Chapter 17

In a university, especially one with significant achievements in the biological field like Darwin College, finding a biology laboratory is a very simple matter.

Murphy and Rita Levi-Montalcini, whose curiosity had been successfully piqued by him, walked into a laboratory under the guidance of the college dean and several professors.

A professor of cell biology introduced his laboratory; he was also a researcher of nerve cells, and soon, he had several graduate students prepare the experimental materials.

It was a mouse that had the nerve in one of its legs severed.

"I have most of the materials needed for neurobiology here; you can tell me directly if you need anything." Although the professor did not quite believe Murphy's boasting, he was not stingy about providing a little help on a topic that had piqued the interest of a big shot.

Murphy looked around, "The items are very complete, but I guess you might not have this."

As he spoke, he took out a small bottle of essence of dittany he had prepared from his pocket.

"Please fix the mouse's leg, expose the affected area, and rinse it so we can see its severed nerve clearly," Murphy naturally instructed a graduate student.

The female student, who was several years older than Murphy, was stunned for a moment, but under the concerned gazes of the various mentors and professors, she did not dare to raise any objections and honestly did as she was told.

Murphy took a dropper with a serious look, drew out a few drops of the essence of dittany, and dripped it onto the wound.

Murphy was already accustomed to the scene that followed.

Amidst gasps of amazement, everyone watched the wound heal in just a few seconds, the mouse jumping around as if it had never been injured, and they began to discuss the mechanism behind this magical scene intensely.

Rita was also very surprised, "This might indeed be a Nobel-level discovery. What is this substance of yours called, and what is the general cellular mechanism?"

Finally waiting for this question, Murphy shook his head sheepishly, "I don't know what cellular mechanism is involved in this; in fact, this is exactly why I wanted to talk to you today. I discovered this substance, I know its effects, but I still don't understand the logic behind it."

"As for the name of this substance, perhaps some have heard of it. It is Cloud White Medicine."

"Cloud White Medicine, are you talking about that trauma treatment potion that has been making such a stir recently?"

Among the scholars who had followed, there were also those related to medicine, and they had all grown tired of hearing the name Cloud White Medicine these days.

Rita had not heard of White Medicine, but soon someone explained the recent turmoil to her, and the look in her eyes as she looked at Murphy changed, "You say you discovered this substance, who are you? And what is your relationship with that company?"

"You can call me Morpheus Anon. I founded the Umbrella Corporation."

"It seems that today's demonstration is not just a simple academic discussion," Rita said.

Murphy thought for a moment and decided to be honest, "Yes, you have also seen the effects of White Medicine; it can heal trauma in just a few minutes or even seconds, which is something no previous medicine could do. White Medicine has extremely broad application prospects in trauma treatment, first aid, nerve repair, and even medical aesthetics."

"But, the formidable effects of White Medicine have also caused pressure from multiple pharmaceutical companies, they..."

"Wait," Rita interrupted Murphy's long-winded speech, "Do you want me to endorse your medicine?"

Murphy was speechless for a moment, and after a while, he said, "I just want you to be able to verify its effects to prove its immense utility..."

"Has your medicine undergone clinical trials?"

"Not yet, the Medicines Safety Commission is delaying the issuance of clinical permits, but the effects of White Medicine have already been verified by many buyers..."

"Young man," Rita pressed her hands down, seemingly trying to calm Murphy's emotions, "The effects you just demonstrated are indeed very astonishing. Perhaps your medicine has great room for application and also has very great potential for exploration..."

"But, you don't know its working principle," Rita said, "It is a black box to you and everyone who uses it."

"Its effects, perhaps as you wish, are due to an extremely stable and effective biochemical mechanism and will not cause any rejection or adverse reactions in anyone."

"But, countless lessons in history tell us that when we use things indiscriminately before we can understand them, it often leads to many unexpected tragedies."

"I am one of the discoverers of growth factors; growth factors can promote cell development, repair, and regeneration, which sounds like a very good thing. But do you know that it can also promote the growth of cancer cells, and it does so much more than it promotes normal cells, and it may even lead to the birth of cancer cells."

"Only seeing the benefits of a thing while ignoring its potential risks is not what a researcher should do."

"I'm sorry, young man. Perhaps you can consider waiting until the medicine has undergone clinical verification before putting it on the market."

When Murphy heard this, he knew he had failed.

From the perspective of scientific rigor, her words were very reasonable and impossible to refute.

Rita Levi-Montalcini was a scientist, and even from the perspective of being responsible for her own academic reputation, she could not easily endorse anything that had not been fully verified.

Rita prepared to leave after speaking, but Murphy was still somewhat unwilling, "Don't you want to know the treatment principle behind White Medicine? You yourself said this is a Nobel-level discovery!"

Rita had already reached the door of the laboratory, and upon hearing this, she paused and said, "Young man, I am already seventy-eight years old. My energy is not what it used to be, and although I don't want to admit it, my scientific research career is basically over."

"I am not Marie Curie; I don't have her talent and luck to win the award twice."

"Giving speeches here and there, telling stories, and enticing young people to enter this profession is about all I can do now."

"However, you are right; I do want to know the principle behind this experiment."

"Although I won't endorse your company and medicine, I might still try to find a way to study it; perhaps this is the risk of being a researcher, our curiosity is never satisfied."

"But you had better not expect an old lady with one foot in the grave to make any amazing achievements."

"I suggest you can chat with the professors here, or if needed, I can also introduce you to a few people; they are all very excellent scholars and should be more helpful to you than I am."

Murphy breathed a sigh of relief; although he hadn't persuaded Rita, if he could trigger a research craze for Cloud White Medicine, it should count as pretty good positive publicity.

"Thank you for your help! I will write to you!" Murphy shouted.

"I look forward to it."

After Rita left, several scholars surrounded Murphy to chat, all wanting some of the original liquid from just now for experimental research.

Murphy agreed to everything, but prepared to only send them some mixed medicine similar to what was on the market after returning.

The secret of the essence of dittany was a huge sum of money; how could he possibly hand it over to others.

He would only provide the real essence of dittany to those researchers who could serve him wholeheartedly after the research institute was built in the future.

And he would also have to sign confidentiality agreements with them.

Hmm... perhaps just signing an agreement wasn't enough, maybe get an Unbreakable Vow or something?

Thinking about these random things in his mind, Murphy was preparing to walk around the university campus again when his brick phone rang.

Amidst the surprised and envious gazes of the students, Murphy took out that black brick, "Hello? Who is it?"

"Mr. Parker, it, it's me, Wood. Mr. Parker? Can you hear me?"

(End of chapter)