“Organize the security detail properly. Stay alert—don’t let the experts be affected during the operation.”
Qin Yi ignored Lin Li’s complaints and walked forward while giving instructions.
Lin Li still refused to give up and followed closely, muttering in a low voice:
“Hey! Boss! We absolutely cannot let anything happen to Ma Liu! He hasn’t confessed anything yet! Whether this case can be solved depends entirely on him! Even the provincial medical consultants couldn’t do anything—just how capable is this expert supposed to be? Is she even professional?”
Professional?
A flash crossed Qin Yi’s mind—Ma Liu and Zhang Kui’s bound fingers, tied with textbook-perfect technique, and the handgun and dagger placed neatly in the equipment box…
A person meticulous and professional in one field would not suddenly become careless in another.
Lin Li was about to continue complaining when Qin Yi suddenly asked:
“Lin Li, do you remember what happened to me three years ago?”
“Three years ago…”
Lin Li scratched his head, hesitation flickering in his eyes.
“You mean… when you were injured at the border and almost died?”
Qin Yi nodded.
“That time I was critically injured. All the doctors were helpless. It was Old Mu who suddenly appeared and proposed an unbelievable treatment plan. None of the doctors dared to sign off on it—but I signed it myself and chose to believe him.”
Standing at the entrance of the inpatient building, Qin Yi stared into the distance.
“Old Mu saved me. Only later did I find out he wasn’t trained in neurology or even skilled in surgery. If I had been fully conscious at the time, I might not have dared to sign that consent.”
“After that, I understood something: there are always people better than you. What the eye can see is very limited.”
Lin Li seemed to understand, yet not fully…
But Qin Yi had no intention of explaining further. He glanced at his watch and raised his voice slightly.
“Time is almost up. The expert treating Ma Liu must be kept under absolute confidentiality. Understood?”
Lin Li immediately stood at attention.
“Understood!”
Su Tong was brought into the operating room on time by Qin Yi.
She first scanned the equipment. Compared to modern standards, it was rather simple, but compared to field hospitals, it was quite convenient—at least there was no need to worry about stray bullets during surgery.
She skillfully changed her shoes, washed her hands, and disinfected.
The operating room had heating. To allow ease of movement, she took off her heavy cotton coat, then changed into light blue sterile scrubs in the changing room and neatly put on a surgical cap before stepping out.
Seeing Su Tong in full surgical attire, Qin Yi felt a moment of daze. Her temperament seemed perfectly suited to it, as if she had worn it countless times before.
She looked capable and confident, and her familiarity with the operating room was as natural as if it were her own home.
Ma Liu lay unconscious on the operating table, both wrists cuffed to either side.
On the instrument table were his lab results and examination reports.
Su Tong quickly reviewed them. The condition was consistent with her expectations.
She nodded at Qin Yi and said, “Comrade Qin, just leave the handcuff key here and you can go out. I’ll call you when it’s done.”
Qin Yi had originally planned to stay and help, but did not expect her to reject him so directly.
He looked at Ma Liu on the operating table, calculating that if anything happened, he could rush in within seconds.
He left the key and only said, “Don’t lock the door. I’ll be right outside.”
Su Tong knew he was worried about her safety and nodded.
Qin Yi stepped out and stood at the glass doors of the corridor partition, only about ten meters from the operating room, ready to stay on guard without moving a step.
But just a few minutes later, the glass door was knocked from inside.
He turned around and saw Su Tong sticking her head out.
“Um… Comrade Qin, do you trust me completely?”
Qin Yi did not know why she was asking this. Then he thought she might be nervous.
He softened his expression as much as he could.
“You don’t need to have any concerns. Just go ahead and do it. I will take responsibility for any consequences. Since I trust you, I can bear the outcome.”
Su Tong knew he had misunderstood her, but still silently approved of his answer.
She coughed lightly, leaned out a little closer, and lowered her voice:
“Sometimes… in saving someone, a scalpel is more useful than a gun.”
A sharp light flashed in Qin Yi’s eyes.
He did not think long before leaning down and whispering something into her ear.
Su Tong nodded and said, “As long as I don’t call you, don’t come in.”
Then she turned and went back inside.
Qin Yi watched the slightly swaying glass door for a long time, then shook his head with a faint smile.
Ma Liu could no longer be delayed.
Beijing had blood supplies and complete medical equipment, but the distance was too far—he would not survive the journey.
He deserved death for his crimes, but this criminal group was deeply complex, involving multiple provinces, and the main suspect had not yet been identified.
Zhang Kui was just a minor brute. Ma Liu was their only breakthrough.
If Ma Liu died, two months of effort from the special task force and police would be wasted.
And this girl had said with absolute certainty that she could treat him. For reasons even he could not explain, he believed her.
Not only because there was no better option—but because a girl capable of capturing fugitives alone would not act without certainty.
And he also wanted to see just how many abilities she truly had.
When Ma Liu woke up, Su Tong had already given him partial anesthesia.
He was shocked to find he was not in a hospital ward. Above him was a large shadowless surgical lamp. The bed was hard and uncomfortable, and his body felt cold and strangely empty.
Then he turned his head.
Oh god.
The woman who had captured him—the “evil woman”—was standing beside him, holding a surgical knife and smiling at him faintly.
It wasn’t that Su Tong looked fierce. Rather, the contrast between her weak appearance and her ruthless actions left him with severe psychological trauma.
Startled, Ma Liu tried to sit up, only to realize both wrists were cuffed.
And he was completely naked—only a thin sheet loosely covered him. His lower body felt numb.
A wave of fear surged over him.
“H-help… someone…”
He tried to shout, but could barely form a sound.
“Don’t waste your energy. Since you’re already here, shouting won’t help.”
Su Tong held the scalpel and began examining him.
“What… what are you going to do?”