"Come on, come on, everyone move over there for treatment, this area won't do!" Lao Zhou was full of energy as he dragged the others away.
"Hey, wait a second! We're still competing here! If our patients run off, how are we supposed to test our medicine?!" One of the pharmacists was almost crying. Of course they'd panic if their test subjects suddenly ran to another team.
But the chaos didn't stop there.
Even the patients further away who'd heard the news started shouting to be taken to Wu City's Association instead. After days of agony, none of them wanted to endure another second of pain.
Before long, Lao Zhou had rounded up a bunch of patients who could still walk. Those who couldn't were protesting from their stretchers, and a whole line of pharmacists followed behind, desperately trying to talk them into staying. The entire competition turned into a farce. The Wu City booth was soon surrounded so tightly that no one could squeeze through.
Some were demanding antidotes, others were yelling at the pharmacists, and the poor host had his glasses knocked off and was crawling around on the floor trying to find them. The whole place was a mess. No one could've imagined the event turning out like this.
Jing Shu rubbed her temples, her head throbbing. Wang Danai looked completely lost, and the judges didn't even try to intervene. They were watching with amused expressions, as if this was the best entertainment they'd had all week.
"Alright, everyone, calm down!" Jing Shu finally shouted. "Listen, patients, let's give the other associations a chance, okay? Just twenty minutes! If they can't treat you by then, Wu City will treat everyone for free!"
Her voice carried over the noise, and only then did the hall begin to settle a little. The other associations, though, were glaring daggers at Wu City, looking like they wanted to eat them alive. The competition had barely started, and Wu City had already earned everyone's hatred.
And this wasn't just happening in the venue—it was being streamed live on the national data network. Even if the audience wasn't huge, the top officials across the country were definitely watching. Just thinking about it made her scalp tingle.
Everyone was supposed to be here to compete fairly. Wu City had forfeited the first round, fine, but then all the patients ran to them for the cure. It made the rest of the associations look completely useless.
"Yeah," someone muttered bitterly, "they think they're so great, huh?"
At that moment, Lao Zhou stepped forward and said, "Come on, don't make this difficult for anyone. Let the others try first. If it doesn't work, then come here."
"Seriously? Weren't you the one shouting for us to come earlier?" someone snapped.
"I was, but I can't waste even a single minute. You know how bad that biting pain gets, right, Lao Zhou?"
"Just give me some face, alright?" Lao Zhou said, full of spirit.
"Fine, fine, but you'd better hurry. If it doesn't work, I'm coming back here!"
And with that, the chaos finally quieted down. Jing Shu let out a deep breath, and so did everyone else. The other associations immediately rushed to resume their testing. Only twenty minutes? Wasn't she overstepping the judges' authority?
Still, many pharmacists believed their substitutes for Bodhi would work. They'd run countless simulations, and the theoretical data showed at least some level of parasite suppression. Now it was time for the final test.
The host, Xiao Ai, finally found his glasses. As he slipped them back on, the stage lights reflected off the lenses, glinting faintly. He knew it already—Wu City might've forfeited, but they'd completely stolen the spotlight.
"Sir, are you still in pain?" someone asked a patient. "That shouldn't be happening."
Minute after minute passed. By the time the agreed period ended, none of the Bodhi substitutes had worked. The patients' pain hadn't lessened at all.
"I told you this wouldn't work! Can we change places now?"
"This is torture! I'm done!"
Before anyone could stop them, the patients dragged themselves toward Wu City's booth, crawling if they had to, begging for the antidote. The entire place descended into chaos again.
Xiao Ai glanced discreetly at the judges' table. They nodded slightly, making no move to stop it. So, with all the "test subjects" gone, Xiao Ai smoothly switched to explaining each association's prepared formulas to the viewers watching the live feed.
Meanwhile, Lao Zhou carefully handed out small black pills to the desperate patients. Within five minutes, the people who'd been screaming in agony moments ago went completely quiet.
"I'm cured! I really am!"
"This medicine's incredible! It's the antidote!"
Xiao Ai took the mic again. "And that concludes the first round! The judges have finalized the scores for all associations. Please look at the screen!"
One by one, the numbers appeared in crimson—zero, zero, zero. The sight made everyone's stomachs drop. No surprises there. None of the substitute medicines had worked. Some teams grumbled under their breath, but there was nothing they could do. The scores were decided by the judges, and the judges' word was final.
The patients who'd been carried in earlier were now walking out on their own, full of life. At least the ending wasn't all bad.
"Now, the second round begins!" Xiao Ai announced. "This round's simple. The strength of a Medicinal Herb Association depends on the quality and quantity of its herbs. You can't win with just one miracle plant. To qualify for emergency production rights, your overall strength matters!
"So this round, we'll compare total herb count and quality! I'll now read out each association's submitted list. The judges will personally inspect the herbs."
"Alright, time to earn some points," someone whispered excitedly. "We brought almost our entire stockpile!"
"We heard about this early and borrowed from other places. When it comes to quantity, you guys can't beat us."
Wang Danai snorted and muttered to Jing Shu, "They're all talk. What's the use of piles of trash? Wu City's herbs are all top-grade."
Jing Shu just smiled. Wu City didn't have the biggest stock, but she was confident about their quality.
The judges split up to inspect the herbs. Only the head judge, Lao Zhang, stayed seated—he wasn't an expert in medicinal plants anyway. Still, he kept glancing at Jing Shu, his gaze growing warmer and more impatient. He even urged Director Zhao and the others, "Hurry up, finish it quickly, let's wrap this up!"
As luck would have it, Director Zhao was in charge of inspecting Wu City's booth. He walked over laughing, and the first thing he checked was their Bodhi. When he saw the lush, green, freshly harvested herbs that still glistened with moisture, his eyes widened in delight.
"Excellent! These are all top-grade! Record it, all of it!"
"Wait, all top-grade?" the recorder asked hesitantly.
"All of it!" Director Zhou confirmed firmly.
At that moment, Lao Zhang got up and shuffled over, supported by his aides. "These are the ones? Oh my, they're beautiful!" he exclaimed, eyes shining.
"Wait, did I hear that right? They've got all top-grade herbs?"
"Let's go check it out!"