Chapter 57: Lingxi Grass

Yang Qingyan dove headfirst into the laboratory, focused on operating various instruments to conduct detailed tests on the collected water samples. After several hours of intense work, she finally detected an extremely rare and complex toxin component in the water.

“I found it!” Yang Qingyan exclaimed as she rushed out of the laboratory, eager to share the results with Mu Nanhe and the anxious onlookers.

However, upon further investigation, the doctors’ expressions turned gravely serious. It turned out that this toxin was a mixture of various rare substances, making detoxification extremely difficult. Given the current medical conditions and inventory of medicines in the military, it was impossible to formulate an effective antidote.

Yang Qingyan looked at the soldiers on the hospital beds who were suffering in agony, her heart racing. She quickly searched her medical knowledge and past experience, and then a flash of inspiration struck: “I remember a medicinal herb called ‘Lingxi Grass’ that grows on the mountain. While it may not fully detoxify, it might temporarily alleviate the soldiers’ symptoms, giving us more time!”

Upon hearing this, Mu Nanhe’s eyes kindled with hope: “Qingyan, that sounds challenging. I’ll have Chen Feng accompany you to ensure your safety.”

Chen Feng immediately stepped forward and said firmly, “Don’t worry, I will definitely protect my sister-in-law!”

Yang Qingyan and Chen Feng quickly prepared their gear and equipment before rushing up the mountain. The rugged mountain path was difficult to navigate, but Yang Qingyan, ignoring her fatigue, drew on her familiarity with the herb’s growing environment to search the forest carefully.

Finally, in a secluded valley, Yang Qingyan discovered the “Lingxi Grass.” She squatted down excitedly and carefully harvested the herb.

“Chen Feng, I found it! Let’s hurry back!” Yang Qingyan tightly clutched the harvested “Lingxi Grass” in her arms as she and Chen Feng hurried back to the troops.

Once they arrived at the military post, Yang Qingyan personally guided the doctors on how to brew the “Lingxi Grass” into a decoction for the poisoned soldiers. It wasn’t long before the soldiers’ symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea significantly lessened, and their faces gradually regained some color.

“That’s great, Qingyan, thank you so much!” Mu Nanhe said, filled with excitement as he grasped Yang Qingyan’s hand, looking at the recovering soldiers.

With the symptoms temporarily alleviated, Yang Qingyan continued her work on developing the antidote.

Standing before the experimentation platform, furrowing her brows, her gaze flickered between the toxin samples and a pile of ancient texts. Although she had the ability to heal directly with her powers, there were too many infected soldiers, and her abilities alone wouldn’t be able to save them all; she still needed to find an antidote.

“This toxin is incredibly tricky; conventional methods simply won’t work,” one of the doctors said anxiously, his voice filled with helplessness and fatigue. They had been working continuously for several days without rest, surviving only by dozing off in chairs now and then.

Yang Qingyan didn’t respond, her thoughts drifting back to the struggles of the apocalypse. During those perilous and resource-scarce times, she had encountered numerous strange viruses and toxins, each time fighting for survival on the brink of death, accumulating medical experience beyond what others could imagine.

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed in her mind; she remembered a type of mutated plant toxin she encountered during the apocalypse. That toxin had similarly thrown countless survivors into despair, and the complex molecular structure and stubborn drug resistance bore a resemblance to the toxin before her.

“Perhaps… I could try that method,” Yang Qingyan murmured to herself, her eyes gradually igniting with hope.

She quickly turned around and began to search through the shelves filled with documents, finally retrieving a yellowing medical book that recorded the characteristics of various plants. She flipped through the pages rapidly, and based on her memory, found a description of a plant that might serve as an antidote.

According to the book, the first thing Yang Qingyan needed was a plant called “Thorn Flower.” This plant was quite common during the apocalypse but was extremely rare in the present day. After a frantic search, the troop soldiers found several specimens in the remote mountain woods.

Once she had the Thorn Flower, Yang Qingyan placed it into a specialized distillation device, carefully controlling the temperature and time to extract a thick, deep red liquid. Simultaneously, she retrieved a substance known as “Active Enzyme X” from the military’s medical supply depot. This enzyme was a powerful catalyst that had once aided in solving similar toxin dilemmas during the apocalypse.

Yang Qingyan combined the Thorn Flower liquid with Active Enzyme X in specific proportions, placing it into a centrifuge to ensure thorough mixing. Then, she dropped the combined liquid into a test tube containing the toxin sample and watched the reaction with bated breath. The liquid in the test tube began to bubble vigorously, with the originally dark green toxin gradually losing its color, becoming clear.

“It’s working!” Yang Qingyan shouted in excitement.

The other doctors quickly gathered around, their eyes filled with surprise and anticipation. “Dr. Wang, could this really become the antidote?”

“We still need further verification,” Yang Qingyan said calmly, “but at least we’ve found the right direction.”

Next, she proceeded to optimize the solution further. She added some special probiotics cultivated in the military lab, which could form a protective layer in the human gut, preventing secondary exposure to the toxin. Additionally, she incorporated a nutrient that could help restore the immune system, allowing the poisoned soldiers to recover their strength more quickly.

After rigorous toxicity testing and animal experiments, Yang Qingyan finally confirmed the final formula for the antidote. Amidst the crowd’s expectations and tension, the antidote was slowly injected into the bodies of the poisoned soldiers.

At first, the ward was so quiet that only the ticking of the instruments could be heard. Yang Qingyan and the doctors stood vigil at the bedside, their eyes never leaving the soldiers’ faces.

As seconds ticked by, suddenly, a heavily poisoned and comatose soldier’s finger twitched slightly, and then he slowly opened his eyes. “I… I feel much better,” he said in a weak voice, but it sent the entire ward into a frenzy of excitement.

“We did it! Dr. Wang, we succeeded!” The doctors cheered, hugging each other in joy.

Yang Qingyan let out a long sigh of relief, a grateful smile spreading across her face. After staying at the medical station for a full ten days, they had finally developed the antidote, and soon it was administered in large quantities to the soldiers, allowing them gradually to regain their strength.