Gu Xuemei said, "But we can't even analyze the virus cells yet, so how can we possibly know which substance is an antibody?"
Yang Shiqi took out a test tube and waved it at Gu Xuemei, "Xiaomei, there's no need for those experts and professors to analyze it anymore, just give them the sample directly."
Gu Xuemei carefully took the test tube from Yang Shiqi's hand. It contained some blue culture medium. She looked at it in the sunlight and said, "This is a virus sample? How... how is this possible? How did you find it?"
Yang Shiqi said smugly, "You don't need to worry about that. Anyway, this is a gift from your sister. Just treat it as if you found it yourself."
Gu Xuemei couldn't accept it: "But how could I possibly figure it out?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Why can't you? Just because you say you can doesn't mean you can. Don't underestimate yourself. All you need is an opportunity. Now I'm creating an opportunity for you, so cherish it."
Gu Xuemei listened to Yang Shiqi very much, much like Chen Xinyu listened to Zhao Qiang. "I'll take it to the professors to see first," Gu Xuemei said, pulling up her protective mask and running out of the disinfection room.
Zhao Qiang said to Yang Shiqi, "This matter seems a bit inappropriate."
Yang Shiqi asked, "Is there something wrong?"
"Does she have the ability to research this?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Who cares about her? If she says she can do it, then she can, even if she can't."
Zhao Qiang said, "Be careful you don't cause trouble again."
Chen Xinyu has been so busy these past few days that she regrets not hiring a dedicated photographer. Sometimes Zhao Qiang can help her, but most of the time Luo Xiaowei takes over as the photographer. The two girls have also developed a deep friendship during the interview. Being only children, they even have the idea of becoming sworn sisters.
*Snap* Chen Xinyu, who had just answered a phone call at the table, put down her chopsticks and said to Luo Xiaowei, "Come with me, Xiaowei, there's big news."
Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiqi didn't come back for dinner, so Luo Xiaowei wasn't in the mood either. She put down her chopsticks and said, "Okay, what's the news?"
Chen Xinyu said, "The expert team has discovered the virus that caused this infection."
Luo Xiaowei immediately sprang into action: "Really? Then let's hurry over there, this is big news!"
This is indeed extremely serious news, because in just the past two days, cities along the Pacific Rim have experienced severe outbreaks of diarrhea. In some severely affected areas, social order has been completely disrupted. In some cities abroad with poor sanitation, half the population has fallen ill with diarrhea, and the death toll has climbed to over a hundred.
The World Health Organization dispatched its most skilled medical personnel, but after dozens of sleepless hours, they were still unable to isolate this unknown virus. Because they could not obtain samples, they were at a loss as to how to treat it.
Volume 2 [403] Kindness is often taken advantage of
【4o3】Kindness is often taken advantage of.
Gu Xuemei stood nervously outside the temporary laboratory. Although she was quite knowledgeable, she still couldn't compare to those experts and professors. In their eyes, she was still just a small nurse. At most, she could be promoted to a doctor after graduation, but that would take time to accumulate experience. It was rare for someone of her age to become famous overnight, especially in the medical profession.
The lab door opened, and two experts walked out, talking excitedly. "It's a miracle! I never imagined we could isolate an independent virus. How did we do that? With the virus sample, we can start drug experiments."
"I can't believe it either. We've tried every possible method these past few days, but none of them are actually feasible."
"Let's go, let's hold a press conference right away. This time, the Chinese are once again at the forefront of the world, and we can show our national power."
"Yes, this is the pride of all Chinese people."
Following the two experts, several more people emerged from the lab, their faces beaming with excitement as they discussed the matter. Their conversation naturally revolved around the virus samples. Although a method for isolating the virus had not yet been found, having concrete samples meant that finding a method for isolation through reverse engineering was not far off.
Gu Xuemei watched as everyone came out, as if they had all ignored her presence. And this virus sample was clearly handed over to the expert group by her. What did this mean? At the very least, someone could have explained the situation to her.
Finally, a military medical expert with gray hair came over and patted Gu Xuemei on the shoulder, "Not bad, Xiao Gu, keep up the good work, you have a bright future."
Gu Xuemei was never a talkative person, and she was usually quiet even in front of her parents. Now, she didn't know what to say, so she lowered her head and finally returned to her work station with tears of grievance in her eyes.
Chen Xinyu and Luo Xiaowei rushed to the city's central hospital, only to discover after setting up their camera equipment that they weren't the only media outlets present; there were about five or six in total, including one displaying the CCTV logo. Luo Xiaowei asked, puzzled, "Why did CCTV send other reporters?"
Chen Xinyu said, "I don't know. Maybe they're upset that I'm too slow in sending back the news, so they sent a broadcast van."
Luo Xiaowei said, "Go and take a look. It would be best if we combined our two places. That way, we won't waste resources and we can get the news back faster."
Chen Xinyu nodded and went to make the contact. A few minutes later, she returned with a gloomy face. Luo Xiaowei asked, "How did it go?"
Chen Xinyu said, "He is the reporter I hate the most. His name is Cui Xinyu. He is not in the same faction as us in the station. This is the result of the power struggle. That's why I didn't know he was coming. We couldn't cooperate. We recorded our own."
No sooner had Chen Xinyu finished speaking than a male voice rang out behind her, "Oh, Chen, why are there only two of you? Didn't the station approve funding for staff and a broadcast van for you? How pathetic, I'm ashamed for you to have fallen to this level."
Chen Xinyu didn't want any entourage because she was worried that too many people would restrict her freedom and prevent her from spending time with Zhao Qiang. Hearing the voice, Chen Xinyu turned around angrily: "Cui Xinyu, don't be so smug. I discovered and reported this news lead first. You'd better not interfere."
Cui Xinyu scoffed, "Are you ordering me around? Reporter Chen, don't forget who you are. You're still too green to order me around. Journalists have freedom of the press; nobody can stop me. I can interview whatever I want."
Chen Xinyu said, "Fine, you can conduct the interview if you want, but please leave our work area."
Cui Xinyu made a chirping sound: "Is Reporter Chen angry? You are the world's most famous war correspondent. It's a waste of your talents to have you cover the virus. And this photographer, how much does Reporter Chen pay you? I'll double it to poach you to my side, how about it?"
Luo Xiaowei glared at Cui Xinyu, then turned her back to him, ignoring him. She knew from his words that he wasn't a good person; no wonder Chen Xinyu said they couldn't cooperate. Just then, someone entered the conference room. Cui Xinyu knew he didn't have time to argue with Chen Xinyu anymore, so he turned and returned to his broadcasting position.
This news report only included the expert team's experimental report and did not answer reporters' questions about the project, so it ended quickly. However, with the release of the news, the world's attention turned to Dongyang City, China, because it was the first place where the unknown virus was discovered and identified. China is at the forefront of research on this supervirus.
Because the virus looks very much like the capital letter 'h' under a microscope, experts named it the H virus. The news report did not mention the specific discoverer of the H virus, only saying that it was the result of the tireless efforts of the entire expert group. More detailed reports are to be continued.
Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiqi were sitting side by side in the room, watching the news broadcast on a 42-inch LED TV. Suddenly, Yang Shiqi grabbed an ashtray from the coffee table and smashed it against the TV, completely destroying the expensive LED display. Sparks flew from the broken screen as Yang Shiqi yelled, "Damn it, how could this happen?"
Zhao Qiang remained seated, unperturbed by the news. He had sensed something amiss when he delivered the virus samples that morning. Gu Xuemei held little influence within the expert group, and simply handing the virus over to her wouldn't bring her fame; instead, it would benefit someone else. As a result, the report hadn't mentioned Gu Xuemei at all. Who knew who would try to steal the fruits of the discovery of the h virus in subsequent reports?
Bang! The door to Zhao Qiang's room was pushed open forcefully, and Chen Xinyu and Luo Xiaowei stormed in, looking quite surprised to see the television on the table smashed. "What happened?" they asked.
Yang Shiqi said, "Zhao Qiang and I gave the virus samples to Xiao Mei, but we didn't expect that the news reports didn't mention her at all. By the way, Chen Xinyu, did you do this? I thought you would report the truth without me having to tell you, but you actually dragged Zhao Qiang down. Don't you know that Gu Xuemei is Zhao Qiang's senior sister? Now she needs an opportunity to establish her expert status, but you ruined Zhao Qiang's plan."
Chen Xinyu shouted, "You're talking nonsense! Although I didn't know Zhao Qiang's plan, I didn't sabotage it at all. This news report used Cui Xinyu's article, and mine was removed." No wonder Chen Xinyu was unhappy. She was originally responsible for reporting all the developments, but now that Cui Xinyu has arrived, she's unemployed. How could she swallow this insult?
Yang Shiqi asked doubtfully, "Cui Xinyu? Who does he think he is?"
Chen Xinyu said, "Who does he think he is? He has a very powerful background. He not only has connections in the Ministry of Radio and Television, but also has family members in the military. So the medical team that came to reinforce us from the military plans to cooperate with him to conduct more detailed reporting."
Yang Shiqi asked, "Did the medical team mention the name of the person who discovered the virus?"
Chen Xinyu said, "Xiaowei and I listened to their conversation for a while. They seemed to vaguely mention that it was a senior professor from the expert group, I think his name was He Guozhang. We didn't hear the name Gu Xuemei."
Yang Shiqi angrily retorted, "That fart was discovered by Zhao Qiang! They're trying to strip Xiaomei of her discovery honor!"
Chen Xinyu said, "Now the station is starting to use Cui Xinyu's news releases, so what should I do? I can't help at all."
Zhao Qiang suddenly spoke up: "Based on my prediction, the virus will enter its active phase, and there will be a major outbreak in the next few days. The number of patients in hospitals will increase sharply, and the country will become more and more eager to develop drugs to control the virus. Therefore, who discovered it is no longer important; the key is to find a way to eliminate the virus."
Yang Shiqi protested, "Who says it's not important? If Xiaomei takes the identity of the discoverer, it will be of great benefit to her. Then she can find a drug to eliminate this virus, and becoming famous will be easy. It will save her decades of struggle. Zhao Qiang, you can't let He Guozhang steal the identity of the discoverer."
Zhao Qiang said, "If we follow my idea, we can just arrest everyone and interrogate them directly. But this is a society governed by law. What can I do? My junior sister really doesn't have the conditions to discover the virus. She can't have in-depth access to the laboratory equipment. If she were to discover and isolate it by hand, wouldn't that be nonsense?"
Yang Shiqi said, "I don't care, I can't let He Guozhang's conspiracy succeed."
Chen Xinyu reminded everyone: "There will be a live broadcast tomorrow morning, in which He Guozhang will recount the process of discovering the virus."
Yang Shiqi said, "Tomorrow morning, right? Okay, then I'll let him do the live stream."
Early in the morning, He Guozhang got up and carefully dressed. Today was the most important day of his life. After working hard for most of his life, the organization decided to award him the honor of being the discoverer of the virus. He Guozhang believed that this was the organization's trust and reward for him, so he must not let down his superiors. It is said that six vice premiers will also be present at the interview today.
Cui Xinyu also arrived at the interview room early in the morning to set up the background and lighting. He was very proud of his success in getting the press conference article yesterday. Some time ago, Chen Xinyu sent back exclusive reports from Africa every day, which caused Cui's faction to suffer a great loss in the station. Now, he has finally turned the tide and broken the situation where Chen's faction monopolized CCTV.
In a lounge at Dongyang Central Hospital, Gu Xuemei was sobbing in Yang Shiqi's arms. Yang Shiqi had originally planned to criticize Gu Xuemei, this honest girl really didn't know how to protect her own hard-earned gains. After handing over the virus sample, she didn't care about it at all. No wonder those people dared to blatantly steal her hard-earned gains. It turned out they knew Gu Xuemei couldn't resist. This is what they call being bullied for being kind, and being ridden for being good.
"Alright, Xiaomei, don't cry. Today I'll get you justice."
Gu Xuemei sobbed, "Forget it, Sister Shiqi. Actually, it's too illogical to say that I discovered the virus. So it's more credible for Professor He to be the discoverer. If the organization really puts me out, those foreign professors and experts will probably laugh at us to death."
Yang Shiqi asked, "Did they discuss this with you? Did they ask for your opinion? Did they offer you any compensation?"
Gu Xuemei shook her head, and Yang Shiqi said, "So, they are blatantly bullying you. You can tolerate it, but I can't. You have to be there in a bit. No matter what happens, don't back down."
(Because internet access has suddenly become inconvenient, the update is a bit late. I will try to collect a day's worth of articles and publish them at a set time so that I can update in the morning again. Please forgive me for now.)
(Thanks to ghostkkk and 1iusidan [5 tickets] for their monthly pass support)
(Thanks to readers o8o51417312o474 for their donations.)
(Thanks to "I'm Rich" for the update request vote)
Volume 2 [404] Who is the Discoverer?
[4o4] Who is the discoverer?
The number of patients sent to Dongyang Central Hospital this morning was twice as many as usual, but this did not affect the live broadcast, because the significance of this event was greater than the h virus itself.
He Guozhang appeared energetic, all traces of fatigue from the past few days gone. Standing before the camera, he spoke fluently: "...The discovery of the h virus was purely accidental. I myself never imagined it would have such a shape and characteristics. It binds tightly to human cells, so in many previous experiments, we had overlooked its existence, taking many detours in our search for it. Now, I am honored to tell everyone that this supervirus has nowhere left to hide; we have found it and shared the results with the World Health Organization. I hope everyone can work together to find a way to combat it."
A reporter asked, "Professor He, could you please tell us about how you discovered it?"
He Guozhang's expression turned slightly embarrassed, but he quickly concealed it. He said, "As I just mentioned, this supervirus binds tightly to human cells, so in previous experiments we often removed it along with normal cells. This made the process of discovering it extremely lengthy. The 'h' shape of the virus gives it a dual life form. When the '|' shaped cell on one side dies, the '|' shaped cell on the other side will reproduce and grow a new '|' shaped cell from the other side. The two are then connected by the 'I' in the middle to form a stable life form. Currently, we have not found any effective medicine to deal with it in our antibody experiments."
The reporter repeated, "Professor He, what I meant was to ask you to describe the process of discovering the viral cells. You know, medical organizations all over the world want to obtain samples, but Dongyang City itself doesn't have many virus samples, not enough to donate to medical organizations worldwide. Therefore, the process of discovering and isolating it is very important to everyone." This reporter was a foreign journalist, which is why he was interested in this issue; Cui Xinyu only wanted to make He Guozhang famous.
He Guozhang's face was somewhat gloomy. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk; the key issue was that he simply didn't understand how the H virus separated from human cells. If there were such a method, it wouldn't be his turn to speak today. There were many other experts vying for the title of discoverer, and their status and background were no less than his. However, considering that the method of discovering it was still a secret, everyone was somewhat hesitant, fearing that a mishandling of the situation would ruin everything. That's why He Guozhang was given the opportunity.
Cui Xinyu suddenly stood up and said, "The process of discovering the H virus is an extremely confidential process. I would like to ask this gentleman, is there any ulterior motive behind your blunt inquiry?"
The foreign journalist glanced at the reporter's badge hanging around Cui Xinyu's neck and said, "Mr. Cui, I disagree with your point of view. Since Professor He has said that he wants to share this achievement with the world, then he should disclose the method for discovering the H virus. Otherwise, how can other countries find the virus entity and carry out the next step of drug experiments? Wouldn't you be just making empty promises?"
Cui Xinyu was speechless for a long time. To be honest, he hadn't planned to invite foreign journalists for this interview, but someone above him had spoken up, so these foreign journalists managed to sneak in, which put his interview in a very passive position.
The host then said, "The process of discovering it is certainly important, but it involves some state-secret technologies, so we need to consult the Ministry of Health on how to release it to the public."
He Guozhang repeatedly said, "Yes, yes, this process involved the entire expert team, so I personally have no right to disclose it. But what I want to say is that a drug to combat this virus will be found soon, and then patients all over the world will be saved."
The foreign journalist continued, "Professor He, I want to know if you're keeping the technology and methods for discovering the H virus hidden from public knowledge in order to make money? If foreign medical institutions can't obtain virus samples, then developing drugs to eliminate it will be just empty talk. And once your country develops a drug to combat it, then we'll have no choice but to purchase that drug from you at a high price."
Cui Xinyu jumped up: "Where did you come from, you troll? Get out of here! This is a CCTV interview venue, you can't just ask random questions like that!"
With a bang, the door to the conference room interview area was pushed open. Cui Xinyu turned around angrily. He had arranged for people to guard the door so that outsiders were not allowed to enter. However, when Cui Xinyu saw who it was, he became a little timid. The rage he had just felt because of the foreign reporter's question disappeared. The newcomer made him a little scared.
A voice laughed heartily: "Everyone must be asking Professor He about the technical process by which he discovered the h virus, right?"
Cui Xinyu muttered, "This is a news scene, what are you, a soldier, doing getting involved?"
He Guozhang's face also showed some fear. He had heard about the person who came. As an expert in the military hospital, he couldn't possibly be unaware of the Yang family's situation. This transvestite was very difficult to deal with, yet he was extremely favored by the old man. People of his status would avoid him if they met him, for fear of doing something to displease him and suffering an undeserved disaster, which would ruin their reputation.
Foreign journalists stood up and shouted, "That's right, but Professor He has made various excuses to avoid it. This is irresponsible to patients all over the world. We lodge a strong protest."
Yang Shiqi chuckled: "It's useless. Protesting to death won't help. He won't say anything."
A foreign journalist asked, "Why? Would he disregard the World Health Organization's warnings? If that happens, China will be excluded from the WHO, and we won't be able to get any assistance from the WHO in the future, no matter what disasters occur."
Yang Shiqi said, "Mr. Reporter, I think you've misunderstood Professor He. It's not that he doesn't want to talk about it, but rather that he himself has no idea how the H virus was isolated."
Yang Shiqi's words caused a huge uproar. Cui Xinyu and others, who already knew the inside story, weren't bothered, but the others present couldn't accept it. They stood up and shouted, "Is the H virus fake? What are you trying to do? This is irresponsible to the people of the world. This joke could kill many people!"
Yang Shiqi glanced at He Guozhang, who was already so ashamed he had nowhere to hide, and said, "Everyone has misunderstood Professor He. He doesn't know the method of isolating the H virus, but that doesn't mean those viruses are fake."