Chapter 774: Inspection

“Fractures in the fourth to sixth ribs on the right side. And there are signs of paradoxical breathing.”

After less than a minute of a simple examination, Li Xu looked up and spoke with absolute certainty.

“Rib fractures?” The young man, who had been standing on the sidelines watching coldly, was startled by Li Xu’s words. He asked doubtfully, “Buddy, are you sure about that? I just bumped into him slightly, and I wasn’t even driving fast. How could his ribs be fractured?”

“I can confirm it’s multiple rib fractures. Also, judging by the murmurs in his breathing sounds, it’s hard to tell without equipment if the pleural membrane has been punctured causing a pneumothorax, or if there’s other internal organ damage,” Li Xu answered truthfully.

“Call 120 again right now and rush them. Tell them there are fractures and suspected internal injuries,” the young man turned his head and shouted anxiously to the young woman.

He had originally thought this was just an old man trying to pull a scam for some quick cash. He never expected the guy to be genuinely severely injured, let alone with incredibly troublesome rib fractures. The young man unconsciously furrowed his brows deeply, silently cursing his bad luck.

After all, a man in his sixties naturally had brittle bones. Once multiple rib fractures occurred, it was extremely easy to trigger a series of fatal complications like lung infections and respiratory failure. If something terrible really happened to this old man, even if the traffic police ruled the other party fully or partially responsible, dealing with the aftermath would still be incredibly troublesome and sickening.

Of course, the reason why the young man—Zhang Ze—was frowning so irritably wasn’t just because he feared trouble. It was more so because he and his girlfriend beside him had extremely important matters to attend to today. Now that such a severe traffic accident had occurred, regardless of how you looked at it, waiting for the traffic police to process the scene and going to the hospital to give statements would definitely waste their entire morning. It would likely delay their big plans.

“Sir, did you bring your phone? Should I call your family?” Li Xu asked while comforting the old man, observing his agonized expression.

“My… pocket…” the old man forced out a few words with great difficulty, glancing toward his inner pocket.

Li Xu reached in and pulled out an outdated smartphone. The screen had a few cracks, but it was still functional. He asked the old man for the unlock passcode, opened the contacts, found a number saved as “Eldest Son,” and dialed it.

The call connected quickly. The somewhat impatient voice of a middle-aged man came through the line. “Hello, Dad, what is it? I’m in a meeting at work.”

“Hello, I am a doctor. Your father was in a car accident here at the Renmin Road intersection. He was hit by a car,” Li Xu rapidly explained the situation. “He is still at the scene. We’ve already called 120, but the ambulance hasn’t arrived yet, so we don’t know which hospital he will be taken to. You’d better come over immediately.”

“What? A car accident? Is my dad seriously hurt?” The voice on the other end of the line instantly changed its tone, now filled with anxiety.

“Based on my initial examination just now, he has a few fractured ribs. Fortunately, there are no obvious signs of displacement or punctured internal organs,” Li Xu provided his professional assessment.

For simple, closed rib fractures without obvious displacement like this, there was actually no need for forced reduction at the emergency scene. As long as the patient’s posture was kept stable, they just needed a chest bandage for fixation upon arriving at the hospital and a period of bed rest.

“However…” Looking at the old man’s visibly painfully spasming chest cavity, Li Xu’s tone grew heavier. “He is currently experiencing obvious shortness of breath and chest tightness. He might have a concurrent traumatic pneumothorax, or a ‘traumatic wet lung’ caused by concussion and contusion of the lungs. We cannot take this lightly.”

“Got it, I’ll be right there! Thank you, Doctor!” Hearing Li Xu’s analysis, the old man’s son realized the severity of the problem and hurriedly hung up the phone, evidently rushing over.

“Li Xu, how is it?” Li Lin had already found a place nearby to park the car. He ran over, panting, and squeezed through the crowd.

Li Xu turned to Li Lin and said with a grim expression, “Multiple rib fractures, accompanied by signs of acute respiratory distress. I could only use some simple Massage techniques just now to help soothe the tense muscles around his chest and ribs to alleviate a bit of the pain. But as for the specific internal injuries, we’ll have to wait until we get to the hospital for X-rays.

“Where did you park the car?”

“Right at the entrance of that alley up ahead.” Li Lin pointed in a direction. “It’s the morning rush hour, so it’s impossible to park on the main road. The traffic cops will be here soon, and we’d definitely get a ticket if we parked there for long. So I just squeezed it into the alley.”

“Give me the car keys. Keep an eye on the old man here and don’t let anyone move him carelessly.” Li Xu reached out his hand to Li Lin. “I’m going to the car to grab my acupuncture kit.”

“Huh? You carry Silver Needles with you?” Li Lin was a little surprised. Although he knew Li Xu’s acupuncture skills were incredible, who would carry those things around for no reason when going out?

“They’re just in the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat, just in case.”

Li Lin hurriedly handed the car keys to Li Xu.

Li Xu jogged all the way to the car and retrieved the portable acupuncture kit he carried with him. He walked briskly back to the old man, crouched down, and opened the needle kit. Drawing out two fine needles, he prepared to first administer acupuncture on acupoints like Neiguan and Chest to expand his chest, regulate his qi, and relieve his deadly respiratory distress.

However, just as he reached his hand out, he was stopped by the young man who drove the Mercedes.

“Hey, hey, hey, buddy, what are you trying to do?” Zhang Ze frowned, looking warily at the gleaming Silver Needles in Li Xu’s hand. “120 is arriving soon. From what I can see, besides crying out in pain, this old man can still breathe. He should be fine, right? Don’t you go poking him recklessly!”

Zhang Ze’s concerns were obvious. Seeing how young Li Xu was, he looked at most like a recently graduated medical student, or possibly even a quack swindler operating under the guise of traditional Chinese medicine. Right now, with this old man lying here, the division of responsibility was still unclear. If he let this young man who popped out of nowhere recklessly stick needles into the old man right on the main street, and something went wrong or his condition worsened, who would take the blame for this mess? In the end, wouldn’t it all be pinned on him, the driver who caused the accident? It was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Waiting for the professional ambulance doctors to arrive was the safest bet.

“The old man is having a very hard time breathing right now. The acupuncture can help him alleviate his hypoxic state and buy some time for emergency treatment,” Li Xu explained patiently.

“No, absolutely not! If something goes wrong, are you going to take responsibility, or am I?” Zhang Ze’s attitude was extremely resolute. He even spread his arms out to block the old man. “I am the party involved here. Before 120 arrives, I won’t allow anyone to touch him.”

Li Xu remained silent. Looking at Zhang Ze treating him like a formidable enemy, he felt displeased. However, since the other party, as the direct party involved, strongly objected, he did not force the issue.