After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

"No!" Qian Dewang lay face down on the table, his hands tightly covering the black lottery phone.

A few strands of his slicked-back hair had come loose, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

His earlier arrogance had subsided somewhat, replaced by a fierce rage.

"Brother, you can eat anything, but you can't say anything." Qian Dewang stared at Gu Zheng, gritting his teeth and lowering his voice, "This North City South Third Ring Road project was personally approved by Deputy Director Zhang of the Construction Committee! You think you're some big shot just because you're wearing a green coat? Don't get yourself into trouble for some country bumpkin!"

Gu Zheng looked down at the hand that was pressing on the phone.

He didn't lose his temper, nor did he raise his voice.

"Take your hand away."

Qian Dewang instead leaned half his weight on him, sneering, "What if I don't take it? You think you can beat me up? This is a society governed by law. If you mess with me, I'll report you to the military region's political department tomorrow and you'll be skinned alive!"

Gu Zheng raised one eyebrow.

next second.

"Bang!"

The dull thud of a heavy object hitting the desk echoed in the cramped office.

No one saw how Gu Zheng made his move.

Qian Dewang felt a blur before his eyes, and his right wrist was gripped tightly by an iron clamp-like force and twisted in the opposite direction.

The entire arm made a sickening "crack" sound.

"Ah—!" Qian Dewang's pig-like scream was only half-finished when Gu Zheng's left hand had already grabbed the back of his neck and pressed down hard.

Qian Dewang's greasy face was slapped flat on the wooden tabletop, his features squeezed together, and even breathing made his ribs ache.

The safety officer and the accountant were so frightened that their legs went weak and they ran out the door.

The door was pushed open from the outside.

The guard, Xiao Wang, strode in expressionlessly and slapped the door with his backhand.

With a "click," the solid wood door locked.

"Where do you want to go?" Xiao Wang pressed down the holster of his sidearm.

The safety officer stumbled backward and slumped onto the bench, while the accountant trembled violently, dropping the file folder he was holding onto the floor.

Gu Zheng pressed Qian Dewang's head down with one hand, freeing up the other to pick up the receiver, his slender fingers turning the dial.

"Beep—beep—"

The call was connected.

"Get me Old Xing from the Municipal Bureau." Gu Zheng looked at Qian Dewang, who was rolling his eyes in pain on the table, and said calmly, "Yes, now. Tell him Gu Zheng is looking for him."

Qian Dewang pressed his ear tightly against the table, and when he heard the words "Old Xing from the Municipal Bureau," his mind went blank.

Director Xing is the top official of the Beicheng Public Security Bureau.

This is the living devil that their boss can't even see once, even if he brings gifts worth tens of thousands of yuan!

A rustling sound of tables and chairs came from the other end of the phone, followed by a deep, urgent male voice.

"Gu Zheng? How come you, such a busy person, have time to call me?"

Gu Zheng skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Old Xing, which construction site on the South Third Ring Road falls under your jurisdiction?"

"South Third Ring Road? That's a newly built chemical plant project. What's wrong?"

"There's a contractor named Qian Dewang who's covering up workplace injuries here. A worker was pierced in the chest by a piece of rebar and was just rescued when these guys came to the hospital with fake documents and forced the family to sign a waiver of liability." Gu Zheng tightened his grip a bit. "They even threatened me, saying they have Deputy Director Zhang from the Construction Committee protecting them."

Director Xing on the other end of the phone gasped, followed by a furious roar as he slammed his fist on the table.

"This is outrageous! That bastard Zhang Quanyou is always dishonest, and now he dares to mess with you? Don't worry, where are you now? I'll personally lead the team over!"

"A small office in the emergency department of the Beicheng Military Region General Hospital."

Gu Zheng hung up the phone and immediately dialed another number.

"Hello, is this the office of the director of the North City Construction Committee? I'm looking for Lao Zhou."

This time, Qian Dewang completely stopped struggling.

Old Zhou... Director Zhou of the Construction Committee.

In the northern part of the city, the number of people who can speak to the director of the municipal bureau and the director of the construction committee in this tone can be counted on one hand.

The color drained from Qian Dewang's face, and cold sweat soaked the back of his shirt.

"Director Zhou. The project at the South Third Ring Road Chemical Plant, the one handled by Deputy Director Zhang, involved serious violations. Now the contractor is in my hands." Gu Zheng's voice was flat and emotionless.

Director Zhou on the other end of the line immediately responded, "I'll handle it right away! I won't tolerate it!"

Gu Zheng hung up the receiver and let go.

Qian Dewang slid to the ground like a rag doll.

His slicked-back hair was a mess, plastered all over his forehead, and he clutched his dislocated arm, his lips trembling.

Outside.

Ye Zhen stood in the corridor.

Next to the emergency room nurses' station, Erni huddled in the corner of a bench, hugging her knees like a frightened quail.

Old Zhao stood two steps away, unsure whether to leave or stay, his rough hands frantically rubbing his trouser legs.

Ye Zhen walked over.

Erni shrank back, her eyes darting away.

She heard the screams that came from the office just now.

"Xiao He," Ye Zhen called out.

Liu Xiaohe ran over carrying an enamel mug with the Double Happiness logo printed on it, steaming from inside.

Ye Zhen took the enamel mug and handed it to Erni.

Erni dared not accept it.

"Brown sugar water." Ye Zhen said in a flat tone, without any further comforting words.

Erni raised her head.

"Your husband hasn't woken up yet. The first 24 hours after surgery are a critical period. A decision might need to be made by the family at any time." Ye Zhen moved the mug forward half an inch. "If you don't drink, and he faints from low blood sugar, who will take care of him?"

This sentence is more effective than any comforting words.

Erni's eyes reddened, and with trembling hands, she took the enamel mug and, ignoring the heat, gulped it down.

The scalding hot sugar water flowed down her throat and into her stomach, finally bringing her back to her senses a little.

Old Zhao watched from the sidelines, wiping away tears.

"Dr. Ye, thank you, thank you so much," Old Zhao choked out, "If it weren't for you and that leader..."

"No need to thank me. I'm only responsible for treating patients." Ye Zhen turned her head and glanced at the tightly closed office door.

The scene unfolding inside was outside her area of ​​expertise.

But she doesn't mind seeing the result.

Inside the office.

Qian Dewang scrambled to Gu Zheng's feet, gripping the table leg tightly with his left hand.

"Commander...Commander! I was blind to your greatness! Please forgive me!" Qian Dewang cried bitterly, all traces of his previous arrogance gone.

Gu Zheng leaned against the edge of the table, looking down at him.

Seeing that Gu Zheng remained silent, Qian Dewang assumed there was still room for negotiation and quickly opened the black leather bag tucked under his arm.

He rummaged around with his left hand.

Several thick stacks of 10,000-yuan bills were pulled out and scattered on the cement floor.

"Money! I have money! Here's a thousand yuan! It's all for you!" Qian Dewang's smile was more like a grimace than a cry. "I'll cover all of Lao Liu's medical expenses! I'll also give the family five hundred... no, a thousand!"

Gu Zheng didn't look at the money on the ground. He lifted his foot, and the thick sole of his military boot stepped directly on Qian Dewang's left hand that was holding the banknotes.

Apply force slowly.

"Ah—!" Qian Dewang screamed again.

Gu Zheng bent down and stared at Qian Dewang's face, which was distorted by extreme fear.

"Do you think I need your thousand dollars?"

Qian Dewang gasped in pain, "I don't need it... the commander doesn't need it... I must have been blind..."

"A worker was impaled in the chest by a steel bar, and instead of calling an ambulance, you brought him here in a dump truck. Was it to save money? Or to avoid alerting the higher-ups?" Gu Zheng's voice was very low.

The accountant, terrified, confessed immediately: "It was Boss Qian who said that if we reported it as a work injury, we'd have to stop work for rectification and pay a fine. So... we were just planning to slip a few hundred yuan to the family to get rid of them."

Gu Zheng's shoe sole rubbed against it.

"You worthless scum, you're nothing but a menace if you stay out here." Gu Zheng straightened up. "Bribing military personnel and concealing a major safety incident. Today, I'm going to make sure you spend the rest of your life in jail."