Chapter 460 New Life and Farewell

The baby's cries came from the ward; it wasn't a whimper, it was a wail. He Yuzhu was standing in the corridor, his hand just touching the doorknob, when he heard the sound and paused.

He Nianhua followed behind him, standing on tiptoe to peek through the glass window in the door. "Dad, why is Auntie's newborn crying like a train?"

"Babies are all like that."

He Yuzhu pushed open the door. He Yushui was leaning against the hospital bed, clutching a crumpled package in her arms, her face pale and her lips chapped. Chen Zhihong stood at the foot of the bed, unsure of what to do with his hands, sometimes putting them in his pockets and sometimes taking them out. Qin Huairu sat by the bed, applying water to He Yushui's lips with a cotton swab.

The baby's face was scrunched up, its mouth was wide open, and its voice was so loud that it didn't seem like it was less than a day old.

He Yushui lowered her head, pulled the swaddled baby closer to her, and patted her gently. The crying subsided, turning into soft whimpers.

"Brother, you're here."

He Yuzhu walked to the bedside and bent down to look at the little one. Its skin was wrinkled, reddish-purple, and its fists were clenched tightly. He extended a finger and gently touched the back of the baby's hand. The baby's fingers opened and then clenched again; its fingernails were as small as grains of rice.

"Loud and clear." He Yuzhu straightened up.

Chen Zhihong chuckled twice, then swallowed it back down.

He Nianhua crawled under He Yuzhu's arm, lay on the edge of the bed, and brought her face close to the baby, staring at him for several seconds. "Auntie, he can't open his eyes."

"It will open in a few days." He Yushui's voice was very soft, as if she hadn't regained her strength yet.

Qin Huairu put down the cotton swab and looked at He Yushui. "Does it hurt?"

He Yushui didn't answer immediately. She lowered her head, looked at the baby in her arms, and her lips twitched.

"It hurts. But seeing him makes me forget."

Chen Zhihong rubbed his hands, took a step forward, then stepped back. "Dean He, Yu Shui said you should give the child a formal name. His nickname is Chen Xing, could you please suggest a formal name?"

He Yuzhu remained silent for a moment. The sounds of footsteps in the corridor and nurses pushing trolleys passed by came through the door.

"Chen Xinghai. The vast ocean of stars. His name is Xinghai."

He Yushui read it aloud, her lips pursed slightly. "Brother, thank you."

The baby suddenly started crying again, this time louder than before, its face turning purple, its fists flailing wildly in the air. Qin Huairu stood up, took the child from He Yushui's arms, let the baby rest on her shoulder, and gently patted its back. The crying didn't stop; instead, it grew even louder.

"She's hungry. Time to breastfeed." Qin Huairu looked at Chen Zhihong. "All men, get out."

He Yuzhu turned and walked out. He Nianhua, still lying on the edge of the bed, was tugged at by He Yuzhu's collar and followed him out. Chen Zhihong was the last to leave, glancing back at the doorway.

In the corridor, He Nianhua stood close to the wall, the soles of her shoes scraping against the terrazzo floor, making a soft, rustling sound.

"Dad, when will the Kunlun take off?"

"next month."

"Can I go see it?"

"Yes. Stand back a bit."

He Nianhua didn't ask any more questions. The corridor quieted down, with only the muffled sound of a baby crying coming from the ward, separated by a door.

He Yuzhu walked to the window at the end of the corridor, put his hands in his pockets, and looked at the launch site outside. The bow of the Kunlun was visible above the horizon, shimmering gray-black in the afternoon sun.

Chen Zhihong stood against the wall, head down, staring at the tips of his shoes.

"Dean He, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for marrying me with rainwater. Thank you for naming our child."

He Yuzhu turned around and looked at him. Chen Zhihong looked up, his eyes surrounded by red.

"Just be good to her."

Chen Zhihong nodded, his lips moved slightly, but he didn't say anything more.

The ward door opened. Qin Huairu peeked out, her eyes and nose red. She quickly rubbed her eyes with her finger, as if she didn't want the person inside to see.

"He Yuzhu, come in. Yushui is calling you."

He Yuzhu went inside. Qin Huairu stepped aside and followed behind with her head down. He Nianhua also came in, but was glared at by Qin Huairu and shrank back by the door without moving forward.

He Yushui leaned against the pillow. She had finished feeding the baby, who was asleep next to her with his mouth slightly open and milk stains on his lips.

She looked at He Yuzhu.

"Brother, when are you boarding the ship?"

"In a few days, the last batch of tests will be completed."

"Come see me one more time before you board the ship."

He Yuzhu looked at her, said nothing, and nodded.

Qin Huairu stood at the foot of the bed, head bowed, staring at the baby's face. A tear fell from her chin, landing on the baby's swaddle, leaving a damp stain the size of a fingernail. She quickly wiped it away, afraid of wetting the child.

He Nianhua walked over from the door, took out a pack of tissues from his pocket, pulled out a tissue, and handed it to him. He didn't say anything, just held up the tissue.

Qin Huairu took it, and without wiping her eyes, first wiped the wet stain on the baby's swaddle blanket.

"Mom, don't cry."

"I didn't cry." Qin Huairu clutched the tissue in her hand. "I got sand in my eyes."

The baby whimpered in its sleep, and Qin Huairu immediately looked down at it, another tear falling onto the tissue.

He Yuzhu walked to Qin Huairu's side and put his hand on her shoulder. She didn't move, her head was down, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

"Huairu, she'll be back in a few days."

"You always say that." Her voice was muffled, and she didn't look up.

He Yuzhu's hand paused on her shoulder for a moment.

"This time it's for real."

Qin Huairu looked up at him, her eyes red. She didn't speak, then lowered her head again.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor, leather shoes clicking on the terrazzo floor, approaching from afar. Old Sun pushed open the door, holding a telegram. He saw the scene in the ward but stood at the doorway without entering.

He Yuzhu glanced at him, released Qin Huairu's shoulder, walked out, and closed the door behind him.

Old Sun handed over the telegram. "The last Soviet biological warfare unit has been disbanded. The 'Red Transformation Battalion' in the Far East has been abolished; personnel have been dismissed and equipment has been sealed off."

He Yuzhu took the telegram and looked down at it. The edges of the paper were curled up by the wind, and he pressed them down with his thumb. The telegram was sent yesterday in Vladivostok.

"What about the US side?"

"The Nevada base is still operational. The electromagnetic signal is even stronger than last month. Intelligence indicates they're working on the fourth generation, codenamed 'Adam.' It's not about implanting chips; it's gene editing, directly modifying the embryonic stage."

He Yuzhu folded the telegram and stuffed it into his pocket. He reached into his pocket and felt the folded corner of the telegram prick his finger, but he didn't pull it out.

"After the Kunlun takes off, you'll take the lead in keeping an eye on Nevada. No matter what generation they're developing, I need to know."

Old Sun nodded. "When are you boarding the ship?"

"the day after tomorrow."

Old Sun glanced at the ward door, said nothing more, and turned to leave. His leather shoes clattered on the floor, the sound fading into the distance.

He Yuzhu stood in the corridor, his hand still in his pocket, touching the edge of the telegram. A baby's cry came from the ward, very short, like someone had covered his mouth and then released it.