The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 138
Mr. Dillon’s voice was low and heavy as his gaze fell upon Mr. Chilton, who lay unconscious on the hospital bed. “Since you could tell Mr. Chilton is suffering from the Thousand-Strand Poison, you should also be aware that the most difficult problem with him right now is not keeping him alive. It’s that he won’t wake up.”
The light in the ward was cold and white. The rhythmic “beep-beep” of the instruments was exceptionally clear in the silence.
Leilani stood by the bed, once again resting her fingertips gently on Mr. Chilton’s wrist, concentrating on feeling the faint yet chaotic pulse.
“Thousand-Strand Poison…” Leilani was contemplating the fragments of information Paulina had once mentioned to her, trying to see if she could come up with a strategy.
At this moment, Mr. Dillon handed her a blue folder. It was thick with pages of Mr. Chilton’s
lab data.
“This is the blood toxin analysis report we ran on Mr. Chilton. The data shows his body contains trace amounts of mutated components from Datura and the Upas tree, along with many other miscellaneous toxins.”
The strings of numbers and professional terms were dense. Mr. Dillon knew Leilani came from a background of traditional medicine, and fearing she might not understand the specialized terminology of modern medicine, he took the initiative to explain.
Pointing at a line of data on the lab report, Mr. Dillon said, “Although we can detect which toxins are in Mr. Chilton’s body, current medical equipment cannot analyze the core toxin or synthesize the relevant antidote. His condition is too rare in this country. Actually, I didn’t think he had been poisoned with the Thousand-Strand Poison at first either.”
After all, the Thousand-Strand Poison was a toxin in Eldoria that had almost never appeared domestically. If not for his extensive experience and sending people to investigate global diseases related to these symptoms, he really wouldn’t have recognized it.
He hadn’t expected that the conclusion they spent half a month investigating would be diagnosed by this young girl with just a pulse check. He didn’t know whether to say their investigation speed was slow or to admire her for being so skilled and knowledgeable at such a young age.
Leilani listened carefully to Mr. Dillon’s explanation. Looking at the dense report, Leilani zoned out slightly. She whispered to herself, snippets of what Paulina had once mentioned flashing rapidly through her mind. “Seven poisons generating each other, a thousand threads drawing life. The victim sleeps, but in truth, the viscera are damaged…”
Leilani withdrew her hand and looked up at Mr. Dillon. “Can you determine which are the most critical types of poison Mr. Chilton has been dosed with right now? I once heard that
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for the Thousand-Strand Poison-seven poisons generate each other… Generally speaking, if Mr. Chilton truly has the Thousand-Strand Poison, he must have been dosed with no fewer than seven types of toxins!”
Mr. Dillon shook his head, his brow furrowed tightly. He searched through the folder. The results were indeed as Leilani said, but with a slight difference: the detected toxins weren’t just seven, but upwards of ten.
“We tried various detection methods, but the person behind this is too cunning. They likely knew we had the means to identify the Thousand-Strand Poison, so they added other toxins with similar components into the mix. Some cannot be detected at all. Currently, we can only confirm at least ten types.”
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Olivia Harris
Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.