Rejecting Tsinghua and Peking Universities: I Will Lead Harbin Institute of Technology to World Lead

Nine hours after Professor Chen's approval order arrived at Qinglong Laboratory, the first batch of clinical trial volunteer lists was simultaneously issued.

When Academician Zhang rushed into Lin Feng's lounge with the list in hand, his expression was indescribably complex.

"Mr. Lin, the volunteers have arrived... but the situation is a bit special." The old man's voice carried an unusual hesitation. "I think you should go and see for yourself."

Lin Feng had just logged out of the system space and was reviewing the final round of security assessment reports. Hearing Academician Zhang's words, he frowned slightly: "Special? Is it that his physical condition doesn't meet the selection criteria, or…?"

"You'll see when you go and take a look," Academician Zhang said with a wry smile, shaking his head. "We... don't know how to handle this."

Lin Feng put down his tablet and followed the old man toward the base's reception center.

Lin Feng stopped in his tracks as he passed through three airtight, sterilized doors and entered a simply furnished waiting area.

Thirty-seven elderly people were sitting in the waiting area.

No, it's not just the elderly.

They were wearing faded old-fashioned military uniforms—some were khaki uniforms from the 1950s, some were grass-green uniforms from the 1960s, some were sailor shirts from the 1970s, and three of them were even wearing faded cotton-padded jackets worn by volunteers.

Judging from their appearance, the youngest of these elderly people must be at least eighty years old. Many of them have faces covered with deep wrinkles, hands scarred by war, some missing fingers, some walking with a limp, and some needing canes to stand.

But they sat up straight.

Like a pine tree, like a bell, like a soldier waiting for the bugle call to charge on the battlefield seventy years ago.

Upon hearing footsteps, all thirty-seven pairs of eyes turned around.

Those eyes were no longer clear; some were cloudy, some were bloodshot, but there was something in them—something Lin Feng rarely saw in the laboratory, at research conferences, or on any modern person's face.

That was the peace and serenity that came after transcending life and death, witnessing history, and dedicating one's life to faith.

"President Lin, you've arrived." The receptionist at the base breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward, whispering, "These elderly people... are volunteers specially approved by the highest levels. But we tried to persuade them for a long time, but they insisted on participating in the first phase of clinical trials, saying..."

Before the receptionist could finish speaking, a veteran sitting in the front row slowly stood up.

He was wearing a 1950s lieutenant's uniform, three medals pinned to his left breast, his right sleeve empty—it had been blown off by a shell. The old man adjusted his collar with his only remaining right hand, his voice hoarse but clear:

"Young man, are you the leader here?"

The words were spoken to Lin Feng, and there was no questioning in his tone, only the kind of...kind scrutiny that an elder would give to a younger person.

Lin Feng stepped forward and bowed slightly: "Grandpa, I am Lin Feng, the person in charge of this project."

"Lin Feng..." The old man repeated the name and nodded. "That kid Chen Weiguo mentioned you to us. He said that you've made a lot of good things for the country over the years."

"That kid Chen Weiguo"—this title made the receptionist turn pale.

Another veteran, wearing a cane, chuckled and chimed in, "Young man, we were invited here to participate in some kind of Azure Dragon experiment. The documents were full of stuff, which we old folks couldn't understand, but all we knew was—the country needs people to test new drugs, so we came."

The third veteran, with a scar running diagonally from his forehead to his chin, spoke in a hoarse voice: "Young man, I've lived long enough. Eighty-seven years old, that's enough. Whatever kind of experiment you want, go ahead and try it on me. Even if I really die, it's not your fault. After all, I've lived long enough, and many of my comrades... died on the battlefield long ago."

The old man's voice was calm, but every word struck the heart of everyone present like a heavy hammer.

"Now," he looked at Lin Feng, "the country is doing well, strong, and we old bones don't need to fight anymore. But for things like drug trials, people always need to go first. We old soldiers may not be good at anything else, but we're tough and fearless. Let us do it."

In the waiting area, all thirty-seven veterans nodded.

In their eyes, there was no fear, no hesitation, only a sense of relief and anticipation that they could finally do something for their country again.

Lin Feng stood still, looking at the elderly people.

I was deeply moved.

Seventy years ago, they built the foundation of this country with their blood and flesh.

Seventy years later, they prepared to use their remaining lives to pave the way for the future of this country.

"I understand, gentlemen."

Lin Feng's voice was a little dry. He took a deep breath and bowed again—this time, a ninety-degree bow full of respect.

"Don't worry, our experiment... will definitely succeed."

He straightened up, his gaze sweeping over each aged yet resolute face: "You heroes who made our country stand up and become strong, you must live longer, so that you can see the future of our motherland with your own eyes, and so that you can see the prosperous era that your comrades sacrificed their lives for."

The veterans smiled.

The scarred old man grinned, revealing a smile with two missing front teeth: "Little kid, you speak well. Okay, we believe you. Even if you fail, it's not your fault."

"Yes, it's not your fault!"

"Let's get started, stop dawdling!"

"This old man of mine has been wanting to try something new for a long time!"

The elderly people stood up one after another, each one full of energy, as if they were heading not to the medical room, but to the battlefield where they were about to launch an attack.

Lin Feng did not call to ask Old Chen.

no need.

The fact that these veterans came here represents the attitude of the highest level—it's not that we don't cherish their lives, but that we respect their choices, and it's giving these elderly people who have dedicated their lives to the country the final and highest respect.

"Academician Zhang," Lin Feng turned around, "arrange the experiment. Follow the highest safety plan; I will personally monitor all the data of each elderly person."

"yes!"

The Azure Dragon Laboratory quickly entered a state of maximum alert.

Thirty-seven veterans were placed in specially designed intensive care units. These units were equipped with features exceeding those of any top-tier hospital's ICU—real-time vital sign monitoring, multi-parameter blood oxygenation analysis, gene expression profile scanning, dynamic tracking of cell metabolism… every piece of data was simultaneously transmitted to the central control center.

Lin Feng stood in front of the central screen.

On the screen, thirty-seven windows simultaneously displayed live feeds of the elderly.

They were very cooperative.

Thirty-seven vials of pale gold medicine were simultaneously injected into the IV tubing.

The medicine flowed slowly into the elderly people's blood vessels through the transparent tubes.

In the central control center, everyone held their breath.

Although it has undergone countless animal experiments and the theory is 100% perfect, this is the first time it has been used on humans.

Anything can happen.

In the first minute, vital signs were stable.

In the fifth minute, heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen... all returned to normal.

In the fifteenth minute, the first batch of blood test results came back: the drug components had been distributed throughout the body, and no abnormal immune response was detected.

The thirtieth minute.

"Mr. Lin! The data for bed number 3 is abnormal!" the monitor suddenly shouted.

Lin Feng's heart tightened as he looked toward window number 3—it was the one-armed veteran.

Data shows that the elderly person's body temperature rose sharply from 36.5℃ to 38.2℃, and their heart rate increased from 72 beats per minute to 110 beats per minute.

"What's going on?" Academician Zhang rushed to the monitoring console.

"I don't know... All the other beds are fine, only number 3..."

"Wait!" another monitor exclaimed, "Look at bed number 7! Bed number 9! Bed number 13!"

Data from multiple windows began to fluctuate.

Strangely, these fluctuations were not signs of deterioration—body temperature rose, but blood oxygen saturation increased simultaneously; heart rate increased, but the electrocardiogram showed improved myocardial blood supply; blood pressure rose slightly, but vascular elasticity was improving…

"This isn't a side effect." Lin Feng stared at the data stream, his eyes growing brighter. "This means... the medicine is starting to work."

really.

An hour later, all abnormal fluctuations returned to normal.

But the changes have only just begun.

"President Lin! Quick, look at the live video!" Academician Zhang pointed at the screen, his voice trembling.

The footage from ward number 3 was magnified.

The one-armed veteran was looking down at his hand—a hand covered in age spots and wrinkles, which was changing at a visible speed.

The age spots are fading.

The wrinkles are smoothing out.

Beneath the skin, the previously shriveled blood vessels have become fuller again, the bluish-purple veins have lightened in color, and the skin has regained a healthy rosy hue.

What's even more shocking is the old man's face.

The deep wrinkles were fading, the cloudy eyes were brightening, and even... the roots of the snow-white hair were beginning to turn black.

But the changes continue.

Two hours later, the veteran in bed number 7—the one with the cane—suddenly sat up in bed.

He looked down at his legs.

The left leg, frostbitten and atrophied for seventy years on the Korean battlefield, was now experiencing a long-lost...warmth. Like a frozen river thawing in spring, blood was flowing again through the nearly necrotic tissue.

The old man reached out with trembling hands and touched his left knee.

Then, he did something that made everyone's eyes widen—he tried to bend his knees.

For seventy years, this leg has only been able to drag itself along.

But now, my knees slowly, stiffly, but truly... bent five degrees.

"My legs..." the old man's voice trembled, "My legs... I can feel them again..."

In the central control center, many people's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Three hours later, the change swept through all the elderly people.

The phenomenon of gray hair turning black is not isolated—among the thirty-seven veterans, the roots of all their hair have begun to turn black. Some even have fine new stubble sprouting on their previously sparse scalps.

My skin became firmer, most of my age spots faded, and although the scars on my hands were still there, they were lighter in color and had smoother edges.

More importantly, it's their eyes.

Those cloudy, weary eyes, which had witnessed too much death, now shine anew—not a final burst of light before death, but the light of life's true vitality returning.

「林总，所有生理指标汇总完毕。」监测组长声音哽咽，「平均血压从高压160/低压95降至130/85；平均心率从82降至68；血氧饱和度从92%升至98%；肺活量测试显示，平均提升37%……」

He paused, took a deep breath, and said, "The most astonishing thing is the telomere length test—in thirty-seven samples, the telomeres had lengthened by an average of 15%. At this rate, their physiological age... is at least twenty years younger."

The data refreshed like a waterfall.

Each item points to the same conclusion:

The Azure Dragon Primary Gene Agent is safe and effective in the human body.

The experiment ended at 6 p.m.

When the ward door opened, the veterans came out on their own.

No assistance or wheelchair is needed.

The one-armed veteran clenched his fist with his remaining right hand, then released it, repeating this several times, his face showing a childlike expression of wonder: "My hand... seems to have strength again?"

The veteran, who was using crutches, tried to take a few steps—although he was still limping, his atrophied left leg could indeed support his body.

The old man with the scarred face walked to the mirror, touched the scar on his face that had been there for seventy years, and grinned: "This scar... has faded quite a bit. Heh, if that American's bayonet had been shallower back then, I wouldn't have been ugly for so many years."

In the waiting area, thirty-seven veterans looked at each other, smiled, and patted each other on the shoulder.

Their voices were louder, their posture more upright, and the light in their eyes brighter.

It felt like time had turned back.

It's as if the youth stolen by war, the health worn down by time, the bodies tormented by injuries and illnesses... are gradually returning to them.

When Lin Feng entered the waiting area, all the veterans turned to look at him.

The scarred old man stepped forward and gave him a standard military salute with his only three remaining fingers.

"Chief Physician Lin," the old man's voice was still hoarse, but full of energy, "the medicine is very good. We old bones... feel like we can live for decades longer."

The other veterans saluted at the same time.

Thirty-seven military salutes, some complete, some incomplete, some trembling, but each one was as solemn as the oath taken under the battle flag seventy years ago.

Lin Feng stood at attention and returned the salute with the utmost solemnity.

"Old men," his voice choked with emotion, "this is just the beginning. Once the drug is widely available, you will live better and longer. You must watch closely for the sake of your fallen comrades—and see what becomes of this country they gave their lives for."

The veterans smiled, tears welling in their eyes.