Simulation Game: Crisis Management

Chapter 567 - 257: Dangerous Undercurrents (Happy Labor Day)

A sudden cough instantly froze the gangsters in place.

For a moment.

The air at the scene seemed to stagnate.

Cui Ridou’s expression changed from anger, to surprise, and finally, he instinctively took a few steps back, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes.

Gu Ji also realized something was wrong from the changes in their expressions.

He had just coughed!

"Jin Zhijiu, I hope you’re a smart person. Let’s go."

As a gang hired by Shansang, Cui Ridou naturally understood the truth of the matter, so he casually threw out a threat and hurriedly left with his subordinates and the female high school student.

Gu Ji quickly shut the door.

And used an alcohol spray on the doorknob to disinfect it. "Cough cough cough..."

Another instinctive, involuntary cough.

His expression changed subtly.

It wasn’t until this moment that Gu Ji understood that the discomfort in his neck muscles was likely not due to his sleeping posture, but because he...

Was infected with MERS!!

It’s important to note that the incubation period for this disease is 1.9-14.7 days, with an average of 5.2 days.

And it had only been three days since he came into contact with the white-haired patient at the hospital.

If you disregard the factor of "genetic susceptibility," even someone as strong as "Jin Zhijiu" was infected so quickly.

This couldn’t help but make Gu Ji worry about the changes in the MERS virus in South Korea this time.

Although later the World Health Organization determined that during the 2015 South Korean MERS event, the virus showed no significant mutational characteristics, as of 2025, the medical community has still not fully understood the source and transmission routes of MERS.

For instance, early on, according to patient data, it was commonly believed that MERS was not highly contagious and had limited human-to-human transmission ability, and patients couldn’t further transmit it to others.

However, after the South Korean MERS event, this conclusion was found to be incorrect.

The virus had already developed continuous human-to-human transmission ability: the first generation infects the second, the second infects the third, showing exponential growth, and could therefore cause massive human epidemics.

"Cough cough, if what I suspect is true, I’m afraid there’s already an outbreak of hospital-acquired infections at Shansang Hospital!"

Gu Ji coughed into his hand, suddenly recalling the message he saw on his phone.

AM Hospital!

Since he now met the high suspicion standard for MERS infection, it would be better to let people from AM Hospital directly collect samples for testing. If the news of the MERS virus spreading in South Korea could be released through AM Hospital, it could still force the government to step in and impose strict controls.

It’s just that...

I don’t know if there’s still time.

Time was pressing, so Gu Ji first used an official account to find AM Hospital’s phone number. After identifying himself and explaining his purpose, he was directly connected to the director of AM Hospital’s medical office.

Since they are rivals with Shansang.

Upon learning they could use this to criticize Shansang for concealing and not reporting the infection, the director was naturally more than willing and immediately decided to send someone in person to collect samples.

Gu Ji took the opportunity to request some Ribavirin, which is originally a treatment for Lassa fever and hemorrhagic fever but can also be used for severe bronchitis and pneumonia patients.

Although he didn’t meet the high-risk factors for severe cases: age, obesity, underlying conditions.

But the virus is always filled with unpredictability.

He could be infected today, and it might deteriorate tomorrow.

While waiting for AM Hospital personnel to arrive, Gu Ji also sent a recording of the Mountain Dog Gang’s threat to him earlier to Lin Renna.

Although Cui Ridou never mentioned that he came from Shansang throughout, nor did he explicitly say that Gu Ji shouldn’t continue investigating "MERS infection."

But the final cough that scared the gangsters away was enough to explain the situation.

"You must be careful recently. Since Cui Ridou could find me, he will undoubtedly find you, and the large-scale MERS outbreak should happen soon. Given Seoul’s current medical, food, and transportation infrastructure, it will be hard to handle a sudden explosion of public panic. It’s best to stock up on medicine and food in advance."

"Thank you, Mr. Jin, I will definitely be careful!"

Gu Ji was afraid of a repeat of the Jiang Chengxun situation, so he specifically reminded Lin Renna.

After waiting for about an hour.

There was finally a knock at the door, followed by his phone ringing, indicating that the people from AM Hospital had arrived.

Gu Ji opened the door.

In front of him stood more than ten medical staff wearing white protective suits, with goggles and N95 masks.

The leading middle-aged man spoke:

"Mr. Jin, we are from the AM Hospital laboratory center, here to conduct your sample testing."

"Did you run into people from the Mountain Dog Gang when you came?"

Before they came, Gu Ji specifically warned AM about the gang monitoring him.

Although this Mountain Dog Gang was a no-name gang, Cui Ridou was indeed a ruthless person who wouldn’t easily back down.

Judging from the number of people who came, AM must have sent security.

The middle-aged man shook his head, "It seems not."

"Then let’s start immediately with the complete blood count, biochemical tests, and pathogen examinations. Collect more samples; sometimes, in the early stages of infection, MERS’s transmissibility is very unclear."

"Understood, Mr. Jin."

There was a hint of surprise in the middle-aged man’s tone, seemingly not expecting a prosecutor to know more about a virus laboratory examination than he, a professional laboratory technician.

"What’s the fastest time we can get results?"

Gu Ji sat quietly on the sofa, lifting his arm for the nurse to start disinfecting and drawing blood.

The middle-aged man quickly replied, "Rest assured, this issue has already caught Mr. Jiang’s attention. She specifically emphasized that your samples undergo special handling, and as long as there are no sample issues, results will be out as quickly as in two hours!"

"Mr. Jiang?"

"Yes, Mr. Jiang is the daughter of the head of AM Electronics and is currently the medical director overseeing AM Seoul Hospital."

Hearing that the people involved were influential, Gu Ji was finally at ease.

AM’s willingness to have core members focus on this affair showed their strong intent to take on Shansang.

The sampling process was simple:

Blood draw, nasal swab, throat swabs for the lower respiratory tract.

Just as the nurse was swabbing the nasal cavity, a sudden roar erupted in the corridor outside: "Hey! Jin Zhijiu! Are you trying to be evasive?! Are you looking for trouble?!"

"I’ll go take a look."

One of the standing men, who was very tall, said in a deep voice.

But Gu Ji hurriedly stopped him, "Achoo! Cough cough... It’s the Mountain Dog Gang. Don’t mind them, continue with the sampling!"

Just after saying that, intense banging began on the door.

Gu Ji remained completely calm, enduring the intense discomfort while calling the nearby police station. After identifying himself and explaining the situation, the station immediately dispatched criminal and security police officers to provide support.

Knowing that the longer they delayed, the more it would be in their disadvantage.

The Mountain Dog Gang’s actions became increasingly aggressive; with the naked eye, one could see the metal door being dented by axes and sticks.

The medical staff from AM’s laboratory centre, having never witnessed such a terrifying scene, found their hands uncontrollably shaking during sampling.

Gu Ji gently patted the nurse’s hand, signaling her to quickly collect the respiratory tract mucus.

Suddenly.

"Crack——!"