Chapter 679 — Fat Lai Seizes the Moment

"An ancient poison, unmatched through the ages!"

"Undetectable? Similar to a seasoning?"

The reporters all gasped in astonishment. Fat Lai's claim was a little too incredible for them to accept all at once! Wasn't this a bit too far-fetched? An ancient poison, unmatched through the ages, dredged up out of nowhere?

"Is that for real? If it's such an ancient poison, how come nobody else knows about it? And how did you people manage to study and identify it?" A reporter began to question. This reporter was one of Crippled Wolf's men, one of his underlings! Crippled Wolf was busy following up on the fainting incident, so one of his underlings had come to attend this press conference.

"Heh heh, I've already said it. This ancient poison, unmatched through the ages, has long been lost. That is to say, no one knows the poison's formula anymore; only a few of its principal ingredients are recorded in ancient texts!" Fat Lai was off on another wild tangent: "It was only after we analyzed the seven herbs and compared them against those few principal ingredients that we finally determined it to be the long-lost Seven-Herb Death Powder!"

"Oh? Then may I ask what these seven herbs are? And if it's already been lost, how could someone still have used it to poison people?" Crippled Wolf's underling, naturally unwilling to see the direction of public opinion shift, began firing off one pointed question after another.

"My apologies, but I'm afraid I can't disclose the poison's formula. For one, it involves the company's confidentiality policy; for another, if we published the formula, what if it fell into the hands of the ill-intentioned?" Fat Lai said with a smile. "However, we have already submitted the formula to the Songshan City police. As for why someone could still use it after it was lost, that's a matter for the police to investigate. We're merely a pharmaceutical company; that's not within our scope of business!"

Fat Lai's words drew a burst of laughter from the reporters below the stage, while Crippled Wolf's underling was furious! He retorted anxiously: "Could it be that you made up some poison just to make a name for yourselves? All this talk of an ancient poison, unmatched through the ages, is just to exonerate First High and drum up publicity for yourselves! This ancient poison, unmatched through the ages, can you even cure it? If you can't cure it, what use is producing a poison formula? And who's to say the formula is real or fake?"

Though Crippled Wolf's underling spoke bluntly, he had voiced what many reporters in the room were thinking. They too harbored doubts about the authenticity of the Seven-Herb Death Powder; after all, the whole affair was truly bizarre, beyond the bounds of what could normally be accepted!

An ancient poison, unmatched through the ages, was simply too remote from real life. So although Crippled Wolf's underling's questions were rather blunt, they did indeed represent the thinking of some of the people present.

"Heh heh, if it's an ancient poison, unmatched through the ages, and even the poison's formula has been lost, how could there be an antidote formula?" Fat Lai smiled, and here he deliberately paused.

"So then, you admit you're seizing the opportunity to drum up publicity?" Crippled Wolf's underling's eyes lit up, and he pressed the attack.

"I didn't say that. I merely said that since even the poison's formula is absent from the ancient texts and records, naturally there can be no antidote formula either." Fat Lai made a gesture for patience and continued: "However, although there was no ready-made antidote formula, through the tireless efforts of Guan Daifu Pharmaceuticals' expert team and after numerous experiments, we have finally compounded an antidote against the Seven-Herb Death Powder. At present, our factory is working overtime to rush out the antidote, and by roughly tomorrow morning, it should be produced in batches and administered to the fainted students!"

"Whoa--" All the reporters, Crippled Wolf's underling included, were thrown into uproar! They had really compounded an antidote? This wasn't just a publicity stunt?

The strange fainting symptoms that even the hospitals were powerless against had been diagnosed by Guan Daifu Pharmaceuticals as an ancient poison, unmatched through the ages -- and not only that, they had actually compounded an antidote! This Guan Daifu Pharmaceuticals really was, just as the rumors said, simply miraculous!

"Of course, this antidote is not a product for sale by our company; it was manufactured specifically for this poisoning incident, and we do not intend to charge a single cent for it!" Fat Lai said. "We are donating it free of charge to the fainted students. This is the social responsibility of every pharmaceutical company: making money is secondary; saving lives is the first priority!"

Fat Lai's words could not but fill the reporters present with profound respect. This truly was a pharmaceutical enterprise with a good heart. Had it been some more ruthless company, not only would they not donate it free of charge, but they would have jacked up the price on the spot and sold this batch of antidote to the Gu Group -- and they could have fetched a sky-high price for it!

Everyone knew that if this incident could not be calmed, those most affected would naturally be First High, under the Gu Group. And if Guan Daifu Pharmaceuticals took this opportunity to raise the price of the medicine, it would not be difficult for them to reap a rather handsome profit!

"Next, I will announce to everyone our new product -- the functions, efficacy, and launch date of Guan Daifu Trauma Medicine..." Having finished with the poisoning incident, Fat Lai naturally took the opportunity to promote his company's product...

And the reporters all listened carefully to Fat Lai's introduction, preparing to go back and give the whole matter a proper write-up...

After Guan Daifu Pharmaceuticals' press conference, the winds shifted abruptly, and the previous direction of public opinion began to reverse outright. As the various media outlets prepared to denounce the poisoner one and all, they were also filled with sympathy for First High, and likewise gave Guan Daifu Pharmaceuticals high praise!

Even Crippled Wolf was utterly helpless. Though he had taken Li Cihua's money, he couldn't exactly swim against the current, could he? Now that the truth was out, everyone was condemning the poisoner and praising Guan Daifu Pharmaceuticals. Surely Crippled Wolf couldn't keep attacking First High?

Even the newspaper's editor-in-chief had told him to draft an article that, while repudiating the previous piece, would also denounce the poisoner and praise Guan Daifu Pharmaceuticals! After all, one couldn't very well set oneself against the other mainstream media, could one? What good end could come of that?

With no other choice, Crippled Wolf had to call Li Cihua.

"Brother Cihua, it's Crippled Wolf!" Crippled Wolf said, a little guiltily. "I tried my utmost to smear First High and the Gu Group before, but there was nothing I could do! That Guan Daifu Pharmaceuticals is too formidable -- they actually found the cause of the students' fainting, said it was some kind of Seven-Herb Death Powder, and even compounded an antidote. I can't very well lie through my teeth with my eyes wide open!"

"What?!" Li Cihua was startled the moment he heard Canlang's words. "What did you say? Guan Daifu Pharmaceuticals has found the cause of the students' fainting? And compounded an antidote too?"

"That's right, Brother Cihua, what are we to do now? The task you gave me is not finished... and the money..." In truth, Canlang had no wish to return the money; after all, he had done a good deal of work himself before this, and who could have known that Guan Daifu Pharmaceuticals would thrust in its oar?