"W-what's wrong? Isn't this joke funny?"

The bigwig seemed a little uneasy. Seeing everyone's serious expressions, he stood up and bowed, saying, "I'm sorry, I spoke without thinking."

General Li raised his hand to shove, "We're all old colleagues, who would care about your lame joke? Sit down, sit down."

"Yes, we were just scared by what Old Chen said. Why did he have to talk about cracks inside the planet? That's completely unscientific." Qin Mengguan chuckled, as if encouraging himself.

But he knew how fake his smile was. Because, deep down, he was afraid too.

"Stop talking about science. In these three years since the apocalypse on our planet, how many things have been scientific? If you're going to talk about science, then explain to me why the sunlight suddenly changed."

"How would I know? I just feel that the world is becoming more and more fantastical."

"Isn't there a saying that 'the end of science is theology'? Does that mean we'll be going to follow some kind of cultivation and ascension path in the future?"

"Haha, I actually hope so. Who knows, I might have superior talent, cultivate unparalleled divine skills, then regain my youth, stay young forever, and eventually live like an old immortal!"

"I think he's more like an old turtle!"

"Hahaha!"

A few jokes broke the silence. However, the experts also realized that the world can no longer be viewed through a purely scientific lens.

Although they don't yet have the cultivation of immortality found in novels, who knows, one day they might discover a time tunnel and migrate to other planets.

But that's all for later. Right now, the most important thing is to survive in this mutating environment.

Only by preserving sufficient strength can we make plans for the future.

Seeing that the discussion was not making any substantial progress, General Li dismissed the meeting and told everyone to go about their own business.

When he returned to his office, he had his secretary call Qiu Man over.

"Have you been in contact with that Xiao Shen from Hai City lately?" General Li asked.

Qiu Man was taken aback, not understanding what Chief Alliance Officer Li meant. However, he still honestly replied, "No, is there something you need him for?"

Li Zongmengguan chuckled self-deprecatingly, but didn't hide anything: "Wasn't the treatment idea for that HZ virus from Xiao Shen? So I wanted to ask you if he had revealed anything."

Qiu Man felt that Chief Li must have been confused in his haste, ignoring so many research experts and instead pinning his hopes on an ordinary resident.

He shook his head, not mentioning the abscess disease, but emphasized, "Commander Li, what Xiao Shen provided was Silver Heart Hundred Leaf Grass, while the special medicine to cure the HZ virus was developed and produced by the research institute."

"I know, but without the Silver Heart Hundred Leaf Grass he provided, there would be no antidote to cure the HZ virus."

Li Zongmengguan smiled and said, "Qiu Man, Xiao Shen is no simple man. Although I don't know what secrets he has, just based on his extraordinary luck, you should get to know him better."

Go ahead, contact him and see what he says. We don't have any other options right now, so let's just consider this a desperate measure.

Although Qiu Man was somewhat unconvinced, she still obediently went out to make the call.

He wasn't jealous that Shen Yanming was valued by General Li; he just found it hard to believe that the person he respected most had started to believe in metaphysics.

Qiu Man walked back to the conference room, looked at the table that had been cleaned up, and sighed.

After closing the gate, I called Shen Yanming.

----------

In Shanghai, Shen Yanming was discussing with his wife what to have for dinner to soothe their depressed mood after seeing the reduced summer grain harvest when his phone rang.

The two exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat helpless.

You know, when they're in their private space, the phone outside hardly ever rings.

But as soon as I leave the space, my phone will ring eight out of ten times.

I don't know whether to call this luck good or bad.

Shen Yanming picked up his phone and glanced at the caller ID. He raised an eyebrow, quite surprised.

Seeing that he hadn't made a move, Bi Qiaoan sidled up to him and craned her neck to look.

Shen Yanming pulled her close, shoved the screen in her face, and said, "Qiu Man!" before answering the call with a smile.

Bi Qiaoan was so angry that she wanted to beat up Shen Yanming, but she was worried that Qiu Man would hear the noise, so she had to put it off for the time being.

Shen Yanming naturally knew that his wife was throwing a little tantrum. But he wasn't afraid. While talking, he even reached out and poked her goldfish-like face.

She got so angry that she bit his Adam's apple.

Shen Yanming groaned, but had to admit that the feeling was quite subtle.

"Yanming, what's wrong?" Qiu Man didn't know what was going on and thought Shen Yanming was injured, so she asked in a hurry.

Shen Yanming quickly adjusted his breathing and said, "It's alright, Mr. Qiu. I just accidentally got bitten by a puppy."

Bi Qiaoan's eyes widened, and she mouthed, "You're the dog, your whole family is!"

Shen Yanming smiled, his soft, alluring laughter reaching Qiu Man's ears through the microphone.

Qiu Man was taken aback before realizing that he had interrupted the young couple's intimate moment.

Although I felt it was inappropriate to do it in broad daylight, I was also quite envious, thinking to myself, "Youth is truly wonderful; your passion knows no bounds!"

After hearing that there were no more strange noises from the other end, Qiu Man asked, "Shall we get down to business?"

"Well, Mr. Qiu, how have you been lately?"

"Okay, I'm very busy."

Shen Yanming didn't ask him what he was busy with. He was a big shot in the alliance, and it was none of his business to talk to a nobody like him.

However, she still added with concern: "You must balance work and rest; health is the foundation of everything."

Qiu Man smiled and said, "I know!"

"You called this time because..." Shen Yanming knew that the other party wouldn't call without a reason, so he asked before Qiu Man could speak.

Qiu Man laughed heartily, "I really can't hide it from you! I just wanted to ask, do you have impetigo?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Yanming blurted out, "Come on, you have several pustules on your face."

Then, rousing himself, he said, "Because I applied a thick layer of sunscreen, I fell ill late and was almost treated as a special case for research."

"Oh? What happened? Could you tell me more?" Qiu Man was somewhat disappointed to hear that the other person also had impetigo. However, she was still quite interested and asked.

Shen Yanming did not hide anything and recounted what happened in the office that day.

Although he kept it brief, the words he used, combined with his tone, made it quite amusing, which made Qiu Man laugh heartily.

Even Bi Qiaoan listened to it a second time and still felt a little unsatisfied.

Shen Yanming noticed that his wife was no longer baring her teeth and claws at him. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he gave Qiao An a kiss on the lips, which made the little puppy, who had just been calmed down, bristle again.

"Yeah, that's it. It's a real shame. I thought I could avoid it, but it just means the onset is delayed."