The blue serum was injected directly into Guo Junyi’s body. Slowly, Guo Junyi opened his eyes. Watching the needle being withdrawn, he let out a long, drawn-out "Yo."
"Am I supposed to feel a sudden wave of refreshment throughout my body, like I’ve been touched by a divine light?"
Jiang Cheng peeled back his eyelid to check; the conjunctiva already showed signs of congestion. "It won’t be that fast. But in an ideal scenario, it should bring your fever down."
Guo Junyi curled his lips into a weak smirk. "That’s not bad. Lately, I’ve been feeling like a slab of pork belly in a steamer." He was acutely aware of his own condition. He lifted his hand to look at the blisters. "Once these burst, I’ll be braised pork. It’s a pity; fatty pork belly really ought to be deep-fried."
"You’re talking nonsense from the fever." Jiang Cheng pressed his hand back down. "I’m still waiting for you to get better. My doctoral thesis depends on you."
"Remember to write my full name."
"Of course. Not only will I write your full name, but I’ll also include a note of special thanks."
Whether the treatment would be effective could only be determined through waiting. The research and development process in the lab had to continue. Although the second set of mutations still required the results of the rat trials, they had to press on with the third set. Guo Junyi’s physical condition had reached its limit. What Jiang Cheng had to do was perform the third set of mutations "blindly" while simultaneously creating backups of the first and second sets. This way, regardless of which set failed, he would have a suitable backup to continue from.
However, this left him with almost no time for rest. Looking at the substantial number of backups in the cold storage, Jiang Langmin remarked with some admiration, "Your hands are certainly faster than average." He turned to look at Jiang Cheng. "You know that R&D isn't guaranteed to succeed, right?"
Jiang Cheng knew he was offering a reminder. "I understand what you mean. I’m just doing my best and leaving the rest to fate." He wanted to push what he could do to the absolute limit; if he still lost to uncontrollable factors, he would at least have no personal regrets. "I don’t like phrases like 'if only I had done this back then.' While there’s still a chance, I won’t miss a single beat. Even if... even if I really have to light incense for Guo Junyi in ten days, I’ll be able to do it with a clearer conscience."
***
At that moment, Lu Linjiang was in Cheng Hao’s office, listening to Cheng Hao drone on. Micro-Grand had recently run into a bit of trouble—nothing major, but a nuisance nonetheless. As a biotechnology company, Micro-Grand held many patents, several of which were quite lucrative. Even so, to be honest, Micro-Grand was only well-known within the industry. For the average citizen, no one would take an interest in such a company unless they were looking for a job.
Yet, such a company had actually received several anonymous letters. Written in black marker on the envelopes were the words: "I KNOW YOU ARE HERE, JIANG." Aside from that, there was nothing else. The security guards hadn't taken it seriously at first, until they found five identical letters in the mailbox in a row. Only then did they think to report it.
The security captain who received the report hadn't initially cared much for these five nonsensical letters either. But he suddenly remembered that among the people working in the newly established laboratory, there was someone whose surname seemed to be Jiang. Only then did he realize the matter could be significant or trivial. Cheng Hao had instructed him beforehand that if there were any security issues, he could directly seek help from the Municipal Bureau. Out of a subtle psychological impulse, the captain had unceremoniously gone straight to Lu Linjiang.
By the time Cheng Hao found out, Lu Linjiang was already standing in his office. Having learned the ins and outs of the situation, Cheng Hao didn't take it to heart. He wasn't the type to feel embarrassed anyway. Besides, the Municipal Bureau owed Micro-Grand a favor, and no matter was too small for the company—might as well use the resource.
As mercenary as Cheng Hao could be, his attitude was excellent when he needed something from someone. To remind Lu Linjiang that he wasn't just ordering a captain around for nothing, he specially took Lu Linjiang to the surveillance room and considerately pulled up the feed from the R&D lab. "Don't worry, Captain Lu, the vaccine development is progressing very well. But having these mysterious things show up all the time is quite annoying."
On the monitor, Jiang Cheng and Jiang Langmin were both clad in protective suits. At a glance, it was hard to tell them apart, but every word of their conversation was transmitted clearly into Lu Linjiang’s ears. His expression shifted slightly as his gaze locked onto Jiang Cheng with precision. Cheng Hao, thinking he took issue with Jiang Cheng’s last remark, quickly tried to smooth things over. "Captain Lu, don't misunderstand. Jiang Cheng was just using a figure of speech. Since he got back from outside that day, he’s been soaking in the lab almost twenty-four hours a day. Looking at this momentum, there shouldn't be any problems with the vaccine."
Lu Linjiang didn't say a word. He stared intently at the person on the screen who had resumed their busy work. After a long while, he said, "Where are the letters? Let me see them."
The security captain immediately handed the letters over. Lu Linjiang put on gloves before taking them. The handwriting on the letters was hard to describe. Looking at them, Lu Linjiang could understand why the guards hadn't taken them seriously at first—though modern handwriting was getting uglier by the day, the script on these letters could likely only find peers in an elementary school, specifically among the lower grades, no higher than third grade.
"JIANG?" Lu Linjiang looked at the pinyin at the end. "Besides Jiang Cheng and Jiang Langmin, is there anyone else here whose surname has that sound?"
Cheng Hao thought for a moment. "It’s not a rare surname. Across the whole company, finding a dozen or so wouldn't be a problem. The question is who exactly these letters are meant for."
"I see your security system is quite good. Didn't you record who delivered them?" Lu Linjiang looked at the security captain. "Check the surveillance."
"We checked, we checked," the security captain said. "It’s a woman, and quite pretty too." He signaled his subordinate to open the footage. Micro-Grand’s mailbox was mounted by the main gate, serving as little more than a decoration. If the company hadn't subscribed to a newspaper, the guards would hardly have noticed the thing.
In the video, a woman with long, curly hair dropped an envelope directly into the mailbox. She delivered one letter every day and then left. On the last two days, she seemed to have figured out where the cameras were; after dropping the letter, she would specifically stare at the camera for a moment before departing. Micro-Grand had spent a fortune on their surveillance; the woman’s face was captured with crystal clarity. Just as the security captain had said, she was quite exquisite.
Lu Linjiang glanced at the letter in his hand. Cheng Hao beat him to the punch, saying, "Ooh, she is good-looking. Could she be someone’s mistress?"
Lu Linjiang shot him a look. "Have there been any romantic scandals in your company lately?"
Cheng Hao looked at him, then at the security captain. "You guys have better ears for gossip. Anything?"
The security captain waved his hands repeatedly. "Haven't heard a thing. I was just thinking, maybe it’s for one of those two in the lab." He gave a few awkward chuckles. "To be honest, the reason I asked you here was because I thought, if it is for them, those two are quite busy lately. It wouldn't be good if they were disturbed. It’s best if you people handle it."
