“What? He says he can treat General Zuma? And even wake him up?” Admiral Yang Guanglian was on the phone, so overjoyed that he nearly dropped the teacup in his hand.
“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm… Do everything he asks for, use the Military Commission’s authority to mobilize resources… Tell him, as long as he can wake up General Zuma within three days, I’ll award him a first-class merit and promote him to Lieutenant Commander…” Admiral Yang Guanglian gave instructions to fully satisfy all of Xu Ze’s requests, and dangled a huge carrot that made even the young major liaison officer reporting back green with envy.
After hanging up, Admiral Yang Guanglian shouted toward the outside: “Orderly… tell the mess hall to send me a couple of side dishes and a bottle of Moutai…”
Hearing the acknowledgment from outside, Admiral Yang, like an excited young man, nearly floated as he walked. He sat down next to Old Master Li, who remained as calm as ever, and said excitedly: “Uncle Li… that precious god-grandson of yours is really something… As long as this works out, I’ll promote him to Lieutenant Commander right away…”
“Heh heh… you little rascal… Last time when I asked for a promotion to Major for him, you were so reluctant… only willing to give him Captain… I should have attached him to the Military Commission Office instead… Now you know this old man wasn’t bluffing, don’t you?” Old Master Li extended a finger and tapped the admiral’s head firmly, snorting with a laugh. “First, give the Chairman a heads-up, so he’s not in a bad mood today… Wait a moment, then have a drink with your uncle…”
“Yeah… right…” Admiral Yang touched his closely cropped hair and was about to stand up when he suddenly looked at Old Master Li and said, “Uncle Li… is your precious god-grandson really reliable? I have no problem with this, but what about the Chairman’s office…”
Hearing this from Admiral Yang, Old Master Li widened his eyes again and then said coldly, “What nonsense… Don’t you trust your own Uncle Li? When have I ever misjudged someone? That god-grandson of mine always handles things steadily. If he says he’s willing to give it a try, then there’s at least a seventy percent chance of success. If he says he’s fairly confident, then there’s absolutely no problem!”
“You know, both my illness and Old Tang’s were cured by him… And remember that incident with the National Security Special Ops team against the Japanese? That poisoned soldier was also saved by my god-grandson… And you still don’t believe in him!”
“Heh heh… Uncle Li… Of course, I believe what you say. But right now, we have to give the Chairman a guarantee. I’m fine with it, but if something goes wrong, this is no joke…” Admiral Yang scratched his head and chuckled dryly in front of this old comrade.
“Alright, alright… and you’re an admiral… Look at how pathetic you’re acting…” Old Master Li scolded jokingly. “Tell the Chairman that I, Old Li, am giving the guarantee… I’ll vouch for that Black guy…”
“Uncle Li… that won’t work… If I hang your name out there, then I might as well quit as Chief of General Staff…”
“Yes… Chairman, rest assured, we will do everything to ensure General Zuma’s safety and get him recovered back to his country as soon as possible…”
……
Professor Luo Qimei looked at Xu Ze with suspicion and then said nervously, “Lieutenant Commander Xu… um… will this really work? This is a foreign head of state; this is no joke…”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” Xu Ze understood the old man’s concerns perfectly well and said with a faint smile, “We’ve got the General Staff Department and the Military Commission above us… Do you think I’d dare to joke around?”
“Lieutenant Commander Xu Ze, you know the General Staff Department and the Military Commission are above you, yet you still dare to say such things? I, Old Luo, have been researching biochemical toxins for decades, and I know about W1 quite well. There hasn’t been a single case worldwide of someone surviving after being poisoned by W1…”
Professor Luo Qimei simply couldn’t believe that this young, almost-too-young lieutenant commander had such an ability. So, with a grave expression, he questioned, “Lieutenant Commander Xu… You claim not only to neutralize the toxin but also to wake up General Zuma… How is that possible? This is a matter of national interest, something absolutely not to be taken lightly. If something goes wrong and the higher-ups believe you without preparing for the worst, no one could bear that responsibility.”
“Professor Luo, I understand your concerns. Since I’m saying this, naturally, I have a solution. Otherwise, do you think I’m not afraid of facing a court-martial? Precisely because this involves national interests, I agreed to provide treatment. Otherwise, do you think I’d be willing to step in?” Xu Ze curled his lips, looking utterly frustrated. To save this Black guy, he’d have to expend an enormous amount of energy. Who was going to compensate him for that loss?
Seeing Xu Ze so confident, Professor Luo didn’t say anything further. Instead, he solemnly requested, “If Lieutenant Commander Xu is confident, then that’s naturally a good thing. Since there’s currently no effective specific antagonist for the W1 toxin in the world, would you allow us to observe the treatment? It would be a valuable learning experience and extremely significant for our country’s biochemical research… Would the lieutenant commander permit this?”
“Of course…” Xu Ze had no reason to refuse. He never shied away from such things, as others wouldn’t be able to learn or understand it anyway. Besides, since this involved a foreign head of state, it was inevitable that experts from the rescue team would be present. Someone would be watching closely anyway, so he might as well be generous about it.
With that said, Xu Ze didn’t hesitate any further. General Zuma’s condition wasn’t good right now. Although they were barely maintaining stable vital signs, the continued spread of the toxin had to be stopped as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if the brain damage worsened, even if the medication were produced, it would only manage to save General Zuma’s life at best.
A General Zuma in a vegetative state would be essentially no different from a dead man as far as the country was concerned.
Meanwhile, the Black man who understood Chinese, along with another Black man and the Black woman who appeared to be the general’s wife, were chattering away in their language. Upon hearing the news, both were visibly excited. They had no idea who this young man was, but hearing that he could save General Zuma finally lifted their spirits after receiving nothing but bad news.
“Help me take off General Zuma’s shirt…” At Xu Ze’s instruction, the Chinese-speaking Black man quickly stepped forward, carefully removed the general’s shirt, and stepped aside.
Xu Ze pulled out his usual set of silver needles from his pocket and said to the nurse nearby, “Could you give me a few alcohol swabs?”
The nurse, who had been curiously watching this young doctor who had dumbfounded a group of senior professors, immediately grabbed a few swabs, soaked them in alcohol, and handed them over.
Xu Ze took the swabs, disinfected both sides of the neck, then opened the needle case, withdrew two silver needles, and inserted them directly into both sides of the neck.
The two Black men nearby flinched sharply when they saw Xu Ze pull out those ten-centimeter-long silver needles and stab them straight into the general’s neck.
One of the Black men shouted in alarm and lunged to grab Xu Ze’s hand, but the Chinese-speaking Black man, after a moment of shock, recognized what was happening. As the specially selected translator and attendant for the general, he naturally recalled the legendary, miraculous medical techniques of this ancient and mystical country.
He quickly grabbed the other Black man and rattled off a few urgent sentences in their language. After hearing this, the Black man showed a hint of doubt but no longer displayed the same level of tension as before.
Meanwhile, Professor Luo Qimei and the others were also stunned. So, Lieutenant Commander Xu Ze really was a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner! Not only was he using traditional Chinese medicine in the IV drip, but he was also using silver needles. He hadn’t used any other kind of medication at all.
Xu Ze was used to such surprised looks. He simply continued treating General Zuma without paying them any mind.
The two silver needles in the neck would effectively prevent the toxin from spreading further to the brain, avoiding additional damage to brain cells.
Next, he inserted needles at three points on the head: Yuzhen, Baihui, and Shenting. With the stimulation of bioelectric energy, these three needles would help clear the brain and expel toxins.
After placing these five needles, Xu Ze withdrew three more and inserted them at Danzhong, Qihai, and Neiguan. These three points would stabilize bodily functions, preventing General Zuma’s physical condition from deteriorating too severely before the effective medication arrived.
The attending experts and professors watched helplessly as Xu Ze inserted needle after needle. They had no knowledge of this craft and could only stare in bewilderment.
After placing all eight needles, Xu Ze began to pulse two strands of bioelectric energy into the two needles on the side of the neck. Only with the assistance of bioelectric energy could the needles achieve their optimal effect.
Xu Ze gently pressed the tips of the two needles with his fingers. Feeling the two strands of bioelectric energy firmly enter the area near the cervical spine and block the entire meridian pathway, he let out a sigh of relief.
Then, he gently flicked the needles at Danzhong, Qihai, and Neiguan, infusing bioelectric energy to stimulate the three points. He continued to input steady streams of bioelectric energy, enhancing their effect until he sensed that the three currents had merged, firmly locking all bodily functions and ensuring no immediate problems would arise. Only then did he straighten up.
The professors nearby watched Xu Ze gently flicking the needles from time to time, sometimes reaching out a finger to pinch them. They were baffled and couldn’t see any logic in it. After exchanging confused glances, they all thought to themselves: Could simply fiddling with them like this really stabilize General Zuma’s condition?
While they were still puzzled, they saw Xu Ze straighten his back and exhale deeply. His forehead was now covered in fine, glistening beads of sweat. They were all taken aback. What was going on with Lieutenant Commander Xu Ze? How could inserting just a few needles tire him out so much?
Even the nurse was startled when she saw the sweat on Xu Ze’s forehead. She quickly grabbed a tissue and handed it to him.
After wiping off the sweat, Xu Ze looked up at the monitor beside him. Although the body’s functions were temporarily locked, he needed to check the specific vital signs to see if everything was stable.
