The Omniscient

Chapter 41: The Perfect Miracle Drug

Professor Lü sighed, sitting in his office, still pondering the enigmatic Hua Xu.

Previously, Hua Xu had frequently appeared in various research institutes, but ever since they discovered they had been deceived, the person had disappeared entirely.

“How could it be timed so perfectly? I had even thought of having Professor Lin pretend not to know anything and wait for Hua Xu to show up at the lab again. But instead, the guy just vanished! Even the phone number Professor Lin jotted down doesn’t work anymore...”

Professor Lü sighed deeply, unable to figure out how Hua Xu had known in advance.

“Could it be that we have a mole among us?”

He opened his email and scanned through his contacts with a suspicious gaze.

They were all medical professionals, and he really didn’t want to doubt them. But had everyone really been deceived? Could there truly be a swindler this skilled?

Perhaps some of them were only pretending to be deceived. What if they were actually covering for Hua Xu, intentionally helping him out? That would explain why Hua Xu moved so smoothly, always seeming one step ahead. Someone could be feeding him information, providing fake credentials, and then claiming they too were “deceived” to cover it all up.

Maybe Hua Xu was actually a hidden student of one of the professors, operating under a false identity due to some compelling reason!

The more Professor Lü thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He began mentally assessing who among them was most likely involved.

Suddenly, with a ding, a new email arrived.

“Hm?”

He clicked on it and saw that a stranger had sent him a research paper.

“New Virus H1N1? Isn’t that the Level-5 virus the WHO reported a few days ago?”

Professor Lü was taken aback. He had only recently learned about H1N1 himself. The virus had already spread internationally, warranting its Level-5 classification.

So far, no significant breakthroughs had been made by any country. Domestic scholars were still studying basic materials, and even a simple, direct detection method hadn’t been developed—let alone a cure.

But the title of this paper boldly claimed to have a solution!

“It’s probably just recommending frequent handwashing and mask-wearing as preventive measures,” thought Professor Lü as he skimmed the email. Sure enough, the paper detailed the virus’s nature, symptoms, transmission methods, and extensive preventive measures. ṛαꞐ∅฿Êŝ

It even predicted that the virus would escalate to Level 6, claiming it would become a global pandemic if no miracle drug was developed.

“Indeed, that aligns with WHO experts’ predictions,” thought Professor Lü. He had read several WHO reports forecasting the same trend.

But this paper went even further, offering more detailed insights, as if it had undergone countless clinical trials.

“Who in the country authored this? It might be the first domestic research paper on H1N1,” he muttered. “Why send it to me? This should’ve been submitted to a major academic journal.”

Scrolling to the bottom of the document, his eyes caught on a line: “Formula for the miracle drug in Attachment 1.”

“What?”

“A miracle drug?”

Professor Lü almost thought he had misread. Suddenly, it made sense why the author hadn’t submitted this to major journals—it must be someone’s fanciful creation.

“How could they develop a miracle drug so quickly? Are there even clinical trials?”

Still, out of curiosity, he downloaded the attachment.

“Well, there’s even a formula for a detection reagent. The synthesis method is surprisingly detailed.”

“And the miracle drug… it’s so simple?”

“This can’t just be conjecture, can it? How could a miracle drug appear so quickly?”

Initially skeptical, Professor Lü couldn’t help but find the details persuasive.

The detection reagent, in particular, was so straightforward that, with his expertise, he could immediately tell it was genuine.

Though the miracle drug’s effectiveness was uncertain, synthesizing it was simple enough to test.

Without delay, Professor Lü returned to campus and enlisted two graduate students to help him create the detection reagent. Testing the drug, however, was more complicated and required approvals and suitable patients.

The detection reagent was successfully made without much effort, thanks to its reliance on basic materials.

But whether it worked remained to be seen.

Professor Lü brought the reagent to the hospital and began selecting cases, identifying flu patients, and collecting their blood samples for testing.

After a day’s work, by 4 PM, the results were in.

“Out of 24 samples, one tested positive. We extracted the virus from it and confirmed through a genetic comparison with the international database that it is indeed H1N1.”

“It really works!”

Excited, Professor Lü grabbed the detection report and rushed to the pharmaceutical research institute in Shanghai.

Currently, this was the only institution in Shanghai officially tackling H1N1.

“This paper must be published immediately!” said Professor Lü. To avoid delays from email communication, he decided to deliver the paper in person.

When he arrived, however, he found several other professors already present.

Dean Hong greeted him with a laugh. “Look! Another one!”

“…” Professor Lü was dumbfounded.

“You’re the sixth professor to bring in this paper,” said Dean Hong with a chuckle.

Only after an explanation did Professor Lü learn that the same email had been sent to numerous professors, some of whom weren’t even in the virology or pharmacology fields.

This paper was also the first domestic analysis of H1N1. And it didn’t just analyze—it provided a detection solution, something undeniably valuable for international experts.

“Then what are we waiting for? Publish it!” urged Professor Lü.

“No need,” replied Dean Hong. “It’s already been submitted to WHO by Academician Gong in the capital. He conducted experiments right away and forwarded it to WHO directly.”

“Not only that, but Shanghai and Guangzhou have also sent the same paper. WHO even asked us why it was submitted three times.”

Professor Lü was speechless. He hadn’t expected the email to have such a wide distribution.

Still, it made sense to cast a wide net, ensuring someone would act on it.

But who was behind such groundbreaking research? Why didn’t they submit it themselves? Why remain anonymous, signing only as “Messiah”?

“Who is this Messiah?”

“Who knows? The name sounds foreign, but it’s written in Chinese. Why the alias?”

As they pondered, another professor, Professor Zhu, arrived.

“Another one? Old Zhu, you’re here!”

As expected, he had also come with the same paper.

Professor Zhu asked, “Did you test the miracle drug yet?”

“We’re still testing,” replied Dean Hong. “I’m waiting for the results.”

“That drug doesn’t work. I already tested it at my university—it has no effect on the virus,” said Professor Zhu.

“Well, it’s fake then,” sighed a few disappointed professors.

Dean Hong frowned. “Not necessarily. The drug is designed to alter gut flora, causing bacteria to release a new enzyme that helps the immune system identify the H1N1 virus. If your experiment didn’t involve gut flora, of course, it wouldn’t work.”

Professor Lü remarked, "But can this really work? Wouldn't it be better to find a miracle drug that directly helps the immune system recognize the virus? This approach is so odd—why develop a drug for bacteria when treating a virus?"

“If this enzyme they mentioned is so useful, why not just synthesize it directly? Wouldn't that be the real miracle drug?”

“I can’t understand this person’s thinking… Why rely on bacteria to secrete it?”

Dean Hong suddenly froze, as if struck by a realization. His expression shifted as he fell deep into thought. After a moment, he said, "This line of thinking reminds me of Hua Xu..."

“What? Hua Xu?” Professor Lü’s eyes widened in shock.

Dean Hong immediately logged into his email and retrieved a paper Hua Xu had once sent him.

“Look at this. This is the paper Hua Xu wrote when he tricked me.”

“What is this nonsense? It’s all over the place,” said Professor Lü, frowning as he scanned the document.

Dean Hong explained, “It is a bit chaotic, but the data checks out. The paper skips a lot of derivations, so you need to interpret it carefully. Back then, Hua Xu introduced me to the concept of modifying the gut microbiota through drugs to indirectly alter the immune system and cure various diseases.”

The group studied the paper for a long time, gradually understanding it with Dean Hong’s explanations.

“The theory is solid and feasible. As a concept for medicinal cuisine, it would be very useful for health maintenance… But as a treatment for diseases, forgive me for saying so, it seems like overcomplicating things,” remarked Professor Zhu with a chuckle.

Professor Lü agreed. “Exactly. No matter what compound is secreted by the bacteria to aid the immune system, wouldn’t it be simpler to analyze that compound and synthesize it directly for treatment?”

Dean Hong nodded. “I thought the same at the time. Hua Xu was just an ‘undergraduate’ then, and I was more impressed by his knowledge than by the practicality of his ideas. That’s why it stuck with me.”

“And now that you mention it, the thought process in these two papers is identical.”

At that moment, the Shanghai Pharmaceutical Research Institute finally released their experimental results.

The group was invited into a conference room, where the deputy director, visibly stunned, addressed them:

“The miracle drug works. And it works exceptionally well!”

“In just four hours, the patients’ immune systems produced the corresponding immunoglobulin, precisely recognizing and attacking H1N1!”

The group was left speechless. This was a perfect miracle drug.

Four hours? Antibodies produced before the virus could even cause illness?

In the field of disease prevention, this was the ultimate breakthrough.

Four hours was revolutionary. It was as if an enemy infiltrated a city and, while still hiding in residential buildings planning their next move, suddenly found themselves surrounded by armed guards holding their photos, shouting, “You’re already surrounded!”

When did the immune system become this efficient? The virus hadn’t even started causing trouble, and antibodies had already formed!

While there are many types of miracle drugs, this one was the best kind—directly assisting the immune system in producing antibodies.

Typically, vaccines are used for this purpose. Doctors inject weakened versions of a pathogen into the body, essentially staging a small disturbance, sometimes even tying loudspeakers to it to announce, “I’m a virus!” This prompts the immune system to eliminate the threat, gain experience, and produce antibodies.

From then on, if the same virus attacks again, the immune system handles it with ease.

“But this miracle drug isn’t a vaccine, nor is it a virus-targeting antibody drug. It’s bacteria-targeted,” Professor Zhu commented.

“It’s the enzyme,” said Dean Hong. “Messiah used this drug to prompt bacteria to secrete a novel enzyme, which then caused the immune system to produce antibodies.”

It was as if H1N1 was lying low, intending to act later.

However, the bacteria—the local “gangsters” of the gut—suddenly got hammered by the miracle drug. This drug mimicked H1N1, making it seem as though the virus itself was launching an assault.

From a biochemical perspective, the interaction could be personified as H1N1 declaring, “I’m taking over this city today!”

Alarmed, the bacteria—realizing their turf was under attack—immediately snitched to the immune system, providing detailed information about the intruder.

The immune system, armed with this intelligence, acted swiftly.

While the analogy was imperfect, it captured the essence of the process.

As they reviewed the report, the group grew increasingly astonished.

“This miracle drug isn’t a vaccine, yet it achieves what a vaccine does indirectly. Its components, while harmful to bacteria, somehow manage to ‘coincidentally’ trigger them to secrete this enzyme, which then influences the immune system to produce antibodies. The virus is neutralized before it can even cause harm.”

Professor Lü marveled, “This miracle drug feels like pure luck—almost as if someone just happened to stumble upon the right formula!”

“Next, we just need to synthesize that enzyme and combine it with the right components to create a miracle drug for H1N1,” he suggested.

The deputy director stood up and shook his head firmly. “No… This isn’t luck.”

“And synthesizing that enzyme won’t create a new miracle drug.”

“Why not? Are there side effects?” someone asked.

The deputy director replied, “The drug described in the paper does have minor side effects—at worst, some individuals might experience allergic reactions.”

“The real issue lies with the enzymes secreted by the bacteria in the patients’ bodies… They’re different!”

The group was stunned. “What are you saying? You’re saying that after taking the same drug, each patient’s bacteria secreted a different enzyme?”

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