AWB Chapter 1814 Without the mother liquor, what's the point of production?
Chapter 1814 Without the mother liquor, what's the point of production?
The news brought by Yuan Guoqing was like a thunderbolt, shattering the warmth and relaxation he had just experienced at the Houdefu Hotel.
Jiang Qitao's face turned deathly pale, and she almost lost her balance. She was only able to keep her steady by being supported by Qiao Henwan and Jian Jingzhe.
Seeing Li Xiangnan remain silent, she couldn't help but grab his arm tightly, her voice filled with barely suppressed panic, and explained, "That's snake venom mother liquid, personally prepared by Grandpa and refined using the Qimen secret method. It's the core source of our first batch of broad-spectrum serum!"
Sure enough!
Li Xiangnan's heart sank suddenly.
When Li Xiangnan invited Taozi to Yanjing to participate in the construction of the pharmaceutical factory with the Jiang family of Qimen and promised them to build a snake venom serum production line, he promised to fully protect the Jiang family's intellectual property rights and not to participate in specific snake venom research.
But he also understands the significance of the term "mother liquor" in biopharmaceuticals.
This mother fluid is not the mother fluid of the mother snake that he, Zhang Jingyang, and Wang Defa encountered when they entered the Jiang family. Rather, it should mean "mother and child" fluid, which is the source of all serums!
He forced himself to calm down, steady his mind, supported Taozi, and asked in a deep voice, "Taozi, don't rush, tell me slowly, just how crucial is this mother liquor?"
He had a vague suspicion in his mind, but he also needed to be sure whether the loss would affect the first production line of the pharmaceutical factory that was about to be launched.
Jiang Qitao took a deep breath, and seeing his calm gaze, forced herself to calm down as well, speaking very quickly:
"Ordinary snake venom raw materials can only be used to prepare serum for a single snake species, and the potency and purity are limited!"
"Is this batch of mother liquor different?" Li Xiangnan asked in a deep voice.
"Yes! It's a base liquid made by Grandpa by combining the venom of dozens of major venomous snakes from the Qimen Mountains and even the southern Anhui Mountains, according to an ancient formula passed down in the Jiang family for over a hundred years, and through a special process to compound, reduce toxicity, and enhance efficacy!"
She paused here, her voice trembling slightly, a mixture of pride in her family's craft and heartache at the situation, before continuing:
"Logically speaking, without this mother liquor, if we want to produce snake venom serum, the subsequent dilution, purification, bottling, and addition of appropriate adjuvants would all be impossible!"
Yuan Guoqing, Qiao Henwan, and Jian Jingzhe were all startled at the same time.
"To give an example, the yeast used for making bread and the koji used for brewing wine have the same function as the mother liquor!"
“We want to expand our production line, and this is the unique and irreplaceable starting point! Grandpa spent a tremendous amount of effort, even using the Jiang family’s most precious resources, to produce just one batch… no, just one bottle of mother liquor!”
Jiang Qitao raised her head, her voice trembling with tears, and said in fear, "But now...it...it's gone, I...I'm so sorry, Grandpa..."
No wonder Jiang Qitao was so agitated, even to the point of emotional breakdown. This mother liquor is not only related to the production line's reserves, determining the launch of the first batch of drugs from Li Xiangnan's pharmaceutical factory and affecting the factory's fate, but also carries the hopes and legacy of several generations of the Jiang family!
"Without the mother liquor, what's the point of production?!"
Yuan Guoqing was so anxious that he was jumping up and down in frustration.
"Let's go, hurry back to the hospital! To the research lab!" Li Xiangnan's eyes were sharp, and he was mostly sober now. He waved his hand and urged everyone on.
Yuan Guoqing slung his bicycle over his shoulder and turned to leave.
Everyone squeezed into the car, urging the driver to hurry and speed off to Nianwei Hospital.
Nianwei Hospital was much quieter at night.
The equipment department on the second floor was closed except for a few emergency equipment rooms; there was no one there at the moment!
The group headed straight for the snake venom research lab deep inside.
This was the temporary office that Li Xiangnan prepared for Taozi before the snake venom research institute was built. Usually, apart from Jiang Qitao, Yuan Guoqing, and other acquaintances, almost no one came here.
Inside the research room, the various pieces of equipment that had been purchased were already placed there, gleaming coldly under the lights.
Jiang Qitao walked to the last refrigerator and opened it, and a blast of cold air immediately poured out.
The cabinet was divided into several compartments, each containing various labeled containers.
Jiang Qitao's fingers trembled as she reached in, stopping in front of a compartment labeled with a special reagent, and she burst into tears!
The grid is indeed empty!
"It's gone...it's really gone!" She slammed against the wall, her face filled with deep sorrow.
Yuan Guoqing was also very disappointed, pointing to the refrigerator and saying, "Taozi told me to check the equipment and medicines every two days. I didn't dare to be careless, so I came to check on them every day after dinner. And just today, it..."
Li Xiangnan noticed an inventory record on the table to the side, which showed that the special medicine column was indeed blank when the date was recorded.
"Let's look for it first!" Without confirming the extent of the loss, he waved his hand, asking Yuan Guoqing, Qiao Henwan, and Jian Jingzhe to help search, "See if it's lost somewhere!"
Then, he helped Taozi sit on a bench and comforted her, "Think about it, do you have any spares? Besides that, is there any other way to get some?"
Jiang Qitao shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
"No! There won't be any spares! This stuff is incredibly precious; it's the only original batch of the mother liquor! We haven't even started recording the subsequent data or making samples yet. It has to be mixed after the production line is fully assembled, otherwise it won't be able to keep up with the production schedule. Every step is unique... I'm doing this for absolute secrecy!"
Li Xiangnan frowned.
If there's no backup, then things are going to get really serious!
Yuan Guoqing is right. Without the mother liquor, how can snake venom serum be produced?
"no!"
Soon Yuan Guoqing, Qiao Henwan, and Jian Jingzhe surrounded them, and they all shook their heads with grim expressions!
Not found!
"Brother Guoqing, check the doors and windows for any signs of damage! Taozi, do you usually lock the doors when you leave the house? Have any unfamiliar people appeared here recently, or has anything happened?"
Yuan Guoqing had already finished his inspection, but now he went to check it a second time, looking very carefully.
"The doors and windows are intact, and the locks haven't been pried open!"
Jiang Qitao also recalled: "We didn't lock the door before, but after I and Sister Henwanjingzhe brought the equipment in, we started locking the door. Guoqing and I each have a key. Usually, no one comes here..."
If no one came, how was the mother liquor lost?
Could it be an inside job?
But Jiang Qitao couldn't possibly have done such a thing?
Could it be Yuan Guoqing?
That's impossible for him!
This is someone Li Xiangnan can trust; he would never do such a thing!
If Yuan Guoqing were to commit embezzlement, it would be the same as the Earth exploding right now!
Li Xiangnan would never even consider that possibility!
He immediately reminded them, "Peach, Guoqing, think carefully again, has anyone been here recently?"
"You've been here before?"
Jiang Qitao and Yuan Guoqing exchanged a glance, frowned and pondered deeply, and finally their eyes twitched.
“A few days ago, people from Qisheng Pharmaceutical came to visit, saying it was for exchange and learning, but they just stood around the equipment area and didn’t even come inside…”
Qisheng Pharmaceutical?
Li Xiangnan murmured the name, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Having spent two years navigating the business world, he deeply understands the ruthlessness of commercial competition; people will stop at nothing for profit.
Could it be that Qisheng Pharmaceutical stole the mother liquor?