The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 189

Floyd looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with awe as he stared at Leilani.

“Leilani, how is your brain wired? We old-timers spent two weeks trying to figure this out without making a dent, and you found the breakthrough the moment you arrived!”

Floyd couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh. “Youth really is a blessing. Our thinking has become too rigid. Unlike you-your ideas are wild and imaginative, yet every point hits the mark.”

Leilani was amused by his reaction. Her fingertip tapped the formula on the paper. “It’s really nothing special. I just looked at the problem from a different angle. Your team is made up of traditionally trained modern medicine doctors, so it’s easy to get trapped in that specific perspective. Since I lean more toward holistic and ancient medical practices, my perspective is naturally different from yours. That’s why the solution stood out to me.”

Floyd followed her train of thought, his excitement growing as he read. His white beard even trembled slightly.

“You’re right… We really should listen to the wisdom of the past. Taking the best from every discipline and making it our own-a doctor proficient in both ancient and modern medicine is truly the best kind of doctor!”

Floyd suddenly had an epiphany. Wasn’t the kind of doctor he described exactly who Leilani was?

In hindsight, his attempt to take Leilani as a student earlier had been presumptuous. Given Leilani’s level of expertise, Floyd couldn’t even imagine how powerful her mentor must be to have trained such a disciple.

Leilani pursed her lips in a smile. Just as she was about to speak, there was a knock on the door.

“Mr. Dillon, the results from the selection interviews are in. Would you like to review them now?”

The assistant’s voice came from the hallway.

The smile on Floyd’s face faded slightly. He waved a hand, signaling for the assistant to enter. “Leave it on the desk. I’ll look at it later.”

Once the footsteps faded away, Leilani glanced at the file and asked casually, “Were there other people interviewing today?”

She had thought Zeus was the only one.

Floyd scoffed lightly, flipping the file open nonchalantly. “Yes, a bunch of arrogant young people. They all have their noses in the air but very little actual skill.”

It happened to be recruitment season. In fact, during the time Leilani had been away, he had already interviewed several candidates. Unfortunately, none had caught his eye.

Floyd shook his head helplessly, closed the file, and tossed it aside.

“The people I’ve interviewed lately are just like that Zeus guy you know. Not much skill, but their egos are bigger than anyone else’s. Some of them even got basic pharmacology questions wrong, yet they still deluded themselves into thinking they could join my team.”

10.25

In contrast, Leilani, who wasn’t from a prestigious academic background, had more ability than any of them and was far more humble.

Thinking of the insults Zeus had hurled at Leilani earlier, Floyd patted her shoulder reassuringly.

“Leilani, a degree has never been the standard for measuring ability. The knowledge in your head is worth far more than any textbook learning those kids have.”

Leilani felt a warmth in her heart. Just as she was about to thank him, the communicator in Floyd’s room began to vibrate.

The lab where they were set to synthesize the antidote was ready. They were being notified to head over and begin the experiment.

Leilani and Floyd arrived at the laboratory. As soon as they entered, they saw an antique box placed in the most conspicuous spot in the room.

Floyd introduced it to Leilani. The box contained the legendary “Moonlight Herb.”

Leilani took the Moonlight Herb from the case and carefully placed it on the experiment table.

18:36

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