Plague (25): He is a gift

In the laboratory on the 6th floor of the experimental building, Wen Yi’s mentor quickly noticed that a particularly capable person seemed to be missing from the team: “Where’s Wen Yi? At such a critical moment, where has he gone?”

Wen Yi’s assistant and other team members exchanged glances: “Have you seen Dr. Wen before?”

“No, he hasn’t come over just now.”

“Dr. Wen might be resting in the dormitory.”

Since Tan Xiao came over, Wen Yi had been returning to the dormitory on time every day to rest, and he basically comes over just in time for work.

The old professor’s face changed instantly: “Hurry up and call him over! How can he sleep at his age!”

“Wait a minute, I specifically didn’t call Wen Yi over today.”

After Nie Cheng confirmed that the vaccine was real and effective, he finally remembered his promise to Wen Yi: “Give Dr. Wen a break these days, and no one should disturb him.”

Once all the patients had recovered, it would significantly free up the labor force of medical staff and volunteers, so having a few fewer volunteers wasn’t a big deal.

Wen Yi’s mentor was very dissatisfied with his student taking a leave of absence on his own: “He’s so young, why does he need to take so much time off? He can rest after the vaccine issue is resolved.”

Being lazy at such a crucial time would definitely affect others’ opinions of him and also impact the future of his own students.

Nie Cheng said, “The T1 vaccine was provided to me by Dr. Wen. He has given so much, so let’s let him rest well these next few days.”

If he promised someone something, he had to do it well, otherwise, Wen Yi would dare to put a scalpel to his own neck in the middle of the night.

By the way, Wen Yi’s boyfriend also needed to rest. He didn’t forget to remind the person in charge: “The volunteers, Tan Xiao and Dr. Wen, should take these three days off first.”

The old professor’s eyes widened: “What, this vaccine was developed by Wen Yi?”

Professor Zhu also said, “Is that true? Why has he never mentioned this to us before?”

How come everyone was working in the same lab, and Wen Yi was secretly working behind the scenes, impressing everyone?

Was it really necessary? If Wen Yi had such abilities, he could easily lead a team on his own. As long as he had the capability and wanted to take charge, no one would disagree.

Moreover, with so many people around, including Wen Yi’s mentor, and over a hundred cameras in the lab monitoring everything 24/7 without any blind spots, no one could steal Wen Yi’s credit.

Nie Cheng chose to brush it off: “After T0 failed, Wen Yi improved T1.”

Some things should remain secrets forever; there was no need for everyone to know.

The team was very shocked when they found out, but Nie Cheng had no need to lie about it. A mere chief physician didn’t have the standing to have a powerful general cover for him.

Although this sounded unbelievable, considering Wen Yi’s impressive resume, perhaps this was what genius was—being able to create incredible miracles.

Wen Yi’s mentor didn’t say anything more; even a general would speak to Wen Yi, and this credit couldn’t be separated from his own student.

As for the other party needing a break, he quickly came up with a suitable reason. Being able to present an improved vaccine at this critical moment surely meant that Wen Yi had been secretly working overtime during this period.

“Then let’s let Wen Yi take a good rest. We should strive to promote the vaccine smoothly and quickly, and then see if we can reduce the pain after vaccination.”

The old professor smiled gently, thinking that the rest of the work should be handled by them old folks. After all, they were teachers and couldn’t leave everything to the young people.

Starting from 4 AM, the entire Huaxi Hospital became very lively, but the floor where the research staff dormitory was located remained quiet.

With General Nie’s special instructions, no one would specifically disturb Dr. Wen and his young and beautiful partner.

Room 801 was very quiet, Tan Xiao woke up once around 3 AM, but soon fell back into a deep sleep.

He dreamt of the same scene again: a large living room, a television, familiar elements that made him feel he had dreamt this before.

But unlike the last time, the television was no longer that old black-and-white set with a big rear end; it was now a 27-inch LCD color TV.

A TV drama was playing on the screen, but no TV drama had ever looked so unfiltered and raw as the scene before him.

As the camera zoomed in, he could see the huge sign on the building: Huaxi Hospital.

This was the largest hospital in S City. Whether it was Monday or Sunday, every day was bustling with people, needing to accommodate a large number of patients.

Tan Xiao saw familiar scenes in the footage: Aunt Zhao, the fruit vendor, and the uncle selling buns…

This wasn’t a filmed TV drama; it looked more like a documentary captured by surveillance cameras.

In the footage, there was no sign of himself working part-time at the fruit store. The perspective was third-person, with himself sitting in the living room watching the surveillance. Of course, he couldn’t be standing at the fruit store part-time.

As usual, Dr. Wen appeared in the footage, wearing a white shirt, black suit pants, and leather shoes.

In this dream, Dr. Wen looked very handsome in formal attire! He stood tall and had a slender figure, and his well-tailored shirt accentuated his slim waist.

Accompanying Dr. Wen was another kind-looking female doctor. At the entrance of the Huaxi Hospital lobby, there were many cardboard cutouts of soda cans, suggesting that the hospital seemed to be hosting a large academic exchange event today.

Unable to resist a smile at the corners of his lips, the surveillance camera suddenly shifted from his beloved Dr. Wen to a somewhat lecherous-looking middle-aged man.

Wearing an oil-stained denim jacket, with slanted eyes, a bulbous nose, and a hunched posture, one hand was hidden inside the denim jacket

It was a knife! He hid a knife in his denim jacket!

Tan Xiao recognized that face. That day, he bravely kicked this vicious medical troublemaker out, which brought him closer to Dr. Wen and earned him a gentle, handsome, and outstanding boyfriend.

Even though he knew that in real life, Dr. Wen was successfully rescued and only had an arm injury, the camera zoomed in on the man’s malicious, bloodshot eyes, and for some reason, Tan Xiao couldn’t control his anxiety.

“Knock, knock, knock!”

In the quiet living room, his heart raced violently due to excessive tension, the camera following the troublemaker.

During an academic conference attended by numerous doctors, the late-arriving assailant burst into the office, startling everyone.

“Die, you!”

The knife-wielder unhesitatingly aimed at the kind-hearted female doctor and then used a long watermelon knife to injure several doctors.

The hospital was filled with piercing screams, and Tan Xiao wished he could jump through the screen to beat up the damn thug, but through the monitor, he could do nothing.

Dr. Wen helped block a knife, injuring his arm. The enraged assailant threw down the watermelon knife and surprisingly had a hidden dagger. During the struggle, he threw the dagger into Wen Yi’s chest.

In front of everyone, Dr. Wen, clutching his chest, collapsed to the ground. Watching this scene from outside, Tan Xiao felt dizzy.

How could this happen? They should have incapacitated the knife-wielder immediately. What good was just holding him down?

Fuming, he stood up and cursed at the surveillance cameras. Unfortunately, Tan Xiao had been raised well and couldn’t think of any particularly vicious curses, so he could only keep cursing the thug to die quickly.

Dr. Wen was pushed into the emergency room, the red lights above the operating room glaring like the blood itself. At this moment, Tan Xiao had already forgotten he was just dreaming. He paced anxiously in the living room, finally waiting for the lights to go out.

Dr. Wen was not a local; his family was all from out of town. When the surgery was over, his colleagues from Huaxi Hospital were waiting outside, including the female doctor who Dr. Wen had helped, as well as his assistant and the intern he was mentoring.

The doctor wearing a mask came out of the ward, then shook his head heavily, his eyes red: “Doctor Wen was hit in a vital area, that knife went right through his heart. His injuries were too severe, and despite our efforts, he couldn’t be saved…”

When he said this, his voice choked up a bit. After all, they were colleagues who had worked together for a long time, and he left under such tragic circumstances.

The doctor in charge of the rescue announced Wen Yi’s death in a sorrowful tone: “I’m very sorry…”

Even though he was at home, the living room felt like it had a dark cumulonimbus cloud, and heavy rain was pouring down from the sky above him.

How could this happen? Dr. Wen was still so young!

The vicious assailant who caused the medical disturbance had already been handcuffed and taken to the police station, but the pain he brought to Huaxi Hospital was irreparable.

How could this be? This must be a joke. How could Dr. Wen die while trying to save someone? Even though he knew it was just a dream, his eyes, which were usually full of laughter, uncontrollably turned as red as those of the other doctors.

Seeing Dr. Wen lying on the hospital bed, his young and elegant face devoid of all color and then covered with a white cloth, he felt his heart ache so much.

Tears couldn’t help but roll down the handsome young man’s face, large drops falling to the ground. His crying looked as beautiful as a breathtaking painting, but unfortunately, besides the surveillance cameras, no one was there to appreciate such a scene.

Tan Xiao didn’t want to have this annoying dream anymore; he wanted to wake up from it.

However, when the dream would end was not entirely under Tan Xiao’s control. The scenes in the surveillance continued, and the hospital soon held a funeral for Dr. Wen, and his body was cremated.

In the dream, time and space jumped quickly, and before long, the X12 infectious disease outbreak occurred.

According to big data tracking, the first batch of patients were the doctors from Huaxi Hospital and the relatives who attended Dr. Wen’s funeral, and even the staff from the crematorium.

Their commonality was that they all had contact with Wen Yi, which meant Wen Yi was very likely the patient zero of the infectious disease. The online sentiment suddenly reversed, and countless people even tried to exonerate the perpetrator.

“How despicable! He brought the infectious disease! He killed my parents, he killed my daughter!”

“He deserves to die! These people all deserve to die! They are the devils who brought disaster!”

The camera shifted from these remarks to the prison, where the man inside had many rashes under his collar. Before he rushed into the hospital, the close-up shot had already shown the rashes on the man’s neck.

The truth was coming to light: if there really was a patient zero, this despicable thug was the one.

It was because he stabbed Dr. Wen that Dr. Wen got infected.

Hmm? Did Dr. Wen get infected? Tan Xiao didn’t know, because after being declared dead, Dr. Wen’s body was quickly cremated.

During subsequent follow-ups, due to the overwhelming public sentiment, the hospital conducted tests on the grave and the urn, and indeed found traces of the virus.

The photo on Dr. Wen’s tombstone was splashed with red paint, and the words “Murderer” were written in large letters.

The doctor who saved lives and treated the wounded became a damned murderer in the eyes of the citizens who were venting their emotions in madness.

But he clearly did nothing wrong. In the subsequent work, when the rioter fell ill in prison, he was the one whose symptoms progressed the slowest and whose condition deteriorated the most severely.

His entire body was covered in terrifying blisters, and then, with a bang, he exploded into a mist of blood.

It was also at this time that someone found the rioter’s home, and in his house, they discovered a large amount of the virus, which was more primitive than the ones the doctors had in the hospital.

In other words, the rioter was the zero patient, and Dr. Wen had been a victim from start to finish.

Public opinion had turned around, but Dr. Wen was already dead, and because of the deaths caused by the infectious disease, there were still quite a few malicious speculations about him online.

“Who knows what’s true or false? Maybe it’s that hospital’s doctor who is trying to clear himself by making up a story. Anyway, they are the ones doing the tests. I heard that the old doctor doing the tests was also Wen Yi’s mentor. Teachers falsifying for their students, right?”

He wanted to curse those who smeared Dr. Wen’s name, wishing they would all get sick and die.

At this moment, he felt a bit relieved that Dr. Wen was already dead, buried in the grave and unable to hear anything.

The camera shifted to Dr. Wen’s tombstone, where the paint that had been splashed on it still lingers. Due to the pandemic, there was no staff to maintain the cemetery, so even though Dr. Wen had been vindicated, his grave was still in disarray.

At this moment, he noticed that Dr. Wen’s gaze was fixed on a grayish-white MP4, which was somewhat similar in color to the tombstone, so it was momentarily overlooked by Tan Xiao.

As Tan Xiao’s gaze focused, the surveillance footage switched to a few days ago, when a family member who had lost a loved one to an infectious disease brought the MP4 to the grave.

The person, whose gender was indiscernible due to being wrapped in protective clothing, placed the MP4 in front of the tombstone, directly facing Wen Yi’s black-and-white portrait.

They even used 502 glue to stick the MP4 to the tombstone.

The MP4 contained a lot of extremely malicious insults, and the video played incessantly the online accusations against Wen Yi.

The MP4 was even solar-powered, so these endlessly looping videos had been cursing Dr. Wen for many days.

Heavens, heavens! Tan Xiao was momentarily speechless, finding it hard to describe his feelings at this moment.

No one knew how the X12 virus appeared, but suddenly a thought popped into Tan Xiao’s mind: perhaps the virus was a punishment from God, feeling that the world was too terrible and should be destroyed together.

Tan Xiao felt like there was a huge lump of cotton stuck in his throat. He really wanted to say something, but he couldn’t utter a single word. His light-colored jeans had long since turned into a solid dark patch.

Seeing Dr. Wen’s bewildered expression in a ghostly state, Tan Xiao couldn’t hold back the surging tears. He wasn’t the type to cry; even when he accidentally bumped his head and got a big bump, he never shed a tear.

The last time he couldn’t control his tears was when he was in elementary school, watching a super tear-jerking movie about the bond between a mother and daughter.

But this time was different from then; his heart was overwhelmed by an avalanche of sorrow.

How could the world be this terrible? Dr. Wen, who was the best of the best, saved lives and healed the wounded when he was alive, and even in death, he was slandered.

Until the day before yesterday, continuous heavy rain caused the MP4 to be scrapped due to water damage, and the curses finally stopped.

But that day happened to be the day Dr. Wen Yi was exonerated.

So, Dr. Wen didn’t hear those belated, cheap apologies; he only received endless curses for so many days.

Realizing this, the emotions of sadness in Tan Xiao reached the highest threshold he could bear. In his dreams, he cried breathlessly in front of the surveillance screen, tears flowing like a river.

The monitor was flooded with tears, emitting a crackling sound due to the electric shock. The high-definition LCD screen turned into a snowy screen again.

@%&…×＃@

A bunch of strange garbled codes appeared on the screen… The snowy screen also emitted a not-so-responsive crackling sound.

It seemed like a system was trying to curse at some intruding bug: “What the hell, it only played a recap, there’s a whole bunch of terrifying doctor plots left!”

Your man is not that tragic, he’s really brutal and scary.

Damn love-struck brain, all he knew was to cry, cry, cry, it was about to break its copy, and it would drop the cyber little pearl too.

And Tan Xiao, with his swollen eyes, didn’t care at all. He was immersed in immense sadness, crying himself into a faint.

“Baby, Tan Xiao? Wake up…”

When he opened his eyes, Tan Xiao met a pair of worried and caring eyes.

The blackout curtains in the hospital were quite ineffective, and despite the bright daylight, the dormitory still seemed bright enough.

The young man’s face was flushed, and he was wearing the matching couple pajamas that he had bought for him. He looked at him with a gentle and loving gaze.

Tan Xiao woke up crying from the dream, his eyes still slightly reddened. The scenes in the dream were too terrible, and he couldn’t help but tightly grasp his lover’s hand: “Wen Yi, Dr. Wen?”

“I’m here, what happened?” The voice was still as gentle as ever.

The next second, Tan Xiao tightly hugged the lover he had lost and found again in the dream. He buried his face in the other’s chest, greedily inhaling the refreshing scent of lemon mint from the same shower gel he used.

The dream gradually became blurry, and Tan Xiao began to forget some unimportant details, but the overwhelming sadness still weighed heavily on his heart. The voice that was usually cheerful, lively, and full of hope turned from pleasant to dull: “Dr. Wen, I had a nightmare…”

He repeatedly emphasized, “It was really, really a terrible nightmare. My chest hurt in the dream.”

Wen Yi gently patted Tan Xiao’s back: “Don’t be afraid, I’m here. What did you dream about?”

The boy raised his strikingly beautiful face; he was indeed very good-looking. With slightly reddened eyes, he looked like a pitiful puppy abandoned on a rainy day, and not just any puppy, but a particularly beautiful Samoyed with fluffy, well-groomed fur.

Even if he had done something terribly wrong, just seeing that angelically pure face would make anyone unable to resist forgiving him.

Tan Xiao shook his head. The scene of Wen Yi turning into a ghost weighed heavily on his mind. He was unwilling to tell that story, as it was too tragic, too tragic for him to bear letting dear Dr. Wen know.

His eyes, brighter than the stars, stubbornly and persistently looked at his older, more mature lover, seeking affirmation: “Dr. Wen, everything in the dream was fake, right?”

Wen Yi gently reassured him, “Yes, dreams and reality are opposite.”

Tan Xiao suddenly pressed his lips against Wen Yi’s, needing deeper, unobstructed communication to affirm the reality of the present.

This was a much more courageous assault than ever before. Tan Xiao was like a lost eagle, trying to find its way home, repeatedly knocking and asking with fierce actions and a fierce tone, excuse me, are you my home?

This poor fierce bird found its nest in a clumsy yet sincere way that belonged solely to it.

Wen Yi felt Tan Xiao’s unease and responded tirelessly and promptly, embracing the young lover’s anxiety like the sea.

The wind and waves gradually calmed down, and the young lover was well comforted, though the strong arms still couldn’t bear to let go, tightly holding the gentle lover in their embrace.

Tan Xiao kissed his lover without any hint of desire, whispering the other’s name close to their ear: “Wen Yi…”

“I’m here.”

He continued to mutter softly, “Dr. Wen…”

“I’m here…”

“Wen Yi, you’re still alive, right?”

“…”

After a brief silence, a firm response came, “Yeah…”

Tan Xiao couldn’t hear the weakness in Wen Yi’s voice, or perhaps he didn’t care. He only cared about one thing: “We’ll always be together, right?”

“Yes, no one can separate us.”

In a place where Tan Xiao couldn’t see, a crimson glint flashed in Wen Yi’s eyes. His tone was so certain that it successfully calmed Tan Xiao, who had been startled by the nightmare.

Once he had fully recovered, Tan Xiao felt a bit embarrassed and turned to check the time: “10 AM!”

He couldn’t help but get a bit annoyed with his phone: “Damn it, I’m late today. Why didn’t my alarm go off?! This phone is acting up again!”

Actually, this was an unreasonable outburst towards the phone. That dream was just too terrible. If the alarm had gone off at six, maybe he wouldn’t have had to dream about the rest of it.

“I turned off your alarm,” Wen Yi said. “Baby, we’re on holiday today, there’s no rush.”

Tan Xiao then realized he had wronged the phone, but he couldn’t possibly be mad at Dr. Wen. What did Wen Yi do wrong? He was just caring for him, wanting him to get a good sleep.

Recalling the scene in his dream where the ghostly Dr. Wen never received an apology, he felt a pang in his eyes. He didn’t hold back and sincerely said to his phone, “I’m sorry, phone. I’ll buy you a nice new case.”

After apologizing, Tan Xiao asked Wen Yi, “Isn’t Huaxi Hospital very busy? How come you suddenly got a day off?”

“Did you forget? The vaccine has been successfully developed, so everyone can take a little break. I told you about it last night.”

The news of the vaccine failure was well concealed; at least Tan Xiao was completely unaware of the failure ofT0.

Moreover, Wen Yi didn’t lie; the vaccine was indeed successful, but the developers weren’t those research teams.

“Oh right.”

The vaccine had already been successfully developed, and those scenes in the dream must be fake. Tan Xiao felt embarrassed: “When you said it was a holiday, I thought I was dreaming.”

When it was dark and he was half-asleep, it was easy to get confused and  he couldn’t tell whether it was reality or a dream.

Tan Xiao glanced at the message and found that the team leader in charge of the volunteers had sent him a private message, notifying him of his leave.

Volunteer team leader Lao Zhang: You have a few days off, so take a good rest first. If all goes well, the hospital will be lifted from lockdown in a few days.[Fireworks][Fireworks][Fireworks]

He sent three celebratory emojis in a row, and he could tell from the words and lines that Old Zhang was really happy.

“Yay! I have three days off! If all goes well, we can restore the previous order soon.” With a cheerful laugh, he rolled over on the bed. No matter when you get a day off, it’s always something to be happy about. This sudden break after continuous hard work felt even more precious.

Breakfast at the experimental building was from 6:00 to 7:00, and lunch was at 11 o’clock. In another hour, it would be time for lunch.

However, not eating anything was not good for the stomach. Thinking about the scene in the dream, Tan Xiao particularly wanted Dr. Wen to live a long life.

He took out two disposable cups, opened two small packets of osmanthus lotus root powder, and poured them into the cups: “Baby, eat some lotus root powder to settle your stomach. Not eating breakfast can easily lead to low blood sugar.”

Boiling water was added to the lotus root powder, and after constant stirring, it gradually turned transparent, with a few golden osmanthus flowers floating on top, giving off a faint fragrance.

After just having a big meat meal, eating something light wasn’t bad.

Wen Yi said, “It seems like my cup hasn’t completely dissolved.”

“Really? It shouldn’t be like that,” Tan Xiao leaned over to take a look, tasted it, and said, “It feels no different. Why don’t you try my cup?”

Wen Yi held his head: “The undissolved particles have all ended up in my mouth. You try it.”

The two exchanged a sweet kiss with the fragrance of osmanthus, and of course, the lotus powder had completely dissolved.

Tan Xiao couldn’t help but hum, “Doctor Wen usually pretends to be serious. When did you learn such crafty little tricks?”

Wen Yi asked him with a smile, “So, Mr. Tan, do you like it?”

Tan Xiao answered honestly, “I do.”

“Are you still sad about what happened in the dream?”

Tan Xiao shook his head: “I’m not sad anymore. I know we have a day off today, so I’m not sad at all. I must have been too tired from working at the hospital, which is why I had a nightmare. I’ve already forgotten all about it!”

No matter how sad the dream was, once he woke up, he was full of energy like a young lad!

Wen Yi looked at the curve of his lips and said, “Baby, you look best when you smile. I hope you’re happy.”

Tan Xiao leaned in close to his gentle and caring boyfriend. Even though he was eating unsweetened lotus root powder that wasn’t sweet enough, his mouth felt as sweet as if he had added a big spoonful of honey. His eyes curved into beautiful crescent moons with joy: “Dr. Wen, today I love you so much too.”

The vaccine had begun mass production and administration. Although getting vaccinated was excruciatingly painful, it was still much better than actually dying.

As a family member of the vaccine developer, Tan Xiao naturally expressed his desire to get vaccinated as well. However, Wen Yi said, “Baby, you’ve already been vaccinated, no need for an extra shot.”

Tan Xiao was very surprised. Although he had forgotten many things, he was sure that he had no memory gaps after entering the hospital: “When did I get vaccinated? How come I didn’t know?”

Wen Yi said, “It was when I was sleeping with you, baby. You are the first person in S City to have antibodies.”

He wasn’t lying with this statement; it’s just that he was slightly biased.

For example, the process of Tan Xiao getting vaccinated was different from others; he didn’t receive that light blue liquid form of the vaccine.

Also, at the beginning of the infectious disease outbreak, Tan Xiao wouldn’t get sick.

Tan Xiao learned from others that the vaccine was released last night. As everyone knows, external environments can influence the content of dreams. For instance, if it suddenly gets cold at night, one might dream of a snowstorm.

No wonder he had such a terrible nightmare yesterday; he must have cried from the pain.

Thinking about how he had cried his heart out in the dream and eventually passed out, he couldn’t help but glare at Wen Yi: “Dr. Wen, you can’t keep things like this from me next time.”

Wen Yi looked innocent: “Baby, don’t you remember? A few days ago, I collected your blood. That was to prepare for the vaccine.”

Tan Xiao immediately doubted whether his memory had gone wrong again, but after thinking for a moment, he did recall a few scenes: “You mean collecting blood was just pricking my finger with a needle? Isn’t that a test kit for infectious diseases?”

“No,” Wen Yi said, “You should have had an IV. Generally, when injecting antibiotics, a skin test is done, which is just a small prick.”

“So that time was for the skin test before the vaccination?”

It always felt like something was off. Wen Yi had pricked him a few days ago, but the vaccination was last night. Usually, a skin test is done half an hour in advance. Does it still work after so many days?

But Tan Xiao was not a medical student and didn’t know much about certain medical knowledge, so he believed whatever his boyfriend said.

“Then do I still need to wear protective clothing after getting vaccinated? Can I get reinfected?”

Wearing protective clothing every day and being cooped up in it was actually quite uncomfortable.

He knew that for some infectious diseases, even after getting vaccinated, there was still a possibility of reinfection, but it won’t lead to death and will turn severe cases into mild ones.

“No, you won’t.” Wen Yi looked at him gently, “Baby, you won’t get infected.”

Tan Xiao unconditionally trusted his Dr. Wen, he didn’t wear protective clothing, but he still put on a coat, mask, goggles, and gloves.

More and more people in the hospital were not wearing full protective gear. With the large-scale vaccination campaign, Nie Cheng and other government officials had been promoting it in the media.

They filmed numerous videos, including patients getting vaccinated and recovering, and videos of the elite class voluntarily getting vaccinated.

Of course, they didn’t film the part where people were in excruciating pain after getting vaccinated. The doctors only briefly mentioned the side effects: “Due to individual differences in physical constitution, there may be severe pain after vaccination, but it will last at most for an hour. After a good sleep, you will recover.”

Those who received the vaccine were also speaking out online: “Ah, yes, yes, yes, I was so lucky, it didn’t hurt at all! It hurt for less than a minute at most!”

In reality, those who say it didn’t hurt were the ones who were in agony and couldn’t last a minute before passing out from the pain.

The suffering they endured, they must make others go through as well. After all, getting vaccinated wasn’t a bad thing; it was better than getting sick and then getting vaccinated, right?

Thousands of residents came out, and volunteers set up various temporary sites to provide 24-hour continuous free vaccination services to the public.

The queue was divided into two lines: patients showing signs of infection were prioritized for vaccination, while healthy patients formed another long line.

The hospital, being well-equipped and having more medical staff, was the best place for vaccinations. After sending off nearly 100,000 patients, Huaxi Hospital naturally opened up. With the announcement of the lifting of restrictions, the streets gradually returned to their former liveliness.

However, entertainment venues and other places still lagged behind, as everything prioritized the vaccination rate of the city’s residents.

And during his vacation, he couldn’t fully relax and enjoy it, as many shops were still closed. As a volunteer, he helped maintain order at the mobile stall at the entrance of his community every day.

As a family member of healthcare workers, he wanted to do something to share the burden of these people.

However, he didn’t have to work as hard as before. He helped out for two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. After all, volunteers provide their services without pay, but they could enjoy work meals, so he couldn’t ask for too much.

That’s right, during work hours, Tan Xiao’s meal time was also work time, making it convenient for those who work long hours to have time to eat. Plus, he saved time on cooking and washing dishes, which was quite beneficial.

As for Wen Yi, of course, he was volunteering at the entrance of his home with him. Tan Xiao was responsible for maintaining order on-site, while Wen Yi was in charge of giving injections.

After all, having done a lot of mental work before, doing a bit of mechanical physical work was also a way to relax.

Moreover, the scene of vaccination was quite amusing; many people just lay down right after getting vaccinated. In parks and other places, people fell down one after another. Volunteers and kind-hearted citizens helped to neatly move them to the side, and those who fainted just got up, patted their backsides, and left.

The vaccine underwent slight improvements, increasing the pain sensation, but ensuring that citizens could endure the pain for no more than five minutes and wake up within two hours.

Many citizens brought folding beds to queue up, and this scene of people lying side by side in open playgrounds and parks became a distinctive feature during the vaccination period.

In just four days, from the 25th to the 29th day of the vaccine rollout, all citizens of S city completed their vaccinations. Those who were unable to come out to queue due to age, illness, or disability had dedicated staff members come to their homes to assist with the vaccinations.

Number 29 was the infectious disease that Nie Cheng experienced, the dark day of a massive outbreak. Despite having convinced himself to take this gamble, when the day arrived, his hands trembled uncontrollably.

He had given Wen Yi three days off, and today was the fourth day. With Wen Yi’s vacation with Tan Xiao coming to an end, he had to return to the hospital for his regular duties.

The busy General Nie Cheng once again appeared at Huaxi Hospital, specifically requesting to see Wen Yi alone.

Colleagues cast envious glances at Wen Yi: “Doctor Wen, General Nie must be here to present you with an award, right?”

In this disaster brought by the large-scale infectious disease, Wen Yi’s contribution was undoubtedly the greatest.

However, Dr. Wen was still quite young and already a chief physician, with little room for promotion in title. Could it be that they wanted to promote him to the director of Huaxi Hospital?

After all, Huaxi Hospital was a public hospital, and the appointment of the director was managed by the authorities.

Wen Yi smiled politely, remaining silent.

Wearing a standard white coat, Dr. Wen knocked on the office door, and Nie Cheng opened it from inside: “Please come in.”

Most of the things in the office have been cleared out, leaving only a desk and two identical chairs.

Nie Cheng invited Wen Yi to take a seat and personally poured a cup of tea for him: “Doctor Wen, please.”

Wen Yi said, “If there’s something to discuss, just say it. I still have to get back to work.”

Since he said that, Nie Cheng didn’t pretend and just went along with him: “Today is the second to last day.”

“So?”

“In my memory, something terrible happened on this day. T1 replaced T0, and all the citizens of the city had completed their vaccinations. Theoretically, no one would die from the X12 infectious disease anymore. Am I right, Dr. Wen?”

Dr. Wen replied calmly, “You’re right.”

Nie Cheng looked down from the window. The traffic flowed smoothly on the road, everything in perfect order.

He pressed the button on the table, and the projection screens descended from all directions. Looking down from the 20th floor, people appeared as small as ants, but through the surveillance, Nie Cheng could see the tiniest hairs on the “ants’” faces.

People either looked hurried or wore smiles, but they all appeared quite calm, showing no signs of illness.

Those hellish scenes seemed like a dream of his own, bursting like bubbles with the arrival of the T1 vaccine.

He finally asked the question: “Why? Is your change just a joke? What is the T1 vaccine all about? Since you can do it, why ignore everything? Why regret it?”

Wen Yi countered, “Can you ask a dead person to provide a vaccine?”

Clearly, it was daytime, but Nie Cheng seemed to see the scarlet color in Wen Yi’s eyes.

Wen Yi spoke in a calm tone, “Actually, there’s nothing wrong with the research direction of the T0 vaccine. They just missed one thing in their research, and that is the antibodies.”

Antibodies, like the transmission method of this infectious disease, could also be extracted through tears, sweat, or other means.

“Although the villain stabbed Wen Yi, the infectious disease on him did not infect Dr. Wen. The hospital couldn’t wait to declare him dead, buried him, and cremated him. Wen Yi was the only person carrying antibodies for the X12 infectious disease.”

He looked at Nie Cheng with a smile, but the latter felt as if he had fallen into an icy hell: “How could a doctor who died early and was cursed into ashes provide an antidote?”

Nie Cheng finally understood what Wen Yi had said to him that day: “I like to see people have hope, and then the painful expression when that hope is destroyed.”

At that time, he thought the citizens had gone mad with despair due to the failure of T0, but he never expected the truth to be like this!

The most despairing thing in this world is that when you are struggling in a dying state, you find out that you originally had a chance to survive, but that hope was destroyed by you from the very beginning.

Wen Yi said, “City S is a city built on falsehood and death. The T1 vaccine is also a vaccine that should not exist in this world.”

This was not the real City S, but a replica built on his past memories. The citizens of City S were also the ghosts of the dead.

Under the power of the game, they cycled again and again. The endless grievances supported the operation of the replica, and the pain and despair of the citizens were the nourishment that pleased Wen Yi, the core of this replica.

Wen Yi looked out the window into the distance; from this position, he could see the balcony of Building 8 in the family community.

Dr. Wen’s eyes suddenly became very gentle: “My lover, Tan Xiao, is the most perfect lover in this world. He is a gift from heaven.”

“Because of Tan Xiao, there is the T1 vaccine. The deceased doctor, Wen Yi, couldn’t provide antibodies, but the living human, Tan Xiao, can,” Wen Yi said. “My lover has a kind heart, so I chose to forgive.”

He looked at General Nie Cheng: “General Nie, if there’s nothing else, I need to get back to work.”

Wen Yi opened the door and walked out with a light step.

A ghost abandoned by the entire world found his redemption when he was chosen with unwavering determination.

This world was utterly terrible; no matter how many times it repeated, it remained equally dull.

Until Tan Xiao descended from the heavens, his life gained a different hue: in this world, there was someone who would wait for him to come home with love in their heart.