On the seventh day of quarantine, the command "Find it" was no longer a faint background hum, but a throbbing pulse that roared continuously. Like a bundle of nerves tightening relentlessly, it bound seven separate consciousnesses together with an invisible force. This primal drive, rooted deep in their genes, sharpened with each passing hour, impossible to resist.
The seven individuals reshaped by the virus were like seven broken shards, welded fast to the white cage of the mobile cabin hospital by an invisible power.
The air reeked of a pungent mix of cheap disinfectant, body odor, spoiled food, and cat litter. Jia Ming clutched a steamed bun dotted with mold spots, forcing a look of ecstasy on his face. "Thank the organization! Look at this natural probiotic—purely guarding intestinal health!"
"That's aflatoxin!" Yan Zhi squeezed his eyes shut. "Eating this will cause diarrhea, and it's carcinogenic..."
"Diarrhea, and carcinogenic... that's aflatoxin!" Feng Jian parroted, like a broken recorder.
Wen Qing snapped her lunch box shut. The wilted yellow vegetable leaves inside reeked of sourness, making her nauseous. Hu Ping quickly forced a smile to smooth things over: "It's a special period, after all. Think of the staff rushing around outside—they have it tough too. Having food at all is a blessing..."
"Shut up!" Wen Qing snapped, cutting her off sharply.
In the corner, Gu Ying's quilt trembled slightly, muffled retches escaping from beneath. Her black cat, Sheriff, poked its head out, sneering disdainfully at Jia Ming's steamed bun, then quickly tucked itself back under the quilt. Han Che sat quietly beside them, picking up the only fatty slice in his lunch box with precise fingers, his lips moving soundlessly as he calculated its nutritional content in his mind.
This was the Ouroboros—seven souls welded together by force, maintaining an eerie balance amid conflict. And the command "Find it" surged through their shared neural network like a heartbeat beating faster and faster.
At that moment, Yan Zhi lit the fuse again: "Hu Ping, I just saw the kitchen staff pick up a steamed bun off the floor and put it back in the steamer! It's the one you're holding!"
"Hey! You must have imagined it!" Hu Ping shrieked, reaching out to clamp her hand over Yan Zhi's mouth.
Jia Ming's smile froze for a split second, then snapped back into place. "This just shows we should cherish food! It's the spirit of gathering every grain..."
"Ugh..." Wen Qing actually retched.
"Cherish it! The spirit of gathering every grain!" Feng Jian chimed in instantly.
Gu Ying's quilt trembled even more violently. Han Che put down his chopsticks, his voice calm and unwavering. "Based on Yan Zhi's past statement accuracy rate, the credibility of this accusation is 87.3%. Jia Ming's statement has increased the group's discomfort probability by 42.5%. Hu Ping's intervention is ineffective. Conclusion: Remaining silent is the optimal choice."
The air froze in an instant. No one spoke, yet the command "Find it" surged through the neural network, tightening the seven of them even closer.
Most terrifying of all, their bodies began to sync uncontrollably.
Someone sneezed first.
Then, as if pulled by the same nerve, "A—choo!" Seven sneezes erupted almost simultaneously, loud and sharp.
Jia Ming sprayed spittle all over Hu Ping's face. Hu Ping knocked over the trash can in her own sneeze. Feng Jian stood rigid, his body jolting violently. Yan Zhi curled up in pain. Gu Ying's quilt shook violently. Wen Qing's vision blurred. Even Han Che stumbled slightly, a rare occurrence.
The sneezes faded, and silence descended. The seven remained frozen in their twisted poses, faces etched with shock.
Jia Ming wiped his face, forcing a smile. "Ha... even our sneezes are in sync! We're truly connected heart to heart, friends!"
"Heart to heart! Great sign!" Feng Jian shouted, and the words were no sooner out of his mouth than a wave of synchronized coughs escaped them all.
Han Che pushed up his glasses. "Sneeze synchronization rate: 98.6%. Time difference: less than 0.1 second. System integration has crossed the critical threshold."
"Shut up!" A growl burst out from under Wen Qing's, Yan Zhi's, and Gu Ying's quilts simultaneously. The three froze mid-roar—even their anger was synchronized!
Round-the-clock check time arrived. A young nurse pushed open the door. "Unit 36, temperature check. How is everyone feeling?"
A jolt of electricity shot through all seven of them.
Seven pairs of eyes rotated in unison, locking onto the nurse's protective mask!
A voice, a cold, distorted blend of seven tones, rang out:
"36.5 degrees Celsius."
"No discomfort."
"Request permission to move around."
The nurse's face paled instantly. Her clipboard clattered to the floor. She scrambled out the door, her voice cracking as she shouted: "R-Report! Unit 36... something's wrong! They're possessed!"
The door slammed shut, locked tight.
At that moment, the command "Find it" surged in like a tsunami, surging to an unprecedented peak! The pulse tore through all seven brains at once!
Buzz—all seven of them jolted violently in unison!
Han Che spun sharply toward the southwest, his gaze sharp as a blade. "Three partition walls, one fire door, reinforced glass observation window. Optimal breakthrough point: Fire hydrant on the southwest side." His voice was steady, rapid, and urgent. "Calculated from the fire hose's standard working parameters, the peak impact force can reach 8 megapascals—enough to damage the partition structure. Breakout success probability: 37.8%."
"Break out! Answering the call!" Jia Ming's fear instantly erupted into frenzy.
"Answer the call! Break out!" Feng Jian echoed, quick on his heels.
"No! We can't smash it!" Hu Ping shrieked, trying to stop them.
Yan Zhi clutched his head, moaning in agony. Violent images flooded his mind—the fire hydrant being smashed, alarms blaring, water surging into the air. "Alarms! It'll trigger an alarm!"
Wen Qing trembled, overwhelmed by the command in her head and Han Che's calm analysis.
Gu Ying huddled under her quilt, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Sheriff let out a piercing scream, darting frantically between the legs of the group in the chaos.
"Execute the plan." Han Che bypassed Hu Ping, lunging for the fire hydrant box! Jia Ming and Feng Jian followed close behind.
"Stop them!" Hu Ping screamed in despair, grabbing Jia Ming's legs.
Yan Zhi squeezed his eyes shut in pain.
Wen Qing froze, torn between rushing to stop Han Che and pulling Hu Ping apart.
Bang—!
Han Che smashed the fire hydrant box's glass with his stainless steel lunch box!
The ear-piercing alarm shrieked like a ghost's wail, tearing through the air in an instant. Blinding red light flooded the entire unit!
At that moment, the alarm became the bugle of charge.
"Find it!" Seven minds roared silently in their heads!
"Charge out! For victory!" Jia Ming bellowed.
Footsteps, wails, groans, the cat's screams... all were drowned out by the deafening alarm.
Han Che's hand closed tightly around the cold valve wheel of the fire hydrant!
Outside the unit door, heavy footsteps and sharp reprimands drew near:
"People inside! Stop the destruction immediately! Get on your knees with your hands on your heads!"
The first uprising of the Ouroboros was cornered in a desperate situation, amid the wailing alarm and cold encirclement. That 37.8% chance was teetering on the brink of collapse in the face of harsh reality.