Chapter 2946: 2746 Leave It to You to Decide

"It seems fine for now." Zheng Renhe and Wen Xiaonuan said.

Wen Xiaonuan held Xiao Shitou's hand, her head slightly lifted as she looked at Zheng Ren. Tears flickered in her eyes, but she didn't speak.

"If there's no change, after three days… we'll just observe for now." Zheng Ren pressed his lips and patted Xiao Shitou's hand.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but at that moment Zheng Ren felt Xiao Shitou's hand twitch.

The timeline seemed to snap back to the day they had a long talk, and Zheng Ren felt as if Xiao Shitou wanted to bump fists with him.

Looking closely, he lay still and quiet on the hospital bed, only the sound of the ventilator operating, making the ward feel even colder.

The side effects of using the True Eye were worsening; Zheng Ren sighed. If hallucinations keep happening, how will he perform surgery in the future?

"I'll go look into the recent situation." Zheng Ren said softly to Wen Xiaonuan, then turned and left.

Just as he stepped out of the room, Wen Xiaonuan's voice came from behind.

"Doctor Zheng!"

Her voice was soft, as if she feared disturbing Xiao Shitou's sleep; even her footsteps were slight.

"Hmm?" Zheng Ren turned back.

Wen Xiaonuan hurried out of the ward, she had thousands of things to say but didn't know what to say or how to say it.

Seeing Wen Xiaonuan's expression, Zheng Ren gave a slight smile, "I'll do my best."

Wen Xiaonuan lifted the stray hairs from her cheeks and temples with her hand, then bowed deeply.

Many patients and their families had expressed gratitude before, and Zheng Ren had seen it often. But this time his heart was struck by Wen Xiaonuan's action, and he froze for a moment.

"Doctor Zheng, you've worked hard." Wen Xiaonuan said softly.

"You're welcome." Zheng Ren said, "As for the next step in treatment… to be honest, I don't have a count."

"Can Xiao Shitou wake up?" Wen Xiaonuan tried to keep her tone calm, apparently not wanting to put too much pressure on Zheng Ren.

"It should be fine."

Wen Xiaonuan nodded, forced a smile, and said, "Then I'll head back; I'm worried he'll be scared if I'm not there."

"Go on, talk to him more." Zheng Ren said, "I'll sort out the documents, and we'll take turns keeping him company."

Having said that, Zheng Ren turned and left.

He felt fragile, possibly another side effect of using the True Eye. His mental state was average; right now he should stay calm and consider objectively how to proceed forward.

With the help of Doctor Ka'er, Zheng Ren organized all of Xiao Shitou's data, preparing to do analysis work.

He sent a few messages to Yi Ren to report safety and inquired about the situation at Su Yun's side. This attempt left a deep impression on Zheng Ren.

Xiao Shitou's condition is merely a mucous overflow branch; even the Energy Value is insufficient. What if it were changed to the strange script described on Luo Qie's and Thus term: Thus term: Kelisidian's system panel?

Perhaps even ten thousand points of Energy Value wouldn't be enough.

Even a thirty-year limit is still a bit short; specifics still depend on the Big Pig Trotter.

Yi Ren didn't know what Zheng Ren had encountered here; she urged him to eat well and absolutely avoid low blood sugar.

Su Yun said he had already soothed Luo Qie and Thus term: Thus term: Kelisidian; they were waiting for Zheng Ren to return and asked when he would come back.

When it came to timing, Zheng Ren couldn't decide. He also told everyone in the work group that he might stay out for a few days, that the surgery must be done steadily, and to call Su Yun if any special situation arose.

Quiet settled in, Zheng Ren touched his "premature white hair" and gave a helpless, wry smile. He used to only tease Liu Zewei about it, never expecting to worry about his own hair so soon.

It seems only his hair has changed; his body feels fine now. It's not like the first time he used the True Eye, after which he felt dizzy for a long time. This time after sleeping, he felt energetic, as if nothing had happened.

Only by looking at the half of his hair in the changing room mirror did he realize there was still a change.

Flipping through Xiao Shitou's medical record, Zheng Ren let out a soft sigh.

To be honest, he had nearly memorized this case; he knew exactly what happened each day and each hour, and how the data changed.

What should he study? Zheng Ren suddenly felt at a loss.

As a clinical doctor, Xiao Shitou no longer needed treatment at this point. Through surgery and medication, his life had been extended by a few months, but that was all.

He sat silently at the desk, looking over the condition's description, recalling follow‑up treatment plans. But in the True Eye, the follow‑up treatment appeared blank; he couldn't recall anything.

The System Library had lost its function; now every step he took, if written up, would be a top‑tier sci article for others to reference.

Ahead there was no path, but when many walk, a path forms. Zheng Ren used to follow others' tracks; this time he was truly lost.

Technical means were secondary; gradually Zheng Ren realized what he was hesitating about.

Seeing Xiao Shitou, noticing he had grown thinner again, Zheng Ren felt an indescribable discomfort in his heart.

Although he and Xiao Shitou had a long talk once, with a 50% chance, he thought to do it twice! Those words kept echoing in his ears.

But should he really continue? It was time to let go, to suffer less; that would be a good choice.

Various thoughts tangled and collided in his mind; Zheng Ren also didn't know what to do.

Time passed bit by bit, the night grew deeper; Zheng Ren, unable to figure it out, simply gathered all the data and went to the ward.

Replacing Wen Xiaonuan so she could rest, Zheng Ren sat by Xiao Shitou's bed.

This child had lost a lot of weight; lying on the bed, his chest rose and fell with the ventilator's rhythm, and his blood pressure, heart rate, and pulse were relatively stable.

Zheng Ren quietly watched for a few minutes, then spoke softly: "Xiao Shitou, do you want to continue treatment?"

As he spoke, his voice was calm, as if Xiao Shitou could hear him; the two sat opposite each other, engaging in a plain, ordinary exchange.

"I feel you're suffering too much; these things you shouldn't have to bear— is living really exhausting?"

"Actually, death can sometimes be a release; people are profit‑seeking. If the gain isn't big enough, doing something isn't necessary."

"You strive so hard to live, yet it's painful. I know that before you went on the ventilator, every breath you took was forceful, but you couldn't get oxygen; you must have felt utterly hopeless then."

"Should we continue? To be honest, even if you stopped breathing and your lungs failed, ECMO could sustain life for about a month. But I'm not sure if you still want to live."

"Su Yun was right; I'm still timid. How about I leave this question to you? When you wake up, tell me the answer."

Zheng Ren's voice grew softer and lower, like a lullaby, coaxing Xiao Shitou to quietly fall asleep.