Wuhan Dreams: The Pandemic Begins

January 2020: a mysterious virus is locking down Wuhan. The Chinese government worries the new pathogen came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Nanotechnician Po Fan uses viruses as templates for fabrics, virologist Chang Cheng has searched bat-filled caves for coronaviruses, and Fan's boyfriend, Zhen Li, is a taikonaut in training for China's forthcoming mission to the moon.Their pursuits will be transformed by SARS-CoV-2. Fan sees the relation of the virus to the nanoworld, and initiates using parts of the virus to create a nanoweave for medical masks; Cheng is conscripted by the government for epidemic tasks he feels are drawing him away from essential research--and from the origins of the virus itself. Then Li's training simulations strangely turn from virtual to apparent reality. Quarantined with COVID-19, he seems to literally walk on the moon, encountering artifacts and even beings--imaginary, or not?