Chapter 77: Brother-in-law’s Use

  “Mom, how could this happen?” Xu Dantong covered her face, tears streaming uncontrollably down her beautiful cheeks, seeping through her fingers, dripping one by one onto the ground, making it heartbreaking to watch. “Didn’t you say the doctor just wanted us to discuss together? Dad’s already this thin, and only now you tell us.”

  He Zhen lowered her head, silent. For over a month, Xu Maogen had been tortured by illness, and she had stayed by his side constantly, caring for him. The hardship and pain had already tempered her will into steel.

  But now, seeing her three daughters crying like that, and thinking of the husband who had accompanied her for so many years, likely not surviving many more days, she couldn’t help but shed tears again.

  “Tongtong, don’t blame Mom. Dad didn’t want you to know because he was afraid it would affect your studies. And when he was sent here, the best treatment plan had already been used… We thought everything would be fine.” Xu Danlu wiped her tears, holding her sister’s hand with tearful eyes, comforting her. In fact, she herself didn’t know her father’s illness had gotten this serious.

  Every time she called home, her mother always gave her positive updates. She thought her father was already cured, but in the end, she was met with such an outcome.

  The youngest, Xu Danying, said nothing and rushed out of the consultation room, running straight back to the VIP ward. Everyone quickly followed and saw her hugging her father. Looking at Xu Maogen, who was thin like a skeleton, she began to cry, gently rubbing his bony elbow as she wept.

  “Dad, Ying’er won’t allow you to be like this. You have to get better soon.”

  Xu Maogen looked at her, knowing the doctor must have explained his condition to his daughters. This tough man, who probably hadn’t enjoyed a single day of peace in his life, forced out a faint smile, looking at his youngest daughter with loving eyes, and spoke in a slurred, intermittent voice: “It’s okay, Yingying, don’t be sad. Isn’t Dad fine? How’s your study? Are you getting along with classmates? Has anyone bullied you? Tell Dad.”

  Hearing that, Xu Danying cried even harder. When Xu Dantong and Xu Danlu entered and saw the scene, they couldn’t hold back their tears either. Together with the silent sobbing of He Zhen, the scene was so heartbreaking even Zhang Yang felt his heart clench.

  “Dad, I know many classmates, all of them very capable. I’ll arrange your transfer, I’ll ask them for help, there must be somewhere else that can save you.” Xu Dantong suddenly raised her head, took out her phone, and began searching through her contacts.

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  “Right, Zhang Weiguo. His father is the dean of the famous Huaren Hospital in the capital. He… he must have a way.”

  She found a number and was about to dial when Xu Danlu reached out and knocked the phone away. “Zhang Weiguo? Isn’t he that classmate who keeps pestering you all day? Weren’t you furious enough to report him to the police?”

  “So what? If anyone can save Dad, even if it’s a pig, I’ll marry him.” Xu Dantong stared at the phone that had fallen to the ground, reaching out to pick it up.

  But before her hand touched it, another hand picked it up first.

  Of course, it wasn’t any of the three sisters’ hands. It was obviously Zhang Yang’s.

  Zhang Yang picked up Xu Dantong’s phone and found it undamaged. Nokia! Same as his. Still as indestructible as ever. He hesitated slightly before saying, “I might have a way.”

  The light words were enough to stop all the crying in the room. Every woman turned their gaze toward him.

  “You have a way?” Xu Dantong and Xu Danying asked almost at the same time.

  “Yeah, but it’s just a last resort.” Zhang Yang looked around the room and said slowly, “Here’s the thing. The Super Anti-Cancer Drug we developed has already been refined. There’s currently a thirty-milliliter batch, just enough for three patients. Tomorrow, this batch will be publicly unveiled, mainly for testing on lab mice to verify feasibility and assess side effects.”

  “So, it’s an untested new drug, which of course carries great risk.” Zhang Yang chose his words carefully, explaining his thoughts. “The risk could be fatal, but it might also heal. So, if there’s truly no other way, I want Uncle to be the first clinical patient.”

  “Brother-in-law, the new drug you’re talking about, could it be Nanxing One?” Xu Dantong bit her lip and asked.

  Before Zhang Yang could answer, Xu Danlu nodded and said, “Yes, Zhang Yang is a member of the ‘Dragonborn’ Project team. That Nanxing One was developed by him… him and his mentor and other team members.”

  “Ah, then Dad can be saved?” Xu Danying’s tears instantly turned into laughter, her face lighting up with joy.

  “No, I can’t guarantee it one hundred percent,” Zhang Yang shook his head and said. “It’s a new drug, purely theoretical so far. Whether it works or not has to be proven in practice. As one of the developers, I understand its mechanism, but if it fails, the consequences could be severe…”

  Zhang Yang knew the system’s theory was sound, but no matter how correct it seemed, without testing, no one could be sure. As a great man once said, practice is the only criterion for testing truth. Yet this drug hadn’t even been tested on mice, and using it directly in a clinical case was an enormous risk. Worse, if this leaked, he’d be committing a blatant crime.

  Using unverified drugs for live human trials—if successful, fine, but if not, he’d be facing decades in prison, if not a bullet.

  Still, that wasn’t his biggest worry. He had a good grasp of the Super Anti-Cancer Drug’s principles—gene therapy was excellent—but if even a tiny flaw existed in the extraction process, the serum would instantly become deadly poison.

  Before coming to Shanghai, they had tested a mouse with a 0.5-milliliter injection of Nanxing One. While it showed some positive results, there were still many abnormal symptoms. And the dosage difference between a mouse and a human was too vast—such a small sample couldn’t provide a definitive conclusion.

  Hearing this, Xu Danlu and the others hesitated again. On the bed, Xu Maogen shook his head and said hoarsely, “No. I’m not worried about my life, but if this fails, even if we don’t blame you, Zhang Yang, you’ll have to bear great responsibility. You can’t take that risk for our sake.”

  Hearing that, He Zhen suddenly understood and shook her head decisively. “Yes, Lao Xu is right. It’s not appropriate…”

  Xu Danlu bit her lower lip, unsure what to say. Instinctively, she didn’t want Zhang Yang to take such a risk, but deep inside, she had faith in him. Torn between both, she found it hard to decide.

  Only Xu Dantong looked at Zhang Yang with her deep, enchanting eyes and softly said, “Brother-in-law, I support you. Whether it succeeds or fails, I, Xu Dantong, will stand by you. Even if you go to prison, I’ll go with you…”

  Zhang Yang glanced at her speechlessly. Was that supposed to be comforting?