A biological laboratory under the Third Space Foundation has finally found evidence that the Gray Brain Virus originated from Toxoplasma gondii. This terrifying intracellular parasite, when stimulated by bioelectric waves of a specific frequency, will approach the wave source and generate continuous vibrations. Its vibration frequency is synchronized with the radio waves, and after the vibration, all of these Toxoplasma gondii will die.
A large swarm of insects moved in sync with the vibrations of brainwaves, much like a crowd of people in a disco dancing wildly to the rhythm of music after taking drugs. Scientists call this vibration " the Dance of Death."
There are three frequency bands of electrical waves that enable Toxoplasma gondii to perform its Dance of Death. Two of these bands fall within the normal range of our brainwaves. However, these brainwaves are only released with a higher probability under the influence of certain complex emotions. The extensive movement and Dance of Death of Toxoplasma gondii can damage the nervous system, inducing encephalitis, meningitis, and epilepsy. After death, the parasite enters the cerebrospinal fluid, which can attack the human immune system and cause diseases of the blood, lymph, and even other organs.
The third frequency band is outside the range of common brainwaves. It is under the stimulation of this frequency that Toxoplasma gondii rapidly decomposes during its Dance of Death, releasing the Gray Brain Virus. The virus then aggregates in an orderly manner on the gray matter layer of the brain, like an ant colony, causing brain cells to slowly die.
After receiving the report, Mei Yiqiu analyzed that the third frequency was unique to invading consciousness. If the relationship between the emission of this frequency and conscious thought could be studied, it might be possible to discover the difference between extraterrestrial invading consciousness and human consciousness. That way, people on Earth who have been invaded could be distinguished from healthy people.
This matter was originally only known within a small circle; apart from a few related laboratories, not even everyone within the Third Space Foundation knew about it. However, the news leaked out of somewhere, and rumors about the Gray Brain Virus began to appear on the Internet.
Cases of the Gray Brain Virus are rare and not publicly disclosed, so they wouldn't normally cause much of a stir. However, the more mysterious something is, the more it can arouse people's interest and panic. Rumors about this virus have been increasing online, saying that several cases have been discovered in some places, and several people have died in others, etc.
Netizens demanded that medical institutions and the government disclose information and not conceal anything. The government then issued a denial, stating that such a virus did not exist. It was thought that the rumors would be easily debunked, but no sooner had the government issued its denial than someone posted virus sample data and experimental data online. These concrete facts rendered the government's denial seem weak and ineffective, and the public began to get angry. Even many members of the scientific community protested, demanding that the truth be revealed.
Rumors are not limited to any one country; they exist all over the world. Many government agencies have simply stopped refuting rumors and instead pointed the finger at other countries as the source of the rumors, completely absolving themselves of any responsibility and saying that the virus originated abroad and that the people in their own country do not need to worry.
This fueled even more rumors. The latest claims were that humans had been infected on a large scale, and that infected people would lose their self-awareness and turn into zombies. There were even rumors that the local crematoriums had been taken over by the military and were being used specifically to cremate zombies.
Then, an even bigger bombshell exploded on the Internet —Mr. Lester, one of the greatest scientists of our time, died of Gray Brain Virus.
WikiLeaks and a mysterious Facebook account simultaneously released Mr. Lester's diagnostic records at Hopkins Medical Center, including several pages about the discovery of a novel virus in his brain. The publisher claimed that the materials were salvaged and that the original had been destroyed by Hopkins Medical Center.
This sparked outrage online and within the scientific community. Supporters of the Lester Hospital condemned Hopkins Medical Center and the United States government, questioning why they had concealed the truth. Just as people were waiting for a denial, news broke that a physician and archivist at the medical center had been arrested by the United States Central Intelligence Agency.
But the story doesn't end there. Next, parts of Lester's dying words were made into a video and released on YouTube, quickly garnering over two billion views worldwide within just a few days. The video's uploader claimed it was a warning Lester issued to humanity using the Thought Matrix Cipher before his death, absolutely authentic and unfathomable.
As a result, the scientists who had been debating the truth about Lester's death suddenly fell silent, and the governments that were blaming each other and shifting responsibility also fell silent.
Online, all that's left are ordinary people fiercely engaging in verbal battles, accusing each other of being aliens, saying things like "your mother is an alien," or "your whole family is an alien."
Next, the material that Mei Yiqiu and his team had just discovered regarding Toxoplasma gondii being the origin of the Gray Brain Virus was also made public.
No matter how terrifying Gray Brain Virus and aliens may be, they are still far removed from ordinary people. They can vent their frustrations online, but then they'll go about their business as usual. Once the government and the scientific community stop talking, these rumors will remain just rumors.
But Toxoplasmosis is something everyone knows; it's all around us, in your pets, and even on yourself.
Thus began a global panic caused by Toxoplasma gondii.
Pharmacies were completely sold out of all kinds of broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs, antibiotics, and anthelmintics, including sulfadiazine, pyrimethanil, spiramycin, and albendazole; even insecticides were sold out.
Despite repeated warnings that toxoplasmosis is a parasite and all parasite vaccines are fake, pet stores continue to raise the price of toxoplasmosis vaccines from 300 to 600 yuan per dose to 5,000 yuan per dose, and they are still in short supply.
Some families who can't afford vaccines give their pets medication or apply insecticides, and if all else fails, they abandon their cats. Government animal shelters are already overflowing, and large numbers of cats roam the streets, especially near restaurants, which have become hotspots for stray cats.
People have to be careful, keeping their doors and windows tightly closed at home and in the office. When going out, those with cars drive, and those without cars try to squeeze onto the bus as quickly as possible to get to the company, otherwise they might encounter a group of filthy cats at any time.
People began to loathe and fear cats. This loathing and fear twisted the minds of many, causing them to vent their original hostility toward aliens, anger toward government incompetence, and resentment toward world injustice on cats.
One day, a " Cat-Killing Order " suddenly appeared online, detailing the problems of felines and toxoplasmosis, and calling on humans to eliminate domestic cats in order to protect themselves, restricting the living space of felines to primitive areas far away from human society. At the same time, it promised a reward of fifty US dollars to anyone who kills a cat.
At first, people were skeptical, until someone killed a stray cat that had broken into their home and found an extra fifty dollars in their bank account. Once this news spread, many others followed suit.
No matter how much animal protection associations appealed, and no matter how much the government banned it, the " Cat-Killing Order " was deleted and republished repeatedly, eventually becoming an overwhelming force. As a result, the cat killing trend intensified and became uncontrollable.
When Yu Meiren arrived at Qingmu's place, crying her eyes out, led by Shi Dazhuang, her little orange cat had been missing for over a week.