Mingshen stared at the patient before him, Li Bao, Beiye’s brother. He alternated his gaze between him and his charts, tilting his head.
Li Bao laid still on the bed. His vegetative state was starting to make him look a older than he was.
"Clearly, the prefrontal cortex here that controls decision-making abilities is severely affected," he said while looking at the latest scan.
"It matches with the information that you got," he eyed Huojin. "That his behavior started to change and beca more agitated. The brain is all lit up and not in a good way. Personality changes."
Jia was dumbfounded. "I an...I know kids can get too obsessed with gas and all but, can it really cause personality changes? Isn’t it a little far-fetched? How does a ga do that anyway?"
"All sorts of things are possible today, Spicy. The code which that woman found is a part of it."
Huojin slowly said, "Rember how I said Li Beiye was starting to get headaches? I think this is related to that."
"But if this ga is so dangerous, then why is it out in the market?" Jia couldn’t fathom.
"How many cases of comatose teens or players in general have you heard of?" Huojin asked back.
The answer was none. Li Bao was the first case she had heard of such an unnatural comatose condition.
"That’s because we didn’t search for such cases. Who said that Li Bao could be the only case? Hundreds of people are playing this ga. There ought to be more cases."
Mingshen said, "But not in every case will the person end up in a coma. Every person has their own health constitution and limits. He couldn’t bear it, doesn’t an that the rest of the world wouldn’t either."
She said nothing.
"Also we couldn’t connect behavioral changes necessarily to the ga. It’s like blindly throwing an arrow in the dark. Plus, most of the population playing this are teen brats and young people in their early twenties, which I would still call them as brats," he sneered. "Brats are always troubleso. It doesn’t an that we can bla the ga for it even if we know the truth."
A somber silence enveloped the room, making Mingshen feel the most depressed.
He cleared his throat. "But certainly, they would keep walking more and more towards the extre if they don’t stop playing this ga."
The door opened and they saw a middle-aged man step in. He looked up at them in surprise.
"Why are the cops here?"
Mingshen asked, "Are you his father?"
"Yes..."
The father rushed towards Mingshen and asked, knots of anxiety appearing on his forehead.
"You...Did you find sothing? L-Like, is there any change in Bao’s condition?" He asked in a trembling, hopeful voice.
Mingshen lightly smacked his lips and said, "Not yet."
His shoulders slumped in defeat and tears rimd his eyes.
"Please...please don’t say that..." his voice choked. "It’s been almost a year now since he..."
He couldn’t speak more and broke down into soft sobs.
"I only have my children with . My wife already left years ago...Please Dr. I cannot afford to lose my children. Please do sothing..."
Mingshen remained silent for so ti and said, "There is one experintal procedure we can try."
The hope returned in his dimd eyes.
"W-What is it?"
"Deep brain stimulation. In simple terms, we implant electrodes in the brain to reawaken the specific part of it causing the issue. But there are risks."
"Risks?"
"It requires extrely precise mapping of the neural pathways. It cannot go wrong. It’s the brain and every possible bodily process is linked to it. If so other area in any other lobes gets affected in the process, then there are high chances he could end up in so form of a disability."
"So...it’s brain surgery."
"Yes. It’s risky but it’s an option which is why we offer. Ultimately, it’s the family’s choice to go through with it or not after understanding the risks. His condition is not deteriorating so we can wait for so more ti. Maybe he will co out all by himself. But if he doesn’t..."
The father trembled.
"I...I cannot make this decision by myself. I need to talk to my daughter."
"It’s fine. Like I said, we have ti. Li Bao’s condition is stable. You can talk to her in the anti."
He nodded, his frail shoulders sagging. "Thank you..."
He then looked at Jia and Huojin, perplexed.
"But I don’t understand why the police officers are here...?"
Huojin and Jia had a tacit understanding of not telling about the ga and dumping all the information at this ti.
Jia quickly said, "Dr. Yang helps us out with so cases with his forensic expertise so we just ca to et him about one case."
"Ah, I see..." he nodded.
They quietly exited the ward. Jia gazed at the father, who was placing fresh flowers in the case. He sat down, holding his son’s hand.
I won’t let this go on...I won’t let more innocent people get gripped by this ss...
"We need to shut down this ga for good. It cannot be made available to download or play. Which ans that Miss. Xie has to step in."
"The one I am going to London with?" He grimaced. "I don’t want to go with her."
"That’s not the concern here. She is the CEO of Quantum Gas. Survival Grounds is a product of that company. She is answerable and responsible."
"For which we need evidence," Huojin said. "Li Beiye doesn’t have the complete code yet. We will be only falling flat on our faces. We don’t have anything solid to make our case with. But..."
"But?"
"I really wonder how she sanctioned this ga in the first place? Such a dangerous code is embedded into this ga and she and her team had no clue about it?" He raised his brow.
"Maybe sobody under her did it to gain quick cash? They craftily hid the problematic part of the ga. Which is how..."
Jia turned and t Mingshen’s eyes. "You co into the picture. And your London trip."
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