The laboratory in the middle of the night was like an ice cellar. The air conditioner was broken and no one had repaired it for three days. Cheng Wen rubbed his fingers that were stiff from the cold, and his eyes fell back on the set of gene sequences under the microscope. His eyelids were as heavy as lead, his temples were pounding, and there were countless needles pricking his mind. After staying up all night for four consecutive nights, even he, a top academic who had been called a "human computer" since childhood, couldn't bear it anymore.
"Hold on for another half hour, check the last set of data, and then we can submit the report." He murmured to himself, his voice was as hoarse as sandpaper, and he picked up the already cold coffee on the table and took a big sip. The bitter liquid slid down his throat, not waking him up at all, but instead making his chest feel inexplicably tight.
