Chapter 668: with translation of chapter title

Su Yun chattered on incoherently, while Zheng Ren silently performed the surgery.

Zheng Ren suspected that this guy was dazed; if he didn't say something, he'd probably collapse into the mud and just fall asleep outright. He had only lain down a moment ago, likely not even asleep before he got up again. This guy was uneasy about his own local anesthesia surgery, ready to perform rescue at any moment.

Amid his chatter, Zheng Ren's hand suddenly stiffened.

"Boss, you're so skilled at blind surgery, it really makes me wonder what you did to the cadaver instructor back in school." Su Yun could barely hold on, but he habitually threw a couple of retorts at Zheng Ren.

"Cut the chatter." Zheng Ren barked rudely.

"Huh?" Su Yun blinked. Seeing Zheng Ren tilt his ear to listen, his ear twitched.

The rain kept pouring, the splashing sound constant in the ears, monotonous and tedious. Occasionally a rescue whistle blew in the distance, tearing through the night.

Su Yun lifted his head, looking at Zheng Ren with a questioning gaze.

"I hear the propeller's sound—go check it out." Zheng Ren said.

"Did you have surgery on your ear? How can you hear that?" Su Yun said, yet he stood up and walked out.

The propeller's sound grew clearer in the rain, and the survivors all rose to their feet, craning their necks to look.

In this desperate predicament, that sound meant hope, meaning the chance of survival had increased a bit.

Zheng Ren's mouth twitched, and he gave a stiff smile.

Just as Su Yun said, lunatics are everywhere.

Saying "no matter what, at any cost" is easy, but truly facing this situation and following through would be different.

Zheng Ren pressed on with the surgery as the propeller's sound grew clearer; Zhao Yunlong organized people to mark the spot, using bonfires, flashlights, shouts, everything to help the helicopter land.

After finishing the surgery at hand, Zheng Ren stepped out of the plastic-sheet makeshift "tent" and saw a helicopter crew member with a full beard step down.

He looked somewhat aged, his whole bearing stern and fierce.

Zhao Yunlong saluted, reporting the situation.

Finally he arrived…… Zheng Ren let out a breath. He began looking for pen and paper, writing down the postoperative conditions of the patients, wrapping them in plastic sheeting, and securing them with tape to the patients.

The exchange was brief and hurried; supplies were unloaded from the helicopter, and the critically wounded were lifted aboard.

There were no comfortable conditions, no meticulous care—nothing at all.

More than a dozen postoperative critically wounded were moved onto the helicopter, almost piled on top of each other.

Zheng Ren approached the pilot and said, "Greeting, I've written down the conditions of all the patients; they're in the plastic bags fixed to their bodies with tape."

"Hmm." The bearded pilot nodded.

He strapped the newborn to his chest, looking somewhat odd.

"Please report to the Frontline General Command Headquarters that we'll need many nephrology doctors and many dialysis machines in the coming days—mobilize nationwide resources right now!" Zheng Ren spoke with a firm tone.

The bearded pilot blinked.

Zheng Ren's words were overstepping. Mobilizing national resources equals a nationwide mobilization; even though it's just nephrology doctors and dialysis machines, the manpower and material consumed would be an astronomical figure.

Yet the person before him said it so casually, yet looked utterly serious.

"This is the judgment of the frontline medical personnel; please report it truthfully and immediately." Zheng Ren said seriously: "Besides, the wounded on the helicopter are all severely injured. They only received the simplest surgery, lacking conditions, barely managed, so infection is severe; they need to be sent directly to Huaxi, where Huaxi's doctors can decide whether they need a second-stage operation or ICU care."

The bearded pilot didn't rebut Zheng Ren's words, merely committing everything he said to memory.

"Any other instructions?" the bearded pilot asked.

"None." Zheng Ren's hand twitched slightly, and he instinctively rendered a military salute.

He had never learned it; he was just imitating what he remembered a military salute should look like.

"Where are you from?" the bearded pilot said, displeased.

A soldier who can't even do a proper military salute…… If he were my subordinate, I'd be sure to beat Zheng Ren up, then teach him what a standard military salute looks like.

Zheng Ren also felt a bit embarrassed, scratched his head, and said, "I'm a local civilian; I was recently transferred to the 912 Hospital and then came to the front line."

Upon learning he was a civilian, the bearded pilot's face softened a bit.

He returned the salute, a standard military salute, faintly carrying a hint of decisive, lethal vigor.

Afterwards the bearded pilot laughed heartily, unreservedly generous, and extended his right fist.

Zheng Ren froze—did he even know this youngster's way of greeting? He extended his fist and bumped it against the bearded pilot's.

He turned and boarded the helicopter; seeing Zheng Ren still standing, he loudly told him to step back, then waved to those around, and piloted the helicopter away from the isolated island through sheets of rain and vast fog.

"Boss, we've got medicine, sterile packs! We've got a generator, and even a small, simple ventilator!" Su Yun had anticipated this, but he was still somewhat excited.

"Hmm. Do we have a jack?" Zheng Ren asked.

"They took it, to rescue the pregnant woman trapped under the prefabricated slab." Su Yun said: "Before the helicopter arrived, they found a doctor and a nurse trapped in the town hospital's Radiology Department; both were lively as could be—what a stroke of luck."

This is good news; every person rescued makes the whole team happy for a long time.

Zheng Ren nodded and began to think.

"What are you thinking about, boss?" Su Yun asked.

"I'm wondering, in this situation, what kind of patient is most numerous. Patients needing dialysis are surely the most, but dialysis relies on machines, which can only be mobilized nationwide—so however many dialysis machines we can bring is how many we have. What about the rest?"

"All kinds of trauma, emergency surgery—as long as you have the stamina, you can keep going from now until ten days later." Su Yun yawned, "Boss, when do you think the reinforcements will arrive?"

"It's already been 24 hours; they should be able to arrive anytime." Zheng Ren, mulling things over in his head, gave a perfunctory reply.

"Can you do orthopedic surgery?" Su Yun asked.

"If you want to learn, you'll learn." Zheng Ren, concentrating on his thoughts, let slip a comment without realizing it, but Su Yun didn't notice.

Looking at the people, they still seemed energetic, but Zheng Ren and Su Yun were both at the end of their ropes; how much longer they could hold out, even they didn't know.

A wave of cheers came through the rain, followed by seven or eight people carrying a door panel, with someone leading a little girl hand in hand behind them.

It was that pregnant woman…… In the upper right of Zheng Ren's field of view, the System Panel glowed red, displaying various diagnoses that made one's scalp tingle.

"Damn it!" Zheng Ren cursed. What to do? The pregnant woman's tibial-fibular fracture in the lower leg, due to prolonged compression, had necrotized. Swelling spread past the knee; below the halfway point of the thigh, it looked impossible to salvage.

Amputation is her best option.

As for infection and such, whether it can be treated remains uncertain.

Such patients, there should be many, right? A thought flashed through Zheng Ren's mind.

Orthopedics Department Shou Bing, even if I used an intermediate Skill book and spent all my Surgical Training Time, I estimate I'm only at the level of the Huaxi Orthopedics Department Head. Emergency 120 Emergency, now with a ventilator, we can perform general anesthesia Shou Bing; those rescues, I estimate Zhao Yunlong and the people from the Military Medical University can do. Moreover, there is only one ventilator, so we cannot do more.

Having one more of myself is not too many; having one less is not too few.

It's still better to start from one's strongest point.

Intervention, thrombectomy?

Although amputation cannot be avoided, we can lower the amputation level, making it easier for the casualty to fit a prosthesis postoperatively, thereby increasing Survival Quality.

After all, if amputation is done at the thigh, both the knee and ankle joints need to be replaced with prostheses.

If only the calf is amputated, only the ankle joint needs replacement.

More importantly, due to prolonged compression, severe edema, the necrotic wound after amputation also heals poorly.

If thrombectomy could be performed first, all treatments would become much simpler. Not only could it improve survival quality, but most importantly, it could allow the casualty to survive, reducing countless complications.

Yes, thrombectomy!

At this moment, the people from the Military Medical University have already set up the ventilator, begun to administer general anesthesia to the patient, and are preparing for emergency Shou Bing.

The seriously wounded left in the tent, some patients are waiting for surgery under general anesthesia. The remaining dozen or so severe crush injuries requiring amputation are moaning softly in pain.

"Zhao Yunlong!" Zheng Ren shouted loudly again.

……

……

The last epinephrine, the final chapter of the day, I myself couldn't get past it. I desperately typed out another chapter, maybe this will be better.