godfather of surgery

Chapter 1258 Mole
BG Europe headquarters in Switzerland, the command center for the "Troy" project.

On Karl Muller's desk lay a briefing with only one core message: Professor Yang Ping's team in China, with extremely limited resources and completely outside of mainstream technology platforms, had successfully designed and synthesized an immune enhancer protein molecule codenamed "X-2." Preliminary validation data showed that this protein molecule possesses universality and can safely and efficiently enhance the immunogenicity of the vast majority of vaccines, with an enhancement effect exceeding that of the best adjuvants currently available.

“Universality…safety…efficiency…” Karl Muller repeated these words under his breath. Just a few days ago, he was still immersed in the joy of what he considered a victory and the thrill of slaughter from a superior position.

Today, the briefing abruptly pulled down the corners of his mouth, and he finally understood why Rigoyan had gone to such lengths this time; Rigoyan's foresight and wisdom were beyond his reach.

Adjuvant technology and the vaccines tied to it are only one part of BG Group's business, but this is not just about vaccines and adjuvants. It means they have the ability to conduct research and development outside of mainstream platforms, and with such high efficiency. If this "X-2" is real and eventually comes to market, it will not be a simple matter of catching up in technology, but a penetrating blow to BG's core strength.

“This is impossible!” Dr. Walker, the chief scientist in charge of technical analysis, exclaimed behind him. “They didn’t use our cryo-electron microscopy platform, our protein mass spectrometry analysis system, or even purchase high-purity cytokines from our supply chain… What did they use? Self-assembled sensors? AI trained with open-source algorithms? And that damn ‘peptide and protein synthesis lab,’ which isn’t even ranked internationally! How could they possibly have it?”

Dr. Walker could neither understand nor accept that they could create something that might surpass their top-notch products using a completely unfamiliar set of tools.

“The facts are clear, Dr. Walker,” a calm female voice rang out. Gan Fengyi, dressed in a sharply tailored dark suit, had eyes as sharp as knives. She picked up a tablet and quickly scrolled through the information about “X-2.” “We underestimated Yang Ping, and we also underestimated their so-called ‘path reconstruction.’ This isn’t about learning on the track we’ve set; they’ve forged a new mountain path for themselves and climbed to heights we never imagined.”

Karl Muller turned around, his usual composure replaced by solemnity: "Gan, I'm very sorry, you and Helen are right. We can't use ordinary thinking to judge Professor Yang Ping. He is a genius among geniuses. None of our scientists have the strength to compete with him. It's cruel, but it's also realistic."

Dr. Walker's face was extremely grim, as if Karl Muller's words were directed at him: "Are you sure this briefing is authentic? Is the source of the intelligence reliable?"

"It's true. This intelligence was obtained by an inside source personally overseen by Rolf, the head of BG's intelligence department. Its credibility is at the highest level of BG Group's intelligence classification, so don't doubt its authenticity."

“But… how is that possible? This is unbelievable…” Dr. Walker kept flipping through the briefing materials and shaking his head.

He led a team of hundreds of people who spent a full twenty years acquiring a superior new adjuvant, a feat already considered top-tier in the field, where countless teams had spent money and time only to end up empty-handed. Yang Ping, leading five inexperienced young PhDs, has surprisingly achieved initial success on this new path in such a short time: obtaining Factor X-2, although it still requires clinical trials for validation.

Obtaining a protein like factor X-2 is no less difficult than obtaining a novel adjuvant, especially when it is done without mainstream equipment and reagents.

How could that be? Absolutely impossible!
Dr. Walker slammed the briefing onto the table, then looked on with suspicion, his face flushed as if he had just drunk strong liquor.

Ignoring his emotions, Karl Muller rested his hands on his desk, his gaze sweeping across the briefing on the screen: "The technical details are too few, but the conclusive data has an inherent logic and doesn't seem fabricated. More importantly, our inside sources have confirmed that their animal experiments have begun, and the preliminary results are very promising. This means that they have not only completed the molecular design and synthesis but also verified its biological activity. It's too fast, unbelievably fast."

"An inside man..." A cold glint flashed in Gan Fengyi's eyes. "Could he access more critical data? Like the specific structure of molecules, or the key parameters of their strange research and development platform?"

“They’re trying. They’re implementing tiered data management. The core algorithms and original design ideas seem to be only in Yang Ping’s hands. Even his five students are just executors in a sense, each responsible for a part. Our insiders are trying to provide more details.” Karl Muller paused, lowering his voice even further. “Moreover, we’ve heard that within the Ruixing Alliance, Huang Jiacai has mobilized the intellectual property and legal teams, building patent barriers and actively communicating with their drug regulatory authority. They’re well-prepared; they’re not bluffing.”

Gan Fengyi remained silent for a moment before finally speaking, her voice icy: "The blockade continues to escalate. Our goal is not an X-2, but to prevent them from establishing a completely new platform and system. As long as we can delay their progress, we will have enough opportunities to disrupt, attack, and divide them. In business, delay often means failure."

"First, we will continue to intensify our public opinion offensive. Through the academic journals and industry media we control, we will question the controllability, reproducibility, and long-term safety of biopharmaceuticals developed outside of internationally recognized standards and platforms. We will emphasize the enormous risks that unverified technical approaches may bring, and we want to plant the seeds of doubt in the minds of scientists and the public, and let them take root and sprout."

"Second, launch an intellectual property attack. Utilize all our patent lawyers and intelligence networks to conduct a comprehensive analysis of 'X-2' and its related technologies. Look for any possible entry points that have even the slightest connection to our existing patents, and file patent lawsuits globally. Even if we can't win, we must slow down their progress and increase their costs."

“Third…” he looked at Karl Muller, “increase the pressure on the inside, make him do whatever it takes to get more details as soon as possible! We need to know the core secrets of Yang Ping’s R&D platform. Also, find out the weaknesses of their alliance. I don’t believe this hastily put-together alliance is a solid unit.”

Carl Muller nodded slightly: "Gan, I'm so glad I have an assistant like you. Mr. Rigoyan has a keen eye for talent. I will personally handle the media and patent war. As for the inside man, I will urge Mr. Rolf to get more details from the inside man."

“I must repeat one point: the intelligence details are far from enough. We must obtain the details as soon as possible. If possible, we can use these technical details to apply for global patents first…” Gan Fengyi said calmly.

Karl Muller nodded approvingly: "That was a brilliant move. I will urge Mr. Rolf to put even more effort into his intelligence system."

……

Southern Metropolitan Province, Sanbo Research Institute.

Chief Qiu, the head of the institute's security department, was sitting in his office. Opposite him was Zhang Lin, who was wearing a white lab coat but sitting upright with alert eyes. Ever since gaining Chief Qiu's approval and trust, Zhang Lin had become much more upright when he walked.

"The news has been confirmed." Section Chief Qiu's voice was low and heavy. "It's certain that there's a 'mole' hiding in our research institute."

“The scope is small, but it’s deadly.” Section Chief Qiu dipped his finger in tea and wrote the character “nuclear” on the table. “The other party has very detailed technical information, including some intelligence that only core members know. This means that this mole not only has access to progress reports, but may even be directly involved in core experiments, or have access to Professor Yang’s team’s direct data.”

Zhang Lin gasped. Yang Ping's team was now a national treasure. If there was a traitor among the core members, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Does Professor Yang know?" Zhang Lin asked.

"We haven't alerted him yet." Section Chief Qiu shook his head. "Professor Yang is currently fully focused on advancing his research and preparing for the upcoming challenges. We can't afford to distract him. Besides, alerting him would ruin everything. At this point, only you and I know about this; we haven't revealed any specific information to anyone else."

As you and I know, this means that his rank is now very high, and Zhang Lin immediately felt a sense of mission and honor.

Section Chief Qiu looked at Zhang Lin: "Dr. Zhang, you're well-liked at the institute, have strong observation skills, and a talent for intelligence gathering. Your task now is to use your position to closely monitor all personnel who have access to the core data of the 'X-2' project without arousing suspicion, including the five PhDs in Professor Yang's research group, as well as the few administrators and technical support staff in the lab who have access to their raw data records." Zhang Lin felt a heavy weight on his shoulders, but he didn't hesitate: "Understood, Section Chief. I'll keep an eye on it."

"Pay attention to the methods and approaches. Report any abnormalities, no matter how minor, to me immediately," Section Chief Qiu instructed. "Our adversary is very cunning. This mole is well hidden and has infiltrated in a very secretive way."

In the following days, Zhang Lin began to put his talent to use. He continued to be busy in the clinical ward every day, occasionally going to the laboratory, but his eyes were like an invisible radar, scanning every suspicious detail.

He noticed that He Zijian was still immersed in the sea of ​​data, indifferent to the outside world's disturbances; Wang Chao spent all day next to sensors, his face showing the focus unique to a tech fanatic; when Chu Xiaoxiao discussed with algorithm engineers, her eyes shone with the pure joy of a creator; Liu Yang was busy on the process amplification line, his steps steady and powerful; and Jiang Jitong was busy coordinating with all parties, demonstrating outstanding communication and coordination skills.

Everything seemed normal; no one seemed to have any problems.

But Zhang Lin did not let his guard down. He knew that the more skilled an undercover agent was, the better he was at disguising himself.

That afternoon, Zhang Lin went to the Digital Medicine Center to deliver a backup of clinical data. In the rest area outside the center, he inadvertently saw Ji Ning chatting with several researchers from other research groups. Ji Ning was a PhD student who had once had the opportunity to join Yang Ping's team but voluntarily withdrew, and now felt resentful watching Wang Chao, Chu Xiaoxiao, and others gain fame.

"...So, luck is unpredictable." Ji Ning's voice carried a hint of bitterness. "If I had known this would happen back then, I definitely would have... Sigh, it's too late to say anything now. But their method is indeed clever, quite different from our traditional approach. Whether it can withstand repeated testing is still uncertain."

Those around him echoed his sentiments, but Zhang Lin keenly noticed that Ji Ning's eyes flickered as he spoke, suggesting that it wasn't just resentment.

Zhang Lin walked over calmly and greeted him with a smile: "Dr. Ji, what are you talking about so excitedly?"

When Ji Ning saw Zhang Lin, a slight hint of panic flashed across her face, but she quickly regained her composure and chuckled, "Nothing, just chatting about academics. Dr. Zhang, are you here to deliver some data?"

"Yes, we need some follow-up data from the clinical department," Zhang Lin replied casually.

His mind was racing. If Ji Ning were that "mole," how could she possibly leave the research group temporarily? She should have tried every means to stay in the research group.

Could it be that this "mole" was developed by the enemy after the project was established? Impossible. Such an important piece must have been laid in advance. How could it be a last-minute arrangement?

Moreover, Zhang Lin understood that a "mole" of this caliber must be good at hiding and would never be easily discovered. He had watched the spy drama "Kite," in which six were even more secretive than the Kuomintang's Military Intelligence Bureau. He should follow this line of thought to find them.

……

Meanwhile, in the international academic community, Gan Fengyi's offensive began to show results.

On the websites of several influential academic journals, commentary articles written by prominent experts have appeared, with titles such as "On the Necessity of 'Standard Paths' in Biomedical R&D" and "Ethical and Safety Considerations for New Technology Platforms Deviating from International Consensus." These articles subtly suggest that certain "radical" studies, lacking "sufficient peer review" and "international standard validation," may harbor significant risks, urging regulatory agencies to exercise caution.

They didn't directly name "X-2" because X-2 hadn't been officially unveiled yet; they were laying the groundwork for future actions.

Some industry media outlets have also begun to reprint these views, accompanied by eye-catching headlines such as "The 'Wild Growth' of Biotechnology?" and "Beware of the 'Black Box' Risks Behind Innovation," all laying the groundwork for their actions once X-2 officially debuts.

Although these voices have not yet become mainstream, they have already begun to spark discussion and doubts among scholars and investors in related fields, and the groundwork for public opinion has been quietly laid.

Yang Ping's team also noticed these developments. During an internal team meeting, Yang Ping calmly told the core members, "The noise from outside is expected. They can't beat us technically, so they're trying to use public opinion and rules to bind us. Ignore it, don't argue. Our only response is to produce more solid, impeccable data. Let the facts shut them up. We're now establishing our own rules; do we still need to care about their opinions?"

His composure inspired everyone, and the team continued to focus on the preclinical research of "X-2" and the optimization of the new platform.

A few days later, late one night, most areas of the research institute were dark. Section Chief Qiu's office light was still on; he was analyzing fragmented information Zhang Lin had recently observed—the daily behavioral patterns of several administrators with access to core data…

Moreover, Section Chief Qiu obtained an important piece of information: the other party was urging him to obtain the structure of X-2, the 'core algorithm logic of the platform,' and the 'energy calculation model for X-2 molecular structure modification.'

The other party's demands have targeted the most core secrets of Yang Ping's research and development system. This mole not only exists, but also has the ability to access, or attempts to access, this top-level information!

He immediately picked up the encrypted phone and notified Zhang Lin: "Xiao Zhang, there's progress. We can narrow down the target area further. Pay close attention to those who have access to Professor Yang's personal notes, original algorithm drafts, or who can try to extract the core theory from He Zijian and Chu Xiaoxiao."

He paused, then added, "Especially those who are both motivated and capable, and whose recent behavior has been somewhat 'overly active'."

The other party has already put pressure on the "mole," and this "mole" will definitely be more active than usual.

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Lin's eyes sharpened as he looked at the details in his notebook about Ji Ning's recent "accidental" inquiries to Chu Xiaoxiao about the basic principles of AI models, and her attempts to ask He Zijian "how Professor Yang came up with those three candidate molecular sequences."

"Understood, Section Chief. I think I may have some direction now."

However, Zhang Lin immediately dismissed his idea: how could a real "mole" be so easily identified? Ji Ning couldn't rule it out, but his intuition told him it was definitely not the person he was looking for.

(End of this chapter)