The vehicles running passenger routes in the county towns aren’t anything particularly good—basically, they’re all older models with several years of service under their belts. The one Xu Ze was standing on had definitely seen at least six or seven years of history.
Seeing someone already taking the lead, the people scrambling to climb onto the roof of the overturned bus all sped up their efforts. Soon enough, three or four had made it up.
Xu Ze bent down and peered through a window. Through the few that were open, he could already see the utter mess inside. Aside from a handful of people struggling to climb toward the top windows, most were lying amidst the chaos inside the overturned vehicle, softly moaning or crying. A faint scent of blood had already filled the entire cabin.
Xu Ze reached out and pulled up a middle-aged man who was frantically climbing from the seat below. Glancing at the few people who had already made it onto the roof, he turned and slipped through the window into the bus.
Inside, there were at least a dozen people seriously injured. If no one went down to help, and if they didn’t receive timely medical care, some might not survive their injuries.
Xu Ze’s decision to go down was aimed at doing everything he could, before the ambulances arrived, to treat the wounded and prevent their conditions from worsening.
The situation inside was grim. Due to the bus’s rollover, many passengers had slammed into the side windows or the seats. Some were piled on top of one another, letting out faint groans.
When they saw Xu Ze climb down from the roof, they stretched out their hands toward him as if he were their savior, calling out, pleading for him to help them.
But with so many injured, Xu Ze could only treat them one by one. Those who could move had already been helped out through the upper windows with assistance from people outside. Only those with more serious injuries or mobility issues remained inside, crying out for rescue.
Xu Ze scanned the area, then carefully lifted an elderly man who couldn’t move because of an injured foot, guiding him through the window.
Outside, cooperation was seamless. As soon as the old man’s head appeared through the window, someone quickly helped pull him up, then passed him down to others waiting below, who gently moved him to the ground.
Meanwhile, another man had climbed down from the roof to assist Xu Ze in sending the injured out one by one. This man was young and appeared physically strong, easily lifting an injured girl and handing her smoothly through the window.
With help, Xu Ze’s pace picked up considerably. After a flurry of activity, those with relatively minor injuries had all been successfully sent out through the windows. Only five or six people with more severe injuries still remained, unable to be moved easily.
The young man glanced at the remaining injured lying motionless on the floor and bent down to move one of them.
But Xu Ze immediately stopped him.
The young man looked at Xu Ze in confusion, unsure why he was being prevented from helping.
Xu Ze himself was also surprised—just moments ago, the voice of the auto-response system had echoed in his mind: “Super Combat Medic Primary Battlefield Rescue System activated…”
In an instant, the X-ray vision function automatically kicked in. A flash of unusual light passed over his glasses, and the full skeletal structure of the person before him rapidly materialized in his field of view.
The image was startlingly clear. Gray-white bones, one after another, laid out in sharp relief. A distinct fracture at the spine was highlighted in a glaring red marker, right before Xu Ze’s eyes.
This gave him quite a shock. Super Combat Medic Primary Battlefield Rescue System activated—was this some kind of hidden function of the system?
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. Turning to the bewildered young man beside him, Xu Ze quickly explained: “I’m a doctor. This man has a fractured lumbar vertebra. He can’t be moved carelessly, or it could worsen the nerve damage. He might never walk again.”
The young man froze, somewhat doubtful, and glanced uncertainly at Xu Ze. But seeing the grave look on Xu Ze’s face, he couldn’t help but believe him. Still, he pressed: “Then what do we do?”
“Get the others out first… We’ll figure something out for him later,” Xu Ze said decisively. For now, priority had to go to the less severely injured.
Xu Ze’s gaze swept quickly over the others. As his eyes moved, the images before him shifted seamlessly.
One person lay on the ground clutching his leg, groaning loudly. Through Xu Ze’s vision, the man’s entire skeleton was starkly visible.
Comminuted fracture of the tibia and fibula. Xu Ze took in the prominent red markers indicating the two fractured bones in the lower leg and made a rapid judgment.
The man’s internal organs also appeared before Xu Ze’s eyes. A quick scan revealed no other red markers, which reassured him—there seemed to be no other abnormalities.
Without hesitation, Xu Ze addressed the young man, who was still staring helplessly at the severely injured. “Let’s get him out first. He probably only has a leg fracture.”
Hearing Xu Ze’s words, the young man seemed to regain his sense of purpose, letting out a small sigh of relief. He quickly nodded. “Okay, let’s get him up.”
Xu Ze instructed the young man to hold the patient around the waist, while Xu Ze himself supported the injured leg. Together, they lifted the man with ease and carefully raised him toward the upper window. Xu Ze called out a warning to those above: “Be careful with his leg—it’s broken.”
Up above, several people gathered quickly around the window to receive him. One helper carefully cradled the injured leg while others guided him down from below. Together, they managed to lower the man safely to the ground.
Thus, the patient with the fractured leg was sent out without further harm. The young man looked at Xu Ze with renewed admiration, waiting for his next instruction.
Xu Ze swept his gaze over the remaining four patients. As his view shifted rapidly, each patient’s general condition was swiftly laid out before him.
Aside from head injuries, which would require a CT scan for full assessment, no other condition escaped Xu Ze’s eyes.
With each scan, he quickly determined the situation: one patient had a severe pelvic fracture; another—a young woman who outwardly appeared less critical—actually had a ruptured spleen, though the tear wasn’t yet large enough to be immediately life-threatening.
Then there was the man with the fractured lumbar vertebra. And finally, an unconscious patient with a head injury—it was unclear whether he was merely concussed or had intracranial bleeding.
Having rapidly assessed the situation, Xu Ze gave the young man quick instructions: “Let’s move this one first. Just be gentle.”
Carefully, the two of them lifted the unconscious patient and passed him up through the window, cautioning those above to handle him with care. Then they moved on to the patient with the pelvic fracture.
This time, Xu Ze didn’t ask the young man to help. The pelvic area, located near the hips, required delicate handling—it was easier for one person to manage alone.
So, Xu Ze lifted the elderly man, who must have weighed at least seventy kilograms, upright in his arms. Stepping onto a seat, he raised the patient toward the window and instructed those above: “Be careful, support him under his buttocks—he has a fracture inside.”
By now, those outside had complete trust in Xu Ze. They quickly acknowledged his instructions. Two or three people worked together, one supporting the buttocks, another the waist, carefully lowering the elderly man to the ground.
Once Xu Ze had sent this patient out, the young man looked at him with even greater admiration. Lifting a stout elderly man so effortlessly was no small feat. Though the young man considered himself fairly strong, he doubted he could have done it with such ease.
But Xu Ze had no time to bask in admiration. Two of the most severely injured patients remained: one with a spinal fracture, and the other with a splenic rupture. Both needed to be handled with the utmost care—any misstep could lead to catastrophic consequences.
Xu Ze glanced at the young woman with the ruptured spleen and sighed softly. She must not exert any physical effort whatsoever. Even a slight strain could aggravate the tear in her spleen. If that led to massive internal bleeding, there was no way to save her here without the facilities for abdominal surgery. She’d be dead in ten minutes. Even as a Level 2 combat medic, he’d be powerless.
This was a delicate task. Xu Ze inhaled quietly and examined the window—it seemed too narrow. He frowned, then shifted his gaze upward toward the bus door. It was tightly shut and noticeably warped. If they were to move this girl out, it would have to be through the door.
Seeing Xu Ze’s gaze fixed on the door above, the young man understood immediately—the girl couldn’t be passed through the window. He stepped over and tugged hard at the door handle.
With a loud creak, the door shuddered slightly under the young man’s full strength but didn’t budge.
It was clearly jammed from the deformation. The young man sighed in frustration and looked at Xu Ze, hoping he might have another idea.
Xu Ze had no good alternatives. If the door wouldn’t open, moving the girl through the window would be extremely risky—one wrong move could cost her life.
Frowning, Xu Ze stepped forward and gripped the seam of the jammed door. The young man watched in astonishment as Xu Ze took a quiet breath and clenched his jaw. Beneath his clothes, the smooth, streamlined lines of his arm muscles swelled rapidly.
With a low grunt, XuZe applied force. The door emitted a deafening screech, warped violently, and then, with a sharp snap, gave way completely, torn open by Xu Ze’s sheer strength.
The young man stared, dumbfounded. He couldn’t understand how someone seemingly slighter than himself could possess such immense power. Compared to Xu Ze, he felt utterly outmatched.
The door finally open, Xu Ze exhaled softly. He turned to the young man. “We have to be extremely careful with this girl. Her internal organs are injured. She mustn’t exert any force at all. If she starts bleeding internally, it’s over.”
The young man’s expression tightened. He nodded solemnly. “Got it. Just tell me what to do.”
Xu Ze nodded briefly, then bent down and carefully slid one arm beneath the girl’s waist and the other under her hips. He looked at the young man. “Support her legs—don’t let them droop. That might engage her abdominal muscles and affect her internal organs.”
The young man listened closely and nodded in understanding. He gently cradled the girl’s calves, signaling he was ready.
Xu Ze glanced down at the girl, whose pale face was a mixture of nervousness and hope. He offered her a reassuring smile. “Don’t be tense. We’ll have you out in a moment. Just remember—don’t use any strength yourself. Leave everything to us.”
The girl looked at Xu Ze, at the gentle warmth in his calm, steady eyes. Her anxiety inexplicably began to ease. A faint, peaceful smile appeared on her delicate, pale face as she surrendered herself to his care.
Xu Ze inhaled softly, and with the young man’s assistance, lifted her gently. Rising steadily, he raised his arms and passed her up through the open doorway.
Those waiting above, who had gathered at the long-stuck door once it was forced open, were ready to receive her.
Following Xu Ze’s instructions, four people carefully supported her—chest, waist, buttocks, legs—ensuring she exerted not a single ounce of strength. With another five or six assisting from below, they managed to lower the girl safely to the ground.
Seeing that her complexion remained stable after being set down, Xu Ze let out a quiet breath of relief. At last, this difficult task had been resolved without incident.
But as he looked down at the last patient lying not far from his feet, he couldn’t help but sigh softly. Waiting for him now was an even bigger challenge.
