Chapter 189 - 140: Cooperating with the Nation
Chen Hao was holding the container of congee and glanced back.
’Huh? This guy looks familiar. Where have I seen him before?’
Chen Hao thought for a second.
Then he shot to his feet.
’Holy shit, this is a *real* leader!’
Lin Zhenhua spoke softly, "Sir, this is Jiang He."
Jiang He put down his phone, threw back the covers, and prepared to get out of bed.
"Stay put." The man stepped forward and pressed down on Jiang He’s shoulder. His tone was gentle, with a hint of a regional accent. "Just lie down. You’re a patient right now."
Chen Hao finally snapped out of it. He stammered, "Uh... um, hello, sir. Hello, Minister Lin. I’ll—I’ll go get some hot water."
The kid had some sense, at least.
He quickly walked out of the hospital room, pulling the door securely shut behind him.
After getting out, Chen Hao realized there were far more than just two or three people outside...
He smiled sheepishly and greeted them, "I’m getting water, just getting water, heh heh..."
After walking through the crowd, Chen Hao felt a little worried.
’Old Jiang is in there alone? Won’t the pressure be too much for him?’
But after a moment’s thought, he felt relieved.
’That’s not the kind of pressure that gets to Old Jiang.’
’The only time he seems to break down is when he can’t save someone.’
The more he thought about it, the more Chen Hao felt that Jiang He was some kind of god. He admired him from the bottom of his heart.
「Inside the hospital room.」
The wail of ambulance sirens could still be heard.
The man glanced out the window, let out a long sigh, and said, "The battle outside isn’t over yet. But the good news is, thanks to you, the risk of the virus spreading has been reduced to a minimum."
Jiang He nodded silently.
The man looked away from the window. "Zhenhua told me all about what happened. You didn’t collapse in the ER just from exhaustion. Young man, a doctor’s compassion is a good thing, but you shouldn’t blame yourself for a natural disaster."
Jiang He remained silent.
The man said, "A public health emergency is like a massive surgery. This city is lying on the operating table right now. You were the one who sounded the alarm early, buying the country the most precious window of time for containment. Because of you, hundreds, even thousands of families have been saved."
"You are the primary hero of this battle." The man reached out and patted Jiang He’s shoulder firmly twice. "The country and its people will remember you."
Those words of thanks carried immense weight.
Jiang He met the man’s gaze and nodded solemnly.
"Get some rest, young man. There’s a long road ahead. Take care of your health; that’s your most important asset for the fight ahead. As for what comes next, you can leave it to us."
After speaking, the man patted Jiang He’s shoulder again and turned to leave.
As he reached the door, he said to Lin Zhenhua in a low voice, "You stay and finalize the details of what comes next."
Lin Zhenhua stood at attention with a serious expression. "Understood."
The door opened and closed.
With the VIP’s departure, Lin Zhenhua finally relaxed a little. He walked back to the bedside and sat down.
The first thing he did was ask with concern, "How are you feeling? Are you okay?"
"I’m fine now, nothing serious."
"That’s good. The leader’s schedule is tight, so he could only stop by for a moment. Next, let’s talk about that eight-plasmid reverse genetics system. If you feel unwell at any point, just let me know."
Jiang He sat up straight, ready to listen attentively.
"Here’s the situation. Researcher Shu Yuelong reported to us over the phone. He said you got the entire system running by yourself and directly rescued the vaccine seed strain. Jiang He, I’d like to hear your explanation. How exactly did you master this technology? Who taught you?"
Jiang He knew this question was unavoidable.
However, he had already prepared an answer.
"Minister Lin, I’ve recently been working on advancing an miRNA early screening project. This project requires extracting RNA fragments from extremely small amounts of peripheral blood, then performing reverse transcription and amplification. To do this, I’ve read all the literature from the past decade in core journals on nucleic acid extraction, plasmid construction, and gene expression. I’ve run through the process in my head countless times and have also secretly borrowed the university’s basic lab to practice extensively with common E. coli."
"The underlying logic of reverse genetics technology is actually similar to that of miRNA research. Both involve cutting, splicing, and inserting nucleic acid fragments. As for the efficiency... I admit there was an element of luck. The transfection efficiency was much higher than I expected."
Lin Zhenhua listened quietly, nodding to himself.
The provincial department had done a background check.
Jiang He was a once-in-a-century genius who had started pushing his miRNA project a month ago. He had even presented a concrete plan at the preliminary review meeting, outshining Sun Changming’s team.
An absolute genius, the perfect research direction, and a bit of luck—all combined to create the current miracle.
In fact, geniuses like this have appeared on the world stage from time to time.
In 1921, a 22-year-old medical student named Charles Best assisted Banting in extracting insulin, directly conquering diabetes, which was considered an incurable disease at the time. (Banting later won the Nobel Prize and split half the prize money with Best, who was still a student).
In 1946, a 21-year-old Lederberg discovered the phenomenon of genetic recombination in bacteria and won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine at the age of 33.
In 1953, a 25-year-old Watson, along with Crick, proposed the double helix model of DNA, directly ushering in the era of molecular biology.
Now, in 2008, a twenty-year-old genius had appeared in China.
’This is truly a blessing for the nation.’
Lin Zhenhua couldn’t help but remark, "Luck is also a part of strength."
Then, his tone shifted. "But the country can’t rely on luck forever. Shu Yuelong also mentioned a potential problem. Although the system you submitted is perfect, its framework is still based on publicly available foreign patent pathways. The backbone sequence of PR8—the core patents are all in the hands of foreign biopharmaceutical giants."
Jiang He asked, "So, if we need to mass-produce the vaccine, we’ll face patent litigation?"
"Correct. When lives are on the line, if others decide to choke us, we won’t even have room to fight back. This is a national vulnerability. Therefore, the leader just laid his cards on the table: since you were able to get the existing system running in just over ten hours, if the country provides you with top-tier resources, can you find a way to create a reverse genetics pathway with our own independent intellectual property rights?"
Jiang He knew exactly what breaking this monopoly meant.
In the decades to come, the blockade of foundational biotechnology patents would remain the biggest headache for domestic pharmaceutical companies.
If they could break through in 2008, it would be a true national strategic asset.
"The plasmid promoters can be optimized and replaced. We don’t need to rely entirely on foreign sequences."
"For the helper-virus rescue cell lines, we can also try to use domestically established cell lines for adaptation to circumvent their patent barriers. We could even try to develop a three-plasmid or four-plasmid system to simplify the entire process..."
Lin Zhenhua’s eyes lit up instantly.
’Listening to Jiang He, it’s obvious he already has a direction in mind.’
"Good! As long as you have a direction, that’s what matters! Academician Zheng Liyan invited you to the Capital City before, but you declined, insisting on advancing your miRNA and SAP (Severe Acute Pancreatitis) projects in Southern China. The leader’s intention is that if you won’t go to the Capital City, then the country will bring the resources to Yangcheng!"
"The provincial department has learned that Zhou Guanglin of Hujun Group was planning to provide you with a 300-square-meter vacant factory building in the High-Tech Zone?"
"That’s right."
"At dawn tomorrow, the Military Engineering and Construction Corps will enter the High-Tech Zone. The state will fund the complete renovation of that factory building, converting it into a P3 (Biosafety Level 3) laboratory built to the highest standards!"
Hearing this, Jiang He’s gaze sharpened.
’A P3 lab!’
’In 2008, you could count the number of P3 labs in the entire country on one hand... And now, the government was building one right here in Yangcheng, paving the way for him!’
"Find it hard to believe? Think the state is investing too much in a third-year university student?" Lin Zhenhua saw through Jiang He’s thoughts.
Jiang He didn’t deny it. "Yes. Although this task is difficult, there are many brilliant teams in the country. To specifically ask me to do it... it seems a bit illogical."
Lin Zhenhua smiled and said, "How do you know you’re the only one working on it? In short, this is a very important matter. Even if nine out of ten teams fail, as long as one succeeds, it’s a huge win. Your stunning performance last night proved your capabilities, so the country has designated you as a key research node in Southern China. You are one of them, not the only one."
"As for this P3 lab... you don’t need to feel overwhelmed by the favor. After the incident in ’03, the provincial department and the national CDC have had a strategic plan to expand the P3 joint laboratories. It’s just been stuck on a desk for over half a year because of the stringent site requirements and long approval period."
"That factory building of Zhou Guanglin’s in the High-Tech Zone is a perfect fit for the plan’s standards, whether in terms of geographical location, sewage network, or independence."
"The government is just using the opportunity of you creating the seed strain to advance and accelerate an existing infrastructure plan."
"So, you don’t feel so much pressure now, do you?"
After Lin Zhenhua finished speaking, Jiang He said, "Indeed."
Lin Zhenhua then continued, "This lab will be designated as the ’National Joint Engineering Laboratory for Respiratory Virus Research.’ Yang Xu will be the titular head, while you will have usage rights and lead the research. As for your personal SAP research project... from now on, you’ll have the green light from the entire province. How does that sound, Jiang He?"
’Huh? My professor is involved too?’
Jiang He smiled.
After that, he didn’t hesitate for a moment.
’Partnering with anyone else could never be as powerful as partnering with the country.’
"Alright, I agree. I’ll do my best to deliver results."
Hearing this, Lin Zhenhua nodded in relief and said:
"One last thing. This is a direct order from the leader: keep a low profile."
"Jiang He, you’re only twenty. A tree that stands out from the forest will be destroyed by the wind. There aren’t many bad people in this world, but there aren’t few, either."
"Therefore, the state will not publicize or report on this widely. Your name and your achievements will be placed in a classified file. They will be made public when the time is right in the future."
Jiang He answered crisply, "I’ll follow the arrangements."
Hearing those four words, Lin Zhenhua nodded. His expression completely softened, and his tone became like that of an ordinary elder.
"Besides the research mission, during the background check, the provincial department also noticed a small episode in your personal life."
Jiang He blinked.
"A boss named Wang Kuan just transferred two million to your personal account a couple of days ago, right?"
Lin Zhenhua said, "We assume you were trying to get sponsorship for your miRNA project, but now that the state is involved, there’s no need to take his money. Accepting it puts you in their debt."
"This sum, the provincial department will use an official account tomorrow to return it to that boss under the name of a special refund. We’ll also officially settle this favor on your behalf. As for the money that’s now in your account, feel free to spend it as you wish, whether for research or other purposes. It’s all up to you."
Jiang He’s heart skipped a beat.
’They investigated me so thoroughly...’
’Good thing I haven’t done anything illegal...’
Before he could speak, Lin Zhenhua added, "Also, our records show that you just opened a stock brokerage account recently?"
Jiang He felt truly helpless now.
’He had, in fact, been planning to use that two million to buy the dip...’
Lin Zhenhua said, "Jiang He, don’t play the stock market. You don’t need to do things like that. You just need to focus on your project, and leave the rest to us."
Jiang He smiled, relieved.
’With the state handling all the logistics, he was spared the trouble of messing around in the stock market.’
"Understood. Then I’ll follow all of Minister Lin’s arrangements," Jiang He nodded in agreement.
"Good." Lin Zhenhua stood up. "Then get some rest for now. Prepare to be transferred to another room."
Jiang He was taken aback. "Huh? Transferred where?"