Chapter 1513
The Final Battle, Defeat
Chapter 1513 The Final Battle, Defeat
When the old man woke up again, it was already dawn, October 23rd.
But the old man's health was deteriorating, and he knew that the first batch of antifungal medicine had failed to kill the plague bacteria in his body and cure him.
"Cough cough cough cough!" Inside the room, a violent coughing sound, as if covered by a drum skin, came from Ah Yong.
Ah Yong's condition also worsened.
"Xiao, Xiao Cong..." Old Master Xun didn't open his eyes, only asking one question.
Upon hearing this, A Yong was overjoyed. He coughed repeatedly, took A Yong's hand, and took his pulse to check his condition. His hand paused noticeably as he took the pulse, but he quickly exclaimed happily, "Old Master Xun, you're awake! That's wonderful!"
"Xiao Cong fell asleep again after waking up. His condition is stable, so please don't worry. Cough cough cough..." A Yong suppressed his cough, not wanting to worry Old Master Xun.
Old Master Xun sighed and said, “Remember this: the fungal medicine made from streptomycin used on the 22nd was ineffective... Reason one, there is a 50% chance that there is not enough streptomycin in the fermentation liquid; the solution is... increase the time for cultivating the streptomycin. After the microbial community has grown, cultivate it in the fermentation tank for a full ten days, at least eight days, before it can be used.”
"The second reason is that there is a 50% chance that the high-temperature sterilization is insufficient or excessive, which kills the mycotoxins and makes them ineffective. The solution is to reduce the temperature and duration of sterilization, and to cool down the sterilization tank quickly after it is removed. This method is troublesome and requires precise control. There are no shortcuts. You can only try and keep a close eye on it until you succeed."
"Reason three: there is a 20% chance that the wrong strain was selected... The solution is to select the strain from scratch and start over."
Master Xun spoke these three paragraphs in fits and starts, taking almost half an hour to finish, by which time Xiao Cong had already woken up.
"Yes, we've written everything down, don't worry, sir." Ah Yong said, sounding very worried about Old Master Xun, and then told him, "Xiao Cong has woken up and is right next to you, don't worry, sir."
"Okay," the old man said.
"Old Xun, we'll feed you some rice and wheat soup." It was the voice of the dead soldiers. They usually stayed in a more ventilated room, but they would deliver food, water, soup, medicine, and other supplies to this more sealed fermentation and medicine-making room.
"Old Xun, Brother Liao, Qin Dongjia has sent Old Xun medicine and supplies!" The voice came from one of the soldiers who had died from the disease and whose symptoms were relatively mild. He was also the youngest, only eighteen years old.
"Bring it inside quickly, Old Xun is awake!" shouted the dead soldier, the junior officer. He then said to Old Xun, "Old Xun, did you hear that? Boss Qin has brought you some fungal medicine. Boss Qin has also made fungal medicine. Maybe her fungal medicine can cure you!"
Qin Xiaomi also sent a portion of the fungal medicine to acquaintances or meritorious officials such as Master Qu, Commander Yue, Commander Hu, and Commander Gu.
Upon hearing this, Old Man Xun's spirits lifted considerably, his eyes brightened, and he even managed to reach out and lean on Liao Ge to get up: "Help me up... I need to see the medicine."
"Don't worry, old man, it won't be that fast for Sheng and the others to move the supplies." Liao Ge, along with two dead soldiers, helped Old Man Xun up and pressed him onto a quilted armchair so he could rest and wait.
About fifteen minutes later, Sheng Xiaozi came in with three dead soldiers, carrying two baskets of things, a large box, and a long box.
"Which one is the fungicide?" Old Xun asked, his gaze landing precisely on the long box.
Sure enough, Sheng handed the long box to A Yong: "Old Xun, the fungus medicine is inside, there are three portions, and there is also a letter from Master Qin to you inside."
"Don't rush, old man, sit down." A Yong said to Liao Ge, helping Old Xun open the long box, taking out a small porcelain bottle, and placing it in Old Xun's hand: "This is a sealed fungicide."
"This is a letter, shall we read it to you?" Liao Ge asked.
Master Xun nodded: "Read it."
After contracting the virus and becoming seriously ill, his eyesight deteriorated, and he could only see things clearly up close, needing to be face-to-face to recognize Ah Yong and the others. "Hey," Liao Ge responded, beginning to read the letter: "...This antibacterial medicine is 50% effective. You should use one dose. I told you, your life is more valuable than your death..."
Besides detailing the process, steps, and reaction points of Qin Xiaomi and Lian Niangzi's preparation of the fungal medicine, the letter also urged Xun Lao to use this fungal medicine.
Liao Ge, A Yong, and Sheng Xiaozi also advised, "Old Xun, Master Qin is your boss, so just listen to me and take the medicine quickly."
After giving him advice, A-Yong immediately grabbed a knife to cut open Old Xun's wound so he could push the antiseptic into his flesh... This method was a bit bloody, painful, and prone to infection.
Could you make a syringe?
With the combined skills of the Wei craftsmen and Qin Xiaomi's design, it's possible to make it, but only an archaic version (how archaic? The kind used to inject pigs). It's time-consuming, difficult to use, and requires sterilization. It's better to just cut the wound and apply the medicine directly.
"Wait!" the old man suddenly shouted, startling Ah Yong so much that he almost dropped the precious medicine.
"Old Xun, don't be stubborn, you have to listen to Master Qin."
Old Xun said, "It's no use... I'm already exhausted. Even if the master's medicine works and kills the plague bacteria in my body, my body can't live anymore, and I'm bound to die."
Any medicine is fine, but you should use it while you're still alive. If you only use it when your internal organs are almost dead, then taking any good medicine is useless.
"A-Yong, Xiao-Cong, you're both military doctors, you know what I mean."
Ah Yong, Xiao Cong, and even Liao Ge, these dead soldiers who knew first aid, all understood the principle that 'if the internal organs are damaged, even a magic pill is useless'.
"Sheng, Yong, and Xiao Cong, the three of you use this medicine," the old man said. "The three of you represent the three stages of the disease: mild, moderate, and severe... Only when you use this medicine can you obtain more results on treating the epidemic with antibacterial drugs, which will be extremely useful for medicine and future generations."
The old man said he was tired and paused for a moment before saying, "This is an order. Use it now, or get out."
There was no time to waste at a time like this, so the three of them quickly cleaned their wounds and applied medicine to themselves.
Xiao Cong's condition was quite serious, and he relied on Liao Ge's help to clean and apply medicine to his wounds and bandage them up.
"Wrap it up, don't let the disinfectant leak out, it's precious." The old man said, and then gave the three of them a pep talk. He had tried everything, but he didn't know if it would work.
"These are supplies sent to you by the Qin family... Aunt Qin from Wuyuan sent you late-blooming camellias, winter dates, dried hawthorns, persimmon cakes, and a stack of letters... Oh, and there are even Spring Festival couplets." Liao Ge took the supplies out of the basket.
The camellias, though wilted, are fiery red; the dried fruits, though wilted, are brightly colored and exude a sweet fragrance.
"Beautiful...it's rare to see such beauty."
At this time of year, in this situation, it's quite rare that they would send such good things to this old geezer.
"You need to eat...read the letter, and eat while you listen." The old man knows how to 'enjoy' things, but actually he doesn't have much strength left and needs help to survive.
"Hey, kid, I'll read it to you right away. I can read too. I learned it in the army, it didn't cost me any money, hehe." Sheng's family was also poor, and he learned a lot of things in the army after he joined the army.
But Master Xun said, "Your name is well-chosen; it has vitality. You are likely to live."
"Hehe, thank you for your kind words, sir." Young Master Sheng chuckled, mashing the persimmons into a paste with a spoon and feeding it to Elder Xun while reading the letter: "Noon Garden is well. Many pregnant women and infants who used your fumigation medicine are in good health, and very few babies are coughing as the cold weather turns..."