In the first week after being captured, the world's first chelation disease patient died in a local hospital due to systemic hemorrhage, but chelation disease had begun to spread rapidly around the world.
Cheriasis is often highly contagious in the early stages of infection. About 2 hours after being infected with disease-causing spores, the patient's body fluids already have the ability to infect others. The pathogenic spores enter the body fluid circulation through the mucosa and accumulate near the brain capillaries. In this process, the most striking change is the sudden drop in serotonin in the body - which is also responsible for the initial symptoms of illness and depression. Similar reasons.
Then, the chelating vesicle zygote in the spore gradually matures and forms an oocyst. The nucleus and cytoplasm in the oocyst divide and multiply repeatedly, producing thousands of sporozoites until the oocyst ruptures and they finally fall into the nest. It directly breaks through the blood-brain barrier from the physical level and completes the control of brain activity.
The moment the blood-brain barrier is breached is the moment when the patient completely loses his mind and becomes a puppet of the chelated bacteria - even if the patient at this time still briefly retains the ability to socialize normally and take care of himself. It can hardly be called "human" anymore.
Chelates are born criminals, and they love killing - even though this will do little to further spread the disease-causing spores, and may even reveal the fact that they are sick prematurely, they still enjoy it.
Chiba drove the car and took Hesta for one last drive in the Severn Mountains. She slowly told the history of chelitis. Under a certain towering tree, she stopped the car and lit a fire by the window. Holding a cigarette, he said softly, "But this is not the most terrifying thing about chelitis."
Hesta looked at her, waiting for her next words.
Chiba continued: "Before the onset of the disease, patients with chelitis will not sneeze or have a fever. Even if they are exhausted and weak, they can pretend to have a positive attitude in front of others. There is only one way for humans to verify whether a person is infected. ——Aspirate cerebrospinal fluid.
"In other words, before being diagnosed, it is difficult for outsiders to judge whether there are patients around based on some clear symptoms... This has greatly aggravated people's fear of chelitis.
"During the period when chelitis was rapidly spreading, no one dared to show their tired side in front of others. Once a person seemed to have lost his energy, he or she would be considered a potential chelitis patient. At that time Times, it’s the scariest.”
"Why……?"
"Lynching." Chiba said softly, "There are self-organized 'chelate scavengers' all over the world. They will tirelessly hunt down people they judge to be infected with chelation bacteria - many people have been arrested for this. Manslaughter. In addition to the depressed patients mentioned before, there are also a considerable number of introverted and inarticulate people.
"If the suspected ones are like this, the life of those who are diagnosed will be even more difficult. Out of the extreme fear of patients with chelitis, many people believe that only people with dirty and dirty hearts will be corroded by chelate bacteria. ——People cannot accept the possibility of committing such evil deeds. They would rather believe that patients with chelitis are originally evil murderers, so they are selected by the devil... But in this way, even those who have taken the initiative Patients who have recovered after treatment cannot return to their original normal lives.
"This is also the reason why most chelation patients who have clearly felt their own changes refuse to seek medical treatment until the onset of the disease - I suddenly remembered that you grew up in a monastery, and those stigmatizing reasons, you You must have heard it many times.”
Hesta remembered Sister Gerding's exhortations. She was silent and didn't say a word.
"Anyway, at that time, a lot of people experienced incredible bullying." Chiba blew out a puff of smoke. "There is also an interesting statistic - aha, maybe it can't be called interesting, about 31% Many patients with chelitis, after realizing that they may be infected with chelitis, will prepare a sharp weapon with them: scissors, daggers... or even an axe, do you know why?"
Hesta's body trembled uncontrollably, "...why?"
“Because they are afraid that they are really infected and do not dare to verify it, they prepare a sharp weapon and plan to kill themselves when necessary - however, in the end, these things often become their first tool for committing evil after they become ill. "
The girl immediately bit her lower lip.
"In short, in order to curb chelation disease, we have paid an extremely heavy price... In recent years, chelation disease has begun to spread in the wilderness, and it seems to be on the rise. We need companions, very, very much." Qian Ye looked at Hesta, "What do you think? Are you willing to join us?"
Hesta couldn't say a word, but nodded stiffly.
"Then now I will take you to the AHgA base in Tanyi City. You will receive special training there to learn how to identify chelates and fight against them. By the way, I also contacted the psychological assistance from the support plan for you. , if you have something that you can’t digest, you can talk to a therapist, they will measure your mental state and issue an evaluation opinion on whether you are suitable to join combat training... Am I clear?"
Hesta nodded, "Miss Chiba, can you do me one more favor?"
"uh-huh?"
"This newspaper clipping...can you find a suitable place to keep it for me?"
Chiba glanced at Hesta's hand, "No problem."
The two got into the car again,
Hesta looked forward unfocused. She recalled that the last time she saw the real Dean Alma, she had seen some sadness in the smile on the old man's face.
How did Dean Alma spend the last month of her life?
Suspense, fear, regret... maybe there were other emotions mixed in, she would never know. The gentle and kind dean became an accomplice of darkness at the last moment of his life, and was forever trapped in a steel cage woven by himself and those around him.
Hestad suddenly thought of the thigh bone mentioned by the anthropologist, of the friendship and mutual assistance that Sister Gerding and Dean Irma always emphasized, and of the phrase "When we are in a difficult situation, we can still do something." Helping each other, that's where our civilization starts."
Maybe she never really understood this sentence, and never realized that it takes a lot of courage to ask for help when facing similar people. Even the closer the person you are facing, the more difficult it is to talk about it.
The cigarette on Qianye's fingertips was almost finished. She inserted the cigarette butt into the ashtray, "Do you have any other questions?"
Hesta shook her head.
"Okay," Chiba was in a good mood and the car engine started to roar, "Then let's go."
The rear wheels of the foldable car stirred up khaki dust, and on the deserted mountain road, the two of them got back on the road.
