Chapter 36: The First Surgery

Rescue operations were still in full swing. Ambulances, fire trucks, police vehicles, and private cars belonging to concerned citizens were all being used to transport the mobile wounded to nearby hospitals. Most were taken to Huaxin Hospital due to its proximity. However, there were some critical patients whom the doctors and nurses dared not move. These patients were hovering between life and death, their survival entirely dependent on the acupuncture needles placed by Zhou Chen.

It wasn't that the senior doctors at Huaxin Hospital hadn't tried their own emergency measures. One young Western medicine practitioner, relying on his prestigious reputation at the hospital and his numerous published articles in domestic and international medical journals, ignored the advice of his colleagues. He even shoved aside Tang Huayue, who had been desperately trying to stop him, and forcibly pulled out one of the gold needles.

The moment it was removed, the patient's heart rate plummeted visibly. The doctor then attempted his own emergency procedures, but with little effect. It wasn't that his methods were useless; it was simply that the patient's injuries were so severe that they were essentially a living corpse, kept alive only by that single gold needle. When he tried to reinsert the needle, whether he missed the precise point or for some other reason, the patient's heart monitor flatlined. The doctor panicked, realizing his arrogance had likely killed the patient. He cared less about the patient’s life than the blow to his own reputation, especially since this major accident had already gone viral online, and reporters were already on the scene.

Ultimately, an elderly traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctor from Huaxin Hospital arrived just in time and reinserted the needle into the original acupoint. The old doctor was moved; he had never seen such an acupuncture technique before. Could it be the legendary "Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles" or perhaps the "Taiyi Divine Needles"? To be able to pull so many victims back from the brink of death surpassed the abilities of even himself, the honorary dean of Huaxin Hospital and head of the TCM department at Capital University. He was eager to meet the person who had performed this feat. Upon seeing how young Zhou Chen was, he felt a complex mix of emotions, realizing that despite a lifetime of medical study, he was far inferior to this young man.

Work continued until the small hours of the morning before the situation stabilized. The mobile wounded had all been sent to the hospital. Those whom Zhou Chen had forbidden to be moved remained on the street, which had been cordoned off with a makeshift medical tent erected in the area. Everyone waited for Zhou Chen to wake up. At the first light of dawn, Zhou Chen finally opened his eyes. His spirit was still exhausted, but he had managed to recover some of his strength.

Scanning the scene, Zhou Chen headed toward the medical tent. Seeing that the eight patients covered in needles were still alive, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hello, I am Zhang Mingxu from Jincheng Huaxin Hospital. You can call me Dean Zhang," said an elderly TCM doctor, approaching as Zhou Chen entered the tent and extending his hand.

Zhou Chen shook it. "I am Zhou Chen, a student at Capital University. How are the patients?"

Zhang Mingxu shook his head. "Your acupuncture technique is profound, but several of them are so severely injured that the moment the needles are removed, their lives are at risk."

Zhou Chen nodded. He went to the first patient, checked his pulse, and scanned his entire body with his spiritual sense. The patient had been nearly severed at the waist. Fortunately, Zhou Chen had used his spiritual energy to protect the cervical spine at the time. However, the pelvis was completely shattered, and the compressed flesh, veins, blood vessels, and nerves were in a state of utter ruin. Even Zhang Mingxu believed the man would be an invalid for the rest of his life. The organs in the compressed waist area were all intermingled. The standard medical approach would be surgery to remove them entirely and rely on modern equipment to sustain his future, but such a life would not only drain the family's finances but would also be agonizing, as the patient would have no control over basic bodily functions—worse than being an invalid.

If, just days ago, Zhou Chen had not possessed the life-devouring insects, he would have unhesitatingly removed the needles and let the patient pass, as death would be better than such a painful existence.

"Spread his legs. I need two people to massage his leg muscles. Be very gentle; the massage must be thorough to prevent muscle necrosis," Zhou Chen commanded. "Get me a surgical gown, a scalpel, and tweezers, and have them ready. Everyone, stay quiet! Do not disturb me during the surgery!"

Zhang Mingxu wanted to protest that they shouldn't waste time on a dying man when others had better chances, but seeing the determination in Zhou Chen's eyes, he ordered the doctors to comply.

This was Zhou Chen's first time wearing a surgical gown; he felt a bit strange, yet he carried the demeanor of an expert. Because the patient could not be moved, Zhou Chen had to kneel on the ground to perform the surgery. The procedure involved cutting open the crushed flesh, separating blood from bone, reassembling the fractured bones, and finally suturing the severed veins and nerves. It sounded simple, but it was practically impossible. There were no professional instruments to locate the bone fragments, and the bones were so deformed that even if reassembled, they were unlikely to knit back together. Most importantly, the patient was on the verge of death; such major surgery would only accelerate the end.

Before starting, Zhou Chen removed all the needles and began the acupuncture process anew. While on the high-speed train earlier, he had used his life-devouring insects to absorb some vitality from two parents who had allowed their children to run wild and scream in the carriage. He hadn't yet refined this energy, so it remained in his body. Now, he channeled this vitality into the needles, performing a secret acupuncture technique according to the *Taiji Creation Manual*. He used the needles as a medium to stimulate the patient's own vitality and transmit new energy into the body from the outside. Under the influence of both forces, the patient's complexion improved significantly.

Zhang Mingxu watched, not daring to blink for fear of missing a detail. Zhou Chen didn't care about the technique being seen; the acupoints he used were so precise and minute that even watching wouldn't guarantee mastery. If it were leaked, it would only mean one more skilled TCM practitioner in the world.

With the secret technique providing a constant flow of vitality, Zhou Chen began. Aided by his spiritual sense, he excised the necrotic, deformed flesh and removed the shattered bone pieces. Then, he meticulously sutured every vein and nerve with fine thread. Since the compressed flesh was largely necrotic, it was theoretically impossible for it to regenerate, but under the stimulation of the two energy forces, it could grow, provided there was time. Zhou Chen cut away all the dead tissue, a gruesome sight that made some of the nurses gag.

At the end of the surgery, Zhou Chen used medical glue provided by the hospital to bond the bone fragments. After suturing the wound, five nurses carefully lifted the patient onto a stretcher. The surgery lasted over half an hour, leaving Zhou Chen’s legs numb from kneeling. It took the support of two nurses for him to recover his balance.

"The needles on his body must absolutely not be touched," Zhou Chen instructed. "They must stay in place for at least five days. Also, his legs must be massaged at least three times a day, for no less than an hour each time. Be gentle and soft."