Chapter 2297 - 1482: New Hope? Or Disaster? (Part 3)

Chapter 2297: Chapter 1482: New Hope? Or Disaster? (Part 3)

Yang Ping leaned against the wall of the corridor, looking at the fire extinguisher cabinet opposite. "The only thing we can do now is to produce the correct data. As soon as possible. Get it out before they do, and publish a complete map of the safety boundaries. That way, even if someone wants to act recklessly, at least they’ll know where the boundaries are."

"What if they refuse to acknowledge those boundaries?"

"Then there’s even less we can do. Science can only provide facts. How those facts are used is not something Science can control. But this is just our worst-case thinking. In reality, to actually touch that boundary, to unlock this key, it won’t happen that fast. What I’m worried about is ten years from now, fifty years from now, a hundred years from now..."

Weber was silent for a while, then said, "I received an email from someone I don’t know. He said he’s organizing an ’International Sealing Research Alliance’ and invited me to join. I checked the list of initiators; there are at least four people in there who are known extreme longevity extensionists. In the past they’ve published manifestos about ’transcending Nature’s lifespan limits.’ I didn’t reply to that email."

Yang Ping said, "You did the right thing. Don’t have any contact with them. We stay independent."

Weber nodded, and, holding the sample tube, continued walking toward the Laboratory. Yang Ping watched his back, doing some sort of calculation in his mind.

On the sixth day, things began to spiral further out of control. When Tang Shun pushed open the door of Yang Ping’s office that morning, he was holding a printed press release. "Look at this." Yang Ping took it and saw the headline: "California Biotechnology Company Announces Launch of ’Unsealing Program,’ Pledges One Billion Dollars to Break Through Receptor X Regulation Technology." The body of the text explicitly mentioned "based on the unified theoretical framework of Professor Yang Ping," and claimed that "translation from Laboratory to Clinical will be completed within eighteen months."

"They don’t have any of our data at all," Yang Ping said. "How could they possibly complete translation in eighteen months?"

"They don’t need real data." There was a rare weariness in Tang Shun’s voice. "What they need is the News conference effect. After this announcement came out, the company’s stock price rose seventeen percent in premarket trading. Investors believe in the ’unsealing’ story. They’re investing in a story, not in data."

Yang Ping put the press release on the desk, his fingers pressing against the paper, feeling its slight warmth. "Tell everyone in the Laboratory that no one is allowed to disclose our experimental progress to the outside. No progress, no methods, no details of any kind. If anyone asks, just say, ’We’re still evaluating basic parameters.’"

Tang Shun nodded. "I’ve already notified them. This morning I gathered everyone in the Laboratory for a meeting. I made it very clear: our data release window is after the experiment is complete, not before. Someone asked why, and I said, ’Because anything you say before the data are complete is wrong.’ No one objected."

"What about Weber?"

"Weber didn’t come in today. He sent me a message saying he had insomnia last night, wants to rest in the morning and come in this afternoon."

Yang Ping gave a slight nod.

He knew that things were already out of control. Even if they really did manage to feel out the boundary, people would not be satisfied with the boundary.

To stop now and act as if nothing had ever happened, or to continue exploring cautiously—this was very hard to decide, because he could not see whether this line of research would become a new hope for humanity, or a disaster.