Chapter 677: Treatment and Detoxification

Chapter 677: Chapter 677: Treatment and Detoxification

"Hello, Senior Brother."

Everyone greeted him politely.

However...

Just when everyone thought they were finally safe.

Hu Qiming suddenly gave a knowing smile.

His eyes scanned the crowd, finally locking onto a rather sturdy-looking young man.

"Um... you there, Junior Brother. Could you do your senior brother a favor?"

Hu Qiming said with a grin, pointing at the young man.

"Huh?"

The young man froze, pointing at his own nose. "Me? What kind of favor?"

The others were also stunned.

’Why does this plot feel so familiar?’

Hu Qiming rubbed his hands together and said, "It’s nothing major. Just... come with me to the pharmacy department? They have a little... uh, a little something that needs an extra hand."

Huh?

The pharmacy department?

They had just escaped from there.

The young man stammered, his feet seemingly rooted to the spot. He absolutely refused to go.

The tragic sight of the three unlucky souls being dragged away was still fresh in their minds.

As the group’s new de facto leader, Wang Yue, though terrified herself, steeled herself and stepped forward. "Senior Brother Hu, what’s this all about? We haven’t even checked in yet..."

Seeing them look as if they were facing a mortal enemy, a thought struck Hu Qiming.

"Has... someone already asked for your help?"

The entire group nodded furiously.

Hu Qiming sighed, a look of regret on his face. "Alas, looks like I was a step too late."

He dropped the pretense and told them the truth. "To be honest, an old expert recently came to the pharmacy department. He’s a real Medicine Fool. To research the properties of his new drugs, he insists on conducting ’human trials’ on the hospital’s medical staff. He’s specifically called on us younger doctors, and none of us can escape."

"I just participated yesterday. I drank a bowl of... well, the taste is something I’ll never forget. He called for me again today, and frankly, I’m a little scared. So..."

Hu Qiming looked at them sheepishly. "I was thinking maybe I could grab a strong junior brother to be my scapegoat and take some of the heat off me..."

"What the hell?"

Wang Yue and the others stared at each other, understanding dawning on them in an instant.

’So that’s what our group leader was dragged off to do!’

This seemingly kind senior brother was also here to find a scapegoat.

’Is this the legendary ’senior screwing over the junior’ situation?’

"RUN—!!!"

It’s unclear who shouted first, but their voice was filled with a primal will to survive.

That shout was like a starting pistol.

The group instantly exploded into chaos. Grabbing their bags, they sprinted frantically up the stairs at a speed that would put a hundred-meter dash to shame, wishing they could sprout two more legs.

In the blink of an eye, the hallway was empty.

Only Hu Qiming was left standing there, completely bewildered.

"Hey... Was that really necessary?"

Hu Qiming scratched his head, confused. ’It’s just a little drug test, right? It’s not like it’ll kill you. What’s there to be so afraid of?’

But then, he recalled the "enhanced version" of the Ephedra Decoction he had drunk yesterday—the racing heart, the feverish heat spreading through his body, the feeling of wanting to vomit but being unable to...

His face fell instantly, and his calves began to cramp up.

"Okay... I guess it is pretty terrifying."

...

「Third floor, specialist’s consultation room.」

Li Xu finished up a stretch of work and glanced at the time. It was almost eleven o’clock.

"Pause the queue. I’m going to the restroom,"

he told the nurse, then stood up and headed for the washroom at the end of the hall.

As soon as he walked in, he heard pained groans coming from one of the stalls.

"Ouch... ouch... it hurts so much..."

The voice was weak and feeble, accompanied by the sound of a stomach gurgling loudly.

Li Xu was a doctor. Hearing someone crying out in pain in a hospital restroom, he naturally couldn’t ignore it.

He knocked on the stall door. "Hey man, what’s wrong? Is it a sudden emergency? I’m a doctor. Do you need help?"

The person inside whimpered, "Ouch... Doctor... help me... I drank poison... I have diarrhea... I’m about to collapse from it..."

"Poison?"

Li Xu’s expression grew serious.

’Drank poison in the hospital? Was this a suicide attempt or accidental ingestion?’

"What kind of poison? Be specific!" Li Xu pressed urgently.

"It’s... it’s Aconite... raw Aconite..."

the man answered weakly.

A thought struck Li Xu.

’Aconite?’

’That stuff is highly toxic.’

’Who would drink this for no reason?’

’Unless...’

"You didn’t happen to drink Elder Gao’s medicine, did you?"

Li Xu asked tentatively.

The person paused for a moment. "I don’t know any Elder Gao... It was some weird old man who gave it to me... He insisted I drink it..."

Li Xu understood instantly.

’So he’s a victim of Elder Gao’s experiments.’

Hearing Li Xu’s voice, the man felt it was familiar and couldn’t help but ask, "Um... Are you Senior Brother Li Xu?"

Li Xu was taken aback. "I am. Who are you?"

"It’s me, Li Lin, from the affiliated medical school! We played basketball together on the school court. You even blocked my shot once."

Hearing this, Li Xu vaguely remembered him.

There was a junior like that, a pretty energetic kid.

"Oh, it’s you. Open the door, quick."

Li Lin opened the door with a trembling hand.

He was pale as a sheet, covered in a cold sweat, and clutching his stomach as he leaned against the wall. He looked as if he’d just been fished out of water.

Li Xu quickly supported him, briefly took his pulse, and then checked his pupils and tongue coating.

Heart palpitations, a thready and rapid pulse, and cold, clammy limbs—a typical reaction to aconitine poisoning.

And it was no longer a simple case of diarrhea; the poison was starting to affect his heart.

"This is reckless,"

Li Xu cursed under his breath.

Elder Gao was being far too careless with his methods.

"Come on, to the pharmacy with me."

Ignoring the filth, Li Xu hauled Li Lin up and practically dragged him downstairs.

They arrived at the Traditional Chinese Medicine pharmacy.

Sure enough, Gao Yuan was sitting there with several large bowls in front of him, still scribbling away.

And on the chairs nearby, the other three interns who had been captured were now lying collapsed in disarray.

Some were dry-heaving, others had their eyes rolling back, and the more severe cases were even showing signs of slight dizziness and convulsions.

"Elder Gao, what are you doing?!"

Li Xu set Li Lin down on a chair and shouted urgently, "Get the antidote, quick! These students have been poisoned."

Gao Yuan looked up, unperturbed.

"Don’t rush. The antidote has long been prepared."

He pointed to a clay pot simmering over a low flame nearby.

A dark, murky decoction was brewing inside.

Li Xu didn’t waste any time with words and immediately ladled out a few bowls.

It was made from black soybeans, saposhnikovia root, honey, and licorice—a special antidote decoction specifically for counteracting the toxicity of Aconite.

Since Elder Gao dared to test the medicine, it was only natural that he had a backup plan.

After forcing down a few bowls of the medicine,

it wasn’t long before the color started returning to Li Lin and the others’ faces. Their heartbeats stabilized, and the dizzying, world-spinning sensation and the cramping in their stomachs gradually subsided.

"Haaa... I’m alive..."

Li Lin collapsed onto the chair, gasping for breath. He felt like he had just taken a trip to death’s door and back.