Because of the neural interface virtual reality technology, Star Sky Technology and the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study were at the center of attention all over the world.
Lu Zhou, as the head of both Star Sky Technology and the Institute for Advanced Study, should have been standing in front of cameras, hosting a press conference, telling people about this new technology.
However, instead of being at a press conference and under the spotlight, he was quietly standing in a medical ward.
This ward had a special name. It was called the “Frozen Dormancy Ward”.
Terminally-ill patients from all over the world had been transferred here.
The cost of cryosleep was relatively low compared to being in an ICU.
Other than the expensive Martian bacteria extract, the cost of keeping the dormant device running was not high.
Of course, this was only cheap compared to other forms of treatment.
Standing next to Lu Zhou was a woman, who was also here to visit a patient.
The woman looked to be in her late forties, and she was holding the hand of a five-year-old boy. There were tears coming out of the corners of her eyes.
The person under cryosleep was probably her husband. The kid standing next to her probably did not know what was going on as he stood there silently.
The woman noticed Lu Zhou standing nearby, and she was shocked when she recognized him.
After hesitating for a while, she walked up to him while holding her son and asked carefully, “Hello, are you… Academician Lu?”
After a moment of silence, Lu Zhou nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Thank you…”
Lu Zhou looked at the grateful woman and shook his head.
“I’m not a doctor, no need to thank me.”
“The doctor told us that you saved him… You saved us.”
Lu Zhou looked at her and waited for her to continue.
“We… actually don’t have any money,” the woman said with a bitter look on her face. She said while reminiscing about the past, “We sold the house and spent all of our savings on medical bills for my husband, but we couldn’t survive. A few months ago, my husband told me to stop the treatment and save the money for our son, but…”
The woman’s voice trembled as she took a deep breath. She smiled reluctantly.
“Anyway, thank you… Thank you!
“I’m just happy he’s alive.
“I’m bringing my son back to our hometown, so this is probably the last time we can see him. The doctor said the hospital in the future can definitely cure him, and I hope that’s true… I just want him to be healthy in the future, smoke less, eat healthily… I hope he doesn’t miss me too much…”
The woman realized Lu Zhou probably didn’t care about her personal life. She looked embarrassed as she spoke to her son.
“Come on, say thank you to this hero…”
The little boy blinked as he stared at Lu Zhou. He spoke in a timid voice.
“Thank you.”
Lu Zhou smiled and rubbed his head.
“You’re welcome, kiddo, You should thank your mother, make sure to take care of her.”
The kid looked at Lu Zhou and said, “What about my dad? Is he going to wake up?”
“He will.”
The kid nodded as Lu Zhou gave him a look of encouragement.
The mother and son bid farewell and left.
However, when the mother walked to the door, she suddenly stopped and looked back. She bowed toward Lu Zhou before walking away.
Voices in the corridor were heard between the mother and son.
“Mom… Who was that guy?”
“He’s a scientist.”
“Scientist? I want to be a scientist…”
The conversation faded away as the footsteps became quieter and quieter.
Lu Zhou sighed. He felt a little blue.
He didn’t like being in a hospital.
There was a sense of sadness in the air.
After a while, he heard footsteps from behind.
He looked at the doctor and spoke.
“How was the test result?”
“They’re here…”
Lu Zhou took the medical report from the doctor and glanced through it. He looked disappointed.
Although he knew from the beginning that it was unrealistic to expect people in a cryosleep state to connect to a virtual reality world through their unconscious brainwaves, his heart still dropped to the bottom of his stomach when he read the report.
The only way was to wake up half of the brain.
But that was undoubtedly dangerous.
The doctor looked at Lu Zhou and asked, “Do you want me to explain it to you?”
“No need…” Lu Zhou took a deep breath and folded the medical report. He then stuffed it into his pocket and said, “I have a general idea of what’s going on, thank you.”
“Of course, no worries.” The doctor smiled and said, “I should be thanking you, the frozen dormancy technology and neural interface prosthetic have saved many lives.”
“Oh yeah?”
Lu Zhou looked away from the doctor, at the dormancy cabin nearby.
It was almost like the frost on the cabin glass separated not only space but also time.
The doctor looked a little downcast as he sighed.
“Do you need some time alone?”
“Sure…”
The doctor nodded and left the room without saying anything.
Lu Zhou was the only person inside the ward.
He looked at the dormancy cabin and suddenly spoke.
“I’m here.
“The next project is on the unification of algebra and geometry… I already have some ideas in mind.”
Lu Zhou gulped and wanted to say something, but in the end, he shook his head and smiled.
“Nevermind…
“Even if I tell you my ideas, you probably can’t hear them.
“I’ll save the suspense for the future.
“When you wake up, you’ll be able to read my paper. You’re my best student, so I’m sure you will be able to understand the paper without me explaining it to you.”
Lu Zhou stayed in the ward until a nurse came around for her routine check of the dormancy cabin operations. Lu Zhou left soon after.
…
After Lu Zhou left the hospital, he sat in Wang Peng’s car.
Wang Peng threw away his cigarette and started the car.
“Where to?”
“Airport.”
“Back to Jinling?”
“Yeah.”
Lu Zhou originally planned on staying in Beijing for a few more days. However, he wasn’t in the mood to visit his old friends anymore, and he wanted to go back on a retreat again.
After all, his friends knew that he was an introvert, so they wouldn’t blame him for not visiting.
The car began to drive as the two people stayed silent.
Wang Peng could feel the dull atmosphere as he tried to make conversation.
“There are people talking about you online, about the virtual reality technology.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you not interested?”
“I am, just not in the mood right now.”
Suddenly, the phone began to ring.
Lu Zhou took out his phone, and when he saw the caller ID, he frowned.
Normally, he wouldn’t mind talking to this person, but he was not in the mood right now. Not to mention he already ignored the call when he first arrived at the hospital, but this person called again.
Wang Peng noticed the call being dismissed by Lu Zhou.
Wang Peng looked at the rearview mirror and asked, “Not going to take that?”
“No…” Lu Zhou threw his phone aside and said, “It’s nothing important.”
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