I Have A Super USB Drive

by <unknown>

  Nevertheless, mice were different from humans. These treatments were still too harsh for mice. Chen Chen could only guarantee a forty percent survival rate.

  However, with the birth of the last batch of cloned mice, the preliminary preparations of Chen Chen's three experiments were finished at last.

  After this was the actual experiment process.

  Five more days passed by. It was officially the beginning of classes.

  Chen Chen and the other two applied to delay their return to classes as they continued to hole up in the laboratory day and night.

  At the same time, the first and second groups of mice started to show signs of recovery alongside the administration of stem cell treatment.

  The third group, however, did not fare as well. Five out of twelve SD rats were already dead. Although the rest had survived, they were breathing their last and had even stopped eating.

  Two days later, the chemotherapy had ended. Some of the dying mice did not recover at all and eight or nine died one after another, leaving only six alive.

  Still, six was enough.

  Chen Chen had only hoped that two or three out of these six could hold on until the end of the experiment.

  Another month and a half flitted by under such tense circumstances.

  The experiment period, which had been planned to last three months, finally came to an end.

  At the moment, the three of them were huddled before a group of mice, excitement evident in their expressions.

  "Final result verification…"

  Chen Chen spoke into the recorder, "Group one, brain injury model group, Team A. Three subjects, three survived. Effect of treatment: Number one is relatively better, Number two is significantly better, Number three is slightly better…

  "Group one, brain injury model group, Team B. Three subjects, three survived. Effect of treatment: Number one is significantly better, Number two is significantly better, Number three is significantly better.

  "Summary: The effectiveness of treatment in Team A, which used artificial stem cell cultivation, is clearly inferior to Team B, which used cloned autologous stem cells.

  "Group two, spinal injury model group, Team A, four subjects… Team B, four subjects. Similarly, whether in terms of recovery rate or effectiveness of treatment: Team A is inferior to Team B.

  "Experiment group three: in the end, three subjects survived. Basic CT indicates that the body functions of experiment subjects, which had shown signs of aging, have been greatly improved in all aspects…"

  "It's incredible – all three experiments are a success!"

  Wang Wei patted Chen Chen's shoulder spiritedly. "In other words, the cloned young stem cells are far more effective than the artificially cultivated autologous stem cells?"

  "Furthermore, the third experiment also illustrates that replacing the bone marrow can really restore one's youth?"

  Xia Yin murmured with a look of disbelief, "Chen Chen, we're going to be famous…"

  Although Chen Chen wore a smile too, his eyes were cool and collected. "Following this, I'll write two papers. As I've said before, Xia Yin will be the lead author, Brother Wei will be the second author, and I'll be the corresponding author. I assume no one has a problem with that?"

  "Not at all. I'd be taking credit for both of your achievements. If it weren't for you, Lil Chen, the experiments wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

  Wang Wei wore a serene expression. Suddenly, he wondered out loud. "By the way, why are there only two papers? Didn't we carry out three experiments with three groups of subjects?"

  "One of the papers will explore the difference between artificially cultivated stem cells and cloned autologous stem cells in terms of their effectiveness on the human body. This will include the first and second experiments by default."

  Chen Chen explained further, "The second paper will be regarding the experiment on bone marrow transplantation.

  "You could say that the first and second experiments are more persuasive when placed together."

  Xia Yin beamed and nodded. "What about submission? Surely we're submitting to a first-rank journal?"

  "Of course, the first of these two research results may be a little flimsy, but the second one would have no problem getting accepted by a first-rank journal."

  Upon hearing this, Xia Yin and Wang Wei cheered once more.

  "Then, which journal do you plan to submit to?" Xia Yin followed up with another question.

  "There are only a few top, first-rank journals in the field of biology. Of course, we're submitting to Cell!"

  Wang Wei had answered before Chen Chen could. "Didn't your tutor tell you? The shorter a journal's name, the more impressive it is!"

  Cell was a magazine about the latest research findings in the field of life sciences. In the field of biology, it was undeniably the cream of the crop. Since its first publication, its impact factor had not dropped down below the top three. It was like a form of faith for people who were professionally involved in life sciences.

  Those engaged in scientific research would always mention "CNS papers". CNS here was an abbreviation of Cell, Nature, and Science, the top three publications. Anyone would be proud to publish a paper in any of these three journals.

  Chen Chen glanced at the other two who were puffing up with excitement and he burst out laughing. "Brother Wei is right. Of course, we're submitting to Cell. After all, that's our faith."

  Chapter 22: An Academic Battle |

  Following that, Chen Chen and the other two began to kill the white mice used in the experiments.

  Although living results were more valuable, it was not as if these experiments could not be replicated. Moreover, the dead mice would be soaked in formalin, making it easier to preserve the evidence.

  As the three of them left Mongan Pharmaceutical Company with this hoard of data, the world seemed to be bathed in sunlight. Even the exhaust fumes of vehicles in the city were incomparably invigorating.

  "Oh, right."

  On the way back, Chen Chen seemed to recall something. He turned to remind Xia Yin, "Remember, if there isn't any need to do so, don't tell anyone about the results of our experiments. Wait until I've submitted the papers."

  "Oh, but I've already told my tutor."

  Xia Yin stuck out her tongue and said guiltily, "As I applied to delay my return to classes, I directly told my tutor about this. It shouldn't be a problem, right?"

  "Forget it then. I'm just being extra cautious." Chen Chen smiled and said nothing else.

  Upon reaching the campus, the three of them parted ways. Chen Chen and Wang Wei returned to their dorm.

  In the dorm, Wang Wei made a beeline for his bed, muttering that he would never get up again.

  These three months of diligent effort had diminished Brother Wei by a few kilograms. Now that the weight had been lifted off his shoulders, he conked out in less than five minutes.

  A soft snore rang out in the dorm.

  Chen Chen did not want to waste any time. While the drug was still working, he brought his laptop to his old haunt, the library, and started writing the papers.

  A Discussion on the Aging of Stem Cells, Based on the Results of Autologous Stem Cell Therapy and Cloned Stem Cell Therapy.

  Rebuilding the Immune System with Mesenchymal Stem Cells Allows SD Rats to Regain Youth.

  Chen Chen opened up LaTeX and typed out two titles.

  However, on second thought, Chen Chen deleted everything and typed out the titles in English instead.

  During this period, Chen Chen did not stop his learning. Whenever he had a spare moment in the three months of experimentation, he flipped through a few academic books, including English.

  In addition to his perseverance, the effects of NZT-48 also played a crucial role.

  Upon taking NZT-48, one's emotional urges would be suppressed, resulting in extreme rationality. With this state of mind, anyone who was not a complete wastrel could become an exceptionally diligent bookworm.

 
Since Chen Chen's English had improved over time, he might as well forego the process of writing the papers in Chinese, then translating them into English. He could just write them in English right off the bat.

  He did not bring the records of the experiment to the library with him. Still, all the information was already in his head. He could access it anytime he liked.

  The two papers would be rather lengthy, totaling around a hundred thousand words. However, it was as if Chen Chen already had a mental outline. All he had to do was list out the experiment process and the resulting data in the right places, then use the appropriate words to connect everything.

  With this super efficiency, the process of writing was incomparably swift.

  It was as if countless streams of information were flowing through his mind and before his eyes while his fingers typed out one word after another without a single mistake.

  The manner in which each stage of the experiments should be described, the format and layout of the paper, the choice of words, sentence structure, and even terminology – all of these were so accurate that no one would be able to pick out any flaw.

  In this way, Chen Chen had finished writing two papers at an astonishing speed before the library was closed…

  …

  When Chen Chen woke up in his dorm, he experienced an unusually strong headache.

  It felt like someone had reached into his skull and kneaded his brain vigorously or his head had turned into a washing machine drum that was spinning frantically.

  His thoughts were being blended into smithereens…

  Chen Chen forced himself up, staggered to the toilet, and started relieving himself.

  However, just when he was peeing, he felt a sudden twist in his stomach, and he vomited violently.

  "Cough cough cough!"

  His windpipe was choked up with vomit, causing a severe fit of coughing.

  Fortunately, there was no one in the dormitory to witness all this.

  Chen Chen's applied semester delay was not over yet, so he did not have to wake up early for classes.

  "My body…"

  After a long while, Chen Chen finally recovered his senses. He braced himself against the sink and stared into the mirror blearily.

  In the mirror, a pale youth with a numb expression gazed back at him wordlessly. The youth's hair was disheveled and he looked unspeakably haggard.

  "My body is showing signs of NZT-48's side effects…"

  Chen Chen murmured to himself.

  It had been four months since he had obtained the USB drive and started taking the drug.

  Four months was enough time for NZT-48 to begin eroding his body and brain.

  These were just the beginning symptoms.

  Chen Chen knew that at an intermediate stage, his thoughts would often become scattered. He would forget everything that had happened before as if he suffered memory loss from drinking too much.

  If Chen Chen still had not charged the USB drive sufficiently by the time the drug ran out, that would be his expiry date.

  "I must speed things up."

  Chen Chen croaked hoarsely. Following that, he leaned over the sink and washed himself.

  Before he could finish washing up, his phone suddenly rang by his side.

  Chen Chen rubbed his eyes and saw that Xia Yin was calling.

  After wiping his hands, he picked up the call.

  "Chen Chen…"

  Over the call, Xia Yin sounded rather gloomy.

  "Go on. Ahem!"

  When Chen Chen spoke, he found that his voice was hoarse and he hurriedly coughed twice. "What's going on?"

  "My, my tutor wants to meet you."

  Xia Yin whispered, "I'm sorry…"

  Chen Chen's heart plummeted.

  In an instant, he understood that the thing which he most wanted to avoid had truly happened.

  Xia Yin explained, "I just found out that my tutor knows the person in charge at Mongan Pharmaceutical Company. He learned that I've finished an experiment and called me early this morning, asking about how the experiment ended up…"

  "So, you told him?" Chen Chen asked calmly.

  "It's all my fault. Can you come over now? I'll wait for you at Office Block Three…"

  Xia Yin repeated.

  "Alright, I'll be there right away."

  With that, Chen Chen hung up.

  "Huff, I hate feeling like things are out of my control."

  Chen Chen raised his right hand and stared silently at his palm, then looked at his reflection in the mirror.

  Currently, for some reason, his eyes in the mirror were dull with a faint bloody gleam.

  "So, you want to be credited as the corresponding author?"

  Without even guessing, Chen Chen knew what the other guy was thinking.

  Xia Yin's tutor was vying for the position of the corresponding author only because he wanted the intellectual property rights. Compared to lead author and second author, this was the most valuable thing.

  Of course, if the price was right, it was not a big deal to sell it to someone else. Chen Chen was just afraid that the tutor would try to take advantage of his young age and strip him of what was rightfully his at a very low cost…

  If that was the case, no one could blame Chen Chen for whatever happened next.

  Chen Chen wordlessly shut his eyes, took out an NZT-48 pill from his undershirt pocket and placed it in his mouth.

  Chapter 23: Associate Professor Zheng Jian |

  Chen Chen walked briskly through the forest trail on campus.

  This was the beginning of spring. A soft, silky rain was falling and the scent of the earth suffused the air.

  In the moving crowd of people, Chen Chen always managed to attract a lot of attention.

  His appearance was not outstanding but he had a presence that extended outward, making him the most eye-catching of the bunch.

  Anyone could see that he was dressed in an ordinary t-shirt and jeans. Even so, every gesture of his seemed like that of a celebrity's.

  Chen Chen quietly closed the webpage on Xia Yin's tutor and placed his phone down with a thoughtful expression.

  "A schemer through and through…"

  This was the first thing Chen Chen said about this guy.

  Based on the information Chen Chen had obtained from the college, the tutor's name was Zheng Jian. He was an associate professor who was 38 years old this year. He graduated from North American Salia University with a double Ph.D. in biochemistry and pharmacy.

  He must have had a certain level of capability and finesse to be able to become an associate professor at such a young age.

  Although Zheng Jian's status in academia was far behind Wang Xi, he was still a mammoth obstacle to Chen Chen.

  Once a conflict erupted, Chen Chen would have no chance of winning.

  Of course, that was a thing of the past.

  Chen Chen looked up Zheng Jian's information online, which only mentioned that his spouse had died of medulloblastoma a few years ago and the two had no offspring.

  However, just six months later, Zheng Jian had married a new lover, who was the daughter of a high-ranking official.

  There was an accompanying photo which showed a man sitting behind an office desk.

  The man's cheeks were sunken and he wore gold-rimmed glasses. There was a hard glint in his eyes.

  In addition, there was a neat bookshelf behind the man. On the desk before him were a computer, a pen holder, a thermos mug, and a framed photo.

  The photo was blurred. One could just about make out a woman in a white dress.

  Chen Chen could dig up all of this thanks to the highly developed internet.

  Of course, it was limited to this.

  It was impossible to obtain further information about Zheng Jian online. After all, he was not a star in the entertainment industry.

  Soon, Chen Chen had reached the ground floor of Block Office Three.

  "Chen Chen!"

  Xia Yin waved and jogged over
from a short distance away. She apologized profusely the moment she saw Chen Chen, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I truly didn't expect this to happen!"

  "It's fine. Tell me what your tutor wants."

  Chen Chen waved his hand. Both of them headed up the stairs.

  "My tutor hopes that you and I can grant him the positions of lead and corresponding author. In exchange, he could directly recommend us for the postgraduate program."

  Xia Yin said, "Of course, it's okay if you have other conditions, but…"

  "And what do you want?" Chen Chen turned to look at Xia Yin.

  "My tutor has already prepared a letter to the school that would guarantee entry into the postgraduate program…"

  Xia Yin sounded rather uncertain. "I think that's pretty good. Didn't we do this experiment to get into postgraduate research? Now that we've reached our goal, we can give up on those two papers, right?"

  Chen Chen shook his head but said nothing.

  There was a pitfall in thinking here.

  If the two papers were successfully published, Xia Yin and Chen Chen would be qualified for postgraduate research regardless. Not only that but the two papers would also be hugely advantageous to both their futures.

  Giving up credit as lead and corresponding authors in exchange for an entry into the postgraduate program was akin to putting the cart before the horse.

  Nonetheless, Chen Chen did not voice any objections. After all, this experiment was funded by Xia Yin.

  If he did not agree to give up his position as a corresponding author, he would undoubtedly offend Xia Yin's tutor, which would cut off her path to postgraduate research.

  Of course, compromising immediately was not Chen Chen's style either. Sure, the tutor could be a corresponding author but he must pay the right price.

  Furthermore, based on what Xia Yin had said, the tutor did not just want Chen Chen's position as a corresponding author. He also wanted Xia Yin's position as lead author.

  According to international practice, the lead author was typically recognized as the corresponding author.

  This was common. Generally, the lead author was the one who contributed most to the paper. Unless the corresponding author was specifically stated, the lead author would be treated as the corresponding author by default.