Boris stared at the medical imaging of Matthias's liver, then sat down on the ground. Even the professionally trained doctors around him felt their scalps tingle at the horrifying sight, let alone ordinary people.
Boris Gustav was a politician who had spent his life in conflict. His mental fortitude was immense, yet seeing this, he experienced a severe physiological reaction.
Following this, Dr. Weiss explained what liver flukes were.
Liver flukes, also known as Clonorchis sinensis, are adult parasitic worms that inhabit the liver and bile ducts of humans, causing clonorchiasis.
This disease is prevalent in livestock areas or in the waters of tropical and subtropical regions.
The larvae of liver flukes are invisible to the naked eye. These larvae can parasitize aquatic snails and even fish. They are also found in large numbers within the feces of animals in livestock areas and within livestock themselves. Some polluted water sources also contain liver fluke eggs.
Once liver fluke eggs enter the human body, they hatch rapidly and then, following the digestive tract and bloodstream, enter the human liver, gradually growing and reproducing.
Humans infected with liver fluke disease initially show no obvious symptoms. However, as the liver flukes reproduce in greater numbers, they cause severe liver damage.
The liver is a vital organ. Nutrients from food are absorbed by the liver and enter the bloodstream. The liver also breaks down many toxins in the body, and even the body's energy is converted from sugar by the liver.
Liver flukes severely damage the liver and can even produce toxins that cause the liver to lose function, ultimately leading to cirrhosis, liver tumors, or even rupture of the hepatic artery, resulting in death.
Furthermore, liver flukes can severely block the bile ducts, causing a series of liver and biliary symptoms.
The liver flukes within Matthias's body were caused by the powder that Ling Tian had secretly placed in his food. That powder was actually liver fluke eggs.
These eggs were the遗物 (yíwù -遺物) of the Gu King and his disciple. Both master and disciple had been eliminated by Ling Tian, who had also used a secret method to obtain the memories from their minds.
Ling Tian had not discarded the遗物 of the two. Since the Spirit Realm space had plenty of room, he had simply thrown these items into it.
This time, Matthias Gustav had come to China and had been relentlessly pressuring Wang Bingxia, showing no mercy, which had caused Wang Bingxia great distress. This had thoroughly angered Ling Tian.
At that moment, Ling Tian had sentenced him to death. However, Ling Tian was hesitant to act rashly. He knew very well that if Matthias died in China, Wang Qingtian, who was thousands of miles away, might retaliate.
Therefore, Ling Tian decided to make Matthias die without a trace!
It was then that Ling Tian thought of the inheritance of the Gu King from his memories. As soon as he thought of it, he acted. That day, he secretly followed Matthias to the hotel where he was staying, used an invisibility charm to sneak into the restaurant, and then, right in front of him, dumped the eggs onto Matthias's plate.
Years ago, after absorbing the Gu King's memories, Ling Tian had gained a deeper understanding of Gu worms. Gu worms were not simply poisonous creatures or insects like snakes, insects, rats, ants, or the five poisons.
In fact, the most mysterious and feared Gu worms were parasites.
Parasites were too small to be seen by the naked eye and could spread through air and water, making them impossible to guard against.
Once a parasite entered the human body, the Gu caster would release a pheromone. Through this pheromone, they could rapidly catalyze the Gu worm, causing it to reproduce and erupt, directly leading to the death of the person infected with the Gu worm.
For a normal case of liver fluke disease to develop to Matthias's current stage, it would typically take at least 3 to 5 years.
However, the liver flukes Ling Tian had used on him were carefully cultivated by the Gu King years ago. These liver flukes, once inside the human body, would rapidly hatch and reproduce. Then, a large number of dead liver flukes would release a significant amount of toxins, causing immense damage to the liver.
Moreover, this type of Gu worm had a magical effect: upon entering the body, it would release a special hormone that made the host extremely hungry for fresh blood, causing them to crave large amounts of raw meat.
Matthias had been eating several pounds of raw fish almost every day recently. This hobby had even frightened those around him.
This fresh blood food, upon entering the body, became a catalyst for the rapid growth of these parasites. In just one week, Matthias's liver had been almost hollowed out by these parasites.
After a while, Boris finally recovered from his shock.
"Dr. Weiss, please tell me honestly, is Matthias still savable?"
Dr. Weiss shook his head with a solemn expression.
"The patient's liver fluke disease has entered a stage of explosive growth. For ordinary liver fluke disease, we could remove the cysts in the patient's body through surgery or interventional procedures, and then use medication to kill the parasite eggs.
However, now, Mr. Matthias's liver has been completely destroyed. The only treatment is a liver transplant..."
"That's no problem. Let's do the transplant! Money is not an issue, and neither are organ recipients. This should be no difficulty for your Mayo Clinic!" Boris decided decisively.
Dr. Weiss's face showed a very troubled expression.
"Mr. Boris, it's not that simple. Mr. Matthias's liver has already lost its function. Even if we use medication, it's likely that Mr. Matthias will die before we can kill the parasite eggs.
But if the parasite eggs are not completely eradicated, even if Mr. Matthias undergoes a liver transplant, the new liver will soon be infected.
There is also a very serious problem: we have also found parasite eggs in Mr. Matthias's brain... This is not entirely unexpected, as some liver parasites can also infect the brain..."
Although Dr. Weiss's words were not explicit, Boris understood.
The liver could be removed and replaced if it was ruined, but once the brain was infected, there was no hope. After all, in modern medicine, brain cells and nerve cells are irreplaceable.
"Alright, Dr. Weiss, I understand!
I have only one request: do not let him feel any pain!"
"Very well, Mr. Boris!"
Their conversation, though sounding ordinary, translated into three simple words: pull the plug.
A politician like Boris would not spend a lot of money on someone who was destined to die.
A few hours later, Matthias went to meet Satan.