discovering the existence of the black spot disease, but too many people died, and the living were either enjoying the luxury brought by power or were so poor that they couldn't even afford a mud pie. The extreme division had long since made the country no longer a country, so how could it gather the strength to build a new city?
Some countries that were once well-developed in weapons were busy occupying the few remaining lands. They did not know how to recuperate and only knew that if they wanted to develop, they had to invade. They thought that the world situation was already like this, and as long as they had bigger weapons than others, they could grab whatever they wanted, and the result was that they were crushed.
The top talents who were rescued or robbed from all over the world at the cost of blood and lives are the guarantee of their land and the stable life of their people today.
If invasion is not possible, then find ways to annex. As one of the few stable countries on this planet, many people who have nowhere to escape from famine and war try to run to the mysterious East, just to have a place to eat and sleep peacefully.
But now the territory in the East is not so easy to enter. There was a saying that all roads lead to Rome, but some people were born in Rome, and the current Rome is the East that people yearn for but is not easy to reach.
In the past ten years, Xu Ming graduated from medical school and was successfully hired after internship. He and Yu Feng were still quarreling. Yu Feng was probably his nemesis. Mu Nan could often hear Yu Feng's roar from the neighboring room because of his cold and aloof personality. In Xu Ming's words, life was like wanting to strangle the person next to you a hundred times a day, but because of a touch of emotion, you would let the other person live until tomorrow.
Although it was noisy, Mu Nan felt that this kind of life was more enjoyable.
Jian Chu's dessert shop is still quite small and has been open for many years. He doesn't seek to be rich, as long as he can live a stable life. The dessert shop is located on the road that Yu Zibai must take to go to and from get off work. The two go out together every morning, Jian Chu opens the shop while Yu Zibai goes to work, and they go home together in the night at night.
The one Wu Zheng brother who got married last was Song Jia. His wife is a doctor and they work in the same unit together as Xu Ming. They met because of Xu Ming. According to Song Jia, he thought he was extremely gay and was ready to find a girlfriend, but he was instantly straightened by the goddess and fell for her in one second.
During that time, Mu Nan and Jian Chu were trying every possible way to help him pursue that girl. They tried every little trick to please girls. He failed time and time again, but he became more and more courageous. In the end, he won the goddess with his unyielding perseverance. Of course, Song Jia said this himself. In fact, in the eyes of Mu Nan and Jian Chu, they just happened to like Song Jia's puppy type. After teasing him for a while, they took the little puppy back to their nest after he recognized his master.
Wu Zheng has never been married. According to Wu Zheng's original life plan, he wanted to find a gentle girl and live an ordinary life with her. But maybe because of their many life and death experiences, or the influence of people around them, they chose to be together because of love, not to cultivate love just for the sake of being together, so they are quite demanding when it comes to falling in love.
But he lived a comfortable life before getting married. According to the custom in their hometown, Song Jia's children should call him "Big Dad". Big Dad is also a dad. Song Jia himself is that kind of person. Even after getting married, he is still happy and silly all day long and never grows up. So Wu Zheng takes care of the older one and also the two younger ones, one son and one daughter. Every day is quite fulfilling.
Later, Daniu also found an opportunity to move in and lived a little in front of them. When he was not busy, he would come over to chat and take care of the children. Daniu said that this would be his retirement life in the future, a leisurely life. When he got older and the environment improved, he would get a dog and walk the dog with a cup of tea every day. When the time came, he would go downstairs to find his wife.
The wind and rain outside are blocked by the underground city. Everyone's life is not that good. There is still poverty and disease, and there is still a shortage of supplies, but at least if you work hard, you can earn a stable life.
After these years of operation, Mu Nan has become a well-known cartoonist. Some of his love comics are even planned to be invested in film and television. At any time, as long as the conditions are met, people will never lack the pursuit of spiritual entertainment. When people can have enough food and clothing, the entertainment industry is also developing again. When he received the copyright fee, he was still proud in front of Qin Huai. That copyright fee was Qin Huai's salary for two or three years.
It was not until Qin Huai showed him the balance of the family's savings that Mu Nan realized that his copyright fees were less than the share of Qin Huai's side business and gaming profits.
After all, a brother is still a brother.
If there is any regret, it cannot be said that there is none at all. Until now, Grandpa Tong and Grandma Tong’s grandson has still not been found. The missing person notice and the entire underground city’s information system have been checked. Maybe the person is really gone, or maybe they changed their name. But sometimes not finding him is a good thing. At least we can hope that he may be somewhere and living a happy life.
Another thing is that Cai Wentao got married, but the person he married was not Yang Jing. Although Mu Nan felt a little regretful about this, he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. After all, everyone has the freedom to choose in life, there are people like Daniu and there are also people like Cai Wentao. After all, not everyone is lucky enough to experience deep love once in a lifetime.
After eating and drinking, they went home. Qin Huai and Mu Nan held hands, Jian Chu and Xu Ming were in pairs in front and behind, Song Jia stuck to his goddess and whispered, two children who hated cats and dogs ran back and forth, Wu Zheng and Daniu chased them, and finally they just carried one on their shoulders and then everything quieted down.
Mu Nan turned around and glanced at them, and Qin Huai came over and asked, "What are you looking at? Do you want to sit on my shoulders too?"
Mu Nan looked at Qin Huai, who was nearly 40 years old but still handsome, and opened his arms to him: "Come on, while you still have some strength. This is one less time to carry."
Qin Huai picked up Mu Nan with a smile and said, "Ten years later, I will still be able to carry you."
Mu Nan raised his hand and shouted, "Go, we want to be the first to go home!"
Hearing his shout, the two children who had finally calmed down screamed and shouted for the first place. Qin Huai carried Mu Nan on his back and ran forward. Daniu and Wu Zheng were so annoyed that they could only carry the two little devils on their backs and chase after them: "You two! Aren't you childish at your age?!"
The street lights lengthened their shadows, and the children's laughter broke the darkness of the night.
Jian Chu, who was walking slowly behind and holding hands with Yu Zibai, looked at the chase ahead and said with a smile: "It is true that men remain young until they die."
The future is far away, but now, they have a visible tomorrow. Happiness is sometimes a cycle.
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