48 Hours a Day-Chapter 1130: Chernobyl
Mouse’s words changed the doctor’s expression drastically.
In fact, it wasn’t just Mouse. Almost all the players could taste a metallic taste in their mouths. Other than that, they could also smell the strong smell of ozone. Many people’s temples were tense, their eyelids were stinging, and their chests burning.
However, this dungeon was basically filled with experienced players. It wasn’t the first time they had faced danger, so no one would make a fuss over such a small matter. Moreover, there had just been an explosion here, and many places were still burning. Of course, no one expected the air quality to be good, but thoughts toward the possibility of some chemicals burning began to materialize.
Until the doctor said one word, “Nuclear radiation!!!”
“Huh?” Master Kui frowned.
“We are suffering the effects of high-intensity radiation poisoning. No, to be more precise, we are still in the midst of intense radiation!” The doctor looked extremely nervous. His voice could not help but tremble.
“How are you so sure?”
“Radioactive iodine. Radioactive iodine produced by nuclear radiation has a metallic taste. In the recent Fukushima nuclear accident, many of the interviewees mentioned that they had tasted metal when they were exposed to radiation.”
“Wait, we’re in 20th century Soviet Union. The plot of this game shouldn’t be…”
Although Mouse did not say the name in the end, it was no longer important, because all the players present knew what he was going to say.
Chernobyl!
The worst nightmare of hundreds of thousands of people, the worst and most terrifying nuclear accident in human history. The first international nuclear accident was defined as a level seven accident, and the other level seven nuclear accident was the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011. At the most dangerous time of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, it almost pushed the entire European continent into the abyss.
“We are at Chernobyl!!!” The repairman’s expression also darkened. “This ozone smell is the smell of air ionized by high-energy nuclear radiation, just like during a thunderstorm. We Are Here, April 25th, 1986, or the 26th. I can’t remember, but we are here! This is Chernobyl’s reactor No.4, the one that exploded just now.”
While he was talking, two more explosions came from the other side of the metal door. However, this time, the explosion was not as violent as the previous one. The corridor only shook a little.
Mouse was completely dumbfounded. “We were exposed to nuclear radiation just now? And it was at the center of the explosion. Are we going to die soon?”
“I heard that the radiation level of Chernobyl’s No.4 reactor after the explosion was 30,000 roentgens per hour.” The maintenance worker’s face turned extremely pale. “No living creature can withstand such a high level of radiation.”
“The situation is not that bad. 30,000 roentgens should be the total amount of radiation. The specific amount of radiation will vary greatly depending on the region. Although we are very close to the reactor, we were inside the building when the explosion happened.” The doctor gradually calmed down at this time, and he continued to explain. “Although the concrete can not help us completely isolate the radiation, it can indeed help me resist a considerable portion of the radiation. If we die, we are definitely dead, but we should still have some time.”
“How long?”
“I can’t say exactly how long, but it has something to do with everyone’s physical condition,” the doctor said. “A few days, a few weeks, a few months. If we’re lucky, we might live for a few years… of course, there are also people who will die in a few hours. We don’t have any equipment, so we can’t detect the current radiation level. But we can be sure that the sooner we leave this place, the better.”
“No wonder this dungeon is called the invisible killer, and there’s no time limit for the quest.” Coconut gave off a messed up expression.
Right now, everyone felt as if there was a time bomb embedded in their hearts. The numbers on the dial were ticking, representing their remaining lives. No one knew when the needle would return to zero.
Just a few minutes ago, most people had thought that this would be an easy and enjoyable experience-grinding trip. With Simon leading the team, it did not matter who their opponent was. However, no one had expected the situation to turn for the worse in an instant.
They were about to face an invisible and deadly enemy. Under such circumstances, no matter how powerful Simon was, he could not do anything against such an enemy. Therefore, the players were no longer as relaxed and cheerful as before. However, even though their morale was low, the players still accepted reality in the shortest time possible.
Zhang Heng asked the doctor, “Is there any way to extend our survival time?”
“I’ll try to explain our current situation in simple terms. Nuclear radiation from nuclear fission reactions, or more accurately, ionizing radiation, includes all kinds of rays, such as alpha rays, beta rays, gamma rays, x rays, and neutrons. These rays can be roughly divided into two categories. One is a high-speed particle flow dominated by alpha rays, beta rays, and neutrons, and the other is a high-energy electromagnetic wave like x rays and gamma rays.”
The doctor sped up his speech, “Regardless of whether it’s the high-speed particle flow or the high-energy electromagnetic waves, the most fundamental cause of damage to the human body is the transfer of energy.
“Matter is made up of atoms, and our bodies are no exception. The energy carried by the high-energy electromagnetic waves will be absorbed by the atoms after entering the body, and then released in the form of kinetic energy, thus destroying the structure of the molecules. The high-speed particle flow is even more powerful because the mass can directly break the molecular bonds.
“The cuticles and proteins are fine. Even if they are destroyed, they can gradually recover. However, the most fatal thing is that the DNA is destroyed. This is because the genetic information carried by the DNA is guiding the activities of all the cells in the human body. If the DNA is destroyed, it will cause our cells to malfunction.
“Unfortunately, even with our technology in the 21st century, there is nothing we can do about this kind of damage on the molecular level. Therefore, the treatment in the hospital can only help you to alleviate some of the pain or prolong your life through equipment, but…”
“But what?”
“We can’t do anything about the external radiation. We can only try to avoid places with high radiation values, but we can still find ways to reduce the internal radiation. The metallic taste we’re tasting now comes from iodine 131. Iodine 131 will enter our bodies through breathing and food. Eventually, it will accumulate in the thyroid. To solve this problem, we can inject some iodine in advance,” the doctor said. “It’s like going to a restaurant and booking the table in advance, so next I suggest we go to the hospital and get some iodine pills, which should help.”
