Guo Junyi, with oxygen tubes in his nose, picked up the microphone by his bed. "Yo, look who’s back. Did you bring me any local specialties?" His voice was incredibly weak; even through the amplifier, it barely carried any volume.
Lu Linjiang looked at his slightly ashen face. "Wait until you get out and go eat them yourself. If I brought that stuff here, which part of it would even be edible?"
The corner of Guo Junyi’s mouth twitched. "Are you covering my travel expenses?"
"Everything's covered."
"Good!" His eyes swept across the people surrounding him. "You all heard that. Captain Lu said it himself—room and board included. If he goes back on his word, remember to help me spit on him."
The doctors standing behind Lu Linjiang chuckled. Lu Linjiang said, "Alright, hang up. Save your strength so you can get out of there sooner."
Once Guo Junyi hung up, Lu Linjiang watched him through the window for a moment longer before following Shen Lei back to her office. Shen Lei poured him a glass of water. "The situation... well, you saw it. He..." She pursed her lips, unable to finish the sentence.
"Is it that grim?" Lu Linjiang asked.
Shen Lei shook her head. "It’s hard to say. At the very least, I’ve searched through all the records..." She shook her head slightly again. "We started him on steroids yesterday. It’s a 'treat a dead horse as if it were alive' approach at this point. Setting aside the potential side effects, whether he can pull through depends entirely on Old Guo himself." Shen Lei fell silent for a moment, then relaxed her tone slightly. "However, right before you arrived, I happened to be looking up Jiang Langmin’s profile. His resume is terrifyingly impressive. With someone like him here, there might actually be a turning point."
Unfortunately, Lu Linjiang did not share her sentiment. Shen Lei, failing to notice his disapproval, turned her computer screen toward him. "Look, he’s a total genius. He published his first paper at eighteen. Not only was that paper a sensation, but he’s released a major blockbuster paper every one or two years since. If someone told me this guy was a reincarnated soul or a time traveler, I’d believe them without hesitation."
Lu Linjiang stared at the screen for a moment. He felt that this resume, much like the ledger from Tuocheng, was enough to make his blood boil with frustration. Seeing him stare at the resume in silence, Shen Lei assumed he was as awestruck as she was. She said with suppressed excitement, "Do you think Teacher Guo might actually be saved this time?"
Lu Linjiang stared at the name "Hughes" on the resume and nodded slowly. "Old Guo is a verified nuisance. Since when do nuisances live such short lives?"
They waited in the office for Jiang Cheng and Jiang Langmin to emerge from the isolation room. However, the first to arrive were Chu Juxian and his group. It was a rare occasion where Chu Juxian had finished work on time. He was followed by a string of people from the forensics department, and behind them were members of Lu Linjiang’s own team.
"Director Chu, what are you doing here?"
Chu Juxian didn't bother reprimanding Lu Linjiang for not returning to the station to report. He asked directly, "How is Guo Junyi today?"
Shen Lei hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "About the same as yesterday..."
Chu Juxian nodded politely. "Thank you for your hard work."
"It’s nothing, really. This is our job. You come every day—are you really not going to go see Guo Junyi?" Shen Lei was at her wit's end with the Director. Ever since Guo Junyi had been admitted to the CDC, Chu Juxian came every day to inquire, yet he never personally went to see his subordinate. He only ended up tormenting the CDC staff. Eventually, her clever colleagues began timing their disappearances so they wouldn't be around, leaving her alone to deal with him.
"I won't go. I don't want him thinking I'm there to say my final goodbyes. Aside from wielding a scalpel, that man is unreliable in every other aspect of life."
Shen Lei gave a forced laugh, unsure of how to respond. Fortunately, Chu Juxian wasn't actually waiting for a reply. "Yang Bo told me you dug up a smuggling ring in Tuocheng, but you didn't find any hosts?"
Lu Linjiang nodded. "A total of three masked palm civets, all of which were eaten. Guzman was the last one, and he was the only one who fell ill."
Hearing this, Chu Juxian asked Shen Lei doubtfully, "Doctor Shen, at least three people ate the so-called carriers, but only one person got sick. Is that possible?"
Before Shen Lei could answer, a voice came from outside. "Yes."
Lu Linjiang realized he felt an instinctive aversion to that voice—when had he started hating Jiang Langmin this much?
The crowd parted automatically to let Jiang Langmin, who had removed his protective suit, walk in. He wasn't actually much taller than Jiang Cheng and had a normal build, but Jiang Cheng had become so thin over the past two years that he was completely obscured by Jiang Langmin walking in front of him. It wasn't until they entered the office that Jiang Cheng stepped out from behind him.
Chu Juxian looked at Shen Lei inquisitively. She immediately introduced them. "Ah, this is Dr. Jiang Cheng’s senior, Dr. Jiang Langmin. He flew in specifically to help. Dr. Jiang, this is the Director of the Public Security Bureau, Chu Juxian."
Upon hearing the man's identity, Chu Juxian immediately stepped forward to shake Jiang Langmin’s hand. "Dr. Jiang, thank you for your help." He let out a small "oh." "With names like that, it’s hard to tell you and Jiang Cheng apart."
Listening from the side, Lu Linjiang felt an inexplicable surge of displeasure. Before he could figure out where it was coming from, Shen Lei joked, "We call them Big Dr. Jiang and Little Dr. Jiang. That makes it easier to distinguish."
"Big Jiang and Little Jiang?" Jiang Langmin laughed. "Sounds like we’re family."
Lu Linjiang, who had been marginalized since the two entered, felt even more uncomfortable. He silently glanced at Jiang Langmin’s face, thinking the man was incredibly thick-skinned.
After the pleasantries, Jiang Langmin picked up where they had left off. "Setting aside whether those three civets were caught in the same place, even if an entire group carries a virus, it might not necessarily infect others. Virology is truly profound. Sometimes you have to admit that, for instance, the first person infected—Guzman—might have just been unlucky. He came into contact with the virus while his immunity was low and was subsequently infected."
His words cast a silence over the office. Guzman being infected with Gaimore was his own fault for being greedy, but why was Guo Junyi infected? Was it, as Jiang Langmin said, just bad luck?
This "luck theory" was deeply unpleasant at this moment. Everyone in the room had worked with Guo Junyi for a long time, and they all instinctively rejected the word "unlucky."
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Chu Juxian invited everyone to sit down and changed the subject. "You two, have you come up with a suitable treatment plan?"
Jiang Langmin downed the water Shen Lei had poured for him in one gulp. "I brought an antiviral agent that Jiang Cheng developed. This afternoon, we mainly conducted an assessment of his condition. To be honest, Guo Junyi’s physical constitution is quite good; otherwise, the disease might have progressed even faster. Our biggest problem right now is that Jiang Cheng’s antiviral hasn't had time for final animal testing. We can't predict the visible or invisible adverse reactions. Even for the visible ones, we don't know how they will affect Guo Junyi, especially since his vital signs are currently on a downward trend."
Jiang Langmin looked at everyone in the office. "We are taking a massive gamble."
Chu Juxian’s brow furrowed deeply. "His parents are out of town. The kid begged and pleaded with us not to notify them, saying they’re old and have heart problems." Chu Juxian sighed. "Do you need authorization? I can sign for it. I’ll take responsibility if anything goes wrong."
Jiang Langmin smiled. "Then we’ll have to trouble you. I mentioned the risks for another reason: to inform everyone in advance. While there is hope, it is slim. Furthermore, we must be prepared for permanent side effects."
Jiang Langmin’s credentials had led everyone to believe his arrival was a beacon of hope, yet this authority figure had just bluntly extinguished half of that newly ignited flame.
Lu Linjiang instinctively looked at Jiang Cheng. Since entering, Jiang Cheng had been looking down, fiddling with something on his phone. As if sensing Lu Linjiang’s gaze, he looked up, and their eyes met. After a moment, Jiang Cheng spoke. "Senior Jiang is right. Rather than mindlessly giving everyone guarantees, it’s better to be clear about the worst-case scenario."
"We re-evaluated Guo Junyi’s physical condition this afternoon. Strictly speaking, it’s still decent. So, starting tomorrow, we will try administering small doses and adjust based on his reaction. Most importantly, we plan to attempt PTX technology. We conservatively estimate it will take twenty days. Our goal at this stage is to help Guo Junyi hold on until then."
