Mutant "AME"

The next morning around seven o'clock, Ye Wanqing stretched lazily in bed with a soft "ooh." A ray of morning sunlight streamed in through the hospital room window, adding a touch of warmth to the October morning. She sighed contentedly, feeling that she had fully recovered and that she was probably completely cured.

Then she turned to look at Xiao He happened to be sitting next to her with his chin resting on his hand, watching her. Their eyes met.

"You, you..." Ye Wanqing quickly looked away, stammering, "When did you wake up?"

"A little after two o'clock," Xiao He replied, still feeling a bit listless after staying up all night. The bloodshot eyes and prominent dark circles under his eyes proved that he hadn't slept all night.

He really stayed up all night with me... Ye Wanqing thought to herself, suddenly feeling a little touched: This silly guy, although a bit clumsy, is still quite gentle.

"Um, um..." Ye Wanqing stammered for a moment, then asked, "Are you hungry?"

"I'm starving," Xiao He said, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Still the same as always..." Ye Wanqing couldn't help but smile to herself, suddenly feeling exceptionally happy. She smiled and said, "I'll make you breakfast when we get back. What would you like to eat?"

"I'd like congee with preserved egg and lean pork, and an egg pancake... with scallions rolled inside," Xiao He replied. After a pause, he added, "And a steamed bun, I'm quite hungry today."

"Eating so much..." Ye Wanqing complained softly, then smiled, "Okay, I'll make it for you when we get back."

Her smile, like the rising sun, illuminated the somewhat dim medical room, leaving Xiao He stunned on the spot: although Ye Wanqing wasn't so stingy as to never show her smile in front of him, she rarely looked him directly in the eyes and smiled at him like this.

"So sweet..." Xiao He sighed inwardly, "I've already consumed too much sugar today."

The two tidied up and washed up for a while before preparing to leave, but when they arrived at the exit of the military base, Cui Man hurriedly caught up with them and stopped them.

"Wait a minute!" Cui Man said breathlessly, "Don't rush off yet, let's give Wanqing a check-up first."

Seeing Cui Man's serious expression, Xiao He felt that something major had happened.

"It's nothing serious," Cui Man patted Ye Wanqing's head to comfort her, "It's just checking if your cold is better."

But Xiao He could tell that Cui Man was just comforting her. Cui Man was actually quite easy to understand; she was a tomboy who usually seemed very unserious, but became very serious when it came to important matters.

Today, Cui Man was in a "business-oriented" state; otherwise, she would have definitely started by teasing them about spending the night in the same hospital room last night.

"Old Xiao, wait here for me a while," Ye Wanqing instructed Xiao He. "I'll make you breakfast when we get back."

"Hmm." Xiao He nodded.

After Ye Wanqing was taken away, Xiao He tentatively asked Cui Man, "Sister Man, did something happen? Didn't Wanqing have the Flu? Why are you being so careful?"

"It's the Flu," Cui Man sighed. "But it's not the ordinary Flu; it's the new Flu that's breaking out this year."

As she spoke, Cui Man waved to him, and the two of them went to a secluded spot.

"You remember before, right? There was a Flu outbreak in Nanhua City," Cui Man said softly.

Xiao He thought about it carefully for a while and seemed to remember Ye Wanqing saying something to him, and even telling him to wear a mask at the time, but he didn't take it to heart. After all, it was just a cold, what was the big deal?

But Cui Man's question gave him a very bad feeling: Could it be that this Flu...

"Yes, the Flu that Wanqing contracted came from Nanhua City." Cui Man nodded.

"But it's just the Flu, there's nothing to worry about, right?" Xiao He came back to his senses and felt that it was nothing. The Flu happens every year, and this gap between seasons is the peak season for the Flu, so it's not a big deal.

After all, although the Flu virus is highly contagious and prone to mutation, it is not very threatening, the symptoms are mild, and most people can overcome the Flu with their own immunity.

"It's not that simple..." Cui Man frowned and sighed. "Our research data from Nanhua City shows that all those who have contracted this new type of Flu are in a state of recurring relapses. The Flu virus in their bodies is not eliminated, but mutates into another type and continues to stay in the host's body. In other words, their colds will never get better..."

Xiao He was startled, only then realizing that Ye Wanqing seemed to have been sneezing for quite some time.

"This situation is unusual," Cui Man said with a grave expression. "Although Flu viruses mutate easily, it is absolutely impossible for this to happen, as if they are consciously mutating to fight against the human immune system."

At this point, Cui Man stroked her chin thoughtfully and said, "Although there is no conclusive evidence, we previously discovered that Yangtze finless porpoise may also be Mutant, so there is reason to believe that viruses may also be Mutant. This illogical Flu phenomenon can only be explained by Mutant."

Xiao He frowned, his mood suddenly becoming anxious. "You mean, Wanqing, she..."

Cui Man glanced in the direction Ye Wanqing had left. "Hopefully Wanqing didn't catch the Flu... We'll have the results soon, we just need to confirm the structure of the Flu virus in her body."

"You knew about this new type of Flu all along?" Xiao He pressed.

"I just received this news today too," Cui Man shook her head and said, "The speed at which this Flu is spreading far exceeds our expectations. We didn't expect it to have spread to this city. The most crucial point is... before this, we never thought that this Flu would be a 'Mutant.' Even the health department only thought it was a new Flu until a few days ago when they confirmed it and named it 'AME Influenza.'"

Xiao He clicked his tongue in annoyance, biting his lower lip as he pondered, "Preventative measures?"

Cui Man shook her head. "Without a cure for those infected, all preventative measures are futile. If there's no cure for this Flu, the ultimate outcome will inevitably be the fall of all humanity. If Wanqing has contracted this Flu, it means that all of us may already be infected."

Soon, the medical staff brought Ye Wanqing back. Ye Wanqing was clearly unaware of the truth and smiled at Xiao He, "See, it'll be quick. I'll start preparing when we get back, and we'll be eating in half an hour."

"Hmm..." Xiao He forced a smile, already able to deduce the outcome from the expressions on the medical staff's faces.

"You haven't taken your clothes yet," Xiao He reminded Ye Wanqing. "Go get them first, I'll come find you later."

"Oh, right." Ye Wanqing snapped out of her reverie. "Then wait for me at the door. I'll come find you after I get it."

After sending Ye Wanqing away, Xiao He immediately went to the medical staff. "She's infected, isn't she?"

"Hmm..." The other person nodded somewhat hesitantly, "Although the symptoms of this Flu are mild, its spread has already exceeded our control."