Chief Engineer Chen took the photograph from Shen Xingkong but did not immediately explain it to him. Instead, he warmly invited them towards the office building, making a "please" gesture.

"Guests at the door are still guests. How about you and your student join me for some Pu'er tea I specially had a friend in Yunnan send me? Haha!"

"Hahaha, you greedy old fellow. This time, I will drink to your heartache," Professor Shi laughed heartily and walked towards the office building.

Shen Xingkong hurriedly followed Professor Shi, walking past the security guard with his chest puffed out, not even sparing him a glance.

The security guard nearly had a heart attack out of frustration, but now that Shen Xingkong had become the guest of the chief engineer, he wouldn't dare provoke him unless he wanted to lose his job.

Chief Engineer Chen's office was spacious and elegant, decorated with tropical plants and furnished in an antique style.

As soon as they entered, Chief Engineer Chen invited Professor Shi and Shen Xingkong to sit on a row of sandalwood chairs and personally brewed tea for them. The tea was excellent, authentic Yunnan top-grade Pu'er. Just the fragrance wafting from the teacups was enough to refresh the mind and body.

Leaving Professor Shi and Shen Xingkong to enjoy their tea, Chief Engineer Chen walked over to his desk, turned on his computer, and scanned the photo Shen Xingkong had given him.

His computer had specialized software with a comprehensive biological cell database. By comparing the cells in Shen Xingkong's photo with those in the database, he would quickly find a match.

Shen Xingkong's heart was pounding. If the "living needle" turned out to be something rare, the ordeal he went through in the suburban hills would be worth it. As the saying goes, surviving a great disaster is often followed by good fortune.

While Chief Engineer Chen used the software to analyze the cells, Professor Shi leisurely opened his briefcase and took out a set of needles he had used for over thirty years, along with a patch of ointment he had personally prepared.

Shen Xingkong saw Professor Shi taking out these items and couldn't help but ask quietly, "Professor, what are those for?"

"Oh, Chief Engineer Chen suffers from severe migraines. When he has an episode, it's excruciating, preventing him from working during the day and sleeping at night. Over the years, I've tried many treatments to barely control his condition, but he needs regular maintenance therapy, or it could recur at any time," Professor Shi explained softly, not keeping anything from Shen Xingkong.

"And how do you treat it?"

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Well..." Professor Shi paused his preparations and looked at Shen Xingkong meaningfully.

Shen Xingkong suddenly recalled an unwritten rule in traditional Chinese medicine: every senior practitioner has their own unique methods and formulas, which they would never reveal to anyone except their direct disciples.

Chief Engineer Chen's migraines were obviously not minor, or he wouldn't have gone through the trouble of personally fetching Professor Shi to his office. This implied that Professor Shi's treatment method was likely a closely guarded secret. Shen Xingkong's question was indeed a bit presumptuous, like asking a stranger about intimate details and expecting not to get slapped.

"I'm sorry, Professor Shi. I didn't mean to be intrusive," Shen Xingkong quickly apologized, explaining that he was merely curious and had no intention of stealing Professor Shi's secrets.

"Hahaha!" Professor Shi laughed, understanding Shen Xingkong's thoughts, and shook his head, pulling out three identical filiform needles from his needle pack. "Don't misunderstand. This is nothing secret. You're my student, so it's only right that I teach you. I just didn't expect you to have such a strong interest in traditional Chinese medicine."

"My method involves needling the three acupoints of Guanchong, Tianjing, and Sizhu on the Triple Burner meridian, along with applying an ointment on both temples. If you're interested, I can give you the formula when we return to school."

Shen Xingkong was deeply moved. He hadn't felt such warmth in a long time. Growing up in a poor family, he had always dressed shabbily while his classmates wore brands. Even teachers looked down on him, seeing no potential. Professor Shi's kindness made him feel incredibly grateful.

Just then, Chief Engineer Chen returned with the photo, looking puzzled. He handed the photo back to Shen Xingkong and asked hesitantly, "Young man, are you sure the cells in this photo are from a medicinal plant?"

"I don't know... Professor Gao said it was a medicinal plant," Shen Xingkong replied, shifting all the blame onto the notoriously harsh Professor Gao.

"Well..." Chief Engineer Chen glanced at Professor Shi, unsure how to proceed.

"Old Chen, what is it? Speak up! Don't be so hesitant; you're supposed to be an engineer!" Professor Shi said half-jokingly, half-seriously.

"According to my computer's cell database, the cells in this young man's photo are not from a plant but an animal. To be precise, an insect. In our biological field, we call it a wasp, commonly known as a yellow jacket."

"Spit..."

Just as Chief Engineer Chen finished speaking, the tea in Shen Xingkong's mouth sprayed out, thankfully not in the direction of either Professor Shi or Chief Engineer Chen.

"Sorry, my apologies..." Shen Xingkong quickly grabbed a napkin to clean up, his mind reeling with shock.

The strange, mysterious "living needle" turned out to be from a wasp. Shen Xingkong knew wasps had stingers used to defend themselves. If stung, humans would experience redness, swelling, and pain.

In South America, there's even a species known as the killer bee that can be deadly to humans.

However, the "living needle" Shen Xingkong found was over ten centimeters long. A wasp with such a long stinger would be enormous, at least a meter in length, which seemed impossible. But unfortunately, Shen Xingkong had indeed seen such a giant wasp.

He remembered that terrifying giant wasp in the forested hills the other night. He recalled trying to escape, being caught by the wasp, and the excruciating pain before passing out.

If that giant wasp wasn't an alien creature but an Earthly anomaly, it would have stung Shen Xingkong in its anger, explaining why he fainted in the forest.

Bees die after stinging, and the giant wasp was no exception. It must have left its stinger in Shen Xingkong.

As Shen Xingkong was lost in his thoughts, Professor Shi had already begun treating Chief Engineer Chen.