Four o'clock in the afternoon.

Zhao Heng arrived at the No. 1 laboratory of the Yanjing University School of Life Sciences.

Inside the office, Professor Li Hongwei was in a good mood when he saw Zhao Heng.

"Come on, Xiao Zhao, have some tea."

Li Hongwei personally poured Zhao Heng a cup of tea and placed it on the coffee table in front of him.

"Professor, how is the progress of the experiment recently?"

Zhao Heng nodded, took a sip from the teacup, and asked Li Hongwei.

"With your assistance, the recent experiments have gone much smoother. Xiao Zhao, you've played a crucial role in this."

Li Hongwei said with considerable appreciation.

His recent regret is that Zhao Heng cannot join his laboratory full-time. If that were the case, many experiments could significantly accelerate.

An assistant like Zhao Heng is something every scientist dreams of but rarely finds; it's not easy to come by.

Most importantly, someone with abilities, qualities, and knowledge like Zhao Heng's typically wouldn't consider being an assistant.

"Professor, I'm here this time because I need your help with something."

Zhao Heng nodded and continued speaking.

He knows what kind of person Li Hongwei is, and there is no need for those polite exchanges; a top scientist's time is precious and generally not wasted on useless pleasantries.

Actually, Li Hongwei's demeanor is quite appealing to Zhao Heng. By contrast, people from the hospital, such as Gao Jun and Dean Liu Shangming, tend to have more politeness about them after rising to their positions.

Professor Li Hongwei, although he leads a top laboratory, is more like a scientist rather than a leader.

"Hmm, go ahead."

Li Hongwei nodded slightly; today is an unusual resting time for the laboratory, not a scheduled meeting, so Zhao Heng must have a reason for coming. Li Hongwei guessed why Zhao Heng was here as soon as he arrived.

However, Zhao Heng's honesty and directness enhance Li Hongwei's appreciation. Nowadays, many young people exhibit extremes—some are overly confident, almost arrogant, while others are excessively insecure, feeling inferior.

Li Hongwei dislikes both extremes; young people must embody the spirit and confidence young people should have but must avoid being overly confident or arrogant.

These two qualities blend well in Zhao Heng, which is one part of why Li Hongwei appreciates Zhao Heng.

"Here's the situation, Professor: I have a patient infected with Naegleria fowleri. As you know, the survival rate for patients infected with this parasite is very low. While reviewing literature, I found an overseas case where a patient survived, and the attending physician used Mitifoxin due to the patient's skin cancer. I wonder if this medication might be applicable for my patient."

"The patient's condition is very critical right now, and I'm considering using a rapid drug delivery method. I think your research on nanotube therapy could come in handy."

Zhao Heng explained methodically; with time being of the essence, he couldn't afford to elaborate on every detail but only highlight the most important and critical parts.

"Are you talking about Brain-Eating Amoeba? And now, H Country already has more than a dozen cases of parasite infections?"

Li Hongwei was very surprised as he heard Zhao Heng mentioning this.

As a leading figure in the life sciences research field, he closely follows such biological science news and hot topics.

He naturally had done research on microorganisms; although Li Hongwei's primary research direction isn't microorganisms, his understanding still surpasses that of a general clinician.

"Professor, you're aware of this too?"

Zhao Heng expressed some surprise; Professor Li Hongwei is well-informed. Although the outbreak of Brain-Eating Amoeba on Jeju Island has been confirmed, it's known only within a small circle and hasn't hit the news, so ordinary people aren't aware of it.

"Yes, a friend from the ministry told me about it. So, the infected patient in the country now is under your care, Xiao Zhao?"

Li Hongwei became quite interested upon hearing that Zhao Heng was treating this patient. Being a top biological scientist, he finds the high mortality rate of the amoeba parasite extremely intriguing.

In the natural world, scientists have a perception that the more deadly an animal, plant, or microorganism is to humans, the more it might offer insights into treating some rare human diseases.

For instance, the venom of highly toxic cobras is potent, but the enzymes extracted from this snake venom have excellent medical value, notably in treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Moreover, enzymes from neurotoxic snake venom can be refined into natural anesthetics with fewer side effects, excellent analgesic properties, and in recent years, medicine has found that snake venom effectively destroys and suppresses cancer cells.

This serves as excellent inspiration: the high fatality rate of patients infected with Naegleria fowleri indicates a unique pathogenic mechanism against humans. Once this unique pathogenic mechanism is thoroughly understood, it might provide insights for treating certain diseases.

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