CHAPTER 197: DON’T WIMP OUT.

The sound of the slap wasn’t very loud, yet within the small resuscitation room, it was piercing.

"Doctor Liang, explain the pathogenesis of necrotizing fasciitis to the patient’s family. Xu Dan, go upstairs and bring down Officer Xu who’s sitting by Room 207’s doorway. Leave the subsequent matters to the police," Liu Banxia said before walking straight out of the room.

"You! Come back! Yes, you! Why did you stop and talk earlier? The doctor murdered him!" The patient’s wife had completely lost her composure.

Liu Banxia, however, continued to walk away without looking back. He could understand the family’s helplessness over their sudden loss, but understanding was one thing, acceptance was another.

"Dr. Liu, are you alright? Should we have her detained?" Qing Kewa, who had rushed out after him, asked.

Liu Banxia rubbed his face. "Forget it. I’ll go wash my face first."

Shi Lei and the others remaining in the emergency room also felt quite unsettled. They too hadn’t expected the patient’s condition to deteriorate so rapidly, leaving them no chance for resuscitation.

However, Shi Lei frowned. Generally, necrotizing fasciitis patients would have an open wound, with very obvious signs. But this patient? Only the hematomas on his chest and groin offered any clues. No signs of black, necrotic tissue were visible.

Still, with the patient’s relatives present, there was currently no way to examine the body.

At that moment, Officer Xu came down from upstairs and led the patient’s family aside. His police uniform certainly held some authority, at least managing to calm the patient’s relatives somewhat.

Liang Xiaolin then patiently explained the pathogenesis and progression of necrotizing fasciitis to the family. She really didn’t want to say anything, but Liu Banxia had instructed her to do so.

The slap from the patient’s relative had been quite forceful. A red handprint marked Liu Banxia’s left cheek, and his gums were bleeding.

I’d better keep my mask on, he thought. A swollen face isn’t exactly a pretty sight.

Sometimes, you really want to believe in the good in people. But some folks, they may look human, but they sure don’t act like it.

When the deceased patient’s other family members rushed over and heard there had been a pause during the resuscitation and that only two shocks were delivered after the patient stopped breathing, they exploded with rage.

Normally, the deceased’s body should be sent to the hospital morgue. But now, the patient’s family was blocking the emergency room entrance, demanding an explanation.

"It’s him! It’s him! I recognize him even with the mask! He was just going through the motions saving him! That’s why your brother didn’t make it!" the patient’s wife shrieked, pointing at Liu Banxia as he stepped out.

This was getting out of hand. Even with Officer Xu present, several family members rushed him. Before Liu Banxia could react, a fist slammed into his face.

Even a clay figure has a bit of fire, let alone a living person. Liu Banxia had been slapped without reason earlier, and now he’d been punched again. His anger surged.

In truth, he wasn’t a particularly good-tempered person. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have clashed so fiercely with Qin Hai back during his residency, nor would he have argued with Chen Hongyang in Pediatrics like a child throwing a tantrum.

When attending to patients, he always greeted them with a smile and occasionally cracked a small joke, just so they would accept him and not refuse examinations due to his youth.

Now, the fury in his heart had burned away all reason. He swung his fist in retaliation.

This was the first real fight of his life. Although there had been a minor conflict during that barbecue outing, he had mostly been on the receiving end, getting pushed around.

This time was different; it was a real, fist-to-flesh brawl.

Among the patient’s relatives were three men, none of them very old. He sent two of them reeling with bloody noses and kicked the third one back, where he was quickly subdued by hospital security.

"Come on! Keep it coming! Don’t be cowards!" Liu Banxia raised his sleeve to wipe the blood from his own nose, his eyes glaring.

"You’ve been shown respect and you throw it back in my face, huh?! Who the hell do you think you are? Think my rescue was untimely? Go ahead and sue me! But if you lay another hand on me, I swear I’ll break you! Believe it or not?"

"Dr. Liu, please step aside for a moment. Are any of your supervisors here?" Officer Xu asked, pulling him to one side.

"The director should be in surgery. Let me notify the Medical Affairs Department. Officer Xu, you saw what just happened, right? I’m filing a formal report now. If I need my injuries examined, our hospital can do that, correct?" Liu Banxia tilted his head slightly.

Although he had beaten them, it had been a 1-vs-3 fight, and not an easy one. His nose was now bleeding profusely. If my body hadn’t been strengthened, I probably wouldn’t have been able to fight back at all today, he thought.

"Dr. Liu, are you sure you want to press charges?" Officer Xu asked seriously.

Liu Banxia nodded firmly. "We can’t let them get away with this kind of behavior. Losing a loved one isn’t an excuse for violence. I’m reporting this. And I’m serious about it."

"Alright then. Please wait here for a moment. I’ll call for officers from the local precinct," Officer Xu said with a nod.

Although he hadn’t seen the first incident, he had witnessed this latest altercation. Dr. Liu really had nothing to do with it. Those guys got what they deserved, he thought.

This matter was no longer minor; it had escalated to a criminal level. The Second Hospital’s Medical Affairs Department, upon notification, sent personnel to coordinate and handle the situation, and officers from the police station soon arrived at the scene.

"They’re horrible!"

Seeing Liu Banxia with tissues stuffed in his nostrils, his left cheek swollen, and a bruise forming around his right eye, Qing Kewa fumed.

"It’s nothing serious, just superficial wounds. They’ll clear up in a few days," Liu Banxia said nonchalantly. "Doctor Liang, how are things with the Medical Affairs Department people outside?"

"The patient’s family is relentlessly demanding the hospital take action against you. They also want to sue our hospital for causing the patient’s death," Liang Xiaolin replied.

"Let them sue. I’m not afraid. We didn’t do anything wrong," Liu Banxia said. "Actually, I do regret one thing. I shouldn’t have fought back."

Hearing this, Liang Xiaolin was stunned. Did I hear him right?

"I should’ve just collapsed on the ground, pretended I couldn’t breathe, claimed my head was splitting... That would’ve definitely scared them," Liu Banxia added, deadpan.

"Dr. Liu, why would *not* fighting back scare them? It was because you fought back that you scared them, wasn’t it?" Qing Kewa asked, puzzled.

Liang Xiaolin shot them both a helpless look. "Qing Kewa, don’t listen to his nonsense. Those are the kinds of tricks con artists use on the street. He’s just talking."

Qing Kewa blinked, still not quite understanding.

"Dr. Liu, are you done here?" Xu Dan squeezed in at that moment.

"All done," Liu Banxia said.

I really shouldn’t laugh, Xu Dan thought, but seeing Liu Banxia’s battered appearance, she couldn’t suppress a chuckle.

"If you want to laugh, then laugh. Don’t hold back," Liu Banxia said resignedly.

"Dr. Liu, I didn’t mean to laugh, I just couldn’t help it," Xu Dan said, grinning.

"Officer Xu says the other party is refusing mediation. You need to go to the police station to give a statement. Later, it will be determined whether you’ll press charges for assault or if they’ll sue the hospital for malpractice."

"Alright, I’ll go. Dr. Shi and Dr. Wei are still here; things here won’t fall apart," Liu Banxia nodded.

"Wait a moment!"

Just as Liu Banxia stood up, Liang Xiaolin called out. She then took her phone and proceeded to snap a series of photos of Liu Banxia. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

"You... you’re too mischievous," Liu Banxia said with a sigh of resignation.

"Haha, opportunities like this are rare!" Liang Xiaolin said, laughing.

Qing Kewa pondered for a moment. That makes sense! So she also took out her phone and started snapping pictures of Liu Banxia.

Looking at his two protégés, Liu Banxia was truly speechless. Aren’t girls supposed to be sensitive and comforting? Why are these two only focused on having fun?

Perhaps to make himself a bit more comfortable, he removed the tissues from his nostrils. His coagulation was normal; the bleeding had stopped.

When he walked out of the break room, he saw the three men he had fought glaring viciously at him. The patient’s family contingent had grown quite large, numbering more than a dozen people.

"You killed my brother and still dared to hit people! We’re not done with you!" one of the young men shouted, pointing at Liu Banxia.

Liu Banxia gave him a sidelong glance. "Look at you all now, so full of energy, spouting this and that about brotherly love. Where were all of you earlier?"

"That was your brother, huh? Your biological brother? Necrotizing fasciitis, while having a high mortality rate, isn’t a disease that kills instantly. It has early symptoms."

"If you cared so much about your brother, why didn’t you bring him to the hospital sooner? Today, his systemic symptoms erupted—septic shock. By then, only someone with an extremely strong constitution could survive multiple resuscitation attempts."

He sniffed the air pointedly.

"Dr. Shi, did you see any necrotic lesions?" Liu Banxia asked.

Shi Lei shook his head. "Nothing visible on the anterior surface. It’s likely on his posterior side."

"Well? Do you want to see the true cause of your brother’s death? Haven’t you all smelled that foul odor?" Liu Banxia turned back to the patient’s family.

They seemed unsure how to respond to his words.

"Let’s take a look then. The police officers are here. Otherwise, you might accuse our hospital of tampering with the body," Liu Banxia continued.

"Even if there is something, it’s because your rescue efforts were too slow!" another young man retorted.

"Dr. Shi, please examine him. The lesion is likely around the anus or perineum. Only in such an area would a patient delay seeking immediate hospital treatment," Liu Banxia stated.

Shi Lei glanced at the patient’s family, then put on gloves and a mask, and stepped into Resuscitation Room One.

In about a minute, Shi Lei re-emerged. "It’s necrotizing fasciitis caused by a perianal abscess. There’s already an ulceration and necrotic tissue on the left buttock."

Hearing Shi Lei’s words, the onlookers in the emergency room—other patients and their families—stared at Liu Banxia in amazement. Diagnosing an illness just by smell? That’s incredible!

"See?" Liu Banxia said, looking at the three young men. "If you had shown concern even one day sooner, we might have had a chance to save him. And you three, don’t think this is over. This is my word. Thinking you can act recklessly just because you’ve lost a relative? That doesn’t fly with me."

After speaking, he turned and walked out with Officer Xu. I’m resolved, he thought. I can’t back down this time.