Chapter 1424: Preparing for Surgery

"Boss, who is this?"

Territory Three Employee No. 004, Zhang Shi, looked at the unfamiliar wolf standing beside her patient—Evolution Wolf Lao Si—shivering from the cold, and had a very bad premonition. She had even changed how she addressed Xia Qing from "Sister Qing" to "Boss."

This new patient should be sent straight to the emergency department for treatment, then transferred to gastroenterology, dermatology, or infectious disease for continued care. She was just a dentist who had been out of touch with society for years—taking on a patient like this would definitely lead to a fatal medical dispute.

Xia Qing understood what Zhang Shi was worried about and introduced the wolf in detail. "This is Lao Si's companion, an important member of the southern wolf pack, and also a VIP patient of our territory. I'll take it to clean its fur first. This afternoon, Third Brother is coming over to pull Lao Si's tooth and perform surgery on Ergua, and he'll examine this wolf while he's at it. Sister Shi, get the preliminary preparations done."

"Got it!" Hearing that this was a big shot's patient, Zhang Shi's heart stopped racing, her breathing steadied, and her back straightened up.

After Xia Qing went back inside, she first laid an old straw mat by the fireplace before letting Lao Si bring over this old wolf—who was shivering all over but refused to be held by her and also refused to be wrapped in a blanket—to warm up.

Then Xia Qing took off her outer protective suit, went into the first-floor bathroom, and started running the water, preparing to clean the surface parasites off this old wolf first.

After confirming that this newly arrived wolf wouldn't take over its hanging chair and tatami, Sheep Boss immediately climbed onto the bicycle, glanced sideways at the newcomer, and pedaled the wheels like crazy.

The old wolf let out a low, deep aowu to ease its companion's nervousness. Wolf Lao Er and the two wolves sniffed around, then went over to sniff the busy Boss, before entering the bathroom to watch Xia Qing work.

Xia Qing, who was selecting medicinal solutions, turned her head and nuzzled Wolf Lao Er for a bit before asking, "Have you met this new wolf before, Lao Er?"

Wolf Lao Er looked at Xia Qing with its clear, rust-colored eyes and grinned, hahaha.

Whether or not Wolf Lao Er recognized this thin, old wolf, Xia Qing confirmed that this wolf's arrival hadn't made Boss or Wolf Lao Er feel uneasy or unhappy—and that was enough.

She pointed at the button on the wall. "Lao Er, press the bathroom heater button. The room isn't warm enough; we need to heat it up in advance."

Wolf Lao Er could understand this simple command. It raised its front paw and pressed the button, and the bathroom instantly became warm and bright. Once the temperature had risen and the medicinal solutions were prepared, Xia Qing called out, "Lao Si, bring your companion in."

The old wolf, which had been lying by the fireplace, stood up and led its trembling-thin companion into the bathroom.

Xia Qing first had the two wolves stand under the showerhead and ran the water to rinse their fur. When the water suddenly sprayed out, the filthy, thin old wolf instantly bristled, baring its yellow fangs. Xia Qing, wearing her snakeskin protective suit, raised her hand, ready to pin it down the moment it showed any sign of resistance.

"Whine—"

Lao Si let out a dignified low growl, and the thin old wolf immediately retracted its fangs, staring fiercely at Xia Qing.

With Lao Si keeping the thin old wolf in check, Xia Qing didn't say much. She just kept her energy field steady and used a soothing, warm stream of water to first rinse the dirt off the two wolves' fur and paws, then let them soak in a medicinal bath in the tub.

The medicinal bath was a must. Lao Si was getting its tooth pulled in the afternoon, so it needed a thorough cleaning. The thin old wolf also needed to be washed clean first, so that the idol's mood wouldn't be too bad when he saw it in the afternoon.

After thoroughly washing and blow-drying this wolf, Xia Qing finally realized that its fur wasn't the black-brown she had assumed. Its undercoat was pure white, and its outer guard hairs were black. Based on her two years of experience reading nearly two hundred wolves, Xia Qing judged that this wolf's healthy fur color should be black-gray.

This was a wolf with no small amount of good looks. With the idol's such excellent taste, his mood definitely wouldn't be too bad when he saw it.

Xia Qing asked in a good mood, "Lao Si, your companion here has thin fur and is sensitive to the cold. Are you going to bring it to stay in my room?"

The old wolf, thoroughly comfortable after its bath, looked very serious and didn't nod.

Xia Qing proposed a second option. "Alright, then it won't stay. How about I modify your king platform again to improve its warmth, and you two move back in?"

Lao Si grinned, showing a smile.

Xia Qing smiled and rubbed its head, removed the old straw mat by the fireplace, and replaced it with a new one for the two wolves to rest on. She told Boss to watch the house, then put on her outer insulated protective suit and went out to tidy up the wolf den.

Before bringing Lao Si over, Xia Qing had already tidied the wolf den once, but that had been done according to Lao Si's thick-fur standards. Without modifications, this newly arrived thin old wolf might freeze to death.

At two in the afternoon, the off-road vehicle from Territory Seven pulled up right on time outside the north gate of Territory Three. Zhang San got out and discussed with Xia Qing, "It's too cold outside. Should we have Zhang Jingwu and the others wait inside?"

No matter what the idol's purpose was in making this suggestion, since he had brought it up, Xia Qing wouldn't object. "Conditions in my territory are limited. Is it alright for Captain Zhang to rest in the meeting room by the farmland?"

Zhang Jingwu naturally had no objections. He picked two squad members to help him carry two heavy large boxes into the mysterious Territory Three. They walked along the not-very-wide stone steps through the buffer forest, crossed the already frozen river on a stone slab bridge with no handrails, then passed through the planting area where the killing snow and killing grass had been cleared away, and entered the plainly built meeting room, where they saw Xia Qing's ex-boyfriend and the entire wall of surveillance screens.

This...

Hu Zifeng immediately stood up. "Third Brother, Captain Zhang."

Zhang San nodded. "How's Little Lao Wu been recently?"

"Its diet and bowel movements have returned to normal. Take a look." Hu Zifeng immediately pulled out his phone and showed the big shot the video he had just taken of Little Lao Wu that morning.

Xia Qing leaned over and saw the tabby cat Little Lao Wu on the screen—its facial and neck fur hadn't fully grown back yet, but its stamina had recovered. "Third Brother's skill truly brings the dying back to life!"

Zhang San ignored Xia Qing. After giving Hu Zifeng a few instructions, he went with her into the abandoned village, opened the lab door, and saw three wolves, two humans, and two monkeys standing inside. Zhang San fell silent.

Zhang Shi immediately opened her mouth to greet him. "Third Brother, you're here."

The Broken-Waist Wolf followed closely, revealing its cute, snow-white little fang tips. Little Wolf Brother saw his dad smile, so he grinned along too.

The old wolf recognized Zhang San and also knew this human had come to treat its teeth, so it gave him a solemn nod.

Does Daigua, carrying Ergua on its back, was afraid of this human, so it climbed onto Xia Qing—who was carrying two large boxes—seeking a sense of security.

Zhang San took a moment to process the scene, first nodded to this row of creatures, then asked Zhang Shi, "How's Ye Yiyi's condition?"

Zhang Shi immediately answered, "Recovery is currently going smoothly. The eyelid and lip incisions are well-aligned, with no infection. The mild swelling and local bruising have basically subsided. The patient subjectively reports no pain, only a slight tightness in the lip area."

Zhang San nodded in satisfaction. "You've nursed it well. The lip tightness is a normal post-operative reaction; keep observing. Strict sun protection is required for the next month, and exaggerated expressions should be avoided. Report any issues immediately."

"Understood." Though Zhang Shi pretended to be calm after receiving the big shot's approval, she was inwardly very excited.

Because from Zhang San's demeanor, voice, and energy field, she had judged that he had accepted her new identity. Within Territory Three, she wasn't Shi Jiaran—the recovery-type Evolver everyone wanted to catch and bleed dry—just a trusted, hired dentist.

She tried not to let her emotions show, handed over the prepared materials, and reported clearly, concisely, and accurately: "All pre-operative preparations for this afternoon's single-side four-toed syndactyly correction surgery have been completed: the patient's fasting and water-deprivation time has been confirmed to meet requirements, the pre-operative markings have been verified as correct, and the surgical site has been marked. Intravenous access has been smoothly established on the back of the left hind paw, and the antibiotics have been fully infused. Here are the patient's medical records and imaging data. The patient..."

Zhang Shi turned her head to glance at the patient on Xia Qing's shoulder and continued her report: "is emotionally stable under the comfort of its family member. Please verify everything is correct, and we can then proceed into the operating room."

Listening to Zhang Shi's words and looking at the materials in her hands, the Broken-Waist Wolf appeared thoughtful.

Xia Qing, carrying the two Gua on her back, firmly believed that the "family member" Zhang Shi mentioned was Does Daigua, not her.