Chapter 129

0126 Zombie Apocalypse?

The sky,

Slowly,

It brightened.

City First Hospital, as usual, was orderly and busy; the sorrow, anxiety, anger, and helplessness of the night were like an interlude—except for a few people who would never forget it, no one remembered.

Director Pan went to work, and Zheng Ren went to report to him what had happened the previous night.

Director Pan, who had been retired for over thirty years, had long adapted to societal changes; aside from that fire in his heart, he was not much different from ordinary directors.

Hearing Zheng Ren's report, Director Pan fell into contemplation for a while.

He also had no particularly good solution; he could only take things one step at a time.

Zheng Ren chose his way of solving the problem, and he felt there was no problem. Director Pan, who was well-versed in worldly affairs, knew that sometimes solving problems this way was a case of having no other option, but it indeed worked.

Because he was worried, Director Pan also called San Ye.

When the call connected, Director Pan did not hide anything.

Zheng Ren had just made a call an hour ago; if they now started with small talk, it would be too hypocritical. Moreover, the relationship between Director Pan and San Ye appeared rather close, so there was no need for many pleasantries.

A hearty laugh came from the phone; San Ye was refined, his voice not loud, and Zheng Ren couldn't hear clearly what he and Director Pan were saying.

After exchanging a few more words, Director Pan then smiled and hung up.

"It's fine." Director Pan laughed: "The tabloid, young people trying to make a name for themselves—Lao San has already said hello."

"Oh." Zheng Ren nodded blankly.

"Moreover, we have crucial evidence; rest assured, that side won't cause a disturbance." Director Pan comforted Zheng Ren.

Zheng Ren didn't care about any crucial evidence; in the face of a medical disturbance, is evidence useful?

Although there wouldn't be a huge trouble, it still didn't make him happy.

The story of the farmer and the snake comes from Aesop's fables, but it's like a mirror; one often discovers such fable-like events happening nearby, and sometimes one is that person in the story.

Kindness led Zheng Ren to choose not to be that snake.

But he also did not want to be the farmer.

The medical community has long advocated a blacklist system, which would put those who cause unreasonable medical disturbances on the list, barring them from receiving treatment under the normal medical insurance system.

But this is merely a wishful thinking of indignant doctors; Zheng Ren dares to guarantee that once this system is implemented, who knows how much saliva will be sprayed.

Anyway, I'm just a small fry; taking care of myself is enough, and the rest... I can't control.

Seeing Zheng Ren's low spirits, Director Pan patted his shoulder and laughed: "You really can't even hold a little fragrant oil in a dog's belly—does this little thing even count as an issue?"

Zheng Ren gave a bitter smile.

"Let's go, check on the patients." Director Pan knew that any comfort now would be useless; it's better to keep the normal work routine, letting time heal Zheng Ren's wounds a bit.

The two, accompanied by the on-duty doctor, began rounds; patients in the emergency observation room had relatively mild conditions, at least one-third due to fights or traffic accidents, waiting for the other party to compensate.

Judging by their condition, they should have left the observation room long ago.

But feigning illness happens every day; anyway, they absolutely refuse to leave the hospital voluntarily before receiving compensation.

Doctors naturally don't want to transfer this resentment onto themselves, so they just let it be.

This also has some benefits, such as avoiding delayed intracranial hemorrhage.

Each year, there are a couple of patients who develop delayed intracranial hemorrhage in the emergency observation room.

There are many patients in the emergency observation room, and indeed they are mostly minor ailments.

Soon, Director Pan and Zheng Ren examined the twenty or thirty patients under observation.

Just as they were about to go to Jizhenbingfang, several people came running down the Emergency Room hallway.

"Doctor, doctor!" shouted the leading young man anxiously.

He was carrying a person on his back; that person's arms were stiff, hands stretched forward like claws, as if trying to grab something.

Zheng Ren's heart tightened; the patient's condition looked very serious.

"This way!" Zheng Ren quickly guided the patient's relatives to the Emergency Resuscitation Room.

After much effort, the relatives finally moved the fully rigid patient from his back onto the resuscitation bed.

The patient's posture was bizarre, with severe rigidity of the neck and back, causing the body to arch backward like a bow; clinically this is known as opisthotonus.

His whole body was rigid, his hands lightly waving in front of him as if trying to grasp something; he made a heh-heh sound from his mouth, his face ferocious and cold.

"Ah..." the admitting nurse was a newly arrived young nurse, under twenty, who was startled badly by the patient's condition.

In her mind, the scene resembled something like a biohazard crisis, a zombie world war, or those walking-dead type movies.

This is a zombie......

If she bites me, will I also turn into a zombie?

Could it be,

Has the apocalypse come?

The young nurse was frightened into a daze; the mercury sphygmomanometer she was holding fell to the ground with a "bang," breaking the device and scattering mercury everywhere.

The relatives were also dumbfounded, wondering if it really was some fatal disease.

Anyway, the doctors at the township health clinic couldn't figure it out.

Before, they had also considered that it might be an incurable illness; but they still held a sliver of hope, hoping that City First Hospital could diagnose and treat it.

But,

As soon as they arrived at City First Hospital, it frightened the young nurse badly.

The leading young man stared for a moment, his eyes full of sorrow.

Another woman, over fifty, who had followed them in, seeing this scene, sat on the ground and began to wail.

Hearing the sound of the mercury sphygmomanometer hitting the floor, the patient's whole-body muscles tensed even more.

When the crying sounded, the "he-he" sounds she made also became dense, and saliva flowed from the corner of her mouth.

Zheng Ren hurried to stand between the little nurse and the patient, and said solemnly: "You, tidy up, go find your master to take the patient's blood pressure. Make sure all the mercury is found."

Then Zheng Ren solemnly looked at the patient's family and said: "Unrelated people, leave quickly; the patient must not be stimulated by sound!"

The young man who had carried the patient in had his eyes full of tears, a little afraid, he hesitated for a few seconds, with a sobbing voice, he asked softly: "Doctor, can he be saved?"

"Not certain." Zheng Ren said solemnly, "But there is still an Opportunity now; you stay, everyone else out. Now!"

Now!

Immediately!

Right away!

This is not a memorial hall; it's not yet time for the funeral!

Zheng Ren didn't even notice that his style was becoming increasingly stern, increasingly like Director Pan.

Director Pan frowned and said: "This is tetanus infection; the patient mortality rate is high, reaching fifty percent. Let one family member stay, the others withdraw."

Half, alive.

Half, dead.

The young patient's family listened, feeling bewildered, unaware of Mingli.

But this does not affect his judgment; at least the doctors at City First Hospital say there is still hope of survival.

He quickly drove everyone else out, and the resuscitation room finally fell into Silence.

"Zheng Ren, have you treated it before?" Director Pan saw Zheng Ren's calm expression and felt curious.

Even with tetanus bacillus infection, even Director Pan hasn't seen such a case in decades; how could this little guy Zheng Ren be so calm?