164: Chapter 164 The medicine is real, but people's hearts are fake.

Director Gu Qing stood in place.

The smile on his face slowly disappeared.

He lowered his head and looked at the dark vial of blood in his hand.

Then, he placed it extremely carefully into a special refrigerated box.

He picked up his phone.

Dialed a number.

"The blood has been obtained."

"Did you give him the vein cleansing agent?"

"I did."

"Good."

The aged voice on the other end of the phone was extremely calm.

"The vein cleansing agent can indeed temporarily alleviate the symptoms."

"But it is only temporary."

"Three months later, when the medicinal effect wears off, her condition will be even more severe than before."

"At that time, he will take the initiative to come to us for a second course of treatment."

"By then."

"He won't be able to just brush us off with one vial of blood."

Director Gu Qing lowered his eyes.

"Understood."

"Also." The old man's voice turned cold by a degree. "The girl's illness... are you sure it isn't congenital?"

"Confirmed." Director Gu Qing's voice was extremely low. "Lin Yue's meridians are blocked."

"It is not innate."

"It was caused by human intervention later on."

"But the person who caused all this is indeed not us."

The other end of the phone fell silent for three seconds.

"Then who is it?"

"I don't know." Director Gu Qing shook his head. "We are just utilizing the result."

"But the person who originally targeted Lin Yue is someone else."

...

When Lin Fan came out of Tianlong Technology Park, it was already dark.

The night in the capital was very cold.

The November wind blew across the main road of the East Third Ring Road, carrying a dry chill.

Lin Fan stood by the side of the road.

Hands in his pockets.

His right hand was clutching the three vials of vein cleansing agent.

The glass bottles had been warmed by his body heat.

He hailed a car.

Destination: Capital High-Speed Railway Station.

Back to Jiangcheng.

In the car, Lin Fan leaned back in the rear seat.

Closed his eyes.

His mind was replaying every detail from just now.

This person, Director Gu Qing.

His speech was watertight.

His expression management was extremely on point.

But Lin Fan noticed three flaws.

First, when Lin Fan mentioned "drug maintenance of the condition," his expression changed for a split second.

Second, when he saw Lin Fan's blood, the smile at the corner of his mouth was not friendly.

It was greedy.

Third, when he said "there is no third condition," he paused for a moment.

This indicated that he originally had a third condition.

But he changed his mind at the last minute.

Why change?

Because he felt there was no rush.

He was certain Lin Fan would come back.

Why so certain?

Because he knew the effect of the vein cleansing agent was not permanent.

Lin Fan did not understand pharmacology.

But he understood the human heart.

A benefit actively delivered to one's doorstep must have a greater plot behind it.

But he took it anyway.

Because he had no other choice.

Lin Yue's condition was worsening.

He could not wait.

His phone vibrated.

Xia Wanqiu sent a message.

[Already arrived at the hospital. Lin Yue's condition is stable. Head Nurse Qin Ya is taking care of her.]

[The medicine has been stopped as you said.]

[But Attending Physician Zhou Zheng said there is a risk in stopping the medicine.]

Lin Fan replied with three words.

[I know.]

A few seconds passed.

Xia Wanqiu sent another one.

[Lin Yue keeps asking when you will be back.]

[She says she misses you.]

Lin Fan looked at this message.

His fingers hovered over the screen for a long time.

Finally, he typed a few words.

[Tell her, Brother will be there first thing tomorrow morning.]

[I bought her something good.]

He put the phone down.

Turned his head to look out the car window.

The neon lights of the capital flashed past outside the window.

Lin Fan's mind constantly conjured up Lin Yue's face.

From childhood to adulthood.

The two of them depended on each other for survival.

Their parents disappeared when they were very young.

There were no clues.

No sign of them alive, no body found dead.

Lin Fan was only eight years old then.

Lin Yue was only five.

The two children lived in a rented room in the south of the city.

Every day, Lin Fan went to the vegetable market to pick up rotten vegetable leaves that others had thrown away.

Returned to boil them for Lin Yue to eat.

Lin Yue's illness started to flare up when she was seven.

At first, it was just physical weakness.

Later, it became more and more serious.

The hospital examination said it was congenital meridian blockage.

It couldn't be cured.

Could only take medicine to maintain it.

Congenital.

Lin Fan had always thought it was congenital.

But now Director Gu Qing said the vein cleansing agent could restore meridians.

If the meridian blockage was truly a congenital problem.

Then it should be a structural defect.

No medicine could possibly repair it.

But the vein cleansing agent claimed to be able to do it.

What does this mean?

It means Lin Yue's meridians were not born with problems.

They were blocked by something.

Artificially.

Who did it?

Why?

Lin Yue, a girl who had never offended anyone from childhood to adulthood.

Who would target her?

Lin Fan's fist tightened in his pocket.

His knuckles made a cracking sound.

"Passenger, are you okay?"

The driver looked at him through the rearview mirror.

"I'm fine."

Lin Fan loosened his fist.

"Drive faster."

"Alright."

...

High-speed rail.

From the capital to Jiangcheng.

Two hours.

Lin Fan bought the earliest train.

Arrived at the high-speed railway station at 1:00 AM.

Bought a second-class seat.

Sat by the window.

There weren't many people in the carriage.

Opposite him sat an old man wearing a hat.

Head down, dozing off.

Lin Fan took out the three vials of vein cleansing agent.

Looked at them carefully under the light.

The pale blue liquid swayed gently in the glass bottle.

The label on the bottle read:

[vein cleansing agent · Experimental Type 03]

[Tianlong Pharmaceutical · Advanced Biological Laboratory]

[Ingredients: Spirit Meridian Grass Extract, Third-Order Blood Ginseng Essence, Trace Amounts of Black Iron Ions...]

There was a long string of chemical names he didn't understand after that.

Lin Fan took a photo.

Sent it to someone.

Racha.

Attached a sentence.

[Principal, help me find someone to test if there are any problems with the ingredients of this medicine.]

Racha replied in a second.

[Who gave it to you?]

[Tianlong Pharmaceutical.]

The other side was silent for five seconds.

[Tianlong Pharmaceutical? Zhao Tianlong's Tianlong?]

[Yes.]

[Did a donkey kick your brain? You dare to take things given by the enemy?]

[I know there are risks, so I'm asking you to help me check.]

[...]

Silent for another three seconds.

[Mail the medicine to me, I'll give you the result in three days.]

[Okay.]

[Also.] Racha sent another message.

[Regarding your sister's matter, I helped you ask someone from the Martial Arts Association.]

[This illness of congenital meridian blockage...]

[Thirty years ago, there were almost no cases.]

[It only started to appear after the Awakened Era began.]

[And the vast majority of patients are the descendants of missing Awakened.]

Lin Fan looked at this message.

His pupils shrank.

Descendants of missing Awakened.

His parents were missing Awakened.

They disappeared when Lin Fan was eight years old.

There has been no news to this day.

And Lin Yue's illness flared up two years after they disappeared.

This... is this really just a coincidence?

Lin Fan's fingers tapped a few words on the screen.

[Principal. Help me check one thing.]

[The list of all patients with "congenital meridian blockage" in the country over the past thirty years.]

[As well as the information on their parents.]

[I want to see how many of these patients' parents are missing.]

Racha replied very quickly.

[You suspect someone is targeting the descendants of these Awakened?]

[Not just suspecting.]

Lin Fan typed another line.

Deleted it.

Typed again.

[My sister's illness might not be innate.]

[Someone tampered with her.]

[I want to find this person.]

The other side was silent for a long time.

So long that Lin Fan thought Racha had fallen asleep.

Then Racha sent a message.

[You brat.]

[The thing you want to investigate.]

[Might be much bigger than you imagine.]

[How big, I dare not say right now.]

[You go back to Jiangcheng first and take good care of your sister.]

[Don't act rashly.]

[Wait for my news.]

Lin Fan stared at the last four words.

Wait for my news.

He hated waiting the most.

But this time, he was willing to wait.

Because he knew.

This matter was not something he could handle alone.

At least not right now.

His Defense was indeed very strong.

But no matter how strong his Defense was, it couldn't protect her when he wasn't there.

When he wasn't there, there was no one by Lin Yue's side.

This was his biggest weakness.

And the other party clearly knew this.

Starting with Lin Yue's medicine.

Starting with her condition.

There was no need to fight Lin Fan head-on.

Just needed to hold Lin Yue's life.

Lin Fan would have to be obedient.

This was more effective than any S-Rank Talent.

The train traveled extremely steadily in the night.

Lin Fan leaned against the back of the chair.

Put the three vials of vein cleansing agent back into his pocket.

Closed his eyes.

On the surface, he was extremely calm.

But the system panel popped up automatically in his mind.

[Defense Level: LV43 (12800 / 200000)]

Still over 180,000 experience points short.

Not enough.

Far from enough.

He needed to be stronger.

Strong enough that no one would dare to touch Lin Yue.

Strong enough that any conspiracy would be a joke in the face of absolute power.

Thunder Prison Volcano.

Level 6 monsters at the start.

Level 7 or even Level 8 lords.

That was a gold mine of experience.

But now he had to return to Jiangcheng first.

First, confirm Lin Yue's safety.

First, figure out if those medicines had really been tampered with.

Then he would go to the Thunder Prison Volcano.

Go with a belly full of fire.

By then, those monsters wouldn't be experience packs.

They would be punching bags.

...

3:00 AM.

The high-speed rail arrived at the station.

Jiangcheng.

Lin Fan left the station.

Went straight to the Third People's Hospital.

In the corridor of the inpatient department of the hospital.

The lights were dim.

There was only one nurse on duty at the nurse station, dozing off.

Lin Fan walked to the door of the ward.

Pushed the door open gently.

Xia Wanqiu was sitting on the chair by Lin Yue's bed.

Asleep, leaning against the edge of the bed.

Still clutching her phone in her hand.

On the screen was the chat history between her and Lin Fan.

Murong Yan was sitting cross-legged on the windowsill.

Hugging her arms, eyes closed.

But as soon as Lin Fan pushed the door, she opened her eyes.

"Back?"

The voice was very soft.

Afraid of waking Lin Yue.

Lin Fan nodded.

He walked to the bedside.

Lowered his head and took a look.

Lin Yue was curled up in the quilt on her side.

Her little face was extremely thin.

Her complexion had an unhealthy paleness.

Her lips were chapped.

There was an indwelling needle for infusion on her wrist.

But no IV drip was hanging now.

Because Lin Fan had asked to stop the medicine.

He reached out and touched Lin Yue's forehead extremely lightly.

Body temperature was normal.

No fever.

Lin Yue moved a little.

Didn't wake up.

Mumbled vaguely in her mouth.

"Brother..."

Lin Fan's hand paused on her forehead.

After a long while, he withdrew his hand.

Turned around and made a gesture to Murong Yan.

The two of them went out of the ward on tiptoe.

In the corridor.

"What's the situation?" Lin Fan asked.

"After stopping the medicine, the blood pressure dropped a little." Murong Yan said in a low voice. "But it's not serious. Head Nurse Qin Ya changed to a basic nutrient solution and hung it up, it doesn't contain ingredients from Tianlong."

"What about Attending Physician Zhou Zheng?"

"He got off work and left, but before leaving, he repeatedly emphasized that the medicine cannot be stopped. His attitude was very insistent."

"The more insistent his attitude is," Lin Fan's voice was very cold. "The more I feel there is a problem with this medicine."

Murong Yan looked at him.

"What did you find out when you went to Tianlong?"

Lin Fan briefly recounted the matter of Director Gu Qing.

vein cleansing agent.

Blood collection.

Zhao Tianlong.

After listening, Murong Yan's expression was extremely ugly.

"This is fishing."

"I know."

"Then why did you still go?"

"The medicine is real." Lin Fan leaned against the wall of the corridor. "At least for now it seems real. I have already asked your sister to help me test it."

"Results in three days."

"If the medicine is not a problem, then Tianlong's goal is not the medicine. It is my blood."

Murong Yan frowned.

"What is special about your blood?"

"I don't know."

Lin Fan shook his head.

"But they went to such great lengths, it couldn't just be for research."

He paused.

"There is one more thing."

"Racha said that for all patients with congenital meridian blockage in the country, their parents are mostly missing Awakened."

Murong Yan's complexion changed completely.

"You mean..."

"Lin Yue's illness might be related to your parents' disappearance."

Lin Fan did not answer.

But his silence was the answer itself.

It was quiet in the corridor for a long time.

Murong Yan suddenly reached out and patted the back of Lin Fan's head.

Not hard.

Just patted him.

"What are you doing?" Lin Fan touched the back of his head.

"You don't like getting hit?"

Murong Yan's voice was a bit muffled.

"It's free, no charge."

Lin Fan was stunned for a moment.

Then he pulled the corner of his mouth extremely reluctantly.

"Not enough force."

"Zero points."

"You!"

Murong Yan punched him on the shoulder.

This time she used force.

[Ding! Defense + 0.5!]

Lin Fan looked at the prompt that popped up in his mind.

Smiled.

A real smile.

But he collected it quickly.

"Alright." He straightened up. "You go to sleep. I'll keep watch."

"No need." Murong Yan walked towards the ward. "I'll just nap on the windowsill. You should get some rest yourself too."

"Tomorrow..." She paused for a step, looking at Lin Fan. "What are you planning to do?"

"Wait for the test results of the medicine." Lin Fan took out his phone again. "I won't go anywhere for these three days. I'll just guard here."

He glanced at the phone screen.

3:40 AM.

Three more days.

Three days later.

Racha's test results would come out.

Whether Lin Yue's medicine had really been tampered with.

Whether the vein cleansing agent was a life-saving drug or a chronic poison.

What exactly those missing Awakened from thirty years ago, including his parents, had experienced.

Everything.

Will be revealed in three days.

Lin Fan walked to the door of the ward.

Pushed the door open.

Saw Lin Yue was still sleeping.

Xia Wanqiu was also still sleeping.

Two girls.

One was his most important family member.

One was his...

Lin Fan organized his wording in his heart.

Forget it.

Not organizing.

He walked in.

Sat gently on the folding chair in the corner of the ward.

Put the big loudspeaker by his feet.

Closed his eyes.

A thought flashed through his mind at the end.

Director Gu Qing said the vein cleansing agent had three successful cases.

Those three cases... are they still alive now?