Me! A high-ranking official!

"Yes, five hundred million!" Zhao Jianguo refused to back down. "To buy her life!"

"You're talking nonsense!" Zhou Mingyuan instantly flew into a rage, pointing at Zhao Jianguo and yelling, "What kind of miraculous elixir is worth five hundred million?!"

"Then it depends on whether Zhou Qingyan's fate is worth five hundred million in your heart as her brother." He said calmly, "Give me five hundred million, and I'll go in and save her immediately. Otherwise, there's nothing I can do; we can only stand here and watch her breathe her last!"

"You're blackmailing me!" Zhou Mingyuan was so angry he was trembling.

"Just consider this blackmail." He glanced in the direction of the emergency room and said coldly, "I've made myself clear. These are the last few minutes. Any later, even a celestial being couldn't save her. I'll give you one minute to make a decision!"

Zhou Mingyuan's face turned pale and then red, as he struggled internally.

Five hundred million! Although he was a high-ranking official at the deputy director level, wielding immense power, he wasn't some richest man with a walking wallet. Where was he supposed to get so much money? Especially since he had to get it done in just a few minutes!

He glared angrily at Zhao Jianguo, trying to find a flaw in the other man's bluff, but Zhao Jianguo remained indifferent. Facing Zhou Qingyan's life-or-death situation, there was no wavering or compromise in his eyes. He knew more and more clearly that the other man was not joking.

Zhao Jianguo raised his wrist to glance at the time and casually reminded him, "Thirty seconds left."

This sentence became the last straw that broke Zhou Mingyuan's psychological defenses.

"Fine! I'll pay!" Zhou Mingyuan gritted his teeth, his voice almost squeezed out from between them. "But I can't possibly come up with that much cash all at once! I only have a little over 200 million yuan at hand right now, and I'll need time to raise the remaining amount!"

He nodded. He knew that no normal person could mobilize 500 million yuan in cash in a few minutes, but as long as the other party had the ability and was willing to take it out for Zhou Qingyan, he wouldn't mind risking his life.

"Okay! Deal!"

He readily agreed, turned around and strode to the emergency room reception desk, borrowed paper and pen from the nurses' station, placed them against the wall, and quickly wrote down a concise note.

The content is simple: it proves that Zhou Mingyuan voluntarily invests 500 million yuan to buy the special medicine from Zhao Jianguo. As long as Zhao Jianguo saves Zhou Qingyan, Zhou Mingyuan must transfer the full 500 million yuan to the account designated by Zhao Jianguo within three days.

After finishing writing, he handed the document to Zhou Mingyuan: "Sign and put your fingerprint on it."

Zhou Mingyuan glanced at the contents of the paper. At this moment, saving lives was the most important thing, and he didn't care whether the agreement was legally valid. He grabbed the pen, signed his name in a flamboyant manner, and then pressed a bright red fingerprint on it.

Zhou Mingyuan slammed the agreement back into Zhao Jianguo's hand, glaring at him angrily: "Now can we go rescue them?!"

Zhao Jianguo folded the IOU and put it in his pocket, glanced at the time, and said methodically, "To prevent them from defaulting on their debt, I'll first pull them back from the brink of death. Once Zhou Qingyan regains independent breathing and is out of the most dangerous life-threatening situation, you need to immediately transfer the more than two hundred million yuan in cash to my account. Only after the money arrives will I proceed with the next step of a complete cure!"

Zhou Mingyuan's brows furrowed, his fists clenched, and he said through gritted teeth, "As long as you can save his life, I'll pay you every penny!"

He nodded in agreement and turned to walk to a dimly lit corner in the corridor where there were no surveillance cameras.

He held his breath and focused his mind, his consciousness quickly sinking into the treasure trove in his head.

"Loans, the Great Elixir!"

As soon as he confirmed his intention, a flash of dark golden light appeared at the bottom of the treasure basin, and the next second, an exquisite and simple sandalwood box appeared out of thin air in his palm.

Gently lift the lid, and a pill the size of a longan, with a dark golden luster flowing throughout, lies quietly on a red velvet cushion. As the box is opened, a strange and fragrant aroma instantly wafts out. Just one whiff is enough to invigorate the spirit and dispel most of the stale air in the chest.

"I hope this thing is really worth 500 million."

He closed the lid, took the wooden box in his hand, turned around and strode towards the emergency room door, which still had a red light on.

He strode to the door of the emergency room and knocked heavily twice.

A moment later, the heavy sensor door opened a crack, and a nurse wearing a sterile cap, her hands and even her protective suit stained with blood, poked her head out, frowning and asking unhappily, "What are you doing? There's a resuscitation going on here!"

"My wife is lying inside," Zhao Jianguo said in a low voice. "The doctor has given us the results and told us to go in and see her one last time."

The nurse was taken aback by what she heard. She glanced at Zhou Mingyuan, who was standing behind Zhao Jianguo. She recognized this high-ranking official who had just displayed great power outside, and she also knew the special status of the female patient inside. Since the director had already gone out to issue a critical condition notice, it was only natural for the family to want to see her one last time. She lowered her head, silently took half a step to the side, and made way for the passage.

Zhao Jianguo strode into the emergency room, followed closely by Zhou Mingyuan.

As soon as I entered, a strong smell of blood mixed with the pungent smell of disinfectant hit me right in the head.

He approached the emergency bed, and the moment his gaze fell upon it, his pupils contracted slightly.

At this point, the doctor had stopped manual chest compressions and switched to an automated cardiopulmonary resuscitation machine. The machine was emitting a dull, rhythmic "thump, thump" sound. Each time the pressure was applied, the originally flat green electrocardiogram on the monitor screen would passively jump out with a peak. This was purely a mechanical physical action and not the heart's own beating.

Zhou Qingyan lay on the hospital bed with his eyes closed, his face deathly pale, devoid of any sign of life. Large, shocking patches of dark red blood were visible on the corners of his mouth, his chin, and the sheet beneath him.

That iron lady who was decisive and resourceful in the Linshui County Party Committee compound, that strong woman who would never bow her head even when she was in dire straits, was now so fragile that a gust of wind could blow her away.

Seeing his sister's pitiful state, Zhou Mingyuan's eyes instantly reddened. He clenched his fists, shoved him hard, and urged in a trembling voice, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and save her!"

He took a deep breath to calm the inexplicable tremor in his heart. Without hesitation, he opened the sandalwood box, took out the Great Rejuvenation Pill that emitted a strange fragrance, and reached out to put it into Zhou Qingyan's mouth.

A young doctor who was about to remove the IV line was startled and quickly stopped them, shouting, "What are you doing?!"

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Zhao Jianguo's arm: "This is a hospital! Even though the patient has no vital signs, you can't just feed him random things of unknown origin!"

"Get out of here!"

Before Zhao Jianguo could even make a move, Zhou Mingyuan, like a furious lion, took a step forward and shoved the young doctor away violently.

The young doctor bumped into a nearby cart, angrily saying, "You're making a scene! This is a medical facility; who will be responsible if something goes wrong?"

"Can my sister really live without this medicine?!" Zhou Mingyuan shouted angrily, his eyes red, pointing at the doctor's nose. "If you can save her, I absolutely won't let her take this medicine! Can you?!"

Upon hearing this, the doctors in the emergency room exchanged glances and fell silent.