CH 174

They brought the old materials they organised with them to Spring Ivy Hospital.

That band of people in the lab with Lin Yuan similarly didn’t sleep the entire night, running entirely on dark coffee and psychostimulants. The last time they got cracking like this was back when they were rushing to develop a vaccine for a pandemic. 

The first bottleneck had just passed after eight in the morning. Lin Yuan shooed the researchers to the neighbouring lounge to catch up on sleep. All reactive processes were switched to encrypted mode, and only one researcher was left to guard the door.

This level of the building was very spacious, but there were actually only two senior doctors forming the core of research here—Lin Yuan and ‘Curly Hair’, Jack White.

They were both of similar age and rank, so their hospital workspaces were essentially the same.

Their desks faced each other, and their lounges were on opposite ends of the corridor, each inclusive of two lounges for the research assistants to rest. 

Lin Yuan didn’t perceive anything special about this all this time, but today was an exception.

Because the curly-haired doctor’s foster father, Mervyn White, was here.

When Mervyn White appeared at the door to his lounge, Lin Yuan choked on a gulp of coffee, coughing his lungs out.

“What the heck? Am I that frightening?” Mervyn White irritably slapped his junior on the back.

To tell the truth, he really was quite the fright.

This formerly tight-knit father and son pair hadn’t seen each other for too long, deliberately avoiding all occasions where they might meet, especially at this Spring Ivy Hospital branch. Lin Yuan had actually lost count of how many years this impasse had persisted.

While it was a shame, he really thought that this impasse would last forever, but he never thought that Mervyn White would actually break it today.

This Uncle Braids of his actually, of his own volition, stepped into this Spring Ivy Hospital branch, furthermore going up to this floor. 

Wasn’t this equivalent to a ghost sighting in broad daylight?!

If Curly Hair coincidentally turned up right now, and even more coincidentally ran into the landlord, it would be a true-to-life double ghost whammy!

Lin Yuan’s imagination freely soared; he perked up slightly.

To his regret, despite peeking at the elevator multiple times, Curly Hair didn’t materialise. 

“Don’t bother.” Mervyn White read his thoughts like a book, snorting, “There’s a rolling display of the duty roster on the big screen downstairs.”

Lin Yuan had lost track of the days after working around the clock, and he blanked for a beat before recalling that, according to the usual roster, Curly Hair was off today.

Damnit, why is he resting today of all days?!

The usually-restrained Lin Yuan silently cursed in his head. 

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They debated ideas as they chatted, comparing two different research approaches. Lin Yuan spent a long time going through the various data and matched the numbers, eventually laying the final verdict, going with the first option.

“This approach is quite systematic and consistent. It only requires the analyser’s pre-installed emulator to create an experimental model. As the process is strictly controlled, there is negligible difference between the computer simulation and the live specimen,” Lin Yuan explained his rationale. “Once it’s created in the machine, it can immediately be used on the affected elderly and Ke Jin, and will have a consistent success rate. As for the second approach…” 

The second research approach was to base it on Mervyn White’s early-stage research papers.

When constructing this gene segment, they had left an incision point as a fail-safe. As the research became much more complex afterwards, the researchers involved accordingly ballooned in number. The work division became so differentiated that this incision point was almost forgotten.

Even Mervyn White himself had only recalled it when combing through his research papers again.

“The research was based on greyfinches. Yes, precisely that generic and unremarkable bird you can find everywhere.” 

Mervyn White thought back to their vision. “It is commonly known that though this bird is inconspicuous, it has phenomenal vitality and adaptability. We had tested it way back. Time dilates between planets and the climate is different. Most organisms would have adverse reactions if they move frequently, among which humans are already an extremely adaptable species. However, those with weaker constitutions will still suffer from symptoms such as nausea and dizziness, recurrent fevers, unstable blood pressure, and reduced immunity. Even those with higher adaptability are honed with experience, such as people like you guys who can afford an annual pass for a space shuttle…”

Here, the landlord cracked a joke, looking at Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan, “Who hasn’t thrown up when they went to another planet as a kid! Before I was 15, just hearing the two words ‘space shuttle’ would have me looking for a washroom to throw up in.”

Yan Suizhi said with a smile, “I didn’t throw up before, but I often got fevers. Once boarding the space shuttle, my body temperature would keep rising.”

That said, he turned curiously to Gu Yan, “Did you throw up?” 

Gu Yan thought back. “I would get motion sickness at first but I wouldn’t throw up. It’s just that I didn’t like to talk when I got dizzy.”

Yan Suizhi, “There’s a difference between that and how you usually are?”

Gu Yan, “…”

Lawyer Gu stared at him with a paralysed expression for a moment, then looked over at the landlord, indicating for him to go on. 

“In short, any living thing would have adverse reactions, with the sole exception being the greyfinch. This small thing adapts to all changes because it comes with a calibrative mechanism. Its body is like an equipment that is constantly being backed up, and if it doesn’t work well, it automatically falls back to the last reboot point, returning to its healthiest condition. As such, they’re typically full of vitality and have long lifespans. Naturally, this calibrative mechanism uses a tremendous amount of energy every time it’s triggered, so they can eat a lot without getting fat.”

The second approach they devised was to borrow this trait from the greyfinch and introduce it into the patients, allowing their bodies to regulate themselves and roll back to a ‘healthy’ save point. With this, the problematic gene segment would be excised and could thereafter be safely removed with normal gene surgery.

But the early stages of this approach was highly risky, because greyfinches and humans were fundamentally different species. It was highly probable that the side effects and immune response would hit hard. It wouldn’t suffice to rely on the analyser’s simulator to run studies. There had to be a certain number of in-vivo studies performed.

Furthermore, volunteers for in-vivo studies had to be recruited after a review by the alliance, plus they needed to be provided with a full description of the risks. 

Supported by data from simulated studies, the number of people required for the in-vivo studies was actually quite low, but the review process was stringent, taking anywhere between a month to half a year. The elderly people in the hospital, whose organs were failing, simply couldn’t afford to wait.

Therefore, Lin Yuan brushed this option aside.

Their discussion went on until noon.

The hospital logistics sent two trolleys of set lunches. Having not yet gotten much rest, the researchers got up to sleepwalk through a few bites before going back to sleep in the lounge. 

After lunch, the landlord dusted off his behind, ready to leave, but he was halted by the others.

“Considering your circumstances, it isn’t very safe to stay alone, right?” Lin Yuan had his worry written all over his face.

Gu Yan made a revolutionary offer, “I’ve a guest room over at mine.”

The landlord said, conflicted, “No way am I going. You two can each collect a box of threats. If I join in the mix, one hit and they’ll mow three of us down; it’s too sweet a deal for them.” 

Lin Yuan offered, “You can stay at mine.”

The landlord, “What’s the difference between that and me staying alone when you’ll be crashing at the lab every day anyway?”

Lin Yuan, “…”

Unusually sagely, the landlord expressed sincerely, “This isn’t the first time that the Mansons are eyeing me. It isn’t because of my dashing looks that I’ve remained alive until now. I know what I’m talking about!” 

The three of them: doubt.

The landlord, “The safest thing to do now is to act normal. Wasn’t that what you guys kept saying before? Just stay where you would normally be; it’s too obvious to be moving around. What’s more, we also have the backing of Spring Ivy. We can safely go back and forth, focusing on the problem at hand, whilst secretly receiving protection from them.”

As he spoke, he pulled out that black market smart device of his and pulled up a message.

The sender field displayed a name: Devore Yves. 

And the text only contained five words: [Leave it all to me.]

“I received this message ten minutes ago,” said the landlord. “Obviously, that warm-hearted young master has conveyed all the troubles I’ve run into to his dad. Actually, I’ve never really trusted businessmen, the whole lot of them. I’ve always thought that they’re all the same, putting profits over friendships. Even before the explosion case, I had my reservations about Mr Yves. But then I later changed my mind; now that I see such a message, and when I think back to the guarantee that you hotshot lawyers have given me, I feel indomitable. Like any fear is superfluous.”

He said to Gu Yan, “I hear that you’re very close to Young Master Joe? Help me pass along a message. When all this messy stuff is done with, I want to write an apology letter for all that’s in the past and then go to his house and find his dad to do a 30,000-word reflection essay.”

Gu Yan said, “It’d be better to convey it directly than through word of mouth. I’ll send Joe’s personal contact over to you.” 

The landlord hastily waved his hands. “No thanks, no thanks. Leave this elder some decency.”

Lin Yuan sent them downstairs, and the landlord waved, heading home first. Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan, on the other hand, went into the genetics building to check out how Horace Lee was faring under his nurse’s ‘care’.

In the end, Lin Yuan was the only one who returned to the floor of the lab.

He had also stayed up for a long time without rest and planned to take a nap in the lounge. Just as he was about to pass through the door, he saw a tall, lanky figure emerge from the lounge at the opposite end of the corridor. 

Who was that if not the curly-haired doctor?

“Jack???” Lin Yuan almost thought that he was getting hallucinations from lack of sleep.

The curly-haired doctor lifted a hand at him. “Afternoon.”

His voice was shot. It didn’t seem like he had come from a full night’s sleep at home, but more like he had been holed up overnight at the hospital. 

Lin Yuan, “Aren’t you resting today?”

Curly Hair came closer, and he said, “Pulling overtime.”

Lin Yuan really wanted to ask where these extra hours were going; there was clearly nothing that needed his input lately. But what he wanted to say even more was—damnit why couldn’t you have come earlier?!

Just three minutes earlier and Curly Hair could have run head-on into his dad! 

“What are you doing, why are you thumping your chest?” Curly Hair covered his yawn, yawning twice in a row. He appeared a bit worn out like this; he was pallid and listless. Yet it wasn’t just the tiredness from pulling an all-nighter. Instead, it seemed to carry a touch of sickly exhaustion.

However, Lin Yuan didn’t discern this minute distinction at this time. He only walked in quick strides up to the floor-to-ceiling windows, glancing outside the hospital. Unfortunately, the landlord had already walked too far off to be called back.

Lin Yuan clicked his tongue and glared at Curly Hair, shaking his head with disappointment. “Forget it. I’m going to my lounge to rest for a while. Are you still going back to work? Has there been progress on your project?”

After asking this, he turned his head over. 

Curly Hair had also just moved his line of sight away from the tall windows. His hand was still covering his mouth, and he yawned twice more. Then, pinching the bridge of his nose, he dropped his gaze and said, “Yeah, I still have some work to do.”

“Shall we have dinner together?” Lin Yuan asked.

“It’s fine,” Curly Hair said, “I won’t be around. I should be about done in the afternoon; I’ll be leaving after I check the data and feed it into the analyser.”

In that split second, Lin Yuan hesitated slightly. 

However, he quickly remembered that apart from himself, everyone else’s permission level was only at 25% or less. Even if others used the analyser, they couldn’t see the exact contents, Curly Hair included.

Conversely, he could check the progress of everyone else’s projects and research.

Lin Yuan nodded. “Alright, then, quickly finish up and hurry back to rest. See you later.”

“Mm,” the curly-haired doctor paused, “see you later.”