Bear virus

Gunshot

In no time, I found the female bear we buried with my father years ago. Digging it out from the soil, I glanced at it, feeling like I had reunited with an old friend after many years, feeling a twinge in my nose.

I stared at it for a moment, then set the female bear aside and continued digging. After more than ten minutes, the hole grew larger, but still, I found nothing.

Letting out a long sigh, I put down the shovel. "I guessed wrong. There's nothing here besides this bear."

Cheng Zhuo wasn't ready to give up. He picked up the shovel and continued digging. After another ten minutes, all we unearthed was dirt. Not even a stone. He had to accept reality. "How is this possible? It can't be."

I sighed. "It seems my father didn't successfully bring the vaccine out. It was just a rumor."

Lao Xie pondered for a moment. "Impossible. Lao Zhu and your father worked together at Yashi. If he said your father brought the vaccine out, then he definitely did."

"But we've searched everywhere here. Besides, even if we did find the vaccine my father brought back all those years ago, how do we know it's still usable after all this time?" I questioned.

"We should find the vaccine first. We don't have much time left," Lao Xie urged.

Back in the bedroom, I said to Cheng Zhuo, "I need to talk to you about something."

Cheng Zhuo glanced at me and said, "Sure, let's go outside."

Lao Xie said to Cheng Zhuo, "You guys go, I'll keep looking."

Out on the street, I turned to Cheng Zhuo. "Why do you believe them?"

Cheng Zhuo replied, "The answer is obvious. If what they said is true, why wouldn't I believe them?"

"But how can you be sure they're telling the truth? What if this is all a setup, and they're conspiring to deceive you?" I pressed.

"If they can deceive me, then can they change the situation of those in hibernation?" Cheng Zhuo suddenly stopped and looked at me. "I've checked on those in hibernation. Their condition matches what Lao Zhu and Lao Xie said—breathing and heartbeat getting weaker. Aren't you afraid? If what they said is true, then our parents and loved ones will never wake up again. I can't bear the thought of another separation, not after enduring the brief hibernation period. Even if there's only a ten percent chance they're telling the truth, I can't risk it."

Cheng Zhuo was right. If what Lao Zhu said was true, then in just over ten days, we would all lose the ones we loved most. It would be an irreparable, agonizing outcome. The thought twisted my heart, reminding me of the scene of my mother's death during my college years, my second experience of losing a loved one. The pain was still fresh in my memory. With both my parents gone, Yang Xiaomeng was now the closest person to me. I couldn't bear the idea of losing her too.