Many people in the group chat were saying the same thing:
[Are you insane? You think the people buying this stuff aren't infected?]
[These shots are going for tens of millions. Who's gonna donate one out of kindness?]
[Rich people are seriously disgusting!]
Chu Yian's head was spinning from reading so many messages. Her vision blurred, and she finally tossed her phone aside and opened her loot box.
It was the third-day mark again—time for another loot box draw. She hoped she'd finally get something useful.
Maybe, just maybe… the box would drop a vial of the miracle cure.
She reached in and pulled out a cold, smooth jar.
["A moisturizing cream beloved by grannies everywhere, guaranteed to leave your skin soft and supple."]
[Note: Will be reclaimed after this game round ends.]
[Item's voice: Want great skin? Use Dabao every morning and night!]
Chu Yian stared at the face cream in her hand with nothing but disdain.
"Who has time to care about their skin at a time like this?!"
Frustrated, she threw it straight into the trash.
A few minutes later… she fished it back out.
"Ugh, whatever. I pulled it, might as well use it. What a waste otherwise."
Damn her frugal instincts.
Game: Day 23.
Still no official word from the state-run news agencies.
But now, in the group chats, the number of people claiming to be selling the cure had skyrocketed from one to six overnight.
Chu Yian sat up and checked them one by one.
[Two doses available, starting bid 5 million. Hurry!]
[Life-risking acquisition, starting bid 6 million. Auction begins in two hours!]
[Guys! I found another lead on the cure! Come quick!]
By afternoon, even more groups popped up, all claiming to have a few doses.
Two days ago, the cure was a once-in-a-lifetime treasure—now it was suddenly everywhere?
But soon, some people started calling it out.
[⚠️ ALERT: 99% of these are fake! Don't get scammed out of everything you own!]
[The cure is nearly impossible to get. Even billionaires are still in line—no way it's hitting the streets yet.]
[Don't buy from shady sources! You'll blow your life savings on a scam.]
Suddenly, it all made sense.
No wonder the market had exploded overnight. Fake cures were high-reward scams—pull one off and you're raking in tens of millions. People were risking their lives and consciences for that kind of money.
But it also meant families were being ruined.
Game: Day 24.
Still no official announcements.
According to the game's starting rules, today marked the fourth day since cure production began.
And yet, there wasn't even a trace of it anywhere.
Chu Yian felt more and more anxious.
It was like having a storm inside her with no outlet.
Right now, her only access to information—or the cure—came from underground rumors and shady WeChat groups. She knew most of it was fake… but had no choice. She had to comb through the lies in hopes of finding one kernel of truth.
"Ughhh, this is impossible!"
She flopped onto the couch with a groan—just in time to see Lu Qingyuan come downstairs.
"We're going out tomorrow morning at 5. To pick something up."
"Huh? What?"
"The cure."
Those two simple words made Chu Yian bolt upright.
"Wait—Teacher Lu, the cure?! Don't tell me you bought it from one of those shady groups or auction scams?"
"They say 99% of those are fake! You didn't fall for that, did you?"
She stared at him, deeply worried.
Even for someone rich, this wasn't pocket change.
Lu Qingyuan walked calmly to the fridge, pulled out a bottle of water, and twisted off the cap.
"I know someone at the International Disease Research Center. I pulled a few strings and got it approved. Didn't I tell you it'd take four or five days? Came a bit earlier than expected."
Chu Yian's eyes went wide.
It was like a golden pie had fallen from the sky and knocked her out cold.
Wait… wasn't the cure supposed to be nearly impossible to get?
"Teacher Lu… you got one dose or…?"
Even with her thick skin, she couldn't bring herself to say the number two.
This was the kind of thing not even oil-rich princes could secure. In her mind, there was no way she'd be included.
Lu Qingyuan glanced at her trembling fingers—she was holding up two.
"Would I have asked you to come if I only had one?"
"AHHHHH!"
Chu Yian screamed out loud.
"Teacher Lu, you're seriously the BEST! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
She lunged forward and hugged him again, practically jumping with excitement.
"Don't celebrate too early," Lu Qingyuan interrupted. "They can't deliver directly. It's coming by helicopter, and we have to pick it up ourselves."
"A chopper suddenly appearing in the city will attract attention. We'll need to get to the pickup spot early—and disappear fast once we have it."
Game: Day 25.
Chu Yian didn't even have time to open her loot box before she and Lu Qingyuan hit the road.
Their home was in the western suburbs. The pickup was at a plaza nearby.
There wasn't a soul on the streets.
Everything was coated in thick dust—cars, buildings, billboards.
Pharmacies and shops had been smashed open.
Rotting corpses still lay in some corners.
As they neared residential complexes, the scene got worse.
One complex had actually built a wall of corpses at its main gate—bodies piled up to block any entry or exit.
Flies, rats, and bugs crawled over the dead like it was a living grave.
In broad daylight, the city felt even more lifeless and horrifying.
And underneath the silence… was danger.
Chu Yian didn't have time to dwell on sorrow.
Two cars suddenly pulled out from an alley behind them.
On the empty street, they stood out like sirens.
They kept honking obnoxiously as they tailed close behind.
In this quiet city, their horns were deafening.
The people in the cars were loud, cocky, and aggressive.
They sped up, clearly trying to catch up.
Lu Qingyuan glanced in the rearview mirror, then pressed the gas.
"Look at these idiots. Trying to get away?"
In the other car, a tattooed punk with bleach-blond hair yelled,
"Floor it! Don't let those bastards escape!"
With all the chaos lately, hardly anyone had clean protective gear like Chu Yian and Lu Qingyuan.
To the gang chasing them, it was like seeing two fat sheep ripe for the slaughter.
They were a pack of starving hyenas.
And they'd just found fresh meat.