Medical Sage

On the expressway leading out from the airport, a pitch-black Mercedes-Benz GL400 roared along like a behemoth of the asphalt.

”They say Sanpan Mountain is perfect for street racing, and it’s pretty early,” Chen Fei muttered with irritation, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

The Sanpan Mountain loop road, located in the outskirts of Northern Mountain City, was an extremely rugged and treacherous path. One side was a bottomless cliff, while the other was built into the mountainside, leaving a narrow lane that could barely fit one and a half cars. This inherent danger, coupled with its many sharp turns, meant that ordinary people never dared to speed there. Over time, the road fell into a state of semi-disuse, with scarce traffic. Eventually, it was commandeered by the sons of officials and other wealthy young masters from several nearby cities, becoming their exclusive, famed holy land for street racing.

Although Chen Fei wasn’t a true native of Northern Mountain, he had lived in Northern Mountain City for four or five years and was certainly aware of this well-known racing mecca. Feeling particularly vexed today, and having just bought a new car, he decided to blow off some steam with a race.

ROAR!

The beastly Mercedes-Benz GL400 surged onto the Sanpan Mountain loop road, its engine letting out a deafening roar.

As a high-end off-road vehicle in the Mercedes-Benz lineup, the GL400 boasted impressive horsepower. With little effort, it had already soared past 95 mph, and that wasn’t even its limit. Generally speaking, without the electronic speed limiter, the car could supposedly reach up to 170 mph. Even with the limiter, it could hit nearly 145 mph, enough to leave mid-to-low-end cars in the dust.

No wonder those rich kids love to race. This feeling... it really gets your blood pumping!

As the numbers on the heads-up display climbed ever higher, the surrounding scenery blurred, leaving only the deafening roar of the engine and the howl of the wind. Chen Fei couldn’t help but close his eyes, murmuring in awe.

This was his first time on the road aside from his time in a training car, and it was certainly his first time racing. Any normal person would have been lauded for simply not driving over-cautiously, yet this freak was already pushing past 120 mph, with the intensity still escalating.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

The black behemoth howled along the mountain road, gliding smoothly through every deadly hairpin turn. Each time, it seemed to miss the guardrails by a hair’s breadth. To an outsider, it would look incredibly dangerous, but also as exhilarating as watching a 3D American blockbuster.

If the young racing princes who had claimed Sanpan Mountain as their own were to see this, their scalps would tingle with fear, their faces frozen in disbelief. After all, they were the ”professionals” and knew better than anyone just how terrifying and astonishing such a display was. Even the best driver among them might only succeed at a single perfect corner in several races. To pull it off every single time… that wasn’t human. That was a god! Not even the racing god Schumacher could likely achieve it!

”Phew, that’s much better. Time to go home!”

Luckily, it was early morning, and the young racing princes were likely still asleep, so no one was fortunate enough to witness this historic moment. After completing a sprint along the Sanpan Mountain road in what would seem like a miraculously short time to anyone else, Chen Fei let out a satisfied sigh. Relaxed and invigorated, he drove his new ride leisurely back toward the city.

Say what you will, this Mercedes-Benz GL400 was his perfect car. A man simply needed a vehicle like this to exude an air of class and dominance!

***

A few days later, the air in the director’s office at Northern Mountain City Central Hospital was thick with smoke.

Principal Zhou stood by the window with a deep frown, a cigarette pinched between his fingers as he took one puff after another. He rarely smoked. As a physician himself, he knew the health risks, but he had a habit of lighting up when faced with a truly difficult or critical decision.

As a shining pearl in the southwest region of Huaxia, Northern Mountain City’s central hospital naturally held an important position in Jiangnan Province’s medical system. He had also been quite fortunate to have the nationally and internationally renowned cardiovascular expert Liu Changsheng and the Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine Xu Zhenxing on his staff. Their presence allowed his hospital to consistently outperform the Affiliated Institute of Traditional Medicine and become remarkably successful.

And now, the addition of Doctor Chen—a man whom even masters like Liu Changsheng and Xu Zhenxing admitted was their superior—had him ecstatic. After all, he was only in his fifties. If he performed well in his position as the director of a top-ranking hospital, he could theoretically climb even higher, which was his long-held dream.

Once a person gets caught up in the tangled web of bureaucracy, who doesn’t want to climb the ladder? Although Principal Zhou had already reached a peak most medical professionals could only ever dream of, he naturally wanted to keep rising if a path existed. It was a perfectly normal ambition for anyone to have.

Thus, he was currently bursting with motivation, planning to use Chen Fei as his ticket. If he could leverage him to produce a few medical miracles that shocked the world, nothing could be better!

However, all his aspirations and fantasies had been shattered by a phone call he received earlier, which had plunged him into a difficult dilemma. Clearly, any call that could so thoroughly trouble the director of a prefectural-level, top-ranking hospital must have come from an extraordinary source. It was likely from someone of immense stature; otherwise, he wouldn’t be in such a state.

After smoking in silence for a long time, Principal Zhou suddenly turned to his cautious assistant. ”Little Chen, where are Dr. Liu and Dr. Xu?” he asked.

”Dr. Liu and Dr. Xu? Oh, Principal, Dr. Liu went to North America for a medical conference. As for Dr. Xu, he should be on leave for the next few days,” the assistant replied, startled for a moment before answering quickly.

North America hosted medical conferences of all sizes nearly every year. As a recipient of the Top Ten Cardiovascular Specialists in North America award, Liu Changsheng was naturally on the primary invitation list and often went to attend. Meanwhile, Dr. Xu was getting on in years and had been taking more holidays than before; he was on vacation once again.

”I see. What about Doctor Chen?” Principal Zhou asked with a nod.

”Doctor Chen? Which Doctor Chen?” the assistant asked, looking a little lost, not immediately realizing who he meant.

”The new one from the cardiology department, Chen Fei. Doctor Chen,” Principal Zhou said, annoyed. For the director’s assistant to not even remember the names of important doctors was, strictly speaking, a dereliction of duty.

”Oh, that Doctor Chen!” the assistant exclaimed, enlightened but nervous. ”It’s his turn to be on duty today. He should be in the outpatient clinic right now.”

”Go and get him for me,” Principal Zhou said, his expression unreadable, as if he had finally made up his mind.

”Yes, Principal. Please wait a moment.” The assistant scurried out of the office. Not even ten minutes later, a knock came from the slightly ajar door.

”Come in...”

Principal Zhou’s hand, which was holding a newspaper, trembled slightly. He clenched his teeth, composed himself, and spoke with a serious tone.

”Principal, you were looking for me?” Chen Fei asked with a puzzled look as he walked in.

It was his turn to be on shift. Although the number of patients who would deign to see him was still paltry, it was a slight improvement over before. He had been busy and was in the middle of seeing a patient when he was called away.

”Ah, Doctor Chen, you’re here! Come, have a seat, please,” Principal Zhou said, his uncharacteristically enthusiastic demeanor causing a glint of suspicion to flash in Chen Fei’s eyes.

He knew perfectly well that Principal Zhou was usually swamped with work and had no time to waste on small fries like him, especially one he didn’t particularly like. This sudden and inexplicable warmth could only mean he was up to no good.

Could it be the Xiao Family’s doing again? Damn it, they’re like a ghost you can’t shake.

Just then, Principal Zhou continued, ”Doctor Chen, it’s like this... I have a patient here with a rather unusual status, and his condition is quite special. It’s said that many experts and national-level Medical Sages have been unable to help. So, perhaps you could...”

”Oh, a patient with an unusual status? You mean Xiao Qianrang, right?” Chen Fei cut straight to the point, leaving Principal Zhou visibly surprised.

”Yes, that’s right. Doctor Chen, you see, he is the wealthiest man in Jiangnan Province, after all. His status is extraordinary...” Principal Zhou pressed on, trying to be persuasive, but Chen Fei cut him off with a casual wave of his hand.

”Principal Zhou, you flatter me. The Xiao Family members are far too precious. I wouldn’t dare treat them. I’m afraid you’ll have to be disappointed,” Chen Fei said calmly.

”Doctor Chen, you’re making things very difficult for me,” the other man said, his tone instantly turning angry. ”As a doctor at this hospital, turning a patient away is not the proper attitude for a deputy chief physician. Do you understand what I’m saying?” he said, his words carrying a veiled threat.

Evidently, after his intense internal struggle, he had decided to side completely with Xiao Qianrang, the richest man in Jiangnan Province. His goal was now to force Chen Fei to submit.

”Oh? Is that a threat, Principal Zhou? Fine. I’ve been quite idle at this hospital anyway, and I feel guilty taking such a large salary. In that case, I might as well resign.”

Such was the fiery temper of youth, ready to quit at a moment’s notice.