Chapter 47 Visitors from the Research Institute

“What do you mean?” The director’s hand clenched abruptly, his tone laced with nervousness. “We follow all proper procedures. There’s absolutely nothing illegal going on, so don’t talk nonsense about things you don’t understand!”

Yet the bulging veins on his forehead and the tension in his body made it clear that there was indeed a problem.

Obviously, the director was unsettled by what Gu Ci had said.

In fact, the moment he heard Gu Ci mention “usage rights,” he realized the young woman in front of him was far from ignorant about pharmaceutical research. In fact, she likely knew that the usage rights for RTC-1 extract were no longer in their possession!

This was not something an ordinary doctor should know, but Gu Ci had stated it casually, leaving the director no choice but to be suspicious.

“The literal meaning. I trust you understand exactly what I’m saying.” Gu Ci set her phone aside, her gaze growing colder as she looked at the director. “You should be grateful the drug has only just entered the clinical phase.”

The usage rights for RTC-1 extract had long been reclaimed by their institute; it was even forbidden for use in humans.

Gu Ci hadn’t followed subsequent projects, nor did she know whether the institute had further tested or improved RTC-1 extract, so she had specially contacted Lu Qinghuan over WeChat.

From Lu Qinghuan, she learned they had not pursued further research on RTC-1 extract, and its usage rights were limited to certain research institutes, not distributed to any hospital.

Gu Ci was well aware that if RTC-1 extract was used on humans for an extended period at this stage, the consequences could be disastrous.

Yet now, the director of Sacred Heart Hospital was brazenly using RTC-1 extract to develop drugs and even conducting clinical trials with it.

This was crossing a forbidden line.

Dr. Gu’s gaze was equally stern as he looked at the director. “The usage rights for the extract have indeed been revoked—that’s one reason I stopped my research earlier. I’m very curious, Director: how did you manage to conduct drug research with RTC-1 extract? Are you truly aware of the potential consequences of using this extract on humans?”

Even setting aside the issue of unauthorized use, the RTC-1 extract itself was problematic, as far as he knew.

Previously, he’d never considered that the director would make such a fundamental mistake, so he hadn’t thought along these lines. But now, seeing the director’s expression, he knew something was amiss!

Cold sweat was already breaking out on the director’s back. If Dr. Gu exposed this matter, his position as director would be finished.

Staring at Dr. Gu’s exceedingly grave face, the director adopted a pleading tone, “Dr. Gu, I think you must be misunderstanding me. I have my reasons for doing this. Please, come to my office so we can discuss it at length.”

As he spoke, he obsequiously pressed his watch into Dr. Gu’s hand, the meaning all too clear.

Witnessing this scene, Dr. Gu felt utterly disappointed.

He hadn’t expected that at this point, the director’s concern was not the danger the extract posed to patients, but how to bribe him into keeping the matter quiet!

With a steely expression, Dr. Gu brushed the watch aside, his voice cold and hard. “Director, I will truthfully report this to the Medical Division of Songdu Research Institute. You’d best prepare yourself!”

Hearing that Dr. Gu had no intention of settling the matter privately, the director’s face turned ugly. He protested, “Dr. Gu, I understand your worries, but we simply couldn’t contact the developers of RTC-1 extract—what else could we do? RTC-1 extract was created to be used, wasn’t it? Should we just stand by and watch a groundbreaking pharmaceutical achievement languish because of some stubborn developers?”

They hadn’t received the usage rights for RTC-1 extract because they had no idea who the developers actually were.

But the director wasn’t willing to let such a revolutionary drug go unused, so he decided to act first and report later.

They’d been anxious after using it, but no research institute ever contacted them about it, so they gradually forgot the matter, assuming it was just a little-known institute who’d gotten lucky extracting something valuable.

The director believed that a research institute that didn’t even identify its developers couldn’t possibly be a renowned one, so he stopped worrying about it altogether.

Now, what frustrated the director most was that Gu Ci had exposed the issue and Dr. Gu had found out.

No matter what the director said, Dr. Gu remained unmoved, making the director even more resentful toward Gu Ci, the instigator.

But just as the director was sinking into despair, a doctor hurried into the ward, leaned in and whispered something in his ear, and immediately the director’s brow cleared with a glimmer of delight. His spirits surged, and he broke into hearty laughter. “Hahaha! Excellent!”

His mood swung from dejection to triumph as he looked proudly at Dr. Gu and boasted, “Dr. Gu, perhaps you needn’t trouble yourself with any reports. Our clinical results have already attracted the Medical Division’s attention, and approval has come through. The authorities are highly impressed with our achievement, and the Songdu Research Institute’s Medical Division has agreed to help us acquire the usage rights for RTC-1 extract. So now, our use of RTC-1 extract is fully authorized.”

Dr. Gu was incredulous, momentarily unable to hold back his laughter. “Are you telling me the Songdu Research Institute’s Medical Division is actually going to help you do something so absurd? Retroactively grant usage rights? Who could dream up such a scheme?”

“That’s enough, Dr. Gu. There’s no need to say more!” The director’s expression was somewhat strained, but his tone was confident. “Previously, you failed to utilize RTC-1 extract’s potential—that was your problem. Now, I’ve solved it, and the institute’s endorsement proves our research direction is correct! Why would the developers object to us continuing?”

After his clinical trial succeeded, would the research institute really hinder their progress?

Such a win-win situation—no research institute would ever refuse!

Soon, several men in black from the Songdu Research Institute’s Medical Division surrounded Xiao Yang’s hospital room.

From among them strode a man carrying a briefcase. He nodded to the director, exchanged a few greetings, then rather arrogantly handed out documents to each of them. “Allow me to introduce myself: I’m a researcher from the Songdu Research Institute’s Medical Division, here specifically to handle this matter.”