The pharmacists from the Wu City team still hadn't done anything. They hadn't made a single move toward their equipment before the matches were halted. Yet, somehow, the competition had just stopped, and they had ended up as the last ones standing in the center of the stadium. Even stranger, the judges and researchers were staring at them with fiery, intense eyes. They felt like lambs waiting to be slaughtered under that collective gaze, but they quickly realized they had to be imagining things. The experts weren't hungry for them; they were hungry for the medicine.
When the formal competition was called off, the staff from both Wu City's Medicinal Herb Association and the Capital's R&D department rushed in together. The clinical atmosphere vanished, replaced by the frantic energy of a field hospital. They began diluting the original, potent potion with cool saline, carefully drawing the shimmering crimson liquid into syringes. They moved from bed to bed, injecting it into the children one by one.
Four grown people had to hold each small patient down to suppress the violent, reflexive reactions the medicine triggered. Other researchers hovered nearby with tablets, their fingers flying as they frantically recorded the real-time vitals. In no time, the whole event had turned into a massive, sprawling emergency treatment site. The high concrete walls of the stadium echoed with the shouts of doctors and the sharp orders being yelled back and forth across the ward.
Even Jing Shu had almost forgotten the original reason she had come to the Imperial City. She joined the team, using the original potion to treat the kids, and soon became one of the most capable workers among them. She wasn't particularly good with needles, and she knew that if it weren't for the Spirit Spring, she couldn't even keep a common flower alive. Everything she had ever grown came from that golden cheat of hers. Aside from that secret advantage, she really wasn't good at much in the way of traditional medicine, but she did have one distinct physical advantage: she was incredibly strong.
Even when it was diluted with saline, the Bodhi Potion was incredibly potent. Earlier, the bugs inside the boy nicknamed Er Qiu had almost burst out from his body in a desperate resistance. These children were currently under anesthesia, so they didn't feel the physical pain of the internal war, but the parasites' reactions were fierce and erratic. If no one held the children down properly, the thrashing couldn't have resulted in disastrous injuries or torn IV lines. Jing Shu planted her feet and gripped the shoulders of a struggling child, her muscles tensing as she held the boy perfectly still against the mattress.
"This is all that's left of the original potion." Minister Zhao handed Jing Shu a small glass vial, his fingers lingering on the cool surface as if he were reluctant to part with it. He spoke solemnly, his voice dropping to a low tone.
"Don't worry, President Jing. Aside from the first two test subjects that counted toward the competition points, we will include all the rest of the used potions in the official government procurement list. You won't lose a single cent on this. And from now on, we will purchase all future Bodhi Potions exclusively from Wu City's Medicinal Herb Association. As for the production rights of this new drug, we will officially hand them over to your association as well."
Jing Shu waved him off with a tired hand. She checked the watch on her wrist and felt her stomach let out a long, audible growl. She hadn't brought the hen, Xiao Dou, with her to the ward because she had wanted to keep a low profile. That big chicken showing up in front of hundreds of high-ranking people would have been way too flashy.
Now, she hadn't eaten a real meal all day. Poor Xiao Dou was probably back at their lodgings and was likely starving too. She needed to finish this paperwork and head back to the warehouse. The potion had been brought here precisely to save lives, after all. Being able to rescue these children—the precious seeds of humanity's future—gave her a real, quiet sense of accomplishment.
"You don't need to return it," she said lightly, her voice steady. "Didn't you say you would need data from at least a few hundred people for the clinical trials? There's still some patients outside in the other wards who are in much worse condition. Before the next batch of medicine is manufactured and ready, you can use what is left for them. Consider it my personal donation to the capital. There's no need to make a fuss about it."
Keep a low profile. She reminded herself that she always had to keep a low profile in this city.
"Excellent, excellent! What you are donating isn't just medicine; it's human lives you are saving today! Don't worry, we won't make a big public deal out of it if you prefer, but this contribution must go into the national database. Even if you don't want the public recognition, this act deserves to be recorded as an honorable contribution to the state!"
Minister Zhao's tone left no room for any further negotiation. Even though he had only met Jing Shu that morning—and she was a full twelve years younger than him—he couldn't help but feel they were on the same wavelength. She was someone he could genuinely work with in the future.
Meanwhile, Boss Zhang, the overall supervisor who had been transferred from another department to clean up this logistical mess, was already gone. He had left the stadium happily with his only grandson, who was now fully cured and resting. His goal had been simple from the start; he had taken over this disaster of a project only because his grandson had been infected.
Now that the cure was found and the boy was fine, Boss Zhang, who didn't really understand the science of medicinal herbs anyway, immediately handed everything over to the specialists.
"Lao Zhao, the rest is up to you now," he had said, clapping the younger man on the shoulder. "My health isn't great lately, so I will head home first to rest."
With that, he just walked away toward the exit, leaving Minister Zhao from the R&D Epidemic Prevention Department in full control of the entire operation. This included all pharmaceutical rights, which Zhao promptly delegated to the Wu City Medicinal Herb Association.
"Oh right, I almost forgot to announce the formal results! The other associations are still waiting outside for the ceremony, aren't they? Lao Miao, update the big data page and publish the results right away! I got so worked up with the treatments that I nearly forgot! And grab a few more people to deliver the remaining potion to the other side; those patients in the main wing are in serious condition. The new drug will take a while to produce at scale, and I will need you to personally oversee the new batch and its comparison tests. No, forget it, I will handle it myself. Time is tight and the job is urgent!"
Lao Miao had been holding out his hand for the potion vial for quite a while, but before he could take it, Minister Zhao suddenly pulled it back and rushed off toward the testing lab again. "Wait for me! Hey, Minister, slow down! You really have to stop running off like that every time you get an idea!"
Jing Shu laughed softly and shook her head as she watched them go. One second Minister Zhao was chatting away with her, and the next, he was gone in a flash. But maybe that was exactly the kind of person the country needed right now: someone who could keep pushing forward despite the weight of the apocalypse.
"Danai, I will leave the rest of the details to you. Handle the follow-up paperwork, the procurement contracts, and the coordination with the capital's staff," she said, before slipping away toward the side exit.
Once she stepped outside the stadium, she took off her heavy gas mask and inhaled deeply. The fresh, cold air filled her lungs, and just as she was about to relax her shoulders, her phone rang urgently in her pocket.
"Hello?"
"Wu City took first place! You have secured all the pharmaceutical rights, next year's resource allocations, and even a share of the newly discovered crimson energy! I knew sending you was the right call! After Wu City was disqualified, I still backed you up all the way to the top! You did great, Jing Shu!"
It was Zhou Bapi, his voice full of a frantic, crackling excitement. Then another voice cut in, sounding slightly annoyed. "Please, you were the one who couldn't make it to the flight. Stop trying to steal the credit! Hand me the phone."
The line suddenly grew louder and clearer; it was Jin Tianci. "Excellent work, President Jing. You have completely exceeded our expectations for this trip. None of us saw this surprise coming."
Bundled in her thick, padded coat, Jing Shu kicked at a frozen muddy puddle on the sidewalk. She smiled into the phone as she said, "Thanks for believing in me. When Wu City was disqualified earlier today, I said I would explain everything this afternoon. Well, this outcome is my explanation to everyone."