Immortality of the dead

Chapter 19

Why did Wang Runfa mistake me for someone else? Why did I feel that Fan Zhe, whom I had never met before, looked familiar? Why did He Xi, who was full of worries and difficult to approach, treat me differently from others? We chatted and laughed in the bar and even went to a hotel. Finally, I had a definite answer to all of this: my profile looks very similar to Fan Zhe's!

Wang Runfa saw my profile and mistook me for Fan Zhe. When I was pinned to the ground with one cheek pressed against it, he ran over to confirm, but he could only see half of my face. When he saw my face later, because of his preconceived notion, he didn't doubt his earlier judgment.

When I first saw Fan Zhe's photo, he looked familiar. I racked my brains trying to remember if I had seen him before when he took office. If I had looked in the mirror back then, I might have suddenly realized who he was.

My charm couldn't possibly have attracted He Xi, who was heartbroken because her lover was teetering on the brink of death. He was even kinder to me than Rembrandt, simply because I resembled Fan Zhe. Perhaps she herself didn't realize this, but when she looked at me, Fan Zhe's image must have subtly appeared in her mind. On that first night, she must have mistaken me for Fan Zhe for him, which led to that incident. I can't help but think that in my dazed moments, during our lovemaking, she must have been calling out Fan Zhe's name...

Indeed, I once wondered why He Xi treated me this way. Was she genuinely interested in me, or did she have ulterior motives?

Okay, now there's no need for that ridiculous suspicion anymore. The smile on her lips, the gentle look in her eyes, it's all because of another man.

I've decided not to mention the secret I discovered at Ruijin Hospital to He Xi again. Let He Xi deal with that life that shouldn't have existed.

I sat blankly on the sofa, my mind racing. I wanted to sever all ties with him, but I found myself holding a blunt sword. I tried to fight back, but only ended up hurting myself more.

Just as I was annoyed at myself for being so clingy, Ou Mingde handed me a piece of paper.

I took it and saw that there were three numbers written on it.

"836"

“If you’re not prepared to accept my counseling, then keep your worries to yourself at home. I’ll finish telling you about Wang Runfa.” Ou Mingde is a psychologist, so of course he could see that something was wrong with me.

“Oh, excuse me, go on.” I forced a smile at him. “Hmm, so Wang Runfa discovered something else?” “That day, Wang Runfa and that man walked quite a distance, only separating when they were almost out of the hospital. So Wang Runfa even saw him get into a taxi waiting at the hospital entrance. I guided Wang Runfa, who was under hypnosis, to focus on that taxi, and he remembered that it was a Volkswagen taxi, and the last three digits of the license plate were 836. I think this might be useful to you; you can use this to find out where the person in the photo went afterward.” I didn’t tell Ou Mingde the whole story; this was something he did for me after observing my expression.

"Thank you." I expressed my gratitude, though I didn't really think it mattered. Fan Zhe's flight was at noon that day, so he naturally took a taxi back to the hotel to get his luggage before heading to the airport.

Leaving Ou Mingde's clinic, I turned out of Longtang and walked along Yan'an Road. A cold front had hit Shanghai today; the temperature was much lower than yesterday, and the wind was strong, its rays slightly biting into my skin. This was exactly what I needed.

"Hey, reporter, aren't you having dinner with Dr. Ou?" A loud voice broke my confusion.

I looked in the direction of the sound and saw Wang Runfa. He was standing under a bus stop, looking at me in surprise.

"Ah... something came up at noon, so I had to reschedule with Dr. Ou. Haven't you gotten your car yet?"

"That's right, we've been waiting for twenty minutes already," Wang Runfa complained. Waiting for a car for twenty minutes in this kind of weather is quite unbearable.

"Oh, I'll give you a ride back to the hospital since it's on my way." I waved for a taxi to stop. I had no choice but to let him go first, but now that we'd run into each other, I couldn't very well not take him home.

"Thank you then." Wang Runfa didn't stand on ceremony with me and got into the car with me.

Ruijin Hospital wasn't far; including waiting at the red light, it was only about twenty minutes. After Wang Runfa thanked me and got out of the car, I asked the driver to take me to Pudong International Airport.

"Oh, to the airport? Could you wait a little while I go to fill up the gas tank?"

"Never mind then." I gave him the fare.

"Hey, wait a minute, I won't overcharge you," the driver said anxiously, this was a big business deal.

But I was in a bad mood and unhappy, and he kept dawdling, so I opened the door and got out of the car.

There were several cars lined up in front of Ruijin Hospital; there were plenty of options.

I walked to the first taxi in line, and just as I was about to open the door and get in, my eyes swept over the car behind me, and I froze.

Back then, there were two large taxis.

"It can't be such a coincidence," I thought to myself, but the last three digits of the car's license plate were indeed "836." I took out a piece of paper with the numbers written on it, checked it against the plate, and then walked towards the car.

"Hello, where to?" The driver turned his head and nodded to me.

"Airport, Pudong Airport."

He whistled briefly, started the car—this was a big order, after all. As he drove past the car parked ahead, he deliberately rolled down his window and smiled.

Is this a protest? The cutthroat competition is everywhere.

"It's so much better to ride in one of our Volkswagen taxis!" Once on the road, the driver launched into a long-winded explanation, boasting about his company, Volkswagen Taxi, its brand advantages, and how excellent its service was. He said it was common to see drivers like me actively choosing his car. I knew, in fact, that this was precisely why drivers from all the smaller taxi companies in Shanghai hated Volkswagen Taxi.

"Do you often park your car in front of Ruijin Hospital to wait for customers?" I quickly interrupted him as soon as I finally got a break in his speech.

"Yes, this is kind of my base. If there's a car nearby, I'll usually come over to see if there's any business. Why, do you often get your car from here?"

"Oh, no." I wondered to myself how to ask.

Are you in a hurry to catch your flight? Would you like me to drive you faster?

"Just arrive before 11 o'clock."

"No problem, we'll definitely get there. I'll drive carefully; safety is the most important thing. This is your first time riding in my car, so I'll make sure you have a good impression. You see, I'm a three-star driver, so feel free to ask for anything. Would you like some music?"

"No, no. Hmm? Are you sure this is my first time riding in your car? You take so many passengers every day, you might have taken me before."

"Impossible. I have a very good memory. If you sat here, I would definitely remember."

"Good memory?" I laughed. "Then let me test you."

"Testing my memory? Okay, go ahead and test me."

“I have a friend who mentioned last time that he took a Volkswagen outside Ruijin Hospital, and the driver was very nice. He might be talking about you. Think about it, did you pick up any passengers at this hospital on August 20th this year?”

"August 20th..." The yellow light ahead was flashing, and he slowly stepped on the brakes, bringing the car to a steady stop.

"One order in the morning and one order in the afternoon, that's two orders in total. What does your friend look like?"

"Ha, you actually remember. He was half a head taller than me, a man, and about my age."

"From this morning, right? He's quite good-looking." He turned and glanced at me. "He even looks a bit like you. Is he related to you?"

I was surprised; this driver's memory was truly remarkable.

"Yes, it's in the morning. Do you remember what time it is?"

"Around seven or eight o'clock, not quite eight. We went to church. How about that? I've never met anyone with a better memory than me. I remember it was just past eight when I took him to church."

A church? I was surprised. How could it be a church? Wasn't it a hotel?

Do you remember which church it was?

"Of course, it's the Xujiahui Cathedral."

That's the largest Catholic church in Shanghai. What was Fan Zhe doing there?

Unexpected clues always lead to unexpected gains. If I weren't in such a hurry to see Van Heller, I would have loved to visit the Xujiahui Catholic Church right away.

I arrived at Pudong Airport a quarter to eleven o'clock, and soon after, I received a call from He Xi. I told her my location, and a few minutes later she appeared not far away and waved to me.

She wore a blue, fitted, shearling jacket, white riding breeches with attractive brown crisscross stripes along the sides, and suede boots. Her long hair was pulled back in a bun. I hadn't seen her dressed like this in days; she exuded a powerful, confident aura while simultaneously showcasing her captivating figure. She seemed to create a massive spatial collapse; according to general relativity, everyone in the waiting hall was irresistibly drawn to her.

"How is it?" she asked anxiously as soon as I approached.

“It’s him,” I said in a deep voice.

He Xi's expression hardened, and after a pause, she said, "Let's go, Father is already waiting for you."

"Is he a Catholic?" He Xi walked very fast, and I quickened my pace to catch up with her and asked.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"After leaving the hospital, he went to a Catholic church in Shanghai."

He Xi slowed down, turned to look at me, and said, "He went to church? Was he going to confession?"

"Confession?" My eyes lit up. "Very likely. If he feels guilty about his actions..."

“Let’s go together this afternoon. If it’s for confession, we’ll find that priest,” He Xi said.

"good."

This is a Chinese restaurant. Four cold dishes have already been served. When we entered, He Xi told the waiter that the hot dishes could be served. We didn't have much time.

Our table was in a glass partition, where an elderly man with a full head of silver hair was leisurely watching the travelers passing by through frosted glass with oracle bone script patterns. Noticing our arrival, he turned his head, stood up, and extended his hand.

His hands were quite strong, and when he smiled, the already prominent wrinkles on his thin face became crisscrossed like knife cuts, giving him a weathered look. However, his gold-rimmed glasses and narrow eyes added a touch of refined elegance to his face.

“My daughter has told me about you. Thank you for taking care of her these past few days.”

Van Heller's first words caught me off guard, and I repeatedly said, "Not at all, not at all."

Seeing me take out my notebook, he waved his hand and said, "Come on, let's eat and chat, no need to be so formal. If there's anything you can't remember afterward, you can ask He Xi. She has a very good memory, and she can answer many questions for me. Just pretend I said it, it's okay."

He was quite friendly, it seems He Xi said some good things about me, which gave him a good impression of me.

"I heard you're from Shanghai?"

“Yes, the last time I came back was in 1998, and I didn’t recognize anyone at all,” Van Heller sighed.

"When did you leave China? I think your experience must be quite legendary."

"More than forty years have passed in the blink of an eye..."

Van Heller originally studied traditional Chinese medicine, but out of his passion for medicine, he desperately wanted to systematically learn Western medicine and conduct comparative studies of Chinese and Western medicine to forge a new path. Therefore, in his thirties, he resigned from his professorship at a traditional Chinese medicine college and resolutely left China. At that time, the Cultural Revolution had not yet begun; otherwise, even with his overseas connections, he wouldn't have been able to leave.

He glossed over these experiences in a few words, and his story of how he established Heller International with the philosophy of "medicine to help the world" after achieving success in Western medicine was even simpler to describe. However, if he were to tell the full story of the hardships involved, he probably would have only given a brief overview by the time he boarded the plane.

"You are the discoverer of Fanziovirus, and the disease is named after you. Could you talk about the situation at Shanghai Xinjingyuan?" This is the focus of this interview, and also a question that I am quite concerned about.

Van Heller's brows furrowed slowly: "This is a rather dangerous virus. Its danger lies not only in its high lethality, but also in the fact that it forms new variants much faster than other viruses. The virus that caused the outbreak at Xinjingyuan is a new variant, exhibiting human-to-human transmission characteristics that have never been seen before. This is a dangerous sign. Currently, Heller International is working on developing a vaccine that is widely applicable to most variants, but this research has only just begun."

“Xinjingyuan adopted very strict isolation measures, but so many people still got sick and died. Does this mean that there were some things that were not done well enough in the early stages? If a similar situation happens again in the future, what can be improved?”

Van Heller put down his chopsticks, looked at me and said, “You have done enough. This is only possible in China. In any Western country, it would be impossible to implement such immediate mandatory quarantine as Shanghai did; it would have disastrous consequences. I think the municipal government’s handling of this case can serve as a model. If another case of Fanyi syndrome is found in a densely populated area, it should be controlled before its infectivity is confirmed.”

"Has it been done very well? But the fact is that the death toll is approaching 100."

Van Heller shook his head and said, “Frankly speaking, this city, my hometown, escaped a major catastrophe. There was an element of luck involved. The characteristic of the Van Heller virus being quickly eliminated after causing damage in the human body remains unchanged, but before that, it is extremely contagious. The chance of infection for direct contacts is over fifty percent, and indirect contact can also lead to infection. The first case this time did not leave the community during the infectious period, otherwise…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but simply shook his head gently again.

I had always been worried about potential attacks on Shanghai, but I never imagined that we had been incredibly lucky to escape unscathed. Hearing Van Heller say this, I couldn't help but feel a chill of fear. If the first infected person had even taken the subway once, even with the strictest isolation measures, the situation would have quickly deteriorated beyond control.

After calming myself down, I asked a question that had been bothering me for a long time.

"But every infection has a source, like SARS, which is now believed to have originated in animals. So where is the source of this Xinjingyuan outbreak? Can you make some speculations?"

“Since there is a so-called first infected person, it means that the person carrying the virus before that wasn’t human. But it’s hard to conclude what animal or insect it was before a thorough investigation. Many animals die from Fanel syndrome, but there are some organisms for whom the virus cannot modify their genes, so the virus is harmless. We humans also have many similar viruses in our bodies, which coexist peacefully but might be fatal to a goose. And there’s something else you need to remember,” Van Heller looked at me, a hint of helplessness and a profound meaning in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, “Don’t think we can figure everything out. There have been too many plagues in history whose causes remain unclear, and many highly contagious plagues have even disappeared suddenly, puzzling medical scientists. For example, the global influenza pandemic of 1918, which killed about 20 to 50 million people worldwide…”

“Wait a minute,” I interrupted him, startled, “you just said how many people died from that flu?”

"Twenty to fifty million! Unbelievable numbers, right? It happened less than a hundred years ago, when human civilization had already progressed to a considerable level. Eighteen months later, the disaster mysteriously disappeared, as if the virus had retreated on its own."

“How could this be?” I glanced at He Xi and said, “He Xi once described to me the terrifying scenario of humanity facing the end of the world once the Fan’s virus mutated into something even more terrible. So, it seems that this might not actually happen.”

Van Heller smiled slightly: "No organism has ever perished because of an infectious disease; there is an unseen balance at play. But if that day ever comes, before the Van Heller virus retreats on its own, what price will humanity pay? It is safe to say that if the Van Heller virus spreads like the 1918 flu, with today's medical technology, the death toll will not be less than it was a hundred years ago."

My chopsticks trembled, nearly dropping the vegetables I was holding. This casual conversation with Van Heller, however, made me feel the crisis brought about by the Van Heller virus more deeply than ever before. The South Asian tsunami a year ago killed 100,000 people, a tragedy that shocked the world. If the Van Heller virus could repeat the disaster of 1918 today… if anyone is stirring things up…

"I'd like to ask, if this virus... is artificially cultivated, is it possible for it to be used as a biological weapon, like anthrax?"

"Why would you ask that?" Van Heller asked me, frowning.