by <unknown>
Thinking of this, Qian Wenhuan frowned and continued searching.
Finally, an ID photo on a document made his eyes lit up.
It was a white man wearing the uniform of a first-level superintendent. His name was Brooke Humphrey, a resident native who immigrated here when the Germans colonized the country.
He had brown hair and black eyes, not the blond hair and blue eyes unique to Caucasians, but his features were as sharp as a Caucasian's, with a high nose, deep eye sockets, piercing eyes like a falcon's, and thin, fine lips.
Brooke was practically bestowed with a righteous and awe-inspiring face. Although he looked a little rough, his face was surprisingly pleasing to the eye.
Immediately, Qian Wenhuan continued to read on.
Brooke was only thirty-two years old this year. Two years ago, when he turned thirty, in a conflict during an arrest, he was unfortunately hit by a stray bullet in his spine.
At that time, the situation was not so bad as to cause total paralysis, but when he was sent to the hospital, the doctor made a major mistake during the operation, which eventually caused him to be completely paralyzed from the neck down.
"Not bad… Young, good-looking, sufficiently injured, and the injury is in line with the publicity plan, now only the two requirements of family and character are left."
Seeing this, Qian Wenhuan was over the moon. He took out a marker, made a mark on this document to signify selection, and then put the documents back in the file again.
Qian Wenhuan's only concern was that two years had passed and he did not know whether this person was still alive.
Next, Qian Wenhuan found another relatively suitable file, but unlike before, this was a black man.
This black police detective named Blake Morton was only twenty-five years old. He was ordinary in appearance, so in terms of that requirement, he was a little lacking. Nonetheless, he was of the majority race in this country — that was one thing that could not be ignored.
His experience was even more frightening because he was caught in an ambush by a drug dealer while tracking down a drug case on his own accord. His limbs were cut off and he was left with just his torso, but in the end, he survived tenaciously.
All this happened less than a year ago.
Seeing this, Qian Wenhuan hardly hesitated and directly included this file on the candidate list, with an even higher priority than Brooke from before.
Next, Qian Wenhuan sat quietly for more than half an hour, until he had read all the 40 or 50 documents in front of him. He still did not find another one that met the requirements. Either they were too old or the injury was not serious enough, which meant it would be hard to create the narrative they wanted.
While stretching, Qian Wenhuan raised his head and tossed the two files into the center of the conference table. At the same time, he said, "I've selected two. Get on with it and after the first screening, send all the selected targets to my office."
With that said, he turned and left the meeting room.
Next, Qian Wenhuan returned to his office to check a few documents. It was not until the end of the morning that his secretary walked in with just seven or eight files.
"CEO Qian, all the materials we've selected this time are here, please have a look."
Qian Wenhuan nodded and asked his secretary to put these materials on the desk, after which he took one of the files and opened it up.
This time the process was much faster. After only ten minutes, he had read all the seven documents selected by the team.
Then, Qian Wenhuan hesitated for a while and ultimately kicked out the files of the two oldest police officers. The two police officers were over forty years old. Although they were just entering middle age, they were still dropped by Qian Wenhuan.
Following that, he removed a police officer who had more abstract facial features, and a police officer who was only paralyzed in the lower body, but whose arms were still usable.
In the end, in addition to the two files he had selected before, only one other met the requirements.
This was a man named Hodge. He was different from the previous two. It was because he was chasing a culprit's vehicle and his vehicle rolled over due to a collision with the other party, which eventually caused a fire and resulted in severe burns all over his body.
This man named Hodge had lost all the skin over his body and at the same time, his hands and feet had been burned to charcoal, reducing his physiological functions. Even his five sense organs had been completely burnt.
The burnt parts also included his trachea and lungs. Now he could only live in the intensive care unit and hang on to life by sheer will.
Looking at the date when the incident happened, it turned out to be only half a month ago. Seeing this, Qian Wenhuan could not sit still anymore. He just stood up and said to the secretary, "Go and inform the company's office in Windhoek. Ask them to go to the Windhoek General Hospital right now, look for a patient named Hodge, and tell the hospital that no matter how much money it spends, it must save the life of this patient."
Then, Qian Wenhuan thought for a while and added. "By the way, tell the transportation department of the company that I need a private helicopter for a trip to Windhoek."
"Understood."
The secretary understood immediately and he quickly walked out of the office.
Looking at the three files in his hand, Qian Wenhuan was caught in a dilemma. He wanted to choose Hodge directly, but the other two were also very qualified, so he thought about it and took all three files. After that, he got into the elevator and went up toward the top floor.
After making that familiar journey to the highest floor, Qian Wenhuan instantly saw Chen Chen sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows opposite the elevator because the entire top floor was an office.
"Old Qian, you're here."
Chen Chen did not seem to be surprised by Qian Wenhuan's arrival. He just stared at the tabletop extremely seriously as if looking at something that ordinary people could not see.
Seeing that Chen Chen was maintaining this posture the entire time, Qian Wenhuan could not help feeling a little mystified. He looked at Chen Chen's table but became even more dumbfounded because there was nothing on the table where Chen Chen was staring.
"Boss, what are you doing?"
Qian Wenhuan said in amazement.
"I'm looking at the subatomic world."
Chen Chen did not look up, but calmly replied, "There's a planet in front of me and there are a group of strange-looking aborigines on the planet, but the lifespan of these aborigines is extremely short.
"Also, because I'm too large, they can't observe my existence, yet I can look down at them and observe their lifetimes silently…"
Qian Wenhuan opened his mouth again but said nothing. He did not quite understand what Chen Chen was referring to.
"To put it plainly, it means that I'm observing a dust particle in front of me and a group of bacteria on that particle."
Only then Chen Chen raised his head and a smile curled up at the corner of his mouth. He said, "Old Qian, do you think there's an observer in the sky above our earth? The reason we can't find him may not be that he's hiding, but that we don't even have the power to discover him…"
"But wouldn't that be God?"
Qian Wenhuan frowned. At this time, he had been deeply influenced by the dogma of God's Forbidden Zone and he was completely skeptical about the existence of God.
"No, of course, that's not God."
Chen Chen shook his head. "According to the Bible, God created this world, but the observer only observes. He's not responsible for 'creation', but often represents 'destruction'."
At the end of this line, Chen Chen suddenly stretched out a finger, pressed it lightly on the desk in front of him, and then wiped it viciously across the surface…
When Chen Chen raised his finger again, a thin black smear had appeared on the desk in front of him.
The dust particle was crushed by
Chen Chen.
Seeing this scene, Qian Wenhuan's expression flickered slightly. Although he understood the meaning of Chen Chen's words, he did not understand Chen Chen's actions.
Moreover, could human beings see microbes like bacteria with the naked eye?
Still, Chen Chen had only brought this up casually. He did not explain further, but instead asked, "Has the candidate been decided?"
"Not yet, there are currently three options. I find it a little hard to choose, so I specially came to ask you, Boss."
Qian Wenhuan shook his head, took out all files of information, and placed them in front of Chen Chen.
He saw Chen Chen turning the pages nonchalantly at a rate of two seconds per page. It only took less than three minutes for Chen Chen to read all the information.
Still, Qian Wenhuan was accustomed to this, because every time he supplied information to Chen Chen, Chen Chen would read it at this speed. Not only would he finish reading it, but he also never forgot the contents of what he read.
At this time, Chen Chen tossed the three files back onto the table. He thought for a while and then said, "All of these three fulfill the requirements well. In this case, why don't we let them form a group?"
Chapter 455: Trio |
With Chen Chen's approval, the helicopter was prepared. Qian Wenhuan went directly to the roof, got on the helicopter, and immediately flew to Windhoek.
More than an hour later, Qian Wenhuan met the police officer Hodge, who was now staying in the intensive care unit and was burned to the point where he no longer looked human.
Across the glass, Qian Wenhuan, accompanied by the hospital director, silently looked at the brightly lit intensive care unit, in which there was only one person who was wrapped like a mummy.
As his hands and feet were so burnt, the man's arms and legs had been amputated. If one was not paying attention, one could not even tell that the person on the bed was a person.
"CEO Qian, this patient is Hodge."
At this time, the director of Windhoek Hospital was by Qian Wenhuan's side and he exclaimed, "He has been here for half a month and he's still struggling not to die almost every day. To be honest, he can live till now is already a miracle."
"Do you have no hope of healing him?"
Qian Wenhuan looked at the room inside the glass window with a calm, still expression.
"No, the patient's wounds have started to deteriorate a few days ago."
The director shook his head. "His external defense system has completely collapsed, his trachea is damaged, his lungs are damaged, and his internal defense system is going to be on the verge of collapse. It will end in one or two days. No one can pull him back from the brink of death."
Qian Wenhuan glanced at the director, but the man played dumb and only chuckled. "What are you going to do, CEO Qian?"
"I want to meet Hodge's family, please link me to them, Mr. Director."
Qian Wenhuan said solemnly.
"Well…"
The director hesitated for a while, wearing a look of embarrassment. "That's not so easy for us. After all, this involves the privacy of patients. As a company, if you…"
Before he finished talking, Qian Wenhuan looked directly at the secretary behind him. The secretary nodded, took out his mobile phone, dialed a number, and then said, "CEO Qian, Hodge's father is now on his way to the hospital. He'll be here in three minutes."
"Come, let's go meet him on the first floor."
Qian Wenhuan turned around and left, leaving only the bewildered director and a group of doctors standing outside the intensive care unit.
"Dir, director?"
A doctor asked stutteringly.
"Let's head down too!"
The director snorted coldly, followed Qian Wenhuan, and walked toward the first floor.
The hospital had only four floors in total. The ward for the ICU was located on the top floor and it took only two or three minutes to walk down from the fourth floor.
Soon, Qian Wenhuan saw Hodge's father at the doors.
Hodge was only twenty-four years old. He was younger than the other two eligible targets. Fortunately, he was the son of a wealthy white businessman in Windhoek.
If he were just the son of an ordinary Namibian citizen, he would probably not have enough money to live in the intensive care unit and he would have been buried in the ground by now.
However, according to the information, although Hodge's father was a wealthy businessman, he was only slightly richer than ordinary people. The intensive care unit treatment in the past half month had almost been unsustainable for him.
Still, when he learned of the arrival of Blacklight Biotechnology who was willing to treat his son for free, the wealthy white businessman finally displayed a relieved expression despite his lingering doubts.
"Mr. William, we at Blacklight Biotechnology already know about your son's situation. If you agree, we can transfer him to the Eco Science City to treat him with everything at our disposal and even install the most advanced bionic prosthesis on the market, so that he can return to his police post."
The secretary next to Qian Wenhuan took out a prepared contract and handed it to the other party. The contract had more than 50 pages and there were over 1,000 clauses.
Looking at the contract in his hand, the white rich businessman seemed to understand something. He said solemnly, "Just tell me, what is your purpose, and what do you need us to do?"
"We're currently developing some new bionic technologies that require people to try them on. Such people cannot be normal people, but disabled."
Qian Wenhuan did not speak, but the secretary beside him said directly, "This is our purpose and what you have to do is very simple. That is, move to live in Eco Science City. However, to make up for your losses, we'll subsidize your relocation and we can also take care of your business."
"I… I need to think about it."
The wealthy businessman opened his mouth, seeming to be a little tempted, but he was still hesitant. "I need to find a lawyer to help me go through this contract."
"There's no time left, Mr. William!"
The secretary suddenly increased his volume and said sternly, "Hodge has now shown signs of infection in his wounds. Do you know how long your son can last? He may not even last a day. You hesitate so much, do you think there's some conspiracy in our company?"
"Then… Okay."
The wealthy businessman felt his heart clench, so he had to agree. At the same time, he gritted his teeth and directly signed his name in the position of "Party B".
At this moment, everyone from the hospital also arrived in front of Qian Wenhuan. Hearing Qian Wenhuan's secretary persuading Williams, the director said with a gloomy face, "CEO Qian, I'm afraid this won't do because Mr. Hodge can't bear the impact of being transferred anymore. Do you think Hodge's injuries can withstand four or five hours of being jolted about?"
"There's no need to worry about this point, Mr. Director. Our Eco Science City has phased out ambulances six months ago and now we have been using medical helicopters."
Qian Wenhuan said lightly, took the contract handed back by the rich businessman, and left the hospital with his secretary and bodyguard without looking back.
"CEO Qian, the director dared to get in our way. Do you need me to send someone to teach him a lesson?"
As soon as they were out the door, the secretary lowered his voice and asked.
"No need."
Qian Wenhuan shook his head. "This hostility toward us is very common in Namibia. After all, we've seized a lot of resources and markets in Namibia, so the locals naturally don't feel favorable toward us."
"Then let's forget it?"
The secretary nodded and relaxed.
"Forget it. Just call the Minister of Health and ask him to find a reason to sack the director of this hospital."
Qian Wenhuan waved his hand and said placidly.
Secretary: "…"
They sent a notice for Eco Science City to se
nd a medical helicopter to pick up the patient. After that, Qian Wenhuan and his team found the second target's family.
This was a low-rise bungalow on the outskirts of Windhoek.
Although this was the capital, the suburbs of Windhoek were mostly bungalows made of stones. Although the place was not as prosperous as the city, it was at least a little better than those living in the slums.
However, compared to the other bungalows along the way, this bungalow was undoubtedly more run-down. Most of the red paint on the door had peeled off, exposing the bare door panels, and the doorway was even more disordered. Life here was no bed of roses.
Without waiting for Qian Wenhuan to get out of the car, the bodyguard who had been following the group got out and knocked on the door of this house.
About half a minute later, when the bodyguard was getting a little impatient and thinking that there was no one in the house, he finally heard approaching footsteps, and then the wooden door opened with a creak. A slovenly dressed black woman appeared at the door, and behind her, two biracial children who were four or five years old, were there.
The two children poked their heads out behind their mother, looking at Qian Wenhuan and the team with some curiosity and fear.
"We're looking for Mr. Brooke."
The secretary spoke for Qian Wenhuan, "Is he at home?"
"Please come in…"
The woman was stunned, then she moved aside and let everyone walk in.
As soon as they entered the room, Qian Wenhuan and the secretary frowned at the same time, because there was a pungent stench in the room as if this was not a private house, but a public toilet.
Not just any toilet, but a pit toilet at that.
They followed the woman to the innermost room. Finally, Qian Wenhuan and the others met the purpose of their trip, a plump, scruffy man.
The bedding under the man's body had lost its color long ago and he was lying on the bed like a mountain of meat, completely lacking the hard lines and sharp eyes that were in his photo. All he had was a deathlike numbness.
What was even more frightening was that although the man's face and body were extremely plump, his limbs were shrunken like bones. At first glance, it looked like four toothpicks were stuck in a mass of flesh…