Chapter 370 - 249: The Killing Blow

"Professor Miller, was it really you who righteously exposed Wang Qian's plagiarism? Or did one of Wang Qian's PhD students, unable to bear the long-term exploitation, report him to the committee with irrefutable evidence, causing the whole thing to blow up? And you, seeing that the truth was out, threw Wang Qian away like a pawn to save your own skin, only to show up here today and present yourself as some noble victim?"

Professor Miller's expression completely crumbled, the muscles in his face twitching from panic and extreme rage.

"Do you really think you can get away with this?" Jiang He pressed, each word a dagger. "Wang Qian doesn't just have evidence of his own fraud. He has the emails where you instructed him to intercept pre-review manuscripts from top journals and filter them for valuable experimental concepts for your own gain! Do you really think he hasn't made any backups over the years? You old bastard, how much of that academic halo you've been wearing is actually real? And how much of it is built on the lifeblood of the young scholars you've drained dry?!"

"Stop it!"

Professor Miller finally snapped, roaring:

"It's fake! All of it! This is a deliberate smear campaign! You liar from China, you're framing me with synthesized audio! Security! Where is security! Get him out of here!"

Jiang He replied in Chinese, "What's wrong? All smiles when you're winning, but a sore loser throwing a fit the moment the tables turn?"

Miller roared, "I don't understand what you're saying! Security!"

At an event of this caliber, such a public loss of composure was tantamount to admitting defeat.

Hayes and Carter were already pale as ghosts, subconsciously shuffling to the side to put some distance between themselves and Professor Miller.

Seeing a few security guards on the periphery actually start to move forward, Wen Xuyang's blood rushed to his head. He shoved aside the professor who was trying to hold him down and shot to his feet, roaring:

"Don't you dare touch him! Jiang He's reasoning is sound, and his evidence is conclusive! Miller is clearly the one in the wrong! If you're taking anyone away, it should be him!"

Zhou Deming stared at Wen Xuyang in astonishment.

He cursed silently, 'Kids these days... far too impulsive.'

The very next second, Zhou Deming shot to his feet as well, shouting angrily, "He's right! The problem is Miller! Take Miller away! Take away this disgrace to academia! Take him away! Take him away! Take him away! COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."

The old professor was so worked up he started coughing.

Fu Yunshu and Guo Fengwan also leaped to their feet, blocking the aisle. "With all this media here today, does Hopkins really think it can cover up the truth? Truth is always on the side of evidence!"

"We're not in the wrong! Take Miller away!"

"Take him away!"

Just as the scene was about to spiral out of control,

an elderly European gentleman with silver hair rose slowly from the front row.

The logo of Charite Medical School, Berlin was printed on the name badge on his chest.

All eyes in the hall focused on him once more.

This gentleman was a true titan in the field of European digestive surgery: Professor Weber.

—Gu Qingyan's mentor in Europe.

He spoke softly, "Professor Miller, did you just say that the evidence this young doctor from China presented was fabricated?"

As if grasping at a life-saving straw, Professor Miller nodded frantically. "That's right! Professor Weber, you have to believe me!"

"Regrettably." Professor Weber shook his head, holding up his BlackBerry. "Just ten minutes ago, my inbox—along with the inboxes of several other European editorial board members here today—received an urgent bulletin from the editor-in-chief of the *Lancet*."

"Based on irrefutable, hard evidence received from multiple sources—including, but not limited to, lab surveillance footage, email correspondence, and the core data comparison provided by Dr. Zou Ji—the journal's ethics committee has completed its preliminary review."

"The bulletin officially announces that not only will Professor Miller and his team be permanently banned from all submission channels under any name, but the journal will also begin formal retraction procedures for three of his highly-cited papers from the last five years. This includes the very article on MIF-targeted intervention discussed today."

Professor Weber paused, looked at the trembling Professor Miller, and delivered the killing blow:

"Furthermore, given that this involves major research funding fraud, the scandal has already attracted the attention of the U.S. Office of Research Integrity, or ORI. And in a move of self-preservation, Hopkins' own review committee has likely already coordinated with security to seal off your lab."

Now *that* was a true checkmate.

Jiang He and the others had never been fighting alone. Across the ocean, Gu Qingyan had long been setting the final, fatal trap.

Gu Qingyan: You're welcome, little Jiang He~

The entire auditorium erupted!

This was no longer a simple rivalry between Chinese and American scholars; it was a seismic event in the global medical community, one destined to go down in history.

The involvement of the ORI meant that not only was Professor Miller's academic career over, but he would also face a lengthy prison sentence.

The reporters went into a frenzy. Their cameras—long lenses and short—swiveled in an instant, swarming Professor Miller as a torrential downpour of flashes washed over him.

"Professor Miller, do you have any response to the ORI investigation?"

"Do you admit to using your peer review authority to exploit scholars from other countries?"

The security guards had forgotten all about Jiang He; they were now desperately trying to hold back the out-of-control reporters.

Professor Miller slumped into his chair, his face ashen.

He struggled to lift his head, his gaze traveling over the crowd to meet Jiang He's on the stage one last time.

The twenty-one-year-old had maintained an unnerving calm from start to finish.

It was as if destroying an academic titan was, to him, a trivial matter.

Jiang He gently tapped the microphone with his finger.

The clamorous hall fell miraculously silent.

His tone was even, but every word carried immense weight: