When the siren tore through the laboratory ceiling, Qin Yue was picking up the 37th chip capacitor with tweezers. The thermostat showed 24.7°C, and the blue light on the anti-static mat reflected the old injury on his left eyebrow bone—a souvenir from the component fragments that flew when welding a short circuit three years ago. He turned the pen as usual, the metal pen barrel drawing a translucent arc between his fingers, until the red warning light penetrated the blinds and cast a shaking blood shadow on the oscilloscope screen.
"What's going on?" Xiao Li, who was sitting next to him, tugged on the collar of his radiation protection suit. He had just put the petri dish into the sterilization cabinet, and the glass door was still filled with white mist. The laboratory was filled with the mixed smell of formalin and solder. This smell usually made Qin Yue feel at ease, but now it felt like an invisible hand was clutching his throat.
