Reborn as a Superpower Girl in the 80s
Chapter 1021: Tell me, what did you find?

Chapter 1021: Chapter 1021: Tell me, what did you find?

Lu Yichen notified his father, Lu Xinyi, and Big Brother, Lu Yixuan, to return to the Gu family together to discuss the next steps in handling the situation.

The expert team, upon arrival, wore face masks and rubber gloves as a precaution before entering the afflicted village.

They collected samples from various places and urgently sent them to the nearest laboratory for analysis, splitting into two groups to visit the homes of the sick to understand and examine their conditions.

Most of the patients suffered from sore throats, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, with some severe cases initially presenting with blistering skin that later burst and became pus-filled sores that had started to ulcerate. After discussion, the team ruled out the possibility of an infectious disease, which relieved everyone.

While the experts were gathered to discuss the cause of the illness, someone came by to deliver boiling water. Luo Qiao, who had a sensitive sense of smell, detected a faint medicinal scent in the water and instinctively felt there was something wrong with it.

She quickly shouted, "Don’t drink this water, everyone; there’s something wrong with it."

Everyone was startled and promptly set down their cups of water.

A familiar Professor Guo asked, "Luo Qiao, tell us, what did you find?"

Luo Qiao, looking up at Professor Guo, said, "Officials from the area previously claimed that water sources had been tested and were safe. However, I’m certain there’s something wrong with this water; it has a faint medicinal smell."

Professor Guo quickly asked the person responsible for bringing the water, "Where did this water come from?"

Everyone then followed to the well where the water had been drawn, collected some samples directly from the well, and grabbed some of the previously boiled water to send for testing urgently.

Luo Qiao had an additional sample taken from the well water and instructed the carrier to have the laboratory boil a sample of the well water before testing it again.

Professor Guo, observing Luo Qiao, asked, "So, you think the water itself is fine, but something happens when it is boiled?"

Luo Qiao shook her head then nodded, "I suspect that the village’s illness might originate from this well. The boiled water had a faint smell of arsenic sulfide, but I’m not sure if that’s the real cause."

Professor Guo had water samples taken from other wells in the village, labeled separately, and sent to the laboratory for testing, which worked through the night to obtain results.

As Luo Qiao suspected, the issue indeed stemmed from this particular well. It turned out that most of the villagers who fell ill had used water from this well. The previously tested waters were from a river and another well.

After investigating, it turned out that recently, some large snakes had been found in the area. Villagers, concerned for their children, had used a significant amount of arsenic sulfide. They also lit fires near the well, intending to smoke out the snakes hiding in the rocks.

Arsenic sulfide is toxic, and when heated, it can oxidize into the deadly compound arsenic trioxide, or realgar. Poisoning can cause symptoms such as sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and in severe cases, death due to heart failure or respiratory failure. Long-term exposure can cause skin allergies, presenting as papules and blisters.

The problem identified, the next step was treatment, but that no longer required the expert team to remain. Local hospital doctors had taken over, understanding the cause and ruling out infectious diseases, thus reducing the surrounding panic.

The following afternoon, having handed over everything, they prepared to depart. Their arrival had been urgent, involving a military aircraft, but the return trip would not be on a charter flight.

They would first take a car to the city, then transfer by train to Capital City. Luo Qiao, carrying her belongings, boarded the vehicle, and Professor Guo and a few familiar professors began to tease her, "How many things did you pack, planning for a long battle?"

Luo Qiao, using her bag, brought out a lot of dried fruit and snacks, "It’s just my family being worried, so they packed a lot of food which ended up not being used much. If you don’t mind, let’s all have a taste."

Everyone laughed, "We don’t mind at all."

Luo Qiao distributed some to everyone.

After tasting the dried fruit, Professor Guo commented, "This is really good. Not just for you young people; this old man likes it too."

Someone chimed in, "Delicious, really delicious. I was worried about getting carsick earlier, but I feel much better after eating this."

Unfortunately, the road was truly unfriendly, shaking everyone as if they were riding horses on a grassland. Just as they began discussing the incident, the vehicle suddenly stopped.