Chapter 36: The Mysterious Sponsor

'Hmm... my brain must have been malfunctioning last night to set the activation command to that.'

"Lincoln, you big blockhead!"

As Luca spoke, the red storage case in front of him rapidly unfolded. Baymax stood up, inflating, and then took small, shuffling steps toward Luca.

"I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion." (●—●)

"Yes, yes, I know who you are. Help me scan her physical condition." Luca reached out and pointed toward Gina, who was lying on the hospital bed.

The next moment, the green light in Baymax’s eyes swept quickly over Gina’s entire body, and the robot provided its assessment.

"The target's vital signs are within a stable range. There is a blockage in the transmission of certain neural signals, and cocoon-like proteins have formed around the nerve synapses. It is recommended..."

Baymax repeated the diagnosis from last night. As Luca listened, he asked, "According to what you said before, can targeted medication treat this?"

"The target’s condition is still in the early stages. With continuous administration of targeted medication for over 12 weeks, the probability of successful treatment is 87.6%," Baymax replied.

Samira’s face brightened upon hearing this. The doctor had just brought good news, and now the robot the young master had built had also provided a high-probability prognosis for treatment.

'It seems there is indeed a chance for the mistress to wake up.'

However, unlike Samira’s optimism, Luca frowned slightly.

"12 weeks? That’s three months, right? If you factor in the time to develop the drug, it will probably take at least half a year or even a year before she can wake up."

"Baymax, will this condition worsen over time?" Luca pressed further.

"The database indicates that Neural Synaptic Cocooning Syndrome causes the cocooning proteins to thicken slowly over time. As long as the patient receives proper daily care and muscle-nerve stimulation exercises, the vital signs will remain unaffected. However, the thickening proteins will increase the difficulty for the targeted medication to break them down, thereby delaying the patient’s recovery time."

'I never felt I could rely on that expert team. It seems I need to find a biopharmaceutical laboratory to cooperate with as soon as possible.'

Under Samira’s slightly worried gaze, Luca looked up at her, his expression serious.

"Aunt Samira, please help me contact the lawyers and the family foundation. I need to calculate how many assets I have at my disposal."

Indeed, although it was his own family's money, it wasn't something Luca could use just because he wanted to. Entrusting a laboratory to develop a drug, even with the formula in hand, would likely not be a small expense.

At Luca's current age, accessing significant assets or selling off stocks and funds under his parents' names required following necessary procedures. Fortunately, since the expenditure was for the treatment of his mother, Gina, the legal paperwork would be much simpler.

After discussing the assets, Luca added, "Also, please trouble yourself to ask around and find out who sponsored and proposed the formation of the hospital's expert team."

From Luca's perspective, his family’s connections hadn't even been able to convince a Strange to diagnose his mother. Yet now, someone—he didn't know who—had not only brought in Strange but also arranged for this hospital expert team and initiated this 'experimental treatment.' That person must possess considerable influence.

Perhaps they were an important figure who also had someone in their family suffering from a similar condition. If that were the case, he might find another way to expedite the development of the drug formula he held.

Samira nodded, jotting down these tasks one by one.

'Perhaps, in a little while, I can bring Mother home for care,' Luca thought.

This condition was similar to being in a vegetative state; it wouldn't suddenly worsen, nor could it be cured simply by resting. He had kept his mother in the hospital primarily because the medical staff there were more professional, and he had held onto a sliver of hope for a cure. Now that a treatment path had been identified, Baymax served as the best possible professional medical companion. Bringing his mother home would be much more convenient.

However, all of this would have to wait until Luca cleared up the mess he was currently dealing with.

After lingering in the hospital room for another two hours, Luca and Samira rose to leave. According to Samira, the tactical team members would arrive by tonight, and Luca certainly didn't intend to bump into them at the hospital. Besides, the 3D printer running at home should be finished by now.

Luca had initially wanted to say he would take this opportunity to visit a nearby mall to see if any 'core components' might appear, but under Samira’s strong persuasion, he temporarily abandoned the idea. After all, he still had the [Sweet Captor] waiting to be synthesized; there was no rush for new components.

On the way back, Samira’s phone rang while she was driving. After a brief conversation, she kept her eyes on the road, driving steadily, but spoke to Luca with a serious tone.

"Young Master, the investigation into Dragan that you commissioned has yielded results."

Upon hearing this, Luca, who had been resting with his eyes closed, sat up straight and waited quietly for Samira to continue.

"While we haven't found Dragan’s current location, his tracks over the past two years are traceable."

"Two years ago..."

Listening to Samira’s measured account, Luca gained a rough understanding of the situation. Since being kicked out of the company by Gina two years ago, Dragan, having received a large sum of 'separation' money, hadn't chosen to stay in New York but instead took the money and went off to 'live it up.' During this time, he had tried investing in a few small companies, hoping to make a comeback and spite his sister, but a series of failed investments caused him to abandon such unrealistic ideas entirely.

About a year ago, relying on his past investment experience and the remaining cash, Dragan became a well-known high roller in Las Vegas. However, his funds were ultimately a finite well. After a period of debauchery, all the cash in his hands was sucked dry by the bottomless pit that was Las Vegas. He was forced to rely on his former 'good' reputation to continue scamming, defrauding, and borrowing money.

However, just a while ago, it was rumored that he had been on the verge of being hunted down and buried alive when he suddenly paid off the debts owed to the most powerful factions, after which he vanished from Las Vegas. It currently seems likely that the same force that arranged for several gunmen to protect Dragan had either paid off his debts or transferred the debt to themselves.

As for why this could be investigated so clearly, it was naturally because there were still many individuals to whom he owed money that hadn't been repaid. Even now, there were many people in Las Vegas who didn't understand the situation, cursing him while searching for his whereabouts.

"So, in other words, it’s still impossible to determine who is pulling the strings behind this?"

"Yes. But Young Master, the private investigator discovered one more thing. Of the three cars that attacked us that day, both large trucks belonged to a shell company called United Construction!"