Liu Banxia wiped the sweat from his forehead. Although it might look like a simple procedure, if the puncture wasn’t placed correctly, or if the victim’s internal organs had shifted, the patient could end up even worse off.
At this point, the other two doctors had also prepared their emergency kits. Although Liu Banxia was not from their hospital, their attention was fully on him now.
"Okay, the three of us will go in first and see what’s going on," Liu Banxia announced.
This wasn’t him showing off. At fire scenes, smoke inhalation was the leading cause of death. The area was still thick with acrid smoke, and there was no telling how many people had already been overcome by it.
Bent at the waist, he followed the firefighters forward. If not for his makeshift eye protection, the smoke would have had tears streaming down his face.
"Doctors, don’t run too fast. Stay behind us," warned a firefighter.
Liu Banxia nodded. He’d never experienced a scene before. Sheer adrenaline had propelled him forward initially, but now, as they neared the source of the explosion and the smoke grew thicker, he felt extremely nervous.
"Doctor, there’s a person in this room. Can you come and check?" a firefighter called from a nearby house.
Liu Banxia and his team hurried into the house.
The victim was sprawled on the floor, unconscious, his head pointing towards the entryway.
To be on the safe side, Liu Banxia fitted him with a cervical collar. After carefully turning him over, Liu Banxia sighed deeply upon seeing the victim’s arms.
Both arms and his chest had extensive burns; he had likely passed out from the pain of trying to extinguish the flames by rolling on the floor.
He listened carefully with a stethoscope. The breath sounds were normal. Liu Banxia nodded at the firefighter, then took out a lipstick and drew three lines on the patient.
DING! Rescued patient 2. Gained 20 experience points, Diagnostic Skill proficiency +20.
This patient marked the beginning of their on-site emergency aid. The deeper they ventured, the more victims they found. Fortunately, many of those rescued so far had only been overcome by smoke; with proper airway management and the firefighters’ help, they wouldn’t have major issues.
The first burn patient Liu Banxia had treated was actually the most critical. Given the large surface area of the burns, if debridement wasn’t performed promptly, infection could set in and endanger his life.
Compared to him, even the fracture patients discovered later were in a relatively safer condition. Their bones could be set, and their lives weren’t in immediate danger.
"Doctor, please come and see this patient! His leg is crushed, and it looks really bad!" The call came just as they finished with another victim.
Liu Banxia took a deep breath. He was already exhausted. Providing emergency medical service at a fire scene was far more tiring than in a hospital.
He followed the sound to the patient. Seeing the victim’s condition, Liu Banxia felt a wave of dismay.
A stone pillar pinned the patient’s leg, which had already turned an ominous dark purple. Compartment syndrome, definitely, Liu Banxia thought, even without a closer look.
"Don’t move the pillar yet! I need to feel his leg first," Liu Banxia quickly said when he saw the firefighters about to lift it.
"Can you feel me touching your leg?" Liu Banxia asked the patient.
The patient shook his head with some effort.
Liu Banxia felt the leg carefully again, his brow furrowing. "You have a tibial fracture, and it has damaged blood vessels. Right now, the pillar is actually compressing those vessels, which is why you haven’t bled more heavily."
"However, I need to perform surgery on you right here; otherwise, this leg can’t be saved. First, apply a tourniquet to his thigh to control bleeding, then we’ll do a fasciotomy for decompression."
Having assisted him with first aid for a while now, the other two doctors did exactly as Liu Banxia instructed. Even though they were attending physicians, they deeply admired his ability to handle emergencies on site.
And now, another on-site surgery. The cricothyroidotomy and the earlier needle decompression were procedures they themselves would have hesitated to perform under these conditions.
"The tourniquet is secure," one of the doctors confirmed.
Liu Banxia nodded to a nearby firefighter. Only then did the firefighter and his comrades lift the pillar away.
Liu Banxia flexed his fingers, carefully palpated the patient’s leg for a moment, then with a sudden, forceful maneuver, reduced the displaced tibia.
He grabbed povidone-iodine and applied it directly to the patient’s leg, then tore open a debridement pack and took out the scalpel.
"Hold him down, and look away if you can’t stomach the operation," Liu Banxia warned before starting the procedure.
This was, in the truest sense, only his second fasciotomy, but he felt much more comfortable performing it this time.
Back then, he had been a complete rookie, merely an assistant carrying out Zhang Yun’s instructions. It was different now. He had a clear understanding of human skeletal and muscular structures; all that training in the dream space hadn’t been for nothing.
The entire procedure took just over three minutes. Of course, it couldn’t compare to the standards of a proper operating room, but it was enough to save the patient’s leg for now. Once bandaged with gauze, he could be transported to the hospital.
DING! Rescued patient 15. Gained 200 experience points, Fasciotomy proficiency +300, Bonesetting proficiency +200, Diagnostic Skill proficiency +50.
"I’m out of lipstick," Liu Banxia gasped, catching his breath, "but his injuries should be obvious enough for triage outside. Let me just splint his leg with this board. Be careful when you carry him out."
"Doctor, you’re amazing," a firefighter said admiringly.
"Everyone has their own area of expertise. I’m nowhere near as good as you guys when it comes to firefighting. Is it nearly over now? The fire seems mostly under control," Liu Banxia asked with a smile.
The firefighter nodded. "The water hoses were connected half an hour ago. Now we’re searching house by house for any hazardous materials."
"Finally, we can catch our breath. Has it really been less than an hour since we came in? I felt like we’ve been here for several hours," Liu Banxia said with a wry smile.
"Doctors, let’s get out of here first. We’re not sure if it’s still dangerous inside," the firefighter advised.
Liu Banxia nodded, while the other two doctors helped the patient who had just undergone the fasciotomy to his feet. Just as they stepped out of the room, they heard a muffled THUMP.
Instinctively, everyone turned toward the sound.
Before they could see clearly what was happening, a rapid series of explosions reached their ears. Then they saw a makeshift structure a few meters away disintegrate, sending bricks and glass flying towards them.
Liu Banxia’s recently enhanced physique made his reactions slightly faster. He spun around, spread his arms, and tried to tackle those nearest to him to the ground.
But no matter how fast his reactions were, he wasn’t Superman.
Before he could fully tackle them down, he felt several hard impacts on his back. Then, it was as if someone shoved him hard from behind, and a wave of black smoke and intense heat washed over him.
The cacophony of explosions, thick smoke, flames, and the force of the blast overwhelmed Liu Banxia, making him dizzy. A loud ringing filled his ears, and he couldn’t hear anything else.