Bear virus

Shadows of Snow

Back at the station, I dragged the man in the jacket out of the car and locked him in a holding cell. Then, I took Cheng Zhuo to the medical room and activated the intelligent surgical unit. I removed the bullet from his wound and performed a basic suture. During the hibernation period, hospitals were closed, and both major and minor ailments had to be handled by oneself or with the aid of smart devices. We had learned some basic first aid techniques at the hunter training school, so handling a common wound wasn't an issue.

"Don't go back tonight. Rest here," I said, shutting down the surgical unit and chatting with Cheng Zhuo while washing my hands.

Cheng Zhuo rested his eyes for a moment before rising and walking to the window. Abruptly, he said, "It's snowing."

I dried my hands and glanced out the window. "The snow is filthy. Remember when we were kids, and it was as white as cream?"

Cheng Zhuo took a deep breath and said, "Don't you find all of this strange?"

"What's strange?"

"The snow, the hibernation, the bear virus, and this miserable world..."

"It's not the first time it's snowed black. We've gotten used to it over the years."

"Exactly," Cheng Zhuo replied. "People have gotten so used to it that they don't even question black snow..."

I didn't know what to say. Since I could remember, the world had always been like this. Whether the snow was white or black didn't seem to matter. People continued their lives, studying, working, and living as they always had, without feeling that anything was amiss.

"Get some rest," I said nonchalantly. "The hibernation period is almost over. We're going to be busy."

Leaving the station, I noticed the snow had thickened, covering the road like a dirty blanket. Unfortunately, the snow was a nauseating gray-black, filled with dust, germs, and toxins, much like the sky above.

Since the energy crisis erupted over a decade ago, the sky had been perpetually covered by a shroud of gray. I couldn't remember the last time I saw a clear, bright sky.

Cheng Zhuo's words echoed in my ears: "Don't you find all of this strange?"

Strange? I asked myself.

I remembered a childhood visit to the zoo with my father. I had cried because I couldn't see the grizzly bear I loved. My father patiently explained that the bear was hibernating and wouldn't come out until spring. I was six then and couldn't grasp why bears hibernated, thinking my father was lying to comfort me. How could a living creature go without food and water for months, just sleeping, and not have problems?

Little did I know that one day, such an absurdity would become our reality. Like bears, we stopped eating and drinking, hunkering down at home to sleep. It's ironic. Even my father died shortly after the energy crisis, killed in a car accident that left no trace of his body.