First-Class Lawyer

Emma Gregorian Calendar

August 17, 1255

A terribly overcast day. 

I’ve shelved the research on the greyfinch gene for three years but I intend to restart it. I’ve already learned my way around this new machine; it’ll be a real help to the experiment. It’s a work of art. I’ve drawn up a research plan today. I hope it won’t be as messy as it was three years ago.

…

August 21

Clear skies. Room temperature: 22°C, humidity: 60%. 

9:00:00 a.m. Successfully excised the greyfinch gene. Initiating and controlling the mutation reaction.

3:12:33 p.m. The lab’s thermostat malfunctioned for five minutes. Temperature rose to 27°C. The mutation reaction was affected, but it stabilised after room temperature dropped back below 25°C.

Test subject exhibited type B symptoms for the 12th time—drop in immunity, severe hypersensitivity, cluster rash on chest, back, outer thighs, ankles. Body temperature 38.5°C. Fever persisted for five hours.

…

September 17

Thunderstorm. Room temperature: 22°C, humidity: 62%.

Of 100 greyfinch gene strands, the targeted mutation reaction was successfully activated in 85 of them, with the other 15 deviating from course for between 1-7 hours due to external disturbances. After the environment stabilised, the recovery rate was 93.33%. It’s a reassuring figure.

11:12:38 p.m. Test subject exhibited type A symptoms for the 31st time—moderate convulsions, difficulty swallowing. Body temperature 38.1°C. Fever persisted for 3 hours. 

…

November 23

Heavy snowfall. Room temperature: 20°C, humidity: 57%.

The usage of the machine’s genetic modification reversal function was restricted for a month for some reason. Consequently, the in-vivo study had to be pushed back. I got in touch with a young lady today. I don’t know how she did it but she successfully infiltrated as a nurse. I see her every day. In fact, it’s not obvious, but she has a watch on me. 

This really bothers me. I hope she won’t interfere with my experiment.

4:02:18 p.m. Test subject exhibited type A symptoms for the 37th time—severe convulsions, lacrimation, nasal congestion. Body temperature 39.0°C. Fever persisted for 5 hours.

Symptoms appeared more frequently in the last week than in the past.

… 

December 14

Sunny. Room temperature: 23°C, humidity: 60%.

The temperature and humidity are just right today and the reversal function of the machine is largely stable, perfect to facilitate the experiment.

10:00:00 a.m. All physical indicators are within normal values. The greyfinch gene completed targeted mutation and was introduced into the body. A fever set in 2 hours 15 minutes later, persisting for 1 hour. 

Yyrfgnjalbc qfglbv—7 vjsr.

…

December 16

C afgglyis bnfgmjra vjs, jujlc. 

Ktf afra reypfma’r ybvs jqqfjgr ab yf gfpfmalcu atf ugfsolcmt ufcf, qgfnfcalcu la ogbw lcafugjalcu oeiis. Ubraeijalcu atja atf lcafugjalbc kfca boo vef ab j vfmgfjrf lc lwweclas jcv jc jiifgulm gfjmalbc veglcu atf byrfgnjalbc qfglbv.

Efpfmalbc rswqabwr—lglr vlrmbibegjalbc, rmjis mjiierfr bc gluta tjcv.

These external manifestations are not difficult to correct. Takes about a week.

Note: Test subject’s symptoms have been episodic, once a day, alternating between type A and B. 

✵

The entries played sequentially on the screen. Some from Lin Yuan’s research team were frowning, heaving sighs.

They were researchers that Devore Yves had discreetly mobilised from elsewhere to work with Lin Yuan for this stint; they weren’t familiar with Jack White.

As such, the extreme rational tone and wording used in the experimental log elicited faint discomfort. 

All description of the test subject through Jack White was uncoloured by any subjective emotion whatsoever.

This created a type of illusion, like the test subject was more like an object rather than a living, breathing human to him. He never wavered from his position as an observer, clinically taking in every little change.

And the only purpose of this ‘object’ was to provide data for reference. Once the in-vivo study concluded, the subject would have served its purpose, and from thereon, it no longer mattered whether ‘it’ was dead or alive.

That came off a bit… cold-blooded. 

Hidden behind the entries on the screen, Jack White felt none of this criticism. He continued to detail every change and number to the conclusion of the experiment.

The final section showed an edit not too long ago; the day Lin Yuan last saw him in hospital.

These entries were somewhat special. They weren’t in text form but audio recordings.

They were likely pre-recorded, only saved to the machine when he later found the opportunity. 

“Room temperature: 20°C, humidity: 57%.

“The test subject had three episodes within 24 hours, alternating between type A and type B symptoms. They were accompanied by a mini heart attack, mild hallucinations, and bone pain. I apologise that the timing of each episode wasn’t recorded accurately due to negligence on my part.

“The in-vivo study is already in the final stage. All I have to do is wait; the final results should be available in 3-5 days.

“When the time comes, maybe I’ll log another entry, or maybe not. I’ll see how it goes. I can’t promise anything. 

“But it isn’t that unimportant, either.

“Lin, I trust your skill. I believe that having these will be enough for you to make a breakthrough to take it through smoothly to the end.”

The lab was silent.

Whatever it was that crossed Lin Yuan’s mind, his complexion suddenly stormed over. Without turning off the experimental log audio files, he hurriedly opened the folder named ‘Data Findings’. 

It contained reaction diagrams for each stage, extremely detailed data sheets, and a selection of photographic thumbnails.

Someone in the lab marvelled, “It’s that comprehensive?”

No matter how cold-blooded the log came off as, it was undeniable that Jack White was right. These research findings were so priceless that the final result didn’t actually matter that much.

What he left behind was sufficient for Lin Yuan and his team to circumvent the risks and failures, thereby calculating the optimal success rate. 

In other words, there was hope for the patients!

The young research team members erupted in cheers, but soon regained their composure.

“Where’s Jack White?”

“Yeah! Where is he? Regardless, he really gave us a leg-up!” 

“That’s right. But why isn’t he in this team?”

“Dr Lin, why does your face look so… what’s wrong?”

At these words, the buzzing chatter came to an abrupt halt. Everyone’s eyes instantly snapped to Lin Yuan, then followed his gaze back to the screen.

He opened a few thumbnails. The close-ups on the body parts of the test subject were projected on the wide screen. 

The first photo was of a pair of pale blue eyes with a caption: Iris discolouration, persisting for 7 days and 4 hours.

The second photo was of the skin between the right thumb and the index finger, where scaly calluses resembling a greyfinch’s talons had formed.

The third photo was of the skin between the left thumb and the index finger, where instead of scaly calluses, there was a wound. It was captioned: The scaly calluses were lodged in the epidermis. It was removed. The wound is slow to heal as the test subject is showing periodic symptoms of high RBC count.

If Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan were present, they would find the blue eyes and the hand wound extremely familiar… 

“The test subject was…” Staring at those pictures, someone faltered.

“… Jack White himself.” Lin Yuan’s face was ashen. “It might be hard to tell since his iris colour has changed, but I recognise his hands.”

His voice was hoarse, dissolving into little more than a whisper at the end. Then, he suddenly looked over at Mervyn White standing next to him. “Uncle Braids, Jack, he…”

Mervyn White’s complexion was even worse than Lin Yuan’s. 

Dismayed, he stared at the screen, blood draining from his slightly parted lips.

It was right at this time when, all of a sudden, after five whole minutes of static, that noise came again from the experimental log’s latest audio file. Jack White’s voice.

It was like after a silence far too long, he was finally unable to keep himself from adding one last thing at the end, the only drop of warmth amidst a hundred-odd entries—

“Lin, I don’t know if you’re still listening, but if you are, help me… 

“…Help me apologise to dad.”

Another moment of silence passed, and then Jack White sighed softly.

“Nevermind. Don’t. Keep it a secret for me. Don’t tell him.”

Mervyn White’s usually bright and lucid eyes abruptly dimmed, the rims reddening. 

He stood frozen for a beat before pressing a hand to Lin Yuan’s shoulder, saying, “You stay behind and keep going.” Then, he turned heel and walked out.

His footsteps as he swept from the room sounded almost panicked.

He knew better than anyone what was happening to Jack White—in the latest experimental log, Jack White had started to experience a mini heart attack and mild hallucinations. If the experiment he conducted on his own body was unsuccessful, these symptoms would only worsen by the day.

He didn’t even dare imagine where Jack was, whether he had anyone by his side to take care of him, or how much his symptoms had worsened… 

At three in the morning, word came back from the men deployed by Eunice that they had been staking out downstairs for the past few days but hadn’t seen Jack White leave the door. However, a few minutes ago, they had unlocked the place with Mervyn White only to discover that Jack’s apartment was empty. The man had disappeared.

At the end of Parrot Boulevard, the detention centre where Amy Borro, the fake nurse was detained, received the news. They awakened her to urgently interrogate her for clues, Jack White’s involvement, as well as his possible locations.

Also at this time, in the genetics lab, Lin Yuan forced himself to calm down. He fed the data that Jack had painstakingly collected into the analyser.

The lights on the cutting-edge machine flashed, converging the simulated and in-vivo studies into a dense stream of data, like the long and endless flow of traffic at night that sped along two different forks in the road to finally come together. 

The invisible heroes in the lab busied, removing risks and adding conditions.

Eventually, the screen rippled through dozens of pages, and a result popped up, large and clear:

Success rate has been corrected to 73.81%

Lin Yuan instantly made the executive decision to proceed with treatment. 

Half an hour later, the full treatment plan was urgently sent out.

At Spring Ivy Hospital 7, which specialised in geriatrics, victims of the Elderly Bobblehead case were carefully moved onto sliding stretcher railcars.

At Spring Ivy Hospital HQ in Fa Wang District, Joe pulled up in his starry blue space shuttle with Ke Jin, taking the elevator up from the underground parking.

Gu Yan kissed Yan Suizhi’s pale knuckles, accompanying him on the transfer down from the ward. 

At these locations, surgical lights flickered on in vacated operating rooms, washing the interior in blazing white.

The signs outside the doors flashed thrice, finally turning into text:

All efforts in treatment. Please be patient.