Simulation Game: Crisis Management

Chapter 573 - 260: Virus Company

"Beep beep! Honk..."

The security team was about to be overwhelmed by the patients breaking through the doors.

Suddenly, a piercing siren sounded from the parking lot, and police cars along with white emergency control vehicles stopped in front of the hospital emergency room.

As the car doors opened, several individuals got out and started taking over the security blockade.

The control personnel split into three groups.

One group held yellow folding barricades and rolls of transparent plastic cloth, sealing off the entrance and setting up a closed passage. Another group carried quarantine medical boxes for sample collection, while the third group had large containers of disinfectant, tasked with disinfecting bacteria, viruses, and other infectious agents.

"Who is Prosecutor Jin Zhijiu?"

"I am."

Gu Ji quickly finished taking photos and pulled Jiang Chengxun to stand before the white-haired uncle’s family. "It’s them. I’ve been observing for a while—muscle soreness, shortness of breath, coughing, fever, chills—they’re highly suspicious targets!"

"Good, immediately take these people to the isolation ward for testing!"

"Hey? Wait, what are you doing!"

The white-haired uncle saw himself surrounded by the control personnel and tried to argue, thinking Gu Ji was taking revenge for being scolded earlier.

"Mr. Jin, have you found the suspect?"

"The person has already fled, wearing black clothes and a gray baseball cap. There’s surveillance at the emergency room entrance."

Coincidentally, the officer receiving the report was the same middle-parted officer from before.

Gu Ji casually made up an excuse, then pointed to the patients queuing near the triage desk. "Arrange all close contacts for queuing, temperature checks, and testing."

Having said this, he followed Jiang Chengxun to the isolation ward and sent a text to his subordinate, Jang Siyun, asking him to contact the Busan police to protect Jiang Chengxun’s family and to bring his own car to the hospital parking lot.

Through two rounds, Gu Ji realized an important point.

It was also a mistake he frequently made, always limiting himself to what was immediately in front of him, lacking a broader perspective.

Stepping out of the immediate scope and using a god’s-eye view to handle this public health crisis, Gu Ji found it was much like playing the "Virus Company" game.

Anyway, in the initial stage, the South Korean Government was treating this MERS incident like child’s play.

So he simply imagined it as a game.

Following the three key traits of a virus in the game: infectivity, lethality, compliance risk.

The second one, Gu Ji couldn’t control.

The related index for compliance risk is "resistance," which was also the main reason why Mr. Zheng from the CDC disagreed with Gu Ji’s emergency lockdown suggestion in the last round.

Because before MERS showed terrifying transmission ability and mortality rate, the government and public lacked understanding of it. Forcibly implementing emergency measures would not only affect the economy but also stir public resentment, escalating to Cheongwadae.

After all, no one likes being sealed in a hospital for no reason, especially tourists coming and going.

To lower "compliance risk" is simple.

Lift the quarantine, provide economic assistance, and allow the high mortality rate of the virus to incite public panic.

The first two are not good strategies.

So, Gu Ji chose the third option.

Using the fear of "anthrax" among people to reduce resistance.

The result was evident, even someone like Li Minfu, a direct stakeholder, didn’t put up any obstruction, and the emergency room was successfully sealed off.

At the same time, he could use this excuse to prioritize cutting off the infection source.

Namely isolating the white-haired uncle’s family in a ward.

Fifth floor of the emergency room.

The room was individually isolated with barriers by the CDC personnel, designated as a closed ward for the white-haired uncle’s family.

After the sample collection was completed.

Citing the urgency of the situation, Gu Ji requested to return to the CDC testing center with Jiang Chengxun.

The main reason he did this was to prevent any movements from Shansang and also to check if he himself was infected with MERS.

Halfway there, his superior Sun Zaisi suddenly called.

Without even thinking, it was definitely the Shansang Hospital executives calling the prosecution to inquire, and since Sun Zaisi wasn’t in the loop, he could only ask him.

Without giving it a glance, he hung up and waited outside the testing center.

Around seven in the evening, Jiang Chengxun finally came out together with the head of the testing center, exhaling a sigh of relief:

"Thank God, it’s not anthrax. The patient’s serum specimen showed a negative result for anthrax-specific antibodies, but from the blood and sputum samples, we isolated the Cov virus, although the exact name is still uncertain and requires further testing and comparisons."

"It’s not anthrax, it’s the Cov virus. This is of great importance, I need to see a detailed report!"

Gu Ji feigned slight surprise.

Using "anthrax attack" as a reason, he demanded the CDC publish the testing results.

Without giving it much thought, Jiang Chengxun went back to retrieve the report and handed it to him.

"I need evidence for the records." Gu Ji said as he was already pulling out his prepared phone, snapping a picture of the virus identification certificate, and casually probing, "The patient’s epidemiology history mentioned he had visited the Middle East, could it be an MERS infection?"

"MERS... that’s a possibility."

Jiang Chengxun pondered with pursed lips.

Gu Ji squinted slightly. "Currently, it’s uncertain if it was a natural infection or a deliberate attack. In any case, if it truly is MERS, the patient will be the first imported MERS case, not to be taken lightly. I request it be reported immediately to the Disease Control Headquarters!"

"This matter is not urgent for now."

At this moment, the middle-aged uncle with black-rimmed glasses, who was the person in charge, returned. "Jiang Chengxun, it’s getting late, let’s call it a day."

Gu Ji raised an eyebrow.

In the last round at the CDC, it was this same person who dismissed him. Looks like Shansang’s movements were pretty fast.