When the Doctor Uses A Hack

Chen Cang noticed the young man's hands seemed to be covered in smudges and black stains.

Just like the oil stains left on hands when fixing a car, scattered here and there, some big, some small.

Seeing this, Chen Cang frowned slightly.

He felt something was a bit off.

At this moment, the delivery guy smiled as he placed the Red Bull on the nurse's station and was about to leave: "Doctor, don't worry, I didn't touch anything, and I just washed my hands."

In the heat of summer, wearing gloves feels stifling, so not many people wear them.

The young man thought Chen Cang despised him for being dirty, so he forced a smile and was ready to leave.

Old Ma from the duty room seemed to have caught the scent of food and followed the smell out.

The food was placed on the nurse's station, and the delivery guy prepared to head out.

Upon seeing the delivery guy, Old Ma grinned: "Oh, Zhou! It's you again."

When the delivery guy saw Old Ma, he nodded and smiled: "Dr. Ma, here's something for you all. I've got to go now, still have more deliveries to make. If I'm late, they'll deduct my pay!"

Chen Cang nodded: "Take care and drive safely."

The delivery guy's look at Old Ma was noticeably gentler than at Chen Cang.

Old Ma had a warm, down-to-earth demeanor. You wouldn't think he came from money. Honestly, if you put Old Ma at a construction site, people might mistake him for a laborer.

After the delivery guy left, Old Ma chuckled: "That young man is a good one."

Chen Cang, curious, asked: "Oh? Why do you say that?"

Old Ma couldn't help but laugh as he replied: "Did you see what was on his bike? He has to make a lot of deliveries."

Chen Cang nodded: "Yeah, I saw."

Old Ma continued: "But... no matter how many deliveries he has, as long as there's an order for the hospital, he always makes sure to deliver here first."

"That young man told me, doctors work hard. Saving lives is important, so they should eat well first."

"He's a decent, down-to-earth guy."

Hearing this, Chen Cang couldn't help but laugh awkwardly and shake his head.

He realized the young man must have misunderstood.

Thinking that Chen Cang looked down on his dirty hands.

In truth, Chen Cang didn't think that at all.

After that, Old Ma was about to tear open the packaging.

The barbecue came in tin-foil containers and was still warm.

Nurse Yang Jie and Xiao Ke came over as well.

"Oh wow, something tasty!"

"Thanks, Dr. Chen!"

"Dr. Chen, you're the best!"

Old Ma couldn't help but roll his eyes: "Why don't you guys think it's me who bought it?"

Yang Jie sneered: "You're so stingy. After all the drinks you've had at my expense, you're going to treat us?"

Old Ma blushed instantly and didn't argue back.

There's truth to the saying—it's hard to criticize someone whose hospitality you've enjoyed.

...

...

Only after leaving the hospital did Zhou Zheng stop at the emergency center, near the ambulances.

The emergency center was always surrounded by several ambulances year-round.

But these were not the official 120 ambulances from the hospital.

Most of them were black-market ambulances!

What does that mean?

Actually, it's not just outside the emergency center. Almost all the major hospitals in the capital are surrounded by out-of-town vehicles posing as ambulances.

These vehicles are equipped with flashing lights and bear emergency markings. At a glance, they're almost indistinguishable from legitimate ambulances. Around the hospitals, you'll often see these "black-market" ambulances handing out flyers claiming to transport patients nationwide.

But this phenomenon is nothing new.

Nighttime, in particular, is a busy time for their business.

The emergency center has limited resources. A legitimate ambulance is very expensive and comes equipped with limited medical devices and staff.

So these vehicles manage to get business too.

Of course, most of these vehicles take patients to other cities, for things like inter-hospital transfers.

Because such trips are much more lucrative.

Zhou Zheng delivered his previous order to the hospital and now backtracked here to drop off another.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Zhou Zheng said, handing over the order.

Seven or eight ambulance drivers, unable to fall asleep in the summer heat, had passed the time by ordering takeout, chatting, and downing some beers.

At this time of night, they rarely took any calls. They'd rather relax and have a drink.

"Kid, I saw you prioritize delivering to the hospital before coming to us," a bald, potbellied man said with a loud belch.

Zhou Zheng smiled but didn't say anything.

"My apologies."

The man joked as he cursed, "Damn it, for such a short distance and such a high delivery fee, I'm almost regretting ordering."

The emergency center was less than a kilometer away.

Not wanting to cause trouble, Zhou Zheng just gave an apologetic smile and prepared to leave.

He hadn't been late, so there was naturally no chance of his pay being docked.

"Come, drink this beer, just as a gesture of goodwill," the potbellied man said with a grin, handing over a bottle of Snow Beer.

Zhou Zheng waved his hand: "Sorry, I still have work to do."

With that, Zhou Zheng stood up, ready to leave.

The potbellied man, feeling slighted, grabbed at Zhou Zheng's electric bike and held it there.

The others behind him burst out laughing.

Zhou Zheng's face flushed red. Just then, he lost his balance and suddenly fell to the ground.

Normally, such a fall wouldn't be a big deal!

But after hitting the ground, he felt his abdomen twist, and a sharp, wrenching pain radiated from his stomach.

It wasn't external pain from the fall.

It was an internal, gut-wrenching pain that left him unable to catch his breath.

His entire body curled up on the ground.

"It hurts!"

Seeing Zhou Zheng lying on the ground moaning in pain, the potbellied man—more of a street thug than anything—couldn't be bothered to care.

"He's faking it, quite convincingly too. Let's go, stop blocking the way," he cursed and turned back to open the food.

But!

They saw that the delivery guy was still lying on the ground, moaning and writhing in pain.

This time, they were completely stunned!

The men exchanged uneasy glances.

Was he trying to blackmail them?

At this moment, Zhou Zheng was beyond thinking about something like blackmail. He didn't even have the energy to call 911 or an ambulance.

The excruciating pain drained all his strength.

He couldn't have imagined that he'd suddenly be doubled over with stomach pain.

"Kid, stop pretending. You just fell down. Is it that serious?" The potbellied man still thought he was acting.

But...

Seeing the delivery guy remaining on the ground, still crying out in agony, it was clear something wasn't right.

Late at night, with no one else around, it obviously didn't seem like a bluff.

The potbellied man panicked and hurriedly patted the side of one of the ambulances.

"Hey, Old Yang, come down here and check this guy out!"

Even black-market ambulances employ doctors.

Although these doctors' skills are often questionable at best,

At the very least, they qualify as doctors.

Old Yang, who had been napping on the ambulance's stretcher, heard the banging and scrambled to get up.

Shirtless, he came down and approached the delivery guy who was rolling on the ground.

Taking a closer look, he noticed the pale complexion and large beads of sweat rolling down the delivery guy's face... His expression was one of acute distress impossible to fake.