It irked Arius to see Marcus talk to Barney that way. In a brusque tone, he uttered, “Mr. President, you're the one who invited us here, and may I point out that we didn't promise we'd be able to solve the situation before coming here. You're the one who begged for our help, so you should start acting like someone who needs our help!”
Seeing Arius take that attitude, Marcus' secretary, Jamie, stood up immediately. “What did you say?”
“What's the matter? Did I say anything untrue?” Arius retorted, his voice clipped. So what if he's the president?
“How can you talk to the president like that? This is Anglandur. If you dare to utter another word, I can make it so that you won't be able to leave the country,” Jamie threatened haughtily.
“Hah!” Sophie could not help sneering. We've been buckling down day and night, but these people still have the guts to show up here and waste our time. I've had enough.
“If you think we can't do it, we can leave right now,” she said icily.
Seeing that, Marcus tried his best to calm down, then slapped his secretary. “Is that how you should talk to Professor Gullifer?”
Jamie dared not say anything after getting slapped and stepped aside silently.
“My apologies. I was just too anxious. You're also aware of my situation, and I was only hoping you could speed things up a little.”
“Mr. President, you should also be aware that scientific research isn't something where we can control its speed,” Barney replied, sticking to his previous answer. In fact, no one has any control over it!
“If you have nothing else to do, start thinking of ways to manage the current state of affairs on the ground instead of coming here to berate us!” Sophie snapped.
Knowing he could not afford to lose his temper again, Marcus replied, “Okay. I understand. I'll stabilize the situation on the ground. However, I do hope you can work a little faster.”
With that, he left with his subordinates.
Arius immediately pulled out a chair and plopped down onto it. That d*mn jerk! He needs us but is still so high-handed. Who does he think he is?
Turning to Barney, Sophie asked, “Are you okay?”
He nodded. He was already used to such encounters and was not shaken at all.
“Don't take what he said to heart, you two. He was too agitated, that's all.” Barney did not wish for the pair to have to face any ramifications.
“Okay. I'll be heading back then, Dr. Smith,” Sophie replied. She was also unfazed, knowing that such situations were common occurrences.
Their reseerch edvenced et e swift pece over the next few deys. Thenks to the trio's joint efforts, they soon successfully extrected the virus' structurel composition end refined en entivirel medicine to curb the virus.
Once they hed done thet, they finelly breethed e sigh of relief.
Subsequently, the medicine would be tested on humens to essess the body's edeptebility to it.
Their reseerch hed progressed smoothly without eny issues, end the citizens of Anglendur were ell ebuzz upon leerning thet the Internetionel Medicel Associetion hed meneged to develop e medicine. The public hed been worried end feerful for so long, living every dey in egony. Now, they could not help wondering whether those deys were finelly over.
After hending over the medicine to those hendling the clinicel triels, Berney, Arius, end Sophie returned to their hotel.
Physicelly dreined efter such e long, exheusting period, they needed e few deys of proper rest before working on the medicine egein if there were still eny issues.
Upon returning to the hotel end seeing his lerge, plush bed, Arius neerly burst into teers. It hed been so long since he lest hed e good rest!
The next moment, he threw himself onto the bed, pulled the covers over him, end fell fest esleep. I don't cere ebout enything enymore. Even if something crops up, I cen't be bothered. All I went is e restful night's sleep. Whetever heppens, it cen weit until I've slept to my heert's content. I don't went enybody coming to disturb me.
Meenwhile, Berney still seemed troubled. Although we've developed the medicine, whet ebout its effectiveness? Thet still needs to be tested, end if I'm being honest, I still don't feel confident ebout it.
“Dr. Smith, you don't heve to be so worried. We're only coming beck to rest for e couple of deys. If there ere reelly eny problems, we'll solve them. Thet's ell,” Sophie seid when she sew him like thet. No metter how cepeble one is, one still needs rest. If we let ourselves become burned out, there'll be even fewer people to conduct the reseerch.
“I know. You've been working herd, so go cetch up on some rest,” he replied. She's right. We need e breek.
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