6: Chapter 6: China Declares: All Cancers Are Curable!

On the other side of the globe, at the European Headquarters of the United Nations.

A closed-door regular meeting was in session.

The long, rectangular conference table, crafted from expensive mahogany, gleamed under the lights, reflecting faces that were stern, weary, or utterly bored.

The international scene had been calm lately, with no major issues requiring urgent consultation. Today's meeting felt more like a formality.

As the presiding party for this meeting, the impeccably groomed American representative, Johnson, with his blond hair and blue eyes,

After delivering a florid opening speech peppered with words like 'peace,' 'development,' and 'shared responsibility,' finally got to the main point.

"Gentlemen, while the global situation has been generally stable recently, we must remain highly vigilant against certain potential risks."

His voice, transmitted clearly through the simultaneous interpretation equipment, reached the ears of every representative.

The assembled representatives from various countries adjusted their postures, most appearing somewhat listless.

It was likely just the same old tune about economic friction or regional conflicts.

Johnson's assistant promptly distributed a document to everyone.

Johnson cleared his throat, picked up the remote control, and pressed the button for the projector.

On the large screen behind him, a photograph was clearly projected.

The background of the photo was the entrance of a local police station in China. A plainly dressed young man was pushing a simple blue metal cart.

But what truly captured everyone's attention was the object on the cart.

A chicken.

A chicken of absurdly massive size.

Even curled up, it occupied the entire cart, its dimensions far exceeding any known avian species on Earth.

The photo was taken from a casual angle, clearly snapped by a passerby with a phone. The image quality wasn't top-notch, but the surreal visual impact was undeniable.

In the meeting room, representatives who had been somewhat drowsy all sat up straight in unison the moment they saw the photo clearly.

"This is a photograph circulating on Chinese social media," Johnson's voice carried a deliberately crafted gravity.

"According to our intelligence analysis, this photo has not undergone any technical manipulation."

He scanned the room, his gaze finally settling on the Chinese representative seated opposite him.

It was a middle-aged man with a scholarly demeanor and temples lightly frosted with gray, surnamed Zhao.

From the start of the meeting until now, he had remained perfectly composed, as if sipping tea in his own teahouse.

"Mr. Zhao," Johnson's tone sharpened.

"Can the Chinese side provide an explanation for this photograph? To our knowledge, no chicken of this size exists on Earth."

"We have reason to suspect that your country might be conducting certain... biological gene experiments that do not conform to international conventions, or are even inhumane?"

The accusation was quite serious.

For a moment, the gaze of every representative focused on Representative Zhao, awaiting his defense or rebuttal.

However, Representative Zhao merely unhurriedly picked up the blue-and-white porcelain teacup in front of him, gently blew on the floating tea leaves, and took a sip.

He set the cup down, then finally looked up, glanced at the photo, and revealed a perfectly measured look of confusion on his face.

"This photo... to be honest, this is my first time seeing it too," he said, spreading his hands, his tone calm.

"China has a large population. All sorts of strange and bizarre things happen online every day."

"Perhaps it's a prank, something a young person synthesized with computer technology to grab attention."

"As for what's going on with this chicken, we will investigate it upon our return."

"But to claim it's a product of some biological experiment seems a bit like grasping at shadows."

Johnson was clearly dissatisfied with this answer. He leaned forward slightly, placing his clasped hands on the table, adopting a posture of pressure.

"Mr. Zhao, we expect a more responsible response."

"Biological mutation on this scale, if it goes out of control, could pose an incalculable threat to the global ecosystem!"

"Threat?" Representative Zhao suddenly smiled. He looked at Johnson and shook his head.

"Mr. Johnson, you worry too much. China has always been a nation that loves peace and cherishes the environment."

"Speaking of the biological field, we have indeed achieved a minor breakthrough recently. However, this breakthrough brings not a threat, but a blessing."

These words successfully piqued everyone's curiosity.

Even Johnson couldn't help but frown, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

His original intention was to use this photo to launch an attack, pinning the label of 'secretly researching biological weapons' on China to seize the moral high ground.

Yet the other party had effortlessly deflected the offensive and instead introduced this talk of a 'blessing.'

What trick was he up to?

But he had already opened the door. He could only steel himself and ask along, "What breakthrough?"

Representative Zhao's gaze slowly swept over each person present.

He paused for a moment, as if weighing his words, then, in a tone so calm it was almost indifferent, dropped a bombshell.

"We have made some... significant breakthroughs in the treatment of human cancer."

The meeting room instantly fell silent.

The air seemed to freeze.

A few seconds later, when the simultaneous interpretation conveyed the precise meaning of this sentence into everyone's earpieces, the entire meeting room erupted in an uproar.

"What?"

"Cancer? Did I hear that correctly?"

"Significant breakthrough? Which type of cancer?"

The representatives whispered among themselves. The originally solemn venue became as noisy as a marketplace.

Cancer, the Sword of Damocles hanging over all of humanity. Any progress related to it was enough to shake the world.

Johnson's heart sank like a stone. He realized he might have made a colossal mistake. He shouldn't have given the other party the chance to utter those words!

Amidst the clamor, Representative Zhao spoke again. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly cut through all the discussion.

He raised a single finger, adding the most crucial qualifier.

"It targets all cancers."

Boom!

If the previous news was a thunderclap, then this statement now was nothing less than a nuclear bomb detonated in the center of the meeting room.

All cancers!

The meaning represented by this phrase was enough to subversion (overturn) the entire world's medical landscape, economic order, and even the balance of national power!

The meeting room fell into a deathly silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was stunned by this news, their minds a complete blank.

Their expressions grew even more complex.

Shock, wild joy, disbelief—all eventually transformed into gazes directed toward the Chinese representative's seat that were fervent, almost scalding.

In those gazes was boundless hope!

Johnson slumped completely into his wide leather chair.

He stared blankly at the calm Chinese man opposite him, at the utterly chaotic scene in the meeting room, feeling as if all the strength had been drained from his body.

His original plan was to use that absurd photo of the giant chicken to create a massive problem for China, an indelible scandal.

Instead, he had personally built a stage for the other party, one under the spotlight of the world.

He had become the one who actively handed the microphone to someone else's lips, allowing them to announce a piece of news that could change the entire world's pattern (structure)... a clown.