novelraw Chapter 556 - 251: Battle Beneath the Wall_2
Chapter 556 - 251: Battle Beneath the Wall_2
Patients with mild conditions wait in line for treatment in sequence. If their condition is more urgent or severe, the nurse at the triage desk will send them directly to the emergency room for priority treatment, which means they can be treated first and register later.
Since the meaning of that slogan can’t be figured out in a short time.
Gu Ji has no choice but to focus on dealing with this level.
He stands in the corner, discreetly observing the situation of the white-haired uncle while starting to search the controlled character’s phone, identification, and other personal belongings to gather information.
Compared to the World War II factory level he experienced last time, the duration of this classic level retrogression is evidently much shorter.
Gu Ji doesn’t even feel like it’s in the past; the sight before him is no different from the present.
He swipes open the phone.
As expected, the time displayed on the phone is 2015, less than ten years from the real world.
The owner of this role is named Jin Zhijiu, 36 years old.
In the photo, he has a tall figure, melancholic eyes, but his facial features are rugged and tough, resembling the Korean film star Jung Yoo-seong.
Being able to fully bear the physical attributes of Gu Ji’s training proves that this guy has a good physical condition.
He probably has a habit of exercising regularly.
But what surprises Gu Ji the most is that "Jin Zhijiu" has an extremely uncommon identity.
Indeed.
His occupation is a prosecutor in the Public Security Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in the Republic of Korea.
Anyone who often watches Korean films and TV dramas knows that, unlike Xia Kingdom, prosecutors in Korea hold tremendous power. Their status is not only above investigators but even higher than the chief of the frontline police station; they’re superiors to the police.
Any detective wanting to investigate or close a case must first obtain the prosecutor’s consent.
And unlike the Japan Police Department’s Public Security Division, which specializes in investigating spies, the Public Security Division of the Korean Prosecutors’ Office is dedicated to handling terrorist actions, disputes, and other illegal acts that infringe on public safety.
In other words, they specifically deal with major cases of terrorist attacks and threats to public safety.
"I actually ran into a half family..."
Gu Ji originally thought the identity of Vidhi Dali from India was impressive enough, but didn’t expect "Jin Zhijiu" to refresh the character identity record once more, essentially being part of Korea’s elite class.
No wonder the white-haired uncle complained about him cutting in line.
As a prosecutor, he might not even need to register himself, just make a call to a department head, and they would obediently come out to greet him.
However, the identity of a Public Security Division prosecutor isn’t quite relevant to this public health level.
It’s not as useful as the nurse identity of Jian Na in the cruise ship level.
Unless, the crisis behind this level is also caused by human factors.
Gu Ji carefully recalls the national public health events that occurred in Korea in 2015. Luckily, he has always strengthened his [Public Health] knowledge, and scenes of biochemical leaks and virus crises flash like a lantern before his eyes.
Finally.
His brows suddenly furrowed tightly, quickly taking out his phone to confirm the date again.
May 17, 2015.
This is the 2015 South Korea MERS outbreak!!
MERS, officially known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, is a respiratory disease caused by a novel virus discovered in 2012, also known as the 2012 London Type 1 novel virus, considered similar to the virus causing SARS, and named because it first appeared in the Middle East, with cases mainly concentrated in the Middle East and Europe.
Since MERS and SARS pathogens belong to the same virus family.
The symptoms of the two are quite similar, with clinical manifestations of fever accompanied by chills, cough, shortness of breath, and muscle pain, among others.
According to the statistics published by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The infectious capability of MERS seems, on the surface, to be lesser than SARS, but it’s worth noting that the fatality rate of the former’s patients is significantly higher than the latter’s.
From 2012 to the present, the global infection and death statistics of both viruses show:
The fatality rate for MERS patients is around 38%, while SARS patients have only a 10% fatality rate.
Born in 2002, Gu Ji has no recollection of SARS.
But he has heard his parents talk about how terrifying SARS was; at that time, schools were essentially on partial shutdown, and most of his classmates and friends were cooped up in dorms and homes, with teachers checking their temperatures daily.
The thermometer, masks, and banlangen became the most popular items of the time.
Though thinking back now, it still evokes lingering fear.
But one can’t help but feel genuinely proud of the tremendous efforts Xia Kingdom made in combating SARS, contributing valuable public health management experience to the world.
Whereas Korea didn’t experience a massive SARS outbreak.
It couldn’t escape this "new SARS" disease known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.
Gu Ji isn’t too clear about the overarching cause.
It seemed that a 68-year-old male, who traveled to the Middle East for work, contracted the MERS virus. Upon returning home, he exhibited symptoms, initially visiting a small clinic. After a few days of ineffective treatment, he transferred to a major hospital’s ER.
Due to the negligence of doctors and nurses and the high patient volume in the ER, it quickly led to nosocomial infections, rapidly spreading throughout Seoul and even the Gyeonggi Province, causing widespread panic.
At that time, the number of infected in Korea reached as high as 186, with 36 deaths, over 160,000 people were medically isolated, and it was extremely severe.
The World Health Organization eventually summarized this major public health event, identifying two root causes for the severe outcome:
On the one hand, Korea’s lack of public health management experience;
And on the other hand, the privatization of the medical industry.
The high degree of privatization in Korea’s healthcare system is controlled by major conglomerates.
Numerous private hospitals, fearing for their "business," were unwilling to disclose their hospital names, and the government, worried that information disclosure would prevent hospitals from taking new patients, chose inaction.
As a result, civilians couldn’t determine which hospitals were major infection zones.
This led to repeated cross-infections, worsening the transmission event significantly.
Gu Ji thought.
The initial level name "Battle Beneath the Wall" likely hints at this factor.
The conglomerate-controlled private hospitals are like a wall, tightly binding the infected and civilians inside, hindering the control efforts of the disease control centers.
Wait.
The initial infectee was a 68-year-old male, transferred to the ER for treatment.
Although Gu Ji isn’t sure if the white-haired uncle is 68, he immediately raised his head to glance at the promotional lightbox on the ER hall wall, which read:
Seoul Shansang Hospital!
The name of Shansang is world-renowned, and in Korea, Shansang is a giant entity; its influence is such that a single cough could shake the Korean economy thrice, and there’s a common saying among Koreans: rather than Korea owning Shansang, it’s more like Shansang owns Korea.
This shows the immense power of the Shansang Group.
But for Gu Ji, it holds another more significant meaning in this level.
The "second major source" of the Korean MERS outbreak, and the hospital with the most MERS-infected patients.
Backed by such a top-tier conglomerate company like Shansang, Seoul Shansang Hospital rightfully stands as the nation’s premier private hospital, equivalent to Xia Kingdom’s Jingzhou Xiehe Hospital.
Thus, every day, a massive number of Koreans opt to visit for medical treatment.
Such a density of people naturally becomes the ideal site for viral transmission breakout.
"Sir, your temperature is quite high, reaching 38.7 degrees Celsius. Have you ever had pneumonia?"
"Never."
"Alright, let me take you to the respiratory department first. Could the family please go and register?"
A few minutes passed, the female nurse completed the basic examination, asked a few questions, then walked out from the triage desk, helping the white-haired uncle toward the emergency department.
Temperature over 38 degrees, cough, shortness of breath.
All these align with the clinical symptoms of MERS.
Considering the time node, this person is highly likely already infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.
Gu Ji watched as the female nurse, supporting the white-haired uncle, coughed every few steps, droplets spraying into the air, while around them were patients moaning in pain, waiting for consultation.
The most critical point is.
He had just had close contact with the other party!