Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 393: Mountain Top
In just a few minutes, after coming out, Madam Qian was indeed quite emotional and had to be helped back to rest.

The crowd gathered outside the ICU was persuaded to leave by the hospital.

After wandering around for a while, Zhai Da returned to this area, observed for a moment, and then simply sat down in the stairwell next door.

He took out some pills from his pocket and put them into his mouth one by one; they were bought from the pharmacy near the hospital.

Three hours passed, and his body was indeed strong. In addition to being young and robust, he also had the "internal furnace" to protect him. Although he was far from fully recovered, he felt a bit more relaxed.

Of course, it's possible that they've gotten used to the pain after a while.

Try taking some medicine.

As for why we don't treat her directly in the hospital, it's because it's not time to celebrate yet. The temporary equipment only lasts for 24 hours. If hospital treatment is postponed, it will be very troublesome, unless you end up in the same ICU as your teacher.

The best-case scenario is that the teacher's condition improves further, and he has more opportunities to visit, so he shamelessly goes in once a day, or he simply leaves behind the genuine "Five Generations Longevity Lock".

After taking the drug, Zhai Da subconsciously took out the [Five Generations Longevity Lock] from his pocket, gently rubbed it, and pondered his next plan.

When the [Temporary Equipment] effect is active, the item temporarily loses its magical properties and becomes just an object.

Logically, the teacher should have already gotten rid of the threat, so what did that series of "?" mean?
Suddenly the door to the stairwell was pushed open. Qian Lei was startled to see Zhai Da, and even more shocked to see a large quantity of various medicines, especially considering that he had just returned from the United States!

"You fentanyl?!"

Zhai Dayang waved the packaging box: "Pudilan".

Qian Lei:
Zhai Da asked curiously, "How did you know I was here?"

Qian Lei shook his head: "I didn't come to see you. I just can't calm down and I want to be closer to Grandpa."

Qian Lei simply sat side by side with Zhai Da on the stairs.

"To be honest, I was worried that it was the last chance, and I was worried that Grandpa would think I was unfilial."

"Feel sorry."

"It's alright. I asked the doctor again, and he said the condition hasn't worsened."

Qian Lei subconsciously took out a cigarette case from his pocket, but quickly put it back: "Actually, we've been mentally prepared for Grandpa's age for the past ten years, but it's still hard to accept when it actually happens."

Zhai Da's gaze also seemed somewhat lost in thought: "Yes, it's hard to accept easily, no matter how much mental preparation you do."

In her previous life, Yu Xiaoli went through several months from being diagnosed with breast cancer to passing away. Although it was already in its late stage when she was diagnosed, countless doctors, including the mother and son themselves, were trying to prepare themselves mentally, but in the last few days, there was still a sense of disbelief.

Qian Lei said softly, "When I visited Grandpa last week, he kept mentioning you. Your visit has made him feel much better lately, and I haven't had a chance to formally thank you yet."

Zhai Da shook his head: "No need."

The two men stared at the "No Smoking" sign in the hallway, their eyes never meeting, yet they chatted naturally.

"At first, I was quite resentful of you. Bearing the title of grandson of a grandfather, I studied desperately from a young age because even if I got one question wrong, the teachers would be surprised and say that Qian Xuesen's grandson was just an ordinary person."

“Even though I became a PhD and worked hard for almost 30 years, I know very well that in my grandfather’s eyes, I am just an ‘average person’. He was not disappointed in me because he never expected me to reach the same level. On the contrary, you, since you came into the world, I have been praising your talent and ability. Maybe it’s a bit naive. I am 13 years older than you, but I do feel uncomfortable.”

Zhai Da calmly said, "Being able to become a doctor, especially a doctor of aerospace materials, already surpasses countless others. It's not that you're not excellent, but that your teacher is too outstanding."

Qian Lei laughed and said, "Yes, my father and I are facing the same problem. Grandpa is too high-ranking, so high that the pressure is on us. We haven't done anything wrong, we've just become an ordinary professor and a PhD, but it gives people the feeling that there's no one to carry on the family line."

Zhai Da was too exhausted to fight back, so he nudged Qian Lei with his shoulder and said, "Don't say that."

Perhaps because this feeling was quite novel, Qian Lei smiled and said, "These kinds of presumptuous words are only suitable to be said to you, my 'closed-door disciple.' Let a genius hear the complaints of an ordinary person."

Even though they were just acquaintances before, the atmosphere between the men was right, and they inexplicably found themselves talking about some deep topics.

The Qian family strictly adhered to the one-child policy, so he had no siblings and faced a lot of pressure from a young age, resulting in very few friends of his own age outside of work.

Although he was more than ten years older than Zhai Da, Qian Lei felt that the two were the same age and got along very well.

Perhaps this is what genius is—transcending the limitations of age.

Seeing Zhai Da rubbing something in his hand, Qian Lei had actually glanced at it several times. After vaguely recognizing the handwriting on it, he said, "Did Grandpa give this to you?"

Zhai Da was taken aback: "Why do you say that?"

Qian Lei took the [Five Generations Longevity Lock], turned it to the back, and pointed to the two lines of writing:

"Focusing on the fundamentals and practicing frugality will make the country rich; promoting the virtuous and employing the capable will make the country strong; promoting education and cultivating talent will make the country prosperous; and maintaining good relations with neighbors will ensure the country's peace. This is a passage from the Qian Family Instructions, which I have memorized since I was a child and I will never forget."

Zhai Da found it absurd and frowned, saying, "But this is an old item I bought in America."

Qian Lei also found it strange, but then he understood and explained: "The Wuyue Qian family is actually a very large family. Although the different branches are not very close now, in modern times, due to the turmoil of the country, the Qian family has been scattered for many reasons. Some went to the United States before the founding of the People's Republic of China and never returned, some have stayed in China, and some even went to Taiwan at that time."

“For example, my cousin’s family is now in the United States. There are three professors, two members of the National Academy of Sciences, and one Nobel Prize winner. But I don’t think it’s very likely. They are completely American now, and it’s unlikely that they would keep such obviously Chinese things.”

Qian Lei recalled: "We are the main branch of the Qian family in Lin'an, and there is also the Huzhou branch where Mr. Qian Sanqiang is located, and the Wuxi branch where Mr. Qian Zhongshu is located. In modern times, the concept of clan is not so strong. There are also branches like Mr. Qian Weichang who lead their own branches. The American branch can also be considered as a branch now, but we all study the 'Qian Family Instructions'. This thing of yours must be from the Qian family."

Zhai Da opened his mouth: "What were you talking about in the last topic?"

"I said I've been under a lot of pressure since I was a child."

"That's damn big!"

Although I've always known that the Qian family has many famous figures, listing them all still feels a bit outrageous.

Qian Lei laughed heartily, finally feeling a bit relieved: "It's a new era now, let's not talk about these things. Why should someone like me, who is just an average person, bother myself? On the contrary, I've taken the initiative to unload my burden and avoid all the media. I've already figured it out. I'm just an ordinary person. Doing my job well and not bringing shame to my grandfather is the most important thing."

Qian Lei returned the items to Zhai Da: "Keep them safe. The Qian family has been around for so many generations, there must be a lot of things left behind, it's not surprising."

Zhai Da recalled the information about the [Five Generations Longevity Lock] and said, "By the way, when I bought it, the people at the antique shop said that this thing had been passed down for five generations, so maybe it can lock in its owner?"

Before he could even begin to tell the story of the remains, Qian Lei shook his head: "Do foreigners understand these things? Maybe they're referring to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period? The Qian family's ancestors started from the Wuyue Kingdom during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, so maybe that's what they're referring to?"

Uh... it sounds even more impressive, but it probably isn't.

But in any case, Zhai Da felt a little more at ease.

It's more stable now.

The "Five Dynasties Longevity Lock" actually originated from the Qian family of Wuyue!
This piece of equipment has a rather obscure effect: "Equipment Effect 2: Wearing this lock grants the blessing of family elders, enhancing health."

Although the judgment mechanism is unclear, the Qian family's millennia-long tradition should make this effect stronger, right?
Could there even be a chain reaction?
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However, things were not as simple as Zhai Da had imagined.

The following day, October 20, Qian Lao still hadn't left the ICU.

His physical indicators did not worsen, but he remained unable to wake up.

At this age, anything can happen. Besides continuous observation and testing, the only safest option is to insist on ICU care.

The expert consultation team has grown larger, and support has been drawn from major hospitals, forming a team that is almost entirely composed of academicians.

However, because the symptoms have subsided, the daily visiting hours have been extended considerably, with two to three people visiting each time, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

Three days passed, and nothing changed.

In the past few days, Zhai Da has continued to perform the voodoo doll ritual every day, but the "abnormal condition" reported has become less and less severe, which also means that the teacher's health is gradually returning to normal.

He would try to get in every day to change his temporary equipment. On the fourth day, he suggested through Qian Lei that, with the consent of the medical staff, he leave the sterilized fifth-generation longevity lock on the teacher's ankle so as not to affect the medical staff's operation.

Ostensibly for good luck, he didn't hide the origin of the longevity lock, which conveniently provided an excuse for the teacher to wear it for a long time.

However, as time goes by, another problem arises: for people of this age, prolonged coma and lying down can damage their health, and if this continues, their previously improving health may develop new problems.

The consultation team then began to suspect whether there was a problem with the nervous system or the brain. To put it bluntly, at 98 years old, it was even beyond the scope of conventional medical experience, and anything could happen.

The mood of the waiting crowd shifted from relaxed to "still harboring unease".

Even though Zhai Da didn't see the countdown to "death" again, being in a deep coma and unable to wake up, or even becoming a vegetable, is definitely not an acceptable outcome.

On October 28, Zhai Da, who had been on duty for nine days, woke up in the early morning in a hotel near the General Hospital of the Army.

He did not stay at "Ziyan Garden" because he was worried that he would not be able to get there in time in case of an emergency.

On this day, after Zhai Da woke up, he did what he always did first: he made a small figurine of his teacher and went to the hospital to check on his condition.

After the nine needles were inserted, just like in the previous days, he did not experience any negative effects, and Zhai Da arrived at the hospital in a relaxed mood.

But then they learned that Mr. Qian was running a high fever.

In the ICU ward, Mr. Qian, who had been lying there for nine days, began to have a fever that reached 39.3 degrees Celsius.

"Perhaps it's an immune-induced fever caused by the infection."

"The tests showed no abnormalities."

"Let's try physical cooling first. Nutrition needs to be maintained, and the amount of nutrition given via nasogastric tube feeding should be increased."

Mr. Qian's high fever lasted for three whole days.

Even with physical cooling or medication, the fever will quickly rise again.

These past three days have caused panic among everyone; a high fever is no safer than the previous lung infection.

This repeated occurrence undoubtedly reminds many people of the worst-case scenario.

Only Zhai Da felt somewhat relieved, because during his several visits, he did not see the countdown to "death".

But this situation is indeed strange.
In other words, the system doesn't classify this persistent high fever as a "negative condition"?
Everyone was filled with great doubt, waiting day by day for a turning point.

Until February 10th.

It started with a melodious song.

He knew that song all too well; it came from his lover.
Then came a suppressed, excited commotion, as if there were many people around, and someone was shouting, "Quick, call a doctor!"
His relaxed eyes slowly opened, revealing an unfamiliar ceiling.
A young nurse asked with delight, "Grandpa Qian, can you hear me?"

This giant, who stood proudly in an era and awaited his end atop the mountain, looked around blankly and soon realized where he was.

"Grandpa Qian, don't move around. You're still very weak. The doctor will be here soon."

The giant seemed to be immersed in a strange feeling, raising his arm and trying to clench his fist.

He realized that he did not seem weak.
Although they cannot be compared with normal people or young people, they are different from what I imagined.

How long have you been lying there? What time is it now?
Soon, the 60-year-old chief physician, running as fast as a 20-year-old, rushed over and exclaimed with delight, "That's wonderful! That's wonderful!"

He quickly performed a brief clinical examination, and finally held up one finger and asked, "Professor Qian, how many is this?"

The giant looked at the finger, and his senses returned to normal more and more quickly.

"Is this a test to see if I'm mentally impaired?"

For a 98-year-old man who had been in a coma for more than ten days, the fact that he could speak clearly so quickly and that his condition had improved so rapidly surprised even the doctors, who couldn't help but ask:
"You can speak now? How are you feeling?"

The giant fell silent, head bowed, seemingly deep in thought.

After a long while, he slowly and resolutely raised his head, his gaze piercing, and the corners of his mouth gradually turned up:

"It feels great."

"Better than any day in the past 30 years."

A lonely giant awaits the end of his journey atop the mountain.
It seems we're about to descend the mountain.
　Here's the equipment information in case you forget:
　　"Green Equipment [Five Generations Longevity Lock]: For five generations over a hundred years, it has always hung around the neck of the same family. Unfortunately, the last owner met with misfortune on the eve of his return home, and his body and soul could not find peace, and his great ambition could not be fulfilled."

　　"Equipment Effect 1: Wearing this lock reduces acute failure of immune organs and damage from chronic diseases by half."

　　"Equipment Effect 2: Wearing this lock will grant you the blessing of your family elders and enhance your health."

　　"Special effect 'Being well-fed is a blessing': Wearing this lock enhances dietary absorption by 50%, including but not limited to vitamins, trace elements, and proteins."

　　"Unlocking Mission: Take it home."

　　"Note: Young people always dream of lofty ambitions, but their parents only hope that their children will return to their nests like swallows. Unfortunately, their children have already been lost to time."

　　
　
(End of this chapter)