Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Re-examination
City Lord Qian Luo’s aged face twitched slightly at Xiao Ning’s words.
Qian Ying, standing to the side, also frowned slightly and spoke up.
"I didn’t expect those two cities to forgo the elite-only route and instead adopt a strategy open to all citizens. The pros and cons of this are quite obvious. The advantage lies in strength in numbers, leading to abundant resources and a continuous stream of new experts. However, the drawback is not to be underestimated. It becomes very difficult to manage if the entire population is allowed in."
"Excellent. Your analysis is very sound."
Xiao Ning praised Qian Ying generously.
"Thank you for the praise, Uncle Xiao. I was merely sharing my personal thoughts."
Qian Ying was very humble, not at all smug about the compliment.
Xiao Ning then turned to City Lord Qian Luo to respectfully ask for his orders.
"City Lord, what should we do next?"
City Lord Qian Luo was silent for several seconds before asking in a hoarse voice,
"Qian Ying, if it were up to you, what would you do?"
"Father, since they’ve opened their gates to everyone, we can do the same. It might be difficult to manage, but the benefits are obvious. We can levy a 20% transaction tax and use our own funds to buy up everything they produce. As for the money... isn’t the amount we have completely up to you?"
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! The Fourth Young Master is truly overflowing with talent!"
Xiao Ning was in full agreement with Qian Ying’s proposal.
After listening, City Lord Qian Luo nodded slightly and said wearily,
"Qian Ying, since your Uncle Xiao agrees it’s a good plan, let’s proceed. I’m a bit tired. You are all dismissed."
"Yes!"
Xiao Ning and Qian Ying bowed and withdrew, closing the door behind them.
In the dim room, City Lord Qian Luo was left sitting there alone in silence.
....
「Mountain City Mountain First Central Hospital – Genetics Department」
HUFF...
Slightly out of breath, Long Ming rushed into the waiting hall. He was met with the sight of a long line of patients queuing up in front of Clinic 1.
In contrast, only a handful of patients were waiting outside the other clinics.
Long Ming felt a little resigned. The reputation of Doctor Cheng, whom he was registered to see, was growing, and more people came to see her every day.
’With so many people in line, who knows when it’ll be my turn. I still need to get tests done, too. I might not even get seen before closing time. Then I’d have to wait until tomorrow.’
The problem was, his entry pass had a time limit. If he couldn’t see the doctor within the allotted time, he’d be in serious trouble.
But there was nothing Long Ming could do. He could only walk over to the registration kiosk to get a number.
He didn’t know what to expect, but the number he got gave him a shock. There were over 120 people ahead of him. His heart sank.
Resigned, he walked to the end of the line to wait patiently.
Just then, the door to Clinic 1 opened, and a young woman in a white doctor’s coat stepped out. She had a delicate face, with curved eyebrows and bright eyes. Her long black hair was coiled up, fastened with a white hairpin, and a few stray strands framed her cheeks.
She walked along the long line of people, seemingly searching for someone.
Soon, the young woman reached the end of the line, where she saw Long Ming and asked uncertainly,
"Hello, are you Mr. Long Ming?"
"Yes. Is something wrong?"
Long Ming looked at the name tag hanging from her uniform—Luanna, Intern—and asked in confusion.
"Mr. Long, please come with me," Luanna said.
"Alright."
Long Ming was surprised by her words, but he quickly agreed.
Luanna then led Long Ming past the long line of people to the door of Clinic 1.
However, just as she was about to lead Long Ming inside, a man at the front of the line raised an eyebrow and put out an arm to block them.
Long Ming looked over. The man blocking them wore a dark gray shirt and had light brown, curly hair. A vintage mechanical watch was strapped to his wrist, and he had an arrogant look on his face.
The man flicked his hair and spoke in an annoyed tone.
"Hey, hey, what do you think you’re doing? Cutting my line? And don’t give me that crap about him having an appointment. I have an appointment too, and I’m a top-tier VIP. It’s generous enough that I’m not cutting in front of anyone else, but now someone’s trying to cut in front of me? That’s going too far, don’t you think?"
Hearing this, Luanna quickly explained with an apologetic tone,
"I’m sorry, sir. I’m just a new intern; I’m not sure of the details myself. I’m only following Instructor Cheng’s orders to bring this gentleman inside. Please, try to understand."
Hearing Luanna’s explanation, Han Wen looked Long Ming up and down in disbelief. ’Just who is this kid, that he can get Doctor Cheng to pull strings for him?’
’Doctor Cheng is the top genetics expert in all of Mountain City Mountain.’
His eyes shifted. He realized he still needed to see the doctor himself. Offending Doctor Cheng and making her unhappy just wasn’t worth it. With that, his attitude did a complete 180 as he said,
"Oh, I see. In that case, go right ahead."
"Thank you."
Luanna let out a small sigh of relief and led Long Ming inside.
Watching this unfold, the people in line behind Han Wen began to mutter amongst themselves.
"Who is that young man?"
"No idea!"
"So impressive! It’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone pull strings to see Doctor Cheng."
"But what I don’t get is, his clothes look really cheap. He looks like one of the lower-class citizens, doesn’t he?"
"I noticed that too. I don’t get it."
...
Inside Clinic 1.
A kindly-looking female doctor in her eighties sat at her desk, reviewing medical files. She wore a white coat and reading glasses, and her hair was streaked with white.
"Doctor Cheng."
Long Ming greeted her politely.
Hearing his voice, Cheng Yue looked up, pushed her reading glasses up her nose, and glanced at Long Ming before speaking in a friendly tone.
"Mr. Long Ming, you’re here for a follow-up?"
"Yes. I’ve finished the medication you prescribed last time, so I need a refill."
"Alright. Let’s do another examination first. I’ll write you a new prescription based on the results."
"Okay."
Long Ming gave a slight nod.
"Mr. Long Ming, this way, please!"
Luanna then led Long Ming to the adjacent examination room.
Some time later, Long Ming returned from the examination room and waited in the clinic.
A short while later, Luanna entered with the results and handed the report to Dr. Cheng.
Long Ming watched Dr. Cheng carefully review the report. Seeing her expression tighten, he couldn’t help but feel his heart pound with anxiety. ’Don’t tell me it’s gotten worse again?’
But just as Long Ming’s anxiety reached its peak, a smile spread across Cheng Yue’s face as she spoke.
"Excellent. It’s well under control. For now, you just need to continue taking your medication to maintain this state."
Hearing Dr. Cheng’s words, Long Ming couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.
’Most of the money from selling my house went toward the main treatment. If it gets worse again, I really won’t be able to afford it.’
However, Long Ming didn’t let the joy cloud his judgment. Instead, he asked with some confusion,
"Doctor Cheng, if my condition is under control, why do I keep coughing? And why do I get a fever from just a slight draft?"
"That’s because your condition is only controlled, not cured. Genetic defects are very difficult to heal completely. Your immune system is still very weak, so you can fall ill easily. But don’t worry, as long as you keep taking your medication to manage it, you’ll be fine."
"Then, Doctor... if I keep it under control, how long can I live?"
Long Ming looked at Doctor Cheng, his expression calm.
Hearing Long Ming’s question, Cheng Yue answered with a gentle smile.
"Mr. Long Ming, as long as you stick with the treatment and maintain a positive outlook, I believe you can live just like a normal person."
"Thank you. In that case, could you please prescribe me a three-month supply of medication?"
Long Ming said with a slight nod.
"Of course!"
Cheng Yue promptly wrote the prescription for Long Ming.
"Goodbye, Dr. Cheng."
Long Ming then stood up and left the clinic.
As soon as he was gone, the smile on Cheng Yue’s face faded. She handed Long Ming’s test results to Luanna to be filed.
