Siheyuan: Why is my crossing so ugly?

"Hahaha~"

Rod's flattering remark struck a chord with Du Weiguo, making him smile with unusual joy.

Yes, he fought to the death, spending his days surrounded by mountains of corpses and seas of blood, all in order to become the one who sets the rules and no longer be bound by them.

Suppressing his laughter, Du Weiguo reached out and patted Rod's shoulder, his tone becoming slightly more carefree.

"That's right!"

"Now that we've gained momentum, we've transcended the Three Realms and are no longer bound by the Five Elements. From now on, we no longer need to abide by the bullshit rules set by others."

"Boss is awesome! Boss is so powerful!"

Rod, being very perceptive, offered another compliment and even took out his cigarette case to offer Du Weiguo a cigarette.

"Boss, would you like a cigarette?"

Of course, it's President Kunpeng. As the saying goes, "When the superiors have a certain preference, the inferiors will follow suit." Because Du Weiguo likes it, now all the members of the Shashen Clan only smoke this brand of cigarettes.

"Rhodes, you're being so sweet-talking today, what's up? Something wrong?"

Du Weiguo has at least developed some composure by now, and he wasn't swayed by sweet talk. He took the cigarette and gave Rod a half-smile.

"Hey~" Rod chuckled awkwardly, then pulled out a lighter and lit the cigarette for him with a slightly ingratiating expression.

"Boss, you are indeed a master strategist; nothing can be hidden from you."

Two plumes of white smoke billowed from Du Weiguo's nostrils:
"Alright, stop flattering us. We're all on the same side, so just say what you need to say."

Rhodes didn't speak immediately. Instead, he subconsciously licked his lips, his Adam's apple bobbing, before tentatively asking:

"Boss, do you still have any of those biological samples that you sent to the Pasteur Institute for testing before?"

"Blood Bodhi?" Du Weiguo paused in his smoking, his sword-like eyebrows slightly raised.

“Yes, yes, it’s the Blood Bodhi.” Rhodes’ eyes were full of anticipation.

"What? You figured out its use so quickly?" Du Weiguo also showed a look of anticipation.

“Yes.” Rhodes nodded vigorously, his eyes shining brightly.

"Boss, it is currently known that blood bodhi contains unique and highly effective bioactive ingredients."

"This component has numerous benefits for humans, can intervene in the treatment of a variety of diseases, and can even affect chromosomes and telomerase levels."

Although Du Weiguo was illiterate in both his lives, he knew and had heard of these two things: chromosomes determine genes, and telomerase determines lifespan.

"And then?" Du Weiguo's tone sounded indifferent, but his heart was actually in his throat.

He swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly.
"Boss, as long as we have enough Blood Bodhi, we can extract a sufficient amount of special active ingredients and then formulate a real gene-modifying drug."

"Gene-modifying agents?" Du Weiguo frowned.

Rhodes' answer deviated from his expectations, and could even be described as going in the opposite direction.

He wanted to use the Blood Bodhi to concoct an "elixir" that could cure all diseases and perhaps prolong life, not create a batch of genetically mutated monsters.

Rod, however, did not notice the change in Du Weiguo's expression and continued talking to himself.

"Yes, gene-modifying drugs can greatly improve human physical fitness, treat some terminal and serious diseases, and most importantly, prolong life."

"Huh?" Du Weiguo was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

He seems to have misunderstood Rhodes. This guy's idea is the same as his, not to artificially create monsters, but the name "gene serum" is somewhat ambiguous.

Du Weiguo felt relieved and joked with a smile:
"Rhodes, you're only in your thirties, and you're as strong as an ox. Isn't it a bit too early to start thinking about living to be a hundred?"

"Boss, you've misunderstood." Rod quickly waved his hand.

“It’s not me, it’s my father. He has health problems.”

"Akira, what happened to him?" Du Weiguo frowned, slightly taken aback.

Akira is not even 60 years old this year. He is in the prime of his life. The last time I saw him, he was still lively and healthy. There was no sign of him dying young.

Moreover, Akira was no nobody.

As the head of the Sassoon family and the Freemason leader, he held a very high position and enjoyed the best medical resources.

He has an extremely professional private medical team, and he undergoes regular physical examinations every month or even every week to monitor his physical condition in real time. There is absolutely no reason for him to suddenly become seriously ill, let alone let a minor illness develop into a major one.

“Sigh~” Rod smiled wryly and explained:
“My father was assassinated several times when he was young. Although he survived each time, he was left with very serious internal injuries.”

“Some time ago, his old injury suddenly relapsed, and he is currently bedridden, barely surviving only with oxygen and intravenous fluids.”

"Is it that serious? Why didn't you tell me before?" Du Weiguo frowned.

Rhodes could not and dared not lie to him. As the head of the Sassoon family, Akira also ran the Freemasons and was considered a major financial backer of the Shamans, as well as an extremely important strategic partner.

He can't die, at least not now.

"Sigh~" Rhodes sighed, his expression sad and helpless, his whole face contorted into a bitter gourd.

"Boss, actually I just found out myself. My father had been deliberately hiding the news from me until recently."

Du Weiguo immediately understood that Akira's condition must have become so serious that there was no hope of recovery.

Normal medical technology, and all the methods he could think of and use, were definitely powerless to help.

He probably had two purposes in informing Rhodes: first, to make arrangements for his final days, and second, to test Du Weiguo through Rhodes, hoping that he might have the means to bring the dead back to life.

After all, Du Weiguo is the recognized leader of the superhumans. Not only is his own skill the best in the world, but his subordinates are also full of hidden talents.

Having figured out the key point, Du Weiguo sat up, stubbed out his cigarette, and said in a deep voice:
"Rhodes, how much longer can your father hold on?"

“No more than three months,” Rod replied in a trembling voice.

"Two months?"

Du Weiguo rubbed his fingers together, then suddenly remembered something, raised his eyes, and stared intently at Luo De.

"Rhodes, even if I could produce enough Blood Bodhi in such a short time, I'm afraid the research institute wouldn't be able to make the life-saving medicine your father needs, right?"

Pharmaceutical manufacturing is a highly technical field that requires a long process.

Any new drug typically takes several years, more than a decade, or even longer to develop, from research and development to trials and clinical trials.

This only refers to conventional drugs. If it involves "elixirs" at the level of gene modification, it would probably require a longer period of treatment.

Meeting Du Weiguo's deep, soul-piercing eyes, Luo De instinctively shivered and, no longer daring to beat around the bush, directly stated his purpose.

"Boss, the Brotherhood has a 'miracle doctor' who has the ability to heal any injury or disease."

"However, she no longer takes action, and the Brotherhood and Freemasons used to be enemies." "The miracle doctor" is Jimmy's mother from the Brotherhood. This little old lady is indeed an extremely rare wet nurse, possessing rare healing abilities.

She claims that as long as a person is still breathing, she can revive them.

However, Jimmy's mother's treatment was exhausting, and she had already overdrawn her life force. Although she was not yet 50 years old, she looked like a frail old woman.

Fortunately, the fraternity has been reborn and has been doing well recently under Du Weiguo's protection. She no longer needs to work so hard, so she took the opportunity to retire.

Besides, even if Jimmy's mother hadn't retired, given the deep-seated hatred between the Brotherhood and the Freemasons, she wouldn't have stepped in to help.

However, there are always exceptions. As long as Du Weiguo speaks up, she will save people even if it costs her her life.

"Ha~"

Having figured these points out, Du Weiguo smiled, gave Luo De a meaningful glance, and said mockingly:
"So, Blood Bodhi Pharmaceuticals is just a pretext?"

"No, no!" Rod panicked, shaking his head like a rattle-drum.

"Boss, how could I dare to lie to you? Blood Bodhi contains special active ingredients that can prolong life, that's 100% true."

“I also know that the Brotherhood and the Freemasons are sworn enemies. Even if you intervene, the Divine Doctor may not be willing to help.”

He paused here, quickly glancing at Du Weiguo's expression, before continuing:

"So, boss, I want to prepare for both possibilities."

"If the divine healer is willing to help without holding grudges, then our Sassoon family is willing to pay any price as a reward."

If that doesn't work, then I'd like to try to prepare a gene-based drug in a short time, even if it's just an experimental drug.

As he finished speaking, Rod's eyes reddened, his voice choked with emotion, earnest and almost pleading:

"He's my father. I don't want to give up, boss. Please help me!"

Du Weiguo did not answer immediately, but lit another cigarette and pondered for a while.

“Rhodes, even disregarding your personal relationship, your father is a very important ally of mine. I will definitely help him if I can.”

"Thank you~"

Rod immediately stood up and offered his thanks, but Du Weiguo interrupted him by raising his hand.

"Rhodes, let me finish what I have to say."

“I can contact the Brotherhood, but the Divine Healer needs to exhaust her life force to use her healing abilities, and she is already overwhelmed, so I will not force her.”

"Of course, of course!" Rhodes, being a sensible man, quickly replied:

"Boss, I understand. I won't make things difficult for you."

"Regardless of whether the miracle doctor is ultimately willing to help, our Sassoon family and the Freemasons are indebted to the Brotherhood and are also willing to take the initiative to repair relations and start cooperation."

"Hahaha~"

Upon hearing this, Du Weiguo was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“Rhodes, did your father teach you this? That old man is indeed the head of the Freemasons. Even though he's bedridden, he's still incredibly shrewd.”

The Freemasons of today are no longer the Freemasons of the past.

Not only was the division into two completely devastating, but the Noah Legion under its command was also decimated, leaving it with no ability to defend itself.

For capitalist economic organizations like the Freemasons, there must be people secretly doing dirty work for them, protecting their plundering and monopolistic behavior.

With the Freemasons' financial resources, it's easy to assemble conventional armed forces, but high-end armed forces are much harder to find and are hard to come by.

Twenty years after the war, the Freemasons tried every means possible, but they only managed to recruit and train a dozen or so people with special abilities.

Currently, although the Freemasons and the evil spirits have reached a relatively close strategic partnership, they cannot get Du Weiguo, this big Buddha, to clean up their messes.

Therefore, they had no choice but to turn their attention to their former enemies, the Brotherhood.

After all, the Brotherhood still has considerable strength, and it was originally an assassin organization that did things for money.

"Hey~" Rod chuckled sheepishly, without denying it:

"Boss, you guessed right. It was indeed my father who told me to do it. He said there are only eternal interests, not eternal hatred."

“Yes.” Du Weiguo nodded: “Your father is absolutely right. He has always been a visionary.”

Then he patted Rod on the shoulder:

"Alright, Rhodes, don't worry too much. I'll contact the Brotherhood in a bit. The Divine Doctor should give me face."

"Even if we can't completely cure your father, we can at least delay the inevitable for a while."

"Thank you, boss." Rod said sincerely, taking a step back as if to bow to Du Weiguo.

“We’re all on the same side, you don’t need to do this.” Du Weiguo reached out to stop him.

"In addition, I will have someone send you enough Blood Bodhi as soon as possible, and the gene-modifying drug you mentioned should also be developed as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Rod was even more grateful, his eyes reddening. But at that moment, Du Weiguo suddenly changed the subject:
"However, the research and development must be carried out in St. Georgetown, and the Berlin branch of the Pasteur Institute should also be moved there."

"Uh~" Rod was stunned, but he wasn't stupid and understood in just a few seconds.

The gene-modifying agent prepared by Blood Bodhi is a miraculous medicine that can save lives and prolong life. Of course, Du Weiguo would keep such a thing in his own hands. Why would he entrust it to someone else?
"No problem, boss. I'll get on it right now and make sure the research institute is moved to St. George's within a week."

Rhodes was a smart and decisive man. He agreed without hesitation and then hurriedly walked towards the cockpit.

"Whoo~"

Du Weiguo exhaled a long puff of smoke, gazing wistfully out the window, and muttered to himself:
"Blood Bodhi, plus the blood of immortals, such amazing raw materials, it's probably a bit difficult to achieve immortality, but staying young shouldn't be a big problem."

Six hours later, in Chhattisgarh, central India, in Simgar.

This remote mountain town has recently become unusually lively, as a new airport has been built, and nearly a thousand fully armed European mercenaries have been airdropped there.

The reason for this is that a gold mine with huge reserves has been discovered in the Gevorta Mountains north of the city.

The gold mine is nominally owned by the Fiat Group, but it is actually the private property of Du Weiguo and Jenny, and Reina also owns a 10% stake.

This gold mine is also Du Weiguo's latest source of personal wealth. If mining goes smoothly, it can bring him at least 2 million dollars in net profit every year.

There's no way around it; a real man can't go a day without money. If you don't have money in your pocket, you won't stand tall.

When Du Weiguo and his group landed, Lena was already waiting on the runway.

"Wesley, you're finally here! I couldn't take it anymore!" Rena looked extremely haggard, even her eyes were sunken. (End of Chapter)