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Life crisis
墨書 Inktalez
In 2167, the country officially implemented a retirement system at the age of 75.
However, after the implementation of this system, a problem arose: most employees over the age of 70 exhibited extremely low efficiency, and the number of those taking sick leave increased significantly, leading to a shortage of medical resources.
Although the average lifespan of humans has reached 105 years, it can only be considered merely existing. Once a person reaches the age of 70, the aging process of bodily functions accelerates and does not contribute significantly to the operation of society, instead creating a burden for elderly care.
Later, the government assigned this challenge to my professor. They allocated a budget for us to research how to extend human lifespan while also delaying the degeneration of bodily organ functions.
I think that with the current medical technology, this is simply like Arabian Nights.
Back then, the professor spent over twenty years extending human lifespan to over a hundred years. He researched a type of underwater plant as a supplementary food and proposed a set of fitness exercises along with a schedule. After more than a decade of experiments, it was implemented nationwide.
The professor introduced to me that the increase in human lifespan is mainly attributed to a type of plant found on the ocean floor used as supplementary food. He discovered it during a diving trip when he unexpectedly came across a group of Sea Turtles gathered under a massive reef, feeding on a type of Black Vines.
Out of curiosity, he collected some and brought them back to shore because an idea flashed through his mind: since Sea Turtles are the longest-living animals on Earth, he wondered if their diet might be related to their longevity.
The professor held a type of reed grass he had never seen before. After spending a few months in the lab, he first fed it to white mice and found no side effects. He then began conducting follow-up experiments with some elderly volunteers.
It turned out that the professor was indeed lucky. That underwater adventure finally led to the success of his experiment. Surprisingly, after collaborating with a group of foreign scientists for several years on medical research with little progress, it was a group of sea turtles that provided significant assistance.
"The group of foreigners is even worse than a turtle," the professor said with a bitter smile.
I thought for a moment and said, "If that's the case, then promoting the consumption of that plant-based food might lead to even greater longevity, right?"
The professor shook his head, took a cigarette from the table, and lit it. "It's useless. I've experimented with it before. No matter how much we consume, extending human lifespan to over a hundred years is already the limit."
I nodded, and he continued, "Moreover, the directive from the higher-ups this time is not just about researching ways to extend average lifespan; we also need to tackle the issue of functional aging in humans. That's the real challenge."
"This is an impossible task."
"Ah, look at my hand." He extended his hand, which held a cigarette, trembling somewhat uncontrollably. "I'm over eighty this year, and despite working out every day, I've still developed Parkinson's. So, you see, living a long life isn't the hard part; the challenge is keeping our organs vibrant."
I furrowed my brow and said, "Teacher, I really have no idea where to start now."
"Take it slow. In a couple of days, two academicians from Japanese will come over to collaborate on research with us. After all, they are facing much more severe aging issues than we are."
"Me too," I said with a smile. "Now if I were to go on that trip, I could kick a dozen people away with one kick."
The professor sighed and stood up. His hand was still shaking as he smoked. I was about to get up to help him, but he waved me off abruptly. "I'm not that old yet. You go back first. Come to our group meeting tomorrow."
I looked at his slightly hunched figure and couldn't help but sigh; this man still refused to admit his age.
The next day, I returned to the research lab and spent half the day in meetings. Sitting at the conference table, I noticed that nearly half of the prominent figures from the research institute had gathered to share their thoughts on the issue of human lifespan.
The research directions they proposed can be broadly divided into two factions. One faction continues to study based on previous research on deep-sea plant supplements, or looks for other longevity-enhancing compounds. However, some of the drugs they suggested for research next are somewhat absurd, such as methamphetamine and phenobarbital, which I believe are not feasible.
To put it metaphorically, this is akin to forcing someone who has already pulled two all-nighters to keep working by administering stimulants or making them drink a case of coffee and energy drinks.
Another group wants to study from the perspective of environment and physical activity, and one of the suggestions is to meditate.
The professor sitting across from them listened to their various opinions, smoking one cigarette after another, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.
It's pretty much as I expected. This meeting didn't produce anything useful to discuss.
After the meeting, I had a meal with the professor in the cafeteria. He gave me a list of drug molecules to conduct comparative experiments on rats, and then he hurriedly left.
I knew he had once again locked himself in the research room, not to be seen for several days, until the Japanese academicians arrived.
It was a rainy day, damp and chilly, and the two Japanese academicians appeared somewhat frail, one plump and the other thin, walking toward the research building under a black umbrella.
The rain mixed with the wind grew stronger, and the thin academician hid behind the plump academician.
The professor hadn't bathed for several days. In a hurry to greet them, he raised his hand to tidy up his greasy hair and began to shake hands and exchange pleasantries with the two Japanese academicians.
I saw that thin academician shake hands with the professor, and after sensing something sticky and off, he began to rub his hand against the clothes of the fat academician.
The professor spoke Japanese fluently and talked a lot with the two academicians, but I couldn't understand anything. Back then, I only studied English and knew nothing about Japanese.
Looking at them chatting with each other, I thought to myself, "Why are they exchanging pleasantries for so long? They're probably just praising each other, right?"
At that moment, the professor suddenly pulled me over and said something to the two academicians in Japanese, probably introducing me. The two academicians politely responded with a few words.
Then the professor patted my shoulder and urged me to greet the two academicians as well.
But I don't understand Japanese. I looked at the professor, then at the two academicians, and after a long pause, I awkwardly blurted out, "Bagga!"
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