Professor Wang’s affirmation of the Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules’ efficacy sparked a flame of hope in Li Xu’s heart.

"Professor Wang, since you also recognize this medicine’s effectiveness, what can we do? Academician Zhang Lin’s statements have had a massive impact. He’s practically discrediting all of traditional Chinese patent medicine. If this continues, the reputation of traditional Chinese medicine will be utterly destroyed."

Professor Wang sighed, a hint of helplessness in his tone. "Xiao Li, I understand everything you’re saying. A number of medical personnel in the country do indeed have a complex web of financial interests with Western pharmaceutical capital. It’s difficult to break the deadlock with these tangled interests, but... it’s not impossible..."

"They’re using experts for their promotion, so we can use our own methods to fight back. Didn’t you say the Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules are very effective? That’s the best weapon we have."

"Professor Wang, you mean...?"

Li Xu was invigorated.

Professor Wang offered a suggestion: "They rely on media campaigns and expert endorsements, but what they lack is true academic rigor and clinical data. You should compile the research and development process, the principles of the formula, and detailed clinical cases and efficacy data for the Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules into a high-quality academic paper and get it published!"

"An academic paper?" Li Xu murmured, lost in thought.

"That’s right."

Professor Wang said with certainty, "Although academia is influenced by various factors, there are still experts who are genuinely upright and dedicated to pursuing scientific truth. Publishing this paper will attract the attention of the academic community. Once they verify and acknowledge the efficacy of the Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules, it will be the most powerful form of counterattack.

Then, we can leverage the power of the academic community to vindicate the Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules and traditional Chinese medicine. It’s far more effective than the two of us trying to fight public opinion on our own."

Professor Wang’s words were an epiphany, instantly clarifying everything for Li Xu.

’That’s right. No matter how powerful their campaign is, it can’t change the facts.’

’And an academic paper is the most powerful weapon for presenting those facts to the world.’

"I understand now," Li Xu said, the realization dawning on him.

Ever since graduating, he’d just been practicing medicine at his clinic.

He’d seen plenty of patients and treated many complex cases, but he had grown disconnected from the world of academia.

He’d forgotten that in academia, the most important things are experiments and papers—and the results of those experiments are presented through papers.

The public debate over the efficacy of Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules was fierce.

Everyone who had used it praised it, but many patients who hadn’t, influenced by the controversy, were now afraid or unwilling to try it.

’Now, if a prestigious journal were to publish the principles, case studies, and data on the Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules, it would undoubtedly convince many people. The scales of victory would then tip in favor of the Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules.’

"Professor Wang, I’ll start compiling the data right now and finish the paper as soon as possible!"

Professor Wang encouraged him, "Once you’ve written the paper, send it to me. I’ll help you revise and polish it, and I’ll recommend it to a suitable academic journal."

"Thank you."

Li Xu was genuinely grateful.

’Anyone can submit an article to a professional academic journal.’

’But without a recommendation, it might not even get a first look.’

After hanging up the phone with Professor Wang, Li Xu immediately threw himself into writing the paper.

’Time was of the essence. Every minute he delayed, Jide Pharmaceutical’s Tamiflu Granules could capture more market share, and the reputation of traditional Chinese medicine would suffer even more.’

He opened his computer, created a new document, and set the title as "A Study on the Clinical Efficacy and Mechanism of Action of Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules in the Treatment of Influenza A."

He began to systematically lay out everything he knew about the Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules—the formula, its effects, and the clinical efficacy he had observed at his clinic.

However, he soon encountered a thorny problem.

The formula for Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules had been provided directly by the intelligence system.

When applying for the production license, Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory had provided the necessary component analysis and toxicology reports. This data had been sufficient to meet the requirements of the drug regulatory authorities.

But for a rigorous academic paper, this data was far too superficial.

An academic paper publishable in a top-tier journal needed to be supported by detailed pharmacological research, studies on its molecular biological mechanisms, animal trial data, and results from large-scale, double-blind, controlled clinical trials.

’For example, which target on the influenza A virus did the Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules act on?’

’What were its specific effects on the human immune system?’

’What were the pharmacokinetic parameters at different dosages?’

The intelligence system hadn’t directly provided any of this in-depth scientific data.

Besides, traditional Chinese medicine didn’t focus on these kinds of metrics.

But to be published in an international journal, the paper had to conform to the standards of Western medicine, which meant it needed to be backed by sufficient data.

Moreover, even if he started conducting these experiments now—from animal experiments to clinical trials, then to data analysis and report writing—the whole process would take at least several months, or even years.

By the time he completed the research and published the paper, Tamiflu Granules would have long since established itself as the "one true cure" and completely conquered the Dragon Country’s market. It would be too late.

He stared blankly at the computer screen, his fingers hovering over the keyboard, unable to press a single key.

He could manage to write the introduction, but when he reached the "Materials and Methods" and "Results and Discussion" sections, the lack of crucial data felt like an impassable chasm before him.

He wracked his brain for hours but couldn’t come up with a solution.

’Sigh.’

’It seemed the plan to use a paper as a breakthrough wasn’t going to work after all.’

Night fell, and the clinic closed for the day.

Li Xu collapsed onto the sofa in exhaustion, his mind still wrestling with the problem of the paper.

’He even began to wonder if he had been too naive, thinking a single paper could stand against such powerful corporate interests.’

He drifted into a hazy sleep.

The next day, the intelligence system refreshed.

Li Xu checked the intelligence feed with practiced ease.

[Today’s Intelligence: Scientific Data on Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules — Pharmacological studies indicate that Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules primarily function by inhibiting the activity of the influenza A virus’s M2 protein. This blocks the viral uncoating process, thereby effectively inhibiting viral replication. Additionally, its components... The results of a double-blind, controlled clinical trial show that Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules are significantly superior to the placebo group in shortening the duration of influenza, reducing fever and coughing symptoms. It also possesses a good safety profile, with no significant adverse reactions observed. See appendix for detailed data...]

"Ah!"

Li Xu shot upright in his excitement, all traces of sleepiness vanishing in an instant.

Staring at the densely packed scientific data and exhaustive research reports, he was overcome with joy.

’The intelligence system was incredible.’

’This was a complete lifesaver.’

’It had provided the exact scientific data he so desperately needed—the very data that was most difficult to obtain.’

’From molecular mechanisms to clinical trials, everything was detailed and rigorous, enough to support a top-tier academic paper.’

He didn’t even bother to wash his face, jumping out of bed and opening his computer.

His fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed out the data from his mind, filling the Word document bit by bit.