Chapter 194: Chapter 156: The Will of the Great Ones_1
Translator: 549690339
In 2519, after decades of recuperation and development, the Martians built a base covering hundreds of square kilometers, with a population exceeding three million.
The main building structure of the base was composed of hundreds of force field shields.
Under these force field shields, people cultivated farmland, laid out solar energy equipment, built factories, research institutes, hospitals, schools, commercial districts, and residential areas, forming basic urban functions.
Besides Mars, Mercury and Venus also gave birth to Mercurians and Venusians, totaling hundreds of thousands of people.
Humanity also owned several large space stations orbiting around Earth, Mercury, Venus, and Mars, each with a population ranging from tens of thousands to several thousand people.
The Moon was also fully transformed and became quite habitable, except for the gravity factor.
Humans had already thoroughly left Earth.
Although they couldn’t leave the Solar System, ordinary people didn’t fully know this.
In the eyes of ordinary people, leaving the Solar System was bound to happen sooner or later; it’s just that the newly established World Government wanted everyone to focus on their surroundings first and properly develop the resources within the Solar System.
However, since the beginning of winter in 2519, a great disaster occurred on Earth and spread to every human base.
It all came so fast, so fierce, and so sudden.
A super bacteria appeared out of nowhere.
Nobody knew where it was originally born, but by the time humans reacted, it had already spread throughout the entire civilization in a very short time.
The infectivity of the super bacteria was extremely strong, with an astonishing ability to quickly divide and reproduce.
At the same time, its incubation period was extremely long, up to half a year, which was absolutely shocking.
All these factors added up, leading to almost unbearable results for humans.
During the incubation stage, no symptoms would appear, and even the full-body examination by the artificial intelligence medical assistants equipped by everyone couldn’t detect it.
But once it broke out, the symptoms were fierce, even secreting neurotoxic interference toxins that caused hallucinations and made the patient’s temperament become agitated.
Moreover, the cycle of progressing from onset to death lasted two months, within which patients would gradually lose their mobility and eventually approach death.
This gradual process towards death was almost irreversible.
Less than two days after the first case broke out, tens of millions of people worldwide exploded simultaneously within a short time.
The medical system quickly reacted, but soon… retreated step by step.
This was a powerful super bacteria that humans had never seen before.
Almost all of the antibiotics humans had mastered became ineffective.
Almost all biological treatment plans were ineffective.
Without effective treatment, people could only rely on their individual immune systems to resist.
In the early 26th century, the Atom Therapy Device had not yet been born, and humans couldn’t treat patients at the atomic level; the subatomic Molecular Therapy Device was still in theoretical research. Therefore, humans were at a loss when facing diseases for which biological treatments were ineffective.
In the early stages of the super bacteria outbreak, the mortality rate was very high, and even if forced treatment led to recovery, severe sequelae would remain, rendering people incapacitated.
All kinds of antibiotics failed one after another.
It was clearly a DNA bacteria, with biological indicators close to those of Staphylococcus aureus.
Heat-resistant and best suited to temperatures of 37 degrees Celsius, it was also salt-tolerant and could grow in 10% saline solutions.
It should have been common and relatively harmless to humans.
Scientists didn’t know what degree of mutation it had undergone to produce such highly incubating, highly lethal, and highly reproductive destructive power.
Its rapid mutation capabilities didn’t resemble those of DNA bacteria at all.
Facing the onslaught of antibiotics, it took only half a day to develop drug resistance.
As medical personnel kept changing antibiotics, it continued to defeat antibiotics.
Facing the counterattack of the human immune system, it became extremely cunning; if the human immune system was strong, it would assimilate more deeply to deceive the immune system and enter a deep incubation period.
If it found that the immune system was relatively weak, it would explode with stronger reproductive and resistance capabilities, ultimately intensifying the war with the immune system and leading to host death.
Its pathological features also kept changing, becoming more complex, with the only constant being that each pathological feature eventually pointed to the death of the host.
Its rapid mutation and stubbornness made it almost impossible for specific drugs and vaccines to be developed.
Furthermore, under normal circumstances, the mutation direction of viruses and bacteria should be more suited to transmission, with decreased toxicity — an objective rule as indisputable as the daily rising of the sun.
But this super bacteria went against common sense.
Instead of moving towards reduced toxicity, it continually evolved in a cruel direction, becoming stronger in airborne survival, more stealthy and stable in its dormant state, showing more gentle and widespread attack symptoms, and targeting an increasing variety of human organs.
This was completely illogical – mutations that enhanced both transmissibility and lethality, and were extremely rapid.
As concentrated outbreaks occurred globally and the unstoppable spread intensified, human conventional isolation measures became increasingly ineffective.
One batch after another of medical personnel fell on the front line.
Heart-wrenching separations took place every moment all over the world.
One group of medical personnel fell.
Another group of medical personnel signed life-and-death agreements, waved goodbye to their families, and rushed forward.
Skilled medical personnel were becoming scarce.
Supplies were running short.
The air was filled with ubiquitous super bacteria.
They had become like the dust in the air: impossible to prevent or avoid.
Order gradually broke down.
An apocalyptic catastrophe silently swept across the globe.
This was a war.
A war between humanity and the super bacteria, without the smoke of gunpowder, but even more gruesome.In the long and ancient history of mankind, we have faced diseases countless times.
The number of those who have died and sacrificed themselves on this white battlefield is ten or even a hundred times more than all other types of wars combined.
This time, it is particularly tragic.
Humans are continuously retreating.
Eventually, medical students went in, and volunteers who had undergone brief system training also went in.
Fear spread across the globe, and there was no going back for humanity.
If they could survive, no one would choose to willingly die.
But there will always be some who understand that they cannot retreat and must step forward.
Setting aside the notions of nations and all sentimental feelings, people will eventually realize that if no one stops the disaster and lets it spread and develop, then the day will come when all their parents, children, grandparents and friends will have to face all of it.
The World Government, still in its infancy, abandoned all its prejudices at the fastest speed and reached a unified consensus in just a few days.
Humanity must unite unreservedly to declare war on this disaster.
Only by defeating the enemy can humanity continue to survive!
The leader, jointly elected by the leadership of all human countries, stepped forward.
He rushed to the front lines and issued a deafening cry.
“Since the birth of mankind, there have been a million years of history. Our civilization has a history of five thousand five hundred years! We are always fighting, fighting against ourselves, and fighting against nature.”
“We always face failure, but we can always stand strong on this planet. We are called the cancer of Earth by environmentalists. Alright, we admit it, we are cancer. This bacteria is the Earth’s antibiotic. It wants to exterminate us. But what are the characteristics of cancer? It’s stubborn! Never admitting defeat! Never giving up!”
“We are facing an unprecedented challenge. This is not an individual matter; it is a challenge for all mankind! It is time for us to unite!”
“The frontlines need soldiers, more soldiers! We cannot let medical staff sacrifice in vain. More people must stand up and take over the trenches they used to guard! Hold our position that belongs to all humankind!”
“Our logistical resources must keep up! We cannot let our soldiers go to the frontlines without equipment! We need people from all walks of life to return to their posts, and our social order must operate!”
“We must get one set of protective clothing, masks, goggles, and medicines into the hands of frontline soldiers!”
“Put on your mask, goggles, gloves, and never touch your eyes, nose, ears, or mouth without washing your hands. Take all possible protective measures, stand at your post, and fight!”
“Wave goodbye to your family and head for the frontlines! Every position is everyone’s battlefield! Everyone, stand up! For yourself, for your family, for humanity!”
“Survival or extinction? It depends on each person’s choice! Make your decision! One step backward is extinction, one step forward is a new life! Charge!”
This speech came suddenly, without careful crafting, and the words were plain, but sincere and heartfelt, igniting the fighting spirit of the survivors in the face of overwhelming despair.
During the leader’s speech, the River Thames was behind him.
Later generations would call this speech the “Backwater Declaration.”
The Backwater Declaration wiped out all people’s illusions and let everyone understand that humanity is now on the edge of a cliff, in a do-or-die situation.
No one can be immune.
Humanity has nowhere to retreat!
If isolation wards and hospitals are ineffective, humans will create isolation zones!
Large areas of healthy humans evacuated.
Everyone keeps a physical distance from others on the streets, but just one look from afar is enough to understand each other’s intentions.
At this moment, everyone is a comrade-in-arms with a common hatred for the enemy.
Everyone understands that behind each person standing outside like themselves, there is a family they must carry on their shoulders.
Every able-bodied man and woman in each family has chosen their positions.
More and more people, knowing the danger, went to receive basic medical training, underwent less than a month of intensive training, passed the test, then put on isolation suits, masks, gloves, and glasses, and endured the torment of suffocation to rush to the frontlines.
Sweat soaked through the soldiers’ clothes.
Tears fell, but everyone gritted their teeth and fought relentlessly.
However, the super bacteria were just too tenacious.
The scope of the isolation zones grew larger, and the frontlines slowly moved backward.
The areas marked red on the map as isolation zones grew larger.
Humans fought and retreated, but never collapsed.
Because everyone knows that throughout history, humans will never die on their knees!
Even if there really is a doomsday, we will sing our last battle song.
Just as Master Carrie Thomas sang in “The Fire,” as long as we never give up hope, the day of rebirth through fire is bound to come.
Even if I die on the battlefield, even if my ashes are buried deep underground, my family will be able to see the dawn!
Someone will come and take over my trench, and I won’t die in vain! Definitely!
One year later.
Humans finally succeeded in drawing boundaries and establishing complete isolation zones.
Human activities have been reduced from covering the entire world to just less than two-thirds of the territory.
In this one year, humanity lost more than ten percent of its total population, and the price paid was so painful that it was staggering, but the positions were finally stabilized.
However, it’s not the time to let our guard down yet.
Without any reminder from others, people knew that they still couldn’t relax, and they couldn’t give up on the medical staff, volunteers, and self-sacrificing patients who were guarding the territory with their lives in the isolation zones.
The will of the great ones shall be inherited by equally great people like me!
The war continues and even intensifies..