Xiu Mei didn't even bother to lift her eyes for a single second and continued repairing the cannon. She knew this is the last sixty seconds left, and if she failed at this crucial time, her intelligence is good for nothing.
Human life is at stake….
Just then a pair of hands came forward and touched the broken part of the cannon. Xiu Mei frowned and wanted to push it away but realized whoever it was... it was actually helping her. Keeping her gaze glued to the cannon, they collectively repaired it.
Thirty seconds left….
Assistant Jun reached there with a team and saw two persons working on a machine, their hands worked so fast that it was impossible for him to register the movements. His hand reflexively rose to stop the team from dare not make any sound.
Subconsciously holding his own breath…
Ten seconds….
The last countdown…. sweat poured down Xiu Mei's forehead, her heart stopped beating as the time approached closer to zero.
Seven seconds….
Six seconds….
Five seconds….
Assistant Jun crossed his fingers; his eyes shut tight, his teeth clenched together, breathing stopped….
The countdown ticked…..four….three…. two....
OVER!
The phone dropped from Xiu Mei's mouth. She lay down on the ground, her chest heaved up and down as she panted heavily with closed eyes.
Everything silenced!
Suddenly she felt someone's hand caressed her head and the other pulled her jaw down to open her mouth. "You're bleeding!" She heard a male voice and the next second a soft piece of cloth was placed in between her teeth. "Bite it down!"
Unconsciously she did as instructed.
Her mind was too hazy to register the owner of the voice. All she thought was maybe it was Junjie who came to help her.
She opened her eyes, countless twinkling stars welcomed her and she gave a big smile, "We did it!" Her voice came muffled because of the cloth she was biting.
"You did it." the man whispered proudly, giving all the credits to her. He gave a heart-warming smile as he helped her to stand, ruffling her dreadlocks to dust the soil. He took out the handkerchief from her mouth, his brows furrowed seeing the bloodstains.
"Damn! It was a close call. For a second I thought everything is over." Saying she was not nervous would be lying to herself. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead and turned to the man whom she assumed to be Feng Junjie askingly, "How come you know so much about machines...!?"
Her words remained inside when the man turned out to be Zian instead of Junjie. A question mark dropped on her head!
Just then Zian moved a step closer, extended his finger and tried to pry open her mouth. She reflexively pushed him on the chest. Her push was strong enough to throw a man on the ground but he stood rooted to the ground as if it was just a small poke.
"HOW DARE YOU?" She snarled, eyeing him menacingly.
"Ahhh….. ahhh….. I'll not let you go, Xiu"
Xiu Mei's head snapped to the direction of the sound.
Tao Ai was whimpering lying on the ground with a Swiss knife stuck on her shoulder. The blood flowed as she painstakingly tried to get rid of the knife but failed.
Xiu Mei glanced at Zian who pointed his eyes in a certain direction and saw her following his line of vision. She saw a big stone at a distance of less than a foot where she was seated a while back.
Now that she recalled, the shrill voice belongs to Tao Ai and two sounds followed later belongs to the falling of Tao Ai and stone. This concludes that Tao Ai tried to hit her. If it was not for Zian who saved her, not only it would be her lying on the ground but the plan had failed too.
Zian moved closer to Tao Ai, his expression turned dark. "Take her!" He was obviously asking Assistant Jun to do the task who was still in a daze and only woke up when Zian cast his sharp predatory eyes over him.
The bodyguards moved to take away Tao Ai on Assistant Jun's clue.
He took off his coat and turned back to Xiu Mei but saw her boarding the car which she had drove earlier and left.
*****
"Xiao Mei!" Feng Dingxiong got a new lease of life upon seeing Xiu Mei striding towards him. He checked her from top to bottom but she brushed passed and didn't answer anything and moved straight to the theatre.
From the big glass window she saw Doctors into action. Her finger pressed the button to speak to them, "Dr. Ge!? Is everything working fine with the pulse generator or do you need help?"
"Everything's good!" Dr. Ge replied.
Wang Shi: "Is everything okay with the shield?"
Xiu Mei: "Yes! Continue working! I'll go clean myself, can't enter the theatre in this dirty condition." She answered. It was a sterile room and her presence would be required when the device will be taken out.
Wang Shi looked at her once, "Disinfect any wounds too before entering."
Xiu Mei: "Got it!"
*****
In the meantime Dr. Ge has activated the pulse generator, separating the device from the brain. They confirmed seeing the red light turn green.
Tang Wenyang checked heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and blood oxygen level and gave a nod to Qiao Li.
He had already studied the reports of the man died in Feng Corporation as given by Dr. Wang Shi. He knows the exact location where the device is located and stepped behind Liu Ning and shaved the small portion of the head before numbing the scalp and cleaning it with iodine.
The scalp was pulled up and clipped to control the bleeding while providing the access to the brain. Using a medical drill he burr three holes in the skull. A special saw was used to cut the bone and Dura Mater was separated from the bone before the flap was removed and saved.
Just then Xiu Mei stepped in wearing surgical clothes and stood near the suction machine to leave the theatre as soon as the device is in her hands. She can't stand so much blood, and averted her eyes from the exposed part of Liu Ning's brain, resisting the urge to puke her guts out.
Qiao Li looked through the neurosurgical microscope hovering, "Suction!" Wang Shi moved closer and hand over the suction machine, looking at the mini device from the other end of the microscope.
Qiao Li didn't let the extra fluid flow out of the brain and kept the device floating.
Out of option Xiu Mei paid attention and moved closer as she instructed Dr. Ge, "Generate another pulse at the count of three. This will push the device farther from the brain when Dr. Qiao will made incision.
The air tensed around Qiao Li tensed as he holds the suction hook against the device with one hand and a scalpel with the other.
Xiu Mei took charge of the suction machine…
All three have to be perfectly coordinated.
One….
Two….
Three…
Within that moment, Qiao Li make a small incision on the Dura mater, Dr. Ge generated another pulse and Xiu Mei pressed the suction button.
Everything stopped!
The air in the room was still even after a few seconds had passed. They realized that the device went inside the suction machine comfortably without harming Liu Ning's brain.
Everyone took a huge sigh of relief and took a celebratory moment of five seconds.
They did it!
The device was finally removed!
Liu Ning was freed from Yang Mi's clasp safely!
Feng Dingxiong and Feng Junjie pasted themselves at the glass window, looking anxiously at the doctors. When they came to know it was the moment the device is going to be removed, they came running from the waiting area….
Xiu Mei looked at the father-son duo and gave thumbs up….
Unconsciously they screamed out of joy and hugged each other.
"DAD! I GOT MY MOM BACK! I GOT MY MOM BACK!" Feng Junjie jumped like a kangaroo and shouted. "Sister Mei Mei is the best! She had really done it!"
Feng Dingxiong cast a glance at the woman who was standing in the theatre still maintaining her calm countenance, seeing as everyone celebrated.