He was a disabled military officer who doted on his research work in the Northwest.

"Don't move," Mu Qinghan's voice sounded in her ear, slightly hoarse. "If you're tired, sit for a while."

His hand rested on her waist, not too hard, but steady enough to catch her.

Shen Tang stiffened for a moment, feeling that the two of them were too close, which was inappropriate. But whether it was because she was too tired or because Mu Qinghan's embrace was too warm, she slowly relaxed and quietly leaned against his chest.

From this afternoon until now, I have been working continuously for nearly twelve hours, from the hospital to the research institute.

She had been holding on by a thread, but now, nestled in his arms, Mu Qinghan's body heat emanated through her military uniform, bringing an indescribable sense of security. It felt as if her last ounce of strength had been drained away.

"Take a nap." His voice rang out above her head. "I'll call you."

"No." Shen Tang shook her head with her eyes closed. "I still need to check on the wounded later—"

"Health is the foundation of everything," Mu Qinghan tightened her embrace. "You've done very well. Dr. Chen will handle the rest." Mu Qinghan interrupted her, "He's experienced and stronger than you. You should rest first."

"And what about you?" Perhaps due to exhaustion, her voice was slightly hoarse.

"I'm not tired, I'm a soldier."

Shen Tang wanted to say something, but her eyelids were too heavy.

She vaguely heard him whisper in her ear:

"You've worked hard, Tangtang."

And then I knew nothing more.

……

Mu Qinghan looked down at the sleeping person in her arms.

Her face was buried in his chest, her breathing even and long. Her eyelashes cast soft shadows under her eyelids, and her lips were slightly parted, as if she had finally let down her guard.

The drug has been purified.

The wounded can be saved.

But she was exhausted, and things weren't over yet. At least now... she could finally get a good night's sleep.

Mu Qinghan raised his hand, wanting to help her tuck the stray hairs from her forehead behind her ear—

But his fingers stopped when they touched her cheek.

There was a faint bloodstain on her face, it was unclear when it had been applied. It made her pale face look especially pitiful.

He swallowed hard, lowered his head, and gently placed a kiss on her forehead.

It's very light.

Like a feather brushing past.

Once she was completely asleep, he picked up the phone on the table and dialed the internal line to Dr. Chen's office.

He picked up the phone on the table and dialed the internal line to Dr. Chen's office.

"Dr. Chen," he said in a low voice, "it's me."

"Qinghan?" Doctor Chen's voice was tired, but tinged with excitement. "What is it? It's so late—Teacher Lu just brought the medicine over. I used it on a patient with a high fever, and the effect was amazing. The temperature dropped from 39.6 degrees to 38.9 degrees, and it's still going down. If this formula were widely adopted—"

"Okay, you can arrange the rest. But the approval procedures," Mu Qinghan interrupted him, her voice deep, "need to be finalized. We need to get them done first thing tomorrow morning. Herbal purification, drug trials, clinical application—every step is essential."

Dr. Chen was taken aback.

"Qinghan, this is an emergency. The medicine is so effective, the formalities can be completed later—"

"No." Mu Qinghan's tone left no room for argument. "The investigation team will arrive tomorrow. If anyone tries to cause trouble, the lack of approval is an undeniable loophole. Since you think it's effective, then tonight compile the drug's formula, purification process, and preliminary effect records, and submit them to the military region's health department first thing tomorrow morning for expedited approval."

Dr. Chen remained silent for two seconds.

Are you worried that someone will use this to make a fuss?

"Better safe than sorry." Mu Qinghan glanced down at Shen Tang, who was sleeping soundly and unguarded in his arms. "She's just a young girl who saved so many people and is exhausted like this. I can't let anything go wrong because of a procedural issue."

Doctor Chen sighed, "Alright. I'll go pack up now. Anyway, I won't be able to sleep tonight. You know what? I was so excited seeing the medicine's effects that I couldn't sleep at all."

"Okay, thank you for your help."

"Why are you being so polite with me? Besides, I'm a doctor, this is my duty." Dr. Chen smiled, "But you're rather poor—"

"Um?"

"You treat her differently."

Mu Qinghan did not answer.

He hung up the phone and gently placed the receiver back on the landline.

The person in my arms stirred, murmured something, and then fell into a deep sleep again.

Mu Qinghan hugged him even tighter.

I'll sleep a little longer; I hope it takes longer for dawn to break.

……

The next day at 10 a.m.

Machinery factory.

A black sedan was parked at the gate.

The provincial investigation team has arrived.

The leader was a middle-aged man in his fifties, with a square face, wearing a Zhongshan suit, and a serious expression.

"I am Lin Guodong, the head of the provincial industrial safety inspection team." He showed his credentials. "We will thoroughly investigate this accident."

Factory Director Zhao stood at the door, his face ashen.

"Team Leader Lin, this way please."

The investigation team entered the factory area.

They first went to the explosion site—the north workshop was now a ruin, with twisted steel bars, broken bricks and stones, and bloodstains still on the ground.

"What about casualties?" Lin Guodong asked.

"Three dead, twelve seriously injured, and thirty-seven slightly injured." Director Zhao's voice trembled. "The military hospital is doing everything it can to save them, and the seriously injured are all out of danger."

Lin Guodong nodded, then turned to the technicians:

Has the cause of the accident been investigated?

"We've investigated." The technician handed over a report. "The preliminary assessment is that it's a quality issue with the bearing parts. These parts are used on large stamping presses and have very high load-bearing requirements. However, in actual use, their strength was found to be insufficient, leading to bearing breakage and triggering a chain reaction."

Lin Guodong took the report and flipped through two pages:

"What about the purchase records for these parts?"

"Here."

Another member of the investigation team handed over a stack of documents.

Lin Guodong turned the pages one by one—

Then he stopped moving.

"The receiving slip and the issuing slip don't match." He looked up, his gaze sharp as he looked at Factory Manager Zhao. "The received goods were Grade A alloy steel bearings, priced at 85 yuan each. But the issuing record shows that Grade B carbon steel bearings were actually used, priced at 40 yuan each."

Factory Director Zhao's face turned pale instantly.

"Where did the price difference go—" Lin Guodong's voice was as cold as ice.

Factory Director Zhao opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

He genuinely didn't know about this matter; he was the factory manager, but not everyone does everything personally. However, since this incident occurred in the factory he managed, he couldn't escape responsibility.

"Investigate." Lin Guodong slammed the documents on the table. "Find out who handled it, where the money went, and whether anyone else was involved. I need a complete investigation report within three days."

……

Military hospital. Emergency room lobby.

The wounded have been gradually taken care of. Several critically ill patients are still lying in the corridor awaiting surgery, with their families anxiously watching over them.

The second batch of medicine has arrived.

Of the eighteen vials of medicine that Lu Yanzhi delivered last night, seven have already been used. The remaining eleven vials were distributed by Dr. Chen to the seriously wounded.

The results were even better than expected.

The workshop foreman who had a high fever of 39.6 degrees Celsius last night had his temperature drop to 38.2 degrees Celsius this morning. He is conscious and able to sit up and drink porridge. Several wounded soldiers with infected open wounds have shown significant reduction in inflammation after medication, and their wounds have begun to heal normally.

Nurses moved between the beds, administering medication to the wounded.

"This medicine is amazing—Old Li was delirious with fever last night, but he can eat today."

"I heard that Dr. Shen and Teacher Lu from the agricultural research station worked on it overnight."

"Purification of traditional Chinese medicine? Our hospital didn't have that technology before."

The family members' eyes lit up when they heard these conversations.

A middle-aged woman tugged at the nurse's sleeve: "Nurse, my husband also has a persistent high fever—could he use this medicine too?"

The nurse glanced at the medical record: "Your husband is currently on standard antibiotics. The dosage is limited; we need to prioritize the most severe cases."

"Then—when will it be my family's turn?" The woman's voice trembled with tears.

"Well... I don't know either. We'll have to follow Dr. Chen's instructions."

The nurse was in a dilemma. There really wasn't enough medicine; eleven vials had to be distributed among more than a dozen critically injured patients, which was simply not enough.

Just then, a voice came from the end of the corridor—

"Has this medicine been approved?" Bai Wei stood at the door of the dispensing room, holding a roll of gauze in her hand, her expression a half-smile.