When James Watson faintly opened his eyes, what he saw was a blank white room.
Outside the window, there was the chirping of birds and the natural sunshine piercing into the room. The room itself was filled with the strong scent of disinfectant. This scent made James Watson’s head feel cloudy. He struggled to register where he was.
He slowly glanced to his side and saw an array of life-preserving machines next to the bed. He saw bundles of cables connecting these intricate machines to his own body.
“You’re awake.”
It was at this moment when James Watson suddenly heard a calm voice from in front of him. James Watson weakly turned to the direction of the sound to see several doctors standing at the foot of the bed.
James Watson opened his mouth and tried to say something. To his dismay, he discovered that he could not force the words out of his mouth. Before he could spiral into a panic, one of the doctors stopped him.
“Your brain sustained major damages previously and you’ve been in a coma for the last two months. It’s normal to not be able to perform certain cognitive functions as your brain is still trying to adapt.”
After the doctor informed the patient of this, he whispered something into his walkie-talkie. Shortly after, hectic rounds of approaching footsteps came from outside the room.
James Watson turned to the door and saw his closest family members charging into the room.
“My God…”
“Father!”
Watson Jr. was the first one to step forward. He held James Watson’s hand tightly in his palms. “Father, how are you feeling?”
“Where… Am… I…”
Watson asked, surprised that the words managed to escape his lips this time.
“You were shot previously and we took you to the hospital. We’re now in the Eco Science City in Namibia, Africa.”
Watson Jr. sounded overwhelmed as he informed his father, “It was Uncle Felix that saved us.”
“So, it’s him…”
Watson’s voice was unimaginably hoarse. “But, why don’t I… I can’t remember the incident…”
“Doctor?”
Watson Jr. first thought was to turn to the doctor for directions.
“This is normal.”
The doctor gave it to him straight. “We used the chip to restore the functionalities of the damaged region of his brain. However, there’s only so much we can do when it comes to his memory. It’s considered fairly normal to lose a portion of one’s memory after sustaining a major brain injury.”
“Alright, then.”
Watson Jr. turned to his father again and tried to reassure him. “It’s alright Father, we can help you jog your memory later on.”
Watson nodded at the suggestion. It was then when he suddenly realized something and reached for his right eye.
He felt his hands brushing against a layer of bandages.
“My eye…”
“Your eye sustained severe damage and cannot be salvaged. Don’t worry, after you have recovered, we can install a bionic eye for you. It’s a part of the design of the Xingtian Project.”
The main surgeon explained.
“Bionic eye?”
Watson Jr. was baffled by this. “I’ve been paying attention to this project as well, but I recall that the Xingtian Project only included bionic limbs and there was no such thing as bionic eyes.”
“Bionic eyes are part of the latest developed bionic organs of the Xingtian Project. It’s currently in its developmental stage and thus not announced to the public yet.”
The main surgeon elaborated, “Its underlying principle holds resemblance to the current brain restoration technology. Surgical machines connect the patient’s visual nerve with the electrodes in the bionic eye to achieve the effect of granting vision.”
“Unbelievable…”
Watson Jr. was astounded by the prospect of this technology.
Before any of this had happened, if someone told him that current technology allowed the restoration of brain damage and regaining sight, he would flat out call that person a liar.
What he was witnessing now had shattered his sense of reality. Not only did his father wake up from his coma, but he also awoke in a healthy state. He now realized that the Earth Federation’s technology…. No, Eco Science City’s technology had reached the realms of divinity…
Several hours later, the doctors brought a stack of cards with figures printed on them to conduct a basic recognition test on Watson who was lying in bed. The results were astounding. The elderly man who had sustained significant brain damage did not display any difficulty with recognizing basic objects and patterns. There was also no symptom of an altered personality caused by the damage, thus proving that he still had regular cognitive functions and personality.
A day later, Watson had progressed to a point where he could sit up on his own and eat without any assistance.
Watson first got down from his bed three days after waking up. Barring his slow movements, he displayed the physicality expected of an average person.
It was by this point when everyone fully comprehended that James Watson had recovered. From someone who was on the brink of death and suffered major damage in more than ten percent of his brain region, he was brought back to the state of a regular person. It was a scientific marvel.
“Mr. James Watson.”
While the Watson family was celebrating merrily, several doctors arrived in Watson’s intensive care unit room. Among the group of doctors was a familiar figure — Qian Wenhuan.
“Is there anything I can help you with, Doctor Johnson?”
Watson had been here for some time and familiarized himself with the doctors. He quickly greeted the head surgeon.
“This gentleman would like to have a short conversation with you.”
Doctor Johnson announced as he turned to Qian Wenhuan.
“Father, allow me to introduce you.”
Watson Jr. thought to himself. “About time” as he introduced the guest, “This young gentleman here is the CEO of Blackwatch, Mr. Qian Wenhuan.”
“Oh, I’m afraid I’m not.”
Qian Wenhuan waved his hands. “I’m just the CEO of the African branch.” He shook hands with James Watson as he said this and set a sheet of a document on the table. “Mr. Watson, I’m sure you know why I’m here. This might not be the best time to discuss this since you haven’t fully recovered, but I figured I’d bring the letter of intent ahead of time. If you’d like to further negotiate, feel free to contact me.”
“Is this about me joining Blackwatch?”
James Watson nodded. “I’m no longer the chairman of Cold Spring Harbor. As long as you can excuse my old age, I’d be more than willing to step up to the position you ask of me.”
“Excellent.”
Qian Wenhuan nodded before producing a thin golden card and handing it to Watson. “Since you’ve agreed to join, then this card shall be our company’s introductory gift to you. The director himself instructed me to give this to you.”
Watson accepted the card, slightly dumbfounded by this gracious gesture. After inspecting the gift, he was shocked to see that this golden card was a membership card to the sanatoriums.
“What the h*ll, this is a golden membership card!”
Bruno exclaimed, “A premium membership card only below diamond and platinum cards!”
“That’s right, looks like Mr. Bruno is well informed.”
Qian Wenhuan smiled. “This is the hospitality that our professor-level researchers are entitled to. Once Mr. Watson makes further contributions to our company, this may be upgraded to diamond or platinum.”
The doctors that came in with Qian Wenhuan were filled with jealousy when they heard this remark. The golden membership card was extremely precious but it was nothing compared to the diamond and platinum cards, the true symbol of luxury.
The benefit that came with the platinum membership card was completely unrestricted access to the services in Eco Science City sanatoriums at any given time!
James Watson’s treatment was certainly what a world-class scientist rightfully deserved.
After leaving the hospital, Qian Wenhuan turned to the secretary behind him. “Inform our department to file James Watson’s records into our company’s Beta grade confidentiality. Don’t forget about the medical records as well.”
“Understood.”
The stockily-built secretary replied with a firm nod before writing down the message to the relevant department. Just as he tapped the send button on his phone, there was an unexplainable sudden blink.
The secretary thought it was some sort of strange bug. He clapped his phone against his hand and inspected again. It was displayed that the message was sent successfully.
Seeing that his task was complete, the secretary put away his phone and continued following Qian Wenhuan out of the hospital.
On the other side, the director of the Human Resources department received Qian Wenhuan’s secretary’s message. However, only the first half of the message was visible. The second half of the message had completely vanished, perhaps caused by either a program error or signal congestion…