As an expert-level department head at the Municipal Central Hospital, Liu Changshan generally only needed to come to the outpatient clinic twice a week. Unless it was a particularly special case where he would be called in urgently, he kept to this schedule. However, today was different; he had come to the hospital outside of his work hours because he was concerned about Chen Fei's employment.
Just as he was preparing to find Dr. Xu from the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine to inquire about Chen Fei's hiring process, the hospital director called him with an urgent report. The son of Gao Zhinan from Vast Sea Group had been severely injured in a collapse. He tensed immediately, understanding the gravity of the situation.
As a famous supermarket and hotel chain in Northern Mountain City and even the entire Jiangnan Province, Vast Sea Group was the city's leading enterprise. It had a deep background, and few people could afford to cause them offense.
Moreover, Vast Sea Group had donated a great deal of medical equipment to the hospital over the years, with the cardiovascular department being the largest beneficiary. Liu Changshan naturally didn't dare to be complacent. He knew he had to save Gao Zhinan's son.
But when he reviewed the patient's condition and test results on his phone, he was shocked. The patient was on the brink of death. Even if he personally intervened, there was little hope of saving him.
In his anxiety, he thought of Chen Fei, who had previously displayed miraculous life-saving skills right before his eyes. That was why he had made the earlier phone call.
"Dr. Liu." Chen Fei jogged to the entrance of the outpatient department building, where he immediately saw an anxious-looking Liu Changshan in casual clothes.
"Quick, follow me."
But Liu Changshan didn't even wait for him to finish his greeting. He grabbed Chen Fei's hand and hurried towards the emergency operating room in the outpatient department building.
Generally, a hospital's operating rooms are divided into the outpatient department's emergency operating rooms and the inpatient department's central operating rooms. Given Young Master Gao's critical condition, there was no time to prepare in a central operating room. That would be too late.
"Dr. Liu is here! Quick, Dr. Liu, come and take a look!" When they reached the emergency room, the scene was already chaotic.
Two young men in colorful shirts with dyed hair, who were clearly bad news, were raging in a panic.
The doctors, who had been cornered and berated by these frantic young men, were unable to talk back. Upon seeing Dr. Liu Changshan arrive, they looked as if they had seen their savior.
Zheng Yi, the deputy director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine who had previously used his authority to drive Chen Fei away, was also present. At this moment, he blended in among the other deputy directors and even expert-level chief physicians, looking quite inconspicuous.
Naturally, he also saw Chen Fei following Liu Changshan. A glint of cold, venomous resentment flashed in his eyes, but he dared not act on it because Liu Changshan from the cardiovascular department was present.
"Let me take a look."
Knowing the situation was critical, Liu Changshan wasted no words and pulled Chen Fei toward the various instruments in the emergency room. Looking at the dangerous numbers on the monitors, he gasped, his brow furrowed in alarm. "Damn, it's this serious!?"
"Dr. Liu, you have to save Young Master Gao! Otherwise, we'll all be in serious trouble!" Seeing Liu Changshan, the two flamboyantly dressed young men stopped their reckless behavior and begged with despondent expressions.
They had taken Young Master Gao out to eat wild game, never expecting the wall of the small restaurant to collapse and bury him alive!
If Director Gao from Vast Sea Group found out about this, even several lives wouldn't be enough to pay the price.
"Stop causing trouble here," Liu Changshan said gravely with a frown. "This young man's condition is very bad. It's not just a comminuted fracture in one leg but also severe bleeding in his chest cavity, and there seem to be other complications."
"There's a problem with his chest cavity. It looks like a bone fragment has pierced a lobe of his lung. We have to operate immediately; otherwise, not even a deity could save him," Chen Fei said with a frown. This poor kid is in critical danger. If we don't operate soon, things will get much worse.
"A bone fragment in the lung lobe? Xiaofei, are you sure?" Liu Changshan asked hesitantly. The instruments hadn't indicated anything of the sort.
That meant the fragment was either in a location that was difficult to detect or buried very deep. Either scenario was serious and would make the surgery vastly more difficult.
Of course, there's another possibility—that Chen Fei is just talking nonsense, that his claim about a bone fragment is baseless... but...
"It's you again, you brat. Do you really think you're some Divine Doctor? Better than the instruments? Able to diagnose a patient without even examining him?" a contemptuous voice interjected. It was Zheng Yi from the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
He paused before adding in a malicious tone, "Gentlemen, I think this kid is just here to cause trouble. We should throw him out before he interferes with the treatment!"
"You little twerp, do you know who Young Master Gao is? How dare you cause trouble here? Are you looking for death? If anything happens to Young Master Gao, I'll make sure you pay for it!" one of the young men immediately snapped at Chen Fei, his expression cold.
"Young man, this is an emergency room, not a place for you to spout nonsense," said a doctor from another department, glancing at Liu Changshan as he spoke. In fact, if anyone else had caused such a disturbance, they would have already called security. But since the kid seemed to have come in with Liu Changshan, they pretended not to see.
"Enough," Liu Changshan spoke up. "I brought Xiaofei here. His medical skills are no less than mine, so stop talking nonsense."
He paused briefly, then turned to Zheng Yi and said coldly, "Dr. Zheng, I know you've had issues with me in the past, but I hope you don't let personal feelings interfere with your work. That would be a violation of medical ethics."
He could tell from that single sentence that Zheng Yi was deliberately causing trouble, so his own words became sharp. A mere deputy director had no right to be so presumptuous in front of him, Liu Changshan!
"You..." Zheng Yi's face flushed crimson with fury. His fists clenched and anger flashed in his eyes, but he didn't dare to retort. With his status, he truly couldn't afford to provoke Liu Changshan.
"Dr. Liu, Dr. Zheng was just being cautious. Let's put that aside for now and decide how to save the patient. The young man's condition isn't promising," a white-haired elder in his sixties or seventies said, stepping forward to mediate with a frown. He was also a department director; although not from a popular department, he was still an influential figure.
He had keenly noticed that during the conflict between Liu Changshan and Zheng Yi, the monitors connected to the man on the operating table were showing critically dangerous readings, blinking red.
If they delayed any longer, it might truly become as the young man said: not even a deity could save him.
"But with massive chest bleeding, a comminuted fracture in one leg, and a lung potentially punctured by bone fragments... even if I operated myself, the success rate would be less than ten percent!" Liu Changshan admitted with hesitation.
Everyone's expression changed at his words. If even Dr. Liu Changshan wasn't confident, then the rest of them stood no chance at all. The only other person who might have a chance was Dr. Xu, the director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
In the entire Municipal Central Hospital, when it came to trauma surgery, probably only Dr. Xu could compare to Dr. Liu.
But Dr. Xu had urgent business today and had taken leave. Even if they called him now, it was uncertain if he would make it back in time. Missing the optimal window for surgery would be disastrous.
"Then let me do it. I'll give it a try," Chen Fei suddenly spoke up.
Although this Young Master Gao's situation looked extremely serious, to him, it was not an impossible case. It was worth a try.
"What did you say!?" As soon as Chen Fei spoke, everyone except Liu Changshan stared, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Is this kid crazy? Does he really think this is a place to fool around? For a high-risk surgery where even Dr. Liu and Dr. Xu would have less than a thirty percent chance of success... what is this young punk thinking? Besides, this is the son of Gao Zhinan from Vast Sea Group! If anything goes wrong... is this kid tired of living? Is he looking to die?
"Young man, you need to understand that this is no joking matter," the director who had tried to mediate said with a frown.
"I'm not joking. If we operate now, I'm confident I can save him, and his leg can be saved too. But if we wait any longer, I can't guarantee the outcome," Chen Fei replied, his face expressionless.
He wasn't boasting. After inheriting the legacy of that master from the Cultivation World, he truly possessed this level of skill!
To the others, his words were pure fantasy. Saving a leg with a comminuted fracture, without any permanent disability? He must be dreaming! Utter nonsense!
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Zheng Yi suddenly jumped forward and yelled. "You, a worthless graduate from a third-rate university, actually think you're a Divine Doctor? Do you even know Chinese medicine? Do you know anything about herbs or acupuncture? If something happens to Young Master Gao while you're operating, who will take responsibility?"
"And can you guarantee you can cure him?" Chen Fei retorted coldly, not wanting to get entangled with the man. "Let me operate now. I'm one hundred percent confident I can save him. If anything goes wrong, I'll take full responsibility!"
"You'll take responsibility? Can you afford to? Who do you think you are? Ten thousand of your lives aren't as valuable as Young Master Gao's!" Zheng Yi roared, his face contorted with ferocious contempt.
"Enough!" Liu Changshan's loud rebuke suddenly cut through the noise. He then turned to Chen Fei and enunciated each word, "Are you truly sure?"
Before he could even finish, Chen Fei cut him off. "Dr. Liu, I am one hundred percent certain I can save him. Any more delays will be trouble."
"Alright!" Hearing Chen Fei's assertive tone, Liu Changshan waved his hand decisively. "Let him perform the surgery!"
"No, Dr. Liu! Who will take responsibility if something goes wrong?" Zheng Yi tried to object again, but Liu Changshan's next words left him speechless.
"If something goes wrong, I, Liu Changshan, will take responsibility," Liu Changshan declared. "I should have the authority to make that call, shouldn't I?"
Everyone fell silent. After all, Liu Changshan, the leading expert of the cardiovascular department, was one of the three great pillars—one of the aces—of the Municipal Central Hospital.
If even he didn't have the authority, then likely no one in the entire hospital did!