Chapter 264: Our Hero (Part 3 of 5)

The stretcher trolley, the injured victim, Zheng Ren’s awkward position, a stream of medical personnel rushing alongside—the scene read like a wordless, harrowing poem.

Their only source of news from Imperial Capital had been Su Yun. Now, the actual incident was playing out onscreen; even Su Yun had fallen silent.

Actions always spoke louder than words.

Leaving a trail of blood as it went, the stretcher trolley moved at breakneck speed. Zheng Ren kicked a doctor aside. Shocked bystanders flashed past as the camera raced to catch up.

Xie Yiren had a hand over her mouth, the other clutching Zheng Ren’s heart-shaped guide wire tightly. Her shoulders trembled with anxiety as she watched the recording.

Old Chief Physician Pan’s hands remained on his knees. His fist was clenched so tightly that its bones were audibly grinding against each other.

Su Yun watched, rapt with attention, adrenaline rushing through his veins. Although he had been present that day, he had been busy tending to Professor Gu’s heart attack and was not witness to the dramatic scenes currently being played back.

Mr. Sun sat unmoving, head craned awkwardly as the video went on. As the stretcher entered the elevator, the person filming was not allowed access and playback ended.

The scene cut to black as the elevator doors closed.

They shut like the gates of the afterlife, separating the living and the dead.

“Dr. Zheng’s accurate assessment of the situation and timely emergency rescue gave the patient a fighting chance. After hours of surgery, the bleeding was put under control and the patient sent to the ICU to recover.”

Tang Xiu’s narration was quiet and cold, balanced to deliver the perfect level of suspense.

Mr. Sun’s hand went to his neck as he hissed. “Chief Pan, I think I’ve sprained my neck.”

“Outstanding.” Old Chief Physician Pan remained seated. A sore neck was not worth his attention.

Mr. Sun frowned as he massaged his neck, his eyes still fixated on the television screen.

The documentary was more entertaining than long-winded, boring news programs. It had been a while since Mr. Sun felt such a rush from watching TV. He angled his body slightly to get a better view of the screen without blocking anyone.

The next scene took place in a restaurant.

It was obvious from the setup and lighting that the recording was not professionally done.

Tang Xiu had conducted a formal interview after that night, but finally decided to use the material from the restaurant.

The complicated turn of events was simplified and explained in layman’s terms, its ups and downs conveyed in dramatic fashion.

The video was an eye-opener for many a curious soul.

After the short interview, the screen went dark and Tang Xiu’s voice rang out. “Romain Rolland once said, ‘There is only one heroism in the world: to see the world as it is, and to love it.’”

It was a simple line, but her delivery was aimed at touching her audience’s hearts.

“He is our hero.

“Always in search of better treatment methods.

“Dr. Zheng had been invited to contribute in developing new interventional surgical techniques. While there, his clinical and surgical skills were appraised by the country’s top experts and professors and he successfully completed a demonstrative surgery three days ago. According to experts in the field, the surgery was the first of its kind, filling a long-existing gap in medical history!”

At Tang Xiu’s proclamation, Zheng Ren’s live surgery recording was presented onscreen.

On it, he was focused on the imaging machine before him as he maneuvered the micro-guide wire with his thumb and index finger.

His intense expression was clearly visible through his surgical cap and mask.

That expression was familiar…

Su Yun squinted at the television. Odd.

He rifled through his memories and a light bulb flickered in his head.

It was the same expression Zheng Ren had had when figuring out what to get Xie Yiren.

Zheng Ren, you little sh*t!

Su Yun did not know whether to laugh and cry.

Picking out a gift for Xie Yiren was as hard as a world-class surgery for Zheng Ren.

Su Yun looked at the micro guide wire bent into a heart and gently sighed.

“Chief Resident, you look pretty cool when you’re operating.” Chu Yanzhi bounced on the balls of her feet, pointing at the man onscreen.

“Heh.” Zheng Ren could not think of any other response.

“Tsk tsk. Is it true that the procedure will fill a gap in medical history?” Chu Yanzhi’s excitement was not put out by Zheng Ren’s monosyllabic response.

“I don’t think anyone has done it before, but it was just a prostate surgery. It’s not a widely prevalent disorder,” Zheng Ren replied with a wave of his hand.

“It’s still impressive,” she said with a smile.

“It’s more than impressive,” Old Chief Physician Pan cut in. “Before Zheng Ren performed the surgery, a professor from Germany had attempted a similar procedure. His patient experienced severe complications post-surgery and that procedure was considered unsuccessful.”

“What about Chief Zheng’s surgery? Which professor? Is he famous?” Chu Yanzhi’s questions came one after another.

“He is an interventional lead surgeon from Heidelberg University and a participant of the German Excellence Initiative,” Old Chief Physician Pan explained. He had been keeping track of the ongoings in the field of interventional surgery.

“Incredible.” Chu Yanzhi was still a research graduate and knew little of the academic world. Old Chief Physician Pan had not even mentioned the specialized micro guide wire provided to Rudolph Wagner for the surgery.

“Very much so.” Old Chief Physician Pan was silent for a few seconds. “This clearly started as an interview by the Sea City Metropolis Daily lead editor. It must have piqued someone’s interest for them to make it into a documentary and air it on Sea City News Network. The recording would have required multiple permissions before making it on air.”

“Who could it be?” Chu Yanzhi asked.

“I don’t know.” Old Chief Physician smiled.

Could it be important?

Maybe, in the future.

But not now.

The documentary ended at the 15-minute mark. The production was somewhat choppy and there were aspects that could have been fine-tuned, suggesting a rushed job.

However, such a simple and honest program on the news network would easily garner the attention of the citizens of Sea City.

There was only one heroism in the world: to see the world as it was, and to love it. The quote echoed in the hearts of many.

The documentary was shocking.

A tearjerker, even.

Old Chief Physician Pan was so caught up with the video that he had to pinch himself awake. As he took out his phone to call up either Sea City Metropolis Daily or Sea City News Network, it rang in his hand.

His eyebrows rose as he saw the caller ID.

“Zheng Ren, work just follows you everywhere. You’ve just returned and there are already people looking for you,” Old Chief Physician Pan said before answering the call.

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