Chapter 1393: 1350 Quirky Old Senility

Xianggang, the half-mountain villa area.

Zou Jia Hua looked at the Qin Old Master in front of him, who was talking and talking, then suddenly fell into a deep sleep, and he let out a soft sigh.

He made a gesture, and the butler beside the old friend took out a blanket and covered the old man with it.

Zou Jia Hua stood up and tiptoed out.

"What did the Harmony Nurture Doctor Huo say?" Zou Jia Hua asked.

"It's likely drowsiness caused by Alzheimer's disease." The old butler said softly.

"Are you sure?"

"It should be certain; there's nothing much we can do." The butler said: "The medical records have already been sent to the relevant doctors at Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital, and we're waiting for the consultation results."

"Send me a copy, I'll contact a doctor to see if there's any solution."

"Thank you, Mr. Zou." The butler expressed his gratitude, saw Zou Jia Hua to his car, elegantly watched him drive away, then turned and went back inside.

"The butler let out a soft sigh, turned around, heard a commotion from the room, and hurriedly rushed inside."

"Typhoon! Hard left! Hard left!!" Qin Lu shouted hoarsely, his aged right hand straining to grasp at empty air, his left hand moving irregularly, as if steering, to make the ship he commanded dodge the typhoon's assault.

"Qin's butler quickly directed the Filipina maid to protect Qin Lu, the worry on his face growing ever deeper."

"In medical terms, this is a clinical manifestation of senile dementia, always able to recall certain events from the past that left deep memories."

"The butler knew about this typhoon."

"That was over sixty years ago, when Qin Lu had just turned twenty, in the prime of his youth."

"The Xianggang fleet was transporting goods when it encountered a typhoon; Qin Lu's father went missing in that typhoon, with no word since."

"But it was also this typhoon that made the Xianggang Qin family prosper."

"Other rivals all fell into the water, but Qin Lu managed to survive by luck; together with him, several shiploads of cargo also escaped disaster."

"Those cargos sold for a high price, earning his first pot of gold."

"However, Qin Lu did not stop there; he took out bank loans, continued to expand the fleet's scale, and finally built a vast commercial empire."

"The old master's obsession runs deep; Qin's butler, looking at Qin Lu's aged face, felt a peculiar bitterness in his heart."

"Has he, from then on, gradually lost consciousness, even forgetting himself, remembering only those wild storms of his youth?"

"Perhaps."

"He silently watched Qin Lu toss and turn for nearly half an hour, observing vital signs together with the nearby doctor, until Qin Lu exhausted all his strength and fell into a dazed sleep."

"If it were just ordinary senile dementia, that would be fine, but these nightmares are occurring more and more frequently, each time leaving Qin Lu utterly exhausted."

"Whether it's a maritime disaster, a car accident, or a major acquisition in the stock market, each time it is some unforgettable fragment from his tortuous, extraordinary life."

"This is the old master's obsession, Qin's butler thought to himself."

"After all, he is over eighty; tormenting himself like this, desperately squeezing every ounce of energy from his body, will greatly shorten his lifespan."

"Qin's butler silently covered Qin Lu with a blanket, turned off the light, and kept watch in the darkness."

"Just as he has done for many years."

"……"

"……"

"In Zou Jia Hua's car, Zou Yu, dressed in a black evening gown, asked softly: \"How serious is Mr. Qin's condition? \""

"\"Mm. \" Zou Jia Hua nodded and said: \"I went in and sat for half an hour; he was talking and talking, then fell asleep with no warning. \""

"\"Then the other members of the Qin family really can't hold things together. \" Zou Yu said, somewhat worried."

"\"I've made preparations, but it would be better if the old master didn't die. His descendants—only Qin Tang shows any promise; the others are useless. \" Zou Jia Hua said."

"\"Then…\" Zou Yu hesitated, then probed."

"\"Contact Zheng Lao Ban first thing tomorrow. \" Zou Jia Hua said: \"Ask him if he has any good ideas. \""

"\"It's senile dementia; no matter how skilled Doctor Zheng is, he can't fix it. \" Zou Yu did not accept Zou Jia Hua's words."

"\"Seeing Zheng Lao Ban at least once—he's the best doctor I've ever met. I've cooperated with the Qin Old Master for many years; this is also the last bit of effort I can muster. \" Zou Jia Hua said, raising his wine glass toward the beach outside the window, as if celebrating a victory."

"Having cooperated with the Qin family for many years, if Qin Lu were to die, none of the others could hold things together."

"When the time comes, several children and grandchildren will fight over the inheritance, to our delight, and most of the former foundation will end up cheaply in our hands."

"Zou Yu smiled."

"She knows what her father is thinking."

"This kind of old-age illness—how could Zheng Lao Ban possibly cure it!"

"Having achieved his wish and left no stray thoughts, may the Qin Old Master recover!"

"\"Alright. \" Zou Yu noted the matter: \"Tomorrow I'll contact Zheng Lao Ban and have him make a trip. \""

"\"Zou Jia Hua's hand paused slightly, and he said: \"Go pick him up. \"\""

"\"Okay. \""

"Although hiring a private jet for the trip is costly, for the Zou family it's not a big deal."

"The previous resolution of the Heart Ion Channel Disease and the affair of Mayo Clinic's visiting professorship led Zou Jia Hua to decide to maintain a good relationship with Zheng Lao Ban."

"After all, seeing a doctor is extremely subjective; they see something and say they don't understand—who can do anything about it?"

"Since it concerns life and death, Zou Jia Hua dares not be careless."

"……"

"……"

"Zheng Ren heard the task prompt and glanced at the System Panel."

"【Emergent Task: Memories in Dust."

"Task Content: Complete the diagnosis and treatment of Qin Lu's illness in Xianggang."

"Task Duration: 2 months."

Mission reward: 100,000 experience points, 5,000 skill points, Master-level skill tree ×1, reputation +1.

Huh? This mission is interesting.

Two months of mission time, almost equivalent to a main line quest.

If it could be finished early, it would save a lot of surgical training time. But Zheng Ren knows the system gave no hints; with so much time left, the mission must be especially hard—it won't let him solve it in a single night.

Big Pig Trotter is really hateful, not giving any hint at all. Zheng Ren sighed. He went to the System Space, clicked to buy surgical training time, but there was still no hint, so he reluctantly backed out.

Surgical training time is precious; Zheng Ren is becoming more and more like a miser, unwilling to waste even a bit.

Xianggang, Qin Lu—Zheng Ren's heart stirred.

Sounds like that Qin family, quite famous. Qin Lu's elder built many schools on the mainland, which is already thoughtful.

Getting out of bed, Zheng Ren opened his laptop and went online to look for related news.

Someone like Qin Lu, a celebrity, though information is tightly guarded, still leaks. Online info is scarce but bizarre. Zheng Ren ultimately couldn't tell what had happened, so he shut the computer and lay back down.

Looking at the mission time of two months on the system panel, Zheng Ren's mouth almost watered.

Sigh, I don't know when I'll be able to finish this mission.

The next day, Zheng Ren went to have breakfast as usual, then went to 912.

"Boss, Zou Jia Hua's call—he says he wants you to go to Xianggang to see a patient." Su Yun took the call from Zou Yu, her expression a bit odd.

"Urgent? If not, just wait." Zheng Ren replied indifferently.

Normally, the patients Zou Jia Hua asks me to see aren't acute cases. Xianggang's medical standard is high; maybe they're worried there's a problem and want me to take another look.

Just that Big Pig Trotter gave two months—likely tough, plus I've got a lot on my plate here; Zheng Ren wants to go, but is willing yet unable, so he can only say it somewhat glumly.

"They say the Qin family elder has senile dementia." Su Yun laughed: "Boss, if you could cure this disease, you'd surely win a Nobel Prize."

"Can't treat it." Zheng Ren answered bluntly, silently cursing Big Pig Trotter. "Senile dementia, you're making me finish this mission? I might as well win another Nobel Prize."

"Fine, then let's not waste time here. I'll reply that you've got something big going on and can't come over." Su Yun also knew Zheng Ren has been busy lately, and Doctor Mei Ha'er still has surgery to do.

No matter how much consultation fee one gets from going to Xianggang to see the Zou or Qin families, it's not as important as getting on good terms with the Nobel Prize judges.

Su Yun understands this.

"We should still look at the medical record, just in case the diagnosis is wrong." Su Yun said with a smile.

That's just idle talk. The symptoms and course of senile dementia are typical; giving a misdiagnosis is also quite difficult.

Of course, it's normal if other geriatric conditions are comorbid.

I guess Zou Jia Hua wants me to check for other geriatric ailments, to let the Qin elder live a few more days.