Bear virus

1. Hibernation

When the alarm sounded, I was patrolling the area in my patrol car.

It was 8:36 in the evening, and the sky was already pitch black. With the onset of the hibernation period, nights grew darker earlier, compounded by the absence of moonlight. By around four in the afternoon, it was dark enough indoors to warrant switching on the lights.

I glanced at the display screen in the patrol car to check the location information. The incident was several miles away at the Phoenix International MALL, a sprawling mega mall in the locality offering a plethora of dining, entertainment, and upscale consumer experiences, making it a hotspot for incidents.

As I made a turn in the patrol car, I checked the time. There were only fifteen days left until the end of this year's hibernation period. During the final stretch before hibernation ended, crime rates peaked. This incident marked the one hundred and eighty-third crime since the onset of hibernation—a significantly higher frequency compared to previous years.

It was January 20, 2156, marking the fifth year since humanity officially entered the hibernation era. Over a decade ago, the global climate had drastically cooled due to an energy crisis-induced environmental pollution, resulting in prolonged and chilling winters, now occupying over half of the year.

With the extended winter, global food production plummeted, exacerbating the already dire famine crisis. Yet, the most terrifying revelation emerged in recent years: whenever temperatures dropped below 5 degrees Celsius, individuals would involuntarily succumb to drowsiness, unable to concentrate.

As the number of people experiencing these symptoms grew, the world's top scientists discovered a novel virus responsible for this phenomenon: a low-temperature hibernation virus. While not fatal, its dreadfulness lay in inducing drowsiness in infected individuals when temperatures fell below 5 degrees Celsius. With time, symptoms worsened until individuals became completely incapacitated, akin to vegetative states.

In the inaugural year of the hibernation virus outbreak, many individuals with insufficient body fat perished during hibernation. As the symptoms of this virus resembled those of bears entering hibernation, it earned the moniker "bear virus."

To address this monumental shift, authorities designated October to February of each year as the human hibernation period. During this time, schools, hospitals, offices, entertainment venues, and all modes of transportation ceased operations. Everyone, like squirrels, had nothing to do but hunker down at home and sleep, shutting doors and windows tight.

In the months leading up to the hibernation period, regardless of gender, everyone engaged in one uniform activity: eating voraciously. The goal was to stockpile enough fat to endure the four-month hibernation period. Those who had previously clamored to shed pounds now fell silent—being a bit plumper seemed inconsequential compared to perishing due to insufficient body fat during hibernation.

Collective hibernation seemed tolerable on the surface. For many couch potatoes, it even seemed like a godsend—no work, just sleeping at home every day. Could there be anything happier than this?

Yet, beneath this facade lay many dangers. The greatest peril stemmed from our own kind—since a minority of individuals did not require hibernation due to genetic mutations, public spaces devoid of hibernating individuals became their hunting grounds during the hibernation period. Thus, every hibernation period's end witnessed a surge in thefts, disappearances, and violent crimes.

To restrain those who had escaped the bear virus infection, authorities selected some individuals with genetic mutations as hunters. Their role was to emerge during the onset of the hibernation period to protect those entering hibernation. After the hibernation period ended, hunters could claim a hefty reward from the authorities.

My name is Lu An, and I am one of those who escaped infection by the bear virus. At the same time, I am a hunter.