Chapter 63.1: Director Lu's Emails
Earth time, October 25, Friday.
The temperature in G Province was starting to cool, and in the depths of the mountains, adjacent to magnificent scenery, stood a convalescent care facility.
With a briefcase in hand, Lu Yiyun led a younger man up the second floor of the facility with practiced ease. After rounding a corner, they soon arrived at a ward bearing a nameplate that read "Liu Yaowu."
"You're here, Aunt Lu." A young lady seated by the bed, browsing on her phone, quickly got up when she saw the two visitors entering. She hurriedly grabbed cups and poured water.
"Why are you still here, Xiaoyun? Don't you have school?" Lu Yiyun asked in surprise.
"Aunt Lu, you've forgotten, I graduated earlier this year," Liu Xiaoyun said with a smile. "I was planning to look for a job, but then Dad needed someone to take care of him."
"Look at me, all muddled. I still keep thinking that you are barely twenty." Lu Yiyun chuckled as she patted her own forehead. She set down her briefcase, took a seat by the bed, and leaned over with concern. "How's Old Liu's condition?"
The middle-aged man lying in the hospital bed had been smiling at Lu Yiyun since she entered, but his movements seemed restricted as if his neurological responses were impaired. Although he opened his mouth as if trying to speak, no sound was produced. Instead, some saliva trickled down from the corner of his mouth.
"My dad's been in a much better mood these few days," said Liu Xiaoyun as she poured two cups of water for the visitors. Then she retrieved her phone, pressed the play button, and happily exclaimed, "Look, Aunt Lu, this is a video my dad recorded. He's especially lively in the game, just like before!"
The phone in Liu Xiaoyun's hand displayed a water surface with a reflection of a skeleton on it.
This skeleton reflection on the water's surface was speaking rhythmically. Although the skull didn't show any expression, the spirited energy in its voice was evident—
"Xiaoyun, don't listen to your mom and keep accompanying me here. I'm doing well. You should focus on your own stuff. You're all grown up now; it's time you got yourself a boyfriend.
"Help me tell Caregiver Li not to keep placing the bedpan underneath the bed. Even if there's no smell, it's still uncomfortable."
Old Liu was actually still rather clear-headed and could understand everything. It was just that he couldn't move or speak, and half a year of being bedridden had greatly diminished his spirit. Just a year prior, he could easily keep up with the youngsters at construction sites, but this year, he had grown skinny and was a shell of his former self.
Lu Yiyun hadn't recognized Old Liu the first time she had seen him on the hospital bed. This was the same expert engineer who had overseen many construction projects of roads and bridges in the country.
It wasn't until she saw him in the "game" that Lu Yiyun once again witnessed the vitality of this seasoned master engineer.
The Old Liu in the video chatted away energetically, and the Old Liu lying on the bed recognized his own voice and flashed a bright smile at Lu Yiyun.
"He does seem more spirited," Lu Yiyun chuckled, patting Old Liu's shoulder gently. "Old Liu, rest well and cooperate with the treatment to regain your strength. Even if you can't stand, at least be able to sit up. Let's think of a way together. Who knows, maybe we'll develop technology that allows communication without speaking and it will become easier."
Old Liu strained his facial muscles to try and say something, but no sound came out. In the end, he blinked his eyes as a sign of agreement. Then, he shifted his gaze and looked toward his eldest daughter expectantly.
"Dad, you've been online for eight hours today. Save some time for later, alright?" Liu Xiaoyun understood her father's intent and leaned over while coaxing. "Next time, when it gets dark in the game and there's nothing urgent to do, log out for a bit. It isn't too good to be playing for such long stretches at a time."
Old Liu could only helplessly blink several times.
"Look after your dad well," chuckled Lu Yiyun as she rose from her seat. "I'll go visit Uncle Geng. Old Liu, take care and recover well."
"Mm, alright. See you later, Aunt Lu." Liu Xiaoyun got up to see her off.
Old Geng's ward was on the fifth floor. Due to his advanced age and the fact that his wife was not exactly young either, air conditioning was used when heating wasn't in operation. The temperature in his ward was also higher than in Old Liu's.
"You're here, Xiao Lu."
Mrs. Geng got excited seeing their visitor and grasped Lu Yiyun's hand. "I am truly… grateful to you, Xiao Lu. Thank you for remembering Old Geng. He's been in much better spirits these past few days, and he's even eating properly now. He has also been cooperating with the doctor's check-ups. Thank you so much, Xiao Lu!"
"Please don't say that, I can't handle such gratitude. If we're talking about thanks, I can't even hold a candle to the list of people who wish to thank Uncle Geng," Lu Yiyun responded.
A hoarse, aged voice came from inside the ward. "Alright, alright. Stop holding up Xiao Lu, let her come in."
Mrs. Geng hurriedly invited Lu Yiyun inside. Lu Yiyun took a quick scan of the room and was pleasantly surprised to find that Uncle Geng was actually sitting up, propped against a pillow. He held a tablet in his hand and beamed with joy when he saw Lu Yiyun.
"Oh my, Uncle Geng! T-this… Isn't this a huge improvement?" Lu Yiyun exclaimed in delight.
Lu Yiyun also had the medical records of Geng Jianguo and Liu Yaowu. The attending doctors of these two patients reported to the expert task force daily, though Lu Yiyun hadn't gotten to see those two in person before. Right now, she was in slight disbelief at how well Geng Jianguo had recovered.
"Nah, it's not a huge deal. Just so-so." Old Geng did seem to be in high spirits and had quite a hearty smile. However, his voice was still weak, unlike the vigor he had in the game. "I spend less time in pain daily, so wouldn't my mood be better?"
Liu Yaowu had been paralyzed waist down due to a major accident on a construction site six months ago. His head had also been impacted, causing neural damage which resulted in abstract signal cognitive disorder, commonly referred to as a loss of speech function.
However, his brain's micro-electric signals were quite active, not that far off from those of a normal person. After an evaluation by the expert task force, a bold attempt was made, and Liu Yaowu was indeed able to "log into the game" normally. Moreover, within the game, he had his pre-accident speech function restored. This result provided a new direction for the expert task force's research.
Old Geng's situation was different. He had fought against a debilitating disease with determination for many years. Chemotherapy had been effective, but age had caught up with him. His body and mind were gradually weakening, exacerbated by the development of drug resistance from long-term pain relief medication. Regardless of how strong his spirit and resilience were, he couldn't endure such a prolonged struggle…
Liu Yaowu was a master engineer, who devoted three decades of his youth toward national construction. Old Geng, on the other hand, was a military veteran who, after the Vietnam War, had spent over twenty years in the far northwest.
Despite the shortage of helmets for patients with cognitive disorders undergoing "stimulation therapy," the expert task force had managed to eke out two helmets to accommodate these two.
Old Geng proudly showed Lu Yiyun a video he had recorded within the game, of the canteen he and Old Liu built which had been very well received. Even Old Liu's amateur cooking skills had earned him the awe of "NPCs." Old Geng got the itch to participate as well, and he showcased his soup-making skills, which received an equally enthusiastic response.
"It's a pity that I can't taste as a skeleton and only rely on my sense of touch. Otherwise, I would also have become a culinary god along with Old Liu."
Old Geng, who was in his seventies, proudly showing his gaming abilities with the enthusiasm of a child, made Lu Yiyun and her accompanying assistant break into warm smiles.
Having met with these two, Lu Yiyun and her assistant then went to meet the attending doctors for the two patients.
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