Plague (15): Darkest Hour

The government departments released information about the X12 infectious disease very promptly, and major media outlets set up relevant platforms overnight to report the increase in the number of patients and any changes in related policies.

After all, it had only been a day since the announcement of the lockdown, and today was the first official day of the citywide lockdown.

For a city to function, not everyone could stop working, and during this special period, insecticides, protective clothing, and various supplies needed to be produced by someone…

Yesterday, there was only half a day for people to rush to buy supplies, and many people had nothing at home or had no means to cook, so they couldn’t let them go hungry for a long time.

The government quickly released a considerable number of policies, and all the trending topics on various platforms are related to infectious diseases, but they all seemed to be good news.

“Although the relevant researchers have not yet been able to develop a vaccine, they have created virus testing kits, and according to rumors, the vaccine has made some progress!”

These test kits were single-use items; once used, they were disposed of and treated as medical waste, so there was no need to worry about cross-infection.

“The first batch of test kits has already been put into use, and it is said that the factory is working overtime to produce more. They will be distributed to relevant personnel in the primary and secondary industries in turn. After confirming their health checks, everyone will be able to safely return to work and resume production one after another!”

What this message didn’t say was that if someone was found to be sick during the inspection, they would be forcibly sent to the hospital for treatment.

After all, a sick person was a walking source of contamination. If they worked, they would only spread the illness to more healthy citizens.

“In the tertiary industry, transportation and the repair of certain important equipment will be prioritized for recovery, while other industries will be forcibly shut down completely. The entertainment and catering industries will continue to wait for further notice.”

Subsequent related policies would definitely not be formulated all at once in just a day or two, and they would likely change gradually based on citizen feedback.

The government encouraged residents to stay at home, but only the community was sealed off, allowing residents to move around within their own building and community.

As for the needed supplies, residents could register online, and delivery workers and couriers would transport them to the community entrance, where each household could come out by building to pick them up, minimizing social contact as much as possible.

Tan Xiao joked that their community might be under stricter measures because it was too close to Huaxi Hospital. While hanging clothes on the balcony, he noticed that the people guarding the community entrance were even more exaggerated—two soldiers in camouflage uniforms, clearly armed.

On this day, under the guidance of the authorities, most people were quite optimistic: “The test kits are out, how far can the vaccine be?”

“Exactly, the boss has always been reluctant to give us a day off. This time it’s like a forced holiday. I’ll just stay home, play games, watch videos, and enjoy myself.”

“The kid was so happy about the holiday yesterday, but then today we got a notice from above that school will continue online classes. He cried out loud again.”

There were still many people joking around, laughing and giggling, as if this infectious disease was nothing serious and everything would pass quickly.

Tan Xiao couldn’t help but chuckle at some humorous jokes he saw.

His gaze shifted to some help requests, where some organizations had opened donation channels to the public. After all, on the first day of the lockdown, many places were lacking medical protective supplies.

Tan Xiao planned to donate the medical supplies he had stockpiled in the next few days.

He originally intended to donate specifically to Huaxi Hospital, after all, this hospital was where his lover worked.

However, he asked Dr. Wen, and after Huaxi was directly taken over by the military, supplies would be prioritized here. Wherever there was a shortage of medical supplies, this place would not lack them.

So he still decided to prioritize donating to those hospitals that were in more difficult situations, reserving a portion for himself, and donating a portion to the property staff in the family community, combining the good deeds with the neighbors.

In the afternoon, he spent time filtering information and contacting relevant personnel, communicating about the transportation of the donated supplies.

Because he had things to do, he wouldn’t overthink, and time passed particularly quickly. Tan Xiao felt that today was very fulfilling and meaningful.

During the day, Dr. Wen didn’t send any messages, but after confirming the results, Tan Xiao sent a message to him.

After all, this batch of supplies was funded by Dr. Wen, so it was necessary to inform Wen Yi of the final donation recipient.

As he expected, Dr. Wen was gentle and kind, and didn’t express any disapproval of Tan Xiao’s spending.

The other party only sent a reply after seeing the message: [Baby, the authority to allocate that batch of supplies belongs to you. You can give it to whoever you want.]

Although Tan Xiao was working hard and living healthily, the situation was still objectively deteriorating rapidly.

Today marked the 13th day since the players entered the game dungeon, the 20th day since Tan Xiao and Wen Yi met, and also the first day of the official implementation of the silent policy. With the continuous production and distribution of test kits, the number of patients had been rising at an astonishing rate.

Gathering together, the leader responsible for external affairs was silent for a moment: “Cut this number in half, and send it out at midnight.”

The next morning, when Tan Xiao woke up and checked his phone, a news alert popped up: “X12 infections have exceeded 100,000!”

Seeing this number, Tan Xiao rubbed his eyes, thinking he had misread it. He went to the official platform, watched the rolling numbers, counted several times, and was very sure that the news was not exaggerated—there really were 100,000 people!

City S was a city with a population of 90 million, which meant that currently, out of every 900 people tested, one was a patient.

And this was just after one day; many people had not yet been tested, and the number had already multiplied tenfold. Even more terrifying numbers were expected next.

The day before yesterday was 10,000, yesterday was 100,000, so what about today? If today increased tenfold from this base, Tan Xiao could hardly imagine that scene.

Not only from the distant internet, but in reality, Tan Xiao could also sense the severity of the situation.

Yesterday, Dr. Wen got off work particularly late, and he only sent him a message close to 10 PM.

Moreover, Tan Xiao also received a special phone call, it was from a volunteer team he contacted yesterday.

The voice on the other end sounded eerily calm: “We don’t need any more donated supplies here.”

Tan Xiao was taken aback: “Why? Didn’t you say you were short on protective gear?”

The other party broke down over the phone: “A patient did it on purpose! He used a blood-stained knife to slash all the protective suits, there’s blood everywhere, it ruined the entire volunteer team, everyone got infected, and we won’t need these useless supplies anymore! Crazy, everyone’s gone mad!”

Tan Xiao’s heart sank. A rabble was the easiest to incite. Maybe the situation wasn’t that dire, but some people taking advantage of the chaos could completely shatter the calm.

Today, watching the news again, the cheerful atmosphere on the internet from yesterday had completely changed. Malicious incidents were happening one after another. Some people who had fallen ill seemed to have gone mad, knowing they would die, they were determined to take others down with them.

This infectious disease seemed to not only be destroying the patients’ bodies but also igniting their malice towards the entire world, turning all the patients into madmen.

As soon as they confirmed they were infected, they launched attacks, dragging hundreds or even thousands of people down with them.

The family community was actually very quiet. Opening the window and looking outside, the sun was still bright, and the whole world was fine.

Looking online again, it seemed like everyone had fallen into negative emotions, a bunch of people caught in inexplicable panic.

Tan Xiao waited at home for the third day of silence, but the number of infected people didn’t reach a million; it didn’t change at all. It seemed like the authorities had chosen to give up and abandon the situation.

That day, Tan Xiao couldn’t accompany Dr. Wen for dinner, and they couldn’t even manage a successful video call. The other party only reported safe at 3 a.m.

What he didn’t know was that Dr. Wen had secretly come at night.

As time passed, two voices constantly intertwined in Wen Yi’s mind: Tan Xiao was doing well!

The other voice, a violent force that tore everything apart: Kill him, a dead lover is a lover who will never change their heart!

During the day, he still retained some humanity, struggling to control his violent emotions. At night, he was completely dominated by his emotions, returning to room 801, greedily watching his lover.

He thought he wouldn’t be able to control himself, but when his hand rested on Tan Xiao’s neck, he couldn’t bear to do it. In the end, he just gently caressed him and, before Tan Xiao woke up, fled like a ghost afraid of being discovered.

Compared to the calm of the first phase, the second phase of the game was filled with malice.

After all, many players did not live alone; quite a few were forcibly bound to local friends and family.

They wanted to stay quiet and behave, but they encountered lagging teammates: sitting at home, trouble came from the sky.

On the 4th day of the city’s lockdown, which was also the 18th day of the game’s instance, a rumor spread, but no one knew who started it.

They said Huaxi Hospital was the origin of the virus; if they destroyed Huaxi Hospital, they could end this nightmare once and for all.

This statement was utterly absurd, but some players who had contracted the disease buff chose to believe it.

Since the mission had already failed, why not go all out? If they won the gamble, it would be pure profit.

Nie Cheng was already prepared for this; gunfire rang out for an entire day, and blood stained the commercial street outside Huaxi Hospital.

After the attack, more than 36 hours passed without any contact with Wen Yi, and Tan Xiao finally realized one thing: he seemed to have lost contact with his lover trapped in Huaxi Hospital.

Plague (14): Conflict

Tan Xiao fell asleep and woke up naturally. He turned his face to the left and saw the empty, cold pillow. A day and night had passed, and the scent left by Dr. Wen was almost gone.

Even though he had only been living with Wen Yi for less than a week, he was already a bit unaccustomed to sleeping alone.

He picked up his phone and found a message from the other person: “Good morning, baby, photo.jpg”

The photo was taken by Wen Yi using the rear camera: a beam of morning sunlight fell on the open notebook, and the glass window in front of the desk reflected Dr. Wen’s gentle and handsome face.

The timestamp of this message was 6 AM, and now it was 8 AM.

He quickly sent a message: You woke up so early, dear Dr. Wen [cat heart emoji].

Tan Xiao waited for a while for a message, but as expected, there was no response. It was obvious that Dr. Wen had gone to work.

The young man rubbed his perfectly symmetrical face in frustration: He should have turned on message notifications!

He quickly set Dr. Wen as a special contact, then pulled back the curtains and opened the window, letting the sunlight stream in through the screen.

Tan Xiao took a picture of the morning sunlight and sent it to Wen Yi, so the other person could see it right away.

There were still a lot of dumplings left in the fridge, but after eating them for two or three days in a row, Tan Xiao inevitably got a bit tired of them. He thought for a few seconds and decided to have noodles for lunch today, a refreshing cold noodle dish.

He took the beef out and soaked it in water to thaw. Tan Xiao transformed into a diligent young man, starting his day of washing and drying. The family community didn’t have a shared area, but there was a large balcony.

After washing the clothes and bed sheets neatly, he took a photo of them under the sun to send to Dr. Wen.

After taking the photo, he put on gloves and started handling the frozen beef. Once it was cooked in boiling water, he skimmed off the foam and took it out.

He added the ready-made braising spice pack, chopped garlic, ginger, a bit of salt, dried chili peppers, rock sugar, and ginger…

Tan Xiao fixed the camera lens on the cooking process, and later, with some editing, it would become material for a food video. One task, two uses, perfect!

While the beef was stewing in the pressure cooker, Tan Xiao diligently swept and mopped the floor, ensuring the house was spotless and free of any space for mosquitoes to breed.

Time quietly slipped away amidst the trivial household chores, and soon it was lunchtime.

The braised beef had been stewed to a very tender state in the pressure cooker. As soon as the lid was opened, a rich aroma of braising sauce filled the air.

Tan Xiao picked up a piece with chopsticks to taste, and the flavor was just right. He took a photo and sent it to Dr. Wen: “If only you were here, this is the first time I’ve made braised beef, and it’s a great success!”

While waiting for the sauce to thicken over high heat, he took a bag of noodles from the fridge. These were packaged fresh noodles that he had bought with Wen Yi at the supermarket earlier.

A large piece of beef was pulled out and sliced thinly, carefully arranged on the cold noodles that had been rinsed in cold water. The cucumber and carrot were finely shredded, and then a spoonful of the delicious oil-splashed chili sauce drizzled over it. A plate of cold noodles that looked incredibly appetizing was perfectly ready.

Before picking up the chopsticks, Tan Xiao immediately took a photo and sent it to Dr. Wen: “I made sure to eat well today!”

As soon as the photo and message were sent, there was an immediate response.

Dr. Wen: “Looks amazing, I want to eat it so much! [Cat drooling emoji]”

Tan Xiao couldn’t help but smile: “Wen Yi finally got off work!”

He sent a message back with a shaking window: “Is it a good time for a video call now?”

Wen Yi replied: “I just got off work, and I couldn’t wait to reply to your message. I’ll grab lunch and go to the rooftop to video call with you. Baby, wait for me for two minutes.”

The hospital was filled with many scenes: patients with disfigured faces, cold corpses, blood-stained white coats, and family members of patients with tear-streaked faces…

These scenes were in stark contrast to the warm, healthy, and sunny scenes at home, and they were all stomach-churning images that were not suitable for his beloved little boyfriend to see.

Lunchtime was always a delightful time for eating and drinking together, but Tan Xiao finished his cold noodles in fifteen minutes, then washed the dishes while watching Dr. Wen enjoy his luxurious boxed meal.

Dr. Wen had an hour for lunch, but today, it was only half an hour after Wen Yi finished eating.

Tan Xiao looked concerned and said, “Is your work very tiring? Why don’t you lie down and rest for a bit? You can turn on the video, and just watching your face is quite relaxing for me.”

Wen Yi shook his head, “Not tiring. Research just consumes a lot of brainpower. Looking at your face, baby, is the greatest relaxation for me.”

Tan Xiao couldn’t help but smile, “I have that kind of effect, huh?”

He naturally expressed his longing to his lover: “I did a lot of housework today. How about you? Has there been any good progress with the research? I don’t know when it will end, I miss you so much.”

Even though they could see each other’s faces through the screen, they couldn’t touch each other’s warm skin, couldn’t kiss, couldn’t embrace without gaps, and couldn’t communicate deeply.

They were forced to separate right after establishing their relationship during the passionate period, making this longing particularly intense.

“The work of the research team is quite complex, but there has been some progress with the vaccine.”

Wen Yi didn’t go into detail about the work, not for the sake of secrecy, but because Tan Xiao couldn’t understand those complex medical terms and jargon.

“That’s really great, I hope the vaccine can be released soon!”

At this moment, Tan Xiao suddenly heard shouting from the screen, followed by several gunshots. He was startled and asked, “Dr. Wen, what’s happening over there?!”

Wen Yi turned his head to take a look. There was someone lying in a pool of blood downstairs, and soon people in protective suits came to clean up the scene.

Wen Yi casually said, “It’s nothing, a patient tried to break out, and the guards are on alert.”

Thinking of those soldiers, Tan Xiao thought the patients had been scared away and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief: “So that’s how it is. The atmosphere in the hospital sounds really oppressive. Isn’t there anything interesting happening?”

Wen Yi spoke in a calm tone about the hospital gossip: “The atmosphere in the hospital is quite oppressive. There are more and more patients, and the frontline medical staff are getting more irritable. Today, there was even a violent conflict with a patient.”

Tan Xiao asked in surprise, “Ah? What did you do?”

He remembered the previous incident of medical disputes: “You didn’t get involved in the conflict, did you? Is this patient one of those with a special infectious disease?”

Wen Yi comforted him, saying, “Of course, the troublemaking patients have been subdued. Don’t worry, the research team members and the patients live in separate areas. I wasn’t involved; I just overheard some gossip while getting my meal.”

Tan Xiao nodded. He clearly had a significant misunderstanding about his boyfriend: “In situations like this, you should stay far away and protect yourself first. You got your arm injured last time; now, during these special times, you absolutely can’t get hurt.”

Wen Yi nodded in agreement, “I will.”

“Dr. Wen, it’s time for you to get to work.”

A somewhat cold voice suddenly appeared on the screen. Tan Xiao saw a young, stern face. The other person was wearing a crisp military uniform, and even through the screen, one could feel the fierce aura coming from him.

Wen Yi quickly said to Tan Xiao, “Baby, it’s time. I have to go to work.”

He hurriedly hung up the video call and cast an unhappy glance at the adult man who had come over to ruin the mood.

The doctor, wearing a white coat, changed from his usual gentleness in front of Tan Xiao to a cold and hard tone, “What are you doing here?”

That annoying person who disturbed him should really be thrown off this rooftop.

The highest-ranking officer of the army, the 34-year-old General Nie, said, “I heard that there has been a breakthrough with the X12 infectious disease vaccine. Is it a positive breakthrough?”

“Probably,” Wen Yi replied in a nonchalant tone, sounding as if he didn’t care about the busy work he had been doing lately.

The cold and stern man asked again, “Was the person you were just talking to your boyfriend?”

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would find it hard to imagine such a gentle and sweet expression appearing on Wen Yi’s face.

Wen Yi’s eyes instantly turned crimson: “What do you want to say?”

Nie Cheng took a step back, raising his hands to indicate he meant no harm: “I have no other intentions. Falling in love is a beautiful thing. Your boyfriend would also want to live in a safe, virus-free world.”

Wen Yi glanced at him coldly: “General Nie, don’t expect me to take on this task alone. I’m just a young doctor.”

Nie Cheng silently stared at Wen Yi’s back of the head. As the highest commander of the army and a special NPC in the game instance, he would regain all his memories on the 10th day each time: City S was a city destined to fall into madness, where everyone would mutually destroy each other.

However, the illusionary people possessed real memories, blurring the line between falsehood and reality.

He seemed normal, but in reality, he was a madman who had only a facade of calmness left.

He would rather remain ignorant himself, yet he was forced to endure the repeated and doubled pain over and over again: the ban, accused by the citizens of being inhumane and violating human rights, was the best directive Nie Cheng could give after regaining countless cycles of memory.

Perhaps he should order the execution of all the sick people right now, even if it would face fierce resistance, with a lot of bloodshed and sacrifices. But the majority of the healthy citizens in S City could be saved.

However, this time upon waking up, he found that Huaxi Hospital had an additional doctor who shouldn’t have been there.

The genius doctor Wen Yi, who was supposed to die in the initial medical dispute incident, was bravely saved by an unsuspecting outsider and even established an overly healthy and beautiful romantic relationship with the savior.

General Nie’s dark pupils looked somewhat vacant as he stared into the void: The vaccine that initially brought hope to people but would ultimately fail, causing the citizens of S City to fall into madness—would it really have a chance to be released?

While Nie Cheng was lost in doubt, Tan Xiao in another building opened his computer and started browsing the news. When he saw a certain piece of news, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Plague (13): Go home secretly

After that, Tan Xiao made a dozen more calls, almost every ten minutes. Each time, a cold female voice reminded him, “Sorry, the number you dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later, sorry…”

By the fourteenth time, before Tan Xiao could make another call, his phone rang first. The screen showed that Dr. Wen was calling him.

He fumbled to press the call button, and the slightly distorted voice of Dr. Wen came through the phone: “Baby, what happened? Why did you call me so many times?”

Tan Xiao’s heart, which had been wavering due to worries about Wen Yi’s safety, finally settled down. He tried hard to keep his tone calm and composed: “It’s nothing. I sent a notification at ten o’clock this morning and couldn’t reach you, so I was particularly worried. It’s good to know you’re safe.”

Being an adult now, he couldn’t be of much help during such a critical period, nor could he hold Wen Yi back.

Wen Yi apologized: “It’s my fault. I had a very long meeting earlier, and they collected everyone’s phones during the meeting, so I only saw your message now.”

Tan Xiao shook his head and then asked, “Is it convenient for you to take a video call?”

He said to stay calm, but he realized he couldn’t be that calm either. He wanted to see Wen Yi’s condition with his own eyes. Even if they couldn’t hug face-to-face, at least he could see the other person’s face and confirm that his doctor was truly safe.

“Of course, you can. Wait a moment, I’ll find a quieter place.”

Wen Yi held the phone and kept the call going, and soon sent a video request.

Tan Xiao saw Wen Yi still wearing a protective suit on the screen, but the other person had already removed the goggles and mask. Dr. Wen’s face looked a bit pale, and his dark hair was slightly damp from sweat, but he seemed to be in good spirits.

He instantly breathed a sigh of relief: “Isn’t the hospital full of viruses? You should still wear the protective suit.”

“It’s fine, I’m on the rooftop of the 20th floor right now, there’s no one else here, and I’m about to have dinner.”

Tan Xiao took the opportunity to ask with concern: “What are you having for dinner tonight? Are you eating well?”

“The dumplings you prepared for me at noon, the pan-fried dumplings and the fried eggs were all very delicious.”

Wen Yi lifted the lunch box in his hand, opened the steaming lid, and pointed the camera at the food inside the box: “Look, they just distributed the standardized lunch boxes, the delivery truck just brought them over, they said it was a unified distribution by the government agency.”

Tan Xiao looked carefully for a while: “Let me see, braised chicken leg, stir-fried pork with black fungus, oil-braised prawns, and stir-fried greens, with chilled mung bean soup? It looks delicious, and the packaging of your lunch box is very exquisite.”

He was somewhat surprised: “Are the staff meals at Huaxi Hospital all of such high standards?”

Wen Yi shook his head: “Only the doctors and research team members who were sent over today get meals of this standard. Other medical staff receive standardized, ordinary boxed meals. The hospital cafeteria is also working overtime today to prepare dinner for the patients who are staying behind.”

The chefs, after passing health checks, cooked in a fully air-conditioned environment while wearing protective gear, and then the same-equipped prep cooks packed the meals into disposable boxes of the same quality as those used in five-star hotels for delivery.

On a scorching hot day, these meals were still packed in thermal bags, and the lunchbox in Wen Yi’s hand was still steaming.

After all, the hospital was now a high-risk area, with sick patients everywhere. The food cooked in the cafeteria might contain the virus.

Illness enters through the mouth, and the oral mucosa absorbs the virus faster than the external skin.

In the eyes of those in power, anyone could get into trouble, but not these medical personnel who studied viruses and vaccines. So their meals, like those of high-ranking officials, were specially provided.

Tan Xiao chuckled and then continued to ask, “I saw online that Huaxi Hospital has stopped outpatient services. After the order was issued, all the patients who came to the hospital were forced to stay for observation. Once they went in, they couldn’t come out. Is this true?”

Wen Yi explained, “Currently, not all patients are showing the same terrifying symptoms. Some have mild symptoms, while others have severe ones. The severe ones are obvious at a glance, but for the mild ones, blood tests are necessary.”

“So, can they be released after the tests?”

Wen Yi shook his head, “The development of infectious diseases has an incubation period. The patients who are forced to stay in the hospital today will have to wait at least three more days to undergo full-body and blood tests again to ensure their health before they can go home.”

Tan Xiao nodded. He didn’t actually care much about whether others could go home or not, “What about you? Will you be able to come back in three days?”

Wen Yi: “Within three days, Huaxi Hospital will be transformed into a specialized research hospital for infectious diseases named X12. All infectious patients will be transported by special vehicles to Huaxi Hospital for treatment and research… Baby, before we get results from the research, all medical staff who are holding the fort at Huaxi cannot go home.”

Although Tan Xiao had been mentally prepared, he still felt a bit disappointed upon hearing the news.

Wen Yi asked him: “What about you? What did you eat tonight?”

He smiled and opened his mouth to speak. Because he was worried about Wen Yi, he didn’t have the heart to make dinner: “I’ll boil some dumplings later; handmade dumplings don’t taste good after being left for a week.”

He reassured Wen Yi: “You don’t need to worry about me. I haven’t gone anywhere today; I’ve been at home the whole time. Now the house is just me. When you just went back to work, I stocked up on some dry goods, rice, flour, oil, and other supplies. I think it will last me for almost half a year.”

He didn’t actually need to worry about vegetables; there were all kinds of beans at home that could sprout, be made into soy milk, and there were various canned pickled vegetables and preserved vegetables…

He even set up a few foam boxes on the balcony to grow green onions, garlic, and the like.

Tan Xiao walked around with his phone, turning to let the foam boxes come into view: “Besides, we have so many vitamin tablets at home. If I eat fewer vegetables, I’ll just take some vitamin tablets.”

Unable to contact Wen Yi, he tried hard not to overthink things, doing nothing all afternoon and constantly scrolling through online messages.

Those restaurants that stockpiled goods couldn’t use them all within a month, so they quickly sold off their raw materials. The citizens rushing to buy food caused the major malls and markets to be overcrowded.

The citizens tried their best to arm themselves: if they didn’t have protective suits, surely they had waterproof raincoats and boots. If not, they would just use thick clothes and plastic bags to shield themselves.

It was a scorching hot sunny day, but everywhere you looked, there were people in colorful raincoats.

Undoubtedly, on this day of stockpiling, the city would see a significant increase in new infectious disease cases.

The players inexplicably felt a sense of happiness: the game was quite good, whether it was not being able to deviate from their character or not being able to disclose game information, those restrictions now seemed like favorable terms to keep them safe.

Moreover, they were not like other anxious citizens who would be able to clear the game and leave in another 20 days.

Tan Xiao belonged to the group of people who had no intention of going out. He didn’t know the game rules at all, but he knew that the supplies in the supermarket were limited and could not meet the entire city’s supply needs at the same time.

The government dared to put the entire city under lockdown, but it wouldn’t let residents starve to death at home. As long as there were enough supplies for a short period, he should avoid going out if possible.

Wen Yi praised him, “You’re really impressive.”

He fixed the phone stand, “We have an hour of break time. After we finish eating, we need to continue our research. The phone should be kept in a waterproof bag to avoid virus splashes.”

“Then I’ll eat with you.”

Eating in front of the phone screen counted as two people dining together.

Tan Xiao counted out 15 dumplings. He didn’t have much of an appetite today and could only eat half of what he usually did. During these unusual times, it was better not to waste food.

After an hour of phone call time, Wen Yi gently said, “Goodnight, dear. I’ll call you again when I have time.”

Tan Xiao made a heart gesture in front of the screen and kissed the other person through the screen: “Goodnight, you must pay attention to your safety!”

That night, Tan Xiao tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He lay in bed at 10 o’clock and didn’t fall asleep until nearly midnight.

In the silent state, S City lost its title of the city that never sleeps today, shrouded in darkness everywhere.

In the night, Huaxi Hospital was an immensely large black monster, continuously swallowing massive amounts of viruses with the sound of ambulance sirens. The glaring red sign was the monster’s eye.

S City at night and S City during the day seemed like two different worlds between life and death.

Soldiers armed to the teeth stood straight at the hospital entrance, and the highest-ranking military commander silently guarded the entrance.

As the clock stroke midnight, a tall figure in a blood-stained white coat appeared at the hospital entrance.

The soldiers all drew their weapons, aiming them at the man in the white coat: “The hospital is for entry only, go back!”

The man in the white coat, looking refined and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, showed no sign of fear in the face of so many dark gun barrels.

He looked at the man adorned with numerous medals and said slowly, “I want to go home and see my boyfriend.”

The tall man silently pressed the soldiers’ guns down: “Let him go.”

The man in the white coat walked down the deserted street, his steps light as he headed towards his destination. The streetlights flickered as if there was a bad connection, and the ground was dappled with tree shadows, but there was never an extra figure in sight.

A strange shadow appeared at the entrance of Unit 801, Building 13, in the Zihua Garden community.

It silently entered the bedroom, where Unit 801 was shrouded in darkness, except for a small orange nightlight left on in the master bedroom.

The shadow stood at the foot of the bed, gently smoothing the wrinkles on the young lover’s forehead, then lovingly kissed the thin lips he longed for: “Baby, everything will be over soon. Don’t worry, you will absolutely be safe.”

If Tan Xiao opened his eyes, he would find that the shadow standing by the bed was none other than his Dr. Wen: a doctor with eyes as red as rubies, a cold body devoid of warmth, and no shadow under the night light.

Plague (12): A sudden change of events

Unlike Wang Mingming, who was a male player dressed as a woman and even as a middle-aged woman twenty years older, Li Shengnan, as a player in the same dungeon, was in exactly the opposite situation.

She bore a high resemblance to the indigenous people, was also twenty-four years old, worked as a corporate clerk, was petite, wore black-framed glasses, and usually tied her hair in a high ponytail.

Aunt Zhao, who ran a fruit shop, was single and divorced, and her life was quite comfortable, but the young unmarried girl Li was not doing well at all.

Li Shengnan graduated from high school and worked hard in a big city, commuting four hours to work every day and often working overtime.

She earned six thousand yuan a month, ate at the company, used the company’s water, electricity, and toilet paper, and only kept one thousand yuan for her rent, sending the rest back home. She was a timid, cowardly girl who was willing to endure hardship.

Due to the constraints of her character setting, Li Shengnan felt particularly stifled in the first two days of entering the game dungeon. The work was extremely tiring, and even if she wanted to hoard supplies and not go to work, the two-digit balance in her account didn’t allow her to do so.

Fortunately, she quickly realized that a character’s persona indeed shouldn’t be too OOC, but as long as the transformation was reasonable based on the original character’s traits, it wouldn’t be considered breaking character.

So, she designed a seemingly serious illness for herself, meticulously applied a sickly makeup, and edited a hospital’s critical condition notice. In front of all her colleagues at the company, she acted out being rejected by her family, feeling utterly heartbroken, and suddenly awakening.

When a person suffers a major blow, it’s normal for their temperament to change drastically. This logical and reasonable transformation, in line with her character, prevented Li Shengnan from being suspected by other indigenous people.

During the days Wang Mingming was holed up at home, Li Shengnan was putting on a grand urban emotional drama. Those days were far more exciting and thrilling than his.

Fortunately, the result of Li Shengnan’s hard work was quite good. The company, being very considerate, gave her a month’s leave and even paid her two months’ salary in advance, allowing her to recuperate properly.

Li Shengnan got the money and immediately bought all the necessary supplies, piling them up in Li Shengnan’s rental apartment.

This was the only advantage of this identity. The original owner was willing to commute four hours a day and insisted on renting a small two-bedroom apartment in the suburbs by herself, and it even came with a refrigerator, air conditioning, and a washing machine.

Li Shengnan didn’t spend much of her hard-earned wages; she bought enough food for herself for about two months, the most cost-effective kind, and set aside 3000 just in case. After all, she still had to pay rent and high utility bills for the next month.

Actually, she could still take out various loans through lending apps, but that might deviate from her character and leave a mess for the locals.

Although it was called a game, Li Shengnan felt that the NPCs in this world were too real, and the system instructed them not to break the original character settings; otherwise, the consciousness of the locals might awaken. Perhaps the instance world was the real world of some parallel universe.

Li Shengnan was a very tough little girl, and unless absolutely necessary, Li Shengnan would never do that.

Although the side missions offered generous rewards, the difficulty was just too high, and Li Shengnan hadn’t even considered doing them.

She wasn’t greedy; after successfully completing the novice dungeon, if the rewards weren’t enticing enough, she would just choose to permanently give up her player identity.

After all, the difficulty of this game wasn’t that high. Compared to those supernatural dungeons filled with ghostly NPCs or zombie siege scenarios, this dungeon where one had to survive for a month during a plague outbreak sounded much safer.

In Li Shengnan’s view, as long as she didn’t wander around aimlessly, reduced contact with outsiders, and consistently disinfected with alcohol or disinfectants every day, she had a 90% chance of easily and smoothly clearing the first dungeon.

Having safely and smoothly passed the tenth day of the game, Li Shengnan saw the game panel flash a red light. Her heart skipped a beat, and she inexplicably felt an ominous premonition.

Just past midnight, marking the start of the eleventh day in the plague infection dungeon, a piercing whistle shattered the night’s silence.

Most of the residents in Li Shengnan’s old, dilapidated neighborhood were not wealthy. After all, in such a big city, being able to rent a small two-bedroom apartment for just 1000 a month was already considered the outskirts of the outskirts.

“Ahhh!”

Accompanying the piercing sound of the horn was an even more intense scream.

Most people couldn’t resist the temptation of gossip. Even though the atmosphere had been a bit tense lately due to the infectious disease, families still couldn’t help but open their windows and peek out to see the source of the noise.

Li Shengnan was no exception. She lived on the fifth floor and, thinking the streetlights below were dim, grabbed a flashlight, put on a mask and protective goggles, sprayed some mosquito repellent, and opened the window to look down.

What she saw caused her a psychological trauma that would last for the rest of her 24 years: it was disgusting, too disgusting, her trypophobia kicked in.

She stumbled back a few steps and fell onto the cold floor tiles.

The patient being carried away by the ambulance was still wearing the delivery guy’s red jacket.

He must have fallen ill a few days ago but didn’t show any obvious symptoms like a fever, so he endured it to earn more money, until his body couldn’t take it anymore and he collapsed.

To avoid being bitten by insects, the delivery guy was wearing a tightly fitted windbreaker, long sleeves, long pants, and even a motorcycle helmet.

But when he fell to the ground due to the illness, the helmet was removed, revealing his terrifying face.

When Li Shengnan was in high school, she saw some male classmates who had severe acne on their faces due to puberty. The acne was so severe that it all developed into cystic acne, making their faces look disfigured, which was indeed very disgusting.

However, the delivery person who collapsed had something on his face that was definitely not cystic acne. Those pustules were very large, bigger than a fingernail, and they kept getting bigger, densely covering his entire face. The delivery person’s eyes, nose, and mouth were all covered by the pustules.

For the first time, she hated her good eyesight. From the fifth floor, she could see clearly as the medical staff lifted the person onto the stretcher. The pus-filled abscess was pulsating, growing until the skin couldn’t hold it anymore, and then it burst open, turning the face covered in abscesses into one covered in blood.

Li Shengnan felt nauseated and wanted to vomit, but she couldn’t, so she sat on the ground, retching in distress.

The air conditioner’s motor was still quietly running. Suddenly, Li Shengnan remembered something and quickly closed the window, then hurriedly turned on the expensive air purifier she had bought.

Patients like this delivery worker were not just one case. This unprecedented special virus had evolved too quickly, developing a terrifyingly high transmissibility in a short period of time.

The hospital research team discovered that the reason for the exponential increase in infected patients was that this disease was not only transmitted through blood but also through bodily fluids.

What made it terrifying was that the virus could also be transmitted through saliva, sweat, and tears. Before this disease appeared, no infectious disease had ever been transmitted through sweat and tears.

This meant that an infected person was essentially a walking virus carrier. After all, in such hot summer weather, just walking outside will make you sweat. If you lean on a handrail or sit on a public transport seat, your skin is very likely to come into contact with someone else’s sweat.

The only silver lining was that these sweat or tears did not transmit through the air after they evaporated, so a healthy person wouldn’t get infected just by breathing in virus-laden air.

Only if the skin directly touched these virus-carrying fluids would one contract this peculiar infectious disease.

It was somewhat like chickenpox or smallpox. If the blisters were scratched and the transparent pus flows onto other healthy skin, the patient would develop new blisters in a short period of time.

At first, the speed of blister formation was very slow; if one broke today, only one or two would appear tomorrow.

However, as time went by, the speed of blister formation accelerated as if a turbocharger had been activated, appearing on the patient’s body at an incredible rate.

It was not just a skin disease that caused blisters; the pus-filled blisters all over the body could trigger inflammation and accelerate the failure of various organs in a short time. This was an irreversible damage, which was why the mortality rate was so high.

With the rapid increase in special patients, the situation in the hospital had become more severe.

The highest-ranking government official issued an emergency directive through the media at 10 AM: “This city is facing a sudden and severe test. Starting today, we are officially entering a wartime state. All personnel must stay at home by midnight tomorrow. Non-law enforcement personnel and those involved in the transportation of essential supplies are not allowed to go out until all patients are successfully eliminated.”

Although some scenes in the game dungeon were very similar to reality, this dungeon was not reality.

At least the players who had seen the news deeply understood this: in reality, how could there be a direct shooting of citizens for violating a ban?

From the statements made by citizens online, it seemed the military really would shoot to kill.

Li Shengnan seriously suspected that in ten days, when the final stage of the instance began, the government would directly order the military to kill all the infected patients.

After all, if an effective vaccine was not developed, for the safety of the majority, the NPCs in the instance might make such a cruel choice.

She shivered and wrapped herself tightly in the blanket: absolutely, absolutely cannot get infected!

And in the family building of the hospital’s affiliated community, Tan Xiao was originally at home waiting for Dr. Wen Yi to finish work, but instead, all he received was a cold notification: “The hospital has been designated as a high-risk area. From now on, only entry is allowed, and all medical staff must remain in the hospital.”

Huaxi Hospital, which had received a large number of infectious disease patients, was clearly the most dangerous and also the most important area in the city. Armed military surrounded the largest hospital in terms of area.

Countless medical elites were escorted by military vehicles to gather there. From today onwards, Dr. Wen Yi would not be finishing work.

Tan Xiao called Dr. Wen, but no one answered.

They were so close, close enough that opening the window would let him see Huaxi Hospital three hundred meters away in a straight line, yet he felt so far apart, as if separated by an insurmountable galaxy.

Leaning against the wall, Tan Xiao watched the scene outside, his heart sinking: for the next three days, five days, or even longer, he and Wen Yi would not be able to meet. They could only wait and hope that the situation would suddenly resolve itself, or that they would be directly separated by death.

Plague (11): Tender moments

Wen Yi rarely had a day off, so after dinner, Tan Xiao didn’t go out either. The two of them turned on the air conditioning and played games in the side room all afternoon. Since Tan Xiao worked part-time online, Wen Yi converted the unoccupied side room for him and bought better gaming and streaming equipment.

Although he couldn’t do offline part-time jobs, Tan Xiao earned several times more from his online part-time work than before. These days, he stayed at home, and aside from feeling a bit restless, his career was developing quite well.

Before he knew it, the room had darkened. Tan Xiao stretched lazily and glanced at the full moon appearing in the sky: “I just played a game for a while, and it’s already dark.”

It was dark, and the food in his stomach had long been digested. It was time to prepare dinner.

Lunch was prepared by Wen Yi, but for dinner, Tan Xiao wanted something lighter, so he took out the dumplings he had made yesterday from the freezer.

When he opened the fridge drawer, he turned to Wen Yi and asked, “Dear, how about we have dumplings for dinner tonight? There are five flavors: three fresh, corn and meat, cabbage and meat, chives, and some sauerkraut and meat. Which one do you like? How many do you think you can eat?”

Wen Yi was wiping the table and preparing the bowls and chopsticks: “I can eat any of them, probably around twenty.”

“Then I’ll get you four of each.”

Tan Xiao was now eighteen years old, at an age where he could still grow another two or three centimeters, and he could eat thirty dumplings in one go.

He originally planned to take six of each for himself, but after thinking it over, it seemed that chives had some special effect, so he put half of the others back and replaced them all with chives. The strong taste didn’t matter; he would brush his teeth early and use mouthwash more often.

The mouthwash that Dr. Wen always kept at home was a succulent grape flavor, which smelled a lot like a fruit tea that Tan Xiao really liked; he particularly enjoyed it.

While he was counting the dumplings, Wen Yi had already turned on the gas stove and boiled a large pot of water, just waiting for Tan Xiao’s dumplings to be cooked.

Seeing these obviously handmade dumplings, Wen Yi asked him, “Did you buy these from the nearby dumpling shop?”

Tan Xiao shook his head, “No, I made them myself yesterday. You’ve been working overtime and not coming back for lunch these past few days, so I thought I’d make something simple for myself.”

Actually, the spread of infectious diseases didn’t affect takeout, but Tan Xiao couldn’t help but think, what if the takeout restaurant or the delivery person was sick? So he might as well go through the trouble and make it himself.

These past few days, Wen Yi had been working a lot of overtime. He didn’t want to order takeout, and he was tired of eating fast food, so he might as well just cook something for himself. When he was alone, he naturally didn’t have the time or inclination to make a full meal with four dishes and a soup. If he was not in the mood for noodles, he would make some dumplings. He alternated between rice noodles, noodles, and dumplings.

Wen Yi took the dumplings from Tan Xiao’s hands and gently stirred them in the pot with a spatula to prevent them from sticking together. “These dumplings are really well made. How many did you make? Aren’t you tired?”

Tan Xiao’s cooking skills weren’t that great, but he had helped his parents make dumplings since he was a child. With a casual pinch, he could make a perfectly round, plump dumpling with frills, which looked better than those made with a mold.

“Fifty each, a total of two hundred and fifty, and it didn’t take much effort. The meat filling was ground with a meat grinder. Just the two of us eating one meal, and we’ve already eaten one-fifth of it. I think we can finish it quickly.”

He didn’t have his boyfriend to keep him company and couldn’t go out. If he kept live streaming, it always felt like working every day. Occasionally, he wanted to do something interesting to pass the time. The dough was rolled out with flour by himself, and the filling was also prepared by himself.

While making dumplings, he also shot a vlog. Originally, he planned to edit and post it today, but since Wen Yi had a day off, he put that aside. The video could be edited anytime, but spending time with his boyfriend was more important.

He couldn’t help but complain, “Time flies so fast. Yesterday, when I was making dumplings, I still had a lot of time left after finishing. It felt like time was slowing down. But today is different; it feels much shorter than usual.”

Wen Yi smiled at him, “I feel the same way. Happy times always seem to pass by so quickly.”

Watching the dumplings boiling and bubbling in the pot, he chatted and timed them, then picked a small green onion from the flowerpot on the balcony and chopped it vigorously with a cleaver.

He took the beechwood spatula from Wen Yi’s hand and continued stirring: “Let me do it. You go sit in the living room and behave. Your hand hasn’t healed for long, the cast was just removed two days ago, right? You should use it less. The dumplings will be ready soon.”

Yesterday, he was quite reckless. Fortunately, Wen Yi had recovered well, and the stitches from the surgery had been removed a couple of days ago. Otherwise, with all the commotion yesterday, he was really worried that Wen Yi’s wound would split open.

Wen Yi obediently returned to the living room. There were three light sources in the living room. He pressed a few switches and adjusted the white light to a soft warm yellow glow.

Once the lighting was set, Tan Xiao brought over two large bowls. These bowls were a pair, in a light green cream color, part of a couple’s dinnerware set.

After all, he had worked hard to make them himself, so Tan Xiao also brought over two small plates—one with a slightly spicy chili sauce and the other with fragrant vinegar.

He pulled the chili oil plate towards himself: “You seem to not be able to eat spicy food today, so just dip it in some vinegar.”

Wen Yi had no intention of opposing him, picked up a plump corn-filled dumpling, and after boiling it, the dumpling skin became semi-transparent, clearly revealing the filling inside.

Tan Xiao didn’t move his chopsticks, watching Wen Yi eagerly, waiting for his feedback: “Do you think it’s good?”

“Delicious, especially delicious!” Wen Yi’s eyes curved into crescent moons as he gave a thumbs-up. “These are the best dumplings I’ve ever had.”

Hehe, Tan Xiao also picked one up, the taste still reminiscent of familiar memories: “They’re not particularly special, just the ones I made myself, with fresh and solid ingredients.”

His words were humble, but the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but lift.

Wen Yi pulled his chair closer to Tan Xiao: “The dumplings you make are the best in my heart, every filling is delicious.”

“As long as you like it, I’ll cook you a box for breakfast tomorrow morning.”

The infectious disease department in the hospital was currently under strict lockdown, and no one was allowed to enter casually. Even Wen Yi’s boyfriend, who was usually chatty, would be stopped outside. Otherwise, he would have considered wearing protective gear to deliver food to Wen Yi.

Usually, after finishing dinner together, the two would go for a walk in the small garden downstairs to aid digestion. However, now everyone was terrified of the insects, and the shops on the street were forced to close after 8 PM. The once-bustling park by the lake was now devoid of people taking evening strolls.

Mainly, now that they regularly sprayed for mosquitoes outside every day, every time Tan Xiao went downstairs to take out the trash, even with a mask on, he could vaguely smell the insecticide in the air.

The leaves of the various flowers, plants, and trees planted in the community had turned yellow and withered a lot in the past two days due to the poison, and all the petals had fallen to the ground. Every time he went for a walk, it felt like he was inhaling poison into his lungs.

After finishing the dumplings, there were only two bowls. Tan Xiao was too lazy to use the dishwasher and could rinse them off in five minutes.

While washing the dishes, he complained to Wen Yi, “We’re not going out for the next few days. We’ll wait until the situation improves. Let’s just relax at home and digest.”

Wen Yi blinked: “Are you talking about the way we digested yesterday?”

Tan Xiao’s face instantly turned red: “You have to work tomorrow. We can’t stay up too late. You start work at 8, so you need to get enough sleep.”

Although he liked it very much, this kind of thing should not be done without moderation. It was not like tomorrow was the end of the world, and he had to love even if he died.

Wen Yi glanced at the clock on the wall in the living room: “When I came back yesterday, it was already past 12, but now it’s only 7.”

His eyes were affectionate: “It’s still early, we have 5 more hours.”

Tan Xiao shook the water off the dishes: “No, you’re still a doctor. You just ate, you can’t do intense exercise, otherwise, it won’t be good for your stomach.”

Yesterday, he had only a small bowl of porridge, but today he ate a full 30 dumplings.

He cleared his throat lightly, “At least wait another half hour.”

Although intense exercise was out of the question, kissing above the neck was fine. After using a lot of mouthwash, today’s kiss smelled sweetly of juicy grapes.

With more laughter, progress came faster. Today, he successfully learned to breathe, and today’s kiss lasted a full half hour. He thought that with a bit more practice, he might even master the advanced skill of tying a cherry stem with his tongue.

The next morning, Tan Xiao prepared a bowl of red bean porridge to nourish Qi and blood for Dr. Wen as breakfast. He fried twenty dumplings and an egg, packing them into a clean lunchbox.

There was a microwave in the hospital for the doctors to use, so they could heat it up and enjoy delicious fried dumplings for lunch.

Although more and more people were being hospitalized due to the illness, the numbers were still increasing.

As long as one didn’t come into direct contact with patients, didn’t get infected through blood, and wasn’t bitten by mosquitoes carrying the disease, they wouldn’t get sick! In such a large city, not every area had mosquitoes that bit patients.

In the eyes of most residents, those who got sick were just unlucky, and at this stage, everyone was still relatively optimistic.

After exchanging a cool, white peach mint kiss, Tan Xiao, dressed in a trench coat and wearing a mask, sent Wen Yi, who was dressed in protective gear, to the hospital for work.

“Doctor Wen, do your best at work. I’ll wait for you to come home.”

At this moment, he didn’t know that from tonight on, he would no longer be able to wait for Doctor Wen to come home after work.

The collective players’ game page emitted a red light symbolizing danger, a silent notification informing them that the plague had entered the second stage in this instance.

Plague (10): Going a step further

Tan Xiao’s adam’s apple rolled; as a lover, he naturally had thoughts about his boyfriend.

It was rare for Wen Yi to take the initiative to ask, and logically, he should have agreed immediately. But reason overpowered his impulse.

In Tan Xiao’s impression, Wen Yi wasn’t this aggressive in matters of the heart. From their first meeting to confirming their relationship, it had only been half a month.

If the two of them were to engage in deeper communication, the one who should take the initiative should be himself. Wen Yi’s unreasonable request must have been triggered by some kind of stimulus.

“Dr. Wen…” The young man slightly lowered his head, looked directly at Wen Yi’s face, and spoke in a particularly gentle voice, “Dear, tell me, what happened in the hospital today? Was there something bad?”

Wen Yi’s voice was low: “Many people have died in the hospital these past few days, and I’m a bit scared.”

Tan Xiao hugged him back: “Scared? Is it the sight of those patients that is frightening? That’s normal; I felt scared seeing those pictures online too.”

Although he hadn’t been to the hospital, he could imagine the solemn and heavy atmosphere inside. Everyone must be particularly tense and anxious, and all the medical staff were operating at high intensity like machines.

As a highly anticipated research team, the pressure on Wen Yi would only increase.

Tan Xiao said, “It’s natural to be afraid. I’ve been afraid these past few days too, worried that something might happen to you, fearing that one moment you might be fine, and the next moment I might get the news that you’re sick.”

After saying some discouraging words, he encouraged Wen Yi with some positive remarks: “Infectious diseases aren’t actually that scary; they just spread through blood. As long as we take proper precautions and ensure we have a healthy body, it’s not that easy to get into trouble. What we need now is time. If we hold on for a little longer, we will definitely be able to overcome this virus!”

Wen Yi suddenly asked, “What if I resign? I won’t go to the hospital anymore, I won’t do this research anymore.”

Tan Xiao was taken aback for a moment. He pressed Wen Yi’s shoulder and looked firmly into his eyes, “Baby, although it sounds a bit cold-blooded to say this, I hope you can take it easier. Compared to those patients, I hope you care more about yourself. Nothing is more important than you.”

People who are overly delicate and sensitive, and easily empathize with others, are not suitable for the medical profession because the immense emotions can easily crush them.

Tan Xiao never considered studying medicine because he simply couldn’t handle the negative emotions from patients.

“People are not machines. Even if they are precision machines, if they operate under high intensity for a long time, they will overload and burn out. It’s normal to feel tired, exhausted, and scared. Even if you want to be a coward, that’s okay.”

Tan Xiao didn’t know how important Wen Yi was to the hospital’s research projects. After all, there were many talented people, and the research team had more than just Wen Yi as a doctor.

But one thing he knew was that resigning at this time would be equivalent to ruining Wen Yi’s future career and might even lead to widespread condemnation.

“Dr. Wen has always been dedicated, responsible, and gentle with patients, no matter what others think. You, Wen Yi, are a good doctor in my heart! Even if you choose to resign at this time, that won’t change.”

In this small dormitory, there were many medical books piled up, and the cabinet was filled with countless honors that Wen Yi once received in the medical field.

A person who had invested so much time, effort, and dedication into something must have a deep love for it. Moreover, when things were not as severe initially, Dr. Wen would return to the hospital with just a phone call.

In Tan Xiao’s view, the decision to give up a career that one loved must mean that Dr. Wen had reached the brink of collapse and was instinctively seeking survival. Doctors are also human, and wanting to live is not wrong for anyone.

Wen Yi’s lips curled slightly: “Tan Xiao, I’m not as good as you think. But I won’t resign during this period.”

His gentle attitude was merely out of professional courtesy and did not mean he was inherently gentle. The real him was a cold, rational person, even a bit cold-blooded.

After all, medical professionals are not artists. A doctor capable of performing a highly difficult surgery must be a machine more precise than a computer. Sensitivity is not a quality a doctor should possess; rationality and calmness are.

What Huaxi Hospital would become in the future, how crazy people would get, he knew it all too well.

Wen Yi was not worried about getting infected; he was just afraid that Tan Xiao would change, becoming like those mad and irritable patients, unrecognizable. This fear made him eager to do something, so he initiated today’s invitation.

However, he didn’t plan to tell Tan Xiao this; let the latter think he was just simply afraid of getting sick.

He leaned in and buried his face in Tan Xiao’s arms, his voice a bit hoarse as he made the invitation once more: “Tan Xiao, I want you.”

Tan Xiao clenched his fists, struggling to refuse: “Wen Yi, don’t mess around.”

“Is it because you think I’m too ugly?” Wen Yi looked at Tan Xiao with a mournful expression, “Just two days ago, you said I was too thin, or is it because you think I’m too old and not attractive to you anymore?”

Tan Xiao couldn’t help but frown: “You have to go to work in the morning, it’s already midnight, you’re not made of iron, I’m worried you’ll have a heart attack.”

It was not that he didn’t want to, but Wen Yi was too tired. Today, he worked for over ten hours straight. He was not an animal, thinking about that kind of thing all day long.

Tan Xiao had no practical experience and had only learned theoretical knowledge through the internet. He knew that the first time was very easy to lose control, and he was worried that Wen Yi wpuñd be too tired and might collapse on the job.

Wen Yi smiled and said, “I didn’t have to work overtime this late today, but I want to take a day off tomorrow.”

Dr. Wen adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses: “Our research team works in a division of labor. To get this day off, I worked an extra 8 hours today and finished a week’s worth of work for others ahead of schedule.”

His slightly narrowed gaze through the lenses fell on Tan Xiao’s lower half: “Or should I say, dear, that you can’t handle it? No worries, I can do it for love.”

With words having come to this point, if Tan Xiao refused again, it would only mean one thing: he was no man!.

The next moment, Wen Yi exclaimed in surprise as he was lifted off his feet by his young, handsome, and tall boyfriend. The boy’s deep, bass-like voice rang in his ear, “You’re right, I can’t let Dr. Wen’s hard work go to waste.”

The staff dormitory with two rooms, one living room, and one bathroom didn’t have space for a bathtub; it was equipped with a shower that had an oversized showerhead like those in hotels.

The water flow was turned up to the maximum, and the cold water gradually turned warm, completely shrouding the shower room’s glass door in a mist. Inside the bathroom, a duet symphony played, sometimes low and sometimes high.

Moments later, a pale handprint appeared on the glass door, and the wet water flowed down the glass, briefly clearing the foggy surface. A fair, flushed face with wet black hair was reflected on the glass…

It turned out that gifted young men couldn’t be provoked. If it weren’t for Wen Yi having a day off the next day, he might have really died in the bathroom.

After joking and messing around with his boyfriend for most of the night, he woke up the next day to find it was already 1 PM.

He opened his eyes in confusion and met Wen Yi’s gaze, who was sitting on top of him.

The corners of Wen Yi’s eyes were slightly red, a faint peach blossom color, making him look just like a fox spirit who had successfully completed its cultivation.

The latter wasn’t wearing glasses, his hair a bit disheveled, and his fox-like eyes gazed at him with deep affection: “Good afternoon, baby. I’ve prepared lunch.”

His fox-like eyes didn’t look as fierce, lacking the chilling ferocity of a beast, and instead, they held a touch of tenderness.

Wen Yi had already woken up. Understanding the difficulty of Tan Xiao, he went to prepare lunch an hour ago and only came over now for wake up service.

It wasn’t Tan Xiao’s illusion; it was just one night, and the gloomy aura brought by the high-intensity work had completely vanished from Wen Yi. He looked radiant.

He instinctively glanced at the trash can by the bed; an entire small box was empty.

There were three in a small box, but it was not used for the two times in the bathroom.

This was his first time doing something like this, so he should be quite proud of himself for getting this far, right? He didn’t embarrass the face of an eighteen-year-old, did he?

Or could it be that Dr. Wen was some kind of supernatural being, able to rejuvenate himself through some special technique?

Lost in thought, he slightly moved his body and felt something was off, very warm and comfortable.

Dr. Wen’s upper body was neatly dressed in a smooth silk pajama top, while his matching pajama pants were thrown on the floor by the bed.

Tan Xiao’s mind flashed with a white light, and his face instantly turned red: Wen Yi, Wen Yi, how could he do this!

Forced to endure the special wake-up service from his older elite boyfriend, Tan Xiao had no choice but to take another shower early in the morning. After exercising, he ate nearly twice his usual lunch portion today, finishing his plate completely clean.

After finishing the meal and reaching for a cold Coke, he hesitated for a moment, put the Coke back in the fridge, quietly took out a thermos, and tossed in a dozen goji berries: “My boyfriend is too amazing. To ensure a long-term high-quality life in the future, I have to start taking care of my health from now on!”

Plague (9): Bath invitation

After successfully getting through the difficult initial days of not understanding the information, tens of thousands of players quietly lurked in this city.

After all, under normal circumstances, people wouldn’t suspect that the souls of those around them had been swapped. As long as they weren’t too unlucky or too foolish, there wouldn’t be a risk of brain death caused by excessive OOC.

Wang Mingming, the player who had transformed into Aunt Zhao, the fruit shop owner, was one of the many players who had successfully stayed.

NPC Aunt Zhao was fifty years old, divorced from her husband for many years, and ran a small fruit shop. She owned a house, which was the one rented to Tan Xiao.

She lived with her daughter and son-in-law, and besides running the fruit business, she also helped take care of her granddaughter.

Wang Mingming was a homebody in real life, relying on takeout and instant noodles for cooking. To avoid being discovered by the locals, he had no choice but to choose to travel.

He bought a high-speed train ticket and boarded the train out of the province. As soon as the train left the first station, he started to feel his heart racing, dizzy, and then had difficulty breathing.

The system issued a warning: [Players must not leave the game instance area, otherwise they will be deemed to have failed the game and return to reality after midnight tonight!]

Which otaku hadn’t dreamed of a system that dropped from the sky, leading to a special life? Although his system wasn’t one of those that makes you rich and gives you benefits, the real world had undergone a huge change.

If he lost his player identity, he would completely become an ordinary person, even gradually falling to the bottom of society.

In the real world after the meteor shower, where fog had invaded, the living standards of ordinary people had plummeted and would continue to become more and more difficult.

Middle-aged woman Aunt Zhao was healthy and wealthy, and she had a say in the family, so the chances of surviving a month were very high.

Newbies could choose to give up after successfully completing the game for the first time, but he wanted to at least get the reward for this time!

Wang Mingming clearly didn’t want to fail the game like this, so he hurriedly got off the bus early, bought a return ticket at the station, and went back dejectedly.

Thinking about the rental house still in the chat box on his phone, Wang Mingming planned to take back the house he had rented out and live in it himself. Then he saw the indigenous person who had brought him the system warning!

The fear brought by the game warning took over his brain, and Wang Mingming turned and ran away quickly.

Compared to being alone outside, it was obviously better to have someone take care of you when you’re sick. In the end, Wang Mingming went home to avoid being exposed for cooking poorly. He pretended to be sick in front of his daughter’s family, complaining about headaches, fever, back pain, leg pain, and soreness, then stayed in his room resting every day.

It wasn’t until the seventh day of the game that he saw the notice about a deadly infectious disease online.

A female host from the local TV station had a serious expression on her face: “An unknown malignant infectious disease has appeared in our city. The mortality rate of this infectious disease is extremely high. Currently, the number of deaths from this unknown infectious disease has reached 6. It spreads through blood transmission and can also be transmitted through mosquito bites.”

“The initial stage of this disease is the appearance of rice-sized lumps. The pus-filled lumps can grow to the size of a coin, with transparent mucus visible inside. There is also a certain chance of persistent high fever. Citizens with these symptoms are advised not to scratch and to seek medical attention promptly.”

Patients who died in the hospital were not necessarily the initial patients, because some people, after being bitten by mosquitoes, did not take it seriously and just thought they had a skin disease, casually applying ointment.

By the time they were admitted to the hospital with a fever, the virus had already evolved in their bodies for some time. Additionally, some people had weaker constitutions, and although they were infected later, their condition was more severe, and they developed a fever earlier.

This was discovered by the hospital after studying multiple patients; those patients all had traces of mosquito bites on their bodies.

According to big data research, these patients all visited the same place—Citizen Park.

Wang Mingming initially thought it was the flu and assumed it was a respiratory disease. He had previously bought protective clothing, masks, and goggles and stuffed them under his bed. He never expected it to be bloodborne; being bitten by a mosquito could lead to an infection of the plague!

Who knew if the mosquitoes in their neighborhood had just bitten an infected person a second ago? After seeing the related news, he immediately felt a severe lack of safety and quickly ordered various insect repellents online.

Mosquitoes are very clever; even on high floors, they can use the elevator to get upstairs. Even though he now lived on the 19th floor of such a tall building, he still got disturbed by mosquitoes.

He was quite lucky; as soon as the news broke, the insect repellent in the supermarket sold out, and everything related to insect repellent and mosquito control on the app platform showed as sold out.

The air conditioning in the room was set to the lowest possible temperature, and while Wang Mingming was waiting for the delivery person, he quickly grabbed the remote and set it to a chilly 16 degrees. He pulled out thick clothes and wrapped himself up like a ball, lighting mosquito coils all around the house in an attempt to freeze and poison those damn mosquitoes.

Players everywhere were taking action, and they were encouraging some indifferent locals to join in and buy, buy, buy.

On a scorching hot day, some people went out fully covered, fearing they might accidentally get bitten by mosquitoes.

The player system belonging to Tan Xiao had been malfunctioning and disconnecting, but his boyfriend, a doctor at Huaxi Hospital, was urgently called back to the hospital when the first patient died.

Under the microscope, the virus detected in the patient’s tissue fluid was unlike any virus they had encountered before. It was a completely unfamiliar disease, and it had terrifying contagiousness.

As a family member of a doctor, Tan Xiao learned the news four days earlier than most citizens.

He immediately ordered various medical supplies, reserved ten thousand for living expenses and tuition for the first academic year, and spent ninety thousand in total.

Better quality medical supplies were actually very expensive. After thinking for a while, he still asked Wen Yi for a huge sum of five hundred thousand to wholesale purchase protective clothing, masks, goggles, rubber gloves, and so on.

While Wang Mingming was there competing with other citizens to buy mosquito coils, Tan Xiao had already procured the supplies in advance. He wore protective gear and used a small cart to transport them one by one, stacking them all in the rented room next door.

When he learned about the infectious disease, Tan Xiao went online to read a lot of information. Compared to ordinary people outside, the healthcare workers on the front lines always faced the highest risk of infection.

Even though the air conditioning in the hospital was particularly strong, the transmission of infectious diseases was not limited to mosquito bites. During the study of the disease, the patient’s blood could potentially splatter onto Wen Yi.

Tan Xiao was not a particularly great person, but when he sensed danger approaching, he hoped to do something to reduce the risk for himself and his partner.

Wen Yi said that the virus they observed was evolving rapidly, and it was evolving in a more severe direction.

The patients who died at the beginning actually had milder symptoms; their deaths were caused by prolonged high fever. However, the patients who were admitted to the hospital later developed skin pustules and obvious ulcers.

To minimize the impact and avoid causing panic among residents, the information that could be disclosed in the news was definitely more mild than the actual situation.

Tan Xiao hoarding these medical resources was certainly not for high-priced trading. He was just being cautious, preparing for the possibility that the infectious disease might worsen and spread over a large area. At that time, if merchants hoard supplies, high-risk medical staff might not receive effective protection.

These resources were prepared for Wen Yi and his hospital colleagues. If the situation at the hospital turned out to be better than he expected, he would donate all the remaining resources.

If the situation was very bad, he at least needed to ensure the safety of his lover.

After the news broadcast, government-organized disinfection teams quickly appeared on the streets.

In the resident group Tan Xiao was part of, the group owner forwarded the street office’s notice three times: “Starting tomorrow, insecticides will be sprayed. Please make sure to close your doors and windows properly, and take down any clothes and bedding that are drying outside in advance.”

There were more patrol cars in the streets and alleys, using loudspeakers to spread awareness.

“Don’t throw away water-filled mineral water bottles carelessly; they can easily breed mosquitoes…”

“If you experience symptoms related to infectious diseases, please go to the hospital promptly.”

Some people were terrified, worried that they had contracted a special infectious disease, only to find out after going to the hospital that they hadn’t.

The hospital was already busy, and now it was even more short-staffed.

Meanwhile, some patients who were actually sick hadn’t even gone to the hospital, and all sorts of rumors were spreading wildly in various groups.

“Can’t go to the hospital, the hospital is exaggerating this disease. Being bitten by a mosquito isn’t that scary. They don’t care if you have the disease or not. If you show any suspected symptoms and go to the hospital, you’ll be locked up!”

“Someone in my family is in the hospital. I heard this disease is super scary, with an extremely high mortality rate, and bodies everywhere.”

This message was accompanied by a GIF that looked very realistic, but in fact, it was a still from a viral sci-fi movie.

There were just too many people in the city. Whenever a major incident occurred, many people would stir up trouble. Every second, someone was spreading rumors, and these rumors often spread faster than the truth.

Tan Xiao didn’t want to trouble Wen Yi, so he quietly reduced his outings, and even when he did go out, he made sure to stock up for at least a week.

However, he still sensed the brewing storm from the details he gathered from groups and the internet.

The situation didn’t seem to improve; it was worsening at an alarming rate.

On the first day the news reported the incident, the numbers given to the public were 6 deaths and 18 infected.

On the second day of the broadcast, the number of infected people rose to 76.

On the third day of the broadcast, the number of infected people became a staggering 1,058, and the death toll increased to 125. Some patients collapsed and lost their breath as soon as they entered the hospital.

The third day of the news broadcast also marked the tenth day since players entered the game instance, and the plague instance entered its second phase, the outbreak period.

Once infected with the plague, players could see their system panel’s data rapidly declining. Being infected with the plague meant game over.

Tan Xiao’s life was greatly affected as a result: Wen Yi’s working hours became increasingly late. On his first day back, he worked his regular hours, then added two more hours. The next day, he added four hours, and could only leave work at ten in the evening.

On the third day of the news broadcast, Tan Xiao received a video call from Wen Yi. He looked somewhat haggard: “A Xiao, I might not get home until midnight today.”

Tan Xiao nodded: “I’ll save some food for you. You must take care of yourself!”

Wen Yi smiled gently: “I will.”

When Wen Yi returned home in the middle of the night and opened the door, he saw the lamp that Tan Xiao had specially left on for him.

The boy, dressed in pajamas, immediately came out of the bedroom and heated up some food in the microwave.

He took two sets of chopsticks and said, “I’m hungry too, so I’ll keep you company while you eat.”

After finishing the meal, Tan Xiao put the dishes into the dishwasher.

Wen Yi went into the bedroom and then into the kitchen, hugging Tan Xiao, who was wearing an apron. He held a small square box that looked like a piece of gum between his long fingers. “A Xiao, I want to take a shower with you later, okay?”

Plague (8): Perfect Lover

Dr. Wen unconsciously closed his eyes, choosing to meet their first kiss in a default manner.

Although Tan Xiao was theoretically knowledgeable, when it came to actually kissing, his initial movements were quite awkward, and his teeth even bumped against Wen Yi’s lips. Fortunately, he was gentle and careful enough not to bite through those overly soft lips.

By the time the kiss, which started shallow and deepened, ended, both Tan Xiao and Wen Yi were blushing. Wen Yi’s originally pale lips were stained a deep red, glistening with a shiny sheen, and slightly swollen.

Tan Xiao wasn’t doing much better; he was a bit out of breath and took several deep breaths of fresh air after they separated.

It was their first kiss, and Tan Xiao hadn’t yet learned how to breathe during it. But it didn’t matter; they had many more opportunities ahead, and he wasn’t in a hurry. He could slowly learn with Wen Yi.

“Dr. Wen, your lung capacity is really impressive. Is it natural or something you’ve trained for?”

Wen Yi lightly hummed in response, brushing off the topic. He wouldn’t be troubled by breathing issues, of course, not because of his lung capacity, but because he wasn’t a living person and didn’t need to breathe.

On ordinary days, he disguised himself very well, but when it came to the moment, he couldn’t remember any pretense and let out a small, guilty gasp.

Tan Xiao didn’t notice Wen Yi’s abnormality; he was overly dull in some aspects and naturally overlooked some unimportant details.

His lung capacity was still less than that of the seemingly weaker Dr. Wen, which slightly bruised Tan Xiao’s pride as a young man.

It seemed he was still not strong enough and needed to intensify his training to present a better version of himself in front of Dr. Wen.

Speaking of lung capacity training, holding your breath in water and swimming frequently seem to improve lung capacity.

Moreover, it was currently the hot summer season, and going swimming together in the summer was a great idea.

Swimming not only helped with shaping but also ensured that his beautiful abs wouldn’t turn into a soft lump from overeating. There seemed to be a swimming pool nearby, so he could get a membership card and start training.

“Doctor Wen, can you swim?”

Wen Yi nodded, “Yes.”

As a doctor who treated and saved lives, he believed swimming was a skill he should learn.

“Then when your arm cast is removed, let’s go swimming together.” Right now, Tan Xiao didn’t plan to go. Wen Yi’s arm wasn’t fully healed yet, and even if they went swimming, it would only be him swimming in the water while his boyfriend watched from the shore. That would be a bit boring.

With a worried smile, he glanced at Wen Yi’s arm, which was still in a cast. In this hot weather, he wondered if the wound would be prone to infection.

“Does your arm still hurt? When will it get better?”

Wen Yi shook his head, “It doesn’t hurt, it’ll heal soon.”

His wound was actually healing very quickly, but it was too quick, so he wrapped it up a bit as a cover-up.

“Tomorrow I’ll go to the hospital for a check-up. If the wound heals quickly, I should be able to return to normal work within seven days.”

Speaking of work, Tan Xiao immediately changed his mind: “Then for the next few days, we’re not going anywhere. We’ll just stay home and take care of your injury!”

He knew the doctor was very busy and had a heavy workload. After just a few days of taking care of his hand, Wen Yi was already thinking about going back to work, which was too hard on him.

Staying at home had its advantages; in the morning, there was a bit of a cool breeze, but after a few hours of sunlight, the ground got scorching hot.

They turned on the air conditioning as soon as they got home. Looking through the glass outside, the scorching summer sun had almost wilted the leaves. The heat made the invisible air seemed like a tangible wave of scorching heat. The cicadas on the trees had hoarse voices, weakly chirping away.

Tan Xiao felt a bit thirsty and took a bottle of ice-cold mineral water from the fridge, gulping down more than half of it in one go. He wanted to eat something else.

This time, they had filled almost the entire upper refrigerator compartment with their purchases. However, the lower freezer compartment was empty, with nothing in it.

Tan Xiao felt that they had spent too little time in the supermarket earlier, and upon returning home, they realized they had missed buying quite a few things.

Wen Yi’s dormitory had a refrigerator, and the one left by the previous owner in Tan Xiao’s neighboring rental was quite large. They had two refrigerators to use, and Tan Xiao felt that he could still fill the remaining space.

“Dr. Wen, let’s buy some ice cream to cool off. Which brand of ice cream do you like?”

Online shopping was really convenient. There was a large ice cream wholesale store nearby, but Tan Xiao didn’t plan to brave the heat and go out. He opened the food delivery app on his phone, and sure enough, the store offered delivery services.

He looked at the colorful pictures on the app and felt that these brands seemed to be a bit different from his memory: Blue Tongue, Old Pudding, Six Little Dwarfs, Black Mood…

The unfamiliar packaging and somewhat familiar names looked like counterfeit goods. However, this was a big city, and Huaxi Hospital was in the city center. Aunt Zhao rented it to him at a low price, charging him five thousand per month for this old, run-down two-bedroom apartment.

Tan Xiao shook his head. It seemed that these brands were indeed in his memory, though there were also some strange and unusual ones he had never heard of before. They might be new products released by the merchants.

It seemed that the hit really did have some aftereffects; strange images occasionally flashed through his mind. If this continued, he might have to go to the hospital for another CT scan.

Wen Yi had no objections to such trivial matters: “I’m fine with anything, just pick what you like.”

Tan Xiao still preferred to drag his boyfriend along. He naturally acted spoiled: “Let’s choose together. If there’s something you like that I haven’t tried, you can recommend it to me.”

Wen Yi honestly said, “I don’t really eat these, and I don’t know what’s good.”

His life was obviously different from Tan Xiao’s, not interesting at all, dull and tedious, spending long periods immersed in those medical-related projects.

In fact, Wen Yi found those topics very interesting and didn’t care about how others viewed him. After all, to Wen Yi, other people were no different from paramecia; most people were just boring, gene-driven single-celled organisms.

But after falling in love, his thoughts naturally changed.

Before meeting this person, Wen Yi thought his ideal partner would be a soulmate who would progress together with him on research projects. However, after meeting Tan Xiao, he realized that the so-called ideal type was just a joke.

His partner didn’t need to be someone who resonated with him in medicine. Someone like Tan Xiao, who was young, lively, and passionate, and could complement him, was more than enough. Every little thing about Tan Xiao was to his liking, from the hair on his head to the nails on his toes, there was nothing wrong.

For him, Tan Xiao was the most suitable, perfect, and best partner in the world.

Tan Xiao was picking and choosing in the shopping cart, feeling like he was having a hard time making a decision. He decided to solve the problem simply and brutally: “Then I’ll just order two of each and try them out. If I like any, I’ll buy more next time.”

Exploring new things with his boyfriend was also very interesting, and they could edit it into an ice cream review.

Now he didn’t work part-time at the fruit store anymore, so maybe he could shoot some lifestyle videos, become a more flexible content creator, and even a game streamer.

Of course, Tan Xiao didn’t plan to show his face; he just wanted to earn some pocket money and didn’t intend to become an internet celebrity exposed to the public eye.

“Anything is fine.”

Wen Yi said, “But if we order everything, it should be quite expensive, right? Do you have enough money? If not, I can buy it instead.”

Wen Yi really didn’t care much about food cravings; he hardly ever touched snacks from childhood to now. However, Tan Xiao liked to eat these things, and he was willing to accompany his boyfriend to eat them.

He knew that Tan Xiao was young and might not have much money. Previously, they were just neighbors, so Wen Yi didn’t feel it was appropriate to spend money on him. But now that they were in a romantic relationship, as the one with more financial resources and the older one, Wen Yi felt he should do better, for example, by actively spending money on his boyfriend.

Tan Xiao shook his head, “I still have money, I can afford the ice cream.”

After spending a large sum, Tan Xiao’s part-time earnings over the past few days were almost depleted, and he couldn’t misuse the living and tuition fees his parents gave him.

He sighed, “Dr. Wen, I was wrong. Ice cream is so expensive, I ended up with no money after buying it.”

Wen Yi finally thought of a suitable reason, “You need to take care of me more these days. I can’t help much with cooking and grocery shopping, so let me pay for the groceries.”

Tan Xiao quickly received a transfer on Fei Xun, with the note saying it was for groceries.

He heard the notification sound and opened the chat window. Wen Yi had transferred him 20,000 coins! That was way too much!

However, Tan Xiao didn’t hesitate or push back. He never understood the need to refuse when he was younger. If someone offers, just accept it. Why waste time with back-and-forth?

Anyway, he would spend this money on himself and Dr. Wen.

The young man suddenly wrapped his arms around his older lover’s neck and nuzzled into the crook of his neck: “Then I’ll accept it without hesitation. I might have to rely on Dr. Wen’s generosity for the next few months!”

The other party was sincere, and he would definitely not let Dr. Wen suffer any losses!

Tan Xiao and Wen Yi spent quite a comfortable few days at home, the air seemed to be filled with pink bubbles.

But this sweetness was shattered by the outbreak of a malignant infectious disease. The hospital received some patients with sudden severe illness, and the disease was contagious.

The initial symptom of this malignant infectious disease was a high fever, which persisted and recurred after administering antipyretic injections, until the patient died.

Actually, there were cases before, but they were just isolated incidents, and the patients were continuously receiving treatment, so the hospital didn’t pay much attention to the disease.

However, now the hospital couldn’t cover it up anymore; the infectious disease had spread, and all the initial patients sent to the hospital had been declared dead.

As the chief physician of the hospital and an expert in virology, Wen Yi was urgently recalled to the hospital.

Compared to his surgical skills, Wen Yi’s theoretical talent was actually higher; otherwise, the hospital wouldn’t have made an exception to give him this title at that time.

On the first day Wen Yi returned to the hospital, he was asked to join the research team studying this malignant infectious disease.

Due to his arm being slashed by a thug a few days ago, his right hand hadn’t fully recovered, making it impossible for him to perform such delicate surgical tasks.

The theoretical research work didn’t require him to use his hands. The hospital arranged for an assistant to handle typing. As long as he could speak and think, Wen Yi could continue his work.

Two days after Wen Yi joined, the hospital project team reached a preliminary conclusion: the transmission method of the malignant infectious disease was through blood.

The most terrifying part was that, like malaria, it could be transmitted through mosquito bites, and the hot summer was precisely the season when mosquitoes were rampant.

Plague (7): I want to kiss

Tan Xiao suddenly pinched his own arm hard, the skin feeling warm and delicate, with a bit of firmness, the muscles quite elastic.

Seeing the red mark left on his arm, Wen Yi asked in confusion, “Why are you pinching yourself?”

Tan Xiao couldn’t help but grin, revealing a set of quite neat and beautiful white teeth: “I was wondering if I’m dreaming.”

He pressed Wen Yi further: “Do you really think so? Are you really willing to be my boyfriend? Is it because you like me? Not out of gratitude?”

With a smile, he pressed down the corners of his mouth that couldn’t help but lift, and with a serious face, he said, “The quickened heartbeat caused by the suspension bridge effect doesn’t mean you like me. I hope you agree because you like me, not because I saved you from that guy and that’s why you want to be my boyfriend.”

Wen Yi said, “I am a doctor.”

Tan Xiao looked at him in confusion, “Huh?”

Of course, he knew that Wen Yi was a doctor; he called him Dr. Wen every day.

“I mean, I know what the suspension bridge effect is,” Wen Yi said, his expression a bit shy, but he honestly spoke her mind. “Actually, I was moved when you confessed the first time. I just rejected you out of rationality. You’re too young, and I was worried you were either joking with me or playing a daring game.”

But Tan Xiao’s later actions told him that he wasn’t. Although Tan Xiao was young, he was very good at taking care of people, considerate and gentle. In terms of dealing with people and the world, he might be more mature than this twenty-seven-year-old old man.

At first sight, he was struck by a sudden infatuation, and during their subsequent interactions, he was uncontrollably attracted. That day, Tan Xiao rushed up to protect him without hesitation, which made him completely fall for him.

Tan Xiao was now truly excited; he felt like there was a grand fireworks display in his mind: he knew it, with his handsome and charming looks, Dr. Wen couldn’t possibly be indifferent to him! It turned out they were both smitten at first sight, a perfect love where both were equally invested!

“Excuse me, could you please move aside? You’re blocking the way.”

The customers behind urged Tan Xiao. Although the supermarket was very large, there were particularly many people shopping today, and Tan Xiao, pushing a big shopping cart, was taking up a bit of space.

“Sorry,” Tan Xiao immediately pulled the shopping cart back.

“Ahem.”

Tan Xiao coughed modestly, “We’ve been out for quite a while. If there’s anything to discuss, let’s talk about it when we get back.”

The supermarket was too crowded, not a good place for romance. Better to wait until they got home, where they could talk about anything privately.

He went to the snack aisle and picked up some chocolate chips and other snacks, making sure to reach a total of 500 before taking Wen Yi to the checkout.

Passing the daily necessities section, he paused briefly and joked, “I think I saw the shower gel we use at home. Should we grab a bottle?”

Wen Yi’s cheeks had already cooled down, but his ears, which his hair couldn’t cover, were still flushed red: “Get a bottle.”

His eyes were smiling very gently. After speaking, Wen Yi no longer avoided his true feelings and no longer hesitated or refused. He actually really liked the feeling of Tan Xiao putting him in his heart. Even though the memories of Tan Xiao weren’t good, he remembered every word he had said.

When it was time to pay the bill, Wen Yi took the initiative to say, “Let me pay this time.”

He looked at Tan Xiao: “You paid for the watermelon, and you even treated me to a meal. Since we’re boyfriends, you can’t always be the one paying.”

Tan Xiao didn’t refuse and naturally made way for Wen Yi: “Then you go ahead.”

A give-and-take is necessary to build a deeper relationship. Tan Xiao didn’t intend to just live off Wen Yi, but he also didn’t have the kind of macho attitude that insisted on paying for everything himself. They were both men, so they should contribute equally.

Oh, he was still a student, while Wen Yi was a medical elite, earning much more than him. At this stage, it was okay for him to rely a bit on Wen Yi. Once he earned money in college, he would pay him back later.

He casually asked, “If the total exceeds 500, does your supermarket offer delivery services? Our Zihua Garden community is 1 km away from here.”

The cashier nodded, “Yes, if customers need it, our supermarket offers free delivery within 5 km for purchases over 500. We can deliver to the entrance of your community.”

She kept scanning the items taken out of the shopping cart while chatting and reported a number: “893.5.”

Wen Yi’s first reaction was that the price of the items was wrong; adding in the chocolates and snacks, it was still 149.7 short.

However, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the three small boxes on the checkout counter, and his face instantly turned red.

Just now, when he was checking out, it seemed like Tan Xiao casually grabbed a few small black boxes that looked like chewing gum from the shopping rack in front of the cashier. But even the most expensive chewing gum only costs ten coins a small box, while the ones labeled 49.9 coins each were contraceptives.

Since it was Tan Xiao’s first time having a partner, he wasn’t sure what size to use, so he grabbed a box of large, extra-large, and super-large. Even if he didn’t use them today, he might need them in a few days.

Wen Yi blushed and showed the payment code: “Scan the code.”

By the time they walked back home, the supermarket staff had already delivered the items to the community gate. Tan Xiao borrowed a small cart from the uncle at the security room and wheeled all the purchased items to Wen Yi’s home.

Tan Xiao glanced at the quilt and pillow that belonged to him in the bedroom. His original plan was to stay at Wen Yi’s house for one night, but now that they were in a relationship, he had finally taken the opportunity to move in. Why would he move back?

Besides, Wen Yi’s hand was inconvenient, so he originally needed his close care.

As for the rental house next door, Tan Xiao had signed a six-month contract before and had also paid a month’s rent in advance, so he didn’t plan to give it up. Living together, they would definitely buy more and more things, and the next door could be used as a temporary storage. If they needed to host friends, they could let them sleep next door.

Wen Yi helped him organize the things he bought, and in the end, only those three square boxes remained, labeled “ultra-thin,” “spiral” and “granules.” His busy hands suddenly came to a halt.

Tan Xiao naturally picked it up: “Let’s just put this in the drawer of the bedside table in the bedroom.”

Wen Yi noticed that he didn’t show any signs of shyness and suddenly realized something very important: they were together now. But he had never asked about Tan Xiao’s past romantic history. All he knew was that Tan Xiao was eighteen this year and preparing to go to college.

They had only met for seven days, and just got together, yet Tan Xiao was already thinking about that kind of thing. He seemed to be less innocent than he thought.

He had seen all kinds of people in the hospital. There were quite a few kids who had early romances before turning eighteen, and some who had become parents at the age of sixteen or seventeen because their parents didn’t care. Tan Xiao was so good-looking, and although he had just turned eighteen this year, it didn’t mean he hadn’t been in a relationship or… or slept with someone!

Just thinking about this possibility made Wen Yi’s heart feel like a kitchen full of spilled spices—sour, bitter, spicy, and mixed with all sorts of flavors.

The sweet moments that once solidified their relationship had turned into sour lemons. His tone inevitably carried a hint of bitterness: “You seem to be quite experienced. Am I your first love?”

Falling in love is really strange; it’s easy to lose one’s rationality. Emotions can be easily swayed by another person’s every move, every word. In the twenty-seven years before this, Wen Yi had never been so impulsive in such a short span of days.

But even though he had emotional entanglements with others, Wen Yi was unwilling to give up on his overly young boyfriend now.

His expression, demeanor, and voice were so obvious; even the dullest person could hear the bitterness in his words.

He knew he should comfort Wen Yi, but he couldn’t help but want to laugh: “Dr. Wen, are you jealous? If so, your jealousy is for nothing. I’m only eighteen this year, just finished the college entrance exam. High school was so busy with classes and exams every day. I barely had enough time to sleep, let alone date early. I only took that because I did well in biology class.”

He was a good student, okay? Although he was not the top student every time, he had consistently been in the top ten of his grade. Everyone in the key classes was so competitive; who had the time to waste on romance?

“This kind of question should be asked to Dr. Wen, right? You’re already twenty-seven this year, and at such a young age, you’ve become the chief physician at Huaxi Hospital and even have a PhD. With such excellent personal qualifications, you must have been in more than one relationship, right?”

Speaking of which, it was now Tan Xiao’s turn to feel jealous. People always have special feelings for their first love, and he hoped he was Wen Yi’s first love. But Dr. Wen was already twenty-seven years old; it was quite normal for someone his age to have dated others.

“I haven’t either.”

Wen Yi quickly denied it.

Tan Xiao actually believed him. After all, when he casually mentioned Dr. Wen to the fruit shop owner, the well-informed Aunt Zhao had told him that Wen Yi had always been single and had never dated anyone.

However, being single after starting work didn’t mean he wasn’t in a relationship during school: “Really? You’re not just trying to deceive me because I’m young and beautiful, are you?”

Seeing Tan Xiao’s serious face, Wen Yi hurriedly explained, “Really, I was always very busy. Studying medicine was even busier than your studies.”

He was in a youth class, starting an eight-year combined bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral program at the age of fourteen. During his undergraduate years, he conducted research under the guidance of his mentor, later independently leading projects, and even skipped grades during university. With a singular focus on academics, after entering the hospital, he balanced both academic research and practical work; otherwise, it would have been impossible to attain the title of chief physician at the age of twenty-seven.

“This means that if you’re not busy, you must be dating someone else.”

It was clearly Wen Yi who brought up the topic, but now he was flustered by a few words from Tan Xiao. He had never felt so tongue-tied before.

“No.”

Before meeting Tan Xiao, he had never thought about establishing a romantic relationship with anyone.

He was like a clumsy rabbit, awkwardly laying bare his feelings to his young lover. Even though this would put him in a passive position in the relationship, when emotions ran high, he couldn’t care less: “I’ve only ever had romantic feelings for you. There was no one before you, and there won’t be anyone after you.”

Heaven granted Wen Yi exceptional medical talent, but also bestowed upon him a somewhat eccentric and quirky personality. Those who tried to pursue him quickly gave up due to his coldness and harsh choices.

Initially, Wen Yi did chose to reject, but he realized he didn’t want to let Tan Xiao give up like the others, so today he bravely took that step.

“Alright, let’s not talk about this topic anymore.”

Tan Xiao quickly stopped the conversation: “I believe you. I was just trying to tease you. Now I know, we are each other’s first love.”

He smiled brightly, “I’m very happy, especially happy!”

The young man spread his arms wide, forming a big heart shape, “So much happiness, so much happiness.”

His smile was highly infectious, and Wen Yi couldn’t help but smile foolishly along with him.

Tan Xiao stepped forward, “That thing was prepared thinking we might need it in the future, so I stocked up. If I had used it, why would I buy three different sizes?”

Wen Yi realized it too; he should have noticed such details. He was just so caught up in his own wild imaginations that he made such a mistake.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed things that don’t exist and speculated about you,” Wen Yi said, feeling a bit guilty. He knew that Tan Xiao was such a good person, definitely the type of good student. His earlier remarks sounded a bit malicious for a good student.

“It’s okay, I forgive you. Besides, Dr. Wen Yi looking jealous is quite cute.”

Tan Xiao was not someone who nitpicked over small matters, and besides, Dr. Wen was his boyfriend—who would be so petty with their boyfriend?

He suddenly hugged Wen Yi, feeling a surge of emotion. Dr. Wen’s waist was super slim, but since Wen Yi’s hand was injured, he wouldn’t act on his impulses.

“Dr. Wen, can I say I regret it?”

Wen Yi’s voice became tense: “What do you regret?”

Was the patience of young people really this bad? His eyes uncontrollably reddened, and a desire for destruction grew in his heart.

Not far away, the lights in the morgue of Huaxi Hospital exploded in a row.

Wen Yi restrained his urge for destruction; he wanted to fiercely tell Tan Xiao: Regret it? It’s too late to regret!

When Tan Xiao confessed for the first time, he kindly let him off. But he just had to provoke him repeatedly, confessing for the second time today.

He had already promised, so Tan Xiao could only be his boyfriend. If he wanted to break up just like that, it would be over his dead body. No, even if Tan Xiao died, he would  still be his.

“I regret saying that so casually and forgiving you just now. A hug isn’t enough.” Tan Xiao, taller than Wen Yi by a head, stood up straight and looked down at Wen Yi’s tightly pressed lips. “I think at least a kiss is necessary.”

Tan Xiao’s eyes sparkled with starlight, and his voice was alluring: “Doctor Wen… my dear boyfriend, your boyfriend wants to kiss you. Is that okay?”

Plague (6): He wants a reputation

When Tan Xiao put the big watermelon into the refrigerator to chill, it was only eight in the morning. Usually, at this time, Wen Yi was working at the hospital, and Tan Xiao was also doing a part-time job, with several hours still until lunch.

Tan Xiao remembered that there were still many things that needed to be bought, and called out to Wen Yi, “Shall we go to the nearby supermarket?”

Wen Yi nodded and then asked, “Did you buy the shower gel you use at the nearby supermarket?”

Thinking about his little secret, Dr. Wen couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. He tried to cover for himself: “I just think that scent is quite nice, and the shower gel in the bathroom is almost used up anyway, so I wanted to switch to a new brand.”

Wen Yi thought, when he got back, he would pour out all the old shower gel at home and pretend it was used up.

Tan Xiao sometimes was overly oblivious and didn’t even notice Wen Yi’s shyness: “I didn’t look closely, just grabbed it randomly. I’ll check which brand it is later. I ordered it online, but it should definitely be available offline too.”

Although online shopping is convenient, there is a certain joy in shopping at a mall in person, and the variety online is much less than in-store. The key was that today he had taken the rare effort to dress up, and Wen Yi would be very busy once his injury was healed. It was a rare opportunity for the two of them to have free time together, so they shouldn’t waste this great chance to go shopping together.

Huaxi Hospital was located in a bustling area, and there was a pedestrian street just 800 meters from here.

Because the sun was particularly strong, Tan Xiao took an umbrella with him when he went out.

He wasn’t that afraid of getting sunburned, but sharing an umbrella with someone allowed them to get closer to each other in a legitimate and natural way.

Actually, Tan Xiao had never been in a romantic relationship, but when you like someone, it seems like you naturally start to play little tricks to close the distance between you.

When entering the mall, Tan Xiao noticed that many people were pushing high stacks of shopping carts, as if they were intentionally stockpiling some daily necessities.

In just a short while after entering, he saw that the shopping carts were piled high with instant noodles, self-heating hot pots, milk, biscuits, vitamins, chocolate…

They were all high-calorie but very convenient foods.

Of course, those stockpiling supplies were players who knew that this game world was called “Plague Infection.”

When the plague spread on a large scale, the entire city would fall into chaos in the early stages. Supplies that were usually easy to obtain would become scarce, and going out to shop would definitely expose them to a large number of infected patients.

Even if the other person was in the incubation period, there was still a possibility of being infected. No one currently knew the mode of plague transmission, but it could be called a plague because it was highly contagious and had a high mortality rate.

From the news about the flu outbreak, it might be respiratory transmission. For safety, it was best to stock up on supplies and stay at home without going out.

Some players were lucky to be assigned the status of living alone, while others had to take care of their whole family, needing food for a month. Most families’ refrigerators couldn’t even hold enough food for a month.

The key was that such actions might seem strange, after all, some people were students with very little disposable income and no say in their families.

Fortunately, they only needed to stay for thirty days. If worse comes to worst, stocking up on instant noodles and mineral water for a month would get them through.

People had a herd mentality; seeing others stockpiling food and drinks, Tan Xiao felt he should buy more food to take back.

Tan Xiao didn’t cook very often; he usually only made one meal a day, and not even every day.

Since moving into the dormitory, he had only cooked porridge twice and made a meal on the day Wen Yi got injured.

Since Wen Yi got injured, he definitely needed to eat light, bland meals. Thinking about the next period of time, they might have many opportunities to share meals together.

Wen Yi’s house had nothing, and even in his own home, everything was in small packages of one or two pounds. After thinking for a moment, he tossed two 5kg bags of rice into the shopping cart—one bag of long-grain rice, which was good for steaming and making fried rice, and one bag of pearl rice, specifically for making congee.

Tan Xiao also bought a lot of rice, flour, grains, oil, seasonings, drinks, and milk, and even some dried goods like dried black fungus, dried kelp, and dried mushrooms, of course, not too much of each.

“Dr. Wen, do you have any favorite vegetables or fruits?”

The only fruits left at home were the watermelon and peaches bought today, but there were no vegetables at all.

Wen Yi shook his head, “I’m fine with anything, I’m not picky.”

He didn’t pay much attention to his appetite; when he was busy, a bit of chocolate bar could get him through the day.

“Even if you’re not picky, you still have your preferences. There are always some things you like more and some things you dislike,” Tan Xiao said, picking up two round, lumpy tangerines. “For example, I eat almost any fruit, but I like citrus fruits the most. However, there’s a big difference between oranges and tangerines. This type of easy-to-peel, seedless, and tender-tasting tangerine is my favorite variety.”

He clattered a few boxes into the shopping cart, recommending them while saying, “I want to know what Dr. Wen likes and dislikes, I want to understand you better.”

Tan Xiao was an impatient person, and this was evident from his straightforward approach on the first day.

Rather than silently observing and guessing the other person’s preferences, he preferred to ask directly.

Of course, if he weren’t worried that Wen Yi might think he was chatty, he might have revealed all his information on the first day.

Wen Yi said, “I also like eating tangerines, and I like apples too.”

There were more than ten kinds of apples in the supermarket. Tan Xiao glanced around and asked, “Do you prefer crisper ones or softer ones?”

“Crisper ones.”

“I also like the crunchy ones. When I was a kid, those pink apples were said to be for old people with no teeth.” Tan Xiao then naturally picked up two boxes of premium apples and put them in the shopping cart. “People who eat apples are all smart. When I was in school, my mom made me take an apple every morning, saying that an apple a day keeps diseases away, and of course, the most important thing is that it makes you smarter.”

Wen Yi pursed his lips: “Apples are rich in zinc, magnesium, and various other elements. Theoretically, they do help improve memory.”

After saying this, he fell silent, as there were so many things in the mall. He always felt that there was something missing at home and wanted to buy a bit of everything.

After passing through the fruit section and then the dry goods section, Wen Yi finally couldn’t help but break the silence: “Am I really boring?”

Dr. Wen felt a bit down; he was older and had a dull personality.

Previously, he didn’t think much of it, but after developing a slight, indescribable feeling for Tan Xiao, he couldn’t help but feel inferior.

In terms of looks, Tan Xiao was much more handsome than him. Along the way, many pairs of eyes were fixed on Tan Xiao.

During the one-kilometer walk from home to the supermarket, seven or eight groups of people approached to ask for Tan Xiao’s contact information, and there were both men and women. This made Wen Yi realize that Tan Xiao was indeed very popular.

When the two of them chatted, it was always Tan Xiao who talked more, and it was also him who was trying hard to initiate the conversation.

So when Tan Xiao fell silent, Wen Yi couldn’t help but feel anxious, fearing that he might say something wrong, which would lead to an awkward silence.

Young people are always a bit impulsive, and Tan Xiao gave him the impression of being particularly impatient.

He felt a bit sad and thought: Did Tan Xiao find him too boring and decide to give up?

If he had known that this situation would happen, he should have agreed when Tan Xiao first asked him. But now, if he said yes, wouldn’t it be strange? Was it already too late?

After that day, Tan Xiao didn’t ask about his thoughts anymore. Although he was his pursuer and future boyfriend, he didn’t ask any more questions.

What kind of relationship did they have now? It always felt like Tan Xiao could leave at any moment, could give up at any moment.

Just thinking about Tan Xiao being nice to other girls or boys made Wen Yi’s blood pressure drop uncontrollably.

Tan Xiao looked left and right, touched his arm, and felt inexplicably cold. The air conditioning in this mall was too strong.

He had just been reading the text and didn’t hear Wen Yi muster the courage to ask quietly, “Dr. Wen, look at that banner over there. If you spend more than 500 in the supermarket, you can get free delivery within 5 kilometers. Did we buy more than 500 worth of stuff?”

Wen Yi, who was in a gloomy mood, looked up and said, “457.4.”

Tan Xiao looked bewildered, “Huh?”

Wen Yi repeated, “The total of the items in the shopping cart is 457.4.”

Tan Xiao immediately showed admiration for high-IQ individuals: “Doctor Wen is really impressive!”

“It’s not that impressive.”

It was just a matter of paying a little attention to the price tags and having slightly better mental arithmetic skills.

Tan Xiao shook his head: “Dr. Wen, you’re being too modest. You’re definitely better than me. I just remember to take things out from inside, and I still have to use a calculator for so many calculations.”

He had just finished his college entrance exams a month ago, but it seemed like his mental calculation ability had already declined.

Tan Xiao sighed softly: “But you can’t blame me for this. Ever since I got hit on the head, my memory doesn’t seem to be as good anymore.”

Wen Yi looked a bit worried: “The brain is a very delicate organ. Let’s go get another CT scan together this afternoon.”

Tan Xiao waved his hand: “We already had one before, it’s fine.”

“How could it be nothing?” Wen Yi said in a low voice, “Did you forget that you asked me if you could be my boyfriend? Do the words you said still count?”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten! I’m not a goldfish with a seven-second memory,” Tan Xiao immediately retorted, “It’s only been seven days.”

He awkwardly scratched the back of his head, “Besides, didn’t you refuse back then?”

Some people ignite like dry kindling, while others might prefer a slow and steady burn. Dr. Wen seemed to be the slow but serious type, so Tan Xiao didn’t plan to rush things.

He just saved someone, and asking such a question at this moment would make it seem like he was trying to get back the favor.

As for pursuing, he was still prepared for a long-term campaign. The current progress wasn’t bad, and the status could be naturally established in due time, no rush.

Wen Yi pressed his lips tightly together, his already pale lips turning white: “That question, can you ask it again now?”

With a hint of uncertainty, he repeated the question: “Dr. Wen, I want to be your boyfriend. What do you think?”

That was how he asked it back then, word for word.

The exact same question, but this time, Wen Yi gave a completely different answer: “Okay.”

He emphasized it strongly: “I think it’s great.”