A More Potent Poison
In front of the ward, Marta opened the door and was about to enter when Thuram suddenly stopped. Master Marta, I suddenly feel like going in. Why don't you go in first?
This... Marta hesitated for a moment. Alright, Ill go check on Qin Mangs first.
Thuram gave Xia Fei a look, and the two of them walked down the hallway.
Im afraid you dont want to go in with him, right? Xia Fei asked softly with a smile.
Thuram nodded. He went to the window with Xia Fei and looked out from the third floor. That old man Mata wont come here for no reason. Im afraid that hes also eyeing Qin Mangs belongings.
Xia Fei did not say anything. The situation was not under his control. He had no idea who these people were or what their motives were, so it was not his place to make a judgment.
The two of them stayed in the corridor for more than half an hour. The reason why Marta had rushed to the door right after Thuram was to hear what they had to say to Qin Mang, but Thuram had set him up just as he was about to enter the room.
Qin Mangs did not like Marta, so he pretended to sleep after exchanging a few words. Marta did not know whether to stay or leave, so he hesitantly left Qin Mangs ward.
As soon as he stepped out, he saw Thuram and Xia Fei smiling at him.
Marta pursed his lips. Brother Thuram, you sure took a long time to go to the bathroom.
Thuram chuckled. Can't help it. My kidneys aren't doing well in my old age.
Marta walked down the stairs with a livid expression. Thuram and Xia Fei entered the ward and locked the door. Marta snorted coldly, feeling even angrier.
The ward was spacious and bright. Qin Mangs face was pale as he laid on the bed. A huge machine was working non-stop, the indicator lights flashing constantly.
This was the cell purification machine. The ray lamp at the top of the machine shone a clean light on Qin Mangs body, removing the toxins in his body. There was also a transparent tube connected to Qin Mangs blood vessels, purifying the blood and releasing it back into his body.
Treatment with such an advanced machine cost tens of thousands of star coins per minute. If an ordinary person was poisoned, they would have no choice but to die no matter how unwilling they were, for they simply could not afford such a huge cost.
Qin Mang opened his eyes slightly when he heard someone enter, and the corner of his lips curled up when he saw who it was.
"Old thing, I heard you're dying, so I came to see you," Thuram said with a laugh.
Qin Mangs did not seem to be afraid of death. He smiled and said, In your dreams. I'm fine, so I won't die anytime soon.
Xia Fei also went up to greet Qin Mangs. There were a few comfortable sofas beside the bed, which were obviously specially prepared by the hospital for visitors. There were also some fruits and snacks on the table.
Xia Fei and Thuram sat opposite Qin Mangs, and the latter extended two fingers. Got a cigarette?
Xia Fei took out half a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from his pocket and lit one for Qin Mang. Thuram furrowed his eyebrows. He did not like the smell of cigarettes, but he did not say anything.
The people at the hospital forbid me from smoking. If it was in the past, I would have kicked that damn doctor away, but now that I'm old, I can't kick anymore, Qin Mang said lightly.
Thuram rolled up his sleeves. "Which blind doctor did this? Tell me. "
Xia Fei and Qin Mangs both laughed. Thuram was the head of the weapons and equipment department of the Adjudicator Union, so he had a high position and authority, yet his unreasonable behavior was no different from when he was young.
"Xia Fei, go out first. I have something to say to this old man," Qin Mangs said.
"Okay." Xia Fei nodded slightly and left the ward.
There were several people from the Adjudicator Union standing in the corridor. It was unknown whether they were there to protect Qin Mangs or monitor him, but each of them had a cold expression on their faces as they stood there like a block of wood, not moving an inch.
Xia Fei lit a cigarette and walked to the window. That was when Phantom excitedly came out of the Moore Stone.
Phantom had been hiding in his little nest for the past few days, and no one knew what he was up to. Since there was nothing important, Xia Fei did not call for him.
Phantom's eyes shone with excitement. "Are you sure that Qin Mangs poison is from the six-winged skylord?"
Xia Fei nodded. "Should be. Why? Have you thought of a way to cure it? "
Phantom shook his head. "It's unlikely to cure it, but I've come up with an even more poisonous prescription."
Xia Fei was confused. "What does an even more poisonous prescription have to do with the old man's poison?"
Phantom smiled mysteriously. "Let me finish. I've come up with a prescription based on the six-winged skylord's poison. The characteristics of this prescription are similar. It's also the type that hides in the body and can act up at any time, but before the poison takes effect, it can temporarily suppress the other poisons in the body of the user."
Xia Fei had learned some pharmaceutics from Phantom and had come into contact with poisons, so he immediately understood what Phantom was trying to say.
"You mean to use an even more poisonous prescription to suppress the six-winged skylord's poison?"
"That's right."
Xia Fei was speechless. Phantom's method was similar to what traditional Chinese medicine called fighting poison with poison. Now that Qin Mangs poison was acting up, there was no cure, so he came up with an even more poisonous, slow-acting prescription to suppress the poison that was already acting up.
Although this would prevent the pain of the poison acting up, the body would be controlled by other poisons. There was no telling when the new poison would act up, and when that time came, he would still be in a situation worse than death.
"How long can it last?" Xia Fei asked.
"Hard to say. Perhaps a year, perhaps a second," Phantom answered.
Xia Fei chuckled bitterly. Using one type of poison to suppress another type of poison would only result in death in the end, but if he was lucky, he would be able to live a few more days like a normal person, and that was probably the best he could hope for. If he was unlucky, the stronger poison would immediately attack his heart, and he would die immediately after ingesting it, even faster than what he was doing now.
This was basically gambling with his life, except that the stake was only half his life.
Phantom smirked. "Xia Fei, if youre in Qin Mangs shoes, would you choose to take it?"
Xia Fei blurted out without even thinking. "If it were me, of course I would. I'm going to die either way, so I might as well gamble with half my life. If I win, I'll live two more days, and if I lose, I'll die a quick death."
Phantom said, "If you can think of it, so can Qin Mangs."
Xia Fei was silent for a moment. He actually agreed with Phantom's suggestion. The cell purification treatment was extremely painful, and just looking at Qin Mangs pale and emaciated face was enough to tell what kind of torture he was enduring. The old man, who was so fat that he could not even walk, had actually lost quite a bit of weight in just a few months.
No matter what, using the method of poisoning someone to treat them was a little too cruel. Xia Fei being willing to try it was one thing, and convincing others to risk their lives was another.
"Why don't you tell Qin Mangs method after you go in and let him choose for himself?" Phantom suggested.
Xia Fei nodded. "I can give it a try, but I can't tell him now."
"Why?"
"If old man Qin Mangs dies before we can get the drug out, wouldn't we be giving him hope for nothing? Since we've made a promise to someone, we must keep it. Why don't we make the drug first, bring it to him, and let him choose? Before that, I'll have to sound him out first."
Though Phantom had come up with such an extreme method of detoxification, he was clearly not meticulous enough on how to use it. Xia Fei's thoughts were very detailed, and he had considered every aspect. This was an important matter, so he had to do it step by step and could not be rushed.
"Is the method you mentioned difficult to make?" Xia Fei asked.
Phantom shrugged. "It's a little difficult. First, we need to capture a six-winged skylord and extract its venom. After that, I'll use other venoms and ingredients to change its medicinal properties to reverse its properties."
Phantom was unscrupulous when it came to his prescriptions, always taking shortcuts and using the most dangerous methods to achieve the best results. Xia Fei had been in contact with Phantom for a long time, so he was not too surprised by his prescriptions.
It was just that capturing a six-winged skylord alive was rather difficult. Putting aside the question of whether or not such an evil creature could be subdued, it was also a question of whether or not there were such creatures in the vicinity of the Endaro Star Region. If the journey was too far, Xia Fei might not even be able to concoct the drug before Qin Mangs left.
While he was deep in thought, Thuram's voice could be heard from afar. Xia Fei tossed the cigarette butt and stamped it out on the floor before making his way over.
Thuram casually said, "The old man is waiting for you. Hurry up and go in, lest you die without seeing him."
Though his words were a little vicious, Xia Fei noticed that Thuram's eyes were a little red, and there were tears swirling in his eyes. It was obvious that Thuram was heartbroken at the moment, and it was only because he was holding back his tears.
That was how it was sometimes. Those who praised you were not necessarily your friends, but those who scolded you could very well be your best buddies.
Xia Fei nodded and pushed open the door to the ward. Just like when he was in the library, he took out some tea leaves and brewed a cup for Qin Mangs before handing it to him.
Qin Mangs took the teacup and took a sip, smiling. Not bad, not bad. I never had the chance to ask you, but why is it that the tea leaves you brew taste better than mine?
Xia Fei smiled. Because of the temperature of the water and the direction of the water flow.
Temperature and direction? Qin Mangs asked curiously.
The temperature of the water mustn't be too high. Too high will destroy the fiber structure of the tea leaves, making the tea turbid. Too low won't do either, as the tea leaves will not be completely soaked and will become tasteless.
Then there's the flow of the water. When pouring in the boiling water, you must slowly pour it along the edge of the teacup, letting the water flow in a clockwise direction, forming a small whirlpool and sucking all the tea leaves into it.
Qin Mangs clapped his hands in praise. I've been drinking tea all my life, yet I never noticed these details. I've truly lived my life in vain.
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