Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 193 The Nameless Cult
The ceremony ended quickly, so brief it was almost like a joke, completely lacking the solemnity expected of a religious ceremony.

But none of the necessary procedures could be omitted. After the three people swallowed the mycelium in turn, the priest showed a satisfied smile.

The mycelium had a strange smell. Ou Yang knew it was the smell of the culture medium, and Jiang Yuwei was also familiar with it. Only Zhu Yiming couldn't stand the smell at all. He closed his eyes and stuffed the mycelium into his mouth. Before he could even swallow it, he experienced severe hiccups and vomited incessantly while clutching his stomach.

Everyone waited quietly until Zhu Yiming finished vomiting, at which point the priest calmly asked him to eat again.

Zhu Yiming nearly collapsed, but neither the priest nor the ordinary parishioners showed any intention of going easy on him.

Zhu Yiming tried three times before he could barely swallow the mycelium: "I've eaten mycelium before, I've eaten mycelium before..."

Ouyang really wanted to say: It's just mycelium, what's the big deal? I've even seen some tough guys eat phantom lung mushrooms!
The priest was finally satisfied and announced the end of the ceremony.

Ou Yang and the others thought that having reached this point, they had officially joined this... well, the ceremony was over, but the three of them still didn't know what this religion was called!
Immunizers are supreme?
Should all those infected die?

The end times are coming, the world will be purified, and God's chosen people will survive. Who knows, there might even be a new world or something like that afterward.

Ou Yang couldn't help but think to himself, no matter how you look at it, these things don't seem like the doctrines of a normal faith. Instead, they seem like a makeshift troupe that some drunkard came up with on a whim!
Regardless of how you look at it, this step has been taken.

Just as they were wondering what to do, Mason appeared beside them, led them out of the town park, and arranged for them to stay in a nearby house.

He wanted to arrange a separate room for Jiang Yuwei, but she firmly refused.

In the current situation, it's safer to stay together.

Upon entering the house, it was discovered that the doors and windows were reinforced with steel bars, and there were armed guards at the entrance, making it no different from a prison.

Moreover, quite a few people were already living in the house. According to Mason, they were all prospective members who had completed the ceremony but had not yet officially joined the church.

"What does this mean?" Zhu Yiming asked, dissatisfied.

Ouyang lay on the bed with his head in his hands, and said lazily, "What else could it be? It doesn't matter if we say we're immune. We're waiting to see if we get infected or not. Only those who don't get infected are qualified to join the church."

Zhu Yiming recalled the smell of the mycelium and felt another wave of nausea: "Damn it, I'll never forget that smell in my life... By the way, eating this stuff won't cause an infection, right?"

"No, it's not like it's going into your lungs. Even if an ordinary person ate it, it wouldn't be a problem," Ou Yang said.

Zhu Yiming didn't believe it at all and turned to look at Jiang Yuwei.

Jiang Yuwei nodded: "If it falls directly into the lungs, it's hard to say whether it will cause an infection. If it goes into the stomach, the stomach acid will break it down, so it will definitely be fine."

Zhu Yiming was still worried and wanted to say more, but suddenly there was a knock on the door.

The three of them looked over together, but no one spoke.

The knocking sounded again. Confirming it wasn't a hallucination, Ou Yang called out loudly, "Come in!"

The door opened, and a woman wearing a hooded jacket walked in. Her head and face were hidden under the hood, so her features were not visible. Judging from her figure, she was a woman.

The newcomer removed his hood, revealing a face that was both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar. He looked at Ouyang and said, "Long time no see."

Her voice was hoarse, revealing an undeniable weariness.

Ou Yang had already guessed who it was, and forced a smile: "Yes, it's been a long time."

After exchanging greetings, neither of them knew what to say for a moment.

Zhu Yiming glanced at Ou Yang, then at Lisa, his eyes burning with gossip.

Jiang Yuwei was also very curious about the relationship between the two.

Old lovers reunited?
She wasn't that shallow; she just felt that the two people's expressions were off, as if there was a story behind them.

Ouyang finally started the conversation: "I didn't expect to see you at this time."

"Aren't you going to invite me to sit down?" Lisa asked.

“Right, right, look at my brain.” Ou Yang patted his forehead. “Please sit down, please sit down… He is Zhu Yiming, and she is Jiang Yuwei.”

"Hello," Lisa greeted politely.

Zhu Yiming and Jiang Yuwei responded politely and consciously moved aside.

Ouyang was silent for a moment, then hesitated before asking, "How is everyone?"

“What else could happen? They’re all dead.” Lisa’s face showed a hint of sadness. “Sheriff Andy was killed by the mob while trying to save innocent people; Alejandro’s illness worsened and he committed suicide by shooting himself when he was lucid; the doctor left after his illness and no one knows where he went… Everyone’s ending was not good. At least my grandfather died peacefully, which is a blessing in disguise.”

Ou Yang frowned: "You didn't go to the airport?"

“I went.” Lisa lowered her gaze. “I also gave the USB drive to that major, but they refused to treat my grandfather.”

Although Ou Yang had guessed this outcome, he still couldn't help feeling a little down.

Lisa smiled warmly: "Grandpa passed away peacefully. He told me that when I see you again, I will definitely say thank you."

Zhu Yiming, standing to the side, thought of his companions at the airport; Jiang Yuwei, similarly, thought of her mentor.

After reminiscing about the past, the awkwardness between the two lessened considerably.

Ouyang returned to reality and wanted to ask about the situation here, but he didn't know how to start.

He wasn't very familiar with Lisa to begin with, and he was even less aware of her later experiences and current position, so he felt it wouldn't be appropriate to speak up rashly.

Lisa keenly sensed Ouyang's hesitation and suddenly lowered her voice: "Don't worry, don't overthink it. Immunizers are treated like royalty here."

Ouyang asked quietly, "Can you tell me what this sect is all about?"

Lisa: "I don't know much about it either. I heard that it started as a group of immune people who had escaped brown bears and banded together for warmth. Later, more and more people joined, and it gradually grew into what it is today."

Ouyang couldn't help but wonder, only in a place like the United States would someone operate under the guise of a religious sect.

There's no way around it, Americans just buy into this. Don't you see, when the US president is inaugurated, he has to place his hand on the Bible and take an oath?

Rumor has it that this was done because the Bible, to some extent, represents Western moral standards!
Although in modern times, these standards have largely become mere formalities.

Well, who says Westerners don't engage in formalism?
"Then how did you get here?"

Lisa: "I heard that Baifeng is the only way out of the state, so I came here."

"What about those untouchables? Were they all infected?"

"Correct!"

Ou Yang was quite surprised: "I've been observing for several days now, how come no one has fallen ill? Have they found a new drug?"

He was too familiar with the situation of infected people; even if they were just entering the nascent stage, it was impossible for them to have no reaction for several days.

“There’s no new drug.” Lisa shook her head. The priest was actually a doctor. He discovered that using a cocktail therapy with large doses of nerve-suppressing drugs could suppress hallucinations, allowing those in the early stages of infection to maintain their sanity and even live like ordinary people, although the side effects were quite severe.

"What kind of side effects?" "Numbness. The higher the dosage, the more numb the numbness. It even suppresses emotions."

Ou Yang thought to himself, how can this be considered the same as an ordinary person? What's the difference between someone without feelings and a piece of wood?
"By the way, what's the name of your sect?" he asked.

Lisa's answer was unexpected: "Some call it Doomsday, some call it Overcoming Plague, some call it Overcoming Germs, and some call it New Life... There is a lot of controversy among the church members, so we haven't decided what to call it yet."

What does the priest mean?

“The priest said that this is our faith, and there is no need to seek the approval of outsiders.”

The two chatted for a few more minutes, then Lisa, seeing that it was almost time, hurriedly said goodbye and left.

The door closed, and after a moment of silence, Zhu Yiming asked in surprise, "If it's not proper, how can it not have a name?"

Ou Yang said in a low voice, "What's so hard to guess? Haven't you heard of 'stockpiling grain and delaying the proclamation of kingship'?"

Zhu Yiming suddenly realized: "I understand!"

A knowing glint also flashed in Jiang Yuwei's eyes.

Each situation needs to be analyzed individually. All three of them came from epidemic areas and are quite familiar with the situation there.

Simply put, the vast majority of people in the epidemic area are infected or potential infected, and the number of immune people is pitifully small.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, various organizations have never stopped persecuting and suppressing those who are immune.

In this situation, the question isn't whether it's appropriate to use the slogan of "immune supremacy," it's simply taunting and inciting hatred. Unless the priest is out of his mind, he wouldn't recklessly launch such a sweeping generalization.

Conversely, using other dubious pretexts would deter those with immune systems who are easily frightened, which is also not a good idea.

This ambiguous approach actually gives the sect, which is caught in the middle, more room to maneuver and significantly reduces external pressure.

It must be said that the priest made a good move.

This guy doesn't seem like a doctor at all; he seems more like a cunning and manipulative person.

The quarantine life was relatively peaceful, and the three of them enjoyed a rare period of being waited on hand and foot.

Every day, Ouyang would lie on the windowsill and observe the infected people passing by. He did see some people swallowing medication, and they would swallow a handful at a time.

"That's strange!" Ou Yang's eyes flickered. "So many infected people, each with a lot of medicine, how much do they need to take a day? Where did all this medicine come from?"

"Found it in the epidemic area, right?" Zhu Yiming said nonchalantly as he lay on the bed.

“Impossible,” Ou Yang firmly denied. “Mental illness isn’t like a cold or fever. Even if someone had a stockpile, they couldn’t possibly have that much. Besides, what a coincidence that these medications just happened to end up in the priest’s hands? Even if he is a psychiatrist, he shouldn’t have that much stockpile.”

Zhu Yiming rolled over: "Then I can't say anything... Hey, stop thinking about these useless things all day, okay? Aren't you tired?"

Jiang Yuwei glanced at Zhu Yiming and commented scathingly, "It's so good to be carefree!"

Zhu Yiming rolled his eyes and ignored her.

Ou Yang seemed to be deep in thought, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Suddenly, a series of loud bangs came from next door. The three of them stopped talking and sighed in unison.

The neighbor over there has fallen ill again. It's obvious he's not immune at all; he's likely already infected with a fungus.

Sure enough, Mason arrived shortly afterward with several subordinates and administered a large dose of nerve-suppressing drugs to the man next door, whose condition quickly improved.

Mason took the man away, and Ouyang and the others never saw him again.

By the end of January, after several rounds of highly professional testing, it was confirmed that none of the three were infected with the fungus. The priest announced that the three had officially joined the cult and become the elite in the town.

Although the conditions in the town were limited, the priest still tried his best to give the parishioners some preferential treatment. As soon as the quarantine ended, Ouyang received his personal belongings back.

The Pineapple was too much of a threat, so it was taken over by the sect and only the 191 and two Glocks were returned.

It is said that the 191 should not have been returned, but the caliber of the gun was too special and the bullets were too few, so it was eventually returned to Ouyang.

Ou Yang chuckled to himself. Even if he had fewer than a hundred 191 bullets, he still had over a hundred rounds, which would be enough for him.

Zhu and Jiang also retrieved their weapons.

Zhu Yiming wanted to get the radio back, but Mason refused without giving a reason, but it was simply not possible.

After the quarantine was lifted, Mason arranged new rooms for the three of them.

The cult does offer many benefits to those who are immune; the three of them don't have to work at all, and only need to work a shift every now and then.

The job involves guarding infected individuals.

After making some inquiries, I learned that both the highways and railways were damaged more severely than I had imagined. Although the sect had invested a lot of manpower and resources, judging from the current progress, it would take at least several more months to open the road to the outside world!
Ouyang wasn't in a hurry; he was more concerned about the changes in the outside world and how the expanding pandemic would affect his upcoming itinerary.

Out of caution, the three did not reveal their intention to leave the sect to anyone, planning to wait until the path was clear before making a decision.

If you can't get out of the epidemic area, everything you say is nonsense; once you leave the epidemic area, the sky's the limit and the sea's the freedom to leap!
Several days later, at midnight.

Ouyang was sleeping soundly when he suddenly heard a low rumble, and he immediately opened his eyes.

The roaring sound didn't disappear; instead, it grew clearer and clearer, sounding like it was coming from outside the town... Oh no, it's a helicopter!

He jumped up, threw on his clothes and ran outside, kicking open the door to the next room.

Zhu Yiming was startled: "What's wrong?"

"Get up quickly, something's happened!" Ou Yang shouted, kicking open Jiang Yuwei's room door again.

Jiang Yuwei stared blankly, instinctively crossing her arms.

Ou Yang was extremely anxious: "Get up quickly, hurry up!"

At this moment, Zhu Yiming and Jiang Yuwei also heard the distinctive sound of the propeller. Their expressions changed, and they quickly dressed and packed their equipment.

Inside the epidemic zone, only a few large forces with official backing have helicopters; outside the epidemic zone, not just any organization has one.

Night owls only come into the house when they have something to do.

Regardless of which faction it is, their sudden appearance in Baifeng Town in the middle of the night is unlikely to have a pure purpose!

Just as the three were about to rush out, a helicopter roared overhead, illuminating the town's streets with a bright beam of light.

A ray of light shone through the window, illuminating three panicked faces.

Ou Yang's expression changed drastically: "It's too late, hide! Quickly!"

(End of this chapter)