This was a summer vacation that Qiao Yuxuan would still be able to recall clearly many years later.
A torrential rain under a dark night, lightning flashing, cries, wails, and screams—many of those sounds would continue to appear in his dreams even years later.
As a teenager, he felt fear and sorrow. As a young adult, he felt anger and anxiety. As a middle-aged man, he felt worry and repression.
The people of China stood together and endured the apocalypse, rebuilding their homes afterward.
He grew up under the care of the government and the collective, eventually becoming a special police officer, saving many lives.
But post-traumatic stress remained a lifelong psychological scar.
Only when he was old, seeing his children grow up safely and his grandchildren playing noisily and joyfully, did he finally find peace.
At least—they had not allowed such a tragedy to happen in their hometown again.
They had completely defeated the disaster and executed the mastermind behind it.
In the final moment before his death, he seemed to see that rainy thunder night again—and his mother, whose eyes were beginning to turn red…
His mother…
His mother was crying. She was short, liked wearing a pink hairclip, worked year-round in orchards, her wheat-colored skin covered with sunspots. Though only in her thirties, fine wrinkles had already formed at the corners of her eyes.
“Yuxuan, your grandparents have already gone mad… I’ve been bitten too. I feel really unwell…”
She kept swallowing nervously as she pushed Qiao Yuxuan into a small room.
He had just finished sixth grade. Children grew fast these days—he was already taller than his mother, though his round, youthful face still carried childishness. He vaguely understood what was happening, and tears streamed down his face.
“Mom… Mom—stay with me… Mom, I’m scared…”
“Take the phone! Don’t come out unless you see lots of police or soldiers!”
“Save power. Once there’s signal, call 110. I’ve saved the township government’s number too. You’re twelve now—you must be sensible and study hard. The money your father sends back from working is in the bank book. I’ve saved it for you to marry in the future. If your father comes back… you two must rely on each other…”
Qiao Yuxuan tried desperately to hug his mother, but she slapped him hard while crying.
“Why won’t you listen at a time like this! Do you want to die?!”
“My child… grow up safely… on holidays, remember to burn paper offerings for your mother…”
Her eyes were red, her movements already stiffening. She suddenly slammed the door shut, walked quickly into the living room, and closed another door behind her.
Qiao Yuxuan stood in the room in grief. From downstairs he could hear guttural screams, slowly fading into silence. He didn’t know what to do—he could only lie on the bed, curling up while holding his mother’s clothes.
Soon after, he heard vehicles outside. He crawled to the window and looked down.
Three vehicles. Screaming crowds. Two cars retreating. One left behind being attacked…
He watched it all unfold. Police officers went down, went up, and then more came down again.
They drew the crazed people into the village office and locked them inside.
At just twelve years old—on the boundary between childhood and adolescence—the scene left a deep impact on him.
He had stopped crying. His night vision was unusually good, and he saw his grandparents and his mother in the crowd.
His mother had already gone mad.
Everyone had gone mad.
Yet there were still people who weren’t afraid of death, trying to restrain these crazed individuals—trying to save others.
He wondered: when would rescue arrive? Who would come?
In the stories he had heard, in films and TV dramas, and in people’s conversations, the army was the strongest. Whenever disaster struck, men in camouflage uniforms would arrive and save everyone.
There were also heavily armed special police officers—fearless, capable of handling any monster.
But as he thought about it, he became sad again. If his family had turned into monsters… would they be killed?
At that moment, he saw the same two police officers again. They went out, and not long after, rescued an aunt holding a baby, running along the village road together.
But then even cats and dogs had gone mad.
One officer led them away in another direction.
After a long time—so long that Qiao Yuxuan nearly fell asleep—dense gunfire erupted downstairs.
He had finally waited for it.
The houses around the village office were quickly cleared.
The special police teams moved fast. Groups of five entered each household, shouting warnings. Any infected individuals who attacked were shot on the spot; any cats or dogs were jointly killed. Once it was confirmed there were no survivors inside, they began gathering usable materials to block the village office.
Only after clearing the area did they discover more than twenty survivors—mostly women and children.
Those who opened doors at night were usually elderly people or men. In families with children, mothers stayed behind to care for them. Some mothers, after being bitten, realized something was wrong before turning and locked their children in separate rooms.
These children were already sensible. When rescued, they cried continuously—having lost their mothers, their families.
Among them was a twelve-year-old boy who suddenly opened a window and shouted:
“Police uncle!”
Then jumped from the second floor.
Li Qingfeng and others rushed forward to catch him, nearly getting injured in the process. Fortunately, the boy was lean and agile, not overweight. The second-floor drop of a rural self-built house was just over three meters. The impact was absorbed by many officers, and no one was hurt.
The rescued survivors were brought to the yellow-tiled two-story building across from the village office.
Deputy Wang called Su Ming and two female officers over to check the women for injuries. Those without injuries and those with injuries had to be separated for evacuation.
Captain Jiang seized the opportunity to propose burning the cat, dog, and human corpses on-site.
“Leaving the bodies here—if rats bite them, it’ll be even worse!”
Deputy Wang frowned, recalling his limited knowledge of epidemiology.
“Does rabies spread to rodents? I thought it mainly affected canines, felines, bats… and humans. Rats?”
Officer Wang Song, standing behind Captain Jiang, leaned forward and said, “Rabies-infected humans should be light-sensitive and water-fearing. The incubation period isn’t that fast either—this clearly isn’t rabies…”
Captain Jiang elbowed him hard, physically silencing him.
“…Even if it’s not rabies,” Deputy Wang said, “burning bodies isn’t simple.”
Captain He, who had just finished checking for weak points around the village office, was called over. Deputy Wang explained the suggestion.
Captain He frowned. Burning cat and dog corpses was manageable. Burning villagers’ bodies was another matter entirely.
“Body disposal… burning bodies to eliminate viruses sounds simple, but it’s complicated in practice.”
The three—one SWAT officer, one police deputy, and one former officer—all had theoretical knowledge but had never personally done it.
They discussed feasibility:
“Gasoline won’t work. It ignites easily but doesn’t sustain high enough temperature. Diesel would be better.”
“Farmhouses might have diesel in agricultural machines, but the quantity is uncertain.”
“Bodies have high water content. They won’t burn easily. We’d need long-term high heat—dig pits, lay straw, stack firewood.”
“It only needs to burn off flesh to prevent scavengers. Ash should neutralize the virus.”
“Important point: bodies must be opened first, otherwise they may explode during burning. Improper handling could create a biohazard risk.”
“The smoke itself would be toxic. We’re not a crematorium—we have no filtration systems.”
“And we must stay away from water sources—no wells, ponds, or irrigation channels.”
“Also… it’s still raining. We can’t even light a proper fire.”
As they were still discussing, Officer Wang Song couldn’t help but speak again:
“There’s an abandoned wooden house over there. Why not pile everything inside and burn it? Worst case, burn the house too?”
Captain He, Deputy Wang, and Captain Jiang all looked at him.
“…Young man, you really haven’t read enough regulations.”
Fire safety, funeral regulations, public health laws, environmental protection, public order, even criminal law—everything would be violated.
“Forget it,” Deputy Wang rubbed his temples. “Wrap the bodies in waterproof sheets, seal them. We’ll wait for health authorities before deciding how to proceed.”
Captain He added, “For now, put the animal corpses in a covered yard and burn them in metal barrels with diesel if possible. Handle what we can first.”
Wang Song’s idea had been born from instinct rather than procedure, but after hearing the reasoning, he also realized the conditions were not ready.
On the other side, female officers reported good news:
Out of all the hidden survivors, only two women were scratched by household cats. Everyone else was uninjured.
Deputy Wang quickly arranged transport for evacuation.
The Guifang family finally prepared to leave.
Before boarding the vehicle, Guifang held Wang Song’s hand tightly, reluctant to let go.
Wang Song shook his head. “Sister, stop hesitating. Go quickly. It’s dangerous here.”
Tears welled in Guifang’s eyes. “Then… then take us to the government office…”
Her daughter looked at him timidly, worried for the only uninjured young man.
Wang Song refused firmly. “We still haven’t collected Deputy Qiu’s body. Hurry up and leave! Don’t hold us back! You’ve got a child with you—don’t you see the cats and dogs have mutated? Go!”
Under his forceful urging, Guifang finally left tearfully with the elderly and her daughter.
For those women with minor injuries, Deputy Wang explained they would need restraints and supervision during transport back to the township shelter for medical assessment. Everyone tacitly understood that effective treatment might not yet exist.
They all agreed to be evacuated.
Captain Jiang then remembered Liang Huai upstairs and rushed back to find him.
But Liang Huai pushed him away.
He had begun to develop a fever—his body freezing yet burning at the same time.
“I might mutate on the way,” Liang Huai said bitterly. “I’m not going.”
Captain Jiang was displeased and began to reprimand him.
“People already sent Old Mao back when he mutated, didn’t they? Even a mutated police officer is still one of our station’s own officers. You yourself said you still had sanity after more than half an hour—what if a dog bite is different? What if Guifang and the others’ procedure actually works?”
Wang Song chimed in from the side to add, “What if they just didn’t do the procedure properly and you get a bacterial infection and fever instead!”
Station Chief Jiang: “……That’s possible too! In any case, you’ve got your hands and feet tied as well—send him back for quarantine first.”
Liang Huai kept his head down. His handsome face looked lifeless as he silently refused.
He felt his chances of survival were slim. He didn’t want to turn into that kind of crazed monster.
Station Chief Jiang didn’t know how to persuade him, so he hurried back downstairs to find Deputy Secretary Wang.
By this time, more than half an hour had already passed. Outside the village office, debris had piled up in layers. Ropes and wires tightly bound the clutter, forming what was essentially a new outer wall. People outside could no longer see what was inside, only hear waves of low, animal-like growls.
Deputy Secretary Wang was already preparing to evacuate nearby residents.
“We need to leave some people behind to guard the infected here, and also be on alert for infected animals,” someone said.
Team Leader He gestured. “Those staying behind will be responsible for clearing and burning cats and dogs, and handling the bodies of the infected. I’ll allocate another 40 armed personnel to you to protect you while you move the surrounding residents.”
With cats and dogs involved—and possibly infections elsewhere—it was still safer to have guns.
Deputy Secretary Wang naturally did not refuse. He immediately called out, “Town and village cadres and volunteers, come over! Reorganize into teams! Start evacuating people immediately!”
“Within five kilometers of the infection zone, not a single resident is allowed to remain! Inform them first, persuade them—if they don’t listen, show them the videos. If they still refuse after watching… tie them up and take them away! Make it clear: anyone who resists will be handled as assaulting police and obstructing official duties!”
Anyone who still refused after seeing the videos probably had something wrong with their head anyway. If they stayed and got infected, they’d just become a source of infection—more trouble for everyone.
“If residents have vehicles, help them transport more people. As for households with cats and dogs—absolutely do not allow them to bring them along!”
Thinking of Deputy Secretary Lin’s instructions before leaving, Deputy Secretary Wang did not change her directive.
Although he knew with his eyes closed that any remaining cats and dogs were almost certainly infected, Deputy Secretary Lin had said that during evacuation, they should avoid further escalating conflicts. Otherwise, it would become endless disputes, and staying in the infection zone too long would be even more dangerous.
Once people were evacuated, things would be easier to handle.
By the time Station Chief Jiang came back down, Deputy Secretary Wang had just finished arranging everything.
Jiang quickly explained Liang Huai’s refusal to leave and asked Deputy Secretary Wang to help persuade him.
Deputy Secretary Wang: “……”
Persuasion work? That should be Deputy Secretary Lin’s job! That’s what she’s good at—I’m not!
Forget it. I’m still a deputy secretary after all. Let’s go.
Deputy Secretary Wang ran upstairs again. The moment he saw Liang Huai, a chill ran down his spine.
Liang Huai was holding a police pistol, his expression extremely calm.
Deputy Secretary Wang had been a police officer before. At a glance, he could tell what Liang Huai intended to do.
Liang Huai didn’t want to turn into a monster-like zombie. He intended to kill himself in his final moments of clarity.
“Liang Huai, even if you die now, it has no meaning,” Deputy Secretary Wang said slowly, walking forward while forcing his tone to stay calm.
“I’ve already done everything I can,” Liang Huai said, tugging at the corner of his mouth and forcing out a faint smile.
“The old Mao was infected. He was sent to the health clinic. After that, the county’s special police team came and had some… exchanges with him, which helped break everyone’s fear of the infected.”
Deputy Secretary Wang racked his brains for a reason. The moment he said it, he immediately felt like his brain was broken.
What kind of nonsense was that—was he trying to say infected people could be used as sparring partners?
Station Chief Jiang was also speechless. “Is that really how you persuade someone? That just sounds like dying in peace is even harder.”
But Liang Huai was genuinely amused. He laughed and said, “You still need sparring partners? That’s too much. We’re already overworked like donkeys, and even after turning into infected mutants we still have to ‘shine and burn’?”
Deputy Secretary Wang wiped the rainwater hard from his face, then sat down beside Liang Huai and let out a long breath, half-joking bitterly.
“Yeah. Even our town head is still howling inside the village office.”
He had spoken fiercely in the meeting room, but now, if he were told to immediately pick up a gun and shoot a mutated town head dead, he couldn’t do it.
Rationality was one thing; emotion was another.
And also—he really wasn’t good at persuading people. He was only good at arguing, arresting people, and beating people up.
Liang Huai’s breathing was becoming slightly rapid.
“At this point, going to the town health clinic really won’t help. Even if the county sends people, they’ll just treat it like rabies first. This disease is definitely not rabies.”
Even with targeted drugs and vaccines, I trust the country—but it would still take at least a month to develop them. It’s not like some countries where a cure appears the moment a disease breaks out.
However, Liang Huai had somewhat been persuaded by Deputy Secretary Wang. If he could still be useful even after turning, then maybe he could hold on a little longer.
“Forget it. Then just send someone to watch me and observe what the mutation process is like after a dog bite infection.”
“Yang Anyuan is inside the village office. When I mutate, send me in to accompany him.”
“Station Chief, is your body camera on? Record this. If the country needs it later, I voluntarily join research and donate myself. Please hurry and develop drugs and vaccines…”
Seeing that Liang Huai was determined not to leave, Deputy Secretary Wang had no choice. He looked at Station Chief Jiang, since Liang Huai was his subordinate.
Station Chief Jiang’s throat tightened. Ashamed and speechless, he could only answer, “Okay.”
With that settled, Deputy Secretary Wang did not linger. He still had to go and coordinate the evacuation.
Although the villagers were smart and kind, there were always some who were confused or difficult to deal with. As a local leader, he had to keep order.
Come to think of it, where did Deputy Town Head Zhang and the others go? They weren’t at the government office, nor here—did something happen to them on the way?