Chapter 1716: Jiao Duo's Other Mission

Inside the command room, Zhang Song, the plenipotentiary representative of Territory Seven and the P3-level laboratory emergency commander, nodded in salute to Jiao Duo, then asked, "In your judgment, how long before Professor Guo can wake and submit to questioning?"

Zhang Song's wording and tone laid bare the displeasure of Territory Seven—or rather, the entire Hui-Three Base—over Guo Qingbin's violation of the symposium agreement, his earth-shattering scream that had caused Zhang San to lose consciousness.

In this matter, Guo Qingbin was indeed at fault first. As the lead expert of the medical team, Jiao Duo did not want to get involved in the investigation and assignment of responsibility for this incident, and only answered Zhang Song's question truthfully:

"Given Professor Guo's current depth of metabolic suppression, brainstem reflexes are expected to appear in roughly twelve hours, and cortical awakening will require at least twenty-four to forty-eight hours—assuming no secondary complications. After he wakes, a comprehensive assessment of the damage to his foundational cerebral neural network architecture must be conducted before we can determine whether he possesses the cognitive function to undergo formal questioning."

Jiao Duo's assessment matched those of the two neurology specialists in the command room, one from Gui-One and one from Lan-Five.

Zhang Song nodded, pulled up the EEG of Guo Qingbin taken after Jiao Duo administered medication, and pointed to the abnormal wave bands as he asked, "Director Jiao, this combination pattern of hypersynchronized high-amplitude slow waves interspersed with gamma bursts is not recorded in the primate neuropathology database. Have you performed a brain examination on Professor Guo before? Is this a marker of acute brain injury, or Professor Guo's original characteristic brainwave?"

The two medical experts beside him turned their heads toward Jiao Duo at the same time, waiting for his answer.

This was an unpublished evolution type—the characteristic brainwave of a same-frequency evolver; of course it was not recorded in the public case database.

However, Guo Qingbin was lying in a sickroom of Territory Seven, and his characteristic brainwave had already been seen by nearly a hundred experts from various bases, and had been recorded by surveillance. It would soon be disseminated and studied; Guo Qingbin's same-frequency evolution ability could not be concealed for more than a few days.

Therefore, Jiao Duo faced Zhang Song's searchlight-like gaze with equanimity and gave an indirect but clear reply: "I'm sorry, I cannot answer that question."

Jiao Duo did not say he was unable to judge, but that he "could not"—meaning he was bound by some rule and could not directly tell Zhang Song it was the latter.

Based on this, it could be inferred that Guo Qingbin very likely possessed a hidden brain-domain evolution ability, and his sudden clutching of his head and screaming in the conference room should have been a side effect triggered by using that hidden ability.

Jiao Duo did not want to continue this topic, and applied to Commander Zhang Song: "Director Song, as the chief expert of this cross-base medical assistance, I need to confirm Professor Fu's condition on site and assess the interaction risk between the two professors."

As commander, Zhang Song could not refuse Jiao Duo's reasonable request, but for San-ge's safety, he could not let him into the monitoring room. His brain domain spun at high speed, and he quickly formulated the optimal response—simply flip the table!

"Professor Fu Tianfeng, the director of my institute, is an outstanding expert who has received the Blue Star Disaster Resistance Outstanding Contribution Award three times and the Hua Nation Disaster Resistance Outstanding Contribution Award six times during the twelve years of heavenly tribulations, and is also a special talent under state protection. Based on the abnormal brainwaves that appeared in Guo Qingbin after medication and your answer just now, it can be preliminarily confirmed that Guo Qingbin possesses an offensive brain-domain evolution ability, and used this ability to attack Professor Fu, causing him to fall into a state of severe coma. And you…"

Zhang Song looked Jiao Duo straight in the eye, his attitude unmistakable: "are a person aware of Guo Qingbin's hidden ability, and may know the method of using, triggering, or controlling this ability. Accordingly, during the period when Professor Fu is in a state of neural zero-tolerance, I have decided to suspend your direct medical authority over Professor Fu."

Everyone in the room held their breath, following the exchange between Zhang Song and Jiao Duo with eyes or ears.

"I have no objection to your decision, but I have also been assigned a task: to confirm Professor Fu's condition with my own eyes, not through a camera." After saying this, Jiao Duo directly showed Zhang Song the PDF mission notice bearing a red seal that he had received on his phone.

"The Special Talent Security Bureau of the National Academy of Sciences." Zhang Song read out the name of the institution that had issued the task to Jiao Duo, and replied to Jiao Duo's request: "As the deputy director of the Territory Seven Research Institute and the commander handling this emergency, I indeed have no authority to restrict you from carrying out your mission."

In incidents involving the safety of special talents, the Special Talent Security Bureau possessed the cross-level command authority and compulsory-measures authorization granted by the upper echelons of the Hua Nation.

However, Zhang Song still could not let Jiao Duo approach Zhang San and threaten his safety: "Professor Fu is also a special talent protected by this Bureau. On the grounds that you pose a danger to Professor Fu's safety, I may lodge an objection with the Bureau and apply to replace the person carrying out the mission."

Jiao Duo nodded calmly: "That is your right."

Zhang Song shifted his tone and proposed a compromise: "The Special Talent Security Bureau had you rush 1,100 kilometers here because it considers you the best candidate to provide medical treatment for the two experts. If the person is replaced, the expert executing the mission would need at least three hours to arrive, which may delay the diagnosis and treatment of Professor Fu."

They were all insiders, and Zhang Song had already made his meaning this clear; of course Jiao Duo understood: "Thank you for your trust and understanding. I only need one minute. Please allow me, under monitored conditions, to stand outside Professor Fu's sickroom and look through the window to check on Professor Fu's condition."

Zhang Song nodded: "Do you need me to equip you with binoculars?"

Jiao Duo shook his head, and with full sincerity revealed his hidden ability: "No need, I am a visual evolver."

Ten minutes later, Jiao Duo, his mouth sealed and unable to make a sound, was placed at the designated spot three meters outside the monitoring room.

The two Territory Seven guards behind him—one pressing an activated electroshock baton against Jiao Duo's waist, the other aiming the needle of a syringe at Jiao Duo's neck; Zhang Jingwu and another guard standing outside the monitoring room locked onto Jiao Duo at the same time. If he made any abnormal move, he would be taken down silently within 0.1 seconds.

After Jiao Duo steadied himself, he looked toward the monitoring room's window.

After the metal partition inside the window rose silently, Jiao Duo first glanced at the security personnel standing inside the monitoring room facing the window, before shifting his gaze to Zhang He standing on the other side and Fu Tianfeng lying on the hospital bed.

After confirming that the person on the bed was indeed Fu Tianfeng himself, that the leads of the monitoring equipment were actually connected to his body, and that the screens displayed genuine real-time data, Jiao Duo finally let his gaze fall on the display screens of the six monitoring instruments, which had been repositioned so that he could see the on-screen data.

When the one minute was up, Luo Weiyi put away the syringe, hoisted Jiao Duo onto his shoulder, and carried him back to the command room.

Being carried, Jiao Duo looked again at Xia Qing standing inside the room, wanting to know the identity of this evolver whom Song Mingqing had arranged inside the monitoring room to protect Fu Tianfeng at close range.