Yes, It's A Miracle (1)
The ones who consumed the lymph nodes that had lost their potency experienced something akin to lethargy. The ones who consumed the freshly harvested, potent lymph nodes ran high fevers. A high fever meant there was a reaction within the body. Like a flu shot, perhaps? That’s the principle behind a flu vaccine, isn't it? Injecting a small amount of the virus—not enough to cause the actual disease—to stimulate the production of antibodies. Was it called a live vaccine? I think that was it. I suppose things like chickenpox, shingles, measles, mumps, and rubella work the same way. Anyway, I don't know the specifics beyond that. There’s no way to know in detail what’s happening inside their bodies. I lack the knowledge. So, I simply judge based on the results.
Those subjects consumed the lymph nodes, and their spore concentrations decreased. Therefore, I only need to focus on that. For now, the lethargy and high fever are a bit of a problem. At 38.5 degrees Celsius, they might be able to move, but they can't function normally. They’d feel like they’re constantly suffering from body aches. So, I’ll have to mix in some of the medicine I have. The thing I have the most of is, naturally, antihistamines. Next are painkillers.
Antihistamines don't kill bacteria or viruses, nor do they boost immunity. They simply serve to reduce the body's hypersensitive reactions. Because, quite literally, they reduce histamine. Histamine is what the body produces in response to external stimuli. Antihistamines suppress that. It’s the same principle behind why your body produces excessive mucus or tears during an allergic reaction, or why a mosquito bite swells up. Taking an antihistamine suppresses that histamine reaction, reducing the response itself. If that’s the case, I should be able to resolve the fever and lethargy with antihistamines as well. That was my theory, at least.
But that doesn't really matter. What do I know? My theories are unnecessary. I just have to feed it to them. No need to overthink it. I go out and catch another zombie. Then, I extract a lymph node and leave it out until its efficacy fades. In the meantime, I go through my routine. I can't neglect my work just because I have an excuse to experiment. If I keep making excuses to skip things, I’ll eventually lose the will to do them. And then, at some point, I’ll leave myself wide open.
After finishing my daily tasks, I prepare the medicine. I take a lymph node that’s been sitting out for a while and a fresh one from a newly caught zombie. I mix those two with antihistamines to create pills. And I give them to the two men, just like yesterday. Another day passes, and I check the results. The two of them are in better shape than yesterday. The lethargy doesn't look as severe, and the one who had a 38.5-degree fever last time only has a slight fever now. 37.4 degrees. This much is, well, acceptable. The fever has definitely gone down. The spore concentration dropped by about 1.2 to 3 percent. The efficacy decreased, but the side effects decreased even more. I’d say this isn't bad at all.
Using the same method, I try mixing it with painkillers this time. I have two main types of painkillers: acetaminophen-based and ibuprofen-based. So, I’ll have to run the experiment twice. I have plenty of time, so it doesn't really matter. The experimental results show that both were less effective than the antihistamines. That’s a relief for me. I have an abundance of antihistamines. Well, even if the painkillers were more effective, it wouldn't matter much as long as the antihistamines weren't ineffective. Anyway, that’s settled.
I can get zombie lymph nodes whenever I want. I have plenty of antihistamines, too. This means that as long as they haven't mutated into zombies yet, I can lower the spore concentration in people's bodies to prevent them from turning. Furthermore, this is a powerful weapon to control survivors. No one wants to turn into a zombie. So, if there’s a medicine that prevents zombification, they’ll have no choice but to rely on me. The problem is, it sounds too much like a scam. If I were to approach a group of survivors and say, "I have a medicine that prevents you from turning into a zombie...", they’d look at me like I’m a lunatic. There must have been countless con artists like that, right? So, rather than them readily accepting it, it’s much more plausible that they’d persecute me as a madman.
Therefore, I need something that can make those people believe me with certainty. There’s no way to prove that I’m lowering their spore concentration. Even if I drew a survivor's blood and showed them the spore levels before and after the injection, they wouldn't believe it. In other words, I have to show them the effects clearly right in front of their eyes so they can trust me. Only then will they accept the medicine. And there’s another thing: side effects. I’m feeding them the lymph nodes of a zombie—an infected person. So, I don't know what kind of side effects might occur. Of course, since there are people in Iceland who have been eating them for months, I don't think there will be any major side effects. Well, the fact that the medicine they took and the medicine I made aren't exactly the same is a problem, though.
Anyway, I need to conduct more experiments. I need more survivors. I have to feed them the medicine. If they can take it for at least a few months without any issues, then I can put it in my own mouth. Then I won't have to wear a gas mask anymore. I won't have to disinfect myself so rigorously. That aside, I also need to find a way to feed the medicine to survivors. The best way would be for a zombie to turn back into a human, right? But I don't think that’s possible. That’s not the realm of medicine; I suspect it’s the realm of miracles. If that were possible, I could start a religion. I’d be treated like the Second Coming of Jesus. If I commanded, "Kill!", wouldn't they all go and beat people to death? If I commanded, "Spread your legs!", wouldn't the women immediately spread their legs? So, I don't expect such dramatic effects.
What I want is to create a situation where survivors see the effects and have no choice but to believe in the medicine I have. It’s impossible to turn an already mutated zombie back into a human. But what about preventing a human who is full of spores from mutating into a zombie? That seems possible. First of all, I know the cause. The neurodisrupting spores filling the lymph nodes trigger zombification through stress or excitement. Since I’ve directly overseen that process, I know more about it than anyone else. What if I show them that I can stop that process? Wouldn't they have no choice but to believe me? Wouldn't they accept the medicine I give them with both hands? Right now, there’s no miracle more certain than that.
Yes. A miracle. That’s something that could almost be called a miracle. A miracle performed through indiscriminate experimentation and the scraps of human civilization. A ridiculous act of humans trying to clean up the punishment dealt by Mother Nature. Ugh. Even though I’m the one who thought of it, it’s a bit cringey. I can't believe I still have this kind of *chuunibyou* left in me. Still, I don't disagree that it’s miracle-grade. If I can stop the zombification that led most of humanity to their deaths, that’s obviously a miracle.
I need to experiment again. However, I have no source material right now. Furthermore, humans are rare. I have to keep injecting and raising the ones I’ve captured to observe their reactions. Then, animals would be the best, right? Animals mutate too, and they’re easier to obtain. It’s easier to dispose of them if they die. So, animal testing comes first. I’ll mutate them indiscriminately and find a way to stop it. That’s the priority right now. Since my course of action is decided, I’ll proceed with it. First, I’ll feed the medicine to the three women, not just the men. I have to lower their spore concentrations. I don't know when they might mutate either. I’ll just keep those five for side-effect observation. As for the women, well, I can just use them as *ona-holes* for the time being.
From the next day, I had to worry about how to catch animals. It would be nice if I could get lab mice, but that wouldn't be easy. Ah. I wonder if the mice are still alive in places like pharmaceutical companies? Or are they all dead? Honestly, it doesn't make sense for them to still be alive, right? So, I decided to just use the mice around me. Mice are overflowing anyway. Since the humans who used to persecute them are all dead, there are quite a lot of mouse swarms in the city. It’s something I couldn't have imagined in the past. It’s not like this is France, after all.
I catch mice while going through my routine. Catching mice isn't that difficult. All I need are some decent traps and a bit of bait. I remembered traps I’d seen in videos a long time ago, so I made them quickly. A trap where I build an entrance, place bait on top, and when they get close to grab it, the platform spins and they fall below. I made several of those traps and placed them around downtown Dongtan. Thanks to that, I was able to catch dozens of mice in just one day. The problem is that those mice are a bit disgusting. And they’re bigger than I thought. Most of all, they’re ferocious. And dirty. I have no confidence in touching them with my bare hands. If it were humans, I could at least tie them up. Mice are small, so it’s hard to tie them up. It’s actually even more troublesome. But if mice are like this, dogs and cats would be completely hopeless. They have teeth and claws, too. If I get bitten or scratched by mistake, I might catch some disease. Besides, it’s just as hard to tie them up. They’re actually more dangerous. Still, I had no choice, so I tried to experiment with the mice for now.
But another problem is... these guys keep producing filthy water no matter how much I wash them. It’s to the point where I wonder when they’ll ever be clean. This is driving me crazy. The only relief is that I found a way. Baby mice. Among the mice I caught, there was a pregnant one. Yes. It would be better to experiment with these newborn mice. At least these newborn mice wouldn't have many germs. They wouldn't have spores accumulated in their bodies either. No, wait. They might be infected with spores. So, I’ll have to check this. I’ll be able to get an answer to the question: "Is the spore concentration accumulated in the mother transmitted to the offspring?"