"Director Li said the patient's condition is similar to the one you handled last time—a fractured rib putting pressure on the heart, and it's extremely dangerous!"

The nurse spoke in haste. The patient was already in the operating room; it shouldn't have been this complicated, but an unexpected complication arose during the procedure, leaving Director Li and his team stumped.

As they wrestled with the difficulty, they suddenly recalled that Zhang Yang and Wang Guohai had visited before the surgery and immediately sent someone to fetch Zhang Yang.

Director Li knew Zhang Yang was no longer at the hospital, but this was no time to dwell on that; the patient was on the table, and they could either abandon the surgery or continue.

Yet, no matter the choice, the patient was at risk, a consequence they could not bear.

"The situation from last time, I understand. Take me there immediately!"

Zhang Yang nodded, allowing the nurse to lead him straight toward the operating theater.

The situation from last time must have been Mi Xue’s case. Zhang Yang had performed many operations at the Third Hospital, but few in surgery, and those involving pressure on the heart were rare, with Mi Xue’s being the prime example.

Zhang Yang didn't say anything to Wang Guohai, and Wang Guohai understood perfectly.

Saving a life is like fighting a fire; not a minute, not a second can be wasted, lest a delay causes an irreversible tragedy. Still, he followed along.

Zhang De followed them too, looking somewhat astonished.

He had heard the nurse call out Zhang Yang’s name, Doctor Zhang. It seemed Zhang Yang was a doctor here?

But Zhang Yang was in plain clothes and hardly looked the part.

Moreover, he knew Zhang Yang possessed considerable influence and found it hard to believe he would settle for being an ordinary doctor in a hospital, especially since he thought he'd heard Zhang Yang was still studying.

This left him perplexed, but he asked nothing, merely keeping pace.

"Patient files!"

Upon reaching the outside of the operating room, Zhang Yang began the sterilization process, extending a hand to the nurse to request the patient’s medical history.

Zhang De and Wang Guohai waited outside; this surgery did not require Wang Guohai's involvement.

A patient file was immediately handed to Zhang Yang.

"Mi Zhiguo!"

Seeing the name, Zhang Yang froze momentarily. This patient who had experienced complications was none other than his future father-in-law, Vice-County Head Mi.

He had just been thinking he would visit his future father-in-law after finishing his work, but it seemed he would meet him on the operating table first.

After that brief shock, Zhang Yang quickly composed himself.

Regardless of the patient’s identity, he had to dedicate his full concentration. He hadn't considered any personal connection before arriving.

After reading the medical record, Zhang Yang nodded silently.

Mi Zhiguo’s minibus had been broadsided by a large bus and then rolled over.

There were fifteen people inside; twelve were injured, and three only suffered fright with no serious harm.

They were only side-impacted, and the force of the large bus wasn't overwhelming at that moment. If the minibus hadn't also flipped, fewer people would have been hurt.

Among the twelve injured, only three sustained serious injuries; the others had superficial wounds, some only needing bandaging, with no stitches required.

Mi Zhiguo was unlucky; he was among the three with severe injuries, his position directly where the bus struck.

Mi Zhiguo had a fractured rib, a fractured forearm, and multiple contusions, plus the most troublesome issue: intracranial hemorrhage.

Severe intracranial bleeding can be fatal, but fortunately, Mi Zhiguo’s was epidural, with only a small amount of blood loss. He was temporarily stable, but if the current surgery was not handled properly, his condition could deteriorate significantly.

After sterilizing and changing, Zhang Yang entered the operating room directly.

Inside, Associate Director of Emergency Medicine Li Xiangyang and two other doctors were present. Their surgery had paused; they simply did not know how to proceed.

If Zhang Yang hadn't been available to step in immediately, they would have been forced to stop the procedure or transfer the patient.

"Doctor Zhang!"

Seeing Zhang Yang, Li Xiangyang greeted him respectfully. The area around his mouth was slightly flushed beneath his mask; his own patient had a complication, and he could only turn to someone else for help.

It would have been easier if Zhang Yang were still officially working there, but having to rely on him after he had already left felt awkward.

Zhang Yang first glanced at the person on the operating table, then nodded.

The injured was indeed Mi Zhiguo, already fully anesthetized and unconscious.

Zhang Yang remained silent, moving directly to the position of the chief surgeon at the operating table. Li Xiangyang intelligently yielded the spot.

If he couldn’t manage it, he had to hand it over to someone more capable and better suited for the task.

Zhang Yang looked down at Mi Zhiguo for a moment, then grasped his wrist.

He had read the charts, but out of caution, he needed to examine him. After checking the pulse, he felt a slight sense of relief. His future father-in-law’s luck hadn’t completely run out; though the injuries were severe, there was no immediate mortal danger.

Had the surgery not hit a snag, Li Xiangyang and his team would likely have saved him.

"Give me a number 15 scalpel blade, no handle!"

Zhang Yang commanded abruptly. The nearby nurse paused momentarily, but Li Xiangyang nodded quickly.

Immediately after, Zhang Yang requested surgical forceps and other instruments.

The surgery resumed, with Zhang Yang now as the lead surgeon; even Li Xiangyang and the others were assisting him.

Li Xiangyang had assisted Zhang Yang once before and didn't feel overly surprised, but the other two doctors’ eyes were wide.

They were also from the Emergency Department, but they hadn't been present during Zhang Yang’s previous surgeries. They had heard countless stories of Doctor Zhang’s reputation, but this was their first time truly watching him operate.

Zhang Yang’s flawless technique instantly captivated them.

Especially when they saw him using a simple No. 15 blade to delicately manipulate bone fragments less than a millimeter from the heart, their own hearts nearly leaped into their throats.

That single maneuver alone made them admit their inferiority.

Zhang Yang’s action carried an inherent risk, but he possessed internal energy, allowing him to keep his hands perfectly steady and prevent any accident.

Any other doctor, with the slightest misstep, could have caused the gravest outcome—this was precisely why Li Xiangyang and his team had hesitated.

An hour later, Zhang Yang let out a long breath.

He had resolved Mi Zhiguo’s fractured rib and the resulting pressure on the heart. He had also taken care of the intracranial bleeding issue, resolving that simultaneously.

Many at the Third Hospital knew Zhang Yang was exceptionally skilled at handling this type of internal bleeding.

After finishing these critical procedures, Zhang Yang stepped back, leaving the wound suturing to the nurses; his main work was done.

The nurse assigned to assist him stared at him in disbelief.

This nurse had been ready with a towel to wipe Zhang Yang’s sweat. Surgery is intensely demanding, and doctors often sweat during procedures; since their hands are occupied, a nearby nurse must help dry the sweat from the doctor’s forehead.

This is common for many surgeons; the longer the operation, the more energy expended, and the more sweat produced.

Yet, Zhang Yang, throughout the entire hour-plus procedure, had not produced a single drop of perspiration, utterly astonishing the nurse.

Not just the doctors, but even the nurses themselves were sweating slightly in the humid environment; Zhang Yang remained completely dry—it was truly bizarre.

Zhang Yang sensed the nurse's shock, mistaking it for amazement at his medical skill, paying no mind to the sweat.

As for the sweating: the old Zhang Yang might have, but with his immense surge in internal energy, especially after reaching the third level, he almost never did.

His powerful internal energy was sufficient to regulate his body, making an hour-long surgery effortless. Unless the procedure dragged on for twenty or thirty hours straight, Zhang Yang might feel slightly fatigued, but only slightly. His physical condition allowed him to perform surgery continuously for over forty hours without issue.

Of course, Zhang Yang rarely encountered surgeries so complicated that they required such a long duration.

He cleaned up and walked out of the operating room. Someone had already gone out to report the good news: the surgery was a complete success.

"Doctor... Doctor Zhang, is Vice-County Head Mi alright?"

Despite hearing the news, Zhang De still asked when he saw Zhang Yang emerge. He only realized after Zhang Yang went in that the most critical patient was Vice-County Head Mi.

At that moment, he had genuinely felt anxious and uneasy.

"Minister Zhang, please rest assured, Vice-County Head Mi is fine!"

Zhang Yang smiled faintly. He hadn't expected to operate on Mi Zhiguo today, and he felt a deep sense of fortune that he had been at the hospital this morning.

If he hadn't happened to be free and decided to visit the hospital, he wouldn’t have known that the progress on his research project was ready for the next phase.

If he hadn’t been delayed by the research group meeting, he wouldn’t have encountered this emergency car accident.

Had he missed it, he likely would have already left, and naturally couldn't have saved Mi Zhiguo on the spot; even if notified afterward, it would have been too late.

If anything had happened to Mi Zhiguo, Mi Xue would have been devastated. Thankfully, none of that occurred.

"Zhang Yang, my father, how is my father?"

Just as he was thinking of Mi Xue, she came running in from outside. Seeing Zhang Yang, she paused for a moment, then rushed to his side and threw her arms around him.

Embracing Zhang Yang, Mi Xue suddenly felt a profound sense of stability, an emotion that made her feel capable of facing anything, even if the sky itself were to fall.

Mi Zhiguo’s traffic accident was a major event; the county could not conceal it, and his family had to be notified.

Mi Xue’s mother was the first to be informed, and she was stunned upon hearing her husband had been in a crash.

Lieshan was quite far from Changjing, and she had already gotten into a car rushing over, which would take several hours. Only then did she remember her daughter was in Changjing.

She immediately called Mi Xue, asking her to get to the hospital first to look after her father, and they would follow soon.

Only then did Mi Xue learn that her father was in Changjing and had been in a car accident; she panicked immediately.

Driving toward the hospital, she suddenly remembered Zhang Yang had worked at the Third Hospital and frantically tried calling him, but her calls never connected.

Zhang Yang had been in surgery at the time and naturally couldn’t answer.

Upon reaching the hospital, the distraught Mi Xue ran toward the operating rooms. Seeing Zhang Yang, her heart was instantly filled with a sense of calm, as if with Zhang Yang present, she no longer needed to be afraid of anything.