Chapter Summaries

Huang Qin celebrated his promotion with Williams, who advised him to build an ambitious genetically edited animal research program centered on pigs. Meanwhile, Director Han reported that China’s HIV Elimination Plan had produced zero new infections last month, and he prepared to announce the results at the World AIDS Conference.

• Huang Qin brought Williams to Shan Hai Stir-fry, where diners eagerly ordered dishes made from Syngenta’s genetically edited produce.
• Huang Qin told Williams about his promotion to lead the Animal Health Department and its work translating human medicine into pet medicine and researching gene-edited animals.
• Williams urged Huang Qin to set ambitious goals for genetically edited pigs, including agricultural improvements, disease models, and xenotransplantation.
• Huang Qin outlined short-, medium-, and long-term goals for his department, then discovered Williams had eaten most of their food.
• Director Han reported that the HIV Elimination Plan had tracked existing patients, brought their conditions under control, and recorded zero new infections last month.
• Director Han planned to report the results to leadership and present China’s success at the upcoming World AIDS Conference.

At the World AIDS Conference in Geneva, China announced that new HIV infections had fallen to zero after working with Sanqing Group, giving Byrne hope of accelerating the global fight against AIDS. Byrne secured China's conditional support for international cooperation and decided to speak with Mr. Wei about Sanqing's role.

• Byrne listened to representatives describe uneven progress against AIDS and focused his attention on China's presentation.
• The Chinese representative announced zero new HIV infections in the past month and explained that China's HIV Eradication Plan was a collaboration between the CDC and Sanqing Group.
• Delegates crowded the Chinese representative with questions, and Byrne took the stage to urge countries to unite and eliminate AIDS before 2030.
• After the conference, Byrne asked the Chinese representative for support, but learned that China could not guarantee Sanqing would provide low-cost medicine internationally.
• The Chinese representative offered continued investment and some financial support if Byrne united governments, pharmaceutical companies, and charitable foundations, and Byrne agreed to try.
• Before leaving, Byrne asked to speak with Mr. Wei about Sanqing's role.

Byrne’s efforts to prepare for negotiations with Three Purities coincided with India and Western countries launching plans to eliminate AIDS using its drug, Severing Love Spirit. The chapter ends with Byrne confronting a steep drop in international aid for poor countries, even as wealthy nations moved to control AIDS at home.

• At Sun Pharma, Sanghavi learned that Chinese demand for its generic AIDS drugs had vanished and that the company had failed to develop safe copies of Three Purities’ medicines.
• After hearing that Severing Love Spirit had brought new HIV cases in China down to zero, Sanghavi ordered Sun Pharma to produce a generic version within a month.
• At an Eagle Country Ministry of Health meeting, Harwell announced a $30 billion AIDS elimination plan and reduced Gilead’s procurement share in favor of Three Purities’ Severing Love Spirit.
• Yang Haoran agreed that Three Purities would lower its prices to match competitors and donate free medication, winning Harwell’s approval and angering other pharmaceutical executives.
• Three Purities became one of the five leading anti-AIDS pharmaceutical companies as Western countries announced their own elimination strategies.
• Byrne discovered that government and charitable donations for poor countries had plummeted as donors redirected funds toward domestic AIDS programs.

After the media announced that China had brought HIV infections under control, patients and the public celebrated the success of Sanqing’s medicine. At Sanqing Headquarters, Williams revealed to Tang Que that he had created a viral vector capable of delivering Gene Drugs into the body, leaving Tang Que stunned by its potential.

• Major media reported that the HIV Virus Elimination Plan had eliminated HIV from treated patients and stopped new infections in China, prompting public celebration and discussion.
• HIV carriers shared accounts of successful treatment and more accepting encounters, while commenters praised Sanqing’s medicine and hoped for global eradication.
• Williams worked through the night designing the Super Delivery Virus, a viral vector intended to carry Gene Drugs into human cells.
• Tang Que found Williams in the laboratory the next morning, unshaven and excited, after he missed their scheduled meeting.
• Williams showed Tang Que a test tube containing the Super Delivery Virus and claimed that one injection could deliver HIV Gene Drug—or other Gene Drugs—to cure disease.

Williams and his team successfully developed an HIV Gene Drug after tests showed it eliminated SIV in macaques and HIV in human blood samples. Wei Kang approved fast-tracked clinical trials and told Director Han that Three Purities could upgrade its HIV Elimination Plan to 2.0.

• Williams and his colleagues injected an SIV Gene Drug into macaques, then confirmed it reached viral reservoirs and cut out the SIV genome.
• Two weeks later, the team treated AIDS patients’ blood samples with the HIV Gene Drug and found no detectable virus after a week of testing.
• Tang Que reported the drug’s success to Wei Kang and asked whether Three Purities should begin clinical trials despite the impact on anti-AIDS drug sales.
• Wei Kang approved fast-tracked clinical trials, planned to prioritize the domestic market, and described how overseas access would follow.
• Wei Kang told Director Han that Three Purities had developed a one-injection cure and proposed upgrading the HIV Elimination Plan to 2.0.

Three Purities tested its HIV Gene Agent on AIDS patients, and early results showed that one injection cleared detectable HIV without medication. After four patients showed no active viral replication, Three Purities announced that AIDS had been cured, though longer observation was still needed.

• Director Fu injected Patient Zero with Three Purities' HIV Gene Agent and arranged two weeks of hospital observation without medication.
• Director Han and Wei Kang discussed upgrading the HIV Elimination Plan, licensing production to other pharmaceutical companies, and setting domestic and overseas prices.
• Two weeks later, Director Fu found that patients' HIV genetic fragments had disappeared from their tissue cells and reported the results to Three Purities and the CDC.
• One month later, all four trial patients showed no active HIV replication, though doctors said further observation was necessary to confirm a lasting cure.
• Three Purities held a press conference and announced that AIDS had been successfully cured.

Sanqing Group announced that its HIV Gene Therapy drug had cured AIDS in its initial trials, prompting worldwide celebration and upheaval in the pharmaceutical industry. The chapter ended with pharmaceutical companies preparing to pursue production licenses as officials and patients looked ahead to the drug’s rollout.

• Wei Kang announced that Sanqing Group’s HIV Gene Therapy drug had cleared HIV from trial patients and said Phase III trials would follow.
• News of the breakthrough spread worldwide, giving hope to HIV carriers and making Wei Kang a hero to many patients.
• Gilead CEO Oscar feared the company’s anti-AIDS business would collapse, but learned that Three Purities would license overseas production to three to five pharmaceutical partners.
• Andre told Oscar that major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, were interested in licensing the drug, and Oscar vowed that Gilead would secure a partnership.
• Harwell celebrated the breakthrough and urged Yang Haoran to arrange trials and licensing in Eagle Country, while Hollywood star Justin rejoiced at the prospect of being cured.

Wei Kang selected Pfizer, Gilead, and GSK to produce and sell Three Purities’ HIV Gene Agent outside China, while China and other countries began rolling out plans to eradicate AIDS. The global campaign left poor countries in Feizhou with discarded generic drugs, dividing patients by their ability to pay.

• Wei Kang hosted a meeting with multinational pharmaceutical CEOs and explained Three Purities’ need for partners to produce and distribute the HIV Gene Agent overseas.
• Wei Kang awarded licensing partnerships to Pfizer, Gilead, and GSK, which agreed to cover overseas trials, production, marketing, and transportation costs in exchange for payments and sales royalties.
• Wei Kang and Director Han planned Phase III trials and a gradual rollout in China, aiming to treat every HIV-infected person in the country within a year.
• Harwell, Oscar, and Albert upgraded Eagle Country’s AIDS eradication plan, making the Gene Agent available to patients who could pay while poorer patients relied on free medication.
• Countries around the world adopted treatment plans and partnered with pharmaceutical companies, while Feizhou’s poor were left with donated generic drugs and patients were divided by wealth and location.

Han Rong helped eligible patients enter Three Purities’ HIV Gene Agent trial, then welcomed them back after they recovered. As the successful trial led to a nationwide elimination plan and international acclaim, malicious HIV spreaders were made to wait for treatment.

• Han Rong and his colleague selected eligible patients and spent three days calling them to fill Yangcheng’s 800 trial slots.
• Mr. Li, whose HIV-positive status had infected his ex-wife, angrily demanded trial access, but Han Rong and his colleague refused to prioritize him.
• Ding Xiaomei and more than a dozen other trial participants returned to thank Han Rong after doctors told them they had recovered.
• After five months without detected HIV in the first participants, the Phase III trial was declared a success and Director Han began rolling out HIV Elimination Plan 2.0.
• Three Purities’ treatment also cured overseas patients, and Eagle Country media reported that HIV was nearing eradication.

Wei Kang learned that the Portable Monitor had little demand in overseas hospitals and decided to expand it into the consumer market. The system then announced an upgrade after Sanqing’s AIDS cure met its requirements, and Wei Kang’s guaranteed draw awarded him a portable color Doppler ultrasound blueprint.

• Lu Tingfeng reported that overseas hospitals had little need for the Portable Monitor, while patients who used it gave it positive feedback.
• Wei Kang decided to have Lu Tingfeng explore the consumer market for the Portable Monitor.
• The system announced that Wei Kang had met the requirements to upgrade after developing a drug that eradicated AIDS, though the upgrade would only finish once his country had eradicated the disease.
• Wei Kang saw that most system functions were disabled during the upgrade and used his guaranteed winning draw.
• The draw awarded Wei Kang a silver prize: a blueprint for a portable color Doppler ultrasound machine.
• Wei Kang scanned the blueprint into his computer and looked forward to the system’s upgrade.

Wei Kang unveiled a Portable Color Ultrasound Machine, and Lu Tingfeng launched a project to develop it while delegating the monitoring-device business to Qi Liang. Apple’s delayed autumn event showcased an ECG-equipped iWatch, but Cook’s celebration ended when Kevin reported that Huawei, Rice, and OV would soon release smartwatches using Three Purities’ monitoring technology.

• Lu Tingfeng studied Wei Kang’s Portable Color Ultrasound Machine design, praised its compact advanced features, and proposed additions including a tablet display and an expansion dock for five probes.
• Wei Kang approved Lu Tingfeng’s suggestions, and Lu Tingfeng launched the ultrasound project and assigned Qi Liang to handle smartwatches for the civilian market.
• Netizens speculated about Apple’s delayed launch before Cook introduced the iPhone and an iWatch with ECG monitoring, drawing disappointed reactions.
• Cook celebrated Apple’s self-developed health software and praised the launch to Kevin, head of the Wearables Division.
• Kevin told Cook that Huawei, Rice, and OV would upgrade their smartwatches with Three Purities’ All-in-One Monitoring Module, prompting Cook to accuse them of targeting Apple.

Wei Kang decided to discuss marriage with Jian Lianyun, and she eagerly kissed him after he proposed entering the next stage of their relationship. Meanwhile, Williams was urged by an overseas contact to return to Eagle Country in exchange for a Nobel Prize, and he asked Huang Qin whether winning the Peace Prize could help him obtain Chinese residency.

• Wei Kang replied to his relatives that he and Jian Lianyun might visit home for New Year's Day, then decided their relationship was ready for marriage.
• Wei Kang brought up marriage with Jian Lianyun and suggested he should buy a diamond ring and propose properly, but Jian Lianyun kissed him before he could finish.
• An overseas contact urged Williams to return to Eagle Country and promised to secure him a Nobel Prize, beginning with the Peace Prize.
• Williams refused to commit to returning until he saw proof of the contact's promises, then rushed to Huang Qin to ask whether a Peace Prize would qualify him for a Chinese green card.
• Huang Qin was stunned when Williams told him the prize being offered was the Nobel Peace Prize.

Williams learned that his Nobel Peace Prize prospects might help him obtain Chinese nationality, then was appointed head of the new Microbiology Laboratory by Tang Que. He outlined plans to continue virus-vector research and pursue bacteriophage therapy against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

• Williams learned that his doctoral advisor expected him to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and he hoped the award could help him obtain Chinese nationality.
• Williams posted an anonymous question on Bihu about whether a foreign Nobel Prize winner could become a Chinese citizen and read replies describing how difficult nationality and green cards were to obtain.
• Williams found examples of Nobel Prize winners with Chinese green cards, but worried that a Peace Prize might not be enough before leaving for another meeting.
• Tang Que announced that Williams would lead the newly established Microbiology Laboratory in recognition of his work on the HIV Gene Drug project.
• Williams said the laboratory would continue researching supervirus vectors and would focus on the antibiotic resistance crisis, proposing bacteriophage therapy as a solution.

Williams proposed using bacteriophages against drug-resistant bacteria, then began testing wastewater and found that microplastic particles in his cultures had mostly disappeared. He suspected a bacterium had broken them down and realized he might have discovered a plastic-degrading organism.

• Williams explained his plan to screen and gene-edit bacteriophages to fight drug-resistant infections.
• Huang Qin presented gene-editing projects involving cotton, cashmere goats, and cattle, and Tang Que encouraged the researchers to join them.
• Williams collected wastewater from the Kun City treatment plant and used it to culture bacteria and bacteriophages for his therapy project.
• Williams discovered that microplastic particles overwhelmed his cultures, left the dishes aside, and spent several days considering solutions.
• A week later, Williams found that most of the microplastics had disappeared and suspected a bacterium in the culture had broken them down.

Williams discovered a bacterium that degraded several common plastics and organized a project to improve its enzymes, recruiting Wenren Long to develop a machine-learning model. Meanwhile, Saul pressured the Nobel Committee to add Williams Goodman to this year’s Peace Prize list, and the committee agreed.

• Williams and the Microbiology Laboratory extracted three enzymes from the bacterium and identified problems with their efficiency, byproducts, and range of plastics degraded.
• Williams assigned the researchers to improve the enzymes, combine them into a Super Enzyme, reduce pollution and costs, and prepare for industrial use.
• Williams asked Wenren Long to help, and Wenren Long agreed to build a machine-learning model that would guide enzyme mutations.
• Saul demanded that the Norwegian Nobel Committee award Williams Goodman the Peace Prize for his work curing AIDS.
• The Nobel Committee agreed to add Williams Goodman as a Peace Prize recipient, citing his achievements and supposed public support.

After winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Williams decided to seek Chinese nationality, though the application requirements left him needing Wei Kang’s help. He finally went to Wei Kang’s office, preparing to reveal his past as Wei Kang invited him inside.

• Williams awoke from a nightmare about disposing of experimental monkeys and learned that an unfamiliar sender had settled matters connected to his Nobel Prize.
• A colleague told Williams he had won the Nobel Peace Prize for developing the AIDS drug, and the news spread through the laboratory and online.
• Williams posted on Bihu that he planned to apply for Chinese nationality, then discovered he would need a recommendation as a person with special contributions.
• Chinese and overseas netizens argued over the award and Williams’s decision to stay in China, while Bihu users recognized his post as genuine.
• Williams hesitated outside Wei Kang’s office, but Wei Kang opened the door, recognized him as the Peace Prize winner, and invited him in.
• Williams prepared to confess something to Wei Kang and began by saying he had something to tell him.

Williams confessed to Wei Kang that he had worked as a low-level operative for Eagle Country but had never leaked company secrets, and he asked for help obtaining Chinese nationality or asylum. Wei Kang sought government support, while Williams’s online announcement triggered excitement in China and fury among his former handlers.

• Williams admitted to Wei Kang that Eagle Country’s agents had recruited him, that he had shared only minor project updates, and that he had accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in hopes of securing Chinese nationality.
• Wei Kang explained that Williams’s spy background made naturalization difficult and promised to ask the government about asylum because Three Purities needed his scientific talent.
• Wei Kang told Wang Guiqing the full story, and Wang said he would report Williams’s case upward because he had caused no substantial damage and could help attract foreign talent.
• Williams posted on Bihu that his problem was resolved and hinted that he might soon ask questions as a Chinese person, prompting a surge of supportive comments.
• Saul learned that China had agreed to take Williams in, and he angrily told Chris that the scientist had used the Nobel Prize as a stepping stone to defect.

Williams received a China green card, announced at a press conference that he would become a Chinese citizen, and faced backlash from Eagle Country media and scientists. After scholars at a microbiology conference disparaged him, Jacob secretly applied for a job at Three Purities.

• Wei Kang gave Williams his China green card and explained the confidentiality requirements and likely damage to his reputation in Eagle Country.
• Williams rejected Professor Ferguson’s offer to return to Eagle Country and told him he had applied for Chinese nationality.
• At a press conference, Williams announced his plans to become Chinese and described his plastic-degrading Super Enzyme research, prompting hostile questions from Eagle Country reporters.
• Eagle Country media and microbiologists condemned Williams, while Chinese media and netizens celebrated his decision.
• After hearing that Williams had made another scientific discovery, Jacob secretly sent his résumé to Three Purities, hoping to benefit from its opportunities.

Williams and Wenren Long developed a Super Enzyme that rapidly degraded many kinds of plastic and engineered E. coli to produce it at scale. Wei Kang approved industrial trials and proposed developing the enzyme as a health supplement for humans and animals.

• Williams and Wenren Long confirmed that the Super Enzyme broke down microplastics in under an hour and degraded more than sixty types of plastic within hours or days.
• Williams’s team tested industrial production approaches, and Williams and Wenren Long engineered E. coli to produce the Super Enzyme after first modifying the original Plastic-Degrading Bacteria.
• Williams and Wenren Long reported their successful results to Wei Kang, who praised their work and called the Super Enzyme a potential flagship product.
• Wei Kang suggested exploring the Super Enzyme’s use to clear microplastics from human and animal bodies through health supplements.
• Wei Kang assigned Williams to develop a health supplement version and said Three Purities would aim to launch it the following year.

Zhang Fusheng hosted Sanqing Group researchers testing a Super Enzyme that quietly degraded plastic waste in his factory. The successful trial left him eager to expand his business, but he rushed off after remembering he had already ordered expensive environmental equipment.

• Zhang Fusheng learned that his aging environmental equipment had to be upgraded to keep his plastic factory from being shut down.
• An Environmental Protection Bureau officer brought two Sanqing Group researchers to test their plastic-degrading Super Enzyme at Zhang Fusheng's factory.
• The researchers added the enzyme to crushed and washed plastic waste, and Zhang Fusheng watched as the fragments gradually developed holes and disappeared.
• The researchers explained that the plastic had degraded into monomers and described how the enzyme could simplify processing while reducing costs and pollution.
• Zhang Fusheng imagined expanding his business with the Super Enzyme, then remembered his equipment order and hurried away to cancel it.