Chapter 64: My Medicine Is Not So Easily Stolen

On the stretch of road between Sanjiang Town and Lijia Village, the scene was now bustling and lively. Li Fu had chosen this very place to set up his company’s headquarters, employee dormitories, the initial biopharmaceutical factory, research institutions, and more. With vast sums invested, the once desolate fields of autumn and winter were now ablaze with activity and energy.

In just a few short months, tall buildings had sprung up from the ground like bamboo shoots after the rain, transforming this remote rural area—one that had never known the air of a modern metropolis—into a spectacle that drew every eye.

Li Fu walked the construction site with meticulous care. In his mind, Xiao Ying tirelessly calculated the steel and cement consumed by the buildings, analyzing every figure, ensuring that the construction companies were meeting his exacting standards.

The site remained somewhat chaotic. Only the frameworks of the buildings had been erected so far. All around, building materials lay scattered, machines roared, and workers bustled about ceaselessly.

“At least they’re staying honest. Of course, that’s also thanks to Old Fang’s management. Without him, I’m not sure we could guarantee the quality of these buildings,” Li Fu thought, nodding to himself after a careful inspection. The price he offered was high, but with such a tight deadline, it was only reasonable. More than that, Li Fu demanded quality; he had no intention of letting his employees work and live in shoddy construction.

“Li Fu, at this rate, I estimate that by May, the company can move into its own office building. It’s just that the factory construction is lagging behind. The builders say that meeting the standards for a fully enclosed, fully automated pharmaceutical line is a slow and meticulous process—nothing like building offices or dorms,” Fang Zheng, who had accompanied Li Fu to inspect the site, reported. In recent times, Fang Zheng had focused heavily on the company’s buildings and was well-versed in every aspect. He could see Li Fu’s impatience.

“I know. We’re only building a pharmaceutical plant, after all. Those who build nuclear power stations take ten years or more, and it took decades to build the Three Gorges Dam—from feasibility studies to site selection, relocation, and construction. Our timeline is tight, that’s for sure,” Li Fu replied. “Now there’s immense international pressure. They’re saying I hold the technology to cure AIDS but refuse to bring the new drug to market. They claim people with AIDS are dying every moment, blaming every death on me.”

He nodded grimly. Lately, Li Fu had been under a great deal of pressure, with domestic and international news outlets regularly accusing him of putting profit above the lives of patients worldwide.

Every time he saw such reports, his face darkened, and his desire to get the company into production grew ever more urgent—if only to silence those voices.

“Don’t bother with the media reports,” Fang Zheng said. “They can say what they like; we’ll do what we must. I suspect pharmaceutical companies at home and abroad are fueling this. All they want is to get their hands on your technology.”

“Countless people die every moment for lack of medicine. Who should be blamed for that?” Fang Zheng understood Li Fu’s burden. Since accepting Li Fu’s offer, he had immersed himself in the pharmaceutical industry—one must master the field to do the work well.

“Let the builders know that the standards for the factory can be eased. We can pay them a bit more, but I want the plant finished as soon as possible,” Li Fu instructed. “I want nothing more than to start producing drugs sooner. Only then will we have a steady flow of funds to pursue the next stage of our plans.”

Li Fu nodded. He and Xiao Ying had already discussed the matter. The multifunctional production lines Xiao Ying provided were extremely advanced, requiring little space and being fully automated, with less stringent environmental demands. There was no need for the factory to meet the original high standards.

“Don’t worry. I’ll see to it,” Fang Zheng assured him. As a professional manager, he was adept at discerning his boss’s intentions. He knew Li Fu’s funds were stretched thin—another hundred million spent with nothing yet to show for it. The added pressure from home and abroad, coupled with Li Fu’s youth, made his anxiety understandable.

…

While Li Fu was feverishly preparing for his company’s launch, on the other side of the ocean, in the Eagle Nation’s National Bioscience Laboratory, the world-renowned biologist David and his team were studying the AIDS treatment drug they had obtained from China.

Back at Yanhuang University’s affiliated hospital, a bottle of the AIDS treatment drug had been spirited away, ultimately falling into the hands of the Eagle Nation. Behind it all was Pfizer, the world’s leading pharmaceutical company, orchestrating everything.

“Dr. David, how is the research progressing?” Robert, CEO of Pfizer, visited the laboratory with his team. Although the lab was nominally part of the Eagle Nation’s National Bioscience Laboratory, everyone knew the real power belonged to the capitalists. Much of the lab’s funding came from Pfizer, so Dr. David was obliged to work for them.

“Progress has been excellent. In fact, the drug is quite simple; it requires no special analysis. The component that cures AIDS is the Super Mi Virus—the rest are just auxiliaries,” Dr. David reported. “We’ve delved deep into the Super Mi Virus in the drug and confirmed its miraculous effect on AIDS. But we’ve been unable to cultivate our own Super Mi Virus from the Mi Virus. All the Super Mi Virus we have has come from splitting what was in that single bottle.”

Dr. David paused in his research to report the latest findings.

“We still haven’t managed to cultivate our own Super Mi Virus?” Robert frowned. The point of stealing the drug wasn’t just to treat AIDS but to unlock the new, virus-versus-virus biotechnology Li Fu had pioneered. The Super Mi Virus was the key to Pfizer’s plans to make a fortune.

“No. I’m certain the Super Mi Virus and Mi Virus share an origin, but there’s a fundamental difference. It’s like cats and tigers—both are felines, many similarities, but entirely different species. There must be some technology we haven’t discovered, a method for inducing viral mutation. That’s the true heart of this technique,” Dr. David said. Despite months of relentless research into Li Fu’s virus-versus-virus technology, the results were meager. If not for Li Fu’s demonstrable success, Dr. David would have thought he was wasting his time.

“Can we mass-produce the AIDS treatment drug?” Robert pressed.

“That’s not a problem. With the Super Mi Virus in hand, we can keep splitting it to produce more. As long as there’s a steady supply of AIDS virus to feed it, the Super Mi Virus will continue to multiply, enabling mass drug production,” Dr. David replied after some thought.

“That’s good. That Li Fu in China wants to keep the whole cake to himself. I hear he’s investing in building a factory—I want to see him lose everything. We made a sincere offer, but he flatly refused us,” Robert said, recalling Li Fu’s rejection with a flash of anger. Still, the thought of Li Fu’s impending ruin brought a smile to his face.

Soon, Pfizer of the Eagle Nation publicly announced that they, too, had developed an AIDS treatment drug using exactly the same principle as Li Fu’s: cultivating a Super Mi Virus that devoured only the AIDS virus. They proclaimed that the new drug was ready for mass production and that they were accepting global orders.

The news swept the globe like a whirlwind. Countless people, long desperate for the new drug, rushed to buy it from Pfizer, waving their money in anticipation.

Robert of Pfizer proved to be a shrewd businessman. He bundled the new drug with other medications, making it mandatory to purchase a set amount of additional drugs to obtain the AIDS treatment. Instantly, Pfizer’s sales soared, its stock prices doubled, and the company’s prospects looked brighter than ever.

Back in Sanjiang Town, Fang Zheng hurried to find Li Fu.

“It’s bad news! Pfizer just announced they’ve also developed an AIDS treatment and have already launched it, accepting large-scale orders. We… we…” Fang Zheng was beside himself with anxiety. He knew what this meant: Li Fu’s company would be stillborn, all investments lost.

“I already know,” Li Fu replied, his face steely but calm. “So that bottle wasn’t destroyed after all—they got it. But my medicine isn’t so easily stolen. The real show has only just begun.”

PS: Please bookmark, recommend, and click!