CH 186

It was impossible for Fitz to return home under such circumstances.

When Gu Yan carried Yan Suizhi into the back seat, she immediately got into the driver’s seat, set the destination, and said directly, “I’ll take the car! You watch the dean!” 

Gu Yan stilled. “Thank you.”

The lady who prided herself on never speeding slapped the ignition, and the black space shuttle veered out of the city garden, bolting for the hover road at top speed, whizzing past the horizon like a projected beam of light.

The back seat changed modes, and the in-vehicle emergency medical device and universal medicine box all popped out.

There were over a dozen tubings and probing needles trailing from them. It was apparent that they were brand new, still bundled together as though untouched since coming from the manufacturer. 

Fitz discreetly glanced at the rearview mirror.

Even at this time, Gu Yan didn’t show the faintest sign of panic. From where Fitz sat, she could see the kneaded eyebrows and scowl as he grabbed those connections with icy calmness, inspecting the cable around the tubings…

Fitz was about to remind him that the cable had a catch; if he found it, he could pull it open and the tubings would naturally come loose.

But before she could utter a word, she heard a loud ‘pop’. The cable was forcibly snapped.

Gu Yan couldn’t even be bothered to find the catch.

All of a sudden, Fitz didn’t quite dare to speak anymore.

The needles of the emergency medical device were linked up to Yan Suizhi. Amidst the flurry, Gu Yan was abnormally silent. In spite of how briskly he was moving, when about to insert the needles into Yan Suizhi’s skin, all of a sudden he would go gentle.

There was no sensation of the slim needles sliding into skin. If it had to be described, it was a bit similar to a mosquito bite. Painless yet annoying. 

Needle after needle pricked his neck and wrist, yet there was not the slightest reaction from Yan Suizhi.

The emergency medical device started to take its readings, the indicators on the vehicle-mounted screen lighting up in turn—heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, respiration, oxygen saturation…

The numbers kept fluctuating as the device was in operation, but every vital sign was tagged with a glaring red exclamation point.

Mlah tjv bcis mjra j yglfo ibbx ja atf rlaejalbc lc atf yjmx rfja atgbeut atf gfjgnlfk wlggbg yfobgf jnfgalcu tfg ujhf lc mbcrafgcjalbc, jvperalcu atf vglnf rfaalcur bo atf rqjmf rteaaif jujlc. 

Po Tjc Velhtl kjr jkjxf, tf kbeiv vfolclafis wjgnfi ja tbk Mlah tjv rtbgafcfv atf bcf-tbeg vglnf ogbw atf mlas ujgvfc ab Vqglcu Pns Lbrqlaji LH ab 27 wlceafr.

Even that being the case, she felt that these twenty-seven minutes was as long as a century. She could hardly imagine how much more torturous it must have been for Gu Yan.

The car smoothly pulled to a stop in front of Spring Ivy. Lin Yuan, who had received the news in advance, was already waiting there for them.

He was off his rotation and was resting in the lounge just earlier. His recharged state of mind had put him in a good mood, only for him to unexpectedly receive this piece of bad news not long after waking. 

“Don’t run to the emergency department; it’s no use going there.” Lin Yuan had a holographic display above his hand, on which the data from the vehicle’s emergency medical device was synced.

The numbers had stopped fluctuating after the needles were detached, but the screen remained red.

“Head straight upstairs,” said Lin Yuan.

The hospital stretcher took Yan Suizhi into the elevator, swiftly sending him up to the laboratory floor. 

The innermost part of the lab was a live specimen experimental room. While the name didn’t sound pleasant, strictly speaking, it had more up-scale equipment than a regular emergency operating room; there was nothing stopping it from serving as an emergency room under special circumstances.

Thanks to Lin Yuan’s prior arrangements, the relevant equipment was already booted up. The researchers deftly set Yan Suizhi in position.

The screen refreshed and his physical data soon popped up.

“Is this a relapse after getting a suppression shot? Or have the genetic modifications run their time?” One of the researchers muttered to the other researcher next to him. “The latter is still manageable, but if it’s the former it’s going to be hell…” 

The other guy hurriedly set a finger against his lips, shushing him, speaking out of the side of his mouth, “A few less words won’t suffocate you. Teacher Lin hasn’t even spoken yet, but you already know it all?”

Despite saying so, that researcher’s complexion wasn’t much better.

In fact, the sight of the data on the screen had caused every expression to sink.

“You guys go and rest first—” Lin Yuan snapped on a new pair of sterile gloves and was about to propose that Gu Yan and Fitz wait next door, but when he saw Gu Yan, the words caught in his throat all of a sudden. 

They wobbled indecisively in his throat, and Lin Yuan ended up sighing. He pointed to the chairs outside the glass room. “Nevermind. Sit over there, it’ll take time. Also, Zach?”

A young researcher raised his hand. “Here.”

“We still have to go through some formalities. Find those forms and have him fill them out,” Lin Yuan instructed, then turned to say to Gu Yan, “Go fill out the form. I’ll take care of everything on this side.”

Zach responded in acknowledgement and led Gu Yan and Fitz out. 

A pile of documents was ejected from the photon computer. Zach nudged the holographic papers towards him. “You have to fill in the patient information on these, over here. Erm… if I may ask, what is your relationship to him?”

He glanced at the footnotes on the documents and read off them. “Are you his next of kin, relative, or—”

Gu Yan looked away from the machine in the glass-enclosed room, cursorily glancing at the different fields to fill in. Without waiting for Zach to guide him through them, he said, “I can manage. Please head back in; it’s pointless for you to waste time here with me.”

Zach actually wanted to go in too; there was no telling what the situation was like inside, however tricky or if more hands were needed. Nevertheless, as far as the hospital was concerned, it was just as important to reassure and ensure family dependants cooperate with procedure. He said patiently, “It’s not a waste of time. The terms of these agreements and some other things are quite complicated. I have to explain them; it’s standard practice.” 

Fitz piped up from the side, “He’s a lawyer.”

Zach, “…”

Without a second word, he passed Gu Yan a template, hastily going in.

Within the glass room, Lin Yuan was startled to see Zach entering. “Why have you—” 

“He can understand it all without me having to talk his ears off.” Zach rapidly snapped on his sterile gloves and sighed, saying to Lin Yuan, “Back when I was taking the emergency shift at the front building, I had to go on and on explaining everything. This is my first time meeting someone so to the point. He’s even more in a rush than me.”

Lin Yuan looked over. Through the glass, Gu Yan’s head was lowered as he read the papers in his hand.

He had heard that famous lawyers were impressively fast at reading such documents; they could pick out the key points with just a glance. He saw Gu Yan rapidly turn to the last page, holding the electronic pen and swiftly signing it without a single second of delay.

Zach wasn’t wrong. This was possibly the most efficient person they had ever come across. 

However, after signing the form, Gu Yan didn’t release the form.

He stood there for a long time with his gaze shuttered, sweeping across the contents of the form that he had already gone through, silent.

Light shining on the glass from inside the room turned it slightly reflective.

The emotion in his expression was unreadable. There were no intense outbursts, nor did he say anything out of the ordinary. Still, Lin Yuan could sense heavy emotions tossing and turning in him. 

Lin Yuan sighed. He gestured to his assistants, then lowered his head and focused on his work.

“Gu?” Fitz was slightly worried about how Gu Yan was faring.

She walked closer and looked at the documents in Gu Yan’s hand. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

After a long while, as though coming back to his senses, he shook his head. “No.” 

Rationality told him that the papers had to be signed. The sooner they were signed, the less delay there would be to the treatment. But emotionally, he read every line of possible risks and complications listed on the paperwork… and it was hard not to panic.

This was probably what others would call ‘dread’.

For all of his rationality and composure, a dread so visceral that it was impossible to ignore or rein in.

Because the one lying on the medical apparatus was Yan Suizhi. 

Because the one to bear those distressing risks and complications, the one to feel the pain… was the man whom he loved.