[No patients have self-healed yet, but clinical observations indicate that even after recovery, the Happy Flu can cause various irreversible effects during the illness. These include changes in brain neural structure, neurological sequelae, organ failure, and reproductive issues. The possibility of limb deformities and paralysis is being assessed and will be reported in subsequent updates.]
[Furthermore, the structure of the Type 3 Happy Flu virus has the potential to merge with animal viruses, making it highly probable to mutate into a highly lethal virus in the future.]
[The five currently identified strains of the Happy Flu virus have different incubation periods, ranging from 1 day to 4 months. Whether other strains exist remains to be observed.]
[Current transmission models predict that within 10 days, over 14 billion people across 68 planets will be infected. To prevent widespread societal collapse, the military has urgently mobilized troops and personnel to enter affected areas to maintain basic societal functions. Interstellar transport has been halted on some planets to prevent further spread of the Happy Flu.]
A chill ran down Jiang Ye’s spine and shot straight into his brain.
14 billion people!
Damn, that’s an astronomical figure!
If all these people died, it would be a mountain of corpses, enough to melt the crematorium furnaces. This would undoubtedly be a world-shattering event in human history, as wars typically don’t claim so many lives.
Jiang Ye didn’t know the total population of these 68 planets. Previously, on Yongye Star, one planet alone had tens of billions of people. If these planets had similar population levels, the total would be 680 billion people, making the infection rate 2%.
Two out of every hundred people infected might not sound so severe.
The key was that it wasn’t evenly distributed, but rather like rain, with some areas getting a downpour and others just a drizzle. It was safe to assume that some cities or even planets would face dire situations, while others would only experience minor inconveniences.
Jiang Ye stopped thinking because he saw the last paragraph of the report.
[It is currently unclear how the Happy Virus arrived on the various planets. The Air Force defense system did not detect any long-range weapons, and no related devices have been found on any of the planets. The reason for the widespread diffusion of this virus is still under investigation and progress will be announced later.]
Yes, that was the most critical part.
They didn’t know where the virus came from.
If it was naturally occurring, it would be easier to handle; regardless of its origin, containment would be the priority.
The crucial issue was that this was a weapon of the Mier people, intentionally introduced. Therefore, if they couldn’t figure out the method of transmission, they would be defenseless against it spreading everywhere.
Jiang Ye’s biggest worry was about Node Star.
Node Star was very close to the front lines. Could there be an outbreak of the Happy Flu there? Could that poor girl Cen Yemeng protect herself?
Long-distance relationships were truly painful, Jiang Ye sighed repeatedly.
The fire near the camp had mostly died down, the thick smoke being dispersed by the wind, leaving only glowing embers moving in the black ash. Jiang Ye walked around the fortress and returned to the control room.
He checked the team rankings.
They had climbed again, currently ranking seventh on Birong Star.
If this trend continued, they might even break into the top three. But Jiang Ye wasn’t just happy; he was also deeply worried. The change in rankings indicated that humanity’s influence on this planet was receding. The entire Birong Star felt like a massive trap laid by the Mier people, capable of killing prey without direct confrontation. If Jiang Shui Tang’s ranking eventually reached first place, could they still hold on alone?
It felt like a massive game. Initially, everyone flocked to play, but as they played, many found it boring and too difficult, leading them to cancel their accounts and request refunds. Only a handful of players, including Jiang Ye, remained, holding down the entire game. But how long could a game with so few players last? The servers could shut down at any moment, and then no one would be able to play.
Jiang Ye’s mind raced with thoughts, and he sat in the control room for over six hours.
It was eerily quiet around him, giving him the illusion of being the only one living on the planet.
Finally, a familiar voice sounded in his ear.
“I’m here, I’ve had enough sleep, you can go rest,” Isabel said.
“I just had a money-making idea, I don’t know if it’s feasible,” Jiang Ye said as he got up and went downstairs, speaking on the channel.
“Go on.”
“The virus modification technology in this era should be quite mature, right?” Jiang Ye said. “Remove the internal genetic material of the Happy Flu virus, leaving only the virus shell, and sell it to customers as a happiness agent. For example, a small vial of happiness agent containing the virus could maintain a state of pathological happiness for 10 minutes. I think the market would be huge. The most important thing is that this would be harmless.”
“Forget it. Someone is already doing what you’re thinking of, and the market size for the entire galaxy’s human population is already in the trillions,” Isabel said. “Go back and wash up, then sleep.”
“Someone is doing it?” Jiang Ye was surprised. “Using the Happy Virus too?”
“No, using electrical stimulation. The principle is the same: using external means to stimulate the human brain to produce different sensations. This business is legal on some planets, and a capital offense on others,” Isabel explained. “Yours is too primitive, only capable of mindless happiness. Current technology can let you experience various emotions. If someone wants to cry, they go for electrical stimulation. If someone wants to feel love-like happiness, they also go for electrical stimulation. Some people want to feel the emotions of winning a lottery, and they also go for electrical stimulation.”
“Alright,” Jiang Ye said helplessly. He returned to his rented room, got into the bathtub, and went offline.
Emerging from the remote control cabin, a claw of hunger gripped his stomach. He rushed to the kitchen, prepared a pile of dishes and juice, and devoured them.
After eating, he took a car to Binhai City.
Jiang Ye specifically went to inspect the construction of the disinfection gates. The disinfection gates for the entire Binhai City were almost complete, and they could be seen at any busy intersection or main road. They looked exactly like the schematic, just large door frames blocking entire streets. Jiang Ye got out of the car and walked over to inspect them. As soon as he was about a meter away from the gate, a mist of disinfectant suddenly sprayed out, coolly dousing his face. There was very little water, and it evaporated quickly.
There was also a small display screen on the gate frame showing data.
[Power: 99%]
[Disinfectant Type: General Type 2 Pathogen Disinfectant]
[Disinfectant Remaining: 2 tons]
Jiang Ye was satisfied. With these in place, they would at least have some effect. The current disinfectant wasn’t specialized; they would switch to the one the military developed later.
As he got into the car, his headset suddenly rang.
Feng Zishuang’s voice, accompanied by a yawn, said, “The development index has reached 9600, so we can build media.”
“Media?” Jiang Ye asked.
“Yes, television stations, news websites, newspapers, radio stations, that sort of thing. We can’t send all notifications through private accounts, can we?” Feng Zishuang said. “We need to discuss this in person. I’ve already arranged to meet with Xu Yan from Termite Real Estate. Where do you think would be a suitable meeting place?”