Chapter Thirteen: Qi Qiuchan

Interrupted in his grief, Bai Jincheng flew into a rage, hissing in a low voice, “Didn’t I tell you not to disturb me… Who are you? Who allowed you in here?”

Turning his head, Bai Jincheng gazed icily at the disheveled young stranger before him, raising his voice as he surreptitiously pressed the alarm. The man standing there gave him an acute sense of danger, reminiscent of a python in a zoo. Bai Jincheng had no idea who this was, nor why his bodyguards outside remained utterly silent, but as chairman of Jincheng Pharmaceuticals, one of the city’s major corporations, he could summon more security at any moment.

The stranger pointed a finger and spoke brusquely, “I can save him.”

Bai Jincheng was taken aback. The man’s words came out as though a foreigner were reading Chinese phonetically, each syllable pronounced with unnatural deliberation. Bai Jincheng followed the direction of the finger, and saw it was his child, connected to life-support by a web of machines.

“Is this some kind of joke? Who are you? Which company sent you as a spy? If this is your method, it’s laughably crude.” Bai Jincheng silently counted down the seconds, questioning the intruder with unyielding force.

Suddenly, the main doors burst open and a squad of bodyguards filed in, surrounding the stranger without warning. Batons in hand, they struck at his body without hesitation.

Yet the blows landed with the dull, heavy thud of wood meeting wood, not flesh. Before the bodyguards could continue, the stranger’s figure flashed; he launched into a dazzling display of attacks, as fluid and masterful as a martial arts star in a film. He twisted, yanked, and pushed, and in moments, the bodyguards were left writhing on the floor like overturned gourds.

“Stop!” Bai Jincheng’s shout abruptly halted his men.

But one bodyguard had already drawn his pistol. Even as the order to stand down was given, habit drove his finger to the trigger. The bullet struck the stranger’s shoulder.

The stranger did not move. The wound contracted instantly; muscles writhed, and then, with a wet plop, the bloody bullet was slowly expelled from his flesh, falling to the ground.

Everyone present was stunned by this uncanny sight.

Again, the stranger said, “I can save him.”

Bai Jincheng’s expression shifted. As a medical doctor, he could see how unnatural this ragged young man was. Those batons, swung with full force, would have broken the bones of any pig—yet the stranger was unscathed. And to move like a martial arts master required a terrifying level of physical prowess, something Bai Jincheng understood well.

Letting his bodyguards continue would only subject them to further humiliation. Better to call them off and see what trick this stranger had up his sleeve.

Now, the stranger had demonstrated an even more terrifying ability. Even though the bullet was of the smallest caliber and not aimed at a vital spot—insufficient to kill even a dog—it spoke volumes about the situation.

“That’s enough. Everyone out. I want to speak with our guest alone,” Bai Jincheng commanded, taking a deep breath and dismissing his bodyguards without hesitation. For the conversation to come, neither force nor rank would help them; they were no longer needed.

He did not bother to remind them about confidentiality; he trusted his hired guards to keep their mouths shut.

Studying the man, Bai Jincheng asked, “Are you a biochemical cyborg from Amesth? Or one of those rumored Espers or Pulse-Users?”

The instincts of a corporate titan drove him to keep guessing at the stranger’s identity.

The stranger—Adonsa—replied, “No, I am a good-hearted man.”

Bai Jincheng noticed that the wound on Adonsa’s shoulder had already contracted into a nearly invisible line; in a day or two, there would be no trace of injury. This bizarre self-healing disturbed him, but not as much as the fate of his son.

Stiffly, Bai Jincheng stepped aside. Adonsa walked to the glass wall and said, “Open the door.”

Bai Jincheng hesitated. “I can, but you must first put on a sterile suit. Xiao Ming’s immune system is so weak he can’t even resist the mites on dust.”

Adonsa shot him a glance, pressed a button, and strode forcefully into the isolation room.

“You—!” Bai Jincheng, furious and alarmed, almost called for his guards again, but with Adonsa now so close to Bai Ming, he could only restrain himself, clinging to the hope that this mysterious man truly held the power to bring his son back from the brink.

Under Bai Jincheng’s pounding heart and anxious gaze, Adonsa placed his palm on the frail child’s chest. Concealed from Bai Jincheng’s view, a violet tendril slipped unseen from his palm, piercing the boy’s chest. The tendril of primal matter quickly located the atrophied thymus, and secreted a potent growth factor, spurring the lymphocytes to mature and enter the bloodstream.

As Bai Jincheng began to pace in agitation, the monitors suddenly erupted with alarms, physiological indicators rising and falling, flickering between danger and safety.

Rushing to the display, Bai Jincheng was overwhelmed by disbelief and wild joy, as if caught in a surreal dream.

Yet, the next moment, Adonsa withdrew his hand, and soon all the readings fell back to their previous lows, only marginally improved. Merely stimulating the thymus and bone marrow was a stopgap; the true horror of the HIV virus lay in its stealth and mutability.

Adonsa was not afraid of any terrestrial virus, but he saw no reason to cure the child entirely—not yet. What leverage would he have to bargain with this calculating human otherwise?

Even the shrewdest humans, once they have something they care about, become vulnerable—susceptible to luck, joy, grief, anger, greed… All those uncontrollable emotions that drive a wise man into the most foolish of traps.

In truth, the difference between the wise and the foolish often lies only in their composure.

As the old saying goes, ‘Desires make a man weak.’ That was the essence of it.

In any case, Adonsa was learning the art of negotiation between humans.

Adonsa left the isolation room. Bai Jincheng hurriedly activated the sterilization system, eradicating any pathogens Adonsa might have brought in, then looked at him with a complicated expression. “Speak. What do you want? Besides money, what else can I give you?”

Adonsa replied, “I am an independent scientist in possession of extremely valuable biotechnology, but I lack the means and environment to realize my inventions. I believe you can provide such a platform.”

Listening to this absurd claim, Bai Jincheng’s irritation flared. “An ‘independent scientist’? You—”

He almost blurted out, “Are you making a fool of me?” but then remembered his son’s life was in this man’s hands. There was no point in arguing over such trivialities now.

Without hesitation, Bai Jincheng said, “From this moment on, you are the chief technical consultant of Jincheng Pharmaceuticals. All equipment, funding, and personnel are at your disposal.”

After a pause, the magnate added a minor condition. “Though we may not be able to sign a formal contract, I hope that if you develop any practical technology, you’ll give us priority in collaboration.”

Adonsa’s lips pulled into a stiff smile. “A pleasure to work with you.”