Chapter 2800

Gao Shaojie jumped in fright, his heart pounding wildly.

"Ghosts!" was his first thought, but Gao Shaojie immediately realized someone needed emergency aid.

After a single glance, Gao Shaojie had a vague impression. The fingernail beds were bluish‑purple—was it from traumatic compression or breathing difficulty?

The thought flashed, he stepped toward the door, but his legs went weak and he almost fell at the elevator entrance. The fright had left his legs limp without him noticing.

Truly getting old, Gao Shaojie sighed helplessly. Being with Zheng Lao Ban and Su Yun every day made him feel ageless.

Not daring to waste time, as he stepped out he glanced along his arm.

It was the girl next door, but now she showed no trace of her usual delicacy and beauty. Her lips were bluish‑purple, her face dark, white foam bubbled from her mouth corners and nostrils, occasionally streaked with blood.

The blood streaks were few; the incessant foam was the key trigger of her breathing difficulty.

A tracheotomy was needed! Gao Shaojie instantly realized this.

But!

Although he knew what had to be done, he had never actually performed a tracheotomy in his life.

Clinical work is now so specialized that Gao Shaojie has spent his whole life immersed in radiology imaging and interventional surgery. If he hadn't come to Di Du, and Zheng Lao Ban and Su Yun hadn't exposed TIPS surgery to him through dissection, he might never have seen an actual liver dissection despite a lifetime of doing them.

His only memory was from school days, but that was decades ago and hardly counts.

What should he do?!

Gao Shaojie had previously felt uncertain, chatting over meals about countless possibilities. But when the moment arrived, he stopped pondering; only one thought remained—what should he do?

Not knowing how long the unnamed neighbor could hold on, Gao Shaojie instantly pulled out his phone, didn't think, and dialed Zheng Lao Ban's number.

Calling 120 emergency services at this point would be fine in principle.

But principle is just principle; even if the unnamed neighbor survived until the doctor arrived, she would likely suffer cerebral hypoxia, leaving a young girl a lifelong vegetative state.

A risk‑free rescue protocol would satisfy anyone, but Gao Shaojie couldn't accept it in his heart. In that instant, his earlier hesitation vanished; he instinctively chose the best plan, without weighing the risks.

The phone was quickly answered; Zheng Lao Ban had uttered a single syllable when Gao Shaojie cut him off.

"Zheng Lao Ban, on my side there's a neighbor foaming at the mouth… lots of foam. Airway obstruction."

"……" The other end paused, then said, "Video! Open the door first—what sharp tools do you have at home?"

"A knife, a kitchen knife." Gao Shaojie said, then drew a deep breath to steady his emotions.

To be honest, he was nervous. What faced him was a human life, not a mannequin in some skills competition.

Now he could rely only on his own technique and Zheng Lao Ban's phone call to friends/family.

The call continued as Gao Shaojie opened the door; the ringtone of his phone's WeChat video call blared.

He hung up the call and connected the video; Su Yun appeared on the screen.

"Where is the person?"

"In the hallway, I went in to get a knife." Gao Shaojie said in a low voice. He thought he was calm enough, but his trembling voice made Su Yun feel hopeless.

"Don't rush, Lao Gao—look at the patient first!" Zheng Ren said.

As Gao Shaojie just opened the door, the hand holding the keys made a clattering noise.

He turned the phone backward, took a few steps inside, and conveyed Zhong Siyang's condition to Zheng Lao Ban via the video feed.

"A pointed knife… whatever knife you find, use it. A straw—do you have one at home?"

"Yes, it came with a takeaway drink."

Gao Shaojie stepped inside with his slightly weak legs, grabbed the knife and straw, and ran back as fast as he could.

But then he ran into a dilemma.

He had nowhere to put the phone, so receiving real‑time guidance from Zheng Lao Ban was impossible; if he ran back to look for a fixed brace, it would be too late.

"Turn up the volume! Su Yun, call 120 emergency, have Zhou Litao follow the ambulance and bring an intubation kit!"

Zheng Ren's voice was steady, betraying no anxiety. Gao Shaojie felt a bit reassured, turned the volume to max, set the phone down, and knelt beside the unnamed female neighbor.

"Take off your clothes and pad them behind the patient's neck." Zheng Ren's voice came through; Gao Shaojie hastily removed his coat and hastily stuffed it behind the girl's neck.

Although he wasn't sure of the exact steps, he still grasped the basics—unlike a layperson who would have no idea what Zheng Ren meant.

Exposing the neck, Gao Shaojie felt during the procedure that the girl before him seemed to have stopped breathing.

Not acting would involve him nothing; but if he acted… he might get into trouble. Not just possibly—it was highly likely.

A thought flashed through Gao Shaojie's mind.

But the next second, Zheng Lao Ban's voice completely shattered those distracting thoughts.

"Does the patient still have breath?!"

"No, she could still move when I called." Gao Shaojie stated the situation concisely.

"Do you know the thyroid cartilage?"

"Yes, the Adam's apple."

"From the lower edge of the thyroid cartilage to the suprasternal notch, make a straight incision." Zheng Lao Ban's voice sounded steady as it came out.

His voice was very steady, exuding a feeling of certain victory. Gao Shaojie felt he wasn't as tense as before; he took a deep breath, and with the knife in hand, he cut downwards.

"Damn, Lao Gao's hand is shaking so much! From this angle you can see it, hold steady!" Su Yun's voice came out; Gao Shaojie heard it clearly, feeling ashamed.

"Lao Gao is a Radiology Department doctor, hasn't rotated through the Emergency Department; likely his first time." Zheng Lao Ban's voice reached his ears: "Lao Gao, don't rush, don't be afraid, there may be heavy bleeding, don't worry, that amount of blood won't kill someone."

"Between the thyroid cartilage and the suprasternal notch there aren't any major blood vessels; apply pressure, just don't puncture through. The incision doesn't need to be too big—have you cut it open?!"

Gao Shaojie finally understood what it means: watching someone carry a burden seems effortless, but when you do it yourself you end up exhausted.

I still remember when I first met Zheng Lao Ban and Su Yun; I went to Haicheng Shi Yiyuan to check out these two young people.

During the surgery, the Emergency Department had an emergency; Su Yun went to rescue. I followed over and only saw Su Yun's hand reach into the patient's chest cavity, performing direct-view cardiac compression, while the rescue room's ceiling was covered in blood.

Back then I thought it should be that way, but now, holding the knife, I suddenly couldn't make the cut...

Gao Shaojie didn't have time to consult with Zheng Lao Ban; he took another deep breath, his left hand feeling the lower edge of the girl's thyroid cartilage, not worrying about any possible secondary injury, his right hand exerted force and cut down with one stroke.