Chapter 132 - 117: Patient Zero
—The direct line for the northern region’s general distributor for Germany’s Karl Storz and America’s Johnson & Johnson.
He dialed the number.
The phone rang three times before it was answered.
"Hello?"
Jiang He introduced himself. "Hello, this is Jiang He. Director Xu Wenpei from Peking Union Medical College Hospital referred me."
The man’s tone on the other end immediately became deferential. "Oh! Dr. Jiang! Director Xu already gave me a heads-up. My surname is Li, but you can just call me Xiaoli. Please, tell me whatever you need."
"I need an ABI real-time PCR machine, a high-speed refrigerated centrifuge, a biosafety cabinet, and a minus-80-degree ultra-low temperature freezer. Oh, right, and also a NanoDrop micro-volume spectrophotometer."
"Uh, Dr. Jiang, we primarily deal in endoscopes and surgical consumables. Everything you’re asking for is life sciences equipment... We don’t actually carry those."
Jiang He was about to say he would find someone else.
But Xiaoli quickly cut in:
"But don’t worry! This came from Director Xu personally. I’ll get it done for you even if I have to run my legs off! Everyone in the medical device industry knows each other. It just so happens I often go drinking with the main US distributor for ABI. I can personally make the connection for this order. How does that sound?"
"Great. I’ll have to trouble you, then. Could you get in touch with them in the next day or two and email me an approximate price list?"
"No problem, Dr. Jiang! I’ll have it sent over by tomorrow morning at the latest!"
The matter of the equipment was settled.
Next was the location.
An ordinary lab wouldn’t be up to standard. He needed an independent space that could be completely renovated to his specifications.
Jiang He found the number for Zhou Guanglin, the Vice President of Hujun Group, and dialed.
"Dr. Jiang! I was just thinking about paying you a visit at the university once things settle down in a day or two! My father was transferred back to a regular ward yesterday, and he’s recovering wonderfully! It’s all thanks to you!"
"You’re too kind, President Zhou. I’m just glad Elder Zhou is all right. I’m calling today because there’s a small favor I’d like to ask of you."
"Please, ask away! If it’s something I can do, I won’t hesitate."
"I’m currently setting up a medical laboratory and need a space of about 300 square meters. The university is unlikely to approve something like this. I need it to be fully equipped with water and electricity, have good ventilation and exhaust, and preferably be a standalone space. Does Hujun Group have any old factory buildings or warehouses under its name?"
"We do! We have a factory building in the High-Tech Zone that our group acquired years ago. It’s just sitting empty, and it would be perfect for a medical lab. The water and power are both industrial-grade. Dr. Jiang, the space is yours to use!"
"What about the rent?"
"Even close friends should keep clear accounts. We’ll go by the market rate for rent. When are you free? I can take you to see the site."
"Sounds good. I’ll be in touch."
After reaching a verbal agreement, Jiang He hung up the phone.
Perfect.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
...
「At the same time.」
「Yangcheng.」
It was mid-to-late October, right in the middle of the Canton Fair.
The lobbies of the city’s major hotels were bustling with people, and you could see foreign merchants with exhibitor badges everywhere.
In the executive lounge of a high-end hotel.
Zhou Guanglin put down his phone.
He smiled and turned his attention back to the foreign man sitting across from him on the sofa.
The man’s name was Mark. He was in his early forties and was a buyer from Mexico.
Zhou Guanglin spoke in English, "Sorry, Mark. I had to take an important call. It was from the man who saved my father’s life."
Mark forced a smile, then covered his mouth and coughed a couple of times before saying, "No problem, Zhou."
Zhou Guanglin asked, "Are you feeling all right?"
Mark waved his hand dismissively. "I’m fine, Zhou. As long as we can finalize our deal soon."
Zhou Guanglin nodded.
In fact, with his father being so gravely ill, he hadn’t been in any mood to talk business.
But after Jiang He saved his father, his motivation had returned.
Zhou Guanglin said, "Mark, rest assured, the samples from our new mold will be delivered to the hotel in a week. If you just stay one more week to see them, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied this time."
Mark frowned. "Like I said, it needs to be as soon as possible. A week is too long. I feel very unwell, completely drained of energy... It might be the hot and humid weather here. I think I’ve caught a cold."
Zhou Guanglin asked tentatively, "If you’re feeling really awful, I can arrange a car to take you to the best hospital here. That Dr. Jiang who just called me is a medical genius. I could ask if he’d be willing to take a look at you."
"No, thank you." Mark waved his hand, declining the offer. "It’s just the common flu. I get it every autumn. All I need is a good night’s sleep in my hotel bed, and then to get on a plane home."
Zhou Guanglin nodded. "All right, then... how about three days? You just rest up at the hotel for the next few days, don’t go anywhere. The morning of the day after tomorrow, I’ll have the samples delivered directly to your room. Regardless of whether they meet your requirements, I’ll personally arrange a car to take you to the airport. How does that sound?"
"Fine, Zhou. Since we’ve known each other for so many years, I’ll stay a couple more days. I won’t be going out. I feel like my bones are aching."
"No problem! You get some rest!" Zhou Guanglin stood up and extended his hand. "I promise, the samples absolutely will not disappoint you."
Mark shook Zhou Guanglin’s hand.
His palm was damp and scorching hot.
Then, carrying his briefcase, Mark walked unsteadily toward the elevator.
Zhou Guanglin stood where he was, watching Mark’s back disappear behind the elevator doors.
His mind was completely occupied with the impending samples and the contract.
He had no idea that the moment the elevator doors closed, Mark was leaning against the wall of the car, coughing violently once more.
This clearly wasn’t the common flu.
The gears of fate had already quietly begun to turn on the night Jiang He reversed the course of life and death.
A butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon Rainforest can, two weeks later, cause a tornado in Texas.
And that single injection Jiang He had used to snatch Elder Zhou back from the brink of death had now, at this very moment, caused a butterfly that should have already left the country to remain in Yangcheng.
The butterfly flapped its wings.
An invisible storm was quietly brewing high above the metropolis...