Chapter 660

Enshi, Yangyuan Villa.

It had just rained, the air was fresh, the night dark and wooded; after the mountain breeze brushed past, one felt cool all over.

"Professor Fang, this research project has no time limit." Professor Zhou Yan held a teacup, rested it under his chin, blew on it a few times, then took a sip.

"So Professor Fang need not be anxious; I merely hope Professor Fang can locate the mutation factor as soon as possible — early discovery, early resolution, prevention before it happens."

There has been a precedent before.

In 1953, a fishing village near Minamata Bay in Japan saw the spread of an unknown central nervous system disease, temporarily named "Minamata Disease."

In 1965, Minamata Disease also occurred in the Agano River area of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. In September 1968, the Japanese government confirmed that Minamata Disease was caused by people's long-term consumption of aquatic products rich in methylmercury.

The aquatic products in Minamata Bay were rich in methylmercury because a nitrogen fertilizer plant, during its production process, discharged wastewater containing large amounts of mercury into the bay, causing severe mercury contamination of the bay's water, sediment, and organisms.

Mercury contamination has now become common knowledge; every country will calmly govern it — there may be insufficient governance, but they absolutely will not sit by and do nothing.

However, before it was confirmed to be mercury contamination, no one knew that mercury contamination caused "Minamata Disease."

This time, it is the same.

First there was the phenomenon of cancer clusters; one must infer and search for the underlying cause based on the phenomenon — this is not something that can be done overnight.

Currently, the carcinogenic factors recorded worldwide are already very mature; to find a new mutation factor within such a mature system — how could it be easy?

"Thank you for your understanding, Professor Zhou..." Fang Ziye lightly cupped his fists.

"Professor Fang, I myself come from a clinical background and have also been involved in research; I could never issue a military order or the like to you, Professor Fang."

"Speaking of it, the Disease Control Department can only discover phenomena; to truly handle and research this phenomenon, one still has to depend on research departments!"

"If it were a routine exceedance phenomenon, perhaps a general testing department could detect it, but we have sent samples many times, all using random sampling, and none showed any problem."

"We tracked it for nearly three months before we dared to guess boldly that this might be a new 'carcinogen' — so it's impossible to establish a safety baseline!" Zhou Yan explained, setting down his teacup before explaining.

"You've worked hard, Professor Zhou." Fang Ziye, scanning Zhou Yan up and down, silently added the four words "unknown and unheard-of" in his heart.

According to Professor Liu Huanglong, if Professor Zhou Yan had thrown all his energy into clinical work, he would likely have long since made a name for himself in hand surgery; even now, if he isn't the National Vice Chairman of Hand Surgery, he would at least be one of the Standing Committee Members.

Yet Professor Zhou Yan chose a rather unconventional path, a relatively unknown and unheard-of route...

"Actually I don't like this job much either; it's pretty monotonous. I also quite like doing surgery. At first I was just dragged into this pit, but as I did it, I instead found this job not bad."

"It's just that someone suggested I go full-time, and I didn't agree; I still occasionally go back to do a few surgeries."

Zhou Yan shook his head: "What I do now offends people a lot — offends locals, offends enterprises, offends local governments; it may cut off their financial path, and even local residents think we're deliberately making things hard for enterprises..."

"If one day I really can't get by anymore, at least there's a way out."

"The Military Region Yangyuan counts as one of the testing institutions that hasn't been contaminated." Professor Zhou Yan suddenly said this.

Fang Ziye was startled upon hearing this; the implication was that other testing institutions, even functional departments, might all be "contaminated"?

Fang Ziye did not pursue the question; do good deeds, don't ask about the future.

He couldn't control how others did things; Fang Ziye only wanted to do his own things well.

He himself had gone out traveling for nearly a month; Professor Zhou Yan had already finalized the cooperation details with Dean Chen Song.

Chen Song certainly didn't need to report anything to Fang Ziye.

It's just doing the most basic experiments; then just do them...

Professor Zhou Yan couldn't possibly stay stationed at the sanatorium; he wanted the sanatorium to provide technical support, and Dean Chen Song also hoped the research area could have a better platform — the two hit it off immediately.

After seeing Professor Zhou Yan off, Professor Fang Zhikuan, whether intentionally or not, wandered over to the doorway of Fang Ziye's villa courtyard.

Professor Fang Zhikuan's tone was rather thick: "Group Leader Fang hasn't rested yet?"

"Professor Fang, Professor Zhou Yan just sat here for a while; I was seeing him off. Professor Fang, can't you sleep?" Fang Ziye turned his head and asked with a smile.

Fang Zhikuan walked a few steps forward: "Professor Fang, do you know that during the time you went out to play, Boss Chen got entangled in quite deep trouble?"

"If it weren't for Dean Chen Song, he'd probably have gone straight in by now." Fang Zhikuan's tone was low, his words shocking.

Fang Ziye's eyes instantly flashed: "What do you mean by this?"

In Eastern Han, no matter how big Chen Guangbai built his company, he couldn't match Old Master Chen Song's status in Eastern Han, because Old Dean Chen Song's achievements were not merely a matter of jianghu status.

He was akin to a launch-day player.

One could say as long as Chen Song doesn't jump around recklessly seeking death, no one would make things difficult for Chen Song.

But as long as Chen Guangbai dares to make a mistake, and without Chen Song as his father, there are many people who could crush him.

"Professor Fang, please come inside!" Fang Ziye hurriedly said.

There were mosquitoes outside; mosquito coils were lit in the courtyard; Fang Ziye still had to go brew a fresh pot of tea.

After Luo Tingzhu returned, she immediately burrowed into the laboratory to rush experimental progress, acting like a top-tier involution girl.

After the tea was "served" properly, Professor Fang Zhikuan also organized his words: "Anyway, the most obvious impact is that starting this month, our sanatorium will probably have to cut salaries; some extra bonuses probably won't be paid out."

Fang Ziye knew this point; previously Chen Song and Chen Guangbai's relationship was unusual; a portion of Chen Guangbai's company's monthly profits would flow into the sanatorium.

Such a huge company — even if just a little bit flowed in, it would raise everyone's treatment a little bit.

"Professor Fang, you'd better stop beating around the bush — what exactly is the matter?"

"Is it that serious?" Fang Ziye pressed.

Actually, Chen Guangbai's company had some issues with its setup; Fang Ziye had long seen the signs; perhaps Chen Guangbai himself also knew.

But there was no way; Chen Guangbai's company scale was so large it had already exceeded Chen Guangbai's original expectations and surpassed the range he himself could control.

The events that happened in Enshi in recent years might also happen in other places.

Plus, in recent years Chen Guangbai has been buying patents everywhere and developing products; his stall is definitely getting bigger and bigger.

And if it's not managed well, trouble is just a matter of time.

Professor Fang Zhikuan shook his head: "I don't know about distant matters; Guangbai Group's scale is quite large, sales channels numerous — it's a major enterprise among our Eastern Han domestic medical devices."

"But in Enshi, recently several unpleasant things have happened; I wonder if Professor Fang has any interest in listening to me ramble a few sentences."

Fang Zhikuan was purely eating melons.

Fang Ziye was happy to relax: "Professor Fang, how about we take the tea inside, eat some melons and fruits while we're at it?"

"That works too." Fang Zhikuan picked up his teacup, while Fang Ziye carried the tray, teapot and all, into the room.

When Fang Zhikuan mentioned names from longer ago — Yuanhong Medical, Li Cong, Huang Kai, Pang Hong, and the others — Fang Ziye's long-dormant memories were stirred awake once more.

That was two years ago, when Fang Ziye came to Enshi for "tempering."

It started when Pang Hong discovered that Yuanhong Medical was injecting "bacteria" into Infection Surgery's surgical patients, then selling antibiotics.

After Pang Hong found out, he was framed and imprisoned, and then Yuanhong Medical shifted most of its focus to pressuring Li Cong.

Huang Kai's wife and Li Cong's wife were best friends; on their way to a prenatal checkup together, Yuanhong Medical's people took a desperate gamble — one corpse, multiple lives.

Later, Pang Hong could bear it no longer and made a major move; Li Cong even performed a live autopsy on the spot and filmed it.

Kai Ye, who was very close to Fang Ziye, also fell from the upstairs during the shoving...

In the end, it was still Master-Uncle Shen Tao from the Provincial People's Hospital who secretly rushed back to Han City with the relevant evidence and reported it upward, clearing their names.

"Professor Fang, wasn't this a long time ago?" Fang Ziye did not mention that he had personally participated in the rescue of both Li Cong and Huang Kai back then.

Fang Zhikuan nodded: "By rights it is an old matter, but this affair doesn't hold up to close scrutiny! ~"

"Recently, someone came to investigate again, and they even entered our sanatorium."

"Professor Fang, surely you understand — that Yuanhong Medical in Enshi, they couldn't possibly have the technical level to refine comparatively pure bacteria, right?"

"Let alone such standard sensitive strains?"

Fang Zhikuan pointed at the research area next door.

Fang Ziye felt his scalp explode in that instant.

Fang Ziye had never thought in this direction —

Yes, Fang Ziye wasn't an investigator, much less a researcher; such a huge loophole, and he himself hadn't spotted it.

To refine extremely pure bacteria, only a national key laboratory has that capability; an ordinary medical device company simply cannot do it.

Fang Ziye swallowed several mouthfuls of saliva and asked: "So, Professor Fang, you suspect Dean Chen and Boss Chen knew? And even cooperated?"

Fang Zhikuan shook his head: "I can't say about that, because our sanatorium's research area indeed has no microbiology strain storage room! ~"

"It's just that the research area is quite large, and the higher-ups suspect the sanatorium colluded with Yuanhong Medical."

"So they sent people to investigate. They're still investigating now..."

Speaking here, Fang Zhikuan sighed, looking rather regretful: "If this turns out to be true, we'll all have to scatter, each going back where they came from."

Fang Ziye said: "That shouldn't be right? With the sanatorium's monthly funding scale, they wouldn't stoop to this little money, would they?"

In the sanatorium's clinical residential area, the chief physician professors alone number over thirty, each with a monthly salary around 100,000; there are over a hundred associate professors and deputy chief physicians at 40,000 to 50,000; the research side's facilities are even grander than this side.

The subsidies paid out every month run into tens of thousands.

An Infection Surgery department in Enshi — the whole department's annual turnover is estimated at only two or three months' salary, profit at most forty percent.

Unless Chen Song was bored out of his mind, he wouldn't pull this kind of bullshit.

Moreover, the cost of purifying bacteria is estimated to be even higher than the cost of selling antibiotics, unless they purified a very large quantity of sensitive bacteria in one go.

"That's exactly the logic."

"So they came to interrogate, rather than directly taking Dean Chen Song away for questioning..." Fang Zhikuan gently shook his head.

"I need to have Tingzhu come back early." Fang Ziye finished thinking and immediately spoke.

Hearing this, Fang Zhikuan soothed: "Professor Fang, it won't come to that; the sanatorium's research labs have massive investment, just the cultured cells alone are very valuable, they won't take people away arbitrarily, and they won't detain anyone."

"The sanatorium's rule is, in principle, a rotation every half year, so we're all later arrivals; the incident happened two years ago, they won't make things difficult for us newcomers."

"The targets are the old guard administrators like Dean Chen Song and Director Song Libo."

As Professor Fang Zhikuan spoke to this point, a security guard jogged in from the doorway, reaching Fang Ziye's courtyard gate.

"Professor Fang, Professor Fang, there are two people outside asking to see you."

"Who?" Fang Ziye stepped forward and asked.

"One is called Huang Kai, one is called Zhang Yu. Will you see them?"

"If not, I'll send them away." This time it was Wang Youshui, also a guard, quite familiar with Fang Ziye.

Fang Ziye's brows furrowed slightly: "Trouble you to invite them in."

"I still have a guest here."

With Kai Ye's arrival, if Professor Fang Zhikuan weren't here, he should have gone to the gate to receive him personally, but now he has to handle Professor Fang Zhikuan.

"Professor Fang has an acquaintance visiting?" Fang Zhikuan asked after Fang Ziye re-entered.

Fang Ziye nodded: "Yes, Professor Fang, a few friends from Enshi."

"Professor Fang, why don't you go rest first? We can chat about today's matter slowly later?"

Fang Zhikuan then stood up.

He came only to explain this situation to Fang Ziye — if the sanatorium's stall collapses, what about their collaborative projects.

But this kind of thing isn't urgent.

Fang Ziye saw Fang Zhikuan to the door, and there he saw the anxious, wide-mouthed Kai Ye, and the "Zhang Yu" he had seen before, only ever lying down like a hero.

"Kai Ye, why did you come so late?" Fang Ziye hurriedly opened the door, ushering Huang Kai inside.

Huang Kai didn't stand on ceremony with Fang Ziye, striding in with quick steps.

Once inside Fang Ziye's villa, Huang Kai immediately said: "I only found out two days ago when I called Gu Yi that the sanatorium had an incident."

"Right, when I came to the sanatorium for rehab back then, I got to know Dr. Gu." Huang Kai explained.

"This matter seems connected to the events of the past few years, so I hurriedly contacted Zhang Yu to come together, but we couldn't see anyone else at all, so we could only look for you, Professor Fang." Today's Huang Kai no longer had Kai Ye's "indulgence"; facing Fang Ziye he was extremely respectful.

Outsiders may not understand Fang Ziye's prominence, but as a trauma surgery practitioner, Huang Kai had to be more polite.

"Kai Ye, this kind of thing, you and I are both small fry, we don't have a say, do we?" Fang Ziye smiled wryly.

"Kai Ye, Brother Yu, sit inside." Fang Ziye then led the two in, going to fetch teacups and tea leaves anew.

Zhang Yu's expression right now was exceptionally conflicted, his brow flickering with uncertainty.

However, after possibly struggling for a long time, he finally made up his mind: "Professor Fang, Dean Chen is a good person; he has admitted many comrades-in-arms similar to me here! ~"

"He definitely isn't a bad person."

"That incident back then, there was a trap!!!"

Fang Ziye pushed the tea in front of Zhang Yu and Huang Kai, smiling: "Brother Yu, you really overestimate me; you telling me so much actually has no meaning."

"If you feel there's a trap, you should have said so earlier."

"Right now, I actually don't want to hear it." Fang Ziye actively expressed his own meaning.

The current me, although an Associate Professor, does research well.

Actually has no right to speak at all, just a slightly bigger ant; others could pinch me to death with a twist.

But unexpectedly, after Fang Ziye finished speaking, Zhang Yu immediately slapped himself twice across the face, broke down crying: "I'm not a fucking human!"

Huang Kai on the other side was anxious to the point of messy results: "Zhang Yu, just tell Professor Fang the original story; Professor Fang definitely has a way to contact Dean Chen."

Zhang Yu slapped himself twice more with a pa-pa sound, and only then spoke.

"Professor Fang, I'm not human; I admit this first."

"Seven years ago, I don't remember the specific day; I received a phone call; the call only told me, I could go to a certain place and wait to claim credit."

"I went to stand guard with a half-believing, half-doubting attitude, and then really stood guard until Pang Zhu Ren……"

"Even later, I didn't tell this matter; I only said I was on a stakeout with my Colleague! ~"

"Actually it wasn't."

"Recalling now, the person who called us definitely wanted to delay time."

"And then really delayed five years; five years' time, everything can be erased, even framing and setting someone up can be completed."

"I was afraid my merit would be taken away..."

"So I concealed this matter." Zhang Yu said.

Zhang Yu was only later conquered by Dean Chen and the Yangyuan's personal charm; the Yangyuan gave him a chance at a new life; if not because this time the Yangyuan was also implicated, perhaps Zhang Yu would never in his lifetime tell the inside story of this matter.

"Who called you? Why did they call you?" Fang Ziye asked further.

"Don't know." Zhang Yu said.

"He said, go there and you can get merit."

Fang Ziye heard this and rolled his eyes: "So you just went half-believing, half-doubting?"

Fang Ziye is from the Medical Team; he actually leans more toward standing with Pang Hong: "Big Brother, you're a Police officer, but don't forget your nature?"

Jealousy Police are special Police; identity not public, not transparent; absolutely would not go meddle in other cases.

Does arresting Pang Hong fall under Jealousy Police's scope?

No.

Pang Hong doesn't sell drugs, nor use drugs; at most he's just a tricky petitioner household.

"I feel you wouldn't be this unprincipled; it's only possible the person who called you is someone you recognize, and you couldn't push them away."

"For example, your Superior, or your Leader, someone you're familiar with! ~"

"Otherwise a random person calls you and you go? With this logic of yours you couldn't do your current job." Fang Ziye shook his head.

Seeing Zhang Yu had no sincerity, Fang Ziye hastily waved his hand: "Brother Yu, since you don't want to speak, then don't speak; this kind of thing, the more you cover up the more chaotic it gets."

"You and I can't intervene; let's just watch quietly; you do your current duty well, I'll do my surgeries well, be a good doctor; don't add trouble."

If Zhang Yu's speculation is true.

Those who can deal with the Yangyuan inevitably have no small background; how could Fang Ziye deeply involve himself?

Huang Kai was also concerned to the point of confusion; after Fang Ziye carefully analyzed, he turned his head to look at Zhang Yu, increasingly feeling Huang Kai's previous words had loopholes.

You're a fucking Jealousy Police; a stranger's call tells you to go claim credit, and you just went.

With that IQ of yours you'd have long since collected a boxed meal.

Yet you're still alive.

"It was my old Leader!" Zhang Yu finished speaking, lowered his head, and began fiercely hammering his own forehead with his fist.

"After I was injured, Dean Chen personally took my pulse and conditioned my body."

"I didn't expect that concealing these things back then would still cause harm to him."

"The Yangyuan is definitely innocent! ~" Zhang Yu regretted deeply.

Dean Chen's personal charm is indeed strong; not only is his technique strong, he does things very reliably.

Because Fang Ziye has never heard of any Surgery person going to Traditional Chinese Medicine Department for consultation; most are Surgery and Internal Medicine requesting Traditional Chinese Medicine people to come for consultation.

"This is actually a very useful piece of information."

"But, several years have passed; you estimate you've deleted call records and so on by now? A matter from seven years ago?" Fang Ziye sighed.

"I deleted mine, but my Colleague's call records haven't been deleted yet."

"He also received a call! ~" Zhang Yu raised his head.

"But, we dare not give this thing to anyone, except Dean Chen!"

"And Professor Fang you; Professor Fang you also saved my life."

Fang Ziye heard this, narrowed his eyes slightly.

He felt that since he had after all received Dean Chen's kindness, he could still do something.

So he first withdrew, then called Chen Song.

Just didn't expect Chen Song had not been confined, nor had external contact and calls been stopped.

"Ziye." Chen Song's voice sounded slightly fatigued.

"Dean Chen, two people came to my home; one is my old friend, the other is a patient I treated before."

"They said……"

Chen Song heard this, fell silent for a while, and said: "After so long, the things that should have been eliminated were eliminated long ago."

"We definitely won't find any information; even if we trace it back to that person's former superior, it's estimated to be useless as well."

"But it also counts as a feasible attempt."

Chen Song knew very clearly in his heart: if the person who could move against the sanatorium, after seven years, still hasn't finished tying up some details, then he fundamentally doesn't qualify to frame others.

"This matter is already too far in the past; they want to pinpoint our sanatorium but have no substantive evidence, but we definitely can't produce evidence either." Chen Song said.

"Dean Chen, those people who participated before, they must know some details, right? Could it be that not a single person knows the source of the bacteria?" Fang Ziye asked.

"Seven years' time is enough for too many accidents to occur." Chen Song said.

"These original death cases now also have a thousand threads and ten thousand strands of connection with us; will dead men speak?" Chen Song counter-questioned.

Like a mute eating coptis, suffering but unable to voice it.

That is to say, whether now or before, no one wants to escalate this matter.

After all, the matter has already passed.

Then why would it be stirred up again recently? Are there follow-up moves? Or are there moves from outside the game that he himself doesn't understand?

"Sorry, Dean Chen, I thought this news would be useful to you." Fang Ziye said.

"In a bit I'll have Song Libo make a trip to your place." Chen Song also didn't let this detail slip.

(Chapter End)