Chapter 276 The Source of the Virus

October 25, 2024.

In a remote village in Yunxiang, a birdcage was finally placed, and the doomsday fortress was nearing completion.

During the day, Lin Xi inspected the project with Yu Shiyun, and at night, Gu Yixuan invited her to a newly opened restaurant. In the middle of the night, she wrote materials to report Zhang Zheng.

I've been spending all my time with that family of three lately.

Neither of them knew that Lin Xi was dealing with two other family members.

With Lu Wei's help, Lin Xi's secret whistleblower letter reached the hands of a reliable relevant department.

The whistleblower documents included a letter accusing Zhang Zheng of secretly researching anti-biological viruses, as well as virus sample analysis and preliminary experimental investigations.

The relevant departments quickly conducted related inspections, focusing on two aspects: verifying the authenticity of the virus and investigating Zhang Zheng's suspicious activities abroad.

Because of the importance of the matter, this work was carried out in secret.

Regarding the verification of the virus samples provided by Lin Xi, relevant departments dispatched a national academician from the Capital Institute of Biological Sciences to secretly liaise with Lin Xi.

The person who came looked very familiar. Although it had been twelve years since Lin Xi was reborn, she still recognized Guo Xingyuan at a glance.

The whistleblower letter submitted by Lin Xi included her virus analysis and its potential harm to the human body.

"According to you, the virus originated from Professor Zhang Zheng, but Zhang Zheng himself did not experience any obvious adverse reactions." Guo Xingyuan has already conducted relevant verifications. Although he was unable to conclude that the virus could cause people to lose their minds and continue to "survive" even without vital signs, its destructive power against most living organisms has been proven.

Since the other party had already confirmed the content of Lin Xi's report, but still had some doubts.

Lin Xi: "From my observation, Zhang Zheng frequently visited the Dicheng Medical Center and the secret laboratory in the suburbs when he was abroad. I suspect that Zhang Zheng's original intention in creating the virus was related to treating diseases. The person who got sick is very likely to be him."

Lin Xi had dealt with Gu Yixuan in several lifetimes and had not noticed any obvious signs of illness in her. Moreover, Lin Xi had secretly investigated and found that Gu Yixuan's current virus test was negative.

Lin Xi already had a general idea in mind, and these guesses were later confirmed in the investigation by relevant departments.

Back in 2014, Zhang Zheng proposed to create a virus that could paralyze most organs to save people who were about to die from the disease. The anticipated side effects included a drop in body temperature and loss of some physiological functions and senses, but the person would retain consciousness and continue to live.

The idea was too anti-biological, and the virus he described had not yet appeared, or if it did, it would be dangerous and uncontrollable. Naturally, the proposal was nipped in the bud.

Zhang Zheng wasn't too fixated on the proposal, as if he had already anticipated the outcome.

Legend has it that a foreign research team once approached Zhang Zheng out of curiosity about this proposal, but he refused. He preferred to participate in commercial research rather than projects that required immense effort and might not yield results even after decades of continuous research.

The turning point came two years later.

In 2016, Zhang Zheng suspended his scientific research and commercialization activities for a period of time and proposed a long-term sabbatical for recuperation.

He did indeed travel to many countries that year, Lin Xi remembered, because Gu Yixuan's WeChat Moments were very interesting during that year's winter and summer vacations.

After that, Zhang Zheng stayed in Lan Country and would go there for a period of time every year thereafter.

The relevant authorities discovered that Zhang Zheng had assets in multiple overseas locations, and his domestic income was insufficient to cover the expenses incurred in purchasing these assets.

Zhang Zheng's whereabouts abroad were very secretive. He almost never stayed in hotels, rarely went to public places, and even the Dicheng Medical Center he visited was a members-only hospital, making it difficult for outsiders to enter.

It wasn't easy for relevant departments to investigate overseas information. They only learned from some clandestine channels that Zhang Zheng initially went to the neurology department at Dicheng Hospital.

This information connected with Lin Xi's guess: he had a serious neurological disease that even the highest level of medical care at Dicheng Medical Center at the time could not cure.

Then he remembered his previous proposal, which happened to be of interest to the Lan Guo research team.

He has an extremely high IQ and a great talent for pathogen research, but he is too eager for quick success and his research spirit is not as good as Song Heng's.

But if the research results could save his life, his strong inner drive prompted him to devote himself to the research.

The disease waits for no one, so he used himself as the subject of the experiment. It could be said that the zombie virus was created for him.

He did survive by living with the virus, but the virus doesn't work for everyone else.

Guo Xingyuan: "The Lan Guo research team must have discovered this."

Lin Xi: "If you were the leader of the research team in Lanzhou, how would you handle this project from a scientific research perspective?"

Guo Xingyuan adjusted his glasses: "From a biological perspective, birth, aging, illness, and death are normal processes. Using viruses to treat diseases actually alters the laws of nature, which is unacceptable. However, from a scientific research perspective, if this experiment has already progressed to this point, we can continue to observe and study it, and look for ways to improve it, without using humans as the main subjects of the experiment."

If it were Song Heng, he would probably do the same.

Lin Xi then asked, "If it can't be improved, and the virus still only works on people like Zhang Zheng who have natural antibodies, what will the person who controls the virus do?"

Guo Xingyuan narrowed his eyes.

Lin Xi mouthed the word: "Biological weapon."