The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 190
Under the laboratory lights, the pale purple petals of the Moonlight Herb shimmered with a lustrous sheen, fresh soil still clinging to its roots.
Floyd leaned in for a closer look, unable to hold back his admiration. “So this is the Moonlight Herb… It’s truly beautiful.”
Floyd hadn’t seen the herb since it arrived, so this was his first time viewing it as well.
Leilani picked it up to examine the roots, then gently scraped off a tiny fragment of a leaf and placed it in her mouth, chewing carefully to taste its properties.
She nodded. “This Moonlight Herb is of excellent quality. The potency should be very high. It’s old enough, too. Perfect for the antidote.”
Since the most critical ingredient had arrived, the two didn’t delay any longer and immediately began researching the antidote formula.
Leilani excelled in ancient pharmacology, possessing unique insights into herbal interactions and traditional brewing methods. Floyd, on the other hand, leaned toward modern medicine. With years of experience in medical research, he focused more on experimental design and molecular composition.
Their schools of thought and approaches were completely different, yet they complemented each other unexpectedly well.
For the entire afternoon, the lab was filled with the scratching sound of grinding herbs, the crisp clinking of test tubes, and the low murmur of their discussions.
Finally, drawing on similar past cases and their respective experiences, they formulated ten different versions of the antidote.
“Next is the testing phase.”
Leilani wiped the sweat from her forehead and exhaled deeply. Formulating prescriptions was far more exhausting than performing acupuncture. But creating the formula was only the first step.
ila Leilani looked at Floyd. “We need to draw a few vials of Mr. Chilton’s blood for testing.”
Floyd nodded. “I’ll go get it right now.”
Half an hour later, Floyd returned with several test tubes containing Mr. Chilton’s blood.
ilaLeilani mixed the ten variations of the formula with the blood samples, placed them in petri dishes, d and then loaded them into the precision instruments for efficacy testing.
wilt will probably take about a week to get the results,” Floyd said, watching the data jumping on the
rescreen.
s His laboratory was equipped with the most advanced and precise instruments available. While ecprecise, obtaining accurate and valid data meant the processing time would be appropriately longer.
ilaLeilani hummed in acknowledgment, took off her gloves, and began packing her things to leave.
18:36
Chapter
Floyd paused. “You aren’t waiting for the results?”
“No. You’re here, so nothing will go wrong. Just remember to notify me when the results are out.”
She figured that once she got more used to driving her new car, the trip between the villa and the city would only take a little over an hour.
“Is there some emergency, Leilani? Why are you leaving in such a rush?” Floyd asked, puzzled.
This was Leilani’s second visit. She hadn’t left this quickly the first time.
Leilani nodded. “I have a patient whose condition is critical. I need to get back to treat him.”
Arnold’s condition couldn’t be delayed any longer. Since Floyd was keeping a strict watch over the villa, nothing untoward should happen here. Leilani’s presence wasn’t strictly necessary, so it was better to go back and treat Arnold early to at least stabilize him.
Seeing that Leilani had a special situation, Floyd didn’t try to stop her. He asked thoughtfully, “Where are you heading? Should I have someone drive you?”
Leilani shook her head. “No need. I have my own car.”
With that, she hoisted her backpack and waved to Floyd. “See you in a week.”
Floyd watched her retreating figure, chuckling helplessly. That girl really didn’t waste a second.
:
By the time Leilani walked out of the villa, the sky was already dark. Just as she got into her car, her phone vibrated.
18:36
Cedella
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