Chapter 1711: The Showdown Between Two Primate Researchers

Guo Qingbin, in the manner of an elder, inquired with concern about the operations of this private research institute in Territory Seven. "The cost of detoxifying 31-1 is no less than ten million. According to Deputy Director Song, your institute's research funding is severely insufficient. So how do you plan to raise this ten million?"

Zhang San didn't even pause his hand, continuing to tilt his head back and slowly drink water. This movement exposed his slender neck and prominent Adam's apple to everyone present.

In the years of natural disaster, only the absolute weak, or those with absolute confidence who feared no attack whatsoever, would make such a gesture before a crowd. The director of the Territory Seven research institute, Zhang San, who stood at the pinnacle of the human Jin Zita, was clearly the latter.

In the instant he tilted his head back, the top sniper "Student" sitting beside him raised his head, his ability and aura fully unleashed, locking onto every person in the conference room. The experts staring at Zhang San voluntarily looked away, signaling they had no hostile intent.

In the quiet conference room, the sound of Zhang San drinking water was unusually distinct.

Zhang Song, who was chairing the meeting, spoke in grand, dignified fashion. "Maintaining the ecological balance of the Hui-3 Base Evolution Forest was the foremost requirement put forward by the Hui-3 Base Commander when he invested in our institute. 31-1 is not only a vital component of the Hui-3 Evolution Forest's ecological balance, but also an indispensable link in the fierce-beast defense belt of the Hui-3 Evolution Forest against the evolved macaque troops from Hui-6 Base. We have already submitted the funding shortfall to the Base Commander for instructions."

After explaining the funding issue, Zhang Song looked Guo Qingbin straight in the eye, waiting for him to speak. The experts present once again held their breath.

During the most chaotic years of social order following the great changes on Blue Star, Guo Qingbin was the first to step forward and issue a public proposal, calling on the nation to crack down hard on illegal human experimentation. Twenty-three prominent researchers in the country quickly followed suit. This act earned Guo Qingbin an extremely high reputation.

When Blue Star underwent its great transformation, microorganisms evolved at an explosive rate, gravely threatening human survival. To save the lives of hundreds of millions of compatriots, humanity had to shorten the timeline for new drug development, relax new drug approval conditions, and shorten clinical trial cycles. To this end, Guo Qingbin proposed relaxing restrictions on animal experimentation and using evolved primates for new drug trials.

When primate research expert and bioethicist Guo Qingbin put forward this proposal, his eyes were brimming with tears, and it caused an enormous sensation at the time. The state quickly convened relevant seminars and pushed forward twenty-two new pharmaceutical research measures, accelerating the development and market launch of new drugs.

When the Twenty-Two Measures were promulgated, Zhang Song, also a primate research scholar, publicly stated that the Twenty-Two Measures should be further refined, or they might cause irreparable damage.

One sentence from his lengthy speech was later quoted over and over: "The Twenty-Two Measures can accelerate new drug development and save more lives, but the loopholes within them may very well create monsters that endanger human survival."

Because disasters were occurring with such frequency at the time, and every region was busy with relief efforts and rebuilding social order, Zhang Song's remarks did not receive much attention.

It was not until the evolved macaques of Hui-6 escaped from the laboratory and launched a frenzied revenge campaign against humans that Zhang Song's eighth public statement caused an enormous stir online. The "may very well" in his words had already become reality!

The state convened an emergency meeting to revise and improve the Twenty-Two new pharmaceutical research regulations, strengthening the supervision and punishment of illegal animal experimentation.

Now, in the twelfth year of the natural disaster, inside this conference room at Territory Seven, Zhang Song confronted Guo Qingbin directly, putting forward the argument that the reason the Territory Seven research institute had spent a fortune detoxifying the evolved tiger was to defend against attacks by the Hui-6 evolved macaque troops. His intent was crystal clear:

As long as Guo Qingbin responded with a single sentence, today's seminar would turn into a debate between Guo Qingbin and Zhang Song. Two hours wouldn't be enough—give them twenty hours, or twenty days, and they still wouldn't reach a conclusion!

The experts silently stared at Guo Qingbin, hoping he would not speak and waste the precious opportunity they had finally secured to communicate face-to-face with Zhang San.

Guo Qingbin had come this time to find out what new drug Zhang San was testing, not to debate old matters with Zhang Song. So he gave Zhang Song a mild nod and said nothing.

Zhang Song didn't dwell on the matter either, shifting his gaze to Zhang He.

Zhang He picked up his notes again and, unhurriedly, introduced the treatment plan for 31-1.

When she had finally finished her introduction, an expert from Lan-2 immediately raised a hand and asked, "Director Zhang, the water quality of that hot spring in your institute's Experimental Zone Fifty-Mountain is excellent. Do you have any plans regarding the utilization of the hot spring water?"

Zhang San spoke up. "For medical use and the cultivation of premium plants. At the current stage, the priority is the cultivation of X-2 spinach, evolved brook moss, and valerian. The secondary priority is using the charging-nourishment method to enhance the medicinal value of the hot spring water and alleviate the shortage of pollution-free spring water for medical use at Hui-3 Base."

This expert continued to inquire, "Which spring-water charging-nourishment technique does your institute plan to adopt? My institute is conducting related research and has already achieved certain preliminary results. We hope to launch joint research with your institute on this topic."

Zhang San did not refuse outright. "Fourteen research institutions have already sent us joint research applications for this project. My plan is to establish a data-sharing platform for multi-party cooperation and shared results. Within three days, we will issue a joint research proposal on the public platform. If you wish to join, you may sign up."

The expert from Lan-2 had not expected Zhang San to answer his question so seriously. He sincerely thanked him. "Understood. Thank you very much, Director Zhang."

Guo Qingbin had just opened his mouth but had not yet uttered a sound when another expert raised a question about a research project at Territory Seven, followed by a third, and then a fourth expert.

Everyone present was from within the research community. They knew that Guo Qingbin and Zhang San were on poor terms, and they understood even more clearly that Guo Qingbin's nine-day stay at Hui-3 after completing the first batch of inspections was to wait for this opportunity to communicate face-to-face with Zhang San once more.

But this was not his opportunity alone—it was the opportunity of every expert in the second batch entering Territory Seven for inspection. They had already graciously let Guo Qingbin ask the first question; now it was their turn.

Guo Qingbin, who was seated near Zhang San, showed not the slightest trace of impatience on his face. He lowered his head and jotted down the key points of the seminar in his notebook.

Just then, a young researcher from Lan-1 seized the chance to ask, "Director Zhang, I am Jiang Xue from the Pathology Teaching and Research Office at Lan-1 University. My question may be presumptuous; if you find it inconvenient to answer, you may refuse directly: Do you believe there is a connection between Professor Wu's cancer at my institute and the poisoning of experimental subject 31-1?"

After the evolved forest beast 31-1 was confirmed to have been poisoned with gene-targeted cesium-thallium toxin, the question being hotly debated in private across all sectors of Hua Nation had now been brought out into the open by this Lan-1 researcher.

Once again, everyone's gaze converged on Zhang San, hoping this maverick top-tier medical research authority would give a direct answer.