Medical Contributions

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The next day, it was time to train at the Special Response Department again.

Xiao He had been taking training more seriously lately. First, his experience with Spider-Man had made him realize that training seriously meant being responsible for his own safety. Second, everyone else worked so hard that he felt too embarrassed to slack off.

Whether it was Xia Yu or Xie Haining, they trained with exceptional diligence and focus. Ye Wanqing had always been serious, and in that kind of atmosphere, he could not slack off even if he wanted to.

It was like being in school. When everyone around you studied hard, then even if you were only pretending, you still had to put on a show. But conversely, if someone was slacking off, you would think, He's slacking too, so it should be fine if I slack off a little, right?

That was herd mentality. Only those who could remain resolute at times like this were truly exceptional. Only people like that could become the core of a team, like Batman of the Justice League and Captain America of the Avengers.

But Xiao He did not think he was that kind of person.

"Today, you and Wanqing have a special test." Cui Man waved to him. "You two, come here."

After entering the room next door alone, Xiao He immediately had a bad feeling. There was no training equipment in this room, only a hospital bed and various instruments for monitoring bodily data.

"Today, we're going to test whether your Superpower works against diseases." Cui Man's expression was serious. "If it does, you could make many contributions to humanity."

As she spoke, Cui Man clapped her hands. Two staff members then wheeled in someone sitting in a wheelchair.

The moment Xiao He saw the person, he knew he likely had ALS, because his movements were almost exactly like Stephen Hawking's.

"He has a disease called 'Lin Tiannan,'" Cui Man explained. "Can you cure him?"

Xiao He looked at the man before him. He felt deeply sympathetic, but his body did not react, and his Superpower did not activate.

"You already changed the name?" Xiao He asked tentatively. Cui Man nodded, then frowned. "Your Superpower didn't activate, did it?"

"No..." Xiao He said disappointedly. More than ever before, he wished his Superpower would activate.

If his Superpower could be used to treat diseases that humanity currently could not cure, then it would truly have meaning. But unfortunately, his Superpower allowed him to defeat "Lin Tiannan" himself. When a disease called "Lin Tiannan" appeared, he could overcome it himself, but he could not help others overcome it as well.

Cui Man gestured for the two researchers to wheel the ALS patient away. Xiao He watched guiltily as the patient disappeared from view, yet there was nothing he could do.

"Although it's a little regrettable..." Cui Man sighed, "there's no need to be too negative. Your ability is still quite useful in medicine, such as for producing serum. Next, we'll conduct experiments based on that."

Cui Man paused, then asked, "Do you know what serum is used for?"

"To neutralize snake venom?" Xiao He asked tentatively.

"You could put it that way, but theoretically, it provides antibodies to fight viruses, which makes it somewhat different from vaccines. Vaccines cause your own body to produce antibodies, but developing a vaccine requires extensive research into the virus and often takes a long time. Serum, on the other hand, directly injects antibodies into your body to treat specific viruses and toxins," Cui Man explained.

"I roughly understand." Xiao He nodded. Cui Man pointed at him and said, "And with you around, in certain situations, we can use your blood to produce serum to fight particular viruses and toxins."

"Hmm..." Xiao He fell into thought. "Doesn't that mean all viral diseases can be cured?"

"Not necessarily." Cui Man shook her head. "Serum therapy has certain limitations. First is the concentration of antibodies. You have to understand that after the human body defeats a virus, it retains only a small number of antibodies while producing memory cells. When your body encounters that virus again, the memory cells cause it to secrete antibodies, helping you resist the virus."

"So for certain viruses, antibodies from him alone would not be enough to have a therapeutic effect?" Ye Wanqing asked tentatively.

"Exactly." Cui Man sighed. "But although there are limitations, we cannot deny that this method can help advance medicine. Observing the various stages of a virus inside your body can help us analyze its characteristics and develop vaccines faster. Before that, we must first determine whether your Superpower truly works against viruses inside your body."

"Can't you use my blood instead?" Xiao He was somewhat unwilling. "Wouldn't this count as human experimentation?"

"Unfortunately, when we used your blood for experiments, there was no reaction at all. I think your blood cannot represent you. Your Superpower can only take effect inside your own body," Cui Man sighed. "But of course, we won't force you. Only if you agree will we inject a virus or bacterium called 'Lin Tiannan' into your body."

Xiao He was actually very reluctant. Injecting viruses and bacteria that humanity currently could not defeat into his own body before confirming anything was simply absurd. He would be gambling with his life.

His ability might have a high limit, but it still had a limit. What if some virus exceeded that limit? Wouldn't he just die for nothing?

"Of course, you don't need to worry too much. We have prepared the appropriate treatment methods." Cui Man changed tack. "If you have no objections, we'll inject you with a low-risk coronavirus and name it the 'Lin Tiannan' strain. It is extremely low-risk, and your life will absolutely not be in danger. The purpose is merely to see whether your Superpower works against viruses injected into your body. Nothing more."

"Fine." Xiao He frowned and sighed. Cui Man turned to Ye Wanqing. "Come on. Let's observe from another room."

Next, a medical worker entered the room, wearing a full set of protective gear.

"Is this really a low-risk virus?" Xiao He asked suspiciously. "Is all this protection really necessary?"

"Just in case," the medical worker explained, then rolled up Xiao He's sleeve. "Don't worry. This is merely a vaccine with a relatively high concentration. Do you know how vaccines work? By injecting a small amount of antigen—that is, a virus—into the human body, they stimulate the body to produce antibodies, thereby creating immunity to that type of virus."

As the person spoke, the injection was completed. "This virus is relatively mild. Even if you become infected, you basically won't show any symptoms."

"..." Xiao He fell silent for a moment, then replied, "I think it's already over."

"Yes, it's over. Quick, right?" the medical worker said with an easy smile.

Xiao He shook his head. "No, I mean the virus is already done for. My Superpower activated for a few seconds just now. I should have already produced antibodies."

The medical worker froze, then replied, "Um... we'll need to draw some blood and study it before we can confirm that."