The Beginning

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No one thought it could be done, but someone did. The son of the biggest drug lord of the Far East was kidnapped six hours ago. The boy barely out of his teens slipped past his bodyguards to join his friends at a night in the club. No one exactly knew how it happened, how the kidnapping was staged but a message was sent with a proof of life an hour ago along with a list of demands. The demands were simple - pay a ransom for the life of the boy and pull out their drugs from circulation and let the rival gang the West World take over. The Far East Council was in their war room discussing things over. Someone brought out the idea of a full-scale all-out war which Kingpin Xi shot down. He knows that as mighty as his criminal empire is, he is no match gun for gun, goon for goon against the West World. Someone mentioned about paying the ransom and pulling out the drugs from the world market. When things have cooled down, they can go ahead and reclaim whatever territories they might lost. Again, the idea was shot down. Xi finally broke his silence, 'Bring Ping Jii inside. Let us hear about his latest project.' Ping Jii didn't follow the footsteps of his elder brother. He studied medicine and graduated at the top of his class. He is now a respected microbiologist and immunologist but has never managed to get out of the shadows of his more well-known elder brother. 'Tell us about your latest project dear brother,' Xi said. Ping Jii cleared his throat and began. 'I've developed a virus unlike no other. It has an incubation period of 21 days so people will be infected but they won't know it. It will start like a regular flu. Coughs and cold will be persistent until the second week. By the third week, the infected will have mild fever and will have difficulty breathing. After 21 days, the virus would have taken over the victim's lungs, heart, liver and other internal organs. Once that happens, we have seen victims die within 48 hours. It is a slow and painful death. They bleed through their eyes, nose, and mouth. Transmission is fast usually through close contact. The virus spreads through droplets when people cough, sneeze, or speak. We have done laboratory tests and have found out that depending on the material of the surface, the virus can live up to 24 hours.' The Council was silent for a full minute. Someone finally broke it and addressed Xi, 'Why don't we just pay the ransom and work out a deal with the West World. We do business in our side of the world and they do theirs on their own. In that case...' Xi cut the Council member of, 'Do you still think this is about money? Or business? This is about humiliating me! Humiliating the Far East!' He sent dagger looks across the room. 'We will send this virus out without the West World knowing it. Ping Jii, how soon can we send the carriers out?', Xi asked his brother. 'We have infected subjects ready for deployment. They can arrive in our targeted countries as tourists or students. Others are going to be smuggled in as cheap labor. Of course no one among them have any idea that they are infected. We have at least 100,000 infected subjects whom we have injected with the virus. These are people who lived in the province where we have an ongoing medical mission. The one wherein we built two hospitals and sent in various mobile clinics. Almost everyone was injected, man, woman, child, old and young.' Ping Jii said with much pride. 'We can infect as much as we need as soon as we need it. Willing carriers is not a problem or an issue. Sending them overseas is not a concern as well.' 'Very well my dear brother. Send them out. I have many wives who will give birth to more sons. Bring down the West World to its knees!' Xi said with revenge in his eyes. He has been consumed by madness. The Council can only stare blankly in disbelief. Ping Jii pulled out his mobile phone and dialed the number to his Wuhan laboratory. ===== Boredom strikes. Sometimes, I like to retell stories in my head.