Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 184：Herbal Cancer Medications

The next day, Long Lao stepped out of the gates of the Military District General Hospital. He paused for a moment and looked back. The time he had spent here felt like a nightmarish dream.

A month ago, he had been diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer, with only a few months left to live. He had endured suffering, lamented the injustice of fate, and struggled with a sense of impending loss. Yet, just yesterday, he was told that the cancerous cells in his body had vanished. All his bodily functions had returned to normal, as if he had never been afflicted by cancer at all.

Even now, he still couldn't quite believe it.

From yesterday to today, Dr. Wang had conducted several tests on him, and each one confirmed that there were no cancer cells left in his body. It was nothing short of miraculous!

Could it be true, as Jiang Fan had said? That because of his kind heart, the heavens had allowed his cancer cells to vanish?

"Teacher, please, get in the car," Jiang Fan said.

Long Lao snapped out of his thoughts. No matter what, his body had healed.

As Long Lao got into the car, he didn't head back to Longke University. Instead, he and Jiang Fan went to the Kyoto Economic Development Zone.

The pharmaceutical research lab at Huakang Pharmaceuticals was now a national research facility. And Song Zhe had become the first Chief Technical Engineer at the national research institute.

It was something he never could have imagined.

When Song Zhe saw Long Lao and Jiang Fan arrive, he was taken aback.

"Academician Long, your health...?"

"It's all better now! Haha..."

Song Zhe, hearing Long Lao's cheerful laughter, couldn't help but be astonished. The man didn't appear sick at all! But, as a researcher in cancer drugs, Song Zhe knew the truth—cancer had a mere 5% survival rate, even in its early to mid-stages. Late-stage cancer was practically untreatable.

"Chief Song, can you show us the pre-clinical research results?" Long Lao asked.

Song Zhe then led Long Lao and Jiang Fan upstairs to a room, where nearly twenty cages with white mice were arranged. Each cage had a notebook attached, documenting the experimental data.

"Academician Long, here are the results of our pre-clinical trials. Based on Jiang Fan's suggestion, we broke down and recombined the drug molecules, resulting in a new compound, which I have named NM-98. This molecule targets cancer cells with incredible precision and effectively controls their reproduction and regeneration."

Song Zhe then showed them the data from recent experiments.

"After administering the drug to the mice, the cancer cells in their bodies were controlled, and the cancerous areas shrank daily!"

"Chief Song, have you applied for clinical trials with the medical regulatory department?" Long Lao asked.

"I've already submitted the application, and yesterday, they sent someone to conduct a review of the pre-clinical trials. We should receive results in the next couple of days."

"Good. When the results come through, I will coordinate with the leadership and arrange for a hospital to assist with the clinical trials."

Afterward, Song Zhe took Jiang Fan on a tour of the lab. Although the space wasn't large, the equipment was state-of-the-art.

"Jiang Fan, here's the formulation for the cancer drug we're working on. Could you see if there are any improvements you would suggest?"

Jiang Fan was somewhat taken aback. He knew little about pharmaceutical formulas. The last time he helped Song Zhe, it was because of his expertise in chemistry.

"Chief Song, I'm not knowledgeable about pharmaceuticals."

"Don't be modest, Jiang Fan."

Long Lao had come to trust Jiang Fan's abilities immensely, feeling that there was nothing he couldn't do. Since Long Lao had said so, Jiang Fan accepted the formula and began examining it carefully. The formula contained various chemical reaction components.

Although he could understand the equations, the full effects were beyond his comprehension.

As Jiang Fan neared the end of his review, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

[System]: "Triggered task choice!
Choice 1: Develop an anti-cancer drug using traditional Chinese medicine ingredients!
Choice 2: Develop an anti-cancer drug using chemical ingredients!"

Jiang Fan hesitated. He hadn't planned on developing any drugs, but since the system had offered a choice, he decided to give it a try.

Without hesitation, he chose the first option. He believed that chemical drugs would inevitably harm the body, but traditional Chinese medicine, with its natural ingredients such as plant roots, stems, leaves, and fruits, could be absorbed by the body without leaving toxic residues.

Once he made his choice, a brilliant light shone, and a formula appeared in his mind.

Although it was just a formula, Jiang Fan was astonished by the vast amount of information about medicinal herbs that flooded his thoughts. The formula consisted of 108 different herbs, each with specific requirements regarding age, composition, color, and region.

Such exacting standards could only come from the system.

While processing this, the system spoke again.

[System]: "This formula was developed by ancient scholars of Longguo, not by the system."

Jiang Fan thought to himself, "Ancient scholars of Longguo? Could it have been Hua Tuo or Li Shizhen?"

[System]: "Neither. Someone much older than them."

Jiang Fan asked, "Who, then?"

[System]: "I am unable to disclose that."

Although Jiang Fan didn't obtain a specific name, he inferred from the system's response that traditional Chinese medicine in Longguo was far more advanced than he had imagined.

Jiang Fan then turned to Long Lao and Song Zhe.

"Teacher, have you ever considered developing an anti-cancer drug using traditional Chinese medicine?"

"Traditional Chinese medicine?"

"An anti-cancer drug?"