Ren Lifei and Shen Lei both felt as if their ears were playing tricks on them. They exchanged a glance before Ren Lifei asked uncertainly, "What did you say?"
"The reason the antiviral agents are ineffective is that a drug-resistant sequence was inserted into this virus—specifically, the one I wrote."
It sounded like a fairy tale. Ren Lifei asked, "How could that be? Are you sure you didn't misread it?" Even as he spoke, Ren Lifei knew the question was redundant. No researcher would fail to recognize a sequence they had written themselves. Given how ever-changing nature was, the probability of it naturally producing a sequence identical to one he had authored was lower than winning the lottery several times over.
Jiang Cheng was even more bewildered than Ren Lifei. "When I worked on this, I was in the transition period between my Master's and PhD. I never told anyone about it, except for a brief mention to Professor Tao. But he’s no longer with us." He stopped abruptly, suddenly recalling the words Tao Minxing had written in his letter: *This person is very dangerous.*
Jiang Cheng froze. The large-scale outbreak of this flu had already caused a degree of panic. If this was truly as he suspected, what was Jiang Langmin’s purpose in creating this terror? Jiang Cheng stared at the sequence. Furthermore, how had he even discovered this sequence?
Lu Linjiang, who had been speaking with doctors in the respiratory department of the Second Hospital, rushed over immediately after receiving Jiang Cheng's call. He was promptly led into a small meeting room.
Only Ren Lifei, Shen Lei, and Jiang Cheng were inside. Jiang Cheng’s complexion was poor; he had tried to contact his colleagues at Morse, but he hadn't received any response.
"I still can't figure out how my paper leaked out."
"If someone is determined enough, they’ll find a way. You can't guard against everything," Lu Linjiang said. "Actually, we already suspected that someone might have intentionally caused this flu."
The news made Ren Lifei’s temples throb with pain. "To what end?"
Lu Linjiang spread his hands. "Unknown."
"This is how it is domestically; public acceptance of these vaccines isn't high. Even if the flu epidemic is severe, the virus will naturally lose its activity once summer arrives and temperatures rise. In two or three months, this epidemic will be forgotten, and the already low vaccination rates will drop even further." Ren Lifei looked at the others in the room with a sense of helplessness. "If someone created this panic just to promote their own flu vaccine, I doubt they’d see much profit."
Jiang Cheng listened quietly until Ren Lifei finished, a more terrifying thought surfacing in his mind. He looked up at Lu Linjiang, who was also looking at him. To Ren Lifei, Lu Linjiang appeared expressionless, but to Jiang Cheng, that look held a different meaning. His heart slowly steadied. What was there to fear? He had this man standing with him.
"To be honest, I have a candidate in mind for the person who created this chaos. If it’s him, I believe that given his planning, there will be a next step."
Ren Lifei was startled. "A next step?" He looked at Jiang Cheng, then at the silent Lu Linjiang. "Are modern terrorists really this terrifying?"
Then he realized the key issue: "You know who caused this panic?"
"I don't have definitive evidence; it's just my own speculation." Jiang Cheng was habitually cautious; he didn't want to voice Jiang Langmin’s name without proof.
Seeing that Ren Lifei was about to ask more, Lu Linjiang pulled out the photo of the man in the bucket hat. "Speaking of intentional acts, we actually already have a target. I was just at the Second Hospital and found a few more patients. It’s basically confirmed that the severe cases are all centered around this individual. We are currently searching for his whereabouts."
Ren Lifei put on his glasses and scrutinized the blurred face in the photo. "This... it isn't very clear."
"The man's hat obscured his face very thoroughly. This is the clearest photo we could find. We originally thought it might be a coincidence, but now it seems the other party was likely prepared long ago."
Ren Lifei sighed. "Jiang Cheng, you said the other party might have another move?" The mere possibility made Ren Lifei restless. The epidemic had already forced him to issue a notice advising most businesses in the city to take a holiday. If there was an even more terrifying plan waiting in the wings, or if the epidemic spread further due to human intervention, he might as well wait to be fired.
"Yes. Since flu vaccines are hard to promote, this time might just be the vanguard." Jiang Cheng looked at Lu Linjiang. "He will definitely have a next step planned."
"This person is extremely well-prepared. I’ve combed through all the surveillance footage and couldn't find a single clear shot of his face. Now that his plan is complete, finding him won't be easy. Can we speculate on his next move?"
"I haven't finished reviewing the viral gene sequences... but since the other party added this specific sequence, I believe the entire virus might have been synthesized by them using viral gene fragments. If this is only the first step, I believe they will prepare for the next phase at a certain juncture."
"I’m not going back tonight. I’ll stay here to finish reviewing the sequences as quickly as possible."
Once this man touched his work, he transformed into a workaholic. Lu Linjiang had anticipated this result the moment he received the call. "Alright. I happen to need to make the rounds at the hospitals again anyway."
Lu Linjiang escorted Jiang Cheng to the laboratory door, told him to be careful, and prepared to leave.
"Actually, there’s one thing I don't understand."
"What?" Lu Linjiang asked.
"It’s too flashy," Jiang Cheng said. Along the way, Lu Linjiang had quietly told him about what happened on the subway. Jiang Cheng immediately judged that the mineral water bottle likely contained the viral strain. "If you wanted to cause a flu outbreak, it would actually be more convenient to do it in a park, a wet market, or similar places. If you timed it right, the effect wouldn't be bad. Compared to a subway during peak hours, those locations are much more discreet. If it’s... him, I don't believe he wouldn't have thought of that."
"The current method makes it very easy for an observant person to notice something is wrong. Did he suddenly have a lapse in judgment?" Jiang Cheng looked at Lu Linjiang. "This isn't his style of doing things."
Lu Linjiang’s understanding of Jiang Langmin wasn't as deep as Jiang Cheng’s. As he listened to Jiang Cheng, he quickly recalled his few interactions with the man. The other party was indeed more accustomed to acting subtly—take Martina, for example; even Lu Linjiang hadn't noticed any clues from their interactions.
"Are you saying he has another accomplice?" Lu Linjiang guessed. "And an accomplice he can't control?"
Jiang Cheng could only see where things felt wrong; the rest of the deduction wasn't his specialty. He shook his head. "I don't know."
Lu Linjiang rubbed his head. "That’s a very good lead. Leave the rest to me. Be careful and take care of yourself."
Jiang Cheng gave a soft "mm." Lu Linjiang added, "Next time, at least finish your meal before you start working, or I’ll send people over on a schedule to take turns watching you eat!"
Jiang Cheng looked up and saw the untouched lunch sitting on the desk. "I... I, no, that..."
"Fine, just don't let there be a next time." Lu Linjiang’s phone began to ring. "Don't forget what you promised me."
Only after seeing Jiang Cheng nod solemnly did he feel at ease enough to leave.
Shen Lei, who had been leaning against the side watching the entire scene, couldn't help but click her tongue. Having dealt with Lu Linjiang for years, she never knew the man had this side to him. Truly, every person has their match.
***
