They Are All Extraordinary Men

Zhou Wen had only found out that the old woman's son was not just a little ill, but he was actually diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer when he followed the old woman to the inpatient department. Her son would not live long. 

The old woman waited for the male attendant to finish giving Guo Baichun a sponge bath before taking a seat next to the bed and opening up the thermos container with trembling hands. She picked up a plastic spoon and began feeding the tiny old man with a ghastly pale face and severely emaciated body on the sickbed. 

Zhou Wen used his Truevision to take a look. The tiny old man's name was Guo Baichun, and he was 72 years old this year. On the other hand, the old woman was Zhang Jieru, and she was already 93 years old. 

"I don't want to eat."

"Be good; have one bite."

"Gulp…" Guo Baichun ate a spoonful of rice soaked in broth under the old woman's continuous urging. However, he had only swallowed it before he immediately threw up everything in the next moment. "Blargh… Cough, cough, cough…"

The old woman hastily placed down the meal container and picked up the tissue by the bed to wipe her son. 

Zhou Wen, who was standing on the side, helped out as well. At the same time, he asked, "Where are his children?"

"They have all passed."

"Oh…"

Zhou Wen felt rather awkward for having asked the question. 

The old woman said with a profound smile, "My eldest grandson was a firefighter. He went into fire back in those years to save people but did not re-emerge. He was only 22 years old at the time, so I am guessing he was about your age now. My second grandson was a policeman, and he died in an accident while on duty as well."

Zhou Wen's body tensed up for a moment. He felt a ball of ineffable bitterness stuck in his throat. "All your grandsons are extraordinary men!"

"That's true!" The old woman heaved a sigh with a smile on her face. There was boundless sorrow seeping from her expression. 

When she was done cleaning up her son, the old woman continued to feed her son. Even though Guo Baichun did not have an appetite, he was still very determined to swallow his food. But then, he vomited again soon. 

Guo Baichun was suffering from intermittent pain after he vomited. He was only grunting in pain initially, but it turned into agonizing screams later on. 

Zhou Wen was well aware that most patients with late-stage liver cancer would suffer from violent pains. 

It was mainly due to the rapid growth of the tumors pressing against the liver capsule that resulted in dragging pain. The pain was also caused by the tumor's necrotic material stimulating the liver capsule and the breakage and hemorrhage resulting from carcinomatosis on the liver's surface. 

On the other hand, judging by the way Guo Baichun looked, the cancer cells had already metastasized fully. Painkillers such as morphine sulfate sustained-release tablets, Pethidine pills, and others would have already been ineffective for him. 

Even though the old woman had already accepted life and death, she could not stop her tears from filling her eyes when she saw her son crying out sorrowfully on the sickbed. Yet, there was nothing that she could do either. 

The only thing that she could do was use her palms covered in wrinkles to hold her son's hand tightly and bestow him a mother's strength. 

Zhou Wen was a sentimental person. He could not stand watching a scene like this where he wanted to help but could not do anything. 

"Wrong!" Meanwhile, an idea suddenly flashed past Zhou Wen's mind. He remembered the 'Biotype Pain Relief Medication Prescription.'

Even though this medication could not be used to treat liver cancer, he speculated that it should be good in relieving Guo Baichun's agony so that he could enjoy momentary tranquility during the final moments of his life and not die in boundless agony. 

Furthermore, the method of preparing the Biotype Pain Relief Medication was very simple. The extraction of raw plant materials followed by the same animal genetic DNA extraction could easily be done with the readily available laboratory equipment. 

The only issue now was whether or not he should help. Meanwhile, the familiar prompt tone was suddenly heard in his ears. [Ding! Mission accomplished. Would you like to submit the mission immediately?]

Zhou Wen was stunned for a moment. He was overjoyed at once when he reacted to the situation. He longed to complete the mission for days and nights had finally been accomplished; it came all the more unexpectedly as he had almost given up on it. 

He brought up the system interface and clicked to submit. Then, he checked and found that the mission to become a formal employee had been completed for real. 

On the other hand, a mission dialogue box popped out once again simultaneously.

[Mission: Zhang Jieru's Wish

Explanation: Guo Baichun is suffering from the agony of his illness, and he feels miserable beyond explanation. She hopes that there is a medication that is capable of relieving his pain. 

Requirement: Produce the Biotype Pain Relief Medication within 48 hours to ease Guo Baichun's suffering.

Reward: 500 Course XP, 500 Points. 1x Loot box Chance (Black metal)]

Before Zhou Wen could scrutinize the mission, the phone in his pocket was ringing. Wu Yan was calling him. 

Zhou Wen left the room and picked up the call outside. 

Wu Yan said, beaming with joy, "Hey, I'm going to tell you something. Your formal employment contract has already been approved!"

Even though Zhou Wen was already aware of it, he was still feeling extremely happy in his heart. "Judging from the joy in your voice, senior, your formal employment contract has been approved, too, right?"

Wu Yan took part in an open interview at the hospital toward the end of last year in an attempt to change her status of being a contract employee to a formal employee. Her result at the time was rather impressive too, only that she had yet to receive any public notification or approval all this time. 

Wu Yan answered with an 'Mmhmm.' She could not suppress her excitement by saying, "I must thank you for this! According to the boss, the team leader of Province CDC's Pathologist Team, Lin Huaidong, had sung praises to your name to our leaders in the provincial health bureau and also our hospital's professionals during the epidemic prevention grand meeting yesterday. He said that the entire province should learn from our hospital!"

Zhou Wen replied in excitement, "Wow, is that true?"

"Yes, it's true! Then, the boss seized the opportunity to submit my examination result and your employment information once again. Unexpectedly, the contracts got approved today."

Wu Yan was truly delighted. Her promotion came from her connection with Zhou Wen this time. In fact, her superiors were happy that they passed her application as well at one go. An opportunity like this was hard to come by. 

Judging by the current situation, it would most probably be very difficult for people like Jiang Hexuan, Wei Zhaogong, Dong Wenying, and Xu Jiajia to convert to formal employment in the near future. 

The two chatted for a while more, and Wu Yan told Zhou Wen that she would buy him a meal. 

Upon hearing that, Zhou Wen hastily commented, "It's fine, it's fine. I feel uneasy as soon as I hear talks about having a meal now. Let's talk about that later on. Moreover, I think that it's best for us not to disclose this matter to the public in consideration of the feelings of Xu Jiajia, Wei Zhaogong, and the rest. What do you think?"

"Hmm, you're right. It's my fault for losing my bearings in elation…"

The two continued to chat for a while more before they hung up the call. 

Zhou Wen kept the phone away and turned around to take a glance at the ward. 

The old woman held her son's hand and muttered something as if she was narrating the past events of his childhood to him. Regardless of the son's age, he was always a child in his mother's eyes. 

Meanwhile, Zhou Wen was jolted back from his surging and exciting emotions to the tear-jerking scene before his eyes. 

He took an extended glance at the mother and son inside the ward before he turned around and left the inpatient department. 

…

Zhou Wen headed to the big pharmacy nearby and spent 20 RMB to buy the few types of medicinal herbs he needed before he headed back to the laboratory department's reagent preparation room and began to prepare the necessary reagents. 

There were a total of over 20 types of reagents such as EDTA, NaCl, SDS, dextrose solution, sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, PVP, mercaptoethanol, RNase A mother liquor, chloroform, isoamyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol solution, NaAc, and others. 

The ratio of buffer solution extracted to every type of reagent was different. Moreover, it had to be carried out according to strict requirements. 

Fortunately, Zhou Wen learned about reagent preparation recently. Otherwise, he would be baffled just by trying to prepare the reagents. 

After two hours, he was done preparing all the reagents necessary at last. 

Later, he returned to the comprehensive laboratory located on the sixth floor. 

Wu Yan had already left, so there was not a single person in the comprehensive laboratory. 

Zhou Wen brought up the system to take a look. He noticed that the mission was already triggered to begin spontaneously when he was preparing the reagents. 

Soon afterward, he began making the Biotype Pain Relief Medication. 

Firstly, he extracted the DNA of the medicinal herbs. 

Then, he added the extracted buffer solution to a 50ml centrifuge tube that he heated in a 70-degree Celsius water bath. 

He cut up 10g of Salvia kiaometiensis leaves he bought and transferred it to a mortar. Then, he added liquid nitrogen to it before he ground it into powder. He immediately added the pulverized leaves to the preheated centrifuge tube. He then shook it profusely until it was even before he submerged the tube in a 70-degree Celsius water bath to maintain its temperature for 30 minutes. 

Then, he added chloroform, isoamyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol solution and tilted it upside-down until it was evenly mixed before leaving the solution at room temperature for 10 minutes in order to separate the aqueous phase and the organic phase into layers. 

With the upgrade of his biochemistry skill, Zhou Wen had an even more in-depth understanding of organic chemistry reactions such that he was highly proficient in conducting experiments. In addition, he had the help of his Truevision, which allowed him to understand the reaction of every step more thoroughly. 

DNA extraction was a trifling matter to him now. It was an utterly infallible act. 

The only issue he had now was that it felt slightly unfamiliar to him because it was his first time performing a plant DNA extraction. Hence, it slowed him down a little. 

Three hours later, a high concentration sample of Salvia kiaometiensis DNA was extracted. 

This was just the beginning. 

Next, he extracted the Hygrophila pogonocalyx.

It was the same procedure with the only difference being that he become even more proficient with the process now that it was his second time conducting the procedures. He could work even faster due to his prior experience, such that he had only spent two and a half hours. 

After the Hygrophila pogonocalyx, he prepared to continue the extraction process when his stomach began to growl in hunger. 

He took a glance at the time and found that it was already half-past eight at night; no wonder. 

Yet, Zhou Wen was reluctant to head out for dinner because he still had five more DNA samples to extract. 

Also, he still had to perform DNA amplification later, so he did not have much time. 

At last, he took out an all-natural uncontaminated apple from the system's inventory list. 

He remembered that oath that he had sworn previously, so he muttered to himself secretly, "This is the last time. Whoever eats it from now on is not a man."

After hesitating for three seconds, he raised the apple and took two loud, crispy bites and swallowed it instantly before his sense of taste was transmitted to his brain.