HCB Chapter 376 The Bride of the Sea God (35)
Chapter 376 The Bride of the Sea God (35)
After speaking frankly with Wei Shucheng and Asaya, Yan Zhen quickly set about carrying out the first step of the plan—poisoning.
The poison she administered was different from the deadly virus Wei Shucheng planned to administer; it was a trace virus extracted from deep-sea jellyfish that could cause skin allergies in humans.
This virus, when diluted with water and sprayed, can survive in the air for 72 hours. Infection can cause itchy and swollen skin and is also contagious.
If you get infected with this virus, ordinary allergy medications won't work, but because the toxin level is low, it will subside on its own in about a week and won't pose a threat to your life.
Yan Zhen plans to release the toxin in the aquarium, the Maritime Museum, the New Territories Research Institute, the mermaid merchandise manufacturing factory, and several other places in Shengjing where mermaids exist.
The rising number of infections drew public attention, and together with Wei Shucheng, they released information pointing directly to mermaids as the source of the allergy.
Only by cutting off the source of profit can the massacre be temporarily stopped.
Once sufficient public attention is garnered, calls should be made to stop the hunting of mermaids and to include the mermaids, whose numbers have been drastically reduced to just over 60,000, in the scope of legal protection.
This is no easy task. The entire process requires the continuous submission of relevant materials and a large number of data reports, repeated efforts and verifications, and can take anywhere from a year to several decades.
To prevent mermaids from being hunted to extinction in the process, it is imperative to forcibly stop the mermaid industry chain.
After listening to Yan Zhen's plan, Wei Shucheng said worriedly, "If we spread false information that the source of the allergy is mermaids, will those people kill the mermaids that have already been captured and brought ashore to avoid allergies?"
“It’s possible, but the probability is not high.” Yan Zhen had already considered this issue. “Each ordinary D-grade mermaid costs as much as a million. Killing them just because of a common allergy is such a costly anti-allergy method that there are very few people in the entire Shengjing who can do it.”
Wei Shucheng pondered for a long time and said, "This method is risky."
“I know,” Yan Zhen said.
If the act of releasing the allergen is exposed, it would definitely be a crime of endangering public safety, and she would be arrested.
"If Si Lan knew, she would be very angry."
“I know that too,” Yan Zhen said.
Therefore, she must not find out.
From Yan Zhen's resolute expression, Wei Shucheng saw her determination to stop humans from continuing to hunt killer mermaids.
"Count me in when they release the allergy virus."
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To ensure the allergy virus was safely released and would not cause any innocent casualties, Yan Zhen used the school's laboratory to repeatedly test the virus.
She spent more than half a month conducting hundreds of experiments and, based on the combined data, determined the optimal concentration for diluting the virus.
After a month of preparation, everything is ready.
On the day of the operation, Yan Zhen, Wei Shucheng, and Nolan split into three groups.
Yan Zhen was in charge of the New Territories Research Institute, the mermaid product factory, and the ocean-going fishing vessels. Using her identity as the young lady of the Si family, she freely entered and exited these places, silently spreading the allergy virus.
Wei Shucheng went to the aquarium and the Ocean Museum.
Nolan took a small bottle containing the virus and dived into the ocean, distributing it to the mermaids, who then sent it to various coastal cities, randomly placing it on fishing boats, docks, and seafood markets.
That evening, Si Lan called Yan Zhen and complained to her about two things.
One thing is that she suddenly developed an allergic reaction today, with a patch of red rash on her skin that was extremely itchy, and allergy medication didn't help.
The second thing was that Wei Shucheng submitted his resignation and quit.
Yan Zhen comforted her for a few words, and when she hung up the phone, she felt a faint sense of guilt.
Si Lan was genuinely good to her younger sister, the kind of good that came from the bottom of her heart.
I wonder how angry she will be when she finds out that she was the culprit who caused the Si family's mermaid industry chain to stop.
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The virus spread more effectively than expected, and the next day, posts complaining about skin allergies began appearing on social media, but most people thought it was just a common allergic reaction during the transition from autumn to winter.
On the third day, finding that the allergy medication was ineffective, some allergy sufferers went to the hospital for help.
On the fourth day, the hospital was packed, and all kinds of allergy medications were sold out.
After four days of development, the news that "a large number of allergy sufferers have appeared in coastal cities" began to attract attention. Experts in related fields have made preliminary findings that the source of the allergy may be the ocean.
This claim has been affirmed by many allergy sufferers, with many sharing their personal experiences, saying that they only had allergic reactions after visiting seafood supermarkets, beaches, or aquariums.
On the fifth day, it was confirmed that "allergies are contagious," and some kindergartens with too many allergic patients simply announced the suspension of classes to avoid any incidents.
The news of the school closures caused widespread panic online.
"It's just an allergy, why are classes suspended? Is the higher-ups hiding important information? I suspect this is not a simple allergy at all."
"+1, I've never seen an allergy that's contagious, and injections and medications don't work. I suspect this allergy is just the beginning."
"Don't talk nonsense, upstairs. I'm also having an allergic reaction. It is contagious, but the symptoms are no different from a regular allergy. This is the fifth day of my allergy, and the rash has started to subside. It will heal on its own."
Having successfully attracted public attention, Wei Shucheng posted a message online, beginning with "according to expert research," explaining that "allergies" are actually a virus carried by marine mermaids.
At the end of the message, the "expert" advised that, in order to avoid repeated infections, people with weak immune systems should avoid going to aquariums or other places that house mermaids for a short period of time, refrain from eating mermaid meat, and stop using any products related to mermaids.
Yan Zhen witnessed Wei Shucheng's smooth maneuvering: releasing information, bribing marketing accounts and online trolls to spread attention, and obscuring the source of the information to avoid being held accountable. He finally understood why Wei Shucheng was able to manipulate online public opinion in his previous life and put the Si family in a dead end.
Highly educated individuals can be incredibly cunning and difficult to guard against.
The moment the news that "the allergy virus came from marine mermaids" was released, the number of visitors to the aquarium plummeted by two-thirds the following day.
The stores and counters of the Sijia brand that sell skincare products and fish oil related to mermaids have faced consumer complaints and claims. Some people who purchased the products and contracted the virus attributed their allergies to using mermaid-themed products.
After a week of uproar, the overwhelmed Si Group announced the temporary closure of its mermaid industry chain, and the New Territories Research Institute also closed its exhibition area to the public.
That evening, Yan Zhen and Wei Shucheng met to discuss the next steps in the plan.
The two talked until 10 p.m. before Wei Shucheng left.
Yan Zhen and Nolan escorted him to the villa entrance and watched him drive away. Just as Yan Zhen was about to go back inside, Nolan suddenly turned his head and stared intently at a tall green tree outside the villa gate. In a blink, his eyes turned into vertical pupils.
Just as Yan Zhen was about to ask him what was wrong, Nolan rushed towards the green tree without warning.