Apocalypse: Resources Consumed by Women Returned Ten Thousandfold

Watching the busy figures, Hou Ming sighed helplessly.

He understood in his heart that Wu Dan’s stubbornness might cause them to miss some important opportunities.

But he also knew that at this moment, Wu Dan wouldn’t listen to any opinions.

The assistant noticed Hou Ming sighing, felt a stir in her heart, and quietly walked over to him, softly saying:

"Teacher Hou, why don’t we secretly try Mr. Lin’s method? I always feel that some of what he says makes sense, maybe it could actually work."

Her eyes were filled with hope, wishing that Hou Ming would support her idea.

Hou Ming pondered for a while, showing a troubled expression.

He looked at Wu Dan, who was directing everyone in alchemy, and then at the hopeful looking assistant, slowly saying:

"We can try, but we must seek Wu Dan’s approval. We are a department and need to progress together, not create discord. If we attempt it privately without her consent, it will only escalate the conflict."

The assistant heard this and nodded slightly. Though she felt a bit disappointed, she understood that what Hou Ming said made sense.

...

The assistant clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white from the pressure, feeling as if there was a frantic little deer in her heart, nervous but still bracing herself to approach Wu Dan again.

At this moment, Wu Dan was completely focused on the experimental data and only slightly raised her eyelids upon sensing the assistant’s approach.

The assistant took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady:

"Teacher Wu, I still think we should try Mr. Lin’s method, after all, practice is the true test of knowledge. We’ve been following our own approach but the results have been less than ideal, maybe changing methods could lead to success."

Upon hearing this, Wu Dan’s already stern face instantly darkened, her gaze like a sharp knife coldly piercing the assistant:

"Have you been deceived by him too? Or are you saying that my professional knowledge is inferior to that of someone who appeared out of nowhere?"

The assistant was taken aback by this sudden questioning, her heart tightened, and her throat felt like something was blocking it, unable to speak.

She bit her lower lip, her nails digging deeply into her palm, trying to hold back the tears that were about to burst forth.

But Wu Dan wasn’t going to let her off easily, she continued sharply:

"You’re just an intern, if it weren’t the end of the world, with your level, you’d have no qualification to even meet me. Here, you should obediently follow my words, instead of thinking about those unrealistic ideas all day."

These words were like sharp daggers piercing straight into the assistant’s heart.

She always knew that her university wasn’t as good as Wu Dan’s, and since becoming her assistant, she had maintained a humble attitude and respected Wu Dan greatly.

Yet recently, she had been subjected to unprovoked suppression by Wu Dan, her grievances and unwillingness surged like a flood breaching its banks.

Finally, the assistant could bear it no longer, she raised her head, looked directly into Wu Dan’s eyes, gathered all her courage and said:

"Teacher Wu, you are my teacher and I have always respected you! But crafting the Qi Gathering Pill is our entire team’s task, not just yours, we can’t delay the whole team’s progress because of your personal preferences. I propose we vote by raising hands to see if we should try Mr. Lin’s method."

As soon as the words left her mouth!

The assistant raised her hand high without hesitation, it trembled slightly in the air, yet stood firm like a flag that would never fall.

At this moment, she was no longer the timid, easily bullied intern, but a warrior bravely fighting for the team’s goals!

The laboratory fell silent instantly, everyone was stunned by the assistant’s sudden action.

They paused their work and turned their attention to this side.

...

Wu Dan’s face suddenly turned ashen, like the ominous sky before a storm, her eyes locked onto the assistant as if trying to see through her.

The coldness in her gaze seemed to freeze the surrounding air.

At this tense moment, Elder Hou the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner slowly raised his hand, his voice steady and calm:

"There’s no harm in trying! More attempts might lead us to success. Isn’t research about continuously exploring new possibilities?"

His words were like a pebble cast into a calm lake, creating ripples.

Wu Dan looked at Elder Hou in disbelief, then quickly glanced around, her voice sharp with anger:

"Anyone else? Have you all thought it through?"

Her gaze carried a hint of threat, seemingly warning others not to make hasty decisions.

However, her intimidation didn’t work.

A young researcher hesitated then slowly raised his hand, speaking softly:

"It’s not that Lin Lang’s method is guaranteed, but there’s no harm in trying. We’re facing a bottleneck with our current approach, maybe a change will bring a breakthrough."

With the first person taking the lead, more and more people started to raise their hands.

Their actions were either firm or hesitant, but they all expressed a common will —

To try Lin Lang’s method.

Watching the multitude of raised hands, Wu Dan’s anger burned like a wildfire.

She initially assumed everyone would be on her side, not expecting to become the minority!

But!

As the number of raised hands exceeded half!

She suddenly felt a tightness in her heart!

Because she realized that these people probably had opinions about her!

She’s not foolish, understanding that being isolated in a team would make future work difficult.

So!

Wu Dan’s expression shifted dramatically as she suddenly donned a smile, speaking in a relaxed tone:

"Oh well, let’s try it, it’s not a big deal, why make a scene, assistant?"

"Actually, I’m also concerned about the progress of the task, not wanting everyone to waste time! But since everyone wants to try, let’s give it a go!"

Then she changed her tone, her smile carrying a hint of sarcasm.

"But I advise everyone not to hold too much hope, after all, what Lin Lang said really lacks scientific basis, the chance of success is slim!"

"If this...ends up wasting time, energy, money, and materials, I hope the assistant can take responsibility!"

These few words subtly shifted all the responsibility onto the assistant.

Hearing this, the assistant felt a wave of grievance, she bit her lip, her eyes slightly reddening, almost unable to resist the urge to retort.

Yet she forced back the tears, swallowing her words. She knew that rebutting would only worsen the situation.

Just then, Elder Hou stood up, looking at Wu Dan, speaking in a firm tone:

"Experiments inevitably fail, if it doesn’t work, the responsibility is also mine! We are working towards the team’s goal and cannot shrink back just because we’re afraid of failure."

Elder Hou’s words were like a warm current flowing through the assistant’s heart.

She looked up, her eyes full of emotion, her gaze at Elder Hou filled with gratitude.

With Elder Hou’s mediation, the tense atmosphere in the laboratory eased considerably.

People shifted their focus away from Wu Dan and the assistant, starting to prepare for the new experiment.

Wu Dan snorted coldly, though she was still filled with dissatisfaction, she had no choice but to accept this result.

She turned and walked to the lab bench, muttering quietly:

"Well then, let’s start! Let’s see if it can truly succeed."

"After it fails, I’ll see what you all have to say!"