Chapter 68

Chapter 68

068

The Solution

After Chu Li spent a few days in the hospital, he thoroughly investigated the situation. It turned out that it had nothing to do with any mysterious illness that could not be treated by medical equipment; these people had simply fallen ill naturally. For some unknown reason, the medical devices were ineffective and could no longer provide treatment for them.

This condition was also contagious, with some areas severely affected while others experienced milder symptoms.

That is to say, this thing is like a disease, it's contagious.

Chu Li collected samples from some patients, planning to study them back at the lab.

On the third day, after ensuring stability, he returned to Deerport. Deerport also had its own laboratory. While on Blue Stripe Star, he had learned much from Wen Renjian. Now, he called over a few military doctors to join him in studying these samples.

Swiftly, they arrived at a conclusion. It was an unusual substance that altered the environment within the human immune system, rendering medical equipment ineffective on humans.

They don't cause any illnesses; they merely render medical scanners ineffective.

It wasn't contagious as Chu Li initially assumed. These substances were not viruses nor bacteria; they couldn't be transmitted from person to person.

That meant there was some sort of common connection between these different planets.

That was no longer Chu Li's concern. He simply had to inform Jing Baiyuan about his findings and let him deal with the headache alone.

After spending several days cooped up in the lab at the base, Chu Li finally got to relax and returned to his quarters with Little Key.

The base assigned him a single occupancy apartment, consisting of a bedroom and a living room, complete with an en suite bathroom and kitchenette. Despite the small space often accommodating two people, Chu Li still preferred it over Jing Baiyuan's barren and spacious flat outside the base.

After days of hectic work that almost had him sleeping in the lab, Chu Li plopped onto the sofa the moment he entered his room, stroking the fur of the little cat.

He only wanted a brief respite but dozed off unintentionally. It took a phone call to rouse him from his slumber after an unknown duration.

Still groggy, he picked up the call without recognizing the caller. The voice on the other end exclaimed excitedly, "We've found a solution!"

Half-asleep, Chu Li instinctively asked, "What solution?"

The caller replied eagerly, "We've discovered a substance that can enhance the medical device's functionality, allowing it to bypass the immune defense and directly target the patient's affected area for treatment... Ah, I can't explain it all over the phone. Come quickly!"

Chu Li stirred awake with a start – they had found a solution to the medical scanner's failure! He shot up, inadvertently sending the tiny key-shaped creature flying off his belly.

The kitten let out a pitiful "meow" in the darkness, flipped over, and stood on the side table, watching him with big eyes.

Chu Li hurriedly got up to stroke the kitten's head. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you… Did you fall and hurt yourself?"

At such a low height, the kitten was unscathed. The little key rubbed its ear against Chu Li's finger, and Chu Li absentmindedly scratched its back before rising and rushing out.

He soon arrived at the laboratory, where he found everyone present. As he entered, the Chief of Military Medicine, Li Yunhua, greeted him. "You're here, come take a look quickly."

In front of them was a medical scanner, with a familiar colleague lying on top of it. This person had accidentally cut their hand while pulling an all-nighter a few days ago, leaving a deep gash. Unfortunately, they were also one of the patients unable to benefit from the scanner.

At that moment, the colleague's injured hand was placed under the scanner's blue glow, and the wound was rapidly healing.

Chu Li watched in astonishment. "How did you figure out this thing works?"

As he spoke, a nurse nearby brought over a small blue bottle, containing a bit of blue liquid labeled 'Psyche Enhancer'.

Chu Li shook the tiny vial and asked, "What is this?"

"It's used by mech pilots to enhance mental focus, allowing better control of their mechs. I happened to hear that it can also enhance the five senses, so I borrowed it for a try. Didn't expect it to actually work," Li Yunhua explained.

Chu Li had never heard of such a substance. Omega in the Empire rarely had the chance to interact with mechs. Since arriving at Deerport, Jing Baiyuan had mentioned taking him into space, but both were busy and it hadn't happened yet.

Intrigued by Li Yunhua's introduction, Chu Li held the small bottle close to examine it carefully.

"Is this something very valuable?" Interstellar travel tickets were already expensive, and he had never seen such a booster for sale... After all, mechs were not designed for civilian use.

Li Yunhua's expression turned hesitant. "Indeed, it's quite precious... Plus, it comes from Bluemark Star."

"Ah?" Chu Li lifted his head.

Li Yunhua sighed. "We currently lack the capability to produce this enhancer ourselves."

As they spoke, a commotion came from outside. Chu Li turned to see Jing Baiyuan returning.

He seemed to have just come from the port, still carrying a chill about him. Walking tall and straight, Ya Lan followed closely behind, seemingly reporting something to him.

Jing Baiyuan nodded gently, his gaze landing on Chu Li and waving him over.

Chu Li dashed towards Jing Baiyuan, intending to stop in front of him, but Jing Baiyuan took the lead and approached him, reaching out to embrace him.

After a brief hug, he released Chu Li and asked, "Yunhua said you have a solution?"

Chu Li nodded and led him inside, explaining the matter of the performance enhancers along the way.

The more Jing Baiyuan listened, the deeper his frown became.

Chu Li asked, "Is this situation more complicated than you thought?"

Despite having found a solution, Jing Baiyuan seemed even more distressed than when they had none.

Jing Baiyuan shook his head and then nodded again. "Performance enhancers are military supplies. Only the army has them, and almost every soldier uses them. Otherwise, their reaction speed on the battlefield wouldn't be fast enough..."

In other words, they would need to exchange combat power for the antidote.

The situation was more difficult than he had anticipated.

Augustus didn't have many hobbies, but he was obsessed with seeking an elusive immortality. To that end, he had invested in numerous laboratories over the years, which hadn't been entirely fruitless.

This incident with the medical device going out of control is precisely one such example.

Chu Li countered, "It's not as complicated as that. It's merely a regression to a time when medical equipment was ineffective. A common cold can still recover on its own within a week without medication. For severe conditions like pneumonia or asthma, prompt medical attention and treatment significantly increase the chances of recovery. Even external injuries or fractures can be addressed through surgical procedures."

"Except for those incurable illnesses..." Chu Li paused momentarily as he said this, but swiftly regained his composure: "For those conditions, we can allocate medical devices to them; everything else can be treated with conventional methods. In our Lu Gang, aren't medical devices already in short supply? Many of those planets are technologically inferior to Lan Wen Star; they don't even have medical devices to begin with."

"So all we need to do is separate the different conditions," Chu Li concluded.

Jing Baiyuan paused in his steps. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "That does make sense."

Looking up, he said, "I'll leave this matter in your capable hands."

Chu Li was somewhat surprised, but after a brief moment of astonishment, he quickly nodded. "Sure, I'll help take care of it."

Jing Baiyuan seemed to have other tasks at hand. After their conversation, he turned and left. Chu Li had no choice but to consult Li Yunhua. They went together to the military supplies department. The person in charge was reviewing documents behind his desk. Chu Li stepped forward and said, "We're here to collect the enhancers."

The man was a Beta. Upon hearing the voice, he lifted his head and frowned. "Enhancers? Who are you? I've never seen you before."

Chu Li had no choice but to explain, "We're from the Medical Department... You know our chief, right?"

Speaking, he took a step back, allowing Li Yunhua to take over the conversation.

Li Yunhua concisely explained the situation. In conclusion, he said, "The General has already given his approval. We're here to retrieve an item."

The supervisor scrutinized the two of them with a furrowed brow. Just then, Hong Feng rushed in from outside. Upon seeing the scene, he asked, "Did you get the enhancer? I'm leaving soon, and the General asked me to bring some for him."

Chu Li replied, "Not yet."

As he spoke, he looked at the supervisor and inquired, "Are there any more procedures we need to follow?"

The officer rose, somewhat reluctantly remarking, "By rights, matters of this nature ought to be handled by personnel under Vice Commander Feng's command. Your interference could be seen as overstepping, but given the unusual circumstances, I'll make an exception this time. Remember to bring the General's order on your next visit."

Chu Li nodded. "I understand."

The supervisor limped toward the warehouse, and Chu Li noticed that his gait was uneven, suggesting some difficulty with his legs or feet.

Upon his departure, Hong Feng said, "Bi Yanghong is from Blue Stripe Star. During a mission, he broke one of his legs and was reassigned to logistics due to his limited mobility. Although he's stationed at Deerport Fortress, his loyalty lies with Blue Stripe Star. Taking a single strength enhancer from him could be fatal, let alone requesting an entire case..."

"He's from Blue Stripe Star?" Chu Li sounded intrigued. "Didn't you cleanse all the people from Blue Stripe Star?"

Hong Feng, however, shook his head. "It's not that simple. As long as the Admiral remains an imperial citizen, he'll be bound by Blue Vein Star. We've only managed to cleanse the key positions; logistics and such are still under their control."

As he spoke, he realized he had revealed too much and quickly shook his head, claiming he had urgent business elsewhere before grabbing the enhancers and leaving.

Chu Li, understanding, did not press for more information.

After a while, Bi Yanghong emerged carrying a box, which he placed on the table. Hong Feng took ten enhancers and left, leaving Chu Li, Li Yunhua, and Bi Yanghong behind.

Bi Yanghong asked, "How many do you need?"

Chu Li initially planned to take a whole box, considering they needed to distribute them across several planets – one might not be enough. But with Hong Feng taking ten, he adjusted his request. "How many are left? Give us all of them."

To his surprise, Bi Yanghong glared at him. "You don't even know how many are left, yet you want them all?!"

Chu Li frowned, sensing something was off.