Min Shu gazed at the deep blue sky as the black dot gradually drew closer, slowly taking on the silhouette of a man with outstretched wings.

The blond Immune he’d met once before was flying toward them. What caught his eye was that the man seemed to be holding something in his hand, suspended far above in the air.

From a distance, it looked just like a giant plastic bag, swaying back and forth in the blond man’s hand. Min Shu squinted, and only when they flew a little closer did he realize it was actually a person completely wrapped in plastic!

Min Shu’s mouth dropped open in astonishment as he watched the blond man land on the snow. The air currents stirred up by his wings whipped up a snowstorm right where he stood, blurring everything around them.

Min Shu couldn’t help but raise his hand to shield his face.    Before he even saw the person, the blond Immune’s strange, excited voice reached her:

“This is absolutely exhausting!” The man was slightly out of breath, sounding somewhat exasperated: “You people at the Far East Base—do you take me for a transport plane? Do you think it’s easy for me to fly just because it’s close by? Is it because I don’t need fuel that you treat me like a free shuttle? Let me tell you, this violates the Inter-Base Convention—you’re subjecting me to cruel exploitation and oppression!”

As the man spoke in a tone that sounded almost like singing, the snow mist gradually cleared. Min Shu lowered his hand and finally got a clear view of the man’s full figure. This time, the blond Immune stood even closer to him than before, appearing particularly tall; Min Shu had to tilt his head back to see his face, and his mouth fell open slightly.

True to his reputation as a former Broadway actor, the man was exceptionally handsome, with delicate features. His shoulder-length blond hair fell loosely over his shoulders, the ends curling slightly—he looked just like a real-life prince straight out of a fairy tale.

But he was just way too loud.

“No way. This time, when I get back to base, I’m taking vacation time. What kind of job doesn’t offer paid time off? I’ve said before that human civilization needs to establish a Labor Committee to survive. I used to take 40 days off. My God, do you even know how many years it’s been since I’ve been to Switzerland? We used to own an entire vacation estate there—oh, those adorable little chalets—”

Min Shu listened as he ranted in English at a machine-gun pace. His mind suddenly wandered, and he began praising the snowy scenery of Switzerland in the tone of a thirteen-line poem, already feeling a headache coming on.

Wei Changchuan was clearly used to his constant whining; without even shifting his gaze, he ignored the blond-haired, winged man standing there with his hands on his hips, and instead bent down to pick up the plastic bag that had fallen to the ground.

Oh no, not a plastic bag—a person.

Min Shu hurried after him and froze for a moment when he saw the person’s true appearance.

The figure steadied itself with slightly clumsy movements. Though he called it “true appearance,” it was impossible to make out what the person actually looked like—he was clad in a white protective suit, with only his eyes visible from head to toe. His hands were gloved, and his feet were encased in white boots. Even more astonishing was that, in addition to the protective suit, he was wrapped in a thin plastic cover, completely sealed off from the outside air.

Wei Changchuan seemed to have anticipated this setup and showed no sign of surprise. He raised his hand to give a military salute to the figure wrapped in plastic and said:

“Dr. Zhang, welcome.”

Min Shu was taken aback and quickly tried to offer a welcome of his own. But just then, the figure inside the plastic cover raised a hand to adjust something on the bridge of his nose, and only then did Min Shu notice that this heavily protected individual was also wearing a pair of glasses.

He spoke up: “I am Dr. Wang.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Changchuan paused imperceptibly and stammered, “Sorry.” He said, “Welcome, Dr. Wang.” Dr. Wang adjusted his glasses and nodded in response.

Min Shu silently held his breath. He felt a bit of a laugh coming on, but he held it back, thinking to himself that with all that covering, it was indeed impossible to tell who was who, so he couldn’t blame Wei Changchuan for mistaking him for someone else.

However, before he had a chance to welcome the other man, the blond man standing next to him burst out laughing.

Min Shu:……

What should he do? Now he felt like laughing too.

He managed to keep a straight face and said, “Dr. Wang, welcome.”

Dr. Wang looked at him and nodded in response; he seemed like a man of few words.

It wasn’t until he stood up that Min Shu noticed Dr. Wang was carrying a huge backpack over his protective suit. Three straps ran over his shoulders and around his waist, and two support straps were secured around his legs to ensure the backpack fit snugly against his body. The straps emerged from the plastic film, and it was through these very straps that the blond man had lifted him and carried him all the way here.

“This design is quite unique,” Min Shu said instinctively. “Dr. Wang, that backpack looks heavy. Do you need us to carry it for you?”

Dr. Wang, tightly encased in his protective suit, shook his head and said, “This is specialized equipment; it can’t be contaminated. I’ll just carry it myself.”

Min Shu let out an “Oh” and quickly replied, “I see. Okay, okay.”

At that moment, the blond man, seemingly thinking it was his turn to introduce himself, cleared his throat and took a step forward. However, Wei Changchuan stepped forward first and said to Dr. Wang:

“Doctor, this is the Chinese restaurant run by Mr. Min Shu. Please come in.”

Min Shu was momentarily taken aback by the title in his words, but as soon as he realized what was happening, he hurriedly said, “That’s right, this is my restaurant. It’s very clean inside. Please come in and have a seat.”

Upon hearing this, Dr. Wang gave a soft “Mm-hmm” and followed Wei Changchuan toward the restaurant.

But just then, the blond man—who had been ignored all along—couldn’t take it anymore and started shouting, “Hey! You despicable Chinese! Do you really have to shut me out like this?”

As he spoke, he pushed his way through the crowd with great force, rushing up to Min Shu. He grinned widely and held out his hand: “Hello, sweetheart. Last time, we didn’t get a chance to get to know each other properly because of this cold-hearted man. I’m—”

Startled by the sudden appearance of a handsome face right in front of him, Min Shu looked up and met the man’s eyes, freezing for a moment. Those eyes… they were truly blue…

Just then, Wei Changchuan, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, suddenly swatted the blond man’s hand away.

“Ow!”

The blond man let out a scream, clutching the back of his hand in pain as he widened his deep blue eyes: “Soldier! What do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to cripple my hand?!”

Wei Changchuan turned his head. “Don’t touch him. Stay away from him.”

The blond man froze, his expression changing drastically—those two bushy golden eyebrows nearly shot up to his temples:

“What the hell is wrong with you? Isn’t he immune already? Or do you think I’m some filthy source of contamination, like a septic tank, completely unworthy of touching your cute, pure angel—”

Min Shu stood by, listening in stunned silence. Although the blond man was speaking very quickly, he still caught words like “adorable,” “pure,” and “angel,” and his face immediately began to flush.

The blond man was still ranting excitedly, but Wei Changchuan cut him off:

“Yes.”

The blond man froze for two seconds, then went completely off the rails: “! You’re calling me a septic tank, aren’t you? I knew it! You despicable bastard! You’re a f****ing a*****le—”

Even though Min Shu’s English was far from that of a native speaker, he could tell the blond man’s mouth was full of profanities that would need to be bleeped out if this were on TV.

Seeing how frantic the blond man looked, he recalled what Wei Changchuan had told him last time—that Immunes who had undergone mutation were often in poor mental condition. Fearing the blond man might truly lose his mind, he subtly took a step back to put some distance between them before saying in a friendly tone:

“Right, right—I didn’t introduce myself last time. Hello, sir. My name is Min Shu.”

Upon hearing this, the blond man’s stream of curses halted. His expression suddenly did a complete 180-degree turnaround; his eyebrows, which had been flying all over the place just moments ago, returned to their normal position, and he once again became the dashing young gentleman:

“Oh, baby, you’re such an angel.”   

All anger vanished from his face as he opened his arms wide toward Min Shu: “My name is Christopher. You can call me Chris, Topher, Kit, Chip, Kester, or—”

Min Shu was completely bewildered by the barrage of nicknames: “Um—Mr. Chris, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh, my angel,” the blond Immune named Christopher seemed even more excited upon hearing Min Shu say his name: “Come on, let me give you a loving hug—”

Min Shu quickly stepped aside and hid behind Wei Changchuan: “A—a hug isn’t necessary—”

Seeing him dodge away, Christopher looked disappointed. He blinked his blue eyes and put on a completely innocent expression: “Oh, my angel, why are you so repulsed by me too?”

Just then, Wei Changchuan’s emotionless voice rang out:

“Birdman.”

Hiding behind Wei Changchuan, Min Shu couldn’t see his expression. But he could see Christopher’s face stiffen for a moment; the corners of his eyebrows twitched twice. He slowly composed himself, straightened his posture, and cleared his throat:

“It’s a bit cold out here. Let’s head inside.”

Min Shu:……

He was a bit curious about what expression Wei Changchuan had just had that made the blond man suddenly act normal again. But since the man was giving off a slightly tense vibe right now, he didn’t dare look up.

So the group finally made their way indoors.

Min Shu and Wei Changchuan sat on one side, while Dr. Wang and Christopher sat on the other. The atmosphere grew a bit quiet for a moment.

Min Shu kept his head down and glanced to his left. It was clear that Wei Changchuan and Christopher didn’t get along well at all. The former had both hands tucked into his pants pockets, while the latter had his arms crossed; one was staring at the ceiling and the other at the floor, both with blank expressions.

Min Shu didn’t dare to speak to them, so he turned his gaze to Dr. Wang across from him. He saw that he had removed the outer layer of plastic sheeting but was still wearing his protective suit.

Seeing him wrapped up like that, Min Shu had a hunch and asked, “Dr. Wang, are you an ordinary person?”

Upon hearing this, Dr. Wang said, “If by ‘ordinary people’ you mean those without immunity, then yes, I am.”

“Oh, right, that’s exactly what I meant,” Min Shu said with concern. “We went to that heating plant where there were bodies of infected people earlier. Even though we burned the clothes we were wearing at the time, I don’t know if there’s still any on us—”

With the virus being so dangerous, he was truly afraid that Dr. Wang might accidentally become infected.

“It’s not a big deal,” Dr. Wang said. “Protective suits filter out 99% of the virus, and it generally doesn’t survive on human skin for more than 72 hours. After showering, the survival rate decreases even further.”

“I see,” Min Shu said, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Dr. Wang asked, “So the two of you encountered the remains of a victim exhibiting symptoms of the X virus strain infection inside the heating facility, is that correct?”

Min Shu nodded. “That’s right.”

Wei Changchuan then spoke up: “The body was wearing a North American Base uniform.”

Hearing this, Min Shu was taken aback. Since that day, they hadn’t mentioned what had happened at the heating station, but now that Wei Changchuan brought it up, he remembered that the uniform on the body at the time had looked very similar to Wei Changchuan’s—it was indeed someone from the base.

Everyone at the table then turned to look at Christopher.

The blond man shrugged and looked up: “All I know is that people from the base came to Greenland half a year ago, but they went missing. If you’re not mistaken, that body must be one of them.”

Hearing this, Min Shu was somewhat surprised. Half a year ago? That was around the same time Wei Changchuan arrived on the island—could there have actually been another team in this small town back then?

Meanwhile, Wei Changchuan’s expression suddenly turned cold: “Why wasn’t this reported?”

For the sake of humanity’s collective survival, the Far East and North American bases regularly exchanged updates on research progress and plans for the coming months. However, prior to Wei Changchuan’s arrival on the island, he had heard nothing about the North American base sending a team to Greenland.

Christian, however, was nonchalant. He raised an eyebrow and said, “Because they stowed away.” Hearing this, Min Shu was taken aback. Wei Changchuan’s brow furrowed even deeper.

“But…” Min Shu asked in confusion, “Why? Why would they come to Greenland?”

“Who knows.” Christian tilted his head back and cracked his neck. “After being locked up underground for so long, some of them have long since gone mad—especially those neurotic scientists—” He glanced at Dr. Wang as he spoke. “Oh, I’m not talking about you—I mean the others.”

Dr. Wang adjusted his glasses and said nothing.

“That’s what I’ve heard, too,” Christian said. “There’s been no progress on the vaccine research, and despair is running high among the people at the base. Under these circumstances, some have come to worship the virus, believing that infection isn’t a disease but a rebirth. They’ve even started some kind of religion and are preaching it every day at the base.”

Hearing this, Min Shu was horrified and couldn’t help but reveal his shock. Worshiping the virus? Is that something a person would even say?

Christian continued: “These people usually act crazy inside the base, and no one pays them any mind. But during the last headcount, we discovered that five of them were missing.”

“Every year, a few people try to sneak in, and the base doesn’t bother to deal with them. But these guys stole uniforms and snuck onto a supply ship bound for Greenland, so if you see a body wearing a uniform, it’s probably one of them.”

Upon hearing this, everyone at the table fell silent for a moment.

After a moment, Min Shu swallowed hard, feeling that Christian’s answer hadn’t made things any clearer—if anything, it had made them even more confusing. Why were these fanatical religious extremists in this small town? What were they here for?

Most importantly, on Greenland—the last unspoiled haven and the only place untouched by the virus—someone had mysteriously died from the X virus strain.

If it had happened in the capital, Nuuk, that would have been one thing—after all, it’s a densely populated area with transport ships from the base coming and going, so one might have been able to ✲somewhat explain the chance of infection.

But in this barren wasteland where there is nothing but ice and snow, where did the virus come from?

Everyone at the table had clearly noticed this inconsistency, yet no one could offer an explanation. This story, steeped in mystery, made the atmosphere in the dining hall even more tense; no one spoke. After a long silence, Wei Changchuan looked up and was the first to speak:

“We’ll have to investigate to find out the exact cause.” He looked at Christian and said, “Go back and have your base send someone to recover the bodies.”

Upon hearing this, Min Shu perked up. That made sense—the base had scientists who could surely get to the bottom of this.

Christian, however, seemed less than pleased and muttered under his breath, “Do you think I’m just a messenger?” He then quietly cursed a few times in English. Wei Changchuan ignored him completely.

With that topic temporarily put aside, the atmosphere in the living room eased slightly. Min Shu figured the two must be hungry after flying all the way here, so he went to the kitchen to bring out some coffee and cookies, then asked Dr. Wang:

“Dr. Wang, would you like to have some of this?”

“No, thank you,”  Dr. Wang replied. “I brought my own water and food.”

Hearing this, Min nodded and simply poured coffee for Wei Changchuan and Christopher. The latter blew him a dramatic kiss:

“Thanks, sweetheart pumpkin pie.”

Min Shu was still a bit taken aback by his enthusiasm: “Um… you’re welcome.” he tugged at Wei Changchuan’s sleeve under the table because he looked like he was about to pour the coffee over Christopher’s head right then and there.

Meanwhile, Dr. Wang opened the huge backpack he’d been carrying on his back and began laying out the items one by one. First, he took out a white plastic bag and spread it out on the table, then took out a row of disposable syringes, blood collection tubes, tourniquets, disinfectants, several test tubes filled with reagents, and a massive microscope.

At first, Min Shu had simply thought the backpack was large, but when he actually saw what Dr. Wang was pulling out of it, he immediately realized just how much it could hold.

Dr. Wang arranged the items neatly, seemingly concerned that seeing so much medical equipment all at once might be unsettling, and offered an explanation: “Please don’t worry, this is for—”

“To draw blood, right?” To his surprise, Min Shu looked completely at ease as he rolled up his sleeve and placed his arm on the table: “It’s fine, Dr. Wang. Go ahead.” Dr. Wang was taken aback—he hadn’t expected such a bold attitude—but quickly replied, “All right then. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Min Shu said, “No need to thank me,” and watched calmly as Dr. Wang applied the tourniquet to his arm. Just then, Wei Changchuan leaned in slightly and rested his arm on the back of the chair behind him.

Min Shu turned his head, saw the look on the man’s face, and smiled, saying, “Bro, don’t worry. I’m used to this.”

Wei Changchuan didn’t say anything; he just took his hand.

Min Shu was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening and squeezed Wei Changchuan’s hand in return.

As the saying goes, “A long illness makes one an expert”—Min Shu had long since gotten used to the idea that he might need to go to the hospital for a checkup. He wasn’t afraid of having his blood drawn, but having someone by his side didn’t seem so bad either.

Just then, Dr. Wang inserted the needle into his arm. The sting made Min Shu furrow his brow slightly, and Wei Changchuan wrapped an arm around his head to shield his eyes.

Min Shu turned his head and gently rested it against the man’s warm neck.

He heard Wei Changchuan’s steady heartbeat, and at the same time, he heard Christopher beside him begin to mutter under his breath, “Think I don’t have a little lover of my own?” and similar remarks. Then he heard the man suddenly let out a pained “Ow!”—he didn’t know if Wei Changchuan had hit him.

Dr. Wang drew three vials of blood from him, then took the equipment to the living room to run the tests. Min Shu stared nervously, as if he had been transported back to those days in the hospital waiting for lab results. Wei Changchuan sat beside him, still holding his hand.

After a long while, Dr. Wang emerged from the living room.

Min Shu immediately asked with concern:

“Doctor… oh no, Dr. Wang, how am I doing?”

Dr. Wang looked up, adjusted his glasses, and though his face remained expressionless, his tone was slightly hesitant: “Um… the situation is a bit complicated.”

Seeing this, Min Shu instantly recalled many similar scenes from TV dramas, and he exclaimed excitedly, “It’s okay, Dr. Wang, just tell me—I can handle it!”

The room fell silent at once, and both Dr. Wang and Wei Changchuan turned to look at him.

Min Shu scratched the back of his head sheepishly and said, “Hehe, that’s just how they do it on TV—”

He’d been sick for so long; he’d been wanting to say that line for ages.

Upon hearing this, Dr. Wang adjusted his glasses once more and remarked, “Mr. Min is a very cheerful person.”

His tone was as still as a deep well, his manner as if he were describing some scientific conclusion. It took Min Shu a moment to realize Dr. Wang was complimenting him; he smiled sheepishly and said, “Dr. Wang is also—”

He had intended to compliment Dr. Wang as well, but when his gaze fell on Dr. Wang’s heavily bundled-up appearance, he hesitated slightly: “Dr. Wang is also… very professional.”

This was probably the lamest compliment he’d ever given anyone, but Dr. Wang was simply wrapped up too tightly—his appearance and facial expressions were completely hidden. Fortunately, Dr. Wang didn’t seem to mind; he simply nodded and stated plainly:

“Mr. Min is in excellent health.” He continued, “We have indeed observed an immune response in your blood sample. Congratulations on becoming an immune individual.”

Min Shu was delighted to hear this, but his joy was short-lived when he heard Dr. Wang say:

“However, we haven’t observed any signs of mutation yet,” Dr. Wang said.

The smile on Min Shu’s face froze, and he said anxiously, “That’s right, Doctor. Why haven’t I mutated?” 

His arm was still being held by Wei Changchuan, who was pressing down on the bleeding spot on the inside of his forearm. Min Shu took the opportunity to grab the man’s sleeve and roll it up slightly, revealing the beautifully defined muscles beneath:

“Dr. Wang, take a look. Why are the muscles of these immune individuals so well-defined? Why haven’t I gained any muscle at all?”

Seeing this, even Christian—who just moments ago had been clutching his toe and screaming in pain—looked over.

It was well known that Wei Changchuan was notoriously difficult to deal with—conservative, strict, meticulous, and ruthless. Anyone at the base who wanted to go to the outer city kept a close eye on the Immunes, but none dared to cross paths with him, simply because Wei Changchuan had once stripped naked and hung upside down a person who had tried to drug him right in front of the base gates.

And now, even as the young man tugged at his clothes like this, Wei Changchuan showed not a trace of impatience. He simply turned his head, gently pulled the young man’s arm toward him, and pressed down on the bleeding spot on his arm:

“Don’t move.”

Christian: “Tsk.”

He let out an exasperated sound, began shaking his leg frantically, and muttered something under his breath like, “What are you playing at?”

Unfortunately, no one at the table paid him any attention. Min Shu was looking at Dr. Wang with hopeful eyes: “Doctor! Take a look—is there still a chance to treat this?”

Dr. Wang replied, “If you want to know the specific cause of the lack of mutation, further genetic testing is needed, but we don’t have the facilities or lab conditions here…but I can take a blood sample back to the base for testing.”

He paused, looked up at Min Shu, and added, “In fact, on behalf of the base’s research department, I’d also like to ask you to provide additional blood samples. Mr. Min’s case is very unusual, and I personally believe it holds significant research value.”

Upon hearing this, Min Shu nodded without a moment’s hesitation and rested his arm on the table: “It’s fine, it’s fine. Go ahead and draw the blood—don’t hold back. I’ll fully cooperate with the research—”

But halfway through his generous gesture, Wei Changchuan grabbed his wrist.

He first frowned and glanced at Min Shu, then turned his head to look at Dr. Wang: “He’s not in the best of health.”

Dr. Wang paused slightly upon hearing this; he hadn’t noticed any health issues with Min Shu. However, after glancing at Wei Changchuan’s expression, he said, “All right, then I’ll take another 5. Combined with the 3 I took earlier, the total won’t exceed 10, so it won’t put any strain on Mr. Min’s health.”

Hearing this, Wei Changchuan’s expression eased slightly, and he finally let go of Min Shu’s hand.

Min Shu, having been warned by Wei Changchuan’s gaze, calmed down a bit. After Dr. Wang finished drawing the blood, he still couldn’t resist asking, “Dr. Wang,” he said, “could you also help me figure out how to mutate?”

Upon hearing this, Dr. Wang looked up, glancing first at Wei Changchuan, then at Min Shu. He seemed to be pondering something for a moment before saying:

“…A specific plan can only be provided after further research.” He continued, “However, based on current research, the primary method for stimulating genetic mutations is through repeated exposure to viruses, which triggers a chain reaction in the genes. Mr. Min has been exposed to the X virus strain, but as far as we can tell, it hasn’t produced any mutational response yet—”

Dr. Wang looked at Min Shu and Wei Changchuan, raised his hand to adjust his glasses, and said calmly: “I suggest the two of you try having sex.”