Chapter 10 Section IX

On this day, the researcher interrupted the experiment in the evening, swallowed the cup noodles bought from the canteen, and rushed to the Affiliated Hospital of Tokyo Bunri University where the medical school is located.Ten minutes walk from the science campus, you can see a huge twelve-story building, where he and Yoshihara-senpai made an appointment to meet.They had met several times at fraternities during their undergraduate days. After coming to the staff access door at the back of the hospital, Yanren explained his purpose to the guard and entered the main building.He was a little uncomfortable. He always felt that medical school was more advanced than pharmacy school, and he felt a little inferior.

When taking the elevator upstairs, the researcher remembered that at the welcome meeting for freshmen after entering the university, the dean of the school of pharmacy once lectured with his head held high: "If you become doctors, you can treat at most ten thousand patients. But if you become a pharmaceutical researcher Those who develop new medicines could save millions of lives." Indeed.If a drug is developed to treat alveolar epithelial cell sclerosis, it will not only save 100,000 patients in the world, but also benefit children who may suffer from the disease in the future.Yanren encouraged himself with the dean's words, but when he thought of the difficulties in reality, he felt powerless again.

Anyway, knowing what is impossible and doing it, the researcher decided that it is better not to have too much expectation, otherwise he will be disappointed after failure. He got off the elevator on the fifth floor and headed to the pediatric nurse station.A busy nurse spotted him and asked, "Are you here to visit a patient?" "No, I'm here to see Dr. Yoshihara." The nurse nodded and said to a group of people in white coats in the nurse's station, "Dr. Yoshihara, someone is looking for you." A short-haired man turned around and replied, "Here we are." That man was Yoshihara.I heard that Yoshihara was still practicing kendo in high school, but now he is a doctor.

As soon as he saw Kento, Yoshihara said in a unique deep voice: "Long time no see." He was wearing a white shirt, tie, and white coat, which was completely different from his student image.Yan Ren himself is dressed in an old down jacket and jeans, which looks particularly out of tune. "I'm so sorry to bother you when you're so busy." "Where is that, let's go to the infirmary." Yoshihara walked out of the nurse's station and took Yanren away. "Are you a pediatrician?" "No, I'm still an intern, rotating in various departments. Pediatrics is also good, but it's not suitable for me."

"Not suitable?" "I'm tired and don't make any money. It's better to be a doctor in another department." Yoshihara looked back at the pediatric ward and said, "Pediatricians are good doctors who have nothing to do with money. I'm rather vain, so I can't join their ranks." .” While waiting for the elevator, Yoshihara cut to the chase: "You came to see me because of hard lungs, right?" Pulmonary sclerosis is an abbreviation for alveolar epithelial sclerosis. "yes." "Sorry, the current level of medical technology is not enough, we can only try to treat the symptoms, but how long it can prolong the patient's life is uncertain."

"In other words, there is no cure at all?" "No." Yoshihara concluded. "There is no progress in basic research?" "In the world, only Dr. Grad of Portugal is developing a drug for this disease." "Therapeutic medicine?" Yan Ren asked in surprise.Unexpectedly, there will be unexpected gains so soon. "Which step have we reached?" "I am also a layman in this field. Please wait a moment." The elevator came to the upper floor, and Yoshihara entered a room with a sign of "infirmary".There are various departments lined up on both sides of the corridor, and Yoshihara entered the pediatric infirmary.There are many tables in the room, maybe it is almost dusk, and there are not many people in the room.Yoshihara opened a locker in the corner, took out a stack of papers and walked out.

"I downloaded the papers I read." "Excuse me for your trouble." The researcher took the paper and glanced at it roughly. "This is two stages away from clinical trials, right?" "It looks like it is." Professor Grad of the Lisbon University of Medicine has established a three-dimensional structure model of the variant GPR769, and is using this as a basis to design chemical substances that bind to the receptor and detect its activity.This may be the most advanced clinical application research in the world. "However, he has already reached the step of optimizing the structure of the lead compound."

"What's the meaning?" "Meaning, he's identified potentially druggable compounds and is engineering them into more pharmacologically active structures." More than a step behind, the Portuguese doctor's research is many years ahead of his own.Fishing with spider silk is really a dream.Working behind closed doors in a lab the size of six stacks of a dilapidated apartment building is no more comparable to Dr. Glad's research than a Little League team is to a Major League Baseball team. "That is to say, the development of a drug for the treatment of pulmonary sclerosis is just around the corner?"

"I don't know how many years to wait. The probability that the lead compound is suitable to become a drug is only one in a thousand, and it will take more than five years if it goes well." "Then the current patients are hopeless?" "I think so." Yoshihara sighed, "Come with me." With that, he walked towards the intensive care unit deep in the corridor. "Among the patients I am in charge of, there is a patient with pulmonary sclerosis." "Oh?" Through the double door, behind the door is the intensive care unit.There are huge windows in the walls of the hallway.Through the window, you can see seriously ill patients lying on the bed indoors.

"Third from the left," Yoshihara whispered. Among the adult patients, a girl of about six years old was lying alone on the bed.She closed her eyes in pain, her skin had turned blue-purple.The number of infusion bags hanging on the stand shows how serious the child's condition is. Beside the bed was a young nurse and a woman in her thirties who appeared to be the child's mother.To avoid bringing in germs, the mother wore a mask.She had obviously cried and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The nurse lifted the girl's oxygen mask and wiped away the red blood around her mouth.Yanren took a step back as if someone poked his head.

"This is a terminal symptom, and the child has only one month to live." The tragic reality made Yan Ren unable to bear to look directly at it, and his heart became more and more bitter.I can't save that child by myself.From the shabby and dilapidated laboratory left by my father, I can imagine my real situation. As if to punish himself, Yan Ren looked at the name tag on the eye hospital bed.It read: Kobayashi Wuhua, six years old.I will never forget this name in this life, this child who I have to die. "I want to make money, but I also want to save patients." Yoshihara said, "You are studying pharmacy, so you must develop a drug to treat pulmonary sclerosis." "But it's absolutely impossible within one month." Yanren replied feebly, and the deadline of February 28 that his father had entrusted appeared in his mind, which was exactly one month later. It has been dark for a long time, and the temperature has dropped a lot.On the Yokojuken River next to the sidewalk, migratory birds that come in winter are floating on the water to rest. On the way back to the laboratory, the researcher put his hands in the pockets of his down jacket and walked dejectedly like a wounded beast.The figure of the dying girl lingered in his mind. What did the kid do wrong to have to suffer like that?Why do you have to face death when you are only six years old?As scientists, researchers know the answers to these questions, because time is unequal to everyone, which is cruel but true. What pharmaceutical researchers have to do is to fight against the threats of nature, but what have they done so far?In the six years after entering the university, I was in a daze, and my time was wasted. Then again, what can I do?The researcher looked up at the starry sky, the universe is vast, and the light of stars countless light years away dotted the night sky of the earth. A specific drug for alveolar epithelial sclerosis will be successfully developed one day.But at least until five years from now, not within a month.While being overwhelmed by this sense of powerlessness, he remembered his father's last words.Researchers still have a glimmer of hope.Even if he is a professor at an unknown university, as a scientist, his father should have been exposed to logic training.Since he invested millions of yen to build a laboratory at his own expense, he should have some understanding of the development of specific drugs.The only clue now is the "GIFT" software installed in the laptop, but the researchers don't know what function it has. It seems that the last hope can only be pinned on the Korean student who understands computer medicine.The friend Doi who promised to help contact should have already found out the other party's schedule.Yan Ren was thinking of calling Doi when he suddenly heard someone calling him.Yanren was so absorbed in thinking about his own affairs that he didn't hear the other party's first call.He didn't stop until the other party called his name for the second time. The researcher has walked to the back of the School of Pharmacy building on the Science Campus.There is hardly anyone passing by at night, and the light is dim, except for the fluorescent lights in the bicycle parking lot in the distance. Who is calling yourself?Yanren stared wide-eyed in the darkness, but did not see anyone.It was a woman's voice, and Yan Ren was very surprised. He was about to take a step when he suddenly heard light footsteps behind him. Turning around, I saw a slender middle-aged woman standing behind her.She wears a plain coat and no makeup, with the refreshing feeling unique to science women. "Are you Kento Koga?" the other party asked softly. Is it a faculty member of the Faculty of Science?But this person is too much like a ghost, the researcher thought. "Yes, I am Koga." "I want to talk to you, are you free?" "Yes, yes." The researcher replied hesitantly. "Then please follow me." The woman said and asked the lead researcher to walk outside the university campus. "Wait, what do you want from me?" "It's your father's business." "My father?" The woman stared at the researcher and nodded. "I have something to tell you." "How do you know I'm Koga Seiji's son?" "Your father showed me your picture before, and he was very proud of you." The researcher immediately saw through that the other party was lying.His own father would not be proud of himself. "Please come with me." Hearing the voice of students talking from the bicycle parking lot, the woman quickened her pace. "where are we going?" "It's cold outside, let's talk in the car." "Car?" When he asked, he had already reached the back door before he knew it.A small business vehicle is parked along the narrow driveway under the university wall.The car was parked between the street lights, and all that could be seen was a black sedan. The researcher suddenly stopped in his tracks.For some reason, he felt that as long as he got in that car, he would not be able to return to the campus. "Can't you say it here?" "But……" "What is it about my father?" As soon as this question was uttered, another question emerged in Yanren's somewhat confused mind. "Excuse me, who are you?" "Ah, I'm..." The woman's eyes shifted, "My surname is Sakai, and I worked with your father before." "Ms. Sakai? What's your full name?" "Yuri, Yuri Sakai." Researchers have never heard of this name. "how to write?" After telling him how to write it, the strange woman asked, "Did your father mention me?" "No. Why are you looking for me?" Yuri Sakai glanced at the commercial vehicle: "I was surprised to hear that your father passed away." Then why didn't you go to Atsugi to express your condolences? "What is your relationship with my father?" "We work on viruses together." "Are you at Tama University of Science?" "Yes, I work for an external research institution." "That is to say, you are doing research together?" "That's right. Yanren, have you really never heard of my name?" The researcher could only nod.His father's actions during his lifetime are a mystery, so it is impossible to guess how credible Sakai Yuri's words are. "What I want to ask today is your father's research. The important data of the experiment are all in your father's place." "Data?" For a moment, Yan Ren almost believed the other party's words.Losing experimental data is of course a major problem for researchers. "Did your father leave behind a small black laptop?" The researcher was stunned.Yuri Sakai was talking about the computer that his father left in his study that couldn't start. The A5 size notebook brought from home should never be handed over to others. "I...I don't know." He quickly denied it, but the other party clearly saw his mental activities. Yuri Sakai laughed when he saw Ken pushing his glasses pretending to be calm. "You are just like your father." Yan Ren looked at the other party's smiling face in surprise.I didn't expect this gloomy woman to laugh.The researchers discovered for the first time that although she did not wear makeup, she was very beautiful. "Let's talk in the car?" Youli invited again, "It's warm inside." But the commercial car is covered with car film, and the interior of the car cannot be seen, so it doesn't look like a woman's car.The car door seemed to open at any moment, and a group of men rushed out. "Just talk here. Anyway, what happened to that A5-sized laptop?" "I didn't say A5 size." Mistake again!Let Yuri Sakai grasp the handle again. "However, what I want to talk about is also an A5-sized laptop." Youri regained his serious expression, "Your father's relic is in your hands, right?" The researcher is speechless, and opening his mouth may dig his own grave. "Give me that computer." The researcher thought for a moment and changed his strategy. "The computer is indeed in my hands, but my father said that I cannot give it to others." "It's a matter of course. After all, there are research data in the computer. You probably wouldn't take your experiment notes out of the lab, would you?" It seems that Sakai Yuri works in a research institution as if it is true.People who do not engage in scientific research will not mention such things. "Your father didn't expect that he would die." This sentence is also good.It is rather odd that his father's suicide note did not presuppose his own death. "Our research has come to a standstill, please give me the computer." The researcher asked: "What did your father look like when he fell to the ground at Mitaka Station?" Yuri Sakai hesitated to speak, tilting his head and squinting at Kento.The researcher questioned this slender, shoulder-length woman about forty years old again. "Is father in pain?" "I have no idea." "It was Ms. Sakai who called the ambulance, right?" "It's not me." The woman flatly denied.Researchers don't believe it.This man was definitely the last to speak to his father.But why did she leave the scene?Sakai Yuri must have left his father hastily for some reason. "I'm also doing it for the sake of Yan Renjun." Youli said, "Give me back the computer." "For my own good? What do you mean?" "I can't tell." "Then I can't give you the computer either." Youli remained silent, his eyes blurred, as if he was thinking about what to do next.The researcher couldn't help raising his vigilance, waiting for the other party's response. "Understood." She replied flatly, beyond what the researchers expected, "Then I'll take my leave." The conversation ends abruptly.Youli quickly returned to the car, and Yanren didn't have time to keep her. The researcher watched her leave in bewilderment.If we talk for a while longer, we should be able to find out the identity of the other party.The researcher felt that the license plate number might be a clue, so he stepped forward to check.But he froze instantly in shock.Through the rear window of the commercial vehicle, a figure could be vaguely seen. Besides Yuri Sakai, there were other people in the car. Researchers instinctively sense danger.Yuri put her hand on the driver's side door and turned her head.In the darkness, two menacing gazes shot directly at Yanren. The researcher quickly retreated and returned to the university campus.The car gradually disappeared behind the wall, but it only increased the sense of fear.Yanren turned around and walked away quickly. When he arrived at the building of the School of Pharmacy, he had already started running unknowingly.He rushed upstairs in one breath and ran towards the laboratory where his classmates were.In the corridor on the third floor, he stopped and peered downstairs.No sign of being tracked. Is it because I am worrying unfoundedly, or have I just escaped from danger? The researcher opened the door and entered Sonoda's laboratory.In the conference room, several girls were sitting on the sofa drinking tea happily.From the laboratory inside, the voice of the associate professor guiding the graduate students and students to operate the experimental equipment came out. The familiar picture made Yan Ren calm down. He took out his mobile phone and called his father's previous work unit.It's not even seven o'clock, so there should still be people in the lab. The bell rang twice, and the other party answered the phone. "This is Tama University of Science." It was a man who spoke.The researcher asked, "Is Associate Professor Hamasaki there?" "I am." "I am Koga Seiji's son, Koga Kento." "It's you." The other party seemed to think of Yan Ren who met once at the funeral. After the researcher apologized for his intrusion, he asked a question: "I have something to ask you, was my father doing joint research with others in an external institution during his lifetime?" "Joint research? No such thing." "Then do you know a researcher named Sakai Yuri who is about forty years old?" "do not know." Yuri Sakai was indeed lying.Who is she?Thinking of this, Yanren couldn't help but feel chills down his spine. In the future, all communication tools such as telephones, mobile phones, emails, and faxes you use may be monitored. Could it be that his mobile phone was tapped by Sakai Yuri? "However," Hamasaki continued, "I don't know if it's related to your question...Professor Koga took a long vacation." "Long vacation?" Yanren repeated, and then he suppressed his panic and asked, "What time period?" "One month, until February 28. If your father is still alive, the vacation will start tomorrow. That's all I can think of about joint research." It seemed that my father really wanted to create a specific medicine for the treatment of alveolar epithelial cell sclerosis.The drug was developed at the end of February and delivered to the American who will show up. "Understood. Sorry to trouble you." "Where, you can ask me anytime if you have any questions." Hamasaki said and hung up the phone. Yanren turned off the phone, but the chill on his body did not disappear.While returning to the laboratory where his classmates were, he thought about the woman named Sakai Yuri.All she wants is one thing, the laptop her father left behind.Not the machine needed for new drug development, but that little laptop that won't boot. The key to unlocking the mystery lies in that silent black computer.What exactly is recorded there?