Good night, my Qiuqiu (continued)

Tao Qiu said, "These aren't snowflakes, they're snow pellets. See how they're individual pellets? Snow pellets arrive earlier than snowflakes. The appearance of snow pellets means winter is approaching. When snowflakes appear, it's truly winter."

The Third Cub babbled, "Chirp, chirp."

--A snowflake raced against a snowflake, and the snowflake ran faster.

The Eldest Cub's focus was on. "Chirp, chirp."

--Winter is here? It means the New Year is coming again?

The kids still remember the excitement of last Chinese New Year, and as soon as the Eldest Cub said that, the second Third Cub children started recounting all the fun and delicious things they had done last winter.

--I'm going skiing this year too!

--Let's build Snow Bird!

--And I also want to drink hot soup and ice-cold sweet fruit juice!

--I can sleep for a very, very long time!

The three little mouths chattered away until their mouths were dry and they drank some hot water before stopping.

To fit the occasion, Tao Qiu told them the bedtime story "The Snow Child" tonight. After she finished, the kids' excitement vanished, and tears streamed down their faces.

The little one tilted his head back obediently as his father wiped his tears, but he still managed to ask, "Chirp, chirp, chirp?"

"Dad, did the snowman really melt away? Will it never come back?"

Tao Qiu said, "The snowman friend who belonged to the little rabbit really won't be coming back?"

The Third Cub sobbed, "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

--The cartoon is right, fire prevention is very important. The snowman melted so he could save the little rabbit from the fire.

Is the Eldest Cub crying too?: "Chirp, chirp chirp."

--Dad, let's build a snowman together tomorrow.

"Okay, if the snow is deep enough, we'll build it."

The second child stopped crying upon hearing this, "Chirp chirp."

--Want to build a snowman just like the one in the story?

The Third Cub: "Chirp, chirp."

--We won't let the snowman melt; we'll protect it.

Tao Qiu said gently, "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."

The kids went to sleep with anticipation for building a snowman, but there was very little snow the night before; there was only a thin layer on the ground, so light you couldn't even grab a handful.

Their wish was fulfilled several days later, by which time the snow had covered the entire earth. As far as the eye could see, the sky and the earth were pure white, and the horizon was almost invisible.

Tao Qiu and her children built a large snowman at the doorway, about half the height of a cave entrance. They even gave it facial features and hands, making it look like a majestic warrior protecting their family's safety.

The children patted the snowman and gazed out of the valley, sighing with admiration.

Third Cub: "Little Snake and Uncle Black Rabbit, are they already hibernating? Otherwise, let them see the snowman."

The second child suggested, "Daddy, take a picture! Then we can show it to them."

The Eldest Cub shook his head. "We can't let them see the phone yet."

Second Cub said, "Can we watch it again later?"

Tao Qiu wasn't going to spoil the fun, so she took out her phone and took a group photo of the three kids and the snowman.

The children were dressed in "clothes" that Tao Qiu had cut from a fleece blanket, wrapped up in pieces of cloth from head to toe. Except for their little hands that wanted to grab the snow, they were all wrapped up tightly, looking almost as round as snowmen.

The three of them stood in front of the snowman, their eyes squinting with laughter, and they even made a classic peace sign with their chubby little paws, looking both silly and adorable.

Of course they went skiing too! The kids even transformed into human form and tried skiing a few times on their own. With Tao Qiu catching them below, they weren't afraid of falling at all; instead, they were laughing and having a great time.

However, humanoids are not resistant to the cold, Tao Qiu shortened the skiing time. Fortunately, the kids were healthy and did not get sick. They were still lively and energetic when they returned to the cave.

When the snowstorm was so fierce that they couldn't even leave the house, the family of four would huddle in bed watching TV. The firewood was always burning, and since they had feathers to keep warm, it was impossible for them to get cold.

Tao Qiu likes spicy food. When she has free time while staying in the cave, she'll use chili powder to make some fresh food, but she often ends up choking herself and the kids, making them cough.

When the snowstorm stopped, Tao Qiu would go out to shovel snow, and the children would help her.

Every time the snow is brushed away from the snowman, the kids greet it enthusiastically.

Erzai: "Xueyin, hey, aren't you cold outside?"

Eldest Cub: "The snowman is made of snow, so it's not afraid of the cold."

Third Cub: "Snowmen are afraid of the heat, and our nest is hot, so let's stay away from it."

After sweeping away the snow at the doorway, Tao Qiu exhaled a puff of mist. Listening to the children's innocent and pure words, even the dark sky seemed more pleasing to the eye.

In winter, it's not just the Snow Bird that remain active; the humans at the base are also a part of it.

Animals and plants can hibernate, but humans, who need to eat, drink, and relieve themselves every day, cannot. In winter, they not only have to consider food and warmth, but also be wary of mutated monsters that might attack their base.

That noon, Lou Yu, who was on his day off, was sitting in his bedroom stroking photos and feathers, reminiscing about the past, when the communicator next to him suddenly rang.

Unlike the peaceful times before the great disaster, no one would be idle enough to make a phone call to chat now, especially given Lou Yu's special status. A ringing phone means something is definitely wrong.

Lou Yu answered the phone immediately, but before he could even speak, Old Doctor Li shouted excitedly, "Lou Yu, come quick! The reagent worked!!"

Lou Yu was taken aback, and subconsciously replied, "Okay, me? I'll be right there."

Ten minutes later, Lou Yu drove to the research institute.

As expected, Lou Quan was also there when he entered the office.

Since their last argument, the two haven't spoken a single word to each other or met even once until today.

Lou Quan had no intention of apologizing, Lou Yu didn't want to accept his apology either; he just wanted him to stop trying to use Snow Bird in the future.

When they met, they both pretended not to see each other.

The PhDs and researchers were so excited they were practically flying with joy; they didn't care about the little conflict between the two of them.

Old Doctor Li held Lou Yu's hand, his face flushed with joy, looking as if he had suddenly become ten years younger.

"Lou Yu for bringing us the mutated fox materials, otherwise we don't know how much more time we would have wasted before we succeeded in developing it. You are our greatest contributor!"

Lou Yu humbly replied truthfully, "The real heroes are you. We only provided some materials, while you spent every single day in the lab, devoting your entire being to developing the reagent, without taking a single day off. You were truly diligent and hardworking. Fortunately, the reagent has now been successfully developed, and your efforts over the past few years have not been in vain."

Before Lou Yu arrived, Lou Quan had already been organizing Old Doctor Li and his team to develop reagents in an attempt to break through the technological barriers of the Central Base.

Initially, Old Doctor Li and his team had no information whatsoever about reagent development; they were essentially feeling their way across the river, unsure of how wide the river was or whether they could eventually reach the other side.

The pressure they face is unimaginable; just look at their thinning hair and gray locks to see it.

Now that the reagent has finally been successfully developed, it can be said that this gives them, and also gives Lou Quan, the investor, an explanation.

The eyes of everyone in the research team were red; it seemed they had already cried before Lou Yu arrived.

After hardship comes happiness, and it is naturally worth weeping with joy.

Lou Quan was adept at reading people's expressions, or rather, the researchers had made a great contribution, and he didn't mind giving them some time to celebrate. So, he waited until the researchers had calmed down a bit before asking, "How much reagent was produced this time? Enough to support how many people to awaken?"

As the main person in charge, Old Doctor Li adjusted his glasses and stepped forward to report, "I just handed over a reagent to the Commander-in-Chief for inspection. We have ten reagents of that dosage in total. According to Captain Lou Yu's account of his awakening process, if each awakened individual can complete all the steps, we can support a total of twenty awakened individuals to undergo awakening."

Awakening is a very long process. The reagent is not injected all at once, but is adjusted along the way according to the specific circumstances of the awakened person.

Some people die along the way because they cannot bear the various symptoms and pains caused by the genetic mutations. After the first injection, there is no turning back. They either stand until the end and achieve success, or they lose their lives and disappear from this world.

Even if they survive, there's still a chance they'll have weak, unstable, or even backfire abilities. These people are called defective products, and they usually die anyway, it's just a matter of when and how much suffering they endure.

Lou Yu was once considered a defective product, but how could he be like this?

Comeback

As far as they know, he is the only example of this.

Therefore, when Old Doctor Li mentioned providing for the awakening of 20 people, he was referring to a minimum guaranteed number.

Old Doctor Li continued, "While whether an awakener can successfully awaken is basically related to their innate genes, and whether their body can withstand the mutation depends entirely on luck, the awakening process is extremely painful. It's best to find people with strong willpower to conduct experiments on. Otherwise, even if someone is destined to awaken, they might be afraid of pain and suffering and not be able to endure it to the end, which would not only harm their life but also waste reagents."

The personnel participating in the awakening experiment at the Central Base are mostly soldiers and mercenaries, with very few ordinary people. This is precisely what Old Doctor Li mentioned.

Therefore, military personnel should be given priority when participating in the awakening experiment.

However, the mortality rate for awakened soldiers is too high. Leaving aside the question of how many volunteers there are, training soldiers is difficult, especially at satellite bases. With their limited numbers, how can they compare to the Central Base in terms of the capacity to withstand losses?

Developing the reagent is only the first step in obtaining superhuman abilities. How to conduct experiments afterward, how many people to use, and which people to use are all decisions that the leader of the base, Lou Quan, must make.

After listening to Old Doctor Li's words, Lou Quan remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "Regarding the awakening experiment, I need to consider it further and discuss it with my subordinates before making a decision. Since you've developed the reagent, bonuses and holidays are the basics, no exceptions. If you want anything else, you can tell me later, and I'll try my best to do so."