The transparent liquid entered Guo Junyi’s body drop by drop. Jiang Cheng checked the time. "One bag every eight hours, three times a day."
Guo Junyi stared at the IV bag. "This is the first time I’ve realized that a drip could be such a hopeful thing."
Jiang Cheng smiled. "We’ll run a test before the second bag. We’ll know then if it’s effective. All the equipment needed for the PTC is ready. If this antiviral agent works, at least you won’t have to suffer so much while we wait for the PTX results."
Guo Junyi had just eaten, and the rising blood sugar made him feel pleasantly sluggish. "If I actually pull through this time... tsk, tsk. Does that make me a living specimen? I won’t even need to pick up a scalpel anymore. I could just go around giving speeches, traveling between hospitals all over the world. Wouldn't I strike it rich?"
Guo Junyi looked like a frail, weakling "scrawny chicken," but in the days Jiang Cheng had spent with him, he noticed that unless the physical pain became truly unbearable, the man wouldn't utter a single groan. As long as he had a shred of strength, he would try to joke and talk. Though his words often sounded unreliable, for a semi-professional in this field to maintain such psychological fortitude under these circumstances was truly admirable.
Jiang Cheng played along with a hum. "Let’s just hope Director Chu is willing to let you go when the time comes."
Outside, Lu Linjiang watched the three of them. Although he couldn't hear their conversation, Guo Junyi’s mental state was visibly improved. This made him feel that it wasn't impossible for Guo Junyi to walk out of this isolation ward in twenty days. He couldn't help here, so after one last look at Jiang Cheng, Lu Linjiang left quietly without disturbing them.
Back at the Bureau, he placed the report he had typed up overnight on Chu Juxian’s desk. After reading it, Chu Juxian asked, "Why aren't you following up on this?"
"A case this big is bound to involve a lot of people. One more or one less of me won't make a difference. Besides, we only provided the lead; we aren't connected to the crime scene or the place where the goods were fenced. I won't meddle further."
His words were both right and wrong. According to regulations, he indeed didn't have to follow up, but most people wouldn't let go of such an easy merit so easily. In the past, Chu Juxian would have given him a few verbal lashes to make him more ambitious. But given Guo Junyi’s current situation, unless the sky fell, no one likely had the heart to scramble for credit.
"Fine, I was just asking. It’s fine as long as you’ve finished the handover with them."
Normally, Chu Juxian might have forced Lu Linjiang into the task force, at least to follow the case in Tuocheng until Cui Dongming’s entire network was uprooted. Chu Juxian sighed. "You don't have any cases on hand right now, so keep a close eye on Guo Junyi. We’ve borrowed a lab from Micro-Grand to work on the vaccine. I have to go out for meetings, so you’ll be running around with them for the next couple of days. If they need any cooperation, you make the call."
Micro-Grand was the biotech company Jiang Langmin had helped contact. Lu Linjiang had no objections to the rest, but he found the "cooperation" part a bit strange. "Cooperate with a biotech company?"
Chu Juxian looked helpless. "The Level 4 laboratories they need for vaccine research are only available in other provinces. Around here, only Micro-Grand has a room that can be renovated to barely meet the standards. Cheng Hao knew exactly how to play us; he opened his mouth wide and demanded a lot of things. To save a life, the CDC specially approved many of his requests. That man’s words are always laced with subtle jabs at us. He hasn't thought of everything he wants yet, but when he does, he won't be polite." He shook his head. "You can agree to anything within reason. If it’s unreasonable, push it to me and say we have to wait until I get back. Cheng Hao is an expert at plucking feathers from a passing goose; keep your guard up."
Chu Juxian paused in thought. "No matter what, we have to give it our best shot."
Leaving Chu Juxian’s office, Lu Linjiang ran into several people on his way back to his own office who were asking about Guo Junyi. Ever since Guo Junyi entered the isolation ward, the news of his illness couldn't be kept secret. Rumors were flying everywhere. If Chu Juxian hadn't suppressed it, the isolation ward would probably be surrounded three layers deep.
But the virus Guo Junyi was infected with was far too dangerous. Chu Juxian didn't say it aloud, but he was prepared for the worst. He could only take a few people at a time to visit after work. Firstly, it prevented people from sitting in the Bureau making wild guesses due to a lack of information; secondly, it served to cheer Guo Junyi up.
By the time Lu Linjiang returned to his office, he had already seen off several groups of people. Xu Sichen saw him and let out a greeting, her first question still being about Guo Junyi. "Captain Lu, how is Dr. Guo doing after starting the new medicine today?"
Lu Linjiang recalled the scene in the isolation ward that morning. "I don't know. I’ll go check after work. It’s fine; scoundrels like him live forever. Yang Bo, have you finished organizing the files?"
"All done. They’ve been backed up and archived."
Lu Linjiang nodded. As far as he was concerned, the Gusman case was closed on his end. Any further developments would have to wait for word from Tuocheng.
"Follow up with Tuocheng periodically. If they need any cooperation from us, you and Tang Hua handle it. For the next few days, I’ll be focusing on Guo Junyi’s side."
The work in the isolation ward was actually quite tedious, mainly consisting of observing Guo Junyi’s condition at all times. The lab at Micro-Grand was undergoing its final wave of preparations. Once Jiang Cheng finished observing the effects of the medication on Guo Junyi, they could immediately begin developing the vaccine.
Whether it was because of the food Jiang Cheng made or because the morning drip actually worked, Guo Junyi’s complexion looked much better, and his temperature dropped to 39 degrees Celsius for the first time. After Jiang Cheng measured his temperature, his mood finally lightened a bit. "It seems eating more really helps. The old saying is right: 'Man is iron, food is steel.'"
Guo Junyi glanced at the thermometer. "Dr. Jiang Cheng, will you include my case when you write your paper in the future?"
"Of course I will."
Guo Junyi gave a proud "oh." "I give you permission to use my full name. You can even write my Chinese name after it." He looked at Jiang Cheng’s face behind the isolation shield. "I can't miss a chance to become famous."
It was for the best that the patient was so optimistic. Before the second drip in the afternoon, Jiang Cheng drew a little more blood from Guo Junyi. An electron microscope had been specially placed in the isolation room. Jiang Cheng put the sample in, took a deep breath, and turned on the screen. The form of Gaimore soon appeared clearly on the screen. Guo Junyi had grown numb to its twisted shape lately; he only glanced at it twice before studying the expressions of Jiang Cheng and Jiang Langmin.
However, both of them looked inscrutable. He couldn't tell what was going on and thought the medicine hadn't worked. He was about to comfort Jiang Cheng when he heard Jiang Langmin speak.
"The rate of replication has slowed down." He turned his face slightly to look at Guo Junyi. "You’re saved."
Jiang Cheng also let out a sigh of relief. "This is almost the point where the drug's efficacy is at its lowest. Are you sure you haven't felt any discomfort in these eight hours?"
Guo Junyi focused on his sensations. "This morning, I felt like my body was aching a bit, but that feeling is gone now."
"That might have been due to lying down for a long time without movement," Jiang Langmin explained to Jiang Cheng. "He’s in better spirits today and has been sitting up more than the previous days. That could be a factor."
Jiang Cheng carefully recorded everything Guo Junyi said. "We gave fifteen milliliters this morning. I think we can add another five milliliters in a bit. There have been no adverse reactions so far, but it might also be because the dosage is light."
Jiang Langmin watched him record while saying, "Yes, add it bit by bit, up to thirty milliliters maximum. I think if we can reach an ideal state, he might not even die without a vaccine." He looked at Guo Junyi. "He really has become a ready-made living specimen."
After a few days of contact, Guo Junyi strongly suspected that Jiang Langmin might be a scientific madman. Usually, the man appeared polite and composed, but once the conversation turned to his professional field, the way he looked at things became a bit strange—like right now.
Before he could even shake off the chill running down his spine, Lu Linjiang, who had finished work, arrived with several others outside the isolation ward. Guo Junyi picked up the intercom and said smugly, "Brothers, I am currently sprinting down the path to becoming a mad scientist's project."
