Zheng Ren pressed the doorbell and entered once the door was unlocked.
All manner of incurable diseases and critical illnesses were sent to ICU, a place responsible for cleaning up every mess in the hospital.
It was as busy as ever. Zheng Ren could hear the cacophony of various monitors and ventilators from the ICU corridor.
The sound involuntarily quickened his heart rate and pushed his mind into a state of high alert.
"How is the patient?" Zheng Ren asked, having gone straight to the postoperative patient after entering the ICU.
"He has woken up from general anesthesia, and his condition remains stable so far. I've told him that he needs a ventilator to assist his breathing for one night," replied Su Yun, who was sitting on a chair while repeatedly tapping a paper with the tip of a pen.
The patient's vital signs on the monitor had normalized and his systolic pressure had reached 100mmHg. The blood-red font on the System panel at the upper right corner of Zheng Ren's vision gradually faded as well, a clear sign that the patient had gotten out of immediate danger.
"Okay." Zheng Ren nodded and scanned through the patient's postoperative test results. Just when he was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly recalled something and asked, "What do you want for dinner? I'm going to order some delivery."
"No thanks." Su Yun lazily stretched and said with a smile, "Yiren just said that she has found a new barbeque restaurant. Once the patient's condition stabilizes, we'll head out for dinner."
"..."
"Chief resident, keep an eye on the house"
"..." Zheng Ren turned around and left without hesitation.
A chief resident indeed lived a miserable life.
He could only stay in the hospital and await emergency cases while his buddies could happily go out for dinner. Although he had no interest in food, he actually enjoyed the moments spent together with the group.
'What a bummer. In that case, perhaps I can check if there are any trauma cases awaiting wound closure in the emergency department. Practice makes perfect, right?' Zheng Ren thought along the way.
Upon exiting the outermost doors of the ICU, Tang Xiu stepped forward eagerly, but was afraid to hear bad news.
After seeing Tang Xiu's hesitation and worry, Zheng Ren did not keep her waiting. "Your father has regained consciousness from anesthesia, but massive blood loss has rendered his body weak, so we've used a ventilator to assist his breathing for a night to reduce his cardiac workload. I think he can be transferred to the emergency ward tomorrow morning."
Zheng Ren's words completely took a load off her mind.
"Thank you, Doctor Zheng."
"No problem." Zheng Ren waved his hand and left.
Relieved, Tang Xiu began to call her mother and other relatives to inform them of the bad news and the relatively good news.
'F*ck you, Wei Feng!' She cursed internally while making the calls.
If the chief editor had allowed the publication of Wei Feng's article, Doctor Zheng would have been suspended, at the very least.
If that had been the case… a cold corpse would have been waiting for her today.
The more Tang Xiu thought about it, the greater her fear. Not giving a damn about her image, she slumped against the wall, using it to support her weight.
The cold of the wall seeped into her body and froze her soul.
'Luck was on my side,' she thought emotionally after a long while.
…
…
Zheng Ren returned to the emergency ward and began revision on a book of emergency first aid. He had completely forgotten about the academic conference that Old Chief Physician Pan wanted him to attend, and as for the invitation card, he had absolutely no clue where he had placed it last time.
However, since he was a chief resident of the emergency department, there was nothing wrong with him gaining knowledge in emergency first aid.
At half-past five, Xie Yiren ran down and asked Zheng Ren what he wanted to have for dinner.
Zheng Ren hesitated for a while, and Xie Yiren merely looked at him as if staring at a fool.
She was unable to comprehend his thinking. How could anyone dislike food? How boring would life be if everything in the world tasted the same?
Yes, Zheng Ren was indeed a boring man.
Without waiting for his answer, Xie Yiren told him not to order food and pulled Chang Yue out of the room.
Yang Lei trailed them like a ghost. He shifted his gaze between Xie Yiren's back and Zheng Ren, and silently gave him an ambiguous smile.
Everyone was gone, and every patient who could ambulate had returned home as well. The emergency ward felt quiet and empty.
Zheng Ren read his book attentively.
The phone rang at past seven o'clock.
He accepted the call; on the other end, there was a high-pitched cry among absolute chaos in the background.
Chapter 140 - A Robbery In The Emergency Department
F*ck! What the hell happened again?!
The sharp, chaotic noise instantly sent Zheng Ren's entire system into overdrive.
His blood pressure and heart rate skyrocketed.
This was a common reaction during emergency situations. Therefore, most doctors and nurses working in the emergency department had varying degrees of arrhythmia and required metoprolol tablets to relieve their symptoms.
Zheng Ren experienced palpitations, c.h.e.s.t tightness and dyspnea, but the urgency forced him to ignore them as he stood and rushed down to the emergency department.
When passing the nurses' station, he simply informed them of where he was going and instructed them to call him in case anything happened. Then, he ran to his destination at full speed.
Onlookers were staring at a commotion in the halls and the corridors, which were filled with a cacophony of smells—disinfectants, the acidic stench of vomit and the metallic scent of blood.
The tenseness silenced everyone except for a few ignorant children whose hysterical crying rebounded off the walls and echoed throughout the emergency department like an aria.
Zheng Ren weaved his way through the crowd toward the scene.
What in the world had happened? Was it a cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death? Had someone ingested paraquat, necessitating immediate treatment, or…
Countless thoughts whizzed through his mind.
Hesitant and afraid, a few security guards stood outside the medication store of the emergency department treatment room.
Upon seeing Zheng Ren's arrival, the lead security guard approached him with a bitter expression and whispered, "Chief Zheng, a man is stealing narcotics."
An invisible fist seemed to clench Zheng Ren's heart and slow his heartbeat.
It was not a rescue operation, but just as troublesome as one.
After the leniency in narcotics control many years ago, drug-related crimes had constantly afflicted China.
However, as regulations became increasingly stringent, at least two men were required to safeguard the keys to the drug storage room as if the drugs were top-secret doc.u.ments in the National Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. If absolutely necessary, a doctor licensed to prescribe drugs would write a prescription, which was then reviewed by two nurses before the patient could receive any.
In addition, every empty ampoule had to be returned in exchange for new drugs.
Due to the implementation of strict regulations and constant anti-crime activities, evil forces had been forced to stay out of trouble and hide in the dark.
Today's incident had not occurred in a long time.
Zheng Ren pushed the crowd aside and saw an ashen-faced nurse covering her mouth with trembling hands and huddling up in a corner of the treatment room, trying desperately to swallow the fear in her throat so her whimpers would not provoke the robber.
Her knuckles were visibly white with effort.
An emaciated man about one meter seventy was trying to unlock every drawer and cabinet with the keys
in his hand.
There was a black tattoo on his arm, but it was so badly inked that Zheng Ren had to observe very closely before being able to vaguely make out a dragon.
A watermelon knife in his left hand danced in rhythm with his uncontrollable muscle tremors.
Zheng Ren knew that anyone who exhibited such behavior was dangerous and beyond reason.
He had no clue how to handle this situation. Whether it ended in peaceful resolution or bloodshed depended on his decision now.
How would this end? No one knew the answer.
"Why can't I open it?!" mumbled the young man angrily after numerous failed attempts at unlocking the drawer. His voice sounded so croaky and slurred that both Zheng Ren and the nurse curling up in the corner failed to understand his words, let alone communicate with him.
He then picked up a bottle of normal saline and hurled it at the nurse in the corner.
However, his uncoordinated movements diminished his accuracy and the bottle ended up hitting a cabinet with a loud crash.
The sound of shattered glass was so harsh that the nurse huddling up in the corner quickly covered her ears and screamed at the top of her lungs.
The scream seemed to provoke the young man, who had completely lost his mind. With bloodshot eyes, he pointed the knife at the nurse and mumbled something Zheng Ren could not catch.
Seeing the situation going out of hand, Zheng Ren kicked the half-closed door without giving a damn about the consequences.
"Boom!"
The young man, like a wild beast acting on primal instinct, was instantly attracted by the thunderous noise.
He turned around and fixed his gaze on Zheng Ren.
Muscle spasms contorted his face, causing a fine trickle of drool to leak from the corner of his mouth. That, coupled with the meaningless groans from his throat, was indeed a horrifying sight.
Despite it being his subconscious that drove him to draw the young man's attention, it still sent a shiver down Zheng Ren's spine.
In the emergency department, he had encountered ruffians, unreasonable families and troublemakers.
However, none of them had ever been as dangerous as this irrational young man right now.
"Spread out, move away!" Zheng Ren vigorously waved his arms and instructed the onlookers to back off.
The security guards had enough professionalism to know that if the man went crazy, he would spark a bloodbath in the emergency department.
Expecting the onlookers to overwhelm the lone man with their huge numbers… was practically impossible.
"Spread out! Move out of the way!" The guards assisted Zheng Ren in dispersing the crowd.
Those who had spider-sense and detected danger earlier quickly backed away.
However, the gap they left behind was immediately filled by even more nosy parkers.
Zheng Ren's heart was consumed by bitterness as he faced the irrational young man and the ignorant crowd of fascinated spectators.
The thick wall of onlookers extinguished his last hope to make a run for it. Not only would he be unable to push the crowd aside if he attempted to escape, but any attempt would also inevitably put patients and their family members in harm's way...
The consequences would be catastrophic!
Zheng Ren's back was already against the wall when he tried to take two steps away.
A savage smile appeared on the man's face. He pointed the knife at Zheng Ren and tried to mutter something, but he simply could not put his thoughts into words in his current state of mind.
'I'm wearing only surgical attire and a white coat. Would it be better if I had a cotton-padded coat on me?' Like any ordinary person who faced danger, Zheng Ren's mind wandered elsewhere and a completely irrelevant thought popped into his brain.
He was not a martial artist and simply lacked the capability to defeat the robber alone.
He had attracted the robber's attention and given up the idea of fleeing the scene solely because of his firm adherence to the principle of humanity.
When the feral robber walked out of the treatment room, knife in hand, only then did the bystanders in the front understand what was going on.
The crowd shrieked and scattered immediately.
The children's hysterical crying and the screeches of terror created chaos, resonating violently in the air.
Zheng Ren scanned the area and tried to find something to defend himself. However, the red, hard plastic benches were welded to the ground precisely to prevent them from being used as weapons in conflicts.
How about the office? That was too far and he would never reach there safely.
The young robber seemed to have completely lost his sanity and forgotten his initial purpose of visiting the emergency department.
'That f*cking doctor is trying to stop me. Kill him!'
That was all that filled his mind.
Raising the watermelon knife, he rushed at Zheng Ren with murder in his eyes, but after two steps, his legs suddenly gave way and he stumbled.
Chapter 141 - Strong Survival Instinct
Before Zheng Ren could react, a figure charged past him at lightning speed, like a cheetah.
In the blink of an eye, the young robber was already on the floor with his elbow twisted underneath a large foot.
It was a professional maneuver to subdue an opponent as it fully conformed to one's body mechanics and ergonomics, but simply knowing about it did not mean Zheng Ren was able to execute it.
"Doctor Zheng, we meet again." Fan Tianshui smiled.
Zheng Ren had long forgotten about this man ever since he was discharged… half a month ago?
However, his features were so unique that Zheng Ren, who had late-stage face blindness cancer, could easily recognize him.
The big-boned Fan Tianshui had gained considerable weight compared to his initial emaciated frame half a month ago.
The added bulk made him look sturdy rather than simply being plump.
Just like a lion.
"Why… Why are you here?" asked Zheng Ren curiously.
"The company has been paying attention to the Sea City General Hospital emergency department. After we were informed about ongoing trouble, I rushed here as soon as possible," Fan Tianshui said, "Manager Lian will be arriving soon."
Zheng Ren was aware that 'Lian' was Little Six's surname, but was used to addressing the man as Brother Six.
This was really…
'Being kind has its own advantages too,' Zheng Ren thought.
"Have you called the police?" he asked loudly.
"They should be arriving soon," answered one of the nurses from afar.
Zheng Ren sighed in relief. His heart rate gradually normalized, but the irregularity in his heart rhythm was still there.
It was a small issue, though.
He went to console the frightened nurse still huddled in the corner of the treatment room.
She was an experienced nurse in her thirties.
A senior nurse was required to supervise junior nurses during night shifts in the emergency department and keep them from panicking during an emergency.
After he comforted the nurse for a while, Little Six and the police arrived at almost the same time.
The officers were particularly professional in dealing with malicious cases that could endanger public safety.
The young robber was escorted back to the public security bureau first before every involved staff member was interviewed and their confessions recorded in a quiet room.
Old Chief Physician Pan also arrived along with a chief from a sub-bureau. After he grimly inspected the department and ensured that all medical personnel were only mentally traumatized rather than physically injured, he began discussing the issue with the bureau chief, relieved.
Unlike his usual method of communication with patients, his mannerisms were particularly imperious when speaking with the chief.
The chief merely stood ramrod-straight, like a recruit receiving a lecture from a senior squad leade
r.
After statements had been taken, Zheng Ren noticed that the emergency department had regained its peace and approached Old Chief Physician Pan to give his report. The old man merely asked him to return home immediately to rest and get over the traumatic experience, promising to properly handle the situation.
Old Chief Physician Pan was capable of solving almost every issue that came his way, so Zheng Ren agreed, unworried.
A few hours later, Zheng Ren returned to the emergency ward, dead on his feet.
The few minutes of tension had been more exhausting than ten consecutive surgeries. Adrenaline and dopamine had been released in large quantities, but once the stressor had gone, an overwhelming fatigue consumed his body.
Upon returning to the office, he was astonished to see Xie Yiren sitting cross-legged on a chair, wearing a pair of white airpods while playing on her phone.
Two large rabbit ears on the headphones accentuated her cuteness.
"Why are you here?" asked Zheng Ren, dazed.
"Hey, you're back!" Xie Yiren merely detected his presence at the door without actually hearing his question. After she raised her head and saw Zheng Ren, she quickly removed her headphones and jumped off the chair.
"Why are you here?" Zheng Ren repeated, realizing that she had been distracted.
"I brought you food," Xie Yiren replied, "This barbeque is very delicious."
"How delicious?"
Xie Yiren gestured with her hands, mimicking a multi-storey building. "This much."
The adorable girl's youthful vitality reinvigorated Zheng Ren and alleviated his fatigue.
He laughed and patted Xie Yiren's head. "Where is the rice?"
"I heard that you were speaking to the police when I came back just now, so I left it on the water heater. What happened?" She finally remembered to ask about the incident.
"It was just a small issue," replied Zheng Ren with a smile, unwilling to scare Xie Yiren.
"Then hurry up and have your dinner. It'll go cold if you wait any longer." Xie Yiren leaped to retrieve the packed food.
The Surgeon's Studio c1-799 Page 74
