flstandardbreds Chapter 1017 Chilling
Chapter 1017 Chilling
The air in the corridor seemed to freeze solid after Professor Cao's words. Mu Xiaoji clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white—
He finally understood why Cao Guohua was in such a hurry to find them. This was no ordinary external injury; it was clearly a life-or-death situation.
Jiang Chengyu's brows furrowed, and countless possible surgical options flashed through his mind.
It was completely blocked by blood vessels that were "millimeters away" and "complex adhesions".
He turned to look at Mu Xiaoji, his worry almost overflowing: "Let's go straight to the operating room, look at the imaging data now, and analyze and integrate it as we perform the surgery!"
Mu Xiaoji nodded and took a step forward. The sound of their footsteps echoed rapidly in the empty corridor, as if they were racing against time.
Cao Guohua followed behind, watching their backs, and sighed heavily.
In all his years of medical practice, he had rarely seen such a dangerous situation. The metal fragment was like a time bomb buried inside his body, and he didn't know when it would explode.
When the operating room lights came on and shone on Mu Xiaoji's sterile gown, a solemn and tense atmosphere, like an arrow on a bowstring, was set in motion, leaving no room for turning back.
Mu Xiaoji stared at the clear image on the screen, her fingertips unconsciously sliding along the edge of the bed.
The shape of the fragments was even more irregular than Cao Guohua described, with one corner almost piercing into the nearby artery. The surrounding bleeding resembled a spreading red mist, a shocking sight.
"Surgery is necessary immediately," Jiang Chengyu's voice broke the silence, carrying a decisive tone.
"But we can't use the conventional procedure; we have to do angiography first to determine the course of each adjacent blood vessel."
Mu Xiaoji nodded, his gaze fixed on the image: "I'll be the surgeon, you assist with hemostasis. We need the finest laparoscopic instruments."
Cao Guohua added from the side, "The anesthesiologist has been in place for a long time and is ready to start the surgery at any time."
The three people's eyes met on the screen. Without saying a word, they all understood what the surgery meant.
The sky outside was gradually brightening, but the air inside the operating room still weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
The kitchen of the military hospital's canteen was bustling with the aroma of cooking. Xiao Huo approached the stove and smiled at Sergeant Zhang, who was in charge of cooking, saying:
"Squad Leader Zhang, we have a distinguished guest who came last night. He was busy in the operating room all night and didn't have a drop of water."
You'd better use your best skills to make this soup properly, and make it light and mild, as people always prefer light flavors."
With a clang, Squad Leader Zhang stirred the vegetables in the pot with his large iron shovel, then laughed heartily:
"Xiao Huo, the distinguished guest you mentioned, could it be Dr. Mu from Renxin Hospital?"
"Wow, Squad Leader Zhang, you could even guess that?" Xiao Huo's eyes lit up, his face full of surprise.
"What's so difficult about this?" Squad Leader Zhang said dismissively, his hands moving non-stop as the scallions, ginger, and garlic released their aroma into the hot oil.
"Among the experts who have visited our hospital, he is the only one who prefers a light diet."
When others come, don't they all feast on meat and drink heartily to have a good time?
"Hey, you're absolutely right."
Xiao Huo stroked his chin and smiled, watching Squad Leader Zhang sprinkle the prepared seasonings into the pot one by one. As he stir-fried, the aroma filled the air, whetting everyone's appetite.
After leaving the kitchen, Xiao Huo sat down at a table in the corner of the dining room and poured himself a cup of hot water from the teapot.
He frowned slightly, his eyes glancing occasionally towards the kitchen window as he watched the chefs busy preparing dishes. Clearly, he was still thinking about the operating room.
He picked up the teacup and gulped it down in one go. Just as he put the cup down...
The restaurant door was pushed open, and Qin Haibin led several people in police uniforms in.
"Comrades, please sit here for a while and have something to eat," Qin Haibin said apologetically, pointing to the empty seats next to him.
"Professor Luo and Professor Cao are still in the operating room trying to save that lady, and they probably won't be out for a while. Excuse me, I'll have to leave for a moment."
Xing Zhongxing, Wang Weidong, Wu Lan, and Zhai Minghao all nodded. Xing Zhongxing raised his hand and said:
"It's alright, Guard Qin, you can go ahead and do your work. We'll just wait here."
Qin Haibin responded and turned to walk towards the kitchen, his steps light yet retaining a military bearing.
Several police officers sat down at the table, their faces still showing signs of fatigue from their work.
Their gaze fell on the clock on the restaurant wall, clearly showing their concern for the situation inside.
"Qin Haibin..." Xiao Huo called out to him.
Qin Haibin turned his head at the sound and saw Xiao Huo sitting at the dining table. He was somewhat surprised: "Xiao Huo?"
"Is this a meal arranged for the police officers?" Xiao Huo stood up and asked.
"Well, the comrades have come all this way and haven't even had a chance to eat anything hot yet. I'll go and arrange it."
As Qin Haibin spoke, he quickly walked to the food pick-up window and said to Squad Leader Zhang inside, "Squad Leader Zhang, what food is ready? Please serve some to the police officers first."
While Squad Leader Zhang was busy stir-frying pork kidneys, he was also simmering pork intestines in a wok on the other side.
Upon hearing this, he loudly rattled off a menu: "We have steamed buns, twisted rolls, baozi, eggs, corn, sweet potatoes, wontons, soy milk, and fried dough sticks. Would you like to order all of them?"
"Okay, a little of everything, the sooner the better," Qin Haibin urged.
"Alright! Tang Xiaoshan—" Squad Leader Zhang shouted.
"Here! Squad leader, what are your orders?" A slightly immature but crisp voice came from behind the window.
"Serve the food!" Squad Leader Zhang said as he deftly opened the steamer and took out several white porcelain plates.
I quickly arranged the steamed buns, twisted rolls, and dumplings, and then picked up a few ears of corn and a few pieces of steamed sweet potato to put on a plate.
Then, I scooped out a bowl of steaming hot wontons from the thermos, poured a pot of soy milk, and neatly arranged the fried dough sticks on a long plate.
Finally, he ladled out a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes from the iron pot next to him, and added two more hot dishes—stir-fried pork kidneys and braised pork intestines—all in one smooth motion.
The young man named Tang Xiaoshan, wearing a military uniform that looked slightly loose on him, nimbly carried a large tray out of the kitchen and headed towards the table of the police officers.
The rising steam, carrying the aroma of food, filled the air, adding a touch of warmth and life to the otherwise somber atmosphere of the restaurant, which was filled with the smell of food as people waited.
Qin Haibin and Xiao Huo each carried a plate of the remaining dishes and a bowl of boiled eggs over.
With a warm smile, Xiao Huo put the food on the table: "Hey! Captain Xing, we meet again. Quick, everyone, eat while it's hot."
Xing Zhongxing quickly stood up and said politely, "Oh, it's Xiao Huo. I'm sorry to have troubled you again."
“Captain Xing, you’re being too polite,” Xiao Huo waved his hand. “Eat up, the dishes were just cooked by Squad Leader Zhang. There’s more in the kitchen if you need more, just ask.”
"That's enough, that's enough," Xing Zhongxing said with a smile, looking at the table full of food. "We just arrived, and we haven't even gotten down to business yet, but we're already eating."
Wang Weidong, standing nearby, picked up a steamed bun, broke it open, and chimed in, "Hey? Captain Xing, in our line of work..."
If we don't fill our stomachs first, how will we have the energy to solve cases? Xiao Huo, don't you agree?
Besides, we're practically family with the military hospital, there's no need to be so polite.
Everyone laughed at his words, and the tense atmosphere in the restaurant caused by the wait was greatly eased by these few casual remarks.
Qin Haibin sat down to the side, picked up a boiled egg and peeled it, saying softly:
"Please keep this in mind for now. We'll explain the situation in detail once we have more information from inside."
"Okay, sure." Xing Zhongxing replied, taking the first bite of hot and sour shredded potatoes. The steaming hot food dispelled the fatigue of his journey.
The warm laughter from the meal still lingered as the restaurant door opened again.
Cao Guohua led Jiang Chengyu and Mu Xiaoji in, with Luo Shaoqing following closely behind.
The faces of the group were etched with unconcealed exhaustion, but their eyes held a clear sense of relief.
Xing Zhongxing and the others immediately put down their bowls and chopsticks and stood up, greeting each other: "Professor Cao, President Jiang, President Mu."
As he spoke, he stepped forward to shake hands. When their palms touched, he could feel the lingering coolness on the other person's fingertips—the temperature from holding a scalpel for a long time.
Xing Zhongxing gestured for them to sit down and said with concern, "Everyone must be exhausted. Please have a seat."
Xiao Huo and Qin Haibin quickly got up and went to the kitchen. Soon after, they brought out new dishes with Tang Xiaoshan.
Xiao Huo handed over a bowl of warm soup and said softly, "Professor Jiang, President Mu, have some soup to warm your stomach first, and we can talk about it later."
"Thank you." Jiang Chengyu and Mu Xiaoji took the soup bowls and sipped it. The warm liquid slid down their throats, slightly relieving the intense tension in their nerves during the surgery.
Cao Guohua put down his soup spoon and spoke first: "Although the surgery is complicated..."
But with the four of us working together, we finally succeeded in the surgery and the foreign object was removed.
Luo Shaoqing's face was still somewhat angry and pale. He picked up something wrapped in gauze from the sterile tray beside him.
Gently placed on the dining table, the gauze was removed, revealing several metal fragments covered in blood and flesh, their edges frighteningly sharp.
He clenched his fists, his voice filled with resentment: "These people are bastards! To be so cruel to people, they're simply animals!"
Wang Weidong, Wu Lan, and Zhai Minghao all stared at the fragments, their faces full of confusion—
These oddly shaped metal pieces don't look like typical murder weapons, so it's really hard to guess what they are.
Xiao Huo couldn't help but lean closer to Cao Guohua and whisper, "Professor Cao, what is this?"
Cao Guohua and Xing Zhongxing exchanged a glance, then looked at Jiang Chengyu and Mu Xiaoji, and both nodded slightly.
Cao Guohua coughed lightly, his voice low and serious: "These are... the broken remains of adult products."
Its edges were deliberately polished; an object meant for amusement had been used as a weapon to injure someone.
"what?!"
A murmur of surprise rippled through the restaurant; the initial confusion on Xing Zhongxing and the others' faces instantly turned to shock.
Xiao Huo and Qin Haibin stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief and horror.
No one expected that these deadly fragments were taken from the patient's body. The brutality and malice hidden behind this are chilling.
The air seemed to freeze once again; the warmth from before vanished, leaving only heartache for the victims and intense indignation towards the perpetrators.