At the end of December, the Joneses went to the hospital for a physical examination. The doctor was surprised to find that their condition was unexpectedly good, and a series of physical indicators returned to normal values.
Especially for old Jones's brain, which had signs of Alzheimer's disease, all the original cognitive impairments disappeared and the sharp thinking and memory of the past were restored.
This is completely counterintuitive!
"Mr. Jones, your condition is of great value to medical research. Can you stay and cooperate with us for an in-depth examination? This will help researchers learn more about Alzheimer's disease."
"No! I don't have time, I want to travel. I can't wait to go to Europe. I'm fed up with the dry climate in Arizona. I want to live in warm and humid Europe for a while, and maybe spend the rest of my life there."
Old Jones rejected the doctor's suggestion without hesitation, and said to his wife after leaving the hospital: "Did you see that? Those doctors want to use us as guinea pigs, and I won't do it."
Americans are naturally extremely wary of governments and bureaucracies, and they prefer autonomy. This is a huge cultural difference from other countries and nations.
Mrs. Jones was just open-minded about this. Before taking the 'miracle potion', she had a strong resistance to cooperating with the 'Holy Light'. But after discovering that her body had reversed itself for several years or even more than ten years, her mentality changed.
It changed immediately.
The couple then greeted all their relatives and friends, saying that they were going to Europe, without even telling their children. They didn't feel there was anything wrong with this.
For old men and women in their 60s and 70s, this may be the last journey of their lives. Everyone expressed their blessings to them. The Tucson city officials did not think it was inappropriate. After all, this old couple has served the United States all their lives, and it is completely justified.
Qualified to go out and play.
But during the various farewells, Old Jones was very surprised to find that many familiar friends had had 'accidents' in the past six months.
Some people set out to travel to Southeast Asia half a year ago, while others suddenly became very interested in African culture. Some people went to South America to pursue the Aztec culture. Some people were traveling in the United States and died of illness on the way.
But after the body of the 'sick deceased' was cremated, only a death certificate and an urn were returned.
Since he got older, Jones had not contacted his old friends for several years. When he came out of an old friend's house, he said to his wife:
"I suspect there's some kind of ashes in that urn. Maybe it's just a cow skeleton that was cremated."
After a simple door-to-door visit, the Joneses discovered that in 1993 alone, more than a dozen retired engineers and intellectuals had left inexplicably in Tucson alone.
These old men and women usually have weak legs and feet, but in just half a year, they have to make up for the regrets in their lives one by one.
"Damn, this includes White. I have always regarded him as my best friend, but he didn't even tell me when he left. He could not bear to watch me become Alzheimer's?"
Old Jones was furious at his departure. But he soon became curious - how many retirees in the United States suddenly want to "enjoy the rest of their lives" and then disappear without a trace?
It is difficult to check elsewhere, but Old Jones sent an inquiry to Texas A&M University in the name of contacting alumni, and wanted to ask what is the current situation of a group of elderly guys?
The result surprised old Jones.
‘Texas A&M University’ sounds like a third-rate school, just like the Bavarian Engine Factory in Germany or the Espoo Logging and Paper Mill in Finland. But anyone who really thinks this is a bad school will be laughed to death.
Old professors from prestigious universities are treasure-like existences, and the older they get, the more valuable they become. They still have a high status in their seventies and eighties, and they will never retire and disappear.
But Texas A&M did have a group of less well-known old professors who left the school in 1993. Most of the news released about them was that they went to study in Europe, or retired due to illness and stopped showing up.
"There are more than 20 people whose whereabouts are unknown, mainly in oil drilling, bioengineering, aerospace, organic chemistry, and electronic technology. Most of them are basic subjects."
Old Jones made a series of phone calls and transcribed dozens of names on hand. Excluding some with specific whereabouts, the rest of the list was also very surprising. "I know many of them, most of them are guys with outstanding abilities but not famous people."
.”
Mrs. Jones also looked at the list and sighed: "It seems that no one can refuse the devil's gift. Especially old guys like us who are almost at the end of our lives."
"No." Old Jones shook his head again, "Some people really died. Most of them died at home due to old age and illness, or they were sent to the hospital where rescue efforts failed.
The ones who died were also old and in poor health. No one doubted their death because they were already dying. But I bet there might be some..."
Although it was just a guess, the old couple felt that their guesses should be close to ten. Maybe there was someone who had a strong sense of justice and refused the devil's temptation. In order to keep it secret, the devil naturally silenced him.
But proportionally speaking, only a very small number of people have been silenced. Most people still succumb to the devil's power and choose to serve him. This is normal!
"Jones, how many people do you think the Holy Light can recruit?" the old lady asked.
"One or two thousand, three or four thousand, maybe more. America's talent system is very rich." Old Jones looked at the list he had collected and threw it into the fireplace and burned it to ashes.
“Looking from the list, ‘Holy Light’ initially mainly recruited leaders in basic disciplines, but soon changed to recruiting experts in application fields.
The subjects studied by some people are completely vacant in the Holy Light, and the addition of this group of people will greatly fill their technical shortcomings.
It would be even more terrible if these old guys were engaged in teaching jobs again. The diligence and learning ability of Chinese Americans are among the best in the world, and they can really produce a large number of talents."
"Would the 'Holy Light' not only attract talents from the United States, but also Europe would not let it go."
"It's very possible. They have mastered the miraculous drug, and they can really do anything. This is similar to the large number of Americans who immigrated to the Soviet Union before World War II. There is nothing wrong with our considerations."
The old couple spent about a week dealing with social relations, and then simply packed some luggage and left for Europe. Marcos's people would wait in Europe and take them around for half a month to relax, and then take a flight.
Go to the imperial capital.
Old Jones is an expert in engine maintenance and has extremely rich experience in testing and formulating application specifications. After arriving in the imperial capital, he received a low-key but warm welcome, and was then assigned to specific work.
‘Holy Light’ is cooperating with Motor Sich Company in aviation development. The joining of Old Jones can greatly advance the progress of the project and also force Motor Sich to work harder and come up with better personnel and technology.