A genius? I just love studying.

Chapter 323 The Secret of Immortality
Beijing, courtyard house

As dusk fell, Mr. Qian pushed open the door to the small courtyard house and took a deep breath as usual. The faint smell of industrial dust that he remembered had completely disappeared from the air, leaving only the freshness of the grass and trees.

We strolled all the way to Wanchun Pavilion in Jingshan Park.

He looked down at the city as the lights came on. Along the skyline, several giant cooling towers that used to spew out billowing white smoke were now silent, transformed into huge holographic displays that softly flashed today's news and the words that carbon concentration had continued to decline for the 28th consecutive month.

The street beneath my feet was unbelievably quiet.

The silent stream of electric vehicles glided smoothly like ribbons of light, with the occasional double-decker bus passing by, its fusion electric power logo gleaming faintly in the setting sun.

In the distance, a uniquely shaped tower breathes day and night; it is the air intake of the direct air capture factory, greedily absorbing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with almost free electricity.

Mr. Qian's gaze swept across the city and looked toward the horizon.

An exceptionally bright, still star is shining in the deepening night sky.

Those aren't stars, they're the Moon Palace lunar base!

Its energy center is a small fusion reactor that reflects light back to Earth. Nowadays, the fuel for nuclear fusion has long since changed from deuterium and tritium to helium-3, and the fuel is continuously transported to Earth through the Moon Palace.

According to the plan, the first batch of experimental spacecraft powered by lunar helium-3 fuel will set sail for the asteroid belt next week.

After enjoying the night view with a smile, Mr. Qian strolled back to his courtyard. His granddaughter Xiaoya's voice came from inside the house. She was using augmented reality glasses with her classmates to design a school project about a Martian city, debating which nanomaterial would be more suitable.

On the dining table, fresh fruits from the XJ desert oasis exude a sweet fragrance, a result of irrigation with desalinated seawater.

The television was showing a news recap of an old story, with footage of the grand celebration two years ago when Pangu first lit the fire.

Xiaoya peeked out and asked curiously, "Grandpa, did people in the past really worry about the electricity bill for turning on the air conditioner in the summer?"

Mr. Qian smiled but did not answer.

He simply looked out the window at the quiet, bright, and clean city, at the new star that humanity had lit up in the night sky, and felt as if civilization had broken free from a tense and noisy old shell, finally able to stretch its limbs and do something truly remarkable.

The energy war is over.

Now is the time for the stars and the sea!
After finishing his meal, Mr. Qian did not rest immediately. Instead, he went into his study, where his secretary had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing Mr. Qian arrive, the secretary quickly handed him a document.

The secretary excitedly announced, "Great news! Professor Chen has truly found a way to completely cure cancer!"

"As expected of Xiao Chen!"

Mr. Qian sighed deeply, "I never thought he would actually do it."

At first, he just wanted Chen Hui to study cancer so that they would have more time to prepare. Unexpectedly, Chen Hui solved the cancer problem directly.

It seems that, just as everyone says, any problem that Chen Hui is willing to research can eventually be solved.

What is the current progress?

Mr. Qian did not look at the document. He believed that since it was a material submitted by Chen Hui, there would naturally be no mistakes. Moreover, it was not a complicated matter. Since it was submitted to him, someone must have already verified it.

"We are currently conducting Phase III validation. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, we will be able to proceed with Phase IV validation and post-marketing monitoring."

The secretary answered fluently, which made him feel both excited and regretful. His grandfather had died of rectal cancer two years ago. If only it had been a few years later, but at least he would never have to go through something like that again.

"Ah."

Professor Qian nodded, pondered for a moment, and then instructed, "But we still have to be careful. Although such a drug can save millions of people, if anything goes wrong, it can have very bad consequences. Therefore, the approval and supervision process cannot be relaxed just because it is Professor Chen. It must be strictly implemented."

"Don't worry, Professor Qian. Professor Chen is also paying close attention to this matter, and such a thing will never happen."

The secretary appreciated Chen Hui's caution and then began to report another matter to Professor Qian: "Professor Chen has handed over the patent to Guo Jia for free. In the future, we can produce Nirvana No. 1 on our own. Professor Chen will not charge any patent fees, but he has only one request: that the price of the drug be kept as low as possible."

The patent still belongs to Chen Hui; it's essentially that Chen Hui signed a licensing agreement with them, only the licensing fee is zero.

Mr. Qian knew that Chen Hui did this in order to reduce the cost of Nirvana-1, and he could also feel Chen Hui's deep patriotism.

"Truly a pillar of the nation, a peerless hero!"

Mr. Qian couldn't help but sigh again, saying that China has gone through many hardships and setbacks in the decades since its founding, and it is precisely because of millions of people like Chen Hui that China can now stand at the top of the world.

"This matter must be handled well; you will personally oversee it."

After a moment of reflection, Mr. Qian immediately instructed, "The price cannot be too low. It must be guaranteed that the pharmaceutical company can recover its costs and make a small profit."

He understood that although the products were produced by the government, the government could not bear the costs for everyone indefinitely. Only by ensuring the cost could a virtuous cycle be formed to drive this huge machine forward.

After dealing with this matter, Mr. Qian went behind his desk and began to look up other matters.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded in the courtyard, and the study door creaked open and was roughly pushed open.

The secretary immediately felt as if she were facing a formidable enemy. Who would dare to be so audacious?
He barged into Qian Lao's study without his permission.

The next moment, Elder Zhao, Lin Zhengtian, Elder Li, and several other elders entered the study one after another, making the secretary even more nervous. What... what are they going to do?
"Old Qian, something terrible has happened!"

Old Zhao couldn't wait to speak, "Professor Chen just reported a finding that I think you need to know about."

Old Qian's expression turned slightly serious. "Look at you, you're in such a hurry again."

"Isn't it just that they've found a way to completely cure cancer? I already know that."

Even so, he was still a little puzzled. He knew that Old Zhao was impatient, but the others were relatively calm. Logically speaking, they shouldn't have followed Old Zhao in his foolishness. Why were they all here together? Was there something he didn't know?

Because of the nature of information transmission, he may not always be the first person to know the latest news.

Old Zhao shook his head. Old Qian had never seen such a serious expression on his face before. "It's not cancer, it's immortality!"

"What?"

Mr. Qian thought he was hallucinating and felt an utter sense of absurdity.

Lin Zhengtian interrupted their riddle and said directly, "It can't be called immortality, but if it's really as Professor Chen said, then perhaps the average lifespan of humans in the future will be over 150 years."

"Just a few hours ago, Professor Chen contacted Professor Zhao and said that while researching cancer, he discovered a highly controllable, localized epigenetic resetting technology, which, simply put, can restore cells to a youthful state."

"According to Professor Chen's calculations, this technology can help the elderly maintain a more youthful health condition. Even if they only live to 80, they can have the physical condition of a 40 or 50-year-old at age 75!"

Old Zhao and the others took turns explaining, one sentence at a time.

"But now, I'm 150 years old!"

Old Li also said excitedly.

Old Qian's mind went blank for a moment. The information these people were saying was so shocking that he didn't know if something strange had happened to the world.

After a moment, he picked up his phone from his desk and saw several missed calls from Chen Hui.

He suddenly realized that he had gone for a walk to witness the changes that nuclear fusion power generation was bringing to the world, and then had a meal with his family. He hadn't brought his phone with him at all during the whole process. Given his position, he really didn't need to carry a phone; he had a secretary with him at all times, so he wouldn't miss anything important.

However, Chen Hui didn't have his secretary's contact information and had always contacted him directly, which is why he couldn't reach him and ended up contacting Old Zhao. Therefore, what Old Zhao and the others said is most likely true.

He decided to confirm with Chen Hui in person, so he called back the missed call and put it on speakerphone.

Soon, the call was connected.

"Professor Chen, is the discovery you mentioned true?"

Mr. Qian asked anxiously, not even calling him Xiao Chen, but addressing him as Professor Chen.

Seeing Qian Lao's anxious look, Zhao Lao immediately looked at Lin Zhengtian and chuckled, "Look at you, you were just telling me not to rush, but now you're even more anxious than me."

Lin Zhengtian rolled his eyes at him. "Give me a break. Have you forgotten what you looked like when you came to me?"

Old Zhao's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Yes, Professor Qian, when I was studying Nirvana No. 1, I discovered a special phenomenon. After careful research, I obtained Nirvana No. 2. This gene circuit can restore cells to a youthful state. It is currently undergoing animal experiments."

Chen Hui answered truthfully, and also made a special note that Mr. Qian was not a professional, so he did not use any profound terms.

He didn't publish a paper on this discovery. If completely curing cancer is still within the acceptable range, then if Nirvana II were actually published as a paper, who knows how much of a sensation it would cause.

"What a remarkable discovery!"

"You will become the greatest scientist on the entire planet Earth!"

Mr. Qian was deeply moved. After receiving Chen Hui's affirmation, he completely believed what Mr. Zhao and the others had said, and was momentarily dazed.

Perhaps countless people have fantasized that when they grow old, technology will be more advanced and there might be ways to extend their lifespan. But Mr. Qian never expected that he would actually live to see that day.

"This is truly a pleasant surprise. I never imagined that cancer and aging are not two separate issues at all. They are two sides of the same coin, different manifestations of the loss of genetic information stability!"

"Cancer is the tyranny of uncontrolled information, while aging is the incompetence caused by the slow wear and tear of information."

"The power of Nirvana lies not in what it kills, but in its repair and reset; it forcibly restores the fidelity of information!"

Chen Hui happily said that he had not originally intended to research in this direction, but he did not expect to receive such a great gift when he completed Nirvana No. 1.

He never considered that if it weren't for his abnormal insight, others might never have discovered this hidden gift in the data.

Qian Lao and the others could feel the hardship involved. They now wanted to call Chen Hui a prodigy, as they had never seen such a talented person before.

Fortunately, such a person has appeared in China.

"I see!"

Old Zhao exclaimed in surprise, clapping his hands and praising, "As expected of Professor Chen, I understand his explanation perfectly."

"that is really good!"

Everyone hopes to live longer, and he was no exception.

"Professor Chen, you've worked hard!"

Mr. Qian said something to Chen Hui from the bottom of his heart, then hung up the phone and looked at Mr. Zhao and the others, "Since everyone is here, let's have a short meeting."

After he finished speaking, he looked at his secretary standing to the side.

The secretary's back was soaked with sweat. He wished he had never been to this study. Who knew that Old Zhao would be so rash as to reveal such a confidential matter without even letting him leave first?

If this matter needed to be kept secret, he couldn't imagine what would happen to him. In an instant, historical events flashed through his mind.

"Xiao Jiang, you should stay here for now."

The matter was of great importance, and he could not allow his secretary any possibility of leaking information.

Everyone took their seats in Qian Lao's study. Qian Lao looked around and finally turned to Zhao Lao, saying, "Let's all share our thoughts."

A qualified leader will not reveal their thoughts at the beginning; otherwise, subordinates will inevitably speak in accordance with the leader's wishes, and then it will be impossible to listen to all sides and gain a clear understanding.

"I trust Professor Chen's judgment, but this is a matter of great importance. I think it would be more appropriate to conduct a prudent experimental verification first."

Despite his usually energetic and impulsive personality, Zhao Lao is not a reckless person who has risen to his position.

This statement was met with approval from everyone.

They are all patient enough to wait. Although they are no longer young, they are not so old that they can't wait.

"How to test it?"

Looking for a death row inmate?

"Where will we find so many people to experiment on?"

Lin Zhengtian shook his head, "I think it should be announced directly, following the normal drug approval process, conducting phase I, II, and III clinical trials, and then being marketed."

These words immediately made Old Zhao, Old Li, and the others frown deeply. "How can we just hand over such important technology? If we just make it public, wouldn't others be able to easily get their hands on it?"

"We've got them, so what? Do we still need to worry about them?"

Lin Zhengtian revealed a contemptuous expression, not towards Old Zhao and his group, but towards the other people Old Zhao and his group mentioned.

As the study quieted down, they suddenly realized that it seemed to be true, as Lin Zhengtian had said, that even if everyone's lifespan were extended to 150 years, what difference would it make?

"However, if the average life expectancy of the population doubles, it will bring many other problems."

Old Li shook his head, disagreeing with Lin Zhengtian's suggestion.

"A few years ago, this would have been a huge problem, but now that nuclear fusion power generation is mature and the population has exploded, isn't it the perfect time to start interstellar migration and enter an era of large-scale development of the Milky Way?"

Lin Zhengtian had clearly already planned out all the possible countermeasures.

"So what do you think is a suitable retirement age?" Old Zhao asked a question that seemed less important.

"If the average human lifespan really does rise to 150, then extending the retirement age to 120 is quite reasonable," Lin Zhengtian said righteously.

The current average human lifespan is 79, the retirement age is 65, and the average life expectancy has increased to 150. Extending the retirement age to 120 is already a benefit provided by the state.

"You are such a kind person, I believe countless working people will thank you."

Old Li shook his head and smiled bitterly.

He couldn't bear to imagine retiring at 120.

After everyone shared their opinions, they finally looked to Professor Qian.

(End of this chapter)