Chapter 2301 - 1484: We Need to Calm Down (Part 2)

Chapter 2301: Chapter 1484: We Need to Calm Down (Part 2)

"It’s safe," Tang Shun said.

Yang Ping nodded. He knew he should feel relieved to have found a safety point. Yet, all he felt was the pressure of waiting. 11.25% is safe. But what about 11.5%? 11.75%? There are still three points to run. It would take at least ten days to get all the data, ten days.

"Continue running," Yang Ping said.

That afternoon, his phone started vibrating frequently. He initially thought it was a message from Tang Shun or Weber, but upon checking his phone, the headline of the notification caused his cup to halt mid-air—"European Commission announces establishment of a special working group for receptor X research, plans to invest 200 million Euro to promote the development of a safety regulation program."

He put down the cup and clicked on the news. The article stated that at today’s press conference, the European Commission announced, given the "revolutionary potential" of receptor X in lifespan regulation, the formation of a special working group involving fifteen top biologists, aiming to develop a "clinically usable receptor X regulation plan" within three years. The press release specifically mentioned, "The special working group will maintain communication with Professor Yang Ping’s team in China, but will not rely on the data from a single laboratory, conducting independent verification research."

Reading the final sentence, Yang Ping felt a clear, unavoidable signal: the EU was no longer waiting for him. They believed he was too slow. They thought the reason his data wasn’t forthcoming wasn’t due to the experimental cycle, but his reluctance to share. They’ve decided to forge their own path, politely bypassing him.

He made no comment. He placed the phone back on the desktop, screen facing down.

Next day, when Tang Shun walked into Yang Ping’s office in the morning, he wasn’t holding a phone or a folder. He entered empty-handed, closed the door, sat in the chair opposite Yang Ping, remained silent for a few seconds, then said, "Did you watch the new ’Sphragis’ video?"

"No."

"You should take a look."

Yang Ping opened the computer, and under Tang Shun’s guidance, found the video. The footage was shot in a warehouse-like space, dimly lit, hundreds of people sitting on folding chairs, with a makeshift stage at the front. Onstage, a host, a young man in a black T-shirt, said something into the microphone, causing a burst of cheers from the audience. The host announced, "Tonight we’ll conduct an experiment. We’ve invited a volunteer who’s willing to receive an ’activator’ injection in front of the camera. We aim to prove one thing: the seal can be shaken."

The camera shifted to a man sitting on the side of the stage. He appeared to be in his forties, slim build, wearing a gray sweater. He stood, walked to center stage, rolled up his left sleeve, exposing the skin of his upper arm. The host took a syringe from a thermal container, filled with approximately five milliliters of colorless liquid. The needle glinted briefly under the lights before piercing the man’s upper arm. The man grimaced but remained silent. The injection lasted about ten seconds.

Then came the wait. The camera focused on the man’s face. He stood there, his arms hanging at his sides, breathing steadily. The audience held their breath. After about thirty seconds, the man’s eyelids started twitching rapidly, then his body jolted as if pushed. He stumbled forward half a step, then steadied himself. A look appeared on his face, and when Yang Ping saw it on the screen, he felt his stomach tighten; it was a look of ecstasy. As if seeing a light invisible to others. The man opened his arms, said something indistinct to the audience, his voice echoing in the warehouse. The audience rose from their seats, their cheers drowning out the microphone.

The video ended at fifty-seven seconds.

Yang Ping closed the video. He sat in his chair, staring at the black screen. "What was in that syringe?"

"No idea," Tang Shun replied, "The video’s description only said it was an ’Energy Activator’. No ingredient details, no dosage information, no safety data. But the video already has twelve million views. The trending hashtag on social media is ’Unlocking Moment’. Some are calling it ’the first seal removal in human history’.

Yang Ping slowly said, "He might have injected nothing at all, placebo effect; in a highly suggestive setting, people can experience whatever they expect to feel."

"I know, but twelve million viewers don’t know that. They see a living person undergo some kind of change on camera. That change is visible, it’s dramatic. Whether it’s real or not, it’s been recorded and spread."

Yang Ping turned around. "In the lab, has anyone been asking about your work?"

"Some have. In the last three days, three different people have contacted me through different channels wanting to ’learn more about our activation plan details.’ I haven’t responded."

"What about Weber?"

"He told me this morning he received an email from ’Sphragis’ headquarters inviting him to Brazil as a ’science advisor’. The email mentioned that if he went, they could offer him a ’substantial consulting fee’. Weber deleted the email."

Yang Ping nodded. But his mind was occupied with another matter. The scene of injecting the "activator" in the video, the ecstatic look on the man’s face, the cheering crowd, twelve million views, every number telling him one thing: this movement no longer needs his participation. It’s detached from any scientific framework and is somehow undergoing self-replication. His role in this event has shifted from "discoverer" to an optional piece of background. People cite his name, but no longer require his judgment, only his symbol.

Two weeks later, Yang Ping decided to make that decision.

At 7:50 AM, by the time he reached his office, he’d already made up his mind. He closed the door, sat down in his chair, and opened the computer. He started a new blank document, the cursor blinking distinctly in the morning light. His hands rested on the keyboard, lingering for about ten seconds.

Then he began to type.

"Latest Progress and Path Adjustment for Receptor X Research - To All Laboratory Members"

He wrote for an hour. Upon finishing the last word, he found himself covered in a thin layer of sweat. He reviewed it from start to finish, adjusting some phrasing to be more cautious, then saved the document. He did not send it immediately. He left it on the desktop, intending to show it to Tang Shun and Weber when they arrived.

At nine o’clock sharp, Tang Shun, Manstein, and Weber arrived. Yang Ping let them sit down and turned the screen towards them. Tang Shun showed no change in expression while reading the document. He read it once, then started from the beginning again. Then he looked up at Yang Ping.

"You’re shutting down the experiment."

"Pausing, not permanently shutting down. Pausing receptor X activation experiments until a more complete safety assessment framework is found. Baseline research continues, structural biology research continues, all observational research not involving activation continues. Only activation experiments are halted."

"But you wrote in the document ’original data may have unrecognized systemic errors.’"

Yang Ping nodded solemnly, "Yes, I can’t tell the truth. If I say it’s because I’m afraid of the consequences and decided to pause, those outside will tear me apart, continuing their frenzy. They’ll say I’m making a decision for all humanity. But if I say it’s a technical issue, that the data might be misleading, needing a reevaluation of the underlying assumptions, that’s a reason from within the scientific community. Others can question my judgment, but they can’t accuse me of arbitrariness."

"Maybe it’s the only way to ease things."

They fell silent.

Manstein said helplessly, "You’re protecting this field. If you’re destroyed by public opinion, no one will be able to make rational judgments in the future. You must survive. Because only you know those data—12.5% metabolic shift, 15% epigenetic change, 11.25% safety point and the 11.5% uncertainty range’s mechanisms. Only our lab holds these numbers in the world. If you fall in this storm, these numbers will vanish, and everything will become more chaotic."

After Manstein said this, he realized his speed was faster than usual. He paused, adjusting his breathing. He felt as if there was a stone pressing on his chest.

Weber didn’t ask "why," nor "how to explain it to the outside." He simply said, "Okay!"

"We all need some quiet time, a momentary lapse of caution could plunge us into an abyss!"

Yang Ping said.