Jinling's total downtime was: 1 hour 26 minutes 33 seconds.
After nearly an hour and a half of complex calculations, the powerful Beta No. 1 finally found the only antidote for Jiang Lan's poisoning among hundreds of millions of possibilities!
After repeated testing, the Medical Immortal confirmed with certainty, "There's no mistake, this is the antidote!"
The variety, proportion, and order were all determined.
Lu Ming trembled slightly with excitement.
He, who had once fought and killed on the battlefield, was long accustomed to the vicissitudes of life, yet today he was moved, solely because Jiang Lan meant too much to him.
"Prepare the antidote immediately!" Lu Ming commanded.
"Yes!" The Medical Immortal, following Beta No. 1's conclusions, immediately instructed his subordinates to prepare the antidote.
Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Simultaneously, Beta No. 1 resumed normal operation, and Jinling recovered from its paralysis.
Lu Ming said with deep gratitude, "Governor Guan, thank you so much for this."
Guan Xiongfei chuckled wryly, "I didn't really do much. The only thing I'm curious about is, which lucky lady in the world managed to capture the heart of the Dragon Warlord? In ancient times, it was "Beacon Fires for a Smile," and today it's the Warlord borrowing Beta, all for the sake of "love"."
Xiu Luo frowned slightly, displeased. "Governor Guan, that comparison is rather inappropriate. How can you equate the Dragon Warlord with such a foolish ruler?"
Everyone present burst into laughter.
The analogy was indeed not quite fitting, but the sentiment was clear.
Lu Ming finally understood who he had been thinking of, and the true meaning of his protection of the Jiang family. Perhaps, from the very first day Heaven brought Lu Ming to the Jiang family, it was for him to protect Jiang Lan!
Forty minutes later.
Lu Ming and his companions left the Cross Building and returned to Jinling First People's Hospital, heading to the VIP ward.
Standing by Jiang Lan's bedside once more, Lu Ming held a bowl of antidote.
He took a deep breath and carefully fed Jiang Lan the antidote spoonful by spoonful, allowing her to swallow it slowly.
The medicine took effect quickly.
Jiang Lan's breathing gradually stabilized, the red spots on her body slowly faded, and her skin transformed from a purplish-black to a healthy, natural complexion.
The antidote was highly effective!
Lu Ming finally let out a sigh of relief, the weight lifted from his anxious heart.
He gently caressed Jiang Lan's forehead, gazing at her affectionately. This woman was the reason for Lu Ming's presence in Jinling and his protection of the Jiang family!
"Let's go."
Lu Ming set down the bowl and turned to leave, followed closely by Xiu Luo and the Medical Immortal.
Ten minutes later.
When Jiang Lan awoke, she did not see Lu Ming. Instead, a beautiful nurse stood by her bedside, watching her quietly.
"General Manager Jiang, you're awake," the nurse said gently.
Jiang Lan took a long breath. "I feel like... I've slept for a very long time?"
The nurse replied, "You ate something unclean yesterday afternoon and suffered from food poisoning. You were brought to our hospital and remained unconscious until now. It's now noon on the second day, so you've slept for nearly 24 hours."
Twenty-four hours?
Was it only that long?
Yet, Jiang Lan felt as if she had slept for an entire century, as if she had walked through the gates of hell and was about to die, only to have someone desperately pull her back from the bridge of the netherworld.
That person seemed to be...
"Lu Ming?!"
Jiang Lan suddenly realized something and began searching the room.
However, Lu Ming was nowhere to be found.
Jiang Lan anxiously asked, "Nurse, has Lu Ming been here? He's our company's security captain. He should have rushed back from Modu."
The nurse smiled and shook her head. "I'm sorry, no one named Lu Ming has visited the hospital."
"Is that so?" Jiang Lan's heart sank. "But why do I feel like he's been by my side all along?"
The window was open.
The wind gently rustled the curtains.
Outside the window, on the lawn, Lu Ming stood quietly. Seeing Jiang Lan awake through the glass, he smiled and turned to leave.
Thus.
He didn't need Jiang Lan to know how great he was. He only wished for Jiang Lan to be happy and safe.
Lu Ming was content to be a silent guardian.
Protecting Jiang Lan.
When you are in danger, I will not leave your side; when you are healthy, I will quietly depart.
Your happiness.
Is my happiness.
...
The news of Jiang Lan's recovery spread like wildfire, and everyone in the Jiang family learned of it.
Some were happy, others were furious.
The unhappiest was Jiang Xueyi!
During this period, under the influence of the hallucinogenic drugs, Jiang Xueyi had been seeing Jiang Lan's ghost constantly, believing that Jiang Lan had died and was haunting him.
Jiang Xueyi had even invited monks and Taoist priests to his home for protection!
Who could have imagined that Jiang Lan would actually recover and be completely fine! This infuriated Jiang Xueyi. Hadn't all the suffering he endured been in vain?
What drove him even more mad was that with Jiang Lan's recovery, Xun Rong would naturally remain under her control.
Inheritance and the like were out of the question.
All of Jiang Xueyi's dreams had shattered. He immediately called Xu Qin and poured out his grievances.
Xu Qin was also puzzled.
Jiang Lan had been so deeply poisoned, on the verge of death, how could she suddenly recover?
When had Jinling's medical skills become so superb?
She couldn't figure it out.
Also puzzled was Murong Shuang, one of the Three Star Generals on Heavenly God Island.
Upon hearing the news of Jiang Lan's recovery, Murong Shuang smashed her desk in anger. She had gone to great lengths to force Jiang Lan to the brink of death, only for Jiang Lan to survive!
With Jiang Lan alive, Xun Rong could not be destroyed.
All of Murong Shuang's subsequent plans would be rendered useless! The mere thought of it made her furious.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Murong Shuang cursed resentfully.
Her deputy, Qin Ting, analyzed, "Now I understand why Yuan Chengji secretly slipped away. It turns out his poison was ineffective! He must have known all along that Jiang Lan would wake up, so he fled in secret, out of fear that General Murong would hold him accountable!"
This analysis was quite sound.
Murong Shuang nodded repeatedly. "That cunning old fox has tricked me too. Damn him! If I ever catch him, I'll skin him alive!"
Poor Yuan Chengji, he had wholeheartedly assisted Murong Shuang, only to end up being branded a sinner.
Fleeing out of guilt became the final characterization of Yuan Chengji.
The entire Jinling was in a state of bewilderment.
Everyone was unaware of what had transpired over the past 24 hours. Why had Jiang Lan been poisoned and then recovered? Why had Yuan Chengji and Yuan Keying disappeared? Why had Beta No. 1 suddenly been offline for an hour and a half?
Behind all of this, an invisible hand had been meticulously orchestrating events.
Lu Ming.
He had resolved everything silently and without anyone's knowledge, then boarded a helicopter back to Modu.
Gently I go, as gently I came;
I wave goodbye, as I bid farewell to the western skies' clouds.