No Final, Just Start
People love to put labels on events. Well, maybe "love" isn't the right word. They do it for convenience and clarity, I suppose. Regardless, the media is usually the one to decide the name. I don't know what kind of social consensus went into it, but it didn't include the basketball arena, the team name, the location, or any specific group. The media called the incident the "Final Incident." People adopted it too, because it was short and easy to distinguish, and eventually, that tragedy was remembered by everyone as the Final Incident.
The Final Incident was quite severe. The death toll was in the hundreds, and the injured numbered in the thousands. Two high-profile, incredibly expensive basketball players died, and several others were injured. Naturally, the fallout was massive—enough to unsettle not just the United States, but the entire world. But, contrary to its name, it wasn't the "final" anything. It was the start.
Because it had garnered so much attention, people focused on the cause. Furthermore, there were those who drew connections to the senator's incident from the previous week, and on top of that, all sorts of things that would have otherwise been buried were dragged into the light. Now, people were finally realizing the severity: those who thought it was rabies but realized it wasn't, those who knew it wasn't just a simple mass shooting. And such people existed all over the world. Since it wasn't just a local issue, people took it seriously and felt a sense of vertigo. Yet, because of that very reason, some denied the situation entirely. They insisted the Final Incident was just the Final Incident, telling others not to overinterpret it. Perhaps they didn't want to accept it. Maybe it was too hard to face the fact that the world was on the verge of being screwed over by an unknown cause. Then again, it does sound absurd. It sounds like a conspiracy theory.
But when it comes to conspiracy theories, you have to look at America. It’s a place with a knack for them. Consequently, speculation ran wild, and all sorts of nonsense took over. Growing confusion and wild guesses. America wasn't offering any answers yet. I wondered what they would say. They weren't going to come out and say, "We're screwed now," were they?
One week after the incident, the White House made a public announcement:
124 dead, 4,212 injured. The federal government, FBI, and CDC have conducted an intensive investigation. No drugs were detected, and it was not an act of terrorism. The cause is unknown and currently under investigation. There are no signs of additional threats at this time. Citizens are advised to maintain their daily routines, but if you observe abnormal behavior or encounter similar symptoms, contact a medical institution immediately. The federal government views this incident with the utmost seriousness, and the FBI and CDC are jointly conducting a nationwide investigation. Similar incidents have been reported in some regions and are currently being verified.
And the last thing they said was a joke: "The current situation is under control, and additional safety measures are being implemented."
I see. They’re lying through their teeth, aren't they? This is something that cannot be controlled. Those idiots who just realized the severity of the situation are talking about control? Please. They probably said that because they wanted to prevent chaos. I understand. They had no other choice. But people aren't stupid. Even though they spoke so euphemistically, everyone understood what was being implied. That it was happening nationwide. That more things were going to happen. The White House announcement caused massive chaos across the United States. People lost order, and disorder only fueled more chaos. Anxiety spread like a wildfire. Fear began to burn brighter and brighter.
I suspect the trigger is human emotion. Or perhaps stress. Just like the people in the stadium, there were those who reacted hysterically in groups and became aggressive. Families, people at rallies, victims at hospitals—places like that. What’s interesting is that my previous prediction was correct. Among those trying to stop the aggressive ones, equally aggressive individuals appeared. Like the National Guard or the police? But they, too, would turn aggressive and, swept up by those already infected, would attack other innocent people.
Capybaras did it, and monkeys did it. The nerve-disrupting spores prevented the infected from killing each other. I don't know the principle behind it, but this incident confirmed that humans, too, do not attack one another. This is something I can use. Of course, I don't know the method yet. And even if I did, I doubt I could execute it. Should I mention this to the Doctor now? Maybe they’ve already figured it out and are researching it.
I’ll send a message. It’s all known to the world anyway. It would be pure arrogance to think I’m the only one who figured it out. People in this world are smarter than me. There’s no such thing as a "hidden piece" that only I know while everyone else is in the dark. I’m not foolish enough to dream of such things. It’s much more effective to find the unexpected within what everyone already knows.
I sent an email to the Doctor. It didn't take long to get a reply. Wow. It must be dawn over there, yet they replied immediately. They must be in a frenzy, too. As expected, P had already caught onto that part. They said they were focusing their research on it. Of course they were. This is how it should be. This is right. I almost got cocky there.
But if P is researching it, that means I might be able to get some scraps. I truly hope so. It feels like time is running out. Anyway, that’s how the world is falling into chaos. Madness breaking out simultaneously all over the globe. And Korea was no different.
The first incident happened in Seoul, naturally. A quarter of South Korea's population lives in Seoul, after all. Half are packed into the capital area. I don't know if anything similar happened before, but this was the first time since the Final Incident. A man went on a rampage at a bar. It wasn't that severe; it was just simple assault, and the victims' injuries weren't that great. The first infected person was an office worker. And it was revealed that he had been on a business trip to the U.S. last year.
Just like during the Wuhan pneumonia outbreak, Korea seems to have no sense of boundaries. They broadcasted private information without any filter. It seemed like the U.S. and the rest of the world thought of this as some kind of virus, too. That’s how they were treating it. I suppose that’s because of the Wuhan pneumonia. Anyway, the Chinese are such a nuisance. It’s been years, and it’s still like this.
Regardless, the damage wasn't the point. The problem was that the symptoms had appeared in Korea. Those who had been hoping against hope started to stir, and anxiety crept in. Besides, this was different from the Wuhan pneumonia. The symptoms were immediate and terrifying. It wasn't just suffering from a high fever or pneumonia. It destroys you and makes you attack those around you. Most of all, no one knows the cause or how to prevent it. People just wear masks, use hand sanitizer, and refrain from gathering. But even so, the next infected person appears.
Again, the capital area. Just one person this time. The symptoms were the same. They rolled their eyes back and attacked random people around them, but were subdued before any major damage could occur. Certainly, our country seems a bit slower in showing symptoms. Probably because of the winter. The Doctor said the same thing. The spores wouldn't freeze to death in winter, but the rate of spread would be significantly slower. However, densely populated areas are the exception. Since there are plenty of warm places, the spread continued normally.
Anyway, infected people keep appearing in the capital area. Still, it’s definitely fewer compared to other countries. The broadcasting stations are still able to count them. Perhaps because of the experience with the Wuhan pneumonia, the government took measures early. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency immediately started at the "serious" level and rushed to activate the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. Epidemiological investigations were still persistent, and quarantine was relatively easy. The nation of "hurry-hurry." The national character of not wanting to lose out was being displayed without reserve.
But the chronic ills remained. This time, they blocked entry and exit quickly. Since the number of travelers had already plummeted, it was a bold decision they could afford to make. But there were so many people bitching about it. They said that during the China outbreak, they kept the windows wide open and caught mosquitoes while saying "Irasshaimase," but now they were blocking entry and exit immediately. Seeing things like that... honestly. Everyone really has nothing better to do. They’re just fighting each other while bringing up partisan logic in situations like this. So, I stopped paying attention to that side. I don't want to see that kind of crap. It’s ugly and disgusting.
The only thing I’m interested in is the infected. I wanted to see a person who had manifested the nerve-disrupting spores with my own eyes. There are too many things I want to experiment with. I wanted to confirm it for myself. This is probably a crazy thought. I’m nobody. I don’t have professional knowledge, and I’m not in the field. All I know is the information the Doctor updates me with. So, me doing experiments is out of the question. It’s overstepping, it’s going too far. But I was curious. What if I could collect the spores? What if I could culture them? What if I could find a way to deceive the infected? It would be a thrilling thing. If I could do that, it would be like getting an invisibility cloak in a world filled with chaos and disorder. Of course, that’s assuming I stay safe.
I stay cooped up in my house, staring at the monitor without going outside. On the TV playing next to me, the domestic infection status is broadcasted continuously. Man, those people are having a hard time, too. To be doing that in this situation. If that announcer suddenly turned and turned the studio into a mess, that would be a legend. But it would be exciting, though.
A few more days pass like that. It’s the 6th week, the time I promised Baek Jin-ho. But I still kept the satellite phone turned off. Does he care about me? Is he excited, preparing to enter his hideout? Are the people he told about doing the same? Suddenly, I thought of Suhyang’s phone number. Should I try contacting her? Would that reach Baek Jin-ho’s ears? I don't know. For now, let’s wait and see. That’s not what’s important right now.
In the meantime, a few more days pass, and the number of infected people increases explosively. It seems highly likely that stress is the trigger. The current situation is one that puts a lot of stress on many people. So, the numbers will only increase from here. This should be seen as the beginning. Now, even the broadcasting stations have started referring to the infected only by numbers. 2,819. The number of infected people counted so far. But that’s a number that will soon be forgotten. Counting will soon become meaningless.
And four days later, just as I expected, the broadcasting stations stopped revealing the number of infected people. They just repeated the same words: practice thorough prevention and avoid going outside if possible. Hmm. Is that person on the screen even human? Is it an AI? Or is it a recording? I don't know. I don't need to worry about that. After all, at this very moment, the world is already racing toward its destruction.