Bear virus

The Harsh Truth Unveiled

After hearing Lao Zhu’s revelations, I was so shocked that I didn’t know what to say. My mind felt completely blank. After a long silence, a thought suddenly occurred to me, and I retorted, “If all this is true, why did the organization establish the Hunter Mechanism to protect those in hibernation?”

“You still don’t get it?” Lao Zhu suddenly laughed. “The Hunter Mechanism appears to be about protecting those in hibernation, but its true purpose is to pacify everyone, to make them believe the organization is still trustworthy, and to prevent riots and chaos.”

Although I found it all absurd, Lao Zhu’s explanation was logically sound. It was the only way to explain many of the doubts I had noticed over time.

Cheng Zhuo said, “The truth is harsh, but it’s better than living in a lie.”

I looked up at the window. The snow continued to fall, silently proclaiming some sort of truth. Watching the black snow, I was at a loss for words.

Lao Xie said, “There are only fourteen days left until the end of the hibernation period. That’s why we urgently called you here.”

After a while, I sighed and asked, “Why are you telling me all this?”

Lao Xie replied frankly, “Because we need your help.”

“Me?” I asked, puzzled. “How can I help you?”

Lao Zhu asked in return, “Do you know how your father died?”

“He died in an accident,” I said.

“No,” Lao Zhu said. “Your father was murdered.”

I was taken aback and asked, “How do you know that?”

“Because I was once your father’s friend. You should call me Uncle,” Lao Zhu said. “Back then, your father and I worked for Ya Corporation in research. After the energy crisis broke out, the organization contacted Ya Corporation’s CEO to discuss the research on the bear virus. Your father and I were the main leaders of this project. However, we didn’t know the true purpose of the bear virus until the project was nearly complete. That’s when we found out it was meant to be released on humans.”

“And then what happened?”

“After unintentionally discovering the truth, your father felt deeply uneasy and secretly took a sample of the bear virus vaccine from Ya Corporation,” Lao Zhu said. “The people at Ya Corporation found out about this and took the opportunity to kill your father, disguising his death as an accident.”

I was silent for a long time after hearing this. I was only seven when my father died, too young to understand anything. I only remembered my mother crying bitterly on the day of the funeral because my father had died so suddenly, and his body was never found. I never imagined that this was the true cause of my father’s death.

After a while, I asked, “What do you need me to do?”

Lao Xie said, “Help us find the vaccine sample your father left behind. Only then can your girlfriend wake up. Only then can those in hibernation be saved.”

I looked at Lao Xie and said, “You’ve already searched my house, haven’t you?”

“Yes,” Lao Xie admitted. “Unfortunately, we found nothing.”