Chapter 85 86
"Well, Taylor is my good friend, and obviously she's much more famous than me. But let's get back to today's topic. I believe seeing this truly respectable idol by my side, you all know I'm still very busy. Busy with the affairs of the company and the laboratory, busy with research on some key projects, until we finally made some progress."
"Yes, yes, Mr. Hawking, it's an honor to meet you," Ellen smiled and nodded at Steve. "Especially seeing you gradually recover, it's really exciting."
"Thank you, Ellen. I guess you can imagine, I'm even more surprised myself. Sometimes, miracles really do happen in the world. And all of this, we must thank the genius beside me. It's him who created this miracle. Before this, I never thought I would have a chance to speak again in this lifetime."
On the television program, Steve appeared relatively calm, the excitement already expressed. His appearance was solely to cooperate with Bruce and Solar Corona's publicity. And this was evident from the audience's reaction and the rapidly rising ratings of the show. With Steve's influence, just sitting there was enough to astonish, captivate, and pique people's curiosity.
"That's right, I believe many people are as curious as I am. Bruce, could you tell us how you did it? Looking at Mr. Hawking's condition, it's truly astonishing! Unbelievable! Does this mean that countless ALS patients like him have hope for your treatment?"
Ellen nodded and immediately turned the conversation to Bruce. Not seizing the opportunity to extract some fresh material today would be a waste.
"For now, our main focus is still on targeted therapy. So it will take some time to expand widely. But this time won't be too long. We are already working on launching a universal therapy. So yes, patients can look forward to it."
Bruce gave an affirmative reply, eliciting enthusiastic applause from the audience. However, his expression didn't change much; he just smiled and raised his hand, then continued.
"As for how we achieved this breakthrough, it is entirely due to the achievements of our laboratory in genetic engineering. In fact, at the previous press conference, perhaps everyone's attention was drawn to the celebration of Steve's recovery and the controllability of ALS, so they didn't fully understand our meaning."
He paused for a moment and then looked around: "Please listen carefully to what I'm about to say next—due to the success of the artificial genome project, we have already begun larger-scale trials and are confident that we can gradually cure the majority of currently known diseases, including but not limited to ALS, cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's, and so on. In other words, I believe, there is hope to overcome the problem that has plagued humanity for thousands of years through Solar Corona's artificial genome project: the problem of disease."
As he spoke, his voice was clearly transmitted through the microphone. The whole audience fell silent, listening intently.
But as people gradually understood what he meant, they couldn't help but let out countless exclamations of astonishment, and then they became increasingly unable to contain their excitement. And this time, there was no need to create an atmosphere for the show, because what Bruce said was truly shocking!
So much so that Ellen DeGeneres had to repeatedly gesture for silence from the audience and hurriedly interjected, "Oh my God! Are you serious, Bruce?! Does that mean all those diseases you mentioned have hope for treatment?"
With her words spoken, everyone quickly shut their mouths, holding their breath, wanting to hear Bruce's affirmative answer.
And this extraordinary and handsome young man did not disappoint them either. He nodded decisively without any hesitation, then said:
"Yes, I think there's no problem at all. In fact, there are already late-stage cancer patients who have received gene therapy reagents from Spruill Laboratory under Solar Corona and have their conditions under control, and are improving. Being optimistic, in about a month or two, they will fully recover and return to normal health. However, due to patient confidentiality agreements, I'm sorry I can't disclose the names of the patients. I think this should serve as some evidence to prove that I'm not just making empty claims, right?"
This extraordinarily charming young man was already one of the most familiar faces in the United States. He sat on the sofa with a calm smile, as if casually chatting with everyone, completely without the appearance of someone who had just announced earth-shattering news.
If it were in a different setting, or if someone who didn't know him saw him, they would only think he was a film or music idol, absolutely unable to imagine the shock he had caused to the world.
If it weren't for Stephen Hawking sitting beside him, nodding solemnly and frequently, perhaps someone would have already accused Bruce of being a sensationalist and a fraud. However, even so, no one dared to refute decisively at the moment. Still, a large part of their minds were in confusion, half believing and half doubting, while only a small portion of people began to seriously consider whether this possibility was real.
Even the facts they saw before their eyes were already astonishing enough, leaving no room for doubt.
"Oh my God!"
Ellen DeGeneres's heartbeat truly accelerated this time, exclaiming in astonishment. As a seasoned top host, this was often her usual technique to create an atmosphere. However, today she was genuinely shocked.
A conflicted expression of indecision appeared on her face. Logic told her that she shouldn't let the topic continue with this unconfirmed news. Otherwise, if what the other party said turned out to be baseless, it would likely affect her show. However, Bruce's confident expression and Steve Hawking's serious attitude made her unable to help but have a terrifying association—could what this young man said possibly be true?!
She turned her head and saw the staff outside the venue were also stunned. CBS's producers also did not give any response, apparently not knowing whether to proceed. As one of the program's producers, when Ellen saw the glaring "10.2" rating on the prompt screen and the bright red upward arrow, she nodded involuntarily, and as if enchanted, chose to continue.
"You know what you're saying, Bruce? Whether true or not, I'm afraid everyone will flock to Solar Corona, jamming your phones and doors! And if the news turns out to be false, their wrath will be unbearable for anyone."
For the first time, Ellen felt fearful of the terrifyingly high ratings. The most important thing was that, due to the last-minute arrangement to catch the hot news and to accommodate Bruce's schedule, today's show was being broadcast live, which meant that regardless of whether Bruce's statement was true or not, this astonishing news would undoubtedly spread from the studio, and the other party clearly did not want the producers to edit it.
"Of course, even if you don't believe what I'm saying, you should believe Steve."
Bruce seemed completely unaffected by the various expressions of astonishment, skepticism, and excitement thrown his way, as if he hadn't heard the continuous commotion.
He sat on the sofa, spreading his hands, his gaze sweeping past Ellen DeGeneres' face, scanning the entire audience. Although he didn't linger, everyone could feel his firm and contemplative gaze, as if quietly watching them. Just sitting there, he seemed like a towering mountain, eternal and unshakable, exuding a kind of magical tranquility that calmed everyone's minds.
This indescribable charm made everyone gradually quiet down, watching this handsome and magical man, continuing to speak with his magnetic voice.
"Because what I'm saying is too astonishing? Or is the magnitude of this progress too great? If I were to say that we've only overcome ALS for now, with the chance to conquer other diseases in a few years, and then repeat this process, advancing step by step, overcoming one obstacle after another, you might find it easier to accept. But I won't say that. Do you know why?"
"Because not everything can succeed by following the usual path. If you carefully observe human history, you'll find that technological progress always experiences concentrated outbreaks at certain periods, advancing in leaps and bounds. I'm not asserting that we've reached such a moment, but I hope everyone fully understands that our researchers have created such a miracle."
"It's not about overcoming a certain disease or curing a certain patient, but about eliminating disease—this nightmare that has plagued humanity for thousands of years—from our dictionary."
"The universe has its natural laws of operation. The ecology of each planet, the evolution of every species, undergoes a process from lower to higher levels, just like the software we use on our phones upgrades from version 1.0 to 6.0, or even higher levels of evolution. And it doesn't reverse."
"The law is irrefutable. So how can humanity ensure it's not left behind by the times? Only by constantly seeking breakthroughs and accelerating our own evolution."
"There are countless species on Earth, so why is it only humans that have stood out? With our free will, we have created a splendid civilization, produced countless miracles, and of course, we can also use genetics to make our bodies even stronger."
"And that time has come."
Chapter 86: Stirring Prelude
"Steve Hawking: The Era of Genetics Has Arrived!"
"Bruce Lee: Let Diseases Become History's Dust!"
"The New Evolutionary Law of Human Civilization—Soar Like Birds!"
"Charlatans Seeking Popularity, Wild Rascals Speaking Nonsense, Villains Playing Prophets!"
"Today's Medicine: It is currently not possible to cure all diseases. Please stay rational and do not believe blindly."
"National Discussion—Is Genetics Almighty?"
Although humans have not yet learned to fly, the speed of information transmission is definitely faster than flying. As The Ellen Degeneres Show's daily viewership surpassed the terrifying figure of 100 million, Bruce and Steve's explosive remarks spread like wildfire, radiating to every corner of the planet.
Just as the breakthrough in ALS treatment and Steve Hawking's speaking gained peak popularity, Bruce dropped another even more astonishing piece of news, forcefully pushing the development to an explosive level, with attention skyrocketing.
This time, Bruce became thoroughly famous worldwide, and there were probably very few people who didn't know him anymore.
But this wasn't all good news; countless people who had opinions about him, whether openly or secretly, seemed to have sprung up overnight, dragging out and repeatedly criticizing everything from artificial genetic projects, human experimental modifications, ALS treatments, to theories of disease control. Ethical, medical, and biological disciplines all had astonishing remarks published.
And that's not all; some have begun to criticize Bruce's sudden fame, dissecting his growth, learning, and development process bit by bit. They were nitpicking every detail, almost portraying him as an enemy of the academic world!
Add to that those who had ulterior motives, using the opportunity to promote themselves or manipulate the situation. It was a sensational global debate! It was a free-for-all, with more and more well-known or unknown figures getting involved.
All news media and websites were caught in a bittersweet stage, with search, browsing, and click rates skyrocketing. All newspapers and magazines, as long as they participated in discussions on genetic experiments, disease control, biological disciplines, or Bruce Lee's private life, were without exception printed, printed, and printed again!
And standing at the top of this topic, the initiator Bruce naturally became the target of most attacks, labeled as shameless, plagiarist, and fraud being among the kinder epithets. Some had already started disregarding everything else, resorting to insulting him just for the sake of attention.
It might sound strange, but it was the naked truth.
A person who claimed to be able to eliminate diseases had actually become the target of attacks for most people. Critics outnumbered grateful and eager patients.
"Is this too radical? We could gradually push forward, showcasing results step by step. At least we wouldn't be as passive as we are now, as if overnight everyone has stood against us."
Trista placed a stack of newspapers and magazines on the table for everyone to pick up and browse, then said with a tone tinged with resentment and doubt.
Isaiah and others sitting beside her exchanged glances, evidently sensing her subtle change in attitude towards Bruce.
Even if these senior executives had objections, they would only cautiously express their opinions in a more tactful manner, not as daringly as Trista did. A personal secretary was indeed different.
Bruce was well aware of these people's little actions. But he couldn't be bothered to reprimand them. He smiled and casually picked out a newspaper from the thick stack. On the front page was a large photo of himself giving a speech, with the headline below reading: "A 'Genius' Lost in Achievements?"
He continued to browse the news as if nothing had happened and said, "No need to get so excited. Aren't there still many media outlets speaking in our favor? The truly desperate patients will eventually have no other choice. Human nature has always remained the same since ancient times. The one who leads by a year is a genius, by ten years a lunatic, by a hundred years a heretic. Darwin's theory of evolution, Copernicus's heliocentrism, Einstein's cosmological constant—haven't such things happened throughout history?"
People always tend to simplify things too much. When poor, they think all their problems stem from lack of money; when failing, they believe it's just bad luck; when declining, they view successful and wealthy officials and elites with a class perspective.
But very few seriously think about the deeper underlying reasons.
The rise of a new force inevitably brings the hostility of vested interests. Whether Solar Corona Company promotes this news loudly or not, what is to come will always come. Conversely, those adversaries' defamation and rebuttals also hype up the topic. In reality, the research targets Bruce chose were diseases that had no effective treatments to begin with.
Regardless of how public opinion is guided, desperate patients on the verge of death will still have to try, especially after successful cases of cure appear. This is unstoppable. The key is how to stir up the storm without capsizing the ship that is Solar Corona Company.
"These are just appetizers. The opposition from the fields of ethics and religion and those big companies plotting behind the scenes are the bigger problems. We're directly cutting off their paths. Imagine how much obstacles there will be for the approval and clinical trials of new drugs in the future, or even the possibility of public opinion causing patients to hesitate."
Think about how vehemently cloning experiments were opposed when they were first proposed—the voices of opposition from the fields of ethics and science were immense, coalescing into a tremendously influential "anti-cloning movement" even before human cloning entered substantive stages.
Numerous scientific organizations ostracized, criticized, and attacked the initiators of the anti-cloning movement, branding them as "transgressors" of the scientific community, revoking their medical licenses, and launching a comprehensive siege against them.
Human genetic modification, more advanced than cloning experiments, essentially forcibly constructs new uncertain genes to replace human natural genes. When these people realize this problem and think about it more thoroughly, it will inevitably cause even greater waves. The convergence of so many forces from the scientific, ethical, and medical fields will rely on the effects of those long-prepared groundwork.
Of course, there are also those lurking fellows; their reactions are also worth anticipating.
A cold smile played at the corners of Bruce's mouth. These attacks seemed fierce on the surface, but they hadn't yet touched the substance.
Let those who love to splash around do so more. They will soon realize that this world has quietly undergone a transformation, unlike before, where they could sway things with just their words.
The law of natural selection always applies.
He picked up the pristine envelope on the table, scrutinizing it carefully. The bright red seal at the seal seemed to come alive in an instant, vividly striking.
Agalos, huh…
Bruce's consciousness seemed to stretch in an instant, infinitely elongating, traversing countless memories, time, and space, back to that world where boiling and silence coexisted.
Slaughter and survival, strength and weakness, lava and frost, light and heat, and endless... blood.
It seemed that many of the same kind had already begun to stir, so let this calm water that had been too quiet for too long start to ripple.
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