It only took a few seconds for all the parasites to get sucked back into Er Qiu and Tie Dan's bodies. Their skin began to sink in one spot, then bulge out in another, like something was slithering beneath it.
People quickly snapped out of their daze and rushed to pin them down again.
But before long, everything went quiet. When the last drop of IV fluid entered their veins, both boys finally calmed down, breathing heavily but steadily.
Everyone in the room let out the breath they'd been holding, hearts still pounding.
Then suddenly, Er Qiu started coughing violently again, making everyone tense right back up.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
"Urgh!"
They both doubled over at almost the same time, vomiting dark brown liquid mixed with long, thread-like clumps that looked like hair.
At first glance, everyone thought they'd just puked up a pile of hair.
"They're parasites! Dried-up, dead parasites!"
"Quick, Lao Wang, take a sample to the lab!"
The two boys threw up so much they looked visibly thinner, but their eyes were clearer, and their faces no longer pale. Finally, everyone could truly relax.
"How do you feel?" Boss Zhang asked, voice trembling. His heart was still racing. Er Qiu was the only heir of the Zhang family, and if anything happened to him...
"I feel like my whole body's been hollowed out," Er Qiu said with a weak grin, wiping the corners of his mouth.
"You brat! Look at you, still cracking jokes." Boss Zhang couldn't help but laugh. The relief in his voice was obvious.
Minister Zhao was so thrilled he could barely contain himself. He'd already been shocked that morning when the suppression rate hit ninety-nine percent, but this... this was something else entirely. Once the lab confirmed the results, they'd see the truth of it.
Still, he couldn't afford to get careless. Those kids had been infected for days. Their organs and tissues had probably taken serious damage, and even if the parasites were gone, recovery would be a long road.
Even if they healed, there'd definitely be lasting side effects.
The vomit was quickly cleaned away, samples were sent to the lab, and doctors moved in to perform follow-up treatments. But everyone else stood there nervously, waiting for the test results.
Especially Minister Zhao and his team. When the lab reports were about to come out, no one dared to look. The closer they got, the more terrified they felt. They wanted to see the results right away, but at the same time, they were scared of disappointment.
The tension was so thick that Jing Shu, watching from the side, couldn't help but find it a little funny.
Just as everyone stood there waiting, the quiet was broken by sudden shouts from the other side of the hall.
"It worked! Our medicine worked! It can completely kill the parasites!"
That cry sent shockwaves through the entire place. People immediately rushed over to see what was happening. But before anyone could celebrate, strange, animal-like roars echoed from the testing area.
Jing Shu followed the others to check it out.
The scene that met their eyes was horrifying. In what should've been a calm testing room where sedated children were being treated, one child suddenly went berserk. Nobody could even tell if it was a boy or girl. The kid tore out all the IV tubes, eyes rolling wildly. Their cheeks were deeply sunken, patches of long hair sprouting from their face and hands. They hunched over, moving on all fours like a beast, darting around the room with inhuman agility.
Thankfully, the test area was sealed off, so the child was quickly caught. But even with several adults holding them down, they couldn't restrain the struggling. The kid was thrashing, growling, snapping their teeth like a wild animal.
Minister Zhao strode forward, checking the patient carefully. "What's going on here? What drug did you use? Who's in charge? Bring me the formula. And run a full scan on this child's vitals!"
In this crowd, no one had more authority than him. As the head of the R&D Epidemic Prevention Department, every drug passed through his hands. He was a seasoned expert, with both knowledge and experience.
"It's the medicine from the Yunzhou Medicinal Herb Association," someone answered nervously. "Must be a side effect."
"A side effect this severe?" Zhao frowned. "Look at the child! They've lost all sanity. Even if you cured the infection, what's the point if the patient ends up like this?"
"I heard they used that new, rare crimson energy," another voice added.
The representative from the Yunzhou Medicinal Herb Association stepped forward, face pale. He handed over the formula and the vial of medicine. "We didn't expect such extreme side effects. We just increased the crimson energy concentration a bit."
"Right, here's our result sheet," another added quickly. "It shows we can kill 99.9% of parasites!"
Minister Zhao sniffed the medicine, then frowned deeply at the formula. "You've increased the crimson energy ratio by over a hundred times. The side effects are enormous. Even if it works, it's meaningless. First, we don't have enough crimson energy to waste like this, and second, the material's still experimental. We don't even know the correct way to use it. Third, the patient clearly can't withstand the reaction. This formula's too dangerous. Stop the trials immediately."
"No!"
"You can't stop us! The rules said no matter what we use, even crimson energy, as long as it works, that's what counts. The winner's decided by suppression rate!"
"Exactly! We're using the rarest resource, sparing no cost to suppress the parasites. That means we're winning this round!"
The Yunzhou team was visibly worked up. They'd invested heavily in this project, and they weren't about to let it go to waste. The contest rules were clear, and besides, Yunzhou had powerful backing. That's how they'd gotten their hands on crimson energy before the competition even started.
Someone from another association couldn't take it anymore. "You call this winning? You turned people into lunatics! What good's curing them if they lose their minds?"
"That's not our concern. The rules are clear—the result's based on suppression rate. We'll test more patients and find the optimal ratio!"
"What, you're planning to ruin a few more kids for that?"
The argument drew a crowd. Even the judges gathered. Boss Zhang, supported by two assistants, finally made his way over. After listening to both sides, he nodded slowly and spoke.
"You're both right," he said. "Since I'm the chief judge for this round, I'll make things clear."
The hall fell silent again, except for the muffled sounds of the restrained child still struggling on the bed.
"The results of this competition will indeed be determined by the final suppression rate," Boss Zhang said firmly. "That rule won't change. Whoever achieves the highest rate will be declared the winner."
The Yunzhou team smirked smugly. "Exactly. Early casualties are inevitable. Give us a few more samples, and we'll do even better. Reaching one hundred percent isn't impossible."
"But," Boss Zhang continued.