“Organize the security details and stay alert. Don’t let anything disrupt the expert during surgery.”
Qin Yi ignored Lin Li’s previous remarks. While walking out, he issued instructions.
But Lin Li wasn’t ready to give up. Following closely, he whispered urgently:
“Hey! Boss! Ma Liu can’t afford to have anything happen! He hasn’t confessed anything yet! Solving this case depends entirely on him! Even the provincial doctors couldn’t figure out a solution during their consultation. How capable is this expert anyway? Are they even qualified?”
Qualified?
Qin Yi’s mind flashed to the images of Ma Liu and Zhang Kui’s bound fingers—the tying method was as precise as textbook examples, along with the pistol and dagger found in the storage box…
Someone who’s meticulous and professional in one field wouldn’t lower their standards in another.
Just as Lin Li was about to continue his protests, Qin Yi suddenly asked him, “Lin Li, do you remember what happened to me three years ago?”
“Three years ago…”
Lin Li scratched his head, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. “Are you referring to when you got injured at the border three years ago and almost lost your life?”
Qin Yi nodded. “That time, my life was hanging by a thread. All the doctors were at a loss. Then Lao Mu suddenly appeared and proposed an unbelievable treatment plan. None of the doctors dared to sign off on it, but I chose to trust him and insisted on signing the consent form myself.”
Qin Yi stood at the entrance of the inpatient building, gazing into the distance. “Lao Mu saved me. Afterwards, I learned that he neither understood neurology nor was he a surgery specialist. If I’d been conscious, I might not have dared to sign either.”
“After that incident, I understood a principle: there’s always someone more capable beyond what we know, and the heavens extend farther than we can see. What our eyes perceive is actually quite limited.”
Lin Li seemed to grasp it, yet not entirely…
But Qin Yi didn’t intend to explain further. He glanced at his watch and slightly raised his voice. “Time is almost up. The expert’s treatment of Ma Liu must remain absolutely confidential. Understood?”
Lin Li instinctively stood at attention and responded, “Understood!”
Su Tong was promptly escorted by Qin Yi into the operating room.
She first surveyed the surgical equipment. It was considerably more rudimentary compared to modern standards, yet far more convenient than a field hospital—at least she wouldn’t need to worry about stray bullets during surgery.
Su Tong adeptly changed her shoes, washed her hands, and disinfected.
The operating room had heating. To facilitate movement, she removed her heavy padded coat, then went to the changing room to put on a sky-blue sterile gown and a surgical cap before emerging neatly prepared.
Seeing Su Tong in full surgical attire, Qin Yi felt a momentary daze. Her demeanor seemed perfectly suited to the outfit, as if she had worn it countless times before.
She appeared efficient and confident, her movements so accustomed to the operating room that it felt like her own home.
Ma Liu lay unconscious on the operating table, his wrists handcuffed to either side.
On the adjacent instrument table lay various test reports and examination results for Ma Liu.
Su Tong quickly scanned through them; the situation aligned closely with her expectations.
She nodded to Qin Yi and said, “Comrade Qin, you can leave the handcuff keys and go. I’ll call you when it’s over.”
Qin Yi had originally intended to stay, thinking he could at least assist in some way. He hadn’t expected the young woman to dismiss him so bluntly.
He glanced at Ma Liu on the operating table, calculating that it would only take him a few seconds to rush in if any commotion occurred.
He left the handcuff keys behind, saying only, “Don’t lock the door. I’ll be right outside.”
Su Tong knew he was concerned for her safety and nodded.
Qin Yi walked out of the operating room and stood by the glass door separating the corridor, about ten meters away from the operating room. He intended to guard the place without moving an inch.
But just a few minutes later, the glass door was knocked from the inside.
He turned around and saw Su Tong poking her head out.
“Um… Comrade Qin, do you absolutely trust me?”
Qin Yi didn’t understand why she would ask such a question, but then it occurred to him that the girl might still be a bit nervous…
He softened his expression as much as possible, making his face appear less stern, and said:
“You don’t need to have any concerns. Go ahead and do it! I’ll bear any consequences! Since I trust you, I have the capacity to handle it.”
Su Tong knew Qin Yi hadn’t grasped her meaning, but she silently applauded him for his words.
She coughed lightly to cover her thoughts, leaned closer to him, and whispered, “You’re saving Ma Liu because you want to get some information from him, right? Sometimes… a scalpel is more effective than a pistol.”
Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Qin Yi’s eyes. After a brief moment of consideration, he leaned close to Su Tong’s ear and whispered a few words to her.
Su Tong nodded and instructed, “As long as I don’t make a sound, don’t come in.”
Then she turned and went back inside.
Qin Yi watched the still slightly swaying glass door for a long time, then shook his head and chuckled softly.
Ma Liu’s condition couldn’t be delayed any longer. Although Beijing had blood banks and proper medical equipment, the journey was too long, and Ma Liu couldn’t withstand the trip.
In terms of his crimes, he deserved to die, but the criminal activities of this gang were too complex and far-reaching, and the main culprits hadn’t even been identified yet…
Zhang Kui was just a low-level thug who relied on brute force. Ma Liu was the only breakthrough.
If Ma Liu died, all the efforts of their Special Operations Squad and the public security comrades over the past two months would be wasted, and everything would have to start from scratch.
When this girl looked at him with determined eyes and said she could treat him, he inexplicably believed her.
Not just because there was no better option at the moment, but also because he recognized that a girl who could single-handedly capture a fugitive wouldn’t attempt something she wasn’t confident about. He also wanted to see what other skills she possessed.
When Ma Liu woke up, Su Tong had already administered half-body anesthesia to him.
To his surprise, he found himself not in a hospital room. Above him was a massive shadowless lamp, the bed was hard and uncomfortable, and his body felt cold and exposed.
When he looked to the side—
Oh my god!
That vicious woman who had captured him was holding a scalpel and grinning at him with a sinister expression.
It wasn’t that Su Tong looked particularly ferocious, but the stark contrast between her frail appearance and her fierce actions had left Ma Liu with deep psychological trauma.
Startled, Ma Liu tried to struggle and sit up, only to realize that both his hands were handcuffed!
He was completely naked, with only a light piece of cloth loosely draped over him, and his lower body felt completely numb…
Overwhelming fear washed over him.
“H-help… someone…”
Ma Liu tried to scream in terror, but his voice came out broken and incoherent, barely forming syllables.
“Don’t bother. You’re already lying here. No amount of shouting will help.”
Su Tong held a surgical knife and began to trace it over his body.
“What… what are you going to do?”