Everyone stared at the long silver needle, buried deep in Mayor Bai’s chest with only its handle protruding, then nervously looked at Xu Ze.
Mayor Tang Guorui, standing nearby, watched as Mayor Bai, pale and unmoving with a needle in his chest, felt his own face drain of color. “If Old Bai really dies here today,” he thought grimly, “it will become a massive scandal and give my opponents the perfect ammunition to attack me. Certain people might even use this to launch some moves… That would be troublesome.”
Unlike the palpable tension on Jiang Zhibo’s and the others’ faces, Xu Ze’s expression remained unchanged. Although he wasn’t entirely confident, there was no other choice but to try. He merely frowned slightly and, under everyone’s stunned gaze, gently flicked the needle’s handle with his right index finger.
After the flick, Xu Ze watched Mayor Bai intently, waiting for a reaction. The needle was inserted directly into the heart. Through bioelectrical stimulation, he was confident he could restart the heart.
The real danger was that once the heart restarted, Mayor Bai could easily suffer cardiac failure due to insufficient blood volume from the massive hemorrhage, leading to irreversible arrest again.
But there was no other option. Xu Ze could only try and hope Mayor Bai could hold on until the ambulance arrived.
Everyone watched as Xu Ze flicked the needle. With a soft ding as his finger ring met the silver handle, the needle began vibrating rapidly, just like the previous ones.
“Can he really do that?” Tang Yijun’s eyes widened. He looked at the vibrating needle, then at Xu Ze’s serious face, muttering in disbelief.
“But the heart isn’t an acupuncture point… Can you really do this?” Jiang Zhibo and Li Qifeng stared, equally dumbfounded.
Soon, however, they realized that while others couldn’t “play” with needles like this, Xu Ze could. As the needle in the chest vibrated rapidly, Mayor Bai, who had been completely still, miraculously moved. He stretched his neck, coughed weakly twice, and expelled a small mouthful of blood.
“He’s alive?!” Jiang Zhibo and the other two saw it most clearly. Mere seconds after the needle began vibrating, Mayor Bai showed signs of life.
The three of them stood with mouths agape, watching Mayor Bai’s chest rise and fall again. Suddenly, all their years in medical school and clinical practice felt utterly useless…
Treating a patient like this, even in their fully-equipped First Affiliated Hospital Emergency Department, wasn’t guaranteed. Yet, Xu Ze, with just one needle inserted into the heart and a simple flick, had revived him… What kind of logic was this?
If such a treatment existed, why did they need defibrillators and epinephrine? Why did hospitals conduct annual CPR training? Everyone should just learn Xu Ze’s technique—stabbing the heart—how powerful!
Standing surrounded by his entourage, Tang Guorui saw Mayor Bai’s renewed signs of life. The grimness on his face eased into relief. This was a severe test of one’s nerves—watching someone die and come back to life repeatedly was too much to bear.
Finally, he couldn’t help but ask the still-grave Xu Ze, “Xu Ze… How is it? Are you confident?”
Xu Ze looked up at Tang Guorui, seeing the anxiety on that authoritative face, and nodded gently. “I can keep him going for a while longer, but he must get to the hospital quickly. If it takes too long, there’s nothing more I can do…”
Hearing this, Secretary-General Lin, who had been on the phone, chimed in cheerfully, “The ambulance is almost at the entrance!”
“Good… Xu Ze, do your best. Try to keep Mayor Bai alive…” Tang Guorui spoke to Xu Ze without reservation, feeling somewhat relieved as he gave the instruction.
Xu Ze didn’t mind Tang Guorui’s familiar tone. Hearing the ambulance was near boosted his confidence. He nodded calmly, “I’ll do my best.”
The ambulance finally arrived. Two tense-looking doctors and two nurses rushed through the entrance. During the short journey, they had received countless calls from superiors urging them to hurry…
From the tone of those calls, they knew the patient must be someone important. Otherwise, the director of the City Emergency Center wouldn’t have called multiple times.
The medical team spotted the gathered crowd, rushed over with a stretcher, and immediately recognized the familiar face of a leader often seen on TV. Cold sweat broke out on the lead emergency doctor’s forehead—so that’s why the urgency.
The two doctors hurried over and were shocked. The patient lay almost in a pool of blood, with needles not only in his abdomen but also one in his heart.
The lead doctor’s face changed upon seeing the needle in the patient’s chest. Without even checking the patient, he angrily demanded, “Who did this? This is reckless! Stabbing a needle into the heart… Don’t they know this could kill someone?”
Hearing the doctor’s unwarranted scolding, Xu Ze frowned and was about to speak when Jiang Zhibo, displeased by the doctor’s attitude, cut in with a stern tone, “If you don’t understand, don’t speak carelessly. Don’t worry about that. We’re from the Emergency Department of the First Affiliated Hospital. Start an IV immediately and prepare a triple-lumen two-balloon tube. The patient has a major gastrointestinal vessel rupture. If you delay, can you take the responsibility?”
“Huh?” The lead doctor was taken aback upon hearing they were from the First Affiliated Hospital. He looked at the group again, his gaze sharpening. He had transferred patients there before. Upon closer inspection, aside from the very young one, the other three did look familiar. He finally relaxed slightly. If they were from the First Affiliated, then perhaps this unusual needle placement… wouldn’t be a problem…
He didn’t dare say more and quickly began examining the patient. However, seeing the large pool of uncongealed blood on the floor and the trail of blood from the patient’s mouth down his neck, the doctor couldn’t help but stare in astonishment. Such massive bleeding… was it really controlled by just these few acupuncture needles?
“Can acupuncture be that effective?” Shocked, he glanced at Jiang Zhibo and the others, then stopped hesitating. After a brief examination, he quickly ordered his colleague and the nurses to start the IV and prepare the triple-lumen tube.
The lead doctor was indeed experienced and worked swiftly. He quickly inserted the triple-lumen tube into Mayor Bai’s stomach, inflated the balloons, and compressed the bleeding site. Hemostatic drugs, volume expanders, and anti-shock medications were also administered via IV.
Seeing the medications and the tube successfully in place, Xu Ze finally let out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his brow. His heart had been in his throat until these measures were implemented. Now, there shouldn’t be any major problems. As long as they got to the hospital quickly for a blood transfusion and appropriate surgery to stop the bleeding, Mayor Bai’s life would likely be saved.
After stabilizing the patient, the lead doctor stared at the needles in the abdomen and chest, puzzled. He looked up at Jiang Zhibo and the others. The needles needed to be removed before moving the patient, but what should he do with them? That long needle in the heart… Would removing it cause problems? He knew nothing about acupuncture…
Seeing the doctor’s dilemma, Xu Ze calmly and deftly removed all the needles. Then, he said to the stunned doctor, “Get him to the hospital quickly. He’s blood type A, Rh-negative. Tell the hospital to prepare blood…”
“Ah… You inserted these needles?” The lead doctor stared at Xu Ze in disbelief. He had assumed one of the three older doctors had done it. But this person looked too young—early twenties at most. Could he really be from the First Affiliated? It seemed impossible.
Seeing the doctor’s incredulous look, Xu Ze smiled faintly. “Hurry. He just had cardiac arrest. You need to move fast…”
This reminder snapped the doctor back to action. He quickly directed his team to lift Mayor Bai onto the stretcher and out. Mayor Bai’s secretary hurriedly followed them to the ambulance.
Watching Mayor Bai being loaded into the ambulance, Jiang Zhibo and the others finally relaxed. Xu Ze also felt a wave of relief and quiet luck. Saving Mayor Bai had exceeded his own expectations. Thankfully, the electro-acupuncture hemostasis worked better than anticipated. Otherwise, if the bleeding hadn’t been controlled and the ambulance delayed, Mayor Bai would have surely bled to death.
“Secretary-General Lin,” Mayor Tang instructed, “call the hospital immediately. Tell them to spare no effort in treating Mayor Bai…” After giving these orders, he turned to Xu Ze, his expression full of gratitude. “Xu Ze, you worked hard today. Without you, there would have been a major disaster.”
“You’re too kind, Uncle Tang. It was what I should do,” Xu Ze replied with respectful familiarity.
“Mmm.” Tang Guorui nodded approvingly, then turned to Jiang Zhibo and the others with a smile. “You’re Xu Ze’s friends, right? From the First Affiliated? Thank you for your efforts today.”
Jiang Zhibo and the others hadn’t clearly seen Tang Guorui earlier. Now, recognizing the authoritative middle-aged man before them, they were inwardly astonished. Responding to the mayor’s kind words, they politely offered modest replies.
Impressed by their good manners and lack of arrogance, Tang Guorui nodded inwardly. Xu Ze’s friends seemed quite decent. He smiled and said, “Merit deserves reward. In a couple of days, the municipal government office will send letters of commendation to your hospital.”
Hearing this, everyone was pleased. A commendation from the municipal government was a significant honor, bringing credit not only to them but also to their hospital leaders.
“Xu Ze…” Tang Guorui turned back, his gaze gentle. “I’ve been very busy lately and haven’t had time to go back to Tianyang Mountain. Remember to visit the old man more often for me…”
“I will. I visit him every week. Don’t worry, Uncle Tang,” Xu Ze replied with a smile.
“Good. This is my private number. You can call me anytime if needed.” Tang Guorui took a card from his pocket, handed it to Xu Ze, then nodded with a smile. “I have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now.”
After Tang Guorui departed with his entourage, Jiang Zhibo and the others patted Xu Ze’s shoulder, their expressions full of awe and envy. “Xu Ze, how do you know Mayor Tang? You seem quite close!”
“Ah… It’s alright. He’s like an uncle to me, though today was the first time I actually met him,” Xu Ze replied with a light shake of his head. He was quite satisfied. At least he had made a good impression on Tang Guorui and gained his recognition. This would make his own position less awkward in the future.
“Having an uncle like that… Wow, Xu Ze, you’re so lucky… After graduation, you won’t have to worry about anything!” Jiang Zhibo couldn’t help but express his envy.
Lin Yumeng, who had been waiting on the sidelines, finally approached after the crowd dispersed. She walked up to Xu Ze, ignoring the faint scent of blood on him, tightly wrapped her arm around his, and looked at him with admiration shining in her eyes. She knew Xu Ze was skilled, but today she had witnessed it firsthand. Seeing his calm and composed demeanor during the rescue filled her heart with even more admiration.
Noticing Lin Yumeng’s still-pale face, Xu Ze gently patted her cheek, offering comfort. “It’s okay now…”
“Mmm.” Lin Yumeng nodded obediently. The sight of that person vomiting blood had truly frightened her. Holding Xu Ze’s arm now made her feel much safer.
“Xu Ze… Today I truly witnessed your skill,” Tang Yijun said with a sigh, smiling. “You’ve been hiding your abilities well…”
“Heh… I only know a few things,” Xu Ze replied modestly with a light laugh and shake of his head. “I’m just somewhat proficient with acupuncture needles. Other areas, not so much.”
Hearing this, Li Qifeng snorted playfully. “Not so much in other areas… Hah… You sure know how to play humble… Handling five trauma cases in twenty minutes, that Guillain-Barré syndrome incident… We remember all that… You’re better than us who’ve been working for years…”
After some light-hearted banter, Xu Ze checked the time. It was still early, but the smell of blood clinging to them was unpleasant. “I’m sorry today’s outing got ruined, leaving us all smelling like this,” he said with a smile. “I’ll treat you all next time.”
The earlier incident had dampened everyone’s mood, and the lingering metallic smell was bothersome. They all nodded in agreement.
Sitting in the car, Secretary-General Lin recalled the terrifying sight of Mayor Bai vomiting blood in great spurts, his heart still pounding with lingering fear. He had never seen anything so horrifying—so much blood, just gushing out. Old Bai must have vomited two or three large bowls worth. If not for the mayor’s nephew…
Thinking of this, Secretary-General Lin glanced at Mayor Tang, whose face had regained its usual composure. He remarked with feeling, “Mayor, Old Bai was incredibly lucky today. Thank goodness your nephew was there. Otherwise, a major disaster would have occurred…”
“Mmm… Old Bai was too careless. Knowing he has stomach problems, yet daring to drink round after round…” Tang Guorui shook his head and sighed at the thought.
Seeing this, Secretary-General Lin offered a consoling smile. “Mayor, since it’s over, let it be. Old Bai had little choice. It’s not easy for any leader…”
Tang Guorui nodded slightly without comment. Of course. Hadn’t he been through the same in his early days?
“Mayor… Your nephew is truly remarkable. Old Bai was vomiting blood like a fountain, and he managed to stop it with just a few needles. It’s simply unbelievable!” Recalling the scene—Xu Ze inserting a few needles, using no medication, and the gushing blood slowing to a trickle within moments—Secretary-General Lin shook his head in awe. This Xu Ze was truly extraordinary. Though not a doctor himself, he knew such a condition wouldn’t be easy to handle even in a hospital. Yet, Xu Ze had controlled it right there on the spot.
Hearing Secretary-General Lin mention this, Tang Guorui deeply agreed. When he first heard from the old man that this Xu Ze fellow had cured his chronic ailment of many years, he found it hard to believe. It was only after carefully questioning Tang Zhi later and confirming the old man’s chest pains hadn’t recurred that he began to trust it might be true.
And today’s incident… Initially, with no other options and seeing Xu Ze, he had called him over on a slim hope. He never expected Xu Ze would actually save Old Bai’s life…
Thinking this, Tang Guorui couldn’t help but nod with admiration. “Xu Ze is indeed impressive. I’ve heard my father say the kid has real talent. Not only is he skilled with acupuncture, but he’s also a prodigy in both internal medicine and surgery. Apparently, even the head of internal medicine at the university hospital once lost face to him…”
“I didn’t believe it at first. But after today’s demonstration… that story might very well be true.”
“Ah? The old man said that?” Secretary-General Lin was startled. At that young age… could he really be that skilled?
