Sent to the countryside, I turned the health center into a top-tier hospital.

Chen Ping picked up the tweezers and probed into the wound.

The moment the tip of the tweezers touched the shrapnel, the man let out a howl and his whole body bounced upwards as if he had been electrocuted. He was held down firmly by the police officer, and large beads of sweat poured from his forehead.

Chen Ping's fingers moved slowly and deliberately. When the tweezers stirred in the wound, they made a sound when they touched the bullet.

Although he knew where the bullet was and that he could easily pinch it out, Chen Ping simply wouldn't take it out, instead stirring it little by little.

At this moment, Chen Ping felt nothing but the satisfaction of avenging Director Zhou.

"Let me go! I'm going to sue you! I'll report you for torture and intentional assault!" the poachers roared.

But the two police officers remained unmoved and ignored him completely.

The poachers' howls rose higher and higher, their voices soon cracked into hoarse, dry howls, their legs trembled like leaves in the police officers' hands, and their faces were a mess of sweat, tears, and snot.

"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Just take the tweezers out first... Ah! I'll talk! I confess! I'll confess everything!"

The man finally couldn't hold on any longer, and his howling turned into pleas for mercy, his voice sharp and broken.

Chen Ping stopped, the tweezers remaining firmly in the wound for two seconds.

Then he slightly lowered his wrist, clamped the deformed bullet, and cleanly and neatly pulled it out.

Shrapnel clattered into the disc, coated with a layer of sticky blood.

He applied the iodine-soaked gauze to the wound, wrapped it tightly with bandage, tied a knot, took off his gloves, threw them into the trash can, and turned to leave the clinic.

In the corridor, Zhang Jianmin leaned against the wall and waited. When he saw Chen Ping come out, he nodded to him.

Inside the clinic, the poacher, who hadn't uttered a single word just moments before, was now spitting out words, his voice trembling so much that it was unrecognizable. Two police officers were taking notes, one writing down his statement and the other recording it, the pen tip moving rapidly across the notebook.

After the two police officers finished taking their statements, they escorted the poacher out.

"Dr. Chen, thank you so much. You've really stood up for Director Zhou on our behalf."

After they came out, a police officer shook Chen Ping's hand and said...

They are public officials and cannot do anything to poachers, but Chen Ping is a doctor, and how he treats patients is up to him.

The health center clearly had anesthetics, but Chen Ping claimed he didn't, just to make the poachers suffer.

"This is what we should do. If there are any more stubborn prisoners, send them all to me."

Chen Ping smiled faintly.

"Dr. Chen, you should go and rest too. We've been busy until midnight, so we'll head back now. The city hospital will send an ambulance at noon to take Director Zhou to the city to recuperate."

"Don't take it to heart. It's not that our health center is inadequate. It's just that Director Zhou is a public official, and since this matter has become such a big deal, the city is going to offer condolences, so it's more convenient to have it done at the city hospital."

Zhang Jianmin followed Chen Ping's words.

"Secretary Zhang, I will follow the leader's arrangements. When the ambulance from the city arrives, I will have someone prepare the emergency records and bring them along, so that it will be convenient for Director Zhou's later recuperation."

Chen Ping said.

Zhang Jianmin nodded, and then followed the police officers as they escorted the poacher away.

Everyone left, and the corridor suddenly became empty.

The lights were still humming overhead, and the sky outside the window was already bright. The morning light slanted in from the end of the corridor, illuminating three slumped figures on the bench.

Zhou Jie leaned on Sun Xiaoyan's shoulder, the two of them sleeping soundly with their heads close together. Sun Xiaoyan was still clutching a roll of unopened gauze in her hand, her fingers still clenched even in her sleep.

Cui Ying sat at the other end of the bench, her head tilted against the wall, a mug beside her feet, with a little less than half a cup of cold tea left at the bottom.

Chen Ping stood leaning against the door frame of the clinic, his eyelids heavy as if filled with lead. He planned to walk over and wake the three of them up so they could go back to their dorm to sleep.

Just then, Zhao Guosheng arrived at work carrying a water jug. He glanced at the exhausted group of people and waved his hand, saying, "Go back to the dormitory and get some sleep. You won't be on duty this morning. I'll have Lao Wang and Liu Wei cover for you. You guys change your clothes quickly, don't bother eating, just catch up on some sleep."

It's obvious that Zhao Guosheng already knows what happened last night.

Zhou Jie and the other two were woken up by Zhao Guosheng. They rubbed their eyes and stood up groggily.

"Dean, thank you so much, you're such a kind person..."

Cui Ying forced a smile at Zhao Guosheng.

"Alright, go back and catch up on your sleep. Stop flattering me now," Zhao Guosheng waved his hand.

The three of them, supporting each other, staggered towards the dormitory in the backyard, as if they were drunk.

Chen Ping fought off sleepiness and walked up to Zhao Guosheng. "Dean, the medications used last night have all been recorded. Li Fang is here; let her check the accounts."

"Alright, never mind that, go to sleep. I'll wake you up for lunch."

Zhao Guosheng patted Chen Ping on the shoulder.

Chen Ping nodded, returned to his dormitory, and fell asleep on his bed without even taking off his shoes.

I slept so soundly that I didn't even have a dream.

In the middle of the night, I could vaguely hear the sound of a car engine in the yard, people talking, and people moving things, but those sounds were all muffled and indistinct, as if they were separated by a layer of water, and then they disappeared again.

Later, Zhao Guosheng came to knock on the door himself. His voice was low but urgent. "Dr. Chen, the city's ambulance has come to pick up Director Zhou. Director Zhou insists on seeing you before he leaves."

Chen Ping sat up in bed, rubbed his eyes, put on his white coat, and went outside.

A white ambulance was parked in the yard, its blue warning stripes reflecting the midday sun.

Director Zhou was strapped to a stretcher, his face still pale, but his eyes were open and brightened.

Seeing Chen Ping approach, he laboriously reached out from under the sheet and grabbed Chen Ping's hand.

That hand had large, bony knuckles and calluses from years of holding a gun. It gripped Chen Ping's hand tightly, and the knuckles were trembling.

"Dr. Chen, you snatched my life back from the jaws of death. When I was shot on the mountain last night, I thought my life was over. I never thought I would open my eyes and see the dawn."

Director Zhou's voice was still very weak, and he had to stop to catch his breath after saying a few words, but he refused to let go and stared straight at Chen Ping.

The look in his eyes was the genuine gratitude that only soldiers have. There were no formalities, no empty words; it was the gratitude of someone who entrusted their life to you and then returned it to you.

Chen Ping patted the back of his hand, telling him to rest assured and recover from his injury. He was to go to the city hospital for treatment and return to Siping Township once he was better.

At the same time, Chen Ping handed the rescue record to the medical staff accompanying the ambulance. The record clearly documented the rescue process, medication dosage, and internal damage.

With these documents, the city hospital can formulate a subsequent recuperation plan based on the records.

The ambulance drove away with its siren blaring; its taillights disappeared after it left the gate and turned onto the streets of Siping Township.