The pleasant chirping of birds, the intermittent sound of flowing water...
Wu Wang opened his eyes. They lacked any sign of life. He saw a vast expanse of whiteness before him, and before a thought could arise, he closed his eyes and fell back into a deep slumber.
This time, it was a true slumber, unlike the strange affliction that had previously forced him to sleep. Wu Wang could only muster one thought at this moment—exhaustion.
It was as if his body had suffered a fatal, perforating wound that brought him infinitely close to death, and yet he seemed impossibly distant from death itself.
Fleeting images surfaced from the depths of his mind:
[In a silver-hued dormitory, several young people dressed in light blue uniforms gathered around a small table, drinking from tiny two-ounce bottles and chatting about how the new nurse in the neighboring medical unit resembled a certain female celebrity.]
