Chapter 123: Summer Father Falls Ill

The minor incident of team building was like a stone cast into a lake; once the ripples faded, Qin Feng's focus swiftly returned to the core affairs of Luocheng. Investigations into the Prometheus Foundation and Liu Shiyin continued covertly and intensively, while the North America branch's operations gradually stabilized.

Yet fate's ripples always seemed to rise unexpectedly.

That day, Qin Feng was reviewing an analysis report on recent developments at Chuangsheng Technology when his encrypted line suddenly received a call from a domestic number he had nearly forgotten—Xia Wanqing.

Xia Wanqing, another classmate from his university days and Lin Wan'er's former best friend, was lively and bold, seemingly from a well-off family, and had vanished from contact after graduation. Why was she calling now?

Qin Feng frowned slightly and answered the call.

"Hello? Is… is Qin Feng?" On the other end, Xia Wanqing's voice was thick with nasal congestion and unmistakable panic, tinged with sobs—utterly unlike the bright, vibrant girl he remembered.

"It's me. Wanqing? What's wrong?" Qin Feng asked calmly.

"Qin Feng… sob… my father… my father…" Xia Wanqing's emotions shattered, she could barely speak, "He was diagnosed with a serious illness… the doctors said… said he might… might not have much time left…"

Qin Feng's heart sank. Though he had never been close to Xia Wanqing, hearing such news stirred a pang of compassion.

"Don't panic. Take your time. What illness does your father have? Which hospital is he in?"

"It's… primary liver cancer, advanced stage… it's already spread… " Xia Wanqing choked out, "At Peking Union Medical College Hospital… we've consulted many specialists, used the best drugs, but… but nothing worked… the doctors said… maybe only a few months left…"

Her voice brimmed with despair and helplessness. Advanced liver cancer with metastasis… it was virtually a death sentence.

"Qin Feng… I know… I know it's sudden to come to you like this… but… but I have no other choice… " Xia Wanqing's voice pleaded humbly, "I heard… I heard your Qin Feng Pharmaceuticals is developing powerful new anticancer drugs… apparently… apparently with remarkable results… please… could you… could you help my father? Even… even if there's just a sliver of hope…"

So it was for the drug.

Qin Feng instantly understood. Qin Feng Pharmaceuticals had risen to prominence in the industry with several highly effective targeted therapies and immunotherapies, especially in cancer treatment. Though no curative drug had yet been officially launched, the existing ones far surpassed comparable products on the market and were seen by many terminal patients as their last hope. Xia Wanqing had clearly heard these rumors and, with nowhere else to turn, had come to him.

Qin Feng fell silent for a moment.

Publicly, Qin Feng Pharmaceuticals' new drugs were still in clinical trials and approval stages, bound by strict usage protocols and procedures—impossible to provide arbitrarily to individuals.

Personally, he had no deep ties to Xia Wanqing, let alone any obligation.

But…

Listening to the desperate, helpless sobs of a daughter pleading for her father's life, Qin Feng's heart was not made of stone. He remembered his own mother's illness, and the helplessness he had felt then. He remembered the hopeful eyes of the children at Chenxi Orphanage.

With great power comes great responsibility. This was no empty phrase.

He possessed medical technology far beyond his time—could he truly stand by and watch a life that might be saved slip away because of rules and the excuse of "shallow acquaintance"?

"Wanqing, don't cry yet." Qin Feng's voice was steady, radiating calm assurance, "Send me all of your father's medical records and test reports to my encrypted email. I need to review the situation first."

"Really?! Thank you! Qin Feng! Thank you!" Xia Wanqing clung to this lifeline, babbling thanks.

"Don't thank me. I can't promise anything, but I'll do my best." Qin Feng's tone was calm, "Remember—keep this quiet."

"I know! I know! I'll send it right away!"

Shortly after hanging up, a detailed electronic medical record arrived in Qin Feng's encrypted email.

He immediately forwarded the data to Su Jin and initiated a video call.

"Dr. Su, please review this case. Patient: Xia Wenyuan. Advanced primary liver cancer with multiple metastases…" Qin Feng summarized briefly.

On the video screen, Su Jin, still in her white lab coat, her face cool and expressionless, swiftly scanned the medical records and imaging data, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

"The situation is grim." Su Jin spoke bluntly, "Liver function is severely compromised, cancer cells are widely disseminated. Conventional treatments are truly beyond saving."

"Our lab is optimizing the Cell-Oriented Repair Inducer (a simplified civilian version of Gene Optimization Fluid). Theoretically, it could induce regeneration of healthy liver cells and precisely eliminate metastatic cancer cells—but…" Su Jin paused, "It's still in late-stage animal trials, stability remains unverified, human use carries enormous risk, and… it hasn't undergone any ethical review."

Risk, regulations, ethics… these were the stark realities before him.

Qin Feng stared at the shocking images on screen, thinking for a moment.

"What if… I personally request you attempt a 'Compassionate Use'?" Qin Feng spoke slowly, "I will bear full responsibility."

Su Jin lifted her head, gazing through the screen at Qin Feng, her clear eyes seeming to pierce through his intentions. After a long silence, she said, "Theoretically, if the patient and family sign the strictest possible informed consent forms, and I personally monitor the administration in a fully isolated environment… it could be attempted. But success rate—I cannot guarantee. It may be below thirty percent. And if it fails, or if uncontrollable side effects occur…"

"I understand." Qin Feng interrupted her, "We do our part. The rest is fate. We cannot abandon even a sliver of hope out of fear of risk."

He made his decision.

"Prepare one dose of the Inducer. I'll arrange a completely reliable medical team and an isolated ward. Come as soon as possible."

"Understood." Su Jin did not ask further, answering cleanly and decisively.

After ending the call, Qin Feng rubbed his temples.

This was another violation of protocol. For the father of a classmate he barely knew, deploying an immature, high-risk experimental drug—was it worth it?

He didn't know.

But he knew that if he turned away, he could never live with himself.

This, perhaps, was the weight of choice he must now bear—after gaining the system, after wielding such power.

He picked up the phone and began deploying.

A secret race against death, skirting the edge of rules, quietly began.

Far away, in a hospital room at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Xia Wanqing, clutching her father's emaciated hand, her tear-filled eyes still wet, did not yet know that this desperate call would unleash a miracle—or a storm—a matter of life and death.