"The Ark... is found! The coordinates... are complete!"

Xiacheng District, "Firefly" Community Center.

The former bustle was replaced by a more intense, more orderly bustle. On the vast holographic map, the green dots representing the areas controlled by Firefly now covered over eighty percent of the city, like tenacious moss covering the scars of ruins. But the air wasn't filled with the joy of victory, but rather a solemn, impending storm.

The pungent smell of disinfectant filled the makeshift medical area. Makeshift beds filled nearly every corner, and the sounds of groans and coughs echoed. Medical staff, clad in flimsy protective suits and homemade masks, hurried along, their faces etched with fatigue and worry. Dr. Qin shuttled between beds, his graying hair matted to his forehead by sweat. He leaned over the bedside of a child coughing violently and with a purplish face, listening intently with a stethoscope, his bloodshot eyes filled with solemnity.

"...We still can't identify the pathogen," Dr. Qin said hoarsely to a young assistant beside him, his brow furrowed in a knot. "The symptoms are highly similar: fever, difficulty breathing, neurological depression... but the transmission route and incubation period are completely irregular! The first batch of vaccines... are questionable in their effectiveness. There are even reports of more severe allergic reactions after vaccination..."

His voice wasn't loud, but in the relatively quiet corner of the medical area, it reached the ears of a frail figure curled up in a nearby bed. It was a girl, about ten years old, named Xiaoyun. Her face was pale, her lips were purple, and her small body trembled slightly from the difficulty breathing. When she heard the words "vaccine," "allergy," and "serious," her large eyes instantly filled with tears of fear, and her small hands tightly clutched the thin, washed-out blanket.

"Grandpa Qin...Grandpa Qin..." Xiaoyun's voice was as weak as a mosquito, and she was crying. "Will I...will I die? Like...like Brother Qiangzi in the bed next to me..."

Dr. Qin's heart suddenly clenched, as if being gripped by an icy hand. He immediately turned around, forcing a gentle smile. He walked to Xiaoyun's bedside, and gently placed his rough hands on her burning forehead. "Silly child, don't let your imagination run wild. Grandpa and the uncles and aunts are working on a cure. Brother Qiangzi... he just went to rest in a place where there's no pain." He tried to make his voice gentle, but the heavy worry deep in his eyes couldn't be hidden.

Xiaoyun's tears continued to flow. She tightly grasped Dr. Qin's hand, her cold little hand filled with desperate attachment: "I... I'm scared... Grandpa... I feel so bad..."

Dr. Qin felt his throat congested, and he could only hold the little hand tighter, repeating pale words of comfort over and over again. At this moment, a suppressed commotion came from the entrance of the medical area.

"Get out of the way! Everyone, get out of the way!"

"Li Shuo! You must give us an explanation!"

"Our child was fine yesterday! He took the medicine you gave him and is now lying down!"

"What a bullshit New Order! What Firefly! I think it's just a chaebol with a different name! They're using our children as test subjects!"

A group of men and women, their faces agitated and their eyes bloodshot, broke through the guards at the gate and poured into the medical area! Most of them were parents or relatives of children in hospital beds, their minds swamped by fear and anger. Some waved empty vaccine syringes, others held up photos of children in agony, their attacks directed at Li Shuo, who was maintaining order!

Li Shuo's tall figure stood like a reef in front of the angry crowd. His face was ashen, and the old wound under his ribs seemed to ache again. He understood the pain of these people, but chaos would only make the situation worse.

"Quiet! Listen to me!" Li Shuo's voice was like thunder, carrying unquestionable majesty, instantly drowning out the noisy crying and accusations. "Vaccine distribution follows a strict process! We are fully investigating any adverse reactions! Doctors are working hard to save lives! What else can you do by making such a fuss, other than delaying treatment?!"

"Investigation? Bullshit investigation!" A bearded man with red eyes waved his fist, his saliva almost spraying on Li Shuo's face, "My son vomited blood because of your vaccine! What do you high and mighty people know?! We just want results! Either save our children! Or... die together!" Despair spread among the crowd like a plague. The crowd surged forward again, pushing the guards and was about to get out of control!

Dr. Qin watched the chaotic scene unfold, the deepening fear in Xiaoyun's eyes, and Li Shuo's forced, exhausted, helpless face. A surge of powerlessness and anger washed over him. Science seemed so pale in the face of unknown diseases and the despair of human hearts.

Just then—

"Stop it!"

A cool sound, like an icy spring hitting rocks, penetrated the chaotic noise and reached everyone's ears clearly.

The crowd's commotion suddenly stopped.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

At the entrance to the medical area, a figure stood silently, like a ghost blending into the shadows. He wore a torn black combat uniform, his face almost transparently pale, his lips devoid of any color. His arms were wrapped in blood-soaked bandages. He exuded a heavy stench of blood and a sense of extreme weakness, as if a gust of wind could blow him down. But his eyes were as cold as the ice in a deep pond, so piercing that one dared not look directly at him.

It’s Yun Zhan!

He is back!

Li Shuo and Dr. Qin's eyes flashed with disbelief! Yun Zhan's condition... was terrible! But he was back! This meant...

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