Chapter 6

The wooden box felt cool to the touch and seemed to be quite heavy, as if it contained many things. Its shape resembled... an ancient pavilion.

Just as Lan Xiaobu was about to say something, the middle-aged man suddenly stood up. He covered his mouth and coughed a few times, and from the way he left his seat, it seemed he was going to the restroom.

"Wait, show me your ID and ticket for inspection." The middle-aged man had only walked a few seats when a sudden voice called him back. Lan Xiaobu clearly saw the man's body stiffen. Before he could speak, a gun was already pressed against his waist.

These were two police officers. After one of them pressed the gun against the middle-aged man, the other quickly took out handcuffs and cuffed him, then led him away.

Lan Xiaobu calmly put the heavy wooden box into his bag and then packed away his notebook.

At this moment, he understood why the middle-aged man had asked about his background. The man had left the wooden box with him not to give it to him, but to have him keep it temporarily.

Lan Xiaobu suspected that once the middle-aged man came out, he would immediately look for him. Keeping it for a while was fine, but Lan Xiaobu doubted whether he would still be alive if he returned the item to the man, who was surrounded by a malevolent aura.

As for whether the middle-aged man could come out, Lan Xiaobu had no doubt. If the man couldn't come out, he wouldn't have given the item to a stranger. Moreover, with the middle-aged man's capabilities, two police officers with guns would hardly be able to stop him.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard the man thought, he wouldn't have imagined that a student he had met by chance would lie, and even this old hand in the world couldn't detect that Lan Xiaobu was lying.

The train entered Xitan, a major station. Although it was still far from Tingjiang Station, Lan Xiaobu decided to get off without hesitation, then took a bus directly to Huzhou. He had no plans to go to Tingjiang for the time being.

After another day of travel, Lan Xiaobu finally arrived in Huzhou. Huzhou was nearly two thousand kilometers away from Binan, and Lan Xiaobu believed the middle-aged man wouldn't find him so quickly.

Huzhou's housing prices skyrocketed only after the appearance of the flying saucer and the rise of the earth's primordial energy. However, even now, the prices were beyond what Lan Xiaobu could afford.

Lan Xiaobu rented a house in the suburbs, which was quite cheap. The monthly rent for a small yard was only 500 yuan. The landlord had moved to the city, leaving the house vacant.

After putting down his simple luggage, Lan Xiaobu didn't immediately go online to search for cultivation techniques but took out the ancient wooden box.

The wooden box was not large, only the size of an adult's fist, shaped like a pavilion. Lan Xiaobu felt that the box weighed at least ten pounds. It was icy cold to the touch, and the surface was carved with various patterns.

Lan Xiaobu searched the wooden box for a long time but couldn't find any button to open it. The box was even more sealed than a Lu Ban box, which at least had a seam to open. This made Lan Xiaobu suspect that the wooden box was just a decorative item.

Since it wasn't his, Lan Xiaobu didn't feel any pain. He placed the wooden box on the cement floor and hit it hard with a stone.

A dull sound echoed, but the wooden box showed no trace of damage. Neither the stone nor a knife could make a dent in it.

Lan Xiaobu spent one or two hours trying to open the wooden box but was completely helpless. Reluctantly, he put the box away again.

...

The next morning, Lan Xiaobu tidied up and prepared to visit the job market. He intended to cultivate martial arts, but it wasn't suitable now. According to his memory, it would be another year before the news of cultivating inner energy spread. Moreover, he needed to eat, so he had to find a job, preferably one that allowed him to live a carefree life.

Huzhou was a new city with a high demand for various talents. Many people, like Lan Xiaobu, came from other cities to find jobs in Huzhou.

To many graduates, Huzhou was like Shanghai in its early days, where many of the first arrivals became successful. Therefore, the job market in Huzhou was always packed.

Due to the establishment of branches by many companies in Huzhou, finding a job was relatively easy. However, since Lan Xiaobu lived in the suburbs, when he arrived at the job market, the Huazhou Spring Square was already crowded.

Lan Xiaobu studied medicine, and his medical skills were undoubtedly top-notch in this world. However, he just needed a job, regardless of whether it was related to medicine.

Of course, finding a job related to medicine would be better. Lan Xiaobu was standing in front of a recruitment booth, where Kunhu Hospital was hiring three resident physicians. The requirements were a master's degree in medicine, age not exceeding 35, and preference for those with clinical experience. The salary was negotiable...

There were also positions for specialists or teams in neurology, neurovascular intervention, and nuclear medicine.

Lan Xiaobu looked at his handwritten resume and sat down, handing it to the interviewer, who wore glasses. He decided to give it a try, and if it didn't work out, he wouldn't look for a medical job.

"Haiyang Medical University? A great place. The discovery of Lanji Mycin has helped so many people." Seeing the university Lan Xiaobu attended, the interviewer couldn't help but praise it. Although he immediately saw that Lan Xiaobu didn't meet their requirements, his gaze softened, showing a good impression of Haiyang Medical University.

Haiyang Medical University was among the top three medical universities in China and was also well-known worldwide. In 2039, Haiyang Medical University discovered Lanji Mycin, an antibiotic that could inhibit or even kill over twenty types of cancer cells. Since then, cancer was no longer a matter of luck.

However, Lan Xiaobu knew that Lanji Mycin had a fatal flaw: after killing cancer cells, it produced a latent harmful cell that severely damaged the liver and spleen. This new cell was strange, lying dormant for five to seven years before suddenly erupting and spreading.

It was now 2043, meaning that in a year, the Lanji Mycin incident would erupt, becoming a powder keg that would ultimately destroy Haiyang Medical University and a group of renowned doctors. After the nuclear war, Lanji Mycin was thoroughly improved, eliminating the隐患.

Lan Xiaobu knew the history of Lanji Mycin very well.

Because Lan Xiaobu was from Haiyang Medical University, even though he looked too young, the interviewer still showed some interest in his handwritten resume. However, his expression soon turned slightly unpleasant, and he sighed, "You haven't graduated yet?"

Lan Xiaobu knew this was his weakness. Now that the interviewer asked, he could only say, "Yes, I haven't graduated."

He didn't need to explain the reasons, and the interviewer didn't need to hear them. He was just there to see if there were any assistant positions or jobs that didn't require a formal position.

The interviewer tapped his fingers on the table and said after a while, "You can't join Kunhu Hospital without graduating. Even though I see potential in you, I can't help."

Even if Lan Xiaobu had graduated, as a fresh graduate without work experience, he wouldn't have the qualifications to join Kunhu Hospital. The interviewer's words were just a polite gesture.

Lan Xiaobu knew the interviewer had a good impression of him, otherwise, he wouldn't have said so much. Thinking about this, Lan Xiaobu stood up and said, "Actually, Lanji Mycin is not perfect. It's best not to let patients rely entirely on Lanji Mycin for treatment."

This was a well-intentioned remark from Lan Xiaobu. After the side effects of Lanji Mycin erupted, many doctors became scapegoats. In fact, some people who didn't receive Lanji Mycin didn't survive for more than a year or two. After living a few more years, they still pursued high compensation from the Lanji Mycin developers. If not for the support of the state, Haiyang Medical University would have collapsed in this incident.

"What?" Ji Zheng suddenly stood up, his hands trembling, upon hearing Lan Xiaobu's words.

Ji Zheng represented Kunhu Hospital in the recruitment, hoping to find some capable doctors. He had a strong liking for Lan Xiaobu, not just because he was from Haiyang Medical University, but also due to a pure instinct as a doctor. Lan Xiaobu had practiced medicine for twenty years and performed numerous surgeries, which would take another doctor seventy to eighty years to complete. He was a top-tier doctor.

Lan Xiaobu's words before leaving were like a thunderbolt to Ji Zheng. Through clinical trials, he had long felt that there was something wrong with Lanji Mycin, but the problem was not obvious and had never truly appeared. He had raised concerns about Lanji Mycin multiple times, but everyone thought he was being overly cautious. Now that Lan Xiaobu shared the same view, how could he remain calm?