Chapter 453: The Absurd Idea

Upon hearing this, Ito Keisuke nodded with a look of half-understanding. “So that’s how it is. No wonder that medicine had a different effect on Mr. Tanaka.”

Li Yiyi sneered coldly and said, “You people from small countries won’t understand the accumulated practices of our China over thousands of years. Some things can’t just be taken by force, because they have been deeply branded with the mark of our people. Do you understand?”

Ito Keisuke, hearing this, felt a pang of guilt and spoke apologetically, “Comrade Li, I am powerless to change the mistakes our country made here in the past. I can only apologize to you and your country.”

Li Yiyi waved her hand dismissively. “Enough, I can’t accept your apology, nor can I accept it on behalf of the martyrs who have passed.”

“You’re desperately trying to get me over here, so tell me, what do you want to cooperate on?” she asked directly.

Ito Keisuke, seeing her response, had no choice but to wipe away the guilt on his face and said, “The ‘longevity experiment.’ This experiment is the culmination of many years of effort by our company. Over these years, we have invested considerable resources, gathering precious medicinal materials from all over the world, all for this experiment.”

Li Yiyi couldn’t help but furrow her brows. After listening to him talk so much, she understood one thing: these people from the R country were fantasizing about breaking the limits of human lifespan, essentially living in a daydream.

Sure enough, these R country people were lunatics.

“You really think there’s such a thing as immortality? You don’t seem like fools,” she said with a cold laugh.

Ito Keisuke, unsurprised by her reaction, had seen this response from many Chinese people when they first heard about it. So Li Yiyi’s expression didn’t startle him at all.

“Comrade Li, don’t be so dismissive. You have a saying in China: ‘The world is vast, and there are wonders to be found.’ We believe there really is a longevity medicine. Just like your Emperor Qin from the Qin Dynasty, who firmly believed in it, and even sent people to search for such a medicine,” Ito Keisuke said seriously.

Li Yiyi, seeing his unwavering belief, smiled before looking at him seriously and asking, “So the reason you wanted me transferred here to cooperate with you was to research the immortality medicine you believe in?”

“Yes, we know your expertise in Chinese medicine is impressive. According to what we know, the longevity medicine is related to what you call ‘Traditional Chinese Medicine,'” Ito Keisuke replied confidently.

Li Yiyi listened quietly, not responding much. Soon, Ito Keisuke led her to the laboratory specifically focused on researching the longevity medicine.

This lab was larger than the ones she had seen before, and many researchers were busy inside. A row of white mice came into her view.

Seeing her staring at the mice, Ito Keisuke quickly walked over and explained, “Comrade Li, these white mice are our experimental subjects. The first row has consumed our first version of the longevity medicine, and our people are constantly observing their actions and development.”

“And this row here is for those that consumed the second version. They’ve only been fed the medicine recently, so we haven’t observed any results yet.” He walked over to the last row of mice and continued his explanation.

Li Yiyi stared at the two rows of lab mice. The first row looked listless, while the second row, perhaps because the medicine was only recently administered, showed no obvious effects yet.

“Hasn’t anyone noticed that the mice in the first row look like they’ve lost their souls? Is this really normal?” she asked, pointing at the first row of ten or so mice.

Ito Keisuke looked at the row of mice she pointed to, then smiled confidently. “It’s perfectly normal. If you want them to live longer, some changes are to be expected.”

Li Yiyi, hearing his explanation, couldn’t help but twitch the corners of her mouth. She had to sigh at how different the R country people’s way of thinking was from normal people.

After this introduction, Ito Keisuke looked at her with a self-satisfied smile. “Comrade Li, believe me, your transfer here to cooperate with us will greatly benefit your career, and I believe that our cooperation will bring about unprecedented changes in the world.”

Li Yiyi listened to his lofty promises with a cold smile. These words might deceive people who were obsessed with fame and wealth, but unfortunately, she, Li Yiyi, wasn’t one of those people.

“Forget it, I don’t share your grand ideals. You brought me here—what exactly do you need me to do?” she asked directly again.

Ito Keisuke immediately smiled brightly. “That’s a great question, Comrade Li! Come, follow me.” He turned and walked toward the back of the large laboratory.

Li Yiyi followed behind him, and after a short while, they stopped in front of a cold storage room. They changed into appropriate warm clothing and entered the cold storage.

Inside, the medicinal herbs were even more precious than those on the first floor. Some of the herbs she recognized from books, though she had never seen them in person.

“How do you like our herbs, Comrade Li?” Ito Keisuke asked proudly, watching her reaction.

Li Yiyi took a deep breath and sneered. “They are indeed quite good. But from what I know, more than half of these herbs are from our China. I imagine these herbs were stolen from us.”

Ito Keisuke’s smile immediately vanished upon hearing this. He then resumed smiling as though nothing had happened and said, “Although Comrade Li’s words are hard to accept, the herbs are here now, and there’s nothing we can do about the past. Rather than dwell on it, we should let them fulfill their true potential.”

After hearing his pompous words, Li Yiyi sneered again. But this time, she chose not to argue with him.

She knew that the only way to silence these people and make them close their mouths was for her country to become strong—strong enough that they couldn’t bully anyone. Only then would they meekly admit their wrongdoings.