Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 120: Nematode, Parasitism

"That’s wonderful. Nurse Reid can finally rest in peace, and the other victims have gotten justice," Serena Lynch said, her expression easing considerably.

Evelyn Ford’s brow twitched. ’Something about this feels a little strange.’ But she didn’t dwell on it. Since the killer had paid the price, the case had reached the best possible conclusion.

After the snow melted, the base began building a pig farm and a chicken farm on the surface. Evelyn Ford saw pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese being transferred up from the Undercity.

The base had a cannery and an instant noodle factory, and most of the meat was sent to the cannery. Serena Lynch said the base leadership was worried about future uncontrollable disasters, so they were processing food into long-lasting items like canned goods, compressed biscuits, and instant noodles.

Evelyn Ford had bought a few cans before. The taste was strange—a bit gamey, the meat was shredded, and there were even some bone fragments. It wasn’t especially good, but at least it was cooked meat, so Evelyn Ford hadn’t thrown them away; she just stored them in her space.

Each pig, chicken, duck, and goose was marked with its own number. Perhaps because the farm staff took good care of them, the livestock all grew fat.

The teams plowing the land and sowing wheat were also nearly finished. In just one month, dozens of acres of wasteland around the base had been reclaimed and sown with wheat seed.

Recently, a seasonal flu had suddenly appeared at the base. With the temperature abruptly jumping from thirty degrees below zero to fifteen degrees above, it was natural for people to experience some minor ailments. Because of this, no one paid it much mind.

But on the third day of the outbreak, people over fifty or sixty began to show signs of delirium after vomiting, followed by coughing up blood and acts of self-harm. Within three hours of the symptoms appearing, the person would stop breathing. Doctors from the medical department repeatedly confirmed that the flu was indeed the cause of death.

The base could only distribute masks to prevent the flu from spreading. However, with dozens of people dying each day, the residents were thrown into a panic.

"Attention, all residents. Due to the sudden flu outbreak, please wear your masks and drink plenty of hot water."

’Hot water?’

Evelyn Ford froze. Listening to the broadcast, she hurried to the bathroom. She disconnected her filtration device, collected a basin of unfiltered water, and pulled out a flashlight. In its powerful beam, she saw nearly transparent white threadworms.

Evelyn Ford quickly put on a mask and rushed to the medical department. It was her day off. The entire medical building was packed with people, and the reek of vomit wafted from the trash cans. Fighting back a wave of nausea, Evelyn Ford found Dr. Miller.

"I’ve discovered something."

Dr. Miller had just finished with an elderly patient and hadn’t yet caught his breath when Evelyn Ford pulled him into his office.

"Mr. Miller, do you drink the base’s water?"

"I do. What’s wrong?"

Evelyn Ford took the Water Cup from her pocket, poured a little of its contents onto the glass tabletop, and shone her flashlight on the clear puddle.

"Look. What do you see in the water?"

Dr. Miller took the small flashlight from her, bending over to stare at the puddle on the table. With a sudden SQUEAK, the chair beside him was knocked over as he recoiled. Dr. Miller’s face was ashen.

"Threadworms?"

"That’s right. There are threadworms in the base’s water. I think that’s what’s been killing the elderly. First, their bodies are weaker and their immune systems are compromised, so when the threadworms enter their system, it creates the illusion of the flu. It’s very likely the worms are already eating away at their internal organs or are in their blood. Second, the threadworms act like parasites, and they can survive more easily inside the elderly. Third, it’s possible everyone has these threadworms inside them now, but for healthier people, they’re just in a dormant, incubation stage."

When Evelyn Ford finished, she looked at Dr. Miller, her gaze grim.

"I have to report this to the department leadership."

Evelyn Ford nodded. It was best for Dr. Miller to be the one to handle this. He didn’t disappoint her, immediately taking on the heavy burden without a second thought.

Evelyn Ford gave him two albendazole tablets. She didn’t know if they would be effective against these threadworms, but it was better than nothing—a psychological comfort, at least.

’It’s a good thing I haven’t been drinking the groundwater since I got to the base. I even filter my bathwater before using it.’

Evelyn Ford thought of Quincy and his group, and immediately rushed to his floor.

When Evelyn Ford arrived, an old woman had just died on the floor. She had vomited all over the ground—a mixture of blood and bile—and the entire level reeked.

When Evelyn Ford found Quincy, his clothes were stained with a large patch of blood.

"Come with me."

Perhaps because of Evelyn Ford’s grim expression, Quincy didn’t ask any questions and followed her outside.

"What’s wrong?" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"There are white threadworms in the base’s groundwater. The deaths aren’t from the flu. These things are mutated. Here, take these two boxes of medicine and split them with Officer Graham and the others. I just tested it—boiling water doesn’t kill them, and right now, there are no other countermeasures."

A grim look fell over Quincy’s face. "How could this happen?"

"Come to my place after your shift. I have another filtration unit. Take it and share it with Officer Graham’s group. I’m heading back to my apartment now to see if I can figure out a way to deal with this."

’There are so many books in my space. I kept all of my parents’ medical texts.’

Quincy tucked the medicine inside his jacket. As he watched Evelyn Ford walk away, his shoulders slumped in despair.

The sun was out, but he felt an immense, bone-deep chill.

Evelyn Ford spent the entire day at home poring over medical texts, but she couldn’t find a solution.

When Quincy came to pick up the filtration unit in the afternoon, Evelyn Ford also gave him a packet of traditional herbs.

The next day at work, she saw two young children among the sick for the first time.

The children were writhing on the floor, in too much pain to even speak. Their parents stood by, frantic but helpless.

"Tell me how it hurts. Is it a sharp, stabbing pain, or more of a twisting pain? Where does it hurt?"

Evelyn Ford gently held one of the little girls still and pressed on her abdomen. "Does it hurt here?"

The girl nodded, crying. When Evelyn Ford pressed on her chest, she let out a piercing scream.

"Doctor, please give my daughter some painkillers! She’s in so much pain. Last night she was banging her head against the wall, saying there were bugs crawling inside her head."

Just as Evelyn Ford moved to pick the girl up, the child suddenly clutched her chest, her face contorting in agony. Then, she began vomiting mouthfuls of blood. Amidst the blood, Evelyn Ford saw them: writhing threadworms. They were long and thin, with antennae and countless legs, like centipedes.

Specks of blood spattered onto Evelyn Ford’s protective suit. She carried the girl to a bed in the adjacent room and tied her down with rope. Her parents rushed in after them, their faces turning pale with fright when they saw the scene.

"She’s no longer rational. She’s about to start hurting herself. Hold her down!"

Evelyn Ford sprinted to the herb dispensary, only to find out they had very few supplies. The most effective herbs had long growing cycles and specific soil and temperature requirements, making them impossible for the base to cultivate.

Evelyn Ford’s hands were trembling. She took out a few albendazole tablets, intending to give them to the girl. But by the time she got back to the room, the girl was no longer breathing.

The girl’s body was covered in blood. Threadworms were crawling from her mouth, squirming through the crimson pools.