Chapter 2550: 2458 Two Doors (Alliance Leader Wind Sand Sky Dance Bonus Chapter 3)

One hour ago, Lafusen had just rushed to the Stockholm Karolinska Medical Institute.

Returning from the Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea, UK, to Sweden, it originally shouldn't have taken this long. But last night a storm delayed the journey, and he rushed anxiously, making it to the venue at the last minute.

Besides him, the 49 Swedish Medical University review experts had already started to feel anxious. Time was too tight; in the final hour, if any trouble arose, even the website's announcement of the Nobel Prize winners could be affected.

This would be an unbearable burden for the global spotlight and for the Nobel Prize.

Out of respect for Review Committee Chairperson Doctor Lavesen, no one questioned him, but the venue was filled with whispered discussions.

Doctor Mei Ha'er sat quietly in his seat, watching Lafusen come to preside over this evaluation despite his illness, and found it somewhat amusing.

Over the years, the review committee has encountered many unexpected things.

For example, when several evenly matched projects each lobbied a subset of the reviewers, leading to a deadlock; or when the previous committee chair, ignoring vehement opposition, persuaded a subset of reviewers to deny organ transplantation eligibility for the Nobel Prize.

These are all in the past, all history. The well‑traveled review committee members had never seen anyone conduct the awards while breathing oxygen on site, never once, let alone Doctor Lavesen presiding over the meeting while on oxygen.

Because of his age and health, reviewers who cannot cope may apply to be absent, but Lafusen expressed his determination through action.

Even after the organizing committee began urging and the other awards had already started notifying winners by phone, the meeting chaired by Lafusen continued to proceed tensely.

After the committee's preliminary screening, few items made it onto the Nobel Assembly's list. In previous years there were often 20‑30 items, but this year only 12 items reached the final review.

In the past, the Nobel Assembly's debates were intensely fierce, often taking two or three days to balance all interests. Yet this year's review was surprisingly simple, each item passing smoothly without a ripple.

The doors were closed; no one knew what was happening inside. Every review process is kept secret, as tradition dictates.

Following Doctor Lavesen's assistant and two doctors also waited outside the meeting room; the assistant was somewhat worried, pacing back and forth. Each time he thought about knocking, he hesitated for a long time, finally giving up in defeat.

Because of Doctor Lavesen's persistence, he rushed anxiously and managed to arrive at the venue at the last minute. Time was already tight; there could be no delay.

Another acquaintance patted his shoulder and struck up a conversation.

"Alexander, you look like a cat in heat—what's wrong with you?"

Doctor Lavesen's assistant Alexander Hamilton had no mood for small talk, and said anxiously: "Fu'er, the doctor had his chest tube removed yesterday; along the way his feeling of chest tightness and shortness of breath has been worsening. I'm worried he won't be able to hold out—if he passes out…"

"My God!" the person exclaimed in surprise: "Why not hold a video conference from his hospital bed? With today's technology, there's absolutely no need for Doctor Lavesen to come in person."

Alexander Hamilton sighed; some things simply cannot be said.

Why must Doctor Lavesen come in person to chair the meeting? He has always stayed by the doctor's side and knows everything that has happened.

Besides that young, arrogant doctor far away in the capital, who else could it be!

This is the doctor's way of showing respect—whether to that arrogant doctor far away in the capital, or to the great clan lurking like a prehistoric crocodile beneath the iceberg, respect must be shown.

But… Hamilton sighed; the doctor risking his life to do this—isn't it a bit excessive?

Doctor Lavesen's condition is not good; he is still on oxygen. Although not a doctor, Hamilton, having listened to the two doctors' conversation along the way, still has some understanding of the doctor's condition.

The doctors estimated pleural effusion, with the fluid compressing the lungs and causing breathing difficulty. An urgent ultrasound to locate it is needed, then the fluid should be drained via puncture to relieve the symptoms.

But time is so tight; a storm in the English Channel forced the doctor to rush nonstop to the venue.

He anxiously stared at the tightly shut meeting room doors, his heart racing, Hamilton had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.

Hope, hope the voting ends soon—no matter who wins this year's Nobel Prize.

"Alexander, relax a bit, there won't be any problem." Fu'er comforted the anxious Alexander Hamilton.

But the comfort was useless; the power of words is so pale in the face of pleural effusion and breathing difficulty.

Time ticked by second by second; the tightly closed doors were like an airtight lead door in an operating room, utterly still.

Unlike an operating room, here there is no lead glass to look inside, so no one knows what is happening in the venue.

Gazing at the shut doors, Alexander Hamilton was as anxious as a patient's family member, pacing back and forth while his eyes remained fixed on the doors.

Behind Hamilton, the two doctors had already prepared for emergency response, carrying their first‑aid kits, ready to rush in the moment the doors opened.

After who knows how long, the heavy doors opened silently, and the secretary taking the minutes rushed out.

Alexander Hamilton had been watching the doors; he rushed in at the first moment.

The two collided, and blood poured from their noses.

Without stopping for the secretary's complaints, Hamilton covered his nose and rushed straight to Doctor Lavesen beside the podium.

The doctor's breathing was rapid, his lips slightly bluish; oxygen seemed unable to enter the bloodstream, making any amount inhaled useless.

Hamilton called the two doctors, and, racing against time, pushed Doctor Lavesen out to prepare for draining the pleural fluid.

As they were about to leave, he faintly saw Doctor Mei Ha'er in the front row raise a hand, as if blessing Doctor Lavesen.

The venue was very quiet, unlike past years when, after the Nobel Prize winners were announced, some were joyful while others were furious.

Watching Doctor Lavesen being pushed out and the secretary rushing off to make a call, everyone remained seated in their original spots, silent.

Everything that has happened recently, especially today's review, needs to be properly digested by everyone.

The times have changed; this is a thought shared by everyone.

One door opened, but another door remained tightly shut.