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Chapter 22: 22

Following that, Chen Chen and the other two began to kill the white mice used in the experiments .

Although living results were more valuable, it was not as if these experiments could not be replicated . Moreover, the dead mice would be soaked in formalin, making it easier to preserve the evidence .

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As the three of them left Mongan Pharmaceutical Company with this hoard of data, the world seemed to be bathed in sunlight . Even the exhaust fumes of vehicles in the city were incomparably invigorating .

“Oh, right . ”

On the way back, Chen Chen seemed to recall something . He turned to remind Xia Yin, “Remember, if there isn’t any need to do so, don’t tell anyone about the results of our experiments . Wait until I’ve submitted the papers . ”

“Oh, but I’ve already told my tutor . ”

1

Xia Yin stuck out her tongue and said guiltily, “As I applied to delay my return to classes, I directly told my tutor about this . It shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

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“Forget it then . I’m just being extra cautious . ” Chen Chen smiled and said nothing else .

Upon reaching the campus, the three of them parted ways . Chen Chen and Wang Wei returned to their dorm .

In the dorm, Wang Wei made a beeline for his bed, muttering that he would never get up again .

These three months of diligent effort had diminished Brother Wei by a few kilograms . Now that the weight had been lifted off his shoulders, he conked out in less than five minutes .

A soft snore rang out in the dorm .

Chen Chen did not want to waste any time . While the drug was still working, he brought his laptop to his old haunt, the library, and started writing the papers .

A Discussion on the Aging of Stem Cells, Based on the Results of Autologous Stem Cell Therapy and Cloned Stem Cell Therapy .

Rebuilding the Immune System with Mesenchymal Stem Cells Allows SD Rats to Regain Youth .

Chen Chen opened up LaTeX and typed out two titles .

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However, on second thought, Chen Chen deleted everything and typed out the titles in English instead .

During this period, Chen Chen did not stop his learning . Whenever he had a spare moment in the three months of experimentation, he flipped through a few academic books, including English .

In addition to his perseverance, the effects of NZT-48 also played a crucial role .

Upon taking NZT-48, one’s emotional urges would be suppressed, resulting in extreme rationality . With this state of mind, anyone who was not a complete wastrel could become an exceptionally diligent bookworm .

Since Chen Chen’s English had improved over time, he might as well forego the process of writing the papers in Chinese, then translating them into English . He could just write them in English right off the bat .

He did not bring the records of the experiment to the library with him . Still, all the information was already in his head . He could access it anytime he liked .

The two papers would be rather lengthy, totaling around a hundred thousand words . However, it was as if Chen Chen already had a mental outline . All he had to do was list out the experiment process and the resulting data in the right places, then use the appropriate words to connect everything .

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With this super efficiency, the process of writing was incomparably swift .

It was as if countless streams of information were flowing through his mind and before his eyes while his fingers typed out one word after another without a single mistake .

The manner in which each stage of the experiments should be described, the format and layout of the paper, the choice of words, sentence structure, and even terminology – all of these were so accurate that no one would be able to pick out any flaw .

In this way, Chen Chen had finished writing two papers at an astonishing speed before the library was closed…

…

When Chen Chen woke up in his dorm, he experienced an unusually strong headache .

It felt like someone had reached into his skull and kneaded his brain vigorously or his head had turned into a washing machine drum that was spinning frantically .

His thoughts were being blended into smithereens…

Chen Chen forced himself up, staggered to the toilet, and started relieving himself .

However, just when he was peeing, he felt a sudden twist in his stomach, and he vomited violently .

“Cough cough cough!”

His windpipe was choked up with vomit, causing a severe fit of coughing .

Fortunately, there was no one in the dormitory to witness all this .

Chen Chen’s applied semester delay was not over yet, so he did not have to wake up early for classes .

“My body…”

After a long while, Chen Chen finally recovered his senses . He braced himself against the sink and stared into the mirror blearily .

In the mirror, a pale youth with a numb expression gazed back at him wordlessly . The youth’s hair was disheveled and he looked unspeakably haggard .

“My body is showing signs of NZT-48’s side effects…”

Chen Chen murmured to himself .

It had been four months since he had obtained the USB drive and started taking the drug .

Four months was enough time for NZT-48 to begin eroding his body and brain .

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These were just the beginning symptoms .

Chen Chen knew that at an intermediate stage, his thoughts would often become scattered . He would forget everything that had happened before as if he suffered memory loss from drinking too much .

If Chen Chen still had not charged the USB drive sufficiently by the time the drug ran out, that would be his expiry date .

“I must speed things up . ”

Chen Chen croaked hoarsely . Following that, he leaned over the sink and washed himself .

Before he could finish washing up, his phone suddenly rang by his side .

Chen Chen rubbed his eyes and saw that Xia Yin was calling .

After wiping his hands, he picked up the call .

“Chen Chen…”

Over the call, Xia Yin sounded rather gloomy .

“Go on . Ahem!”

When Chen Chen spoke, he found that his voice was hoarse and he hurriedly coughed twice . “What’s going on?”

“My, my tutor wants to meet you . ”

Xia Yin whispered, “I’m sorry…”

Chen Chen’s heart plummeted .

In an instant, he understood that the thing which he most wanted to avoid had truly happened .

Xia Yin explained, “I just found out that my tutor knows the person in charge at Mongan Pharmaceutical Company . He learned that I’ve finished an experiment and called me early this morning, asking about how the experiment ended up…”

“So, you told him?” Chen Chen asked calmly .

“It’s all my fault . Can you come over now? I’ll wait for you at Office Block Three…”

Xia Yin repeated .

“Alright, I’ll be there right away . ”

With that, Chen Chen hung up .

“Huff, I hate feeling like things are out of my control . ”

5

Chen Chen raised his right hand and stared silently at his palm, then looked at his reflection in the mirror .

Currently, for some reason, his eyes in the mirror were dull with a faint bloody gleam .

“So, you want to be credited as the corresponding author?”

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Without even guessing, Chen Chen knew what the other guy was thinking .

Xia Yin’s tutor was vying for the position of the corresponding author only because he wanted the intellectual property rights . Compared to lead author and second author, this was the most valuable thing .

Of course, if the price was right, it was not a big deal to sell it to someone else . Chen Chen was just afraid that the tutor would try to take advantage of his young age and strip him of what was rightfully his at a very low cost…

If that was the case, no one could blame Chen Chen for whatever happened next .

Chen Chen wordlessly shut his eyes, took out an NZT-48 pill from his undershirt pocket and placed it in his mouth .

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