The successful experiment was undoubtedly a cause for celebration. However, Lingsha quickly remembered that her "Healer" System Mission progress was already at ninety-nine percent. Just one more treatment, and her mission would have been complete, allowing her to draw a new Identity. Why did it have to stall right here? she wondered.
Lingsha felt like she'd been hit by a boomerang. She'd always joked that Dr. Jiang's experiments were just a hair's breadth from success. Now that he'd finally achieved it, she found herself in the same frustrating position, stuck just one step short of her own goal.
In a way, Lingsha now fully understood Dr. Jiang's past frustrations.
However, Dr. Jiang's breakthrough didn't mean the drug could immediately be mass-produced and distributed to everyone in the Dragon Nation. This was only the initial prototype, and extensive optimization would still be required.
Still, with this first success achieved, subsequent refinements would be relatively straightforward. The most daunting hurdle had already been cleared.
After the initial shock, the entire laboratory erupted in wild excitement. Even Lingsha quietly applauded. Though her own mission progress was temporarily stalled, it was a minor setback. Silently repeating "Don't rush, don't rush" to herself, she genuinely rejoiced in the breakthrough before her.
Afterward, the laboratory team spent considerable time conducting a series of comprehensive physical examinations on Dr. Jiang. Their final conclusion was that he was now in peak health, with his physical capabilities having increased at least threefold.
The enhancement was roughly equivalent to directly transforming an ordinary person into someone with Lü Heng's physical prowess. While this was slightly less potent than the natural evolution experienced by those who survived the Zombie Virus and became Evolvers, Dr. Jiang's harmless version of the serum was still a remarkable achievement.
Dr. Jiang exclaimed excitedly, "Once we've confirmed there are no hidden risks or long-term side effects, we can begin mass production! First, we'll equip all personnel in the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations, then the military, and finally the police..."
With the Dragon Nation's vast population, widespread distribution would be impossible overnight. The serum would need to be prioritized for select groups, such as the frontline fighters.
Although most members of the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations were already Evolvers, those who hadn't acquired their abilities through the Fancheng Virus could still benefit from an additional enhancement using the serum.
Lingsha couldn't help but wonder: after the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations, the military, and the police had all received the treatment, how long would it be before ordinary people got their turn?
Or, to put it another way, would ordinary people ever truly get a chance?
It was like the old saying about trickle-down wealth: the rich get richer, while the poor remain trapped in poverty.
But looking at Dr. Jiang before her, Lingsha felt certain that such a scenario was impossible—at least before the old man passed away.
Publicly, Dr. Jiang was the director of the Third Research Institute. Privately, he was the leader of the Fuguang Society, wielding power in both legitimate and underworld circles. Given his ruthless reputation and no-nonsense style, anyone foolish enough to exploit the treatment for personal gain would likely find themselves worrying about whether they'd see the next sunrise.
For the next week, Lingsha visited the laboratory daily to monitor Dr. Jiang's health. No complications arose, and the first batch of the partially refined treatment officially entered production.
Seeing that her work there was done, Lingsha bid farewell to the institute and parted ways with Firefly. As they returned to their respective homes, Lingsha began to ponder how to tackle the final one percent of her System Mission.
Lingsha couldn't help but recall her original plan before Dr. Jiang approached her: to self-study basic medical knowledge and then apply for a job at a hospital.
Yes, it was a simple and unglamorous approach, but undeniably efficient. With the Dragon Nation's massive population and countless daily hospital visits, her System Mission progress would have skyrocketed.
The downside, however, was that medical expertise alone wasn't enough to secure a hospital position. Initially, Lingsha had considered leveraging Robin or Elysia's connections to get her foot in the door, but Dr. Jiang's unexpected visit preempted that plan.
Now, with only one percent of the mission remaining, returning to her original plan and using connections to work at a hospital felt impractical. After a moment of contemplation, Lingsha decided that if legitimate methods failed, she'd resort to covert ones.
Instead of entering the hospital as a doctor to treat patients officially, she would pose as an ordinary visitor, casually wandering the halls and secretly healing every patient she encountered. Once she completed the final one percent of her System Mission, she would disappear without a trace.
Sneaking around to secretly heal people might sound strange, but Lingsha had been staring at the 99% completion mark of her System Mission for a week, and she couldn't restrain herself any longer. She changed her clothes and immediately set off for the nearest major hospital.
Notably, she deliberately wore a long-sleeved top, pants, and gloves to completely conceal her distinctive small red hands and feet. She completed her disguise with sunglasses and a hat, tucking all her hair inside her jacket. After this meticulous transformation, she was certain no one would recognize her.
The only drawback was that her overly thorough disguise made her look rather conspicuous.
Lingsha soon arrived at the hospital. Fortunately, the security guard at the entrance didn't stop her. She blended into the crowd and entered, bypassing the registration area and heading straight for the inpatient ward.
A faint wisp of red mist drifted from her sleeve as Lingsha walked through the ward. In every room she passed, the patients' conditions visibly improved at an astonishing rate.
For example, in one room, a pneumonia patient who had been coughing incessantly with severe chest pain suddenly felt completely comfortable and stopped coughing.
In another ward, a patient with a severely lacerated arm that had required multiple stitches suddenly saw his wound healing at a visibly rapid pace.
But these were far from the most bizarre occurrences. In an emergency room, doctors were preparing to operate on a car accident victim clinging to life when, in the next instant, the patient abruptly sat up.
The doctors froze, their faces etched with disbelief, their expressions screaming "???".
Lingsha swept through the hospital like a cleansing tide, scouring every corner until she finally completed the last one percent of her mission.
However, she found something puzzling. Saving Dr. Jiang from the brink of death had instantly advanced her mission progress by one percent. Yet, despite saving numerous other critically ill patients, her progress had barely budged.
Lingsha speculated that the System might categorize zombie virus infections as fundamentally more severe than ordinary illnesses.
But none of this mattered now. With her mission complete, Lingsha wasted no time and immediately chose to draw a new Identity.