Zhang Yang’s meeting concluded swiftly, wrapping up in under half an hour. Everyone present was rather taken aback by Zhang Yang’s demand to move immediately into clinical trials; the subsequent phase was the true test of results, where neither success nor failure could be manufactured.

Though slightly apprehensive, they, like Wang Guohai, were bound to obey Zhang Yang’s decisions. Under Zhang Yang’s direction, the research team’s focus pivoted abruptly, with all subsequent efforts zeroing in on the clinical aspect.

During the clinical phase, every scrap of data had to be meticulously recorded, leaving absolutely nothing out. Furthermore, the ten volunteers Zhang Yang required needed to be sought out.

Recruiting volunteers was generally not difficult; this particular ailment afflicted many, and some impoverished individuals simply lacked the means to seek treatment and were forced to endure it. Volunteering meant receiving free treatment plus a stipend; surely many would be willing.

Having issued these instructions, Zhang Yang rose to depart. The team was long accustomed to their leader acting as a hands-off manager; they were used to it now, only hoping he might pass by a few more times.

Wang Guohai escorted Zhang Yang out of the building, unable to resist saying a few more words along the way. His words were essentially pleas for Zhang Yang to visit more frequently, not leaving everything solely in their hands; Wang Guohai feared misunderstanding Zhang Yang’s intentions and causing a grave oversight.

This stemmed partly from Wang Guohai’s naturally cautious nature; he always strived to execute things perfectly. “Make way, make way!” As they walked through the hospital grounds, several people suddenly rushed past them, carrying various items.

The runners were also doctors, moving with great urgency; judging by their direction, they were heading toward the Emergency Department. Outside the ER entrance, several ambulances were parked, beginning to maneuver back to different positions.

“What’s going on?” Both Zhang Yang and Wang Guohai’s eyebrows twitched; having both worked in hospitals for a long time, they immediately grasped the implication of the scene: a major incident had occurred. Usually, only significant emergencies warranted deploying that many ambulances at once; if this were the case, there must be a large number of patients inside.

“Zhang Yang, let’s go take a look together!” Wang Guohai hesitated for a moment before suggesting it to Zhang Yang. In the event of a mass casualty incident, the ER often needed to pull staff from various departments; Wang Guohai had participated in such emergency responses before.

However, his primary duty now was research for their project, and he had already scaled back much of his work in Gynecology; even if staff were needed, they wouldn't necessarily call upon his group. That’s why he suggested checking things out now, ready to help if needed, without requiring them to leave their current tasks entirely.

“It might be good to see,” Zhang Yang replied. Zhang Yang possessed sharp eyesight; as those hurried figures passed, he had noticed what they carried, including blood plasma boxes.

The ER maintained its own blood supply, but if their local stock ran low, they had to requisition more from elsewhere—this confirmed a serious accident, one significant enough to create multiple cases of blood loss. It could also be due to blood type mismatches requiring special allocations, but that possibility was less likely.

The two walked toward the ER. It was chaotic inside; many doctors and nurses were bustling about, and numerous patients with minor injuries sat waiting, clad only in simple bandages.

“Director Wang!” “Dr. Zhang!” Many inside the ER recognized Wang Guohai, and some also recognized Zhang Yang; they greeted them before quickly returning to their duties.

Eventually, the pair found a less critical patient and the nurse attending to him, finally piecing together the full situation. A multi-vehicle collision had just occurred on the Third Ring Road in Changjing: two sedans collided with a fully occupied bus, causing the bus to overturn and strike a smaller minibus.

This amounted to a four-vehicle pile-up, exacerbated by the presence of the crowded bus; consequently, there were many injured. Because Third Hospital was relatively closer, some of the casualties were sent there, while many others went to different facilities; Third Hospital simply couldn't handle everyone, as the bus alone carried dozens of people.

However, the bus passengers sustained the least severe injuries; the worst affected were those in the two sedans, one of which had even caught fire, though thankfully the occupants were rescued before the flames fully engulfed it. The occupants of those two cars hadn't been sent to Third Hospital but to other, better-equipped facilities.

Those brought to Third Hospital were mostly patients with external injuries who were not in life-threatening condition. Having understood the circumstances, Zhang Yang and Director Wang nodded silently.

The tiger of traffic accidents was ferocious; normally, many major incidents stemmed from such crashes. This time, the situation was somewhat mitigated; the people on the large vehicle were relatively unharmed; if that bus had been severely damaged, the implications would have been far more complex.

After exchanging greetings with the ER staff, Wang Guohai led the way out, intending to see Zhang Yang off. The ER was indeed full of patients, but they had sufficient manpower for the moment; the most complicated cases were in surgery, with other doctors having arrived to assist, so for now, their presence wasn't strictly required.

Since personnel were adequate and there was nothing else for him to do, Zhang Yang didn't plan to linger; he walked out with Wang Guohai, after all, he was no longer officially a staff member of Third Hospital. “Zhang, Zhang Yang?” Just as they reached the exit, someone suddenly called out Zhang Yang’s name.

Zhang Yang turned, looking with some surprise at the person who had called him; the man appeared to be in his fifties, and though vaguely familiar, Zhang Yang couldn't immediately place him. He was certain, however, that he had met this person before.

“It really is you; I thought I was mistaken. I am Zhang De, the Propaganda Minister of Lieshan County.

We met last time we were in Lieshan!” Zhang De approached, extending his hand warmly to Zhang Yang; hearing that explanation, Zhang Yang finally remembered. This man was indeed the Propaganda Minister of Lieshan County.

He had approached Zhang Yang the last time he used the provincial newspaper to stir up trouble in Lieshan, acting as an emissary for Deputy Secretary Yu. That attempt at mediation had naturally failed, resulting in two damaging news stories that left the entirety of Lieshan looking incompetent, and the Yu father and son eventually suffered the consequences.

“Minister Zhang, what brings you here?” Zhang Yang shook his hand politely; he held no strong opinion of Zhang De. However, the man was a colleague of Mi Xue’s father, so basic courtesies had to be observed.

In response to Zhang Yang’s question, Zhang De immediately offered a wry smile and said quietly, “I was in Changjing for a conference when I received a call from the county saying that Vice County Mayor Mi’s study group was involved in a traffic accident. Since I am in the vicinity recently, I rushed over!” “Vice County Mayor Mi?” Zhang Yang blinked slightly, even looking back over his shoulder.

He knew only that the hospital was treating accident victims, but he hadn't expected Mi Xue's father to be among them. There was only one Vice County Mayor surnamed Mi in Lieshan County.

“Yes, there were about a dozen of them, traveling together in the minibus. Vice County Mayor Mi had the option of taking a separate car, but he refused, saying he wouldn’t ask for special treatment, so they all traveled together.

As a result, their vehicle was hit by someone else, and now they are all in the hospital!” Zhang De nodded lightly, a hint of weariness in his expression as he spoke. Water and fire were merciless, and traffic accidents were unpredictable; his colleagues were the ones involved, some of whom he knew.

He felt a pang of sorrow at the moment. His deference toward Zhang Yang was not merely because Zhang Yang was Mi Xue’s boyfriend—not even County Mayor Mi himself would command such respect from him.

The reason was based on information he had gathered previously. Zhang Yang’s previous incident involving his Mercedes being vandalized and his subsequent assault at the police station had put the county in a very difficult position, causing a major uproar and even drawing official reprimands from the provincial level; everyone in the county, from top to bottom, had been criticized.

As the Propaganda Minister, such a major lapse naturally fell partly under his responsibility. Afterward, he pulled strings and made inquiries, finally learning that their news was published in the provincial paper because someone had pulled strings on Zhang Yang’s behalf.

He then contacted friends in the Provincial Propaganda Department and eventually discovered who had made the request. That person was none other than Su Zhantao, the eldest son of the Su family.

Upon learning Su Zhantao’s identity, Minister Zhang could only click his tongue in private and dared not inquire further about the subsequent events. He finally understood why the provincial paper had reported the story with such unwavering commitment and why all their public relations efforts had been useless.

It turned out that this young master was involved; if that were the case, the fate of the Yu father and son was inevitable—they had provoked someone they absolutely should not have crossed. Later, the exposure of the supposed Japanese imperial family investor caused another shockwave through the county.

And it was Zhang Yang who had uncovered the fact that this 'imperial family investor' was a fraud. The few individuals accompanying Zhang Yang were subsequently investigated, and just one director from the Police Affairs Supervisory Office had already caused them immense headaches, let alone the other well-connected young men.

From that point on, he grasped that Mi Zhiguo’s son-in-law was far from ordinary. Even without knowing Zhang Yang’s true identity, he would never contemplate making trouble for such a person.

During this time, he had been very supportive of Mi Zhiguo’s work and maintained a good rapport, always sensing that avoiding conflict with Zhang Yang, or ideally establishing a connection, was the best course of action. “How is Uncle Mi doing now?” Zhang Yang’s brow furrowed tightly.

Mi Zhiguo was also in the accident and hospitalized; he certainly couldn't leave now. His primary concern was Mi Xue’s reaction upon hearing the news.

As far as he knew, Mi Xue wasn't aware that Mi Zhiguo was in Changjing; otherwise, she would have told him beforehand, and she wouldn't have gone out today. “I’m not entirely sure; I only just arrived!” Zhang De hastily explained.

He had rushed over immediately after receiving the call from the county; if the delegation from the county was involved in an accident, someone needed to be present here. “I’ll go back and ask!” Zhang Yang nodded, just about to speak to Wang Guohai, when another person suddenly ran out from inside the ER.

“Dr. Zhang, Director Wang!” The runner was a nurse, who called out to Zhang Yang from a distance.

She removed her mask when she reached them, still breathing heavily. The nurse looked at Zhang Yang and urgently said, “Dr.

Zhang, do you have a moment? We have a very difficult patient.

Director Li heard you were here and immediately sent me to fetch you!” Director Li was Li Xiangyang, the Deputy Director of the Emergency Department. With such a massive accident, he would certainly be present; many ER staff were already engaged in rapidly treating the influx of patients.

The more critical cases requiring surgery had already been scheduled, while the less severe ones mostly needed a few stitches, and after initial checks, they were hooked up to IV drips awaiting further observation. “What’s the difficulty?” Zhang Yang frowned slightly.

He couldn't inquire about Mi Zhiguo’s condition right now. Since he was no longer a hospital employee, the fact that Director Li was still seeking his help indicated the problem was significant.

He also realized this was no time for pleasantries. ………… Second update, continuing to write, next chapter in two hours!

(To be continued…) .RT