PTGWD Chapter 60: Intern Wang

Fang Xingzhou frowned slightly.

The next second, the patient’s expression inexplicably froze, and then, suddenly, a large amount of blood gushed from his mouth.

The doctor who had been fitting him with a bite guard was startled, fearing the blood might choke his airway, and immediately helped him sit up.

Fang Xingzhou arrived in a hurry and hadn’t taken any protective measures, so he cautiously stepped back a few paces, standing outside the crowd.

The patient leaned over the edge of the bed, vomiting blood continuously for about two to three minutes. Then, like a deflated balloon, he became listless, no longer frenzied, and collapsed weakly onto the bed, his face twisted in pain, muttering, “Save me… it hurts so much… Doctor, save me…”

Fang Xingzhou quickly began flipping through the patient’s medical records.

The patient had a comminuted fracture in his right leg, multiple soft tissue contusions, brain contusion with skull fracture, bilateral lung contusions and lacerations… but the blood tests were all normal, with no history of epilepsy or mental illness.

A colleague said, “These are just the injuries we found from the fall. As for why he suddenly went berserk and jumped from the second floor, we still haven’t found a clear cause. That’s why we didn’t dare to anesthetize him for surgery, fearing something might go wrong on the operating table.”

Fang Xingzhou asked, “The family said he ate toxic seafood?”

The internal medicine department head replied, “Yes, but it might not necessarily be toxic. The patient is a fisherman. He caught a lot of fresh oysters from the sea today and ate more than a dozen of them in one go tonight. About two hours later, he started showing abnormal symptoms.”

“What kind of symptoms?”

“At first, he vomited, but nothing came out. Then he started frantically drinking seawater, acting completely hysterical, screaming and running around… It seemed more like a mental issue.”

The psychiatrist who had joined the consultation said, “Given the patient’s current condition, we can’t determine if he has a mental illness. The family firmly denied any history of mental illness, saying he’s usually very cheerful and has never shown signs of mania before.”

The internal medicine department head added, “But his symptoms don’t match typical food poisoning either. Aside from blood, there’s no other vomit, no diarrhea, and the blood tests didn’t show any issues.”

The two exchanged a glance, their brows furrowed.

Fang Xingzhou asked, “The drug test came back clean too?”

Everyone shook their heads.

Fang Xingzhou was also at a loss. Perhaps because he had experienced too many unscientific things recently, he couldn’t help but consider the possibility of a mysterious event.

Oysters… drinking large amounts of seawater… mental abnormalities…

Fang Xingzhou looked at the patient again.

The man, who had been struggling desperately just moments ago, had become deathly still in just a few minutes. His face was pale from blood loss, and he stared at the ceiling in despair, repeatedly muttering about the pain and begging for help. He now looked no different from any other patient who had suffered a fall from a height.

His vital signs were deteriorating rapidly, mainly due to blood loss. The family members, unable to hold back any longer, urged the doctors to proceed with surgery.

Fang Xingzhou set aside his doubts and briefly discussed the situation with the other consulting doctors.

Finally, the most senior internal medicine department head made the decision: “Prepare for surgery. I’ll lead with Dr. Fang. We need to stop the bleeding first!”

Once the decision was made, all the medical staff sprang into action. Nurses wheeled the restrained patient into the operating room, anesthesiologists prepared for anesthesia, and Fang Xingzhou went to the changing room to put on surgical scrubs and disinfect.

Given the patient’s condition, if the internal bleeding was severe, the surgery could drag on until the next afternoon.

Before changing, Fang Xingzhou picked up his phone and sent a message to Lu Jianchuan:

“The surgery is complicated. Don’t wait for me.”

Surprisingly, Lu Jianchuan was still awake and replied instantly: “Then eat something before you go in. I’m already cooking porridge. I’ll bring it to the hospital tomorrow morning.”

Fang Xingzhou frowned.

Both of them had the day off tomorrow and could have rested at home. But he knew it was pointless to argue; Lu Jianchuan would come no matter what.

So, he replied, “Alright, come after you’ve had enough sleep.”

He turned off his phone, took off his casual clothes, and hesitated for a moment before putting on the surgical scrubs.

Li Xuan had warned them to stay away from water sources, and the patient’s episode had occurred near the ocean. Although there was no evidence linking the two… out of caution, perhaps he should notify the Institute.

Fang Xingzhou thought for a few seconds, then picked up his phone again and sent a message in the group chat:

“A strange patient has appeared at the hospital. He’s a fisherman who exhibited mental abnormalities after consuming a large amount of oysters. We still can’t determine the exact cause. It might be related to a mysterious event.”

After sending the message, he didn’t wait for a reply. He tossed his phone into the locker, changed into his scrubs, and entered the operating room.

…

Surprisingly, the surgery went smoothly, unlike what they had feared.

The anesthetized patient remained completely still throughout the procedure. The external injuries were treated quickly, and the internal bleeding was much less severe than expected—so mild that medication and observation would have sufficed.

As for the large amount of blood vomited before the surgery, its source remained unknown. The initial guess was gastrointestinal bleeding caused by incorrect medication, but further monitoring would be needed.

The surgery, initially expected to last until noon, ended before dawn. The patient didn’t need to be sent to the ICU and was transferred directly to a regular ward.

The patient’s family, crying uncontrollably outside, repeatedly thanked the medical staff.

The internal medicine department head, who was older and suffering from severe low blood sugar after the overnight surgery, comforted the family briefly before leaving to rest. Fang Xingzhou checked the time—just past 5 a.m. He let out a slow breath of relief and prepared to change clothes and go home to rest.

He had only taken a few steps when a nurse called out to him, “Dr. Fang, should we remove the patient’s restraints?”

Fang Xingzhou glanced at the patient.

The anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet. He was covered in casts, with restraints on the areas not in casts. The bite guard had been removed during the surgery.

Remembering the patient’s frenzied state before the surgery, Fang Xingzhou advised, “Don’t remove them yet. We’re still not sure if the patient has a mental illness. Wait until the wounds stabilize before considering it.”

The nurse lowered her voice, “But the family might…”

Fang Xingzhou replied, “Tell them it’s the doctor’s orders. If they have any issues, they can come to me.”

The nurse was deeply moved, looking at their surgical maestro with starry eyes. “Okay! Dr. Fang, you’re really the best.”

Fang Xingzhou smiled at her, then wearily entered the changing room. He washed up quickly, changed back into his casual clothes, and retrieved his phone from the locker.

Lu Jianchuan had sent over a dozen messages during the three hours of surgery, one every twenty minutes, chattering incessantly. He asked if he should add sugar to the porridge, how the surgery was going, and what side dishes Fang Xingzhou wanted with the porridge.

The most recent message, sent half a minute ago, read: “Still not done? I’m about to head to the hospital.”

Fang Xingzhou replied, “No need to come. I’m done now and heading home…exhausted.”

He then switched to the next chat window. Li Xuan had replied five minutes ago: “Sorry, Yan Xin and I have been working overnight to inventory the special items. We fell asleep in the early hours.”

Yan Xin also replied, “We just checked the hospital’s magnetic field changes and didn’t find anything unusual. How’s the patient now? We’ll come take a look.”

Fang Xingzhou responded, “Everything’s fine. You should rest.”

Li Xuan asked, “So, what happened?”

Fang Xingzhou replied, “We suspect it’s still a mental issue. The patient’s family might have hidden his medical history. We’ll arrange for a psychiatric consultation after he wakes up.”

After dealing with the unread messages, Fang Xingzhou grabbed his bag and left the changing room, ready to head home.

As he walked from the changing room to the elevator, he pressed the button.

The moment the downward arrow lit up, a nurse’s terrified scream came from a nearby ward, followed by the sound of something shattering.

“Ah—!”

Fang Xingzhou froze, then quickly turned around. He saw blood seeping out from under the door of the ward.

…It was the ward of the patient who had just undergone surgery.

But he shouldn’t have woken up from the anesthesia yet!

Fang Xingzhou’s pupils contracted. Without thinking, he rushed toward the ward. He saw the patient, still in casts, somehow managing to roll off the bed. Blood was streaming from his seven orifices as he gripped the nurse’s arm tightly, his eyes bloodshot, growling and trying to bite her flesh. The patient’s family, who had been holding the loosened restraints, stood frozen in fear, too terrified to move.

Fang Xingzhou’s heart skipped a beat. He dashed over, shielding his colleague, and pushed the nurse aside. With swift movements, he twisted the patient’s arms behind his back.

For half a second, they were locked in a stalemate.

Fang Xingzhou could hear the patient’s heavy breathing, like a beast in a state of extreme excitement.

“Hu… hu… hu…”

A strong sense of foreboding washed over him. He shouted, “What are you standing around for? The restraints!”

The stunned family members finally snapped out of it. Too scared to approach, they tremblingly threw the restraints to Fang Xingzhou, landing at his feet.

Fang Xingzhou: “…”

The nurse, who had been pushed to the ground, scrambled to her feet, picked up the restraints, and tried to help Fang Xingzhou subdue the frenzied patient. The two of them worked together to restrain him, preparing to tie him down again—

Suddenly, the patient erupted with terrifying strength, forcibly twisting his body. Despite the audible cracking of his dislocated joints, he turned his blood-streaked face toward Fang Xingzhou, his mouth wide open. Drool mixed with blood dripped to the floor, revealing a crimson tongue and throat.

His bloodshot eyes now had black pupils, staring directly at Fang Xingzhou’s face like a starving man seeing a feast, exuding a palpable sense of danger.

Fang Xingzhou’s breath hitched. His first instinct was to shove the female colleague away again… and that was all he had time to do.

The patient lunged at his neck, biting down with terrifying force. Fang Xingzhou could hear the sound of flesh tearing and something slithering into his bloodstream through the wound…

It was slippery and cold, like some disgusting parasite. Once inside, it raced through his blood vessels, seemingly searching for a suitable place to nest.

Fang Xingzhou’s eyes widened slowly. The pain registered in his brain a moment later. He saw blood splattering—his own blood.

The nurse screamed in terror again, stumbling out of the room and shouting for help. Soon, more colleagues rushed into the ward, but the patient was still clamped onto Fang Xingzhou’s neck, sucking his blood voraciously.

Fang Xingzhou kicked him hard. Four or five colleagues pounced on the patient, prying his mouth open bit by bit.

With a sickening crack, the patient’s jaw dislocated, and he involuntarily released Fang Xingzhou’s neck. Two colleagues immediately stepped between him and Fang Xingzhou, pinning the patient to the ground and re-securing him with restraints and a bite guard.

Fang Xingzhou, breathing heavily, pressed a hand to his neck, feeling the blood gushing out.

This is bad, he thought.

He bit an artery.

But at least… we’re in a hospital.

The nurse was now crying uncontrollably, but her years of clinical experience kept her thinking clearly. She rushed out to get blood bags while sobbing. Other colleagues helped Fang Xingzhou onto a gurney, trying to stop the bleeding in an orderly chaos.

Having lost a large amount of blood in a short time, Fang Xingzhou’s vision was already blurring. He vaguely recognized the person trying to stop the bleeding—it was Qin Hongbo.

This graduate student, who had followed him for two years, was crying snot and tears, but his hands were steady, performing each step to stop the bleeding procedure with precision.

Fang Xingzhou felt a sense of relief.

With his bloodied right hand, he grabbed Qin Hongbo and said with difficulty, “Xiao Wang… find Xiao Wang…”

Qin Hongbo cried even harder, “What are you talking about Xiao Wang for at a time like this?! Don’t talk! Every time you talk, the bleeding… it won’t stop, wuwuwuwu…”

“…” Fang Xingzhou really wanted to sigh.

He knew full well that his blood type was rare, and the hospital’s blood bank didn’t have much in stock. Given the size of the wound and the rate of bleeding, it would be impossible to stop it immediately.

If Lu Jianchuan didn’t arrive in time, his chances of dying would be over 50%.

“Find… Xiao Wang,” he said with unwavering determination, gripping Qin Hongbo’s hand tightly. His head was spinning. “Now! If you don’t want me to die… listen to me…”

Qin Hongbo was stunned by his teacher’s blood-soaked, serious expression. After a moment of hesitation, he instinctively obeyed Fang Xingzhou’s orders. He let a colleague take over and, still crying, dialed the number of another intern.

“Hey, Xiao Wang, get to the hospital right now. Dr. Fang is in critical condition. He wants to see you, wuwuwuwuwu…”

Fang Xingzhou: “…”

He took a deep breath, his forehead covered in cold sweat—half from the pain, half from sheer exasperation at his student.

I hope Deer can keep himself under control and not lose it in public, he thought.

When I wake up, I hope the entire hospital hasn’t disappeared… Fang Xingzhou’s thoughts grew hazy, his brow furrowed as he listened to Qin Hongbo’s voice. Worried, he slowly slipped into unconsciousness.