Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

Chapter 583: Chapter 598: Luo’s Pharmaceutical

Jiang Xia was pulled away from the trash cans by his secretary.

“Did you see anything?”

The secretary squeezed his eyes shut. “President Jiang, there’s something you don’t know. I’ve actually been blind for years.”

Jiang Xia chuckled, amused by his subordinate’s act. He had just been kidding around anyway. Gazing in the direction An Ning had gone, he asked, “Do you think I’m being a little too cowardly?”

Alarm bells went off in the secretary’s mind. ‘This is a trick question. My life is on the line.’

“President Jiang, based on my one and only romantic experience, I’d say you’re not being cowardly. You just care too much. Your feelings for her run deep.”

Jiang Xia shot his secretary an impressed look. ‘Not bad, kid.’

“Never realized you had such a silver tongue.”

“I learned from the best, President Jiang.”

“Get lost!”

“Yes, sir!”

The secretary scrambled back several steps, causing Jiang Xia to shake his head, speechless. Now that he had confirmed An Ning was safe, he could finally relax a bit.

“Let’s go.”

Jiang Xia led the way, with his secretary close behind. The two of them left in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, An Ning was personally picked up by Director Zhao as she exited the airport.

The first order of business: a full physical examination.

An Ning cooperated fully. After a battery of tests, the doctors came to a single conclusion: even if all of them were to drop dead, An Ning would most likely still be alive and kicking.

Her health was simply too good!

All her vitals were nearing perfection. If their superiors hadn’t forbidden it, a few of the doctors would have loved to use her as a living specimen for their medical students to study.

Some people get sick by the book; she was a case of someone who grew by the book.

After her check-up, Director Zhao gave An Ning a stern lecture. The central theme was simple: stay alive.

An Ning took the lecture without a single word of protest. She agreed to everything he said, acting perfectly obedient.

Director Zhao looked at the compliant An Ning and suddenly stopped. “But the next time something happens, you’ll just do what you were going to do anyway, won’t you? Did anything I said today make any difference at all?”

“Of course not. How could it not make a difference?”

An Ning answered him with conviction, then added with a grin, “It’s just that a general in the field isn’t always bound by his sovereign’s command. Surely you can understand that, right?”

“Oh, you!”

Director Zhao shook his head and chuckled.

“‘The skilled are always bold.’ You’re the perfect embodiment of that saying.”

They dropped the subject, because An Ning then took out something that Director Zhao couldn’t tear his eyes away from.

“Is this the new tech you were using?”

“That’s right. Protective armor.”

Director Zhao looked at the armor on the table, which wasn’t even as large as a vest, and asked in confusion, “How did you just pull that out?”

‘Did I just space out for a second?’

An Ning pressed a button on the armor. In the next second, right before Director Zhao’s eyes, the vest-sized armor transformed into a single button.

“And no machine currently on the market can detect this button.”

Director Zhao was completely stunned. He truly couldn’t find the words to describe what he was feeling.

“Then—”

“We can’t,” An Ning answered, anticipating his question. “It can’t be mass-produced. The materials are too rare.”

Director Zhao understood completely. ‘But even just a few would be good enough.’

“What can it do?”

An Ning then gave Director Zhao a demonstration. The armor deployed to cover her body, it had miniaturized yet lethal weapons, and a glove that could snap steel rebar with one hand. In short, it was an incredibly powerful suit of combat armor.

The two of them spoke in the room for a long time. When they emerged, Director Zhao looked at An Ning meaningfully and said, “You must take good care of yourself.”

“I will.”

After Director Zhao left, An Ning finally had some time to rest.

On the second day after her return, An Ning went to see An Guoming and Yin Xuemei, and then moved back into her little courtyard home.

She loved the down-to-earth feel of the courtyard home, the convenience of the neighborhood, and the fact that she could step outside and buy whatever she was craving.

On the third day, her roommate, Luo Li, showed up at her door.

Luo Li parked her electric scooter and, when An Ning opened the door, swept her into a huge hug.

“I missed you like crazy!”

“Are you missing the living version or the dead version?”

“Hahaha, no difference. It’s all your DNA, anyway.”

The two of them continued their macabre banter as they walked into the courtyard.

After a quick tour of the house, Luo Li followed An Ning into the living room and sat down.

“I came here today for a reason.”

“I figured. Otherwise, how would the hospital’s star surgeon find the time to visit me?”

“Let’s cut to the chase. I have a surgery in an hour that I can’t miss.”

Luo Li got straight to the point and told An Ning why she was there.

Five years ago, with massive financial backing from An Ning, the Luo Family had established Luo Pharmaceutical.

Now, five years later, Luo Pharmaceutical had clearly become a major player in Huaxia’s pharmaceutical industry. Luo Li’s father had made a new breakthrough in his research and wanted to hold a press conference.

Luo Li’s reason for coming was to invite An Ning to that press conference.

“Why invite me?”

“An Ning, you’re powerful, right? The untouchable kind of powerful?”

An Ning nodded, stating confidently, “You are absolutely correct.”

Luo Li slapped her thigh, her voice filled with newfound confidence. “Then that’s settled! You have no idea how insanely profitable this industry is!”

“But everyone in our Luo Family is frugal—total penny-pinchers, really. We’ve managed to produce some drugs at extremely low prices, and that’s cutting into the profits of other pharmaceutical companies.”

“On top of that, thanks to your funding, our R&D has been doing really well these past few years. As my mom puts it, we’re stepping on a lot of people’s toes. They want to drive up drug prices, and they want to swallow Luo’s Pharmaceutical whole, taking all our formulas in the process.”

“You have no idea how many corporate spies and moles we’ve found in our factories.”

Luo Li sighed. “It’s a good thing I’m not in R&D, or I’d be tempted to take a scalpel to a few of them.”

An Ning understood. Her connection to Luo’s Pharmaceutical was a secret.

Now, certain people had them in their sights, and they needed a powerful backer.

“Alright, I’ll be there.”

An Ning’s agreement was swift, but Luo Li’s departure was even swifter.

She was in a rush to get back for her surgery.

After seeing Luo Li out, An Ning called Jiang Xia to ask about Luo’s Pharmaceutical.

Jiang Xia, who was in the middle of a meeting, immediately put it on hold. He walked out of the conference room with his phone, his voice instantly softening as he said, “Go ahead… I’m not busy… I have plenty of time.”

Inside the conference room, the employees all exchanged glances. Their eyes said a thousand words, but no one dared to speak.

Once Jiang Xia was out of the room, someone finally broke the silence. “I’m putting my money on one year.”

“Damn it. I bet on three months. I have a bad feeling I’m going to lose.”

At the other end of the table, Jiang Xia’s secretary slowly rose to his feet. He looked at the group and said, “You’d all better be careful. If President Jiang finds out you’re betting on him… heh heh heh.”

That sinister chuckle sent a chill down their spines.

But they couldn’t help it. President Jiang was just so frustratingly slow to act that they couldn’t help but feel anxious on his behalf.