Chapter 10: The crisis comes quietly
As a world-famous fog city, the city of London is always closely related to the endless rain, fog and dark haze.
The black, yellow, pungent, and choking London fog always spreads everywhere day and night, making the streets so dark during the day that you can't even see your fingers, and eventually swallowed up the entire city, long before the industrial revolution. This is already the case - even without the exhaust gases emitted by factories, trains and cars, the coal smoke used by millions of people in London for cooking and heating every day is enough to pollute the city's air into a scorching purgatory...< br>
On another morning filled with thick fog and dim light, in the mixed slums of East London, Old Tom, the owner of a certain second-hand shop, was cleaning his shop during the short leisure period when there were no customers in the morning - because the old man Tom recently went back to his hometown in the countryside for something, and closed the store for half a month. He just came back yesterday evening, so many things in the store have already accumulated a thick layer of dust.
After sweeping the floor, wiping the windows and counters, Old Tom used a feather duster to brush away the dust and cobwebs on the shelves while wondering what price to put on these things - unlike most of them, which are mixed in black and white. Like any other thrift store, the goods in Old Tom's store come from a variety of sources. Quite a few of them are things that even Old Tom himself can't explain their origins, and many of the rest are undeniably stolen goods.
The glass tube with a complicated structure that he was holding in his hand at this time was an unknown thing that he had collected at a low price from a pickpocket last month - it was a glass tube with a tubular structure, with two ends. It is a silver-white metal hoop with a transparent glass cylinder in the middle, inlaid with two exquisite spiral glass tubes, which are regularly intertwined with each other. Some kind of sapphire blue liquid is shining fluorescently in the spiral tube.
Although it looks quite exquisite, unfortunately it has no use at all. If used as a decoration, it seems too monotonous. After all, there are no carvings or etchings on the glass, and there are no carving patterns on the metal hoop. If it’s some kind of perfume or potion, but I don’t know what it’s for, and I don’t know how to trick customers into buying it—what if it’s some kind of poison? Hey, I really don’t know who made such a strange thing? Although I only paid half a penny for this thing when I received it, I still worry about whether it will sell...
Old Tom frowned and curled his lips, but he continued to pick up the rag in his hand and carefully wiped the dust on the glass test tube.
However, at this moment, the wooden door of the shop was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang, which made Old Tom tremble all over. The glass test tube in his hand suddenly slipped and fell to the ground with a clatter, turning into a There were piles of glass shards, and fluorescent blue liquid flowed all over the floor.
Faced with this turn of events, Old Tom and the customers who came in were stunned... In the end, the shop owner, Old Tom, reluctantly admitted that he was unlucky, grabbed a broom and a rag, and began to clean up the broken glass on the floor, while complaining to the customers. Shouted, "...Look, it's all your fault! Old William! Why did you barge in like this without even knocking on the door? I broke something early in the morning! Don't you know how to be careful?" ”
"...Hey! How can you blame me for this? It's obvious that you didn't make the fuss properly." Old William, who came in through the door, obviously knew the shop owner, Old Tom, very well, and didn't take his complaints seriously at all, "... …Stop talking nonsense, is the item I asked for last time in stock now?”
"...Yes, yes, I just got it." As soon as he mentioned business matters, Old Tom immediately became energetic. He immediately took out a box from under the counter, pushed it in front of the customer and opened it, "...an authentic African ivory pipe. ! Look at the color and workmanship! Isn’t it a lot to charge you?”
"...Really? But why do I see that the pipe is full of pits and nicks? There are also many scratches on the decorative reliefs? The cigarette holder was obviously broken and reconnected with wood... This kind of thing is obvious at first sight. The rags that have dropped in price, no one wants them even if they cost five shillings, right?”
……
After finishing his business for the day and preparing to close the door, Old Tom suddenly felt his nose was a little itchy and couldn't help but sneeze.
"...Ah Sneeze! What's wrong with me? I seem a little uncomfortable... Could it be that I have a cold? It's better to rest early after going back..."
He stretched out his hand to wipe his nose, shivered, and muttered to himself...
——The initial symptoms of T-virus infection in "Resident Evil" are no different from ordinary minor illnesses. They are just coughing, sneezing, or itching like a rash, just like the body is allergic or allergic. A hay fever-like reaction when stimulated.
For a strong and healthy person, it is very difficult for a small amount of T virus that occasionally touches the skin to overcome the immune system of a healthy person. It may even result in the virus being completely eliminated. So usually no one would pay attention to this kind of thing. At most, they think they have a cold and go to the pharmacy to buy cold medicine. But the problem is that unless the person is really strong enough to rely on his own immunity to resist the viral attack, no cold medicine can kill the T virus (unless anti-viral antibodies are injected). Therefore, when the patient goes to buy cold medicine, the virus has already begun to invade the infected person's cell tissue before the host is aware of it, gradually transforming him into a zombie...
What's even more terrible is that in England at the end of the 18th century, humans didn't even invent cold medicines like aspirin...
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When the T virus brought the entire London and even the entire UK into the scope of transmission, our protagonist and his party were still at a loss.
At this time, Mr. Ayu, the Indian patient who came for treatment, had completely recovered from the miraculous effect of the [Automatic Medical Box], but his body was still relatively weak and he needed to continue to rest for a while and supplement his nutrition.
And his son Chandra and daughter-in-law Karina couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief and began to have free time to walk around. Under the supervision of Wang Qiu pretending to be Mr. Collins, they visited the British countryside at the end of the 18th century. scenery.
"...Is this...Netherfield Manor (also translated as Netherfield Garden)? It is indeed much more decent than the Bennet house."
Chandra, wrapped in a turban and wearing an Indian national costume, stood side by side with Wang Qiu outside the door of a manor and commented like this.
——Indeed, if the Bennet family's house is roughly equivalent to a "finely decorated farmhouse", then this Netherfield Manor finally looks more like a luxurious villa for Western rich people: the manor A large amount of white marble is used throughout the main building, which is vaguely like the White House. The windows and door frames were elaborately carved, and every detail cost a great deal of money. In the courtyard outside the house, there are no chickens, ducks and geese pooping everywhere, but a real Western-style garden, decorated with statues, fountains, pavilions and shrubs trimmed into geometric shapes.
As for the scene inside the manor, although Wang Qiu has not personally gone in to see it - the owner of this manor lives in London and has not been back for many, many years, so the Netherfield Manor is currently vacant - but according to the villagers' descriptions , and the influence of various movies, you can also know a little bit: beautiful silverware with shining silver, wearing a white wig valets, exquisite sofas with intricate patterns, intricately spaced brass candlesticks, carefully carved heavy wooden doors, billiards and card rooms with wood-panelled walls and dim and soft light, and large oil paintings hanging on the walls. There may also be huge Greek-style reliefs, plus brightly colored satin curtains and Persian carpets... In short, it looks like a place where a nobleman lives.
Of course, in the eyes of modern people who are used to seeing all kinds of luxury hotels, this manor is just relatively exquisite, sophisticated and stylish.
But in the eyes of the ignorant British country people in the eighteenth century, the decoration and style of Netherfield Manor was already like a palace.
"...according to local residents, this Netherfield Manor is already the most luxurious house in Longbourn Village."
Wang Qiu, who had been here for a while first, introduced Mr. Chandra as follows, "...However, the owner of this manor has been unable to make ends meet because of his excessive extravagance, and has even accumulated high debts. Over the years, he has been trying to build this manor. Netherfield Manor was sold, but unfortunately the asking price was too high and no suitable buyer could be found. In the end, it could only be rented out for wealthy people who did not have a manor and wanted to spend the summer in the countryside..."
“...Then, in the summer or early autumn of this year, Mr. Bingley, the second male protagonist of Pride and Prejudice, will come from London and rent this Netherfield Manor to entertain his friend Darcy and others. . This is the beginning of the plot of "Pride and Prejudice"...right?"
Chandra grinned, "...I read this novel a long time ago, and on the plane coming to your side, I used my tablet to re-read the plot. In addition, I also re-read the old and new versions. 'Pride and Prejudice' film and BBC mini-series..."
"...Oh, it seems that you are indeed well prepared." Wang Qiu blinked and said with a smile. Through this period of contact, he found that this Indian couple seemed to be very easy to deal with. They were very funny and easy-going, and they got along well with the people on his side.
"...In fact, I took a classical literature appreciation class at Cambridge, and my wife once joined a book club on Jane Austen's novels!"
"...In that case, do you want to visit Pemberley Manor again? It is the dream villa owned by the hero Mr. Darcy. The manor is located in Derbyshire. If we walk there, it may be a bit far, but if we ride a horse, it will be a day It is estimated that we can still get there..."
"...No need, you can't go in there anyway, you can only look outside the manor." Chandra waved his hand, "...and, in the modern world of Britain, I have already visited this manor. , and even stayed there for a few days - of course, there is no Pemberley Manor in the real world. But there is the filming location of "Pride and Prejudice", Chatsworth Manor in Derbyshire. Because "Pride and Prejudice" was filmed, it is also called Darcy Manor. It is now a museum and resort open to the public. It allows visitors to enjoy aristocratic dances and banquets..."
"...It sounds very interesting." Wang Qiu gave him a thumbs up, "...I can't tell, you are quite good at playing!"
"...If you really try it, you will know that it is actually very boring. Well, you are just tormenting yourself." Chandra smiled bitterly and shook his head, "...There are countless social etiquette, You need to use dozens of knives, forks and spoons to eat a meal, and you have to wear different clothes for walking, dining and dancing... And the pastries and steaks that you actually eat feel like the stuff in ordinary Western restaurants. No difference.”
"...Indeed, society is always developing and progressing. The material enjoyment of ancient nobles is probably not as good as that of modern urban white-collar workers."
Wang Qiu nodded, "...I have watched a French costume drama. It is said that the Sun King Louis XIV asked his servants to serve more than forty dishes of various kinds when he ate every day, and then he chose what he liked to eat. . This was seen as a sign of extravagance at the time, but in a modern metropolis, if you just walked into a higher-end buffet restaurant, you wouldn't be able to find forty decent dishes. ”
"...So, I'm actually not very interested in country manors in England. Anyway, what these manors look like here is what they look like over there - you said before that this is actually a movie world. The manors are all based on the real world.”
Chandra shrugged, "...However, I am more interested in the city of London in this era - those manors can be seen from any side of the world, but the city of London before the Industrial Revolution can only be seen here. Only then can I see..." He said with a slight sigh and melancholy.
"...Uh... We just have plans to go to London recently. If you want, you can also go with us..."
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A few days later, Wang Qiu and others took Chandra and his wife Karina on a trip to London.
Before setting off, Wang Qiu and the other Chinese people not only put on wigs and contact lenses, but also carefully disguised themselves to prevent their appearance. But Chandra and his wife don't have to be so troublesome. They are originally high-caste white Indians. As long as they trim their hair, put on the dresses and long skirts of this era, and finally spray some perfume to cover up their body odor, apart from having slightly darker skin, they will Apart from that, there is not much difference from the British - but this This was the era when the British Empire was sailing around the world and colonizing. There were also many British people who went to the tropics to join the army, fight, do business, and set up plantations. They returned home after getting tanned. As long as they were not going to dances in the upper class. If you go to the banquet, you won't attract anyone's attention.
The entire visit was uneventful. Unfortunately, there are not many sights worth seeing in London these days - Trafalgar Square, Regent Street, Waterloo Bridge, Nelson Monument, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, and the British Parliament Buildings. , the British Empire Museum, and the British Imperial Library where Marx wrote "Das Kapital". These famous landscape buildings of the Victorian era did not exist at all in the era of "Pride and Prejudice".
St. James' Park, which was famous for its exquisiteness and splendor in later generations, is still an execution ground similar to Caishikou in Beijing. When Wang Qiu passed by there, he happened to see several thieves hanging on the gallows swinging there. Even the prototype of Hyde Park is just a messy green space... Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London have been completed for many years, but how can ordinary people enter such a royal palace?
Despite this, in order to satisfy the requirements of some historians and sociologists at the rear, Wang Qiu and the others took a mini camera for candid filming and walked around the streets and alleys of London several times. Be it shops, markets, churches or mansions, some typical examples were carefully observed. He even ventured deep into the East End, the dirtiest and most impoverished area, and took countless photos and videos along the way to record every detail of the city.
However, just where they can't see, some kind of tiny destructive factor is also rapidly multiplying and expanding in London... An unprecedented catastrophe that catches people off guard has entered the countdown stage in this world!