Late at night, at Nanshan Medical University Affiliated First Hospital.

Jiang He knew this place well. He could find his way to the emergency department with his eyes closed.

In his past life, he had spent his long professional career here.

Coming back here felt like returning to his home turf.

Third floor, Department of Critical Care Medicine.

A middle-aged couple sat on a row of chairs in the family waiting area.

The woman rested her head on the man’s shoulder, silently wiping away tears, while the man stared blankly at the floor.

Across from them, a male student in a Southern Medical University uniform was trying to comfort them.

This must be the student who had messaged him on the forum.

Jiang He had no intention of greeting him.

Words were meaningless right now. What mattered was performing this surgery well.

After announcing his arrival, a nurse led Jiang He to change into a blue isolation gown, shoe covers, and a bouffant cap. He then met Liu Jianbang in the core area.

"Director Liu, I’m Jiang He."

Liu Jianbang turned and sized up Jiang He. "Yang Xu just called, saying he was bringing a third-year student to be the third assistant. Is that you? I remember you. You’re the young man who saved the patient with the Tension Pneumothorax at the internet cafe a while back."

"That’s me."

"Alright. Come with me and take a look at the patient’s condition."

In front of the monitor for Bed 3, Liu Jianbang took out a stack of freshly printed lab reports.

Jiang He’s gaze had already gone past Liu Jianbang to the girl on the hospital bed.

The girl’s face was sallow. An endotracheal tube connected her to a ventilator, and a three-way stopcock was attached to her internal jugular vein catheter, rapidly infusing norepinephrine.

Jiang He put on a pair of disposable gloves and took a step forward.

Liu Jianbang watched him, and was about to stop him, but held his tongue when he remembered Yang Xu’s instructions.

Jiang He glanced up at the monitor. Heart rate: 145 bpm. Blood pressure was barely maintained at 85/50 mmHg with high doses of vasoactive drugs.

He reached out, gently lifted a corner of the girl’s blanket, and undid the buttons on her hospital gown.

Her abdomen was severely distended, exhibiting clear board-like rigidity. Dark, greyish-blue bruises had appeared on the skin of her lateral abdominal wall.

The interventional embolization performed in the emergency department that afternoon had indeed sealed the rupture in the splenic artery pseudoaneurysm. However, the systemic inflammatory response syndrome triggered by the necrotic tissue was now rapidly causing all her organs to fail.

Jiang He pulled his hand back, buttoned up the girl’s gown, and covered her with the blanket.

Then, he smoothly pulled off the disposable gloves and tossed them into the yellow medical waste bin at the foot of the bed.

The entire examination took less than thirty seconds, his movements clean and efficient.

Liu Jianbang took this all in, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

’This kid’s physical examination technique is nothing like a third-year’s. That calm confidence... he’s more like a seasoned veteran who’s been grinding it out in critical care for over a decade.’

Liu Jianbang found himself speaking to Jiang He as an equal. "The patient could go into cardiac arrest at any moment."

"How much blood is prepped?" Jiang He asked, turning his head.

"Eight units of packed red blood cells and 800 milliliters of plasma. It’s already been sent to the emergency operating room."

Jiang He nodded. "My teacher will be here soon. Let’s get ready for transport."

Liu Jianbang wasn’t sure why he was listening to him, but Jiang He’s words felt so natural, and so did his own agreement. He turned and gestured to the nurses’ station.

"Bed 3, prepare for transport! Bring the transport ventilator and infusion pumps. Notify Emergency OR 1 to receive the patient."

Several nurses immediately pushed over a transport gurney, deftly unplugging the wall oxygen and connecting the portable equipment.

Seeing that Liu Jianbang was also getting ready to go, Jiang He asked, "Director, are you going too?"

Liu Jianbang nodded. "The hospital is short-staffed. I’m going to help out."

"Understood."

Jiang He followed Liu Jianbang out of the ICU, heading toward the emergency operating area via the physicians’ corridor.

They pushed open the door to the changing room.

Liu Jianbang walked to a locker, pulled out a set of short-sleeved scrubs and pants, and tossed them to Jiang He. "Change into these. Shoes are on the rack."

Jiang He took off his jacket and pants and changed into the scrubs.

He walked to the mirror, put on a disposable bouffant cap, tucking all his hair inside, then put on a surgical mask, pinching the metal strip at the bridge of his nose.

The two of them went to the scrub sinks outside the operating room, side by side.

Liu Jianbang stepped on the foot pedal, and warm water flowed out.

As he wet his hands, he glanced sideways at Jiang He, instinctively slipping into teaching mode. "Since you’re on the table tonight, you follow the rules. After you scrub in, your hands must stay in front of your chest. You absolutely cannot touch any of the blue sterile drapes..."

Jiang He nodded silently and stepped on the pedal in front of the adjacent faucet.

The water WHOOSHED over his forearms.

The standard seven-step scrub technique.

Liu Jianbang was about to continue with instructions on holding retractors to maintain the surgical field, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Jiang He’s scrubbing movements.

’This kid’s movements are so practiced... Suddenly, I feel like there’s nothing left to say.’

Jiang He released the pedal, his hands held up as water dripped from his elbows. He turned his head. "Director Liu, I’m done scrubbing. Let’s go in."

Liu Jianbang grunted in acknowledgment, nodded, and turned toward OR 1.

The automatic doors slid open.

A blast of cold air hit them.

Inside the operating room, kept at a constant 21 degrees Celsius, the air was crisp. The shadowless lamp was already on.

The gurney was parked next to the operating table. Several people worked together to slide the girl, tubes and all, onto the table.

The anesthesiologist immediately took over.

Sitting in front of the anesthesia machine at the head of the bed, he quickly connected the ECG monitor, pulse oximeter probe, and blood pressure cuff.

"Blood pressure 80/45, heart rate 148. Continue the norepinephrine drip. Preparing for induction."

The circulating nurse moved quickly around the room, attaching the grounding pad for the high-frequency electrosurgical unit and checking the suction tubing.

The scrub nurse was already in a sterile gown, standing before the instrument table.

She quickly opened the sterile packs, arranging the instruments neatly on a tray.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Jiang He walked to the foot of the operating table, the position for the third assistant.

As the minutes and seconds ticked by, the atmosphere in the operating room grew increasingly tense.

Just then, the circulating nurse answered the intercom on the wall. After listening for a moment, she turned and announced, "Director Yang just entered the changing room."

「A few minutes later.」

The sound of steady footsteps came from the hallway outside.

SWOOSH—

The automatic doors to OR 1 slid open again.

Yang Xu walked in.

Despite having rushed back from a meeting in Peng City overnight, his face showed no trace of fatigue.

He had already scrubbed in outside. His hands were held up in front of his chest, water dripping from his fingertips.

The circulating nurse immediately approached with a sterile towel.

Yang Xu took the towel and quickly dried his hands and forearms.

A nurse unfolded a green sterile surgical gown. Yang Xu slipped his arms into the sleeves, and the nurse skillfully tied it shut behind his back.

Next, Yang Xu took a pair of sterile gloves and put them on.

He walked to the chief surgeon’s position on the right side of the operating table, his gaze falling on Jiang He, who stood opposite him.

Their eyes met under the shadowless lamp.

Yang Xu asked softly, "Are you ready?"

Jiang He nodded. "I’m ready, Teacher."

Yang Xu turned to the anesthesiologist. "Vitals."

"Blood pressure 85/50, heart rate 142, blood oxygen 92%. Induction is complete, and the ventilator has taken over."

"Instrument count is correct," the scrub nurse replied.

"Suction pressure is normal, electrosurgical unit is ready, and the packed red cells and plasma are hung," the circulating nurse confirmed.

All personnel and equipment were confirmed ready.

Standing in the chief surgeon’s position, Yang Xu said softly, "Then... let’s begin."