Hardly had Roland approached when he smelled rust. Shocked, he squeezed through the students who were watching and saw Qi Shaoqiu lying in blood.
Schuck was treating Qi Shaoqiu’s wound with bandages, but blood was still flowing out of his waist, as could be seen from the stains on the bandages. Li Lin, on the other hand, was helping treat Qi Shaoqiu’s shoulder.
Both of them had learned battlefield first aid from NPCs in the game, so they did it quickly and well.
Night Tide Sands, on the other hand, kept wiping Qi Shaoqiu’s sweat for him with a towel palely.
Qi Shaoqiu was lying on his left side. He had already passed out, and his face had lost all color.
He was gravely wounded.
After Roland squeezed in, he realized Qi Shaoqiu’s condition after only a quick glance.
The man had been stabbed in the back, and his right arm was chopped off.
Roland looked around and found Qi Shaoqiu’s severed arm on the ground with blood leaking out.
He immediately said to Night Tide Sands, “Go grab some plastic bags and wrap from the kitchen. Put some ice into the bag from the fridge. We don’t need too much ice. A little bit will be fine. Go!”
Night Tide Sands knew the kitchen best, so it would be better for her to fetch the stuff. She didn’t have to search.
Hearing Roland’s voice, Night Tide Sands raised her head, and she seemed much more at ease.
She nodded and quickly ran to the kitchen.
Roland asked, “What happened here?”
“A quarter of an hour ago, two men came saying that they wanted to learn miaodao. They asked about the price and said it was okay. But when Qi Shaoqiu turned around, they ambushed him from the back.” Schuck seemed angry. “Li Lin and I were teaching the new students in the field. We saw them taking out weapons, a short sword and a short saber, from underneath their clothes.”
“The short sword stabbed his kidney, and the short saber cut his arm?”
Looking at where Qi Shaoqiu fell, and considering what Schuck said, Roland was already able to recreate the assault against Qi Shaoqiu in his head.
“The criminals were well-prepared. Did Qi Shaoqiu piss off anyone recently?” asked Roland.
Both of them shook their heads.
The students nearby commented, “Master Qi has spent most of his time in the saber arts club. I don’t think he offended anyone.”
“I never heard Master Qi mention anything of the sort.”
“It’s true that no matter how good you are at saber arts, you can be still vulnerable to ambushes!”
Roland turned his head and looked at the students who were taking pictures… They could attract a lot of attention if they were to post the pictures and videos they took online.
Even more unbelievably, some girls were weeping but they didn’t stop filming.
Their faces had turned pale since they saw the blood, but they were still holding their phones high and saying things like “So terrible” and “I’m frightened.”
Roland was of a mind to ask them to stop filming, but at this moment, Night Tide Sands came back.
Roland accepted the plastic wrap from her and tied Qi Shaoqiu’s severed arm up with it. He then put the arm in the yellow plastic bag that contained some ice.
The ice could lower the temperature in the bag, so that the severed arm could stay alive longer. He covered the arm with the plastic wrap to prevent bacterial infection.
That was because the ice in the fridge actually contained lots of bacteria, many of which were resistant to cold and could cause infections. If Qi Shaoqiu’s arm was recklessly mixed with such ice in the bag, the cut on the arm would definitely be contaminated by bacteria.
Then, when the arm was reattached, the doctor would have to do a lot of extra work. The odds of success of the reattachment might be affected too.
Therefore, Roland made a sensible choice.
Putting the arm in the big bag carefully, Roland asked, “Have you called 110 and 120?”
“Yes, we’ve called both,” said the students who were watching. Night Tide Sands grabbed a towel and wiped sweat off Qi Shaoqiu again.
Apart from blood, Qi Shaoqiu’s clothes were almost soaked in sweat, which was a sign of electrolyte disturbance.
Why was the ambulance still not here?
Roland was more or less anxious.
At this moment, Schuck had already tied up the wound on the back of Qi Shaoqiu’s waist.
Under the pressure of the thick bandages, the blood from the back of his waist was condensing and flowing out more slowly.
Very soon, Li Lin finished dressing the wound on the shoulder too.
Li Lin stood up and said, “It’s pointless for me to stay here. I’ll go and ask the hooligans I know. Perhaps they know a thing or two.”
Roland and Schuck nodded.
Then, Li Lin squeezed through the crowd and drove his car away.
One minute after Li Lin left, the police car arrived.
This was the suburb, so it would really take some time for the police to arrive from downtown.
After the police came, they quickly drove the watching students aside.
A policeman was about to ask questions, when he was stunned to see Schuck. “Uncle Kunpeng, why are you here?”.
“I’m a student at this club too,” said Schuck.
“Is he your friend?”.
Schuck nodded. “Yes, so please work harder on this case. Also, help me inform Ah Rong in street patrol and Ah Fa and Ah Yu who are in the traffic police force. Ask them to get the surveillance footage of the cameras on the streets nearby.”
The policeman nodded. “Got it. I’ll pay extra attention to this case for you as long as my duties allow me to.”
Roland was quite impressed. He had known that Schuck had a high seniority status in the Yu family, but he didn’t know that it was so high.
The other policemen began to ask questions. They asked if there were any security cameras in this place.
As it happened, the answer was yes. Qi Shaoqiu had set up the cameras in case of thieves, but they now proved useful for a different purpose.
The policemen soon retrieved the footage of those cameras. Then, the ambulance arrived.
A doctor and a nurse got off from the ambulance and scurried close with a stretcher and a first aid box.
The doctor fluently opened Qi Shaoqiu’s eyes and aimed a flashlight at them, before he said, “Dilated pupils. Give him oxygen immediately.” The nurse activated the portable oxygen supplier in the first aid box and stuck a tube to Qi Shaoqiu’s nose.
The doctor examined Qi Shaoqiu’s wounds and then said, “Carry him to the ambulance as fast as you can. If any of his family or friends are here, two should come with us.”
Schuck and Roland put Qi Shaoqiu on the stretcher and then lifted it onto the ambulance. Naturally, the plastic bag that contained the severed arm was taken too.
Then, Roland and Night Tide Sands got on the ambulance following the doctor.
After the ambulance left, Schuck began to make calls. “Kunlin, are you in the hospital right now? I remember that you’re already the deputy director. Do you have any doctors who are good at operations in your hospital?”
“What happened, Old Eight?” A voice came out of the phone.
Schuck was the eighth oldest among all his cousins.
“I have a friend named Qi Shaoqiu. He was stabbed in the back. His kidney was hit. Also, his arm was cut off too. If possible, could you get your best surgeons to help treat him?”
“Okay.” The voice from the phone sounded rather old. “Since he’s your friend, Old Eight, I’ll do it myself.”
“Thank you.”
“No need. We’re family.”
After hanging up the phone, Schuck thought for a moment and made another call. “Mother, are you still in the capital? When are you coming back?”
“Not anytime soon. Is there anything wrong, son?” A pleasant female voice came from the phone.
“I have a friend named Qi Shaoqiu. He was assaulted just now and is in a critical condition. I’ve asked Second Brother to do operations for him, but I don’t feel very reassured, so I want to ask you to help pray for him.”
Laughter suddenly came out of the phone. “Son, you must believe in science. Although I’m a Saintess of the White Clan, I’m nothing more than a symbol. I don’t know any kind of sorcery…”
Schuck snorted. “Mom, just keep pretending.” “Ha. Give me his photo. I’ll perform a dance that will stabilize his soul. However, I’m too far away from you. I can’t guarantee it will be effective.”
“I know. It’s up to him whether or not he can survive.”
Hanging up the phone, Schuck searched for a long time and finally found a picture where Qi Shaoqiu was on it alone. He then sent it to his mother via the chat app.
Then, Schuck heaved a sigh. He had done everything he could. It was up to Qi Shaoqiu’s own resolve whether or not he could make it through this.
On Roland’s side, he and Night Tide Sands sat silently in the ambulance. Night Tide Sands wiped the sweat on Qi Shaoqiu’s forehead now and then.
While the ambulance was on the way, the nurse connected Qi Shaoqiu to the ECG and blood pressure monitors.
After they arrived at the hospital, they found a middle-aged doctor and three nurses outside of the ambulance the moment it was opened.
The doctor asked calmly, “Is Qi Shaoqiu in this ambulance?”
After a brief stun, Night Tide Sands nodded.
The middle-aged doctor immediately made a gesture at the nurses and said in a low voice, “Confirm his blood type and prepare for blood transmission.”
Qi Shaoqiu’s stretcher was moved from the ambulance to a gurney. The middle-aged doctor observed him for a moment, only to be slightly surprised. “His wounds were dressed rather professionally… After testing his blood type, give him a blood bag and inform the radiology department to confirm the patient’s wounds and body fluids in his chest immediately. I want to see the films in ten minutes. Let’s get moving.”
A nurse took Qi Shaoqiu’s blood and left. The other two nurses pushed the gurney to the radiology department.
Roland and Night Tide Sands were about to follow them, when the middle-aged doctor stopped them. “You don’t need to come. We’ll take care of the rest. You go pay for the emergency treatment and wait outside of the
ER.”
The middle-aged doctor left without further ado.
There were many people in this public hospital. Even though this was the emergency department, a lot of patients and their families were still coming and going.
Night Tide Sands had never been to such a place before. Her hands and clothes were still stained with her big brother’s blood, which made her seem helpless. She had no idea what she should do next.
Her mind was completely blank.
Her body was even shivering. Her face was pale, if not blue.
Roland heaved a sigh and held her hand, before he took her to the administration. After making an advance payment of five thousand yuan, Roland bought two bottles of water and gave her one. He then led her to the ER and waited with her.
This place was relatively quiet. The red light from the sterilamp on the wall made it rather grave.
The electronic monitor outside of the ER displayed “Qi Shaoqiu.” There were no chairs here, so Night Tide Sands squatted with her back against the wall.
Staring at her, Roland asked, “Have you informed your parents?”
Night Tide Sands shook her head.
Roland said, “You should call them.”
Night Tide Sands took out her hand and swiped the screen with her trembling finger. She tried a few times before she finally tapped her father’s number.
The call went through.
“Dad, my brother… he…”
Hardly had Night Tide Sands started talking when she burst into such devastating tears that she couldn’t continue.
Taking the phone from Night Tide Sands’ hands, half against her wish, Roland said, “Is it you speaking, Uncle Qi? I’m Shaoqiu’s friend. He was stabbed. He’s in the ER room in the hospital downtown. You’d better come.”
The phone was silent for a moment, before a strong voice sounded. “How is it possible? Shaoqiu… I’m on my way!”
Roland hung up the phone and gave it back to Night Tide Sands.
Squatting, Night Tide Sands buried her head in her arms, and her slim shoulders shivered now and then.
Stifled cries echoed in the corridor. Roland squatted next to Night Tide Sands and accompanied her quietly.
About twenty minutes later, a man and a woman came in quickly.
They saw Night Tide Sands and immediately ran to her.
Hearing the footsteps, Night Tide Sands raised her head and rushed to them, before she hugged the middle-aged woman and cried.
The middle-aged woman cried too. Looking at “Qi Shaoqiu” on the electronic monitor, the middle-aged man turned his head and yelled, “Do you have to cry so loudly? What if the doctors are distracted by you?”
The two women immediately lowered their voices.
As a matter of fact, it was hardly possible for any sound to enter the ER from outside. The hospital had taken noise into consideration, so the ER was quite soundproof.
Then, the middle-aged man looked at Roland and asked, “Are you Shaoqiu’s friend? Can you tell me what happened?”.
The two men walked aside, and Roland roughly told him the whole story.
The middle-aged man’s eyes were filled with fury, and he said while trying back to hold back his anger, “Son of a bitch, they messed with my son when they couldn’t deal with me!”
“It seems that you know who did this.” Roland looked at him casually.
The middle-aged man, or Qi Shaoqiu’s father, had bloodshot eyes. “I probably do, but I don’t have any evidence. After Shaoqiu’s life is no longer in danger, I’ll go question them.”
Qi Shaoqiu’s father seemed ready to kill someone at this moment.
“Uncle Qi, don’t be too reckless. We’re now in an age of law.” Sensing that the atmosphere wasn’t right, Roland persuaded him hurriedly. “You don’t want to end up in prison, do you?”
Qi Shaoqiu’s father took a deep breath to calm himself down. “I know that.”
Then, he walked to his wife and daughter and comforted them in a low voice.
Roland found it rather awkward to be among the family, so he left the ER for the inpatients’ department where he found Jin Wenwen.
Jin Wenwen looked perkier than a few days earlier. She was having an apple when Roland came in. Smiling, she said, “We meet again. Did Qi Shaoqiu send you here? Tell him that he needn’t be hasty. I’ll probably be discharged the day after tomorrow, and I’ll go talk to him after that.”
Shaking his head, Roland said solemnly, “Qi Shaoqiu is in the ER right now.”
Jin Wenwen’s half-eaten apple dropped to the ground.
