Everyone was confused. "What exactly happened?" they wondered, heads bowed in discussion. "If there's no way to isolate it, how could the virus sample be real? How was it obtained?"
Ignoring the murmurs, Yang Shiqi pointed towards the door and said, "The one who truly discovered the H virus was her, not Professor He. He was just a thief pushed out by the medical team to steal her research results."
A murmur rippled through the crowd as everyone followed Yang Shiqi's finger toward the doorway, where a little girl stood. She looked like a cute little girl, her head bowed shyly, her sexy figure making the men's minds wander.
He Guozhang clenched his fists, finally managing to speak, "Young Master Yang, what are you doing? The decision came from above. Do you know that your reckless interference will disrupt the country's plans?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Don't give me that official talk. Believe me, I'll beat you up right here and now."
He Guozhang shrank back. He had heard about Yang Sanshao's temper. If she wanted to hit someone, she would not show any mercy because of his age. If he were to be hit because of this, especially in front of so many reporters, his reputation would be completely ruined.
Cui Xinyu stood up and said, "Young Master Yang, you're really bullying people by relying on your power. Is there no law in this world? Don't you know anything about respecting the elderly and caring for the young? How did your parents raise you...?"
Yang Shiqi suddenly walked towards Cui Xinyu. Cui Xinyu, somewhat panicked, shut his mouth and hid behind the others. However, Yang Shiqi was faster than him, grabbing him by the collar. Her strength was no less than that of a man. Cui Xinyu staggered as he was pulled, and then he was slapped twice across the face. Although Cui Xinyu knew Yang Shiqi's identity, he couldn't swallow this insult, so his body automatically resisted, and he kicked Yang Shiqi in the groin.
Enraged, Yang Shiqi grabbed Cui Xinyu's foot and used the momentum to lift him up, sending him sprawling onto his back. The back of his head hit the ground with a thud, startling the people around him who quickly moved aside.
Yang Shiqi stepped forward and stomped on Cui Xinyu's chest: "Damn it, I can kill someone like you whenever I want. Don't think that just because you're a reporter you're uncrowned king. From now on, watch your hands, feet, and mouth. If I hear anything bad again, I won't let you off easily."
Cui Xinyu wasn't stupid. As a top CCTV reporter with a powerful family background, he naturally knew a great deal about what Yang Shiqi was doing in Africa. However, these were just guesses, and coupled with his family's warnings, he dared not speak recklessly, much less in public. Through those reports, he knew Yang Shiqi was not someone to be trifled with. Besides her family background, what was even more frightening was that she had already established a foothold in Africa, and the country would rely on her for a long time to come. While her threats to kill him were mostly intimidation, the possibility of her secretly causing his death in an accident was entirely plausible.
The interview had become so chaotic that the medical team experts had to step in to stop it. Yang Shiqi, worried about not being able to get them all to the scene, kicked the terrified Cui Xinyu on the ground and said, "Get up!"
Cui Xinyu obediently got up: "W-what are you doing?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Continuing with the program, I just mentioned that Professor He didn't know the virus isolation process because he wasn't the real discoverer of the virus. The real discoverer should be Gu Xuemei."
Everyone turned their attention back to Gu Xuemei at the entrance of the interview venue. Gu Xuemei lowered her head even further. Fortunately, Chen Xinyu and Luo Xiaowei pushed her from the left and right, leading her to the center of the lights and background. Facing the camera, Gu Xuemei became even more uneasy.
Volume 2 [405] H Virus
【4o5】h virus
He Guozhang sneered: "Since Young Master Yang says that Gu Xuemei is the discoverer, then please ask her to introduce the technical methods used to discover the virus. I hope you won't use secrecy as an excuse. This can also be considered a contribution to the world's health cause."
In fact, the live broadcast signal has long been replaced by advertisements. CCTV would never allow such a program to be broadcast on its channel, so it is just a pre-recorded broadcast now. But Yang Shiqi's real purpose is not this, so she doesn't mind, as long as the expert group bows down and admits their mistake to Gu Xuemei.
Yang Shiqi said, "An introduction is inevitable, but before that, I have a question for Professor He. Swear to God with your conscience, who exactly gave the virus samples to the expert group? If you lied, may your entire family suffer a terrible death."
This oath was too vicious. He Guozhang's face twitched. He remained silent for a long time. Someone in the expert group said, "Nonsense! This is utter nonsense! Do they even care about the lives of thousands of patients?"
Boom! Yang Shiqi pulled out her compressed gun and fired at the person who had spoken. Although the shot was at its lowest power, it still sent the person flying, crashing into the wall and leaving him unable to get up for a long time.
Yang Shiqi arrogantly said to the others, "Anyone who's not convinced, I'm just messing around like this. Anyone who's not convinced can go to the central government and complain about me. I'm not delaying the treatment of patients, but I'm afraid that your fake tricks will really delay the treatment. You don't even know how the virus was isolated, let alone find a way to treat it."
An expert said nervously, "So you must know how to treat it?"
Yang Shiqi pointed the gun at the expert and said, "Do you think I need to answer your questions?"
The experts were so frightened that they immediately shut up. Some people were already suspecting that the so-called foreign reporters at the scene were probably orchestrated by Yang Shiqi herself, just to create a topic and get her to appear. Anyone who interrupted would probably not have a good ending. Not only is this transvestite unreasonable, but the central government is currently relying on her too much, coupled with the influence of her family. Even if she is beaten, it will be for nothing.
With a creak, the door to the venue was pushed open again, and the people who appeared this time were a pleasant surprise to everyone. The arrival of the Sixth Vice Premier was a welcome sight. Yang Shiqi could be arrogant in front of these people, but she absolutely had to consider the face of the Sixth Vice Premier. She could verbally and physically abuse the expert group members, but the Sixth Vice Premier was no pushover.
Without enthusiastic applause, the sixth vice premier stood on the interview floor under everyone's watchful eyes. He said, "What's going on? It seems the atmosphere here isn't very harmonious. Are they even planning to resort to violence?"
He Guozhang said, "Premier, I've been hit."
The six vice premiers glanced at Yang Shiqi and said, "Hehe, Xiaoqi, what are you doing?"
Yang Shiqi said, "I'm trying to help you."
The sixth deputy prime minister said, "Oh, help me? I think this is putting the cart before the horse."
Yang Shiqi said, "That's because you don't know the truth yet. If you don't believe me, let the expert group confront Gu Xuemei on the spot."
The six vice premiers wouldn't arbitrarily assume that Yang Shiqi was being arrogant. He beckoned to the expert group and then said to Gu Xuemei, "You're Professor Gu Yu's daughter, right? I heard you have excellent grades. Come on, tell us what's going on here."
Gu Xuemei lowered her head nervously and said, "I...I...I gave the virus sample to Professor He, but he never contacted me again or said anything to me."
The sixth vice premier glared at He Guozhang and said, "Professor He, you're so old, you should tell the truth. Did she lie?"
He Guozhang looked very uncomfortable: "No, I didn't lie." He didn't have the composure to lie in front of the six vice premiers.
Because there were no outsiders present, and even the so-called foreign journalists knew the inside story beforehand, He Guozhang's words did not cause an uproar; everyone simply listened quietly.
The sixth vice prime minister said, "Tell me your thoughts."
He Guozhang glanced at everyone and said, "Gu Xuemei is just a student, so we don't think she has the qualifications to be a virus discoverer. After discussion, we decided that I would take on this responsibility."
The six vice premiers sighed: "That's quite a high-sounding statement. Did you even consult Gu Xuemei's opinion?"
He Guozhang said, "No, we don't think she's qualified to be involved in this, so we didn't tell her anything."
The six vice premiers snorted, "What a group of highly qualified experts! They even have this kind of swagger when stealing other people's work."
The expert team members all lowered their heads. Yang Shiqi sneered, "Hypocritical bastards, you even said I was delaying treatment time. You excluded the real discoverers. Do you think you can develop a drug to fight the virus? Isn't that just a pipe dream?"
The experts were furious when Yang Shiqi called them idiots, but none of them dared to look her in the eye. Firstly, Yang Shiqi didn't care about the consequences at all, and even pulled out a gun and fired on the spot. The talkative expert is still lying on the ground to this day. Secondly, it seemed that the six vice premiers were also lenient towards Yang Shiqi. If these small fry dared to go against the wind, wouldn't they be courting death?
The sixth vice premier beckoned to Gu Xuemei: "Come here, Gu, come over here. Tell me how you discovered the virus. As far as I know, you didn't participate in the research; you were just doing auxiliary work on the periphery."
Gu Xuemei glanced at Yang Shiqi and said, "Actually, the H virus cannot be isolated artificially at present."
The sixth vice premier asked in surprise, "Oh, then what about the virus sample you gave to Professor He?"
After speaking, the Sixth Vice Premier waved to the guards behind him and pointed to the foreign journalists and Cui Xinyu and others. These people were then asked to leave. There were some secrets that could not be heard by them. Although they might be his own people, the Sixth Vice Premier would never do anything that was not safe.
Gu Xuemei paused for two minutes before speaking again: "With our current equipment, we cannot separate the h virus that is attached to human cells. The virus sample I obtained was separated using the power of special abilities."
The six vice premiers remained calm and composed, but the expert group below gaped in disbelief. The power of supernatural abilities? What kind of power was this? Although they had occasionally heard of research in this area, it was like a castle in the air; no one had ever actually demonstrated it.
Gu Xuemei spoke with increasing confidence: "The H virus is like 'g' substance. It has excellent fusion properties. When it encounters any kind of cell, it will hide in the cell nucleus and disguise itself as part of the cell itself. Therefore, none of our current detection equipment can detect it. However, as it reproduces and matures, it will soon detach from human cells and mix with E. coli, forming the main sign of diarrhea. When it leaves the human body, E. coli dies with the change of environment, and it disappears as well. This is the main reason why we cannot find it."
The sixth vice premier knew about the "g" substance. He nodded and said, "It seems you have great confidence. I believe your theory and will not ask how you obtained the virus sample. Now I only have one question for you: do we have a way to eliminate them in humans?"
Gu Xuemei nodded: "There must be a way, because we have already discovered people who are immune to this virus. We just haven't found the antibodies in these immune people yet. Once we find these antibodies, then eliminating the H virus will not be far away."
The 6th Vice Premier said loudly, "Good news! I just received a call from the Central Committee. The number of H virus infections around the world suddenly surged this morning, and the diarrhea situation is getting worse. According to incomplete statistics, more than 100 patients have died from dehydration in the past hour. We are at a critical juncture. Xiao Gu, I hope you can continue to carry forward the spirit of hard work and find the antibodies in the immune population so that the H virus can be eliminated as soon as possible. In that case, you will be able to escape the identity of the discoverer."
He Guozhang hurriedly said, "Premier, we are also studying this topic. We cannot erase the entire merit of the expert group just because of our slight mistake. We risked our lives to come here to conduct research and assist the local government in treatment. You cannot just wipe out all our merits like this."
The expert team members stared pitifully at the Sixth Vice Premier. Finally, the Sixth Vice Premier said, "Then how about this: whoever develops a treatment for the H virus first will get all the credit. What do you all think of this suggestion?"
The expert team has many members and advanced equipment, so they naturally strongly support this decision. Gu Xuemei glanced at Yang Shiqi, who nodded to her. Gu Xuemei said, "Okay, I have no objection either."
Having already clashed with the experts, Gu Xuemei no longer needed to stay at the Central Hospital. As for whether the experts would report Gu Xuemei, Yang Shiqi wasn't afraid at all. Gu Xuemei's father was a prominent figure in the country, and these experts would have to think twice before reporting her. Furthermore, if Yang Shiqi found out anyone dared to harm Gu Xuemei behind her back, she would go directly to their door and slap them twice. She had already demonstrated this to everyone today. No matter how high your official position, I can hit you if I want. That's how arrogant I am. If you disagree, sue me, kill me. If you can't handle me, then I'll kill you.
In Zhao Qiang's room, everyone stared at him, their eagerness practically melting ice. Zhao Qiang said, "Don't look at me like that. Even if you look at me, I can't create a cure for the H virus."
Gu Xuemei said, "Junior brother, if you can find the virus, then you should be able to develop a drug to treat it, right?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Junior sister, I'm not a professional in this field. Judging from the cellular structure of the H virus alone, it has the structure to resist the invasion of any drug. I have tried almost all the drugs I could find, but none of them were effective."
Chen Xinyu said, "Then aren't we going to lose to those old men on the expert panel? And that damned Cui Xinyu too."
Zhao Qiang said, "Since we can't find a cure, I bet those experts are probably pulling their hair out right now."
Luo Xiaowei said, "But why haven't any of us been infected? Zhao Qiang, haven't you analyzed what we all have in common?"
Volume 2 [406] All Infected
[4o6] All infected
Zhao Qiang scratched the back of his head and said, "Xu Xiaoya, Hu Qian, and our family members are all fine. In addition, according to online reports, there are quite a few people who are immune to the H virus, and most of these people are women. Can you help me analyze whether it is due to women's endocrine reasons, such as menstruation every month? I can't think of anything else."
Yang Shiqi said, "Then why don't you get infected? You don't have your period every month."
Zhao Qiang chuckled: "My physique is a little different from that of ordinary people."
Gu Xuemei said, "That's right, my junior brother is a person with special abilities, so of course he won't be infected."
Yang Shiqi and the other two girls exchanged a glance. "Tch, you actually believe him?"
Gu Xuemei said, "Why don't you believe me? Otherwise, how could he have isolated the virus sample?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Although I don't know, he is definitely not a person with special abilities. Xiaomei, you have to believe that everything in this world can be explained by scientific principles. If it cannot be explained for the time being, it can only mean that our human technology has not yet reached that level."
Just then, Chen Xinyu's phone rang. She answered immediately, "...What? Okay, I'll be right there."
After putting down her phone, Chen Xinyu said to Zhao Qiang, "Something has happened at the Central Hospital. The news informant I arranged at the hospital called and said that many experts and professors have been infected with the H virus. The entire expert group is in chaos right now."
Zhao Qiang looked surprised, while Yang Shiqi grinned mischievously: "Serves them right, they're getting their comeuppance."
Before Yang Shiqi's laughter had even finished, her phone rang. "Hello...it's me...okay...okay, I understand. Don't worry, I promise to complete the mission."
Yang Shiqi put down her phone and said, "It seems the situation is really serious. The Sixth Vice Premier called and said that many quarantined communities in Dongyang City have experienced riots, with a large number of citizens pouring out of the quarantine area. Coupled with the previous student demonstrations, the security situation in Dongyang City is out of control and martial law needs to be enforced. The Sixth Vice Premier has assigned this task to me."
Zhao Qiang said, "It seems we must find a way to eliminate the H virus immediately, otherwise we're doomed."
Chen Xinyu said, "Let's go to the hospital right away. We can't think of anything to do if we stay here."
As Zhao Qiang drove Yang Shiqi's SUV, he encountered several groups of citizens attacking the vehicle along the way. In particular, they noticed that Yang Shiqi's car had military license plates. Because no solution had been found for the H virus, the citizens had lost faith in the government and the military. They focused their attacks on government and military facilities and personnel, throwing bricks at the SUV.
Yang Shiqi was furious. She used a compressed air gun to drive away all the citizens who entered the SUV's range. This was more effective than a high-pressure water gun, and it didn't require dragging a long hose. Soon, everyone arrived at the Central Hospital. There was a considerable number of armed police outside the hospital, all of them fully armed. Some troublemakers tried to storm the hospital gate, but they temporarily retreated after being warned with gunshots. Inside the hospital, the heavily protected medical staff hurried to and fro, and even the thickest protective shields could not hide their terrified expressions.
Zhao Qiang and his group entered the emergency room without any protective gear. Zhao Qiang had already confirmed that the H virus had no effect on them. There was only one doctor left in the emergency room. He was trembling. Suddenly, he ripped off his mask, clutched his stomach, and ran out. A nurse next to him shook her head and sighed, "Sigh, even the last doctor got infected."
In the hospital's conference room, the six vice premiers were pale. Yang Shiqi was somewhat surprised: "Grandpa Liu, you...?"
The sixth vice premier gave a wry smile: "I'm getting old, my immune system isn't what it used to be. Xiao Qi, I'm entrusting the security of Dongyang City to you. Xiao Gu, I can tell you're one of those people with antibodies. You must develop a way to eliminate the H virus; everyone's hopes are pinned on you."
The 6th Vice Premier was infected. Although his protection was top-notch, the entire meeting room was almost airtight, and Zhao Qiang and the others were strictly disinfected when they entered. However, the virus is ubiquitous and still impossible to guard against. Now, almost all the members of the expert group have been knocked down by the virus. The 6th Vice Premier was worried that the armed police would also fall ill one after another, so he had to make some arrangements in advance.
Yang Shiqi said, "My people are on their way. Don't worry, Grandpa Liu, I will definitely stabilize the security in Dongyang City."
Gu Xuemei said, "We are currently investigating the commonalities among people with antibodies. I believe that once we find this, eliminating the H virus will not be far off." In fact, almost everything Gu Xuemei said was taught to her by Zhao Qiang. Although she is very talented in genetics, she has little experience with viruses.
The six vice premiers stood up and said, "I need to go to the restroom. You can all go back to your work. The hopes of the whole world are on you now, so don't let me down."
As Zhao Qiang and the others left the conference room, they encountered He Guozhang. He was pale-faced and pulling up his trousers as he emerged from a makeshift toilet. He looked somewhat uneasy when he saw Gu Xuemei. Yang Shiqi asked He Guozhang, "Professor He, how's your research going?"
He Guozhang hesitated for a moment and said, "We've run out of virus samples, so the research is temporarily suspended."
Yang Shiqi said, "Oh, didn't you say you already had the ability to isolate viruses? Why not cultivate more?"
He Guozhang remained silent and hurriedly ran back to the research lab. He figured that if he had a few more bouts of diarrhea, he wouldn't even have the energy to run anymore. And if the virus couldn't be eliminated in time, his life might be in danger. After all, he wasn't a young man and couldn't withstand several waves of diarrhea like this.
At this moment, Shan Hongfei hurriedly ran upstairs. When he saw Zhao Qiang, he waved to him and said, "Junior brother, come quickly! The Sixth Vice Premier said that the martial law task in Dongyang City has been handed over to Lieutenant Colonel Yang. You need to tell me what to do right away. There's chaos outside, and our people are about to be overwhelmed."
Yang Shiqi used to be a lieutenant colonel, so Shan Hongfei, who didn't know much about her background, called her that.