PCJ – Chapter 642 Call for Help

“At this rate, if there’s no rain, it’ll take about a week to pump all the water out,” said Liu Chenggang, the head of the county agricultural machinery station.

Zhang Jiaohua looked up at the sky and frowned. “A week? The weather’s been dry lately, sure—but who can say for certain it won’t rain soon?”

As he said this, he suddenly froze. Others might not know, but how could he not be able to calculate that?

As a cultivator, if he couldn’t even determine this, then he had no right to speak of seeing through the secrets of heaven. Cultivators, by their nature, had far deeper insight into the energies of heaven and earth than ordinary people. The shifts in these energies were closely tied to weather patterns. With a bit of deduction, Zhang Jiaohua could forecast the coming weather.

After a brief calculation, he asked, “Director Liu, is it possible to drain the water within this week?”

“That’s hard to say. Honestly, I’m not very clear about the exact depth at the center of the reservoir,” Liu said, somewhat evasively, clearly withholding something.

Zhang Jiaohua returned with a fine pack of cigarettes and handed it to Liu. “Director Liu, it’s rare to have such clear weather. Can you think of a way to drain this reservoir faster? According to reliable meteorological data, there’ll be rain in about ten days. I want to finish rehabilitating this small reservoir before then. That way, when the rainy season arrives, we can start storing water right away and quickly complete the restoration plan.”

Liu tried to refuse, but seeing Zhang Jiaohua’s persistence, he eventually gave in and accepted the cigarettes. “There might be a way. Besides pumping, we can also open the drainage culvert at the bottom of the reservoir. It’s lower in position and has a larger outflow. It might drain water as fast as all these pumps combined.”

“How did I forget that? If it’s a reservoir, of course it has a culvert! I’ll go find Secretary Gu—he should know where it is. And if not, I’ll get into the water and find it myself,” Zhang Jiaohua said excitedly.

Using only the pumps would take at least ten days to drain the reservoir. With the culvert opened, the speed nearly doubled, cutting the time to just a few days.

“There is a culvert, but nobody dares go into that water—it’s toxic!” said Gu Baishui, shaking his head.

“Toxic? Someone died in it?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

Gu nodded. “A few days ago, a couple in the village had a fight. The woman got beaten and, in despair, jumped into the reservoir. When they pulled her out, her whole body was black. The villagers say she was poisoned, not drowned. Ever since, no one dares go near the reservoir. Look at it—there isn’t even grass growing around it. If that’s not poison, what is?”

“Just tell me where the culvert is—I’ll figure it out,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

“I know where it is, but I really advise you not to go. If anything happens, it won’t be a small matter,” Gu said worriedly.

“Don’t worry. I know very well whether this water is toxic. I had a sample tested at the county—it’s got high salinity, but no toxins. It’s slightly corrosive, but if you don’t stay in too long, it should be fine. We can just hire a professional diver.” Zhang Jiaohua had no intention of diving in himself. Even if it wasn’t dangerous, he had no reason to set that precedent.

The diver was hired from Bijiang City. Once the culvert was opened, a torrent gushed from it—far more impressive than the combined force of a dozen pumps.

While Zhang Jiaohua was busy managing the water extraction, Mei Qing and Huang Zhongfang arrived at Yingpan Village with a group of people.

“Professor Huang, Teacher Mei—you came all this way?” Zhang Jiaohua was quite surprised to see them.

Mei Qing smiled. “We came all this way because of you, of course.”

“Don’t tell me something happened with the reagent?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

Mei Qing nodded. “Yesterday, there was an accident at sea involving a cruise ship from the Japanese archipelago. It was chartered by the Tokuda Corporation, a pharmaceutical company. Their chairman Tokuda Yuhiko, his son Tokuda Nofu, and over a dozen employees all died.”

“What? Their deaths are related to the lab theft?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“It’s already been confirmed in Beijing: Tokuda Yuhiko and his corporation were behind the theft at our lab. All the personnel involved—except those who didn’t board the ship—died in the accident. So all leads have been cut off. Since the shipwreck happened in Chinese territorial waters, our maritime authorities boarded to assist, but nearly got attacked by the white mice. Many Tokuda Corporation staff are still trapped on board, including some Chinese employees,” explained Huang Zhongfang.

“So you came to ask me to deal with the experimental specimens?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

At this moment, a strong, capable young man who had come with Huang and Mei stepped forward. “Yes. Those specimens were raised by you over a long time and should have a bond with you. If you go, they may not attack. If we can lure and capture them one by one, that would be ideal.”

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t object. “I can go with you. But Tokuda Corporation stole my lab’s samples and reagent—how do you plan to deal with that? I’m not about to help my enemies. Especially not ones who made their fortune through theft.”

“We’ve already obtained key evidence. Once the surviving personnel are rescued, we’ll take appropriate legal action,” the man assured him.

“And I’m not doing this out of charity. My time is valuable—I don’t want to waste it on things that don’t matter. Especially not on a pack of hungry wolves who’ve been eyeing me.” Zhang Jiaohua added.

The young man hesitated, then nodded. “That’s not a problem. We can negotiate with the Japanese side. Whatever you need, feel free to ask.”

Of course, Huang Zhongfang and Mei Qing hadn’t traveled all this way just to be messengers.

“Dr. Zhang, all that painstaking research of yours was wasted. Why not come back with us this time? I’ve already spoken to your city officials. A scientist of your caliber shouldn’t be spending his days in a poverty-stricken village like Yingpan. You could do so much more for the people,” said Huang.

“Let’s talk about that later,” Zhang Jiaohua said, unmoved.

“How much longer are you planning to stay here?” Mei Qing asked, puzzled. She was shocked by how impoverished Yingpan Village was—far worse than she had imagined.

“I’ll stay until it’s time to leave,” Zhang Jiaohua replied with a smile.