Chapter 56
Chapter 56
“Beep-”
Inside the operating room, the electrocardiogram, blood pressure monitor, and pulse oximeter all let out sharp, synchronized alarms.
These sounds were the ultimate catalyst for tension.
Dean Tan, who had practiced medicine for nearly forty years, felt his scalp go numb at the sound.
This was to say nothing of Zhang Tao, who was lying on the operating table looking like he was undergoing a zombie mutation.
Zhang Tao’s convulsions were violent and bizarre, as if an invisible giant hand were tossing him around with the careless brutality of a spoiled child.
He jerked so hard several times that he nearly fell off the table, only to be held down by two large men in lead-lined protective suits.
A vine, slightly thicker than a thumb, poked out from deep within his throat.
A long section of it protruded from his mouth, thrashing about like a loose water hose.
One, then two-more vines of varying thickness began to emerge from his mouth and nostrils.
Eventually, these vines merged into a single bundle, twisting together and rapidly forming an arm-length humanoid figure.
Its appearance, physique, and even the surgical gown it wore were a perfectly scaled-down version of Zhang Tao.
“Hold… hold him steady!” Li Wenbo’s voice trembled behind his heavy isolation mask.
The vine-version of Zhang Tao began to spray out bursts of grey powder.
The operating room was instantly filled with the scent of licorice tablets.
Qin Ying took one breath before Dean Tan clamped an isolation mask over her face.
Before she could even offer her thanks, Zhang Tao erupted on the operating table, unexpectedly throwing off the two strong men pinning him down.
He lunged toward Qin Ying.
Qin Ying only had time to push Dean Tan out of the way before Zhang Tao’s hands slammed onto the edge of her surgical bed.
His hands, like iron pincers, seized Qin Ying’s arms.
The vine-mimicry figure locked eyes with Qin Ying.
A wave of pleading emotion was transmitted to her.
The Ghost-Shadow Vine and Dream-Embracing Grass parasitizing Zhang Tao were simultaneously calling out for help to Qin Ying-who was both a kinsman and a descendant-or more accurately, to the parasite within her.
Qin Ying felt as though someone had violently squeezed her heart.
Emotionally, she felt a piercing ache, but rationally, she lashed out with a kick.
The kick felt like hitting thick cowhide; the recoil sent a sharp pain through her ankle.
She had been put through the wringer all day and didn’t have much strength left, but it was enough.
Zhang Tao, who was already unstable, staggered back.
He crashed into an instrument cart with a loud clatter and fell flat on his back.
A wave of betrayed grief and indignation washed over her. Qin Ying grabbed a nearby stainless steel tray for self-defense.
“Quick, pin him down!”
Li Wenbo found a moment of courage and threw his entire weight onto Zhang Tao.
Just as everyone was paralyzed by shock and horror, Zhang Tao’s life-or-death struggle suddenly ceased.
The mimicry figure composed of vines at his mouth and nose let out a burst of despairing, shrill wails.
Then, the vines lost their form, visibly withering and collapsing.
As the Ghost-Shadow Vine, which was rooted deep within Zhang Tao’s flesh, shriveled up, Zhang Tao looked like a mummified corpse that had been wrung dry. In the blink of an eye, his body shrank into a heap.
He began to retch violently, vomiting up a large quantity of withered vines accompanied by pale green fluid.
Finally, when there was nothing left to heave, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Wrapped within that blood was a seed that looked like a pistachio, though much smaller.
The shell of this seed had cracked open, and two deep-red sprouts had already emerged; it was very close to becoming a Subadult Dream-Embracing Grass.
Having expelled the seed, Zhang Tao lay motionless on the floor like a shrimp that had its vein removed.
Disgusting things littered the floor as far as the eye could see.
In the end, it was Dean Tan’s medical compassion that won out. He stepped forward to check on Zhang Tao and said, “He’s still alive!”
Given the display earlier, everyone had assumed the man was a goner.
Dean Tan hurriedly organized a rescue effort.
Li Wenbo and the others stood up, their hearts still pounding with lingering fear. They quickly began collecting the seeds, withered vines, and vomit Zhang Tao had expelled, clearly intending to seal them away and take them for further study.
Qin Ying looked away, her stomach churning with nausea.
After a long while, Li Wenbo and the others finished cleaning up, but a sense of unease lingered in the room. Something didn’t feel right.
All eyes turned toward Qin Ying.
“Why are you still fine?” Li Wenbo blurted out.
Two people had ingested the Dream-Embracing Grass at the same time. How could one be in such a wretched state while the other sat on the surgical bed watching the show?
Qin Ying paused, then gave a helpless shrug. “Actually, I feel a bit like throwing up.”
She wasn’t sure if it was from the mess on the floor or the sight of Li Wenbo and his team using small scrapers to clean up the vomit.
Either way, her stomach was doing somersaults.
The nausea intensified rapidly until she suddenly let out a dry heave.
“Spit it here!” Li Wenbo rushed over like a servant, holding a stainless steel tray with both hands.
Seeing the lingering slime on his hazmat suit made Qin Ying lose her final bit of restraint.
She pulled off her mask and gagged twice.
Nothing came out at first, but her throat felt numb and itchy, as if something inside her was crawling its way up.
Qin Ying gasped, gagging twice more.
Waves of dizziness washed over her, turning her vision black and stealing her breath.
Then, a sharp pain shot through her throat.
Choking and coughing, she spat out a tangled ball of vines.
Unlike the mess Zhang Tao had produced, the cluster of vines Qin Ying expelled was perfectly intact and dry.
It landed in Li Wenbo’s stainless steel tray with a soft *thud*.
The moment the object left her body, Qin Ying felt a weight lift. The bone-chilling cold that had haunted her for the past few days vanished instantly.
Her mind became exceptionally clear.
She covered her mouth and stared at the metal tray.
The vines inside were very thin. They squirmed for a moment before huddling together.
In the blink of an eye, the mass mimicked Qin Ying’s appearance.
A miniature version of her sat kneeling in the stainless steel tray, tilting its head up to look at her. It reached out its tiny, thin arms, seemingly pleading to be taken back.
Qin Ying had never found her own face so terrifying. She recoiled sharply and shouted at Li Wenbo, “Get it away!”
Li Wenbo stared intently at the mini-Qin Ying in the tray, sucking in a sharp breath. “This isn’t right!”
Why was this one so energetic? Shouldn’t it have died the moment it left the host?
Could it be…
Before he could finish his thought, the thing in the tray began to shrivel at a visible rate.
The mimicry faded, unraveling back into a clump of withered vines. At the center of the tangle lay a single, tiny seed.
However, this seed was only half the size of a fennel seed-clearly malnourished compared to the one Zhang Tao had produced.
Li Wenbo didn’t have time to dwell on it. He barked an order, “Bring the containment box!”
They sealed the Ghost-Shadow Vine and the Dream-Embracing Grass seed into a temperature-controlled metal box.
***
“From what we can see, the danger has passed!” Dean Tan said, carefully examining Qin Ying’s CT scans once more.
Comparing them to the previous two sets, the shadowy mass that had been inside her body had completely disappeared.
At the news, Yin Minmin let out a cheer, while Old Miao and the others breathed a long sigh of relief.
Qin Ying leaned back against her hospital bed. A thought occurred to her, and she asked, “What about Zhang Tao?”
At the mention of Zhang Tao, Dean Tan shook his head silently. “He’s still alive, but he’s a wreck.”
“There are still withered vine fragments left in his body. He’ll need multiple surgeries to remove them.”
Whether Zhang Tao could survive that much physical trauma was anyone’s guess.
As they spoke, the door was suddenly pushed open. Li Wenbo rushed in, his face beaming with excitement. “The seed you expelled is still viable!”
“This is incredibly significant!”
“Little Qin, you are exactly the kind of talent the Cultural Preservation Bureau needs. Transfer to our Emergency Management Department!”