Just as the rulers of the entire world were demanding that people remain in place, those afraid of the virus began fleeing in all directions.
Those with cases fled to places without cases, those in crowded areas headed to less populated places, and those with close blood relatives secretly sheltered their incoming relatives.
There were always people who would cling to a glimmer of hope and flee.
As long as they ran fast enough, the virus couldn't catch up, and as long as they didn't admit it, they would be fine.
Some people fled while others tried to stop them, resulting in countless bloody incidents. If the management was too lax, the virus would find loopholes, but if the prevention was too intense, innocents could also be harmed.
But with the whole world in chaos, both sides were acting in their own interests, so no one could claim the moral high ground in condemning others.
You could say whatever you wanted online, with most people facing no consequences, though a few might break the law or become defendants.
But in real life, you could get beaten up or suffer social death, so most people weighed their words carefully in the real world.
The super virus swept across the globe, with the previously shunned M Country being the last place to be invaded.
People had accumulated a lot of resentment towards M Country.
In the face of the virus's scythe, medical workers were the first to fall, with many areas' healthcare systems beginning to collapse.
Even if people followed the rules, they couldn't get timely treatment, and the consequence of delayed treatment was death.
People were overshadowed by the specter of death, and even more stringent blockade measures were being rolled out in various cities, with all traffic routes blocked and communities spontaneously closing, not allowing free entry and exit.
As for places with cases, people were so afraid that they wanted to pack up all those associated with cases and send them to an island to die off on their own.
The situation in China was also very bad, with the death toll constantly rising.
The village near Wen Qian's hometown had already blocked off the roads, digging trenches across dirt roads and piling up stones and dirt on paved roads, strictly prohibiting anyone from returning to the village.
Many people returning from outside didn't dare take any public transportation, instead slowly making their way back by bicycle or motorcycle.
Even after arriving at their hometowns, they couldn't enter, as everyone was afraid of outsiders. Fortunately, in rural areas there was plenty of space, so these people could just pitch a tent in the mountains or fields.
There was firewood nearby, and with warm clothes and cookware provided by relatives, even in the cold, they weren't allowed back into the village, but at least they could survive the winter.
The village rules were even stricter. If someone disobeyed, the consequence might be that the surrounding people would shun their entire family from then on, so many dared not take that risk.
Wen Qian stayed at home, with trees dragged across the roads on both sides to block passage, not allowing anyone to pass by her door.
Even her neighbors on both sides avoided contact, only calling out from a distance, but not daring to chat up close.
If going out, everyone took detours, keeping a long distance from each other, not daring to meet face-to-face.
And so it went, with the radio reporting no good news.
People all hoped that someone could develop a relevant vaccine or experimental effective treatment.
Researchers in various labs began working overtime, communicating with each other, as if in a race against the Grim Reaper.
The Grim Reaper's daily harvest was terrifying, and people couldn't imagine that to this day, humanity would be devastated by a virus like this.
In January, Wen Qian was sunbathing at her doorway while trying to start a fire by friction.
Although she had a fire striker and lighters, she felt she should also develop some skills, rather than going for years without learning any.
But rubbing sticks to make fire just caused blisters on her hands and squinting eyes, without any sparks.
In the end, she decided it was better to just use the fire striker properly.
There were actually cases in Xia Province, mainly concentrated in and around Xia City and other slightly more populated areas to the east of Xia City.
But out in the western basin, where Wen Qian was, having traveled so far, she rarely saw a single person in her daily life.
Looking at the map, there was no name for her area, and few local residents. Wen Qian planned to go out again in a couple of months, without even leaving a gate in her compound wall.
For the winter, Wen Qian expected there might be snow disasters or cold waves, but she didn't expect this deadly virus.
With no one around, Wen Qian talked to herself every day.
She had previously realized that if she didn't speak for a long time, she would become very shy when talking to others and have trouble expressing herself.
So every day when reading or doing things, she would occasionally read aloud or explain the steps to herself.
Wen Qian's area couldn't receive any signals, conveniently sparing her from hearing bad news every day.
Everyone hoped to hear good news, but there was no progress at all in virus research.
People were too anxious, with too little time, yet held too high expectations of science.
Some people didn't die from the virus, but from their own fear of the virus and death.
Quite a few people became anxious and depressed over this winter, with some starting to re-examine the meaning of life.
But what use was that? The Grim Reaper was still harvesting lives.
Those not invaded by the virus, people with other symptoms also couldn't seek medical treatment, with minor illnesses deteriorating into major ones, major ones leading to death.
In recent years, people had become accustomed to stockpiling masks and alcohol, paying close attention to their health.
There was also a portion of people who began taking precautions as soon as the news broke, and thus hoarded quite a bit of food and masks.
In the chaos caused by the super virus, the brilliance of human nature emerged, while the ugliness of human nature was also exposed without restraint.
Due to the virus, people's lives stagnated, with cities suspending most activities, only maintaining essentials like water and electricity, halting all other non-essential operations.
In late January, when everyone was originally looking forward to the New Year, neither TV nor radio had any joyful laughter.
Those encouraging words, repeated over and over, couldn't dispel the despair in people's hearts.
At first it was just a news report, then came the death toll, and later they could clearly see the Grim Reaper harvesting the lives around them.
Wen Qian remained oblivious to all this, making spring plans in January to grow crops near her home when spring arrived in March or April.
To farm, she first needed to clear the land, finding suitable grasslands to remove the sod, though there were large stretches where not even grass grew, let alone crops.
Wen Qian also wanted to get some sheep, but her funds were too limited, meaning she couldn't afford many.
For a few sheep to multiply into a large herd would take a very long time, so Wen Qian felt it was better to start by growing crops first.
On New Year's Day, Wen Qian prepared four dishes and a soup for herself, braising plenty of meat. After setting a whole table, she ate a little and put the rest in her spatial storage.
At that time, Wen Qian sat quietly at home lost in thought. She wasn't one to seek crowds, but she didn't mind eating alone while surrounded by groups of people laughing and chatting.
If not for her dream compelling her to avoid crowds, she could have lived in a big city, content to observe the bustle around her from a quiet vantage point amidst the masses.
At midnight, before sleeping, she made a wish.
Hoping that everyone could stay safe.
Though she knew it would be very difficult.
