The Urban Divine Doctor Warrior

Chapter 3: The Divine Needles

George Fields knew that every second counted. His daughter's life hung by a thread, and inaction meant certain death. At this point, taking a chance seemed better than resigning himself to loss. Peter Green's words echoed in his mind - this mysterious orderly had diagnosed Tina's condition with a single glance. Perhaps he truly could save her. After all, who would willingly step into such a storm of trouble without absolute confidence?

Taking a deep breath, George fixed his gaze on Liam Steele. "Go ahead. Try."

Liam nodded, but before he could move, George added a chilling addendum.

Hannah Birch, standing nearby, couldn't contain her agitation. "You've lost your mind!"

"Mr. Fields, please understand," she pleaded, "my good-for-nothing son-in-law is just putting on a show. Don't take him seriously."

But Vanessa Hall chose to place her faith in Liam, attempting to reason with her mother. "Mom, let him try."

"He's gone mad, and now you want to follow suit?" Hannah glared at her daughter in disbelief.

"Mother-in-law, trust me this once," Liam interjected.

"Trust you? I'd sooner trust a rattlesnake," Hannah spat, her eyes blazing with anger as she turned to her daughter. "If you care at all about the Hall family name, drag him out of here before he makes a complete fool of himself - and us!"

George Fields' voice cut through the tension like a blade. "If you save my daughter, I'll owe you a debt of gratitude. But if anything happens to her..." His words trailed off, the unspoken threat hanging heavy in the air.

"Understood," Liam replied without hesitation, striding into the operating room.

Vanessa watched him go, suddenly struck by how different Liam seemed since regaining consciousness after his suicide attempt. It was as if he'd become an entirely different person.

Hannah Birch, meanwhile, was so furious she could barely speak. "Mother, perhaps you should go home," Vanessa suggested gently.

"You fool!" Hannah hissed. "If he screws this up, it's the Hall family that will pay the price. The moment you get home, you'd better file for divorce. I'm going to find your father."

With that, she stormed off, desperate to consult with her husband, Bach Hall.

Liam and Vanessa's marriage had always been unconventional. Though Liam had moved into the Hall family home as a son-in-law, Vanessa had never looked down on him. If anything, she felt he'd suffered unfairly. Uncomfortable with the idea of marrying a stranger, she had agreed to the arrangement with Liam, her coworker at the hospital. For two years they'd lived together, and in all that time, Liam had never once acted inappropriately towards her.

Still, Liam's position as a live-in son-in-law had made him the target of constant ridicule. People called him a freeloader, a parasite. Even his in-laws scorned him, especially since the couple remained childless. Some even questioned his manhood. For Vanessa's sake, Liam had endured countless humiliations.

Dr. Arthur Saint, observing from the sidelines, breathed a sigh of relief as Liam walked into what the doctor was certain would be a disaster. At least now, if anything went wrong, Liam would bear the brunt of the blame. The hospital - and more importantly, Arthur himself - would be absolved of responsibility.

"What can a leech like that possibly accomplish?" Arthur thought smugly. "People like him deserve to be looked down upon."

Inside the operating room, an orderly finished prepping Tina Fields, cleaning the wound where her fractured rib had punctured through. Liam, now sterilized, approached the table. His brow furrowed as he examined the chest wound. Though he'd only been a medical intern before, the knowledge inherited from the Arthur of Rebirth allowed him to anticipate every possible complication.

"Bring me the silver needles," Liam instructed the orderly.

The woman, accustomed to treating Liam with disdain, balked at the request. "Do you even know what you're doing? Since when does surgery require acupuncture needles?"

Liam's eyes flashed dangerously. "Get them. Now. Unless you want to be responsible for this patient's death."

Taken aback by the ice in his voice, the orderly hurried to comply. This was not the meek, downtrodden Liam she was used to pushing around.

Taking a deep breath, Liam felt a surge of energy course through his body. He infused the silver needles with this mysterious force, then began inserting them into Tina's body with practiced precision. The orderly watched in stunned silence, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and awe.

"Scalpel," Liam commanded, his hand hovering steadily over Tina's needle-covered form.

The orderly complied without hesitation this time, wiping the sweat from Liam's brow as she handed over the instrument.

Just as Liam began the delicate procedure, the door to the observation room burst open. A well-dressed woman rushed in, accompanied by an elderly man with a shock of white hair and beard.

"Who's operating on my Tina?" the woman demanded, her eyes wild with fear and anger.

George Fields barely spared her a glance, his face set in grim lines of worry.

Dr. Saint, hovering nearby, cast a nervous look at George before answering. "Madam Fields, it's... it's a trainee orderly from our hospital."

"A trainee orderly?" Mary Zhang's voice rose to a shriek. "Is this how you treat my daughter? Letting some unqualified nobody cut her open? What kind of doctor are you?"

Dr. Saint's face twisted in misery, unsure how to explain the situation.

"I authorized it," George interjected, his voice low and controlled.

Mary gaped at her husband in disbelief. "You what? Why didn't you wait for the master physician to arrive?"

George's reply was terse. "There wasn't time."

As Mary opened her mouth to argue further, the elderly man - none other than the legendary Arthur of Rebirth - spoke up. "Patience. We'll review the results first, then decide. It's not too late."

Dr. Saint, recognizing the immense prestige of the Arthur of Rebirth, saw an opportunity to curry favor with someone who could significantly boost his own career. Eager to impress, he hastily offered the medical chart. "Please, take a look, sir."

The master physician's eyes narrowed as he scanned the report. This data was from forty minutes ago, and even then, the chances of success had been less than half. Now, after so much lost time...

Were this any other family, Arthur of Rebirth would have gently explained that hope was lost. But standing before him was an old friend, George Fields. He couldn't bring himself to deliver such a harsh truth.

"How is my daughter?" Mary asked, her voice trembling.

The elderly doctor sighed heavily. "Tina's condition is... grave."

Mary's anxiety ratcheted up another notch. If even the great Arthur of Rebirth was pessimistic, surely the situation was dire. And to think, her daughter's life was in the hands of some untrained orderly! The thought made her sick with worry.

Suddenly, the light above the operating room door went dark. Before Liam could even step out, Mary Zhang barreled past him into the room. Dr. Saint, not daring to stop her, could only trail helplessly in her wake.

"The patient is out of immediate danger," Liam announced, exhaling deeply.

Despite inheriting knowledge from the Arthur of Rebirth, Liam's body was still weak from his recent trauma. The energy he'd expended during the operation left him feeling utterly drained.

Mary Zhang, however, was far from relieved. "Is my daughter really alright? If anything's wrong with her, I'll make sure your entire family pays the price."

Liam, too exhausted to argue, said nothing. But when Mary caught sight of the numerous needles protruding from her daughter's body, she exploded.

"You bastard! What have you done to my daughter? If this leaves even a single scar, who's going to take responsibility?"

Her face contorted with rage, she screamed, "Take those needles out this instant!"

"I can't!" Liam protested. "The needles are regulating her qi and blood flow. Removing them now could be disastrous."

Dr. Saint, glancing at the steady readouts on the vital signs monitor, saw an opportunity to reassert his authority. "You say they can't be removed? The patient's condition is perfectly stable. You're just a trainee orderly, not even qualified to be a doctor. What right do you have to make decisions here?"

His voice dripping with disdain, he added, "We only allowed you to perform this surgery out of respect for Mr. Fields. Now, get out."

Liam tried to explain further, but Mary Zhang's shrill voice cut him off. "Get out! How dare you mutilate my daughter like this? Dr. Saint, I never want to see this man again!"

Dr. Saint, eager to please, quickly assured her, "Of course, Madam. I'll have him fired immediately after this."

With no other choice, Liam turned and left the operating room, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

Dr. Saint watched him go, a cold smile playing at the corners of his mouth. The arrogant fool had gotten lucky, nothing more. A parasite like that would never have another chance like this again.

"Don't worry, Madam Zhang," he said soothingly. "I'll remove these needles right away."

But as he plucked out the first few needles, the heart rate monitor suddenly erupted in a cacophony of shrill alarms. Tina Fields' pulse began to race erratically, and in that moment, Dr. Saint realized with horror that he might have just made a terrible mistake.