"Cells are the basic structural and functional units of life, a concept universally applicable to all organisms, including unicellular and multicellular organisms."

"Cells are the fundamental building blocks of living organisms, with each cell containing a complete set of genetic material and cellular organelles, capable of metabolism, energy conversion, signal transduction, and other life activities."

"Uh..."

Seeing Jiang Xiao and the others' bewildered faces, the doctor touched his nose.

"Can you understand?"

"You continue, we're listening."

Could they admit they didn't understand?

Wouldn't that mean there wasn't a single smart person among the four of them?

"Alright."

The doctor nodded and continued.

"Most organisms, such as animals and plants, are composed of multiple cells. These cells work together to form tissues and organs, thereby forming multicellular organisms."

"For example, humans are made up of approximately 37 trillion cells. Although each cell possesses independent life characteristics, humans, as a whole, exhibit all the basic characteristics of life."

Jiang Xiao and the other three touched their chins, all collectively posing in a thoughtful manner, as if seriously considering the explanation.

This time, it was the doctor who was at a loss for words.

Wasn't he just explaining the most common, basic biological knowledge?

To be precise, this knowledge is found in middle school textbooks.

So out of these four pretentious people, not one had a middle school education?

"Viruses are a special form of life. They lack cellular structure and are composed of proteins and genetic material. However, they still need to parasitize in living cells to reproduce. Therefore, viruses are also considered a part of cells to some extent."

Jiang Xiao and the other three maintained their stance, with Wang Dayong stupidly nodding his head as if he understood.

Why are you nodding? You didn't even ask anything!

The doctor was completely speechless...

"Alright, the doctor's words have given me great insight. If there's nothing else, I should leave now."

Doctor: Insight into what? I haven't even gotten to the main point yet!

"Yeah, thanks to Dr. Bro's popular science, Shi Shi feels like she's taken a swim in the ocean of knowledge."

Doctor: With your primary school level... uh... but considering Shi Shi's age, it's normal not to understand.

Wang Dayong and Niu Jieshi felt the same way. They found it more interesting to go to the history department to look at illustrations of mythological stories.

"Wait, don't leave yet!"

The doctor called out to them with a dark face.

"In simple terms, cells are the basic units, cells compose us humans, and viruses rely on cells to survive. Do you understand?"

"Hey!"

Jiang Xiao and the others immediately showed disdain towards the doctor.

"Why didn't you just say it like that?"

"Exactly, complicating a simple problem, wasting your education, your ability to express isn't even as good as mine."

"I understand, I understand, these intellectuals with glasses just love to show off~"

What kind of people are these!

"The problem now is that these cells don't need to rely on cells to survive. Do you understand?"

"Yes." x4

"Tell the truth."

"No." x4

"Let me ask you, cancer cells..."

The doctor wanted to say something "deeper," but as soon as he thought of the four's intelligence, he changed his tone.

"Cancer viruses rely on our body's healthy cells to survive. When a person dies, all their cells die, and the cancer virus also dies. Can you understand this?"

"This I can understand."

"Oh, doctor, it's so much better when you say it like this, no need for fancy stuff."

"Exactly, exactly."

Alright, the doctor had completely given in.

"Now I'm telling you that cancer viruses no longer need to depend on human cells to survive; they can become independent entities and won't end with the cessation of life. Can you understand this?"

"Yes." x4

"Alright, now let me tell you, this cancer virus can not only live independently but has also transformed from a virus into a biological entity... uh, you can imagine it as a bug, or a paramecium, or even a dog — it's completely alive now."

Jiang Xiao's eyebrows suddenly relaxed, a glimmer of realization sparked in his eyes.

He looked at the doctor, as if he had grasped a key point, and slowly spoke.

"So, what the doctor means is that these viruses have evolved to a new stage. They are no longer what we traditionally think of as viruses but a new type of organism, a human parasite capable of independent survival?"

The doctor nodded, a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

"That's right, Jiang God, you've finally understood. These 'viruses' no longer depend on host cells to reproduce and survive. They've become an entirely different entity."

He paused, then added.

"Perhaps they were always this way; they weren't evolved, but from the beginning, everyone just didn't research this path."

A look of understanding appeared on Jiang Xiao's face, as he said lightly.

"So, we are not dealing with invisible viruses, but tangible 'bugs.'

"We might have been helpless against viruses, but with bugs..." His voice was filled with determination, as if he had found the courage to fight: "If it's bugs, we can definitely handle them."

Beside him, Wang Dayong and Niu Jieshi were also excited. Although they didn't understand complex biological theories, they were quite interested in fighting and dealing with things.

Even Shi Shi was waving her fists, full of fighting spirit.

"Only nonsense, just bugs, let me handle it, I'll definitely take it down!"

The doctor shook his head slightly, knowing that the simple thinking of these four might lead them to underestimate the problem's severity, but at least now they understood the crux of the matter.

He sighed and continued to explain.

"But you need to know that these 'bugs' are far more complex than you imagine. They may possess biological characteristics and adaptability beyond our imagination."

Talk all you want, nothing beats hands-on experience!

Including Jiang Xiao, all four of them were raring to go, ready to jump into action.

"Hold on, I have a patient here, watch closely."

The doctor pressed a button, and the silver floor suddenly cracked open, then a transparent small room rose from below.

Inside the room was the same medical pod Jiang Xiao had seen at the medical university, with a patient severely infected.

"Hiss..."

The moment they saw the patient, they couldn't help but purse their lips.

This wasn't herpes.

It was decay...

The rotten parts of the person's body were already densely covered with white, rice-sized maggots.

The doctor looked the most uncomfortable, as his mental tolerance was incomparable to Jiang Xiao and the others, but he still explained.

"Uh, just cleaned this place two hours ago, but I didn't expect these bugs to spawn so fast."

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