After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World - Chapter 1682

Chapter 1682: Treatments (Part 1)
Alterra, a week later

While the things settled down in the new associated territories, there were quite a few things happening in Alterra as well.

For one, the cure for the drug addiction was finally completed!

It was a joint project between the hospital and the research center, and definitely a source of celebration.

The medicine was something injected into the bloodstream. It functioned to cleanse the body completely of the drug’s effects, which was actually better than what Terran had back then.

At first, their approach against drug addiction was what had been used in Terran. Back then, one had to rehabilitate, slowly calibrating the body to get used to functioning without it. There was no immediate-acting medicine to fix the problem.

This was because drug addiction wasn’t a chemical problem—it was a brain rewiring problem.

Drugs didn’t just flood the brain with dopamine, it would reprogram the perception of reward, motivation, and memory circuits.

As such, dealing with it was a slow process using various methods including some medicines and IV fluids. Considering how dangerous the world was, it was impractical to let people be incapacitated for so long.

Building rehabilitation centers for every affected person would be too costly and space consuming as well.

Further, they saw the pandemic getting bigger with many powerhouses pushing for it. They seemed to have the impression that it wouldn’t have much negative effects on them.

On the contrary, because they could afford and handle taking more than others, they were not excempt from the possibility of losing themselves completely from it.

They’d even be more dangerous because they were strong and would be able to cause more damage. Alterra acknowledged this and saw the need to find a quick fix.

Hence, Volohov and Althea dedicated teams to create a medicine that could quickly handle it.

Fortunately, in Terran, there were some medicines that could slightly reduce withdrawals, cravings, or relapse risks by stabilizing brain chemistry. It was just that they wouldn’t erase addiction itself. The person still had to rebuild healthy habits in time, and by their own will.

What they had to do was develop a similar drug, but much more potent. The side effect would be that they might not enjoy things as much as before, at least until their bodies fixed themselves.

After several weeks of dedicated study, they really found one. This was possible partially because of their improved physiques here. The medicine would not have worked on normal Terrans, but the improved physiques could absorb and integrate the solutions better, making a permanent treatment possible.

They were even eyeing two future improvements: something that’d make the takers be averse to taking the drugs again and another, to cleanse the body of the existing impurities that collected in their bodies.

There were a lot of trial and errors too and the initial batches, and they ended up making things for other stuff.

For example, they made something ultra-constipated people would take to poop. And there was also a variation when, if someone somehow got parasitic worms, they could flush them out, too.

They made records of this of course, just in case. Even if there were no use for them right now, innovations were innovations and people still registered patents over them because why not.

They also gave a Class D reward from the World Knowledge too, and this meant that they could be easily done by others when one had the materials for them.

In the drug rehabilitation wing, Fos, the right hand man from New Shrao Village, was there, thanking the team. His people were the first to benefit from the cure, and that saved so many lives—also indirectly, because these people were their powerhouses meant to protect their village.

He had a few dozen people standing next to him. “Thank you, they have recovered well thanks to you,” he said, paying the system accordingly.

By default, system buildings had payment systems wherein a panel would appear in front of the customers for payment. This would go straight to Althea’s wallet.

On the other hand, everything that didn’t go straight to the system, such as industries using manual buildings, would go through individuals or through the bank. In those cases, they’d be issued strictly controlled receipts.

Many of the affected men were part of Shrao’s main forces, some of whom were old friends and teammates. When they saw how the disease destroyed those with lower levels, they truly feared for their lives.

Now, they looked as healthy as ever and it was really money well-spent.

The group of them headed out of the hospital, the interior of which they could not help appreciating.

It was a really comforting design with the open spaces, wide halls, gardens and the like. Where else but Alterra could build something like this?

The hospital was such a complicated thing. It was a symbol of hope that one would be well even after getting injured. At the same time, they also felt relieved they were finally leaving, hoping not to have to return ever again.

As he left, his eyes followed a woman guided by a young boy. There were also teenagers around them.

“That’s Jane,” one of the nurses said. “She’s undergoing depression treatment, but her new son is very responsible and taking care of her well. It also helps that her late son’s friends visit her very often.”

“I see…” he said. Alterrans do tend to overshare when it comes to personal details and gossip like this, especially if it was supposed to be ‘inspiring’.

And it was, in a sense. Even he had heard of this tragic woman, and he had heard of how she was still alive despite everything she had been through. This was a woman who had lost both her sons as well as her mind, and she’d have long died and was abandoned if she lived elsewhere. In Alterra, she could still live well.

Now, she has adopted a son, and people wonder if she was in the right mind to even raise a child. Now, it was clear that the child was willingly raising her, instead.

Fos shook his head. It was none of his business, anyway.

He looked behind him. “Let’s go back home,” he said. “We have been gone for long enough.”