SFTD -Chapter 424 Are We Really Going to Cut Him Open Without Anesthesia?

Liu Yong placed the laptop on the hood of the police car. A crowd had already gathered around it—even Director Pang had squeezed his way to the front.

Director Liu glanced at him but didn’t make any sarcastic remarks this time. Judging from his expression, he was genuinely worried about Zhou Hai’s safety. At that moment, none of the words of blame he had prepared could be spoken aloud.

On the screen, Zhou Hai had already had Yang Duxiu placed onto the autopsy table.

A living person laid out on an autopsy table like that was indescribably eerie. Just looking at it made chills crawl over everyone’s skin.

Afterward, Zhou Hai removed the horizontal beam from the middle of the “介”-shaped bamboo frame, spreading Yang Duxiu’s arms and legs wide into a large “大” shape. Soft cloth straps bound his limbs to the support bars beneath the autopsy table.

This way, no matter how much Yang Duxiu struggled, he couldn’t move anymore.

Zhou Hai clapped his hands, fairly satisfied with the setup.

At that moment, Zhao Xinli entered wearing full isolation gear. Fully dressed and holding up his gloved hands, he looked not the slightest bit nervous—instead, he looked excited.

“Boss, after I got the notice, I already disinfected the room with ultraviolet lamps. But there’s really nothing suitable to spread over an autopsy table. If we cover it, I’m worried it won’t meet sterile procedure standards. So, are we really doing surgery ourselves? How about letting me be the lead surgeon for practice? Honestly, I’ve never cut open a living person before!”

The corner of Zhou Hai’s mouth twitched.

Zhao Xinli was doing it on purpose. He wanted Yang Duxiu to feel uncomfortable.

Zhou Hai appreciated everyone’s concern for him, but tormenting Yang Duxiu like this had no real meaning. Right now, Zhou Hai only wanted to keep him alive—alive long enough to spend the rest of his life in prison, suffering under the weight of his own conscience.

Yang Duxiu seemed exhausted from shouting and struggling. Now he simply lay there, breathing heavily. If not for the rise and fall of his chest, he actually matched the autopsy table disturbingly well.

Zhou Hai shook his head and glanced at him.

“The equipment from the hospital is all in the back. Get ready to assist me. Captain Luo will join us during the operation later. Bomb disposal is his specialty—the surgery depends on us.”

As sterile packs and instrument kits were wheeled in one after another, Zhao Xinli craned his neck toward the door and poked the last person entering.

“That’s it? We’ve got the equipment, but where’s the doctor?”

Zhou Hai shot him a look.

“They’re outside. They’ll come in after we clear the bombs.”

Zhao Xinli curled his lips and handed Zhou Hai an isolation gown. With his other hand, he held up gloves and helped him put them on properly before moving to wash his own hands.

“This is just our fate, huh? Fine then. Are we starting like this?”

Zhou Hai pointed at the X-ray machine.

“No rush on surgery or anesthesia yet. Take imaging first. I need to see the structure sewn inside his body.”

Zhao Xinli nodded immediately.

This was no joke. They had to do it carefully, otherwise nobody present would be safe.

Just as Zhao Xinli got busy, the door to Autopsy Room Number One opened.

Luo Jinfang entered first, followed by two officers pushing a flat cart carrying a huge metal case. Luo Jinfang quickly waved toward Zhou Hai.

“Forensic Doctor Zhou, we still need proper protective measures. Put this equipment on first. If an explosion happens, at least we’ll survive!”

Zhou Hai walked over quickly. The moment he saw the contents of the box, he froze.

The gear looked comparable to equipment worn by ancient Roman warriors—from finger guards to face shields to heavy body armor.

Helpless, he nodded.

“Alright. We’ll do it your way.”

As Zhou Hai approached, the two officers hurriedly helped him suit up.

After finishing the frontal and lateral X-rays and uploading the images onto the computer, Zhao Xinli finally turned around—and saw Zhou Hai fully armored from head to toe.

He froze for a second, then instantly twitched his lips, desperately suppressing laughter.

Laughing in a situation like this would definitely get him hated, but Zhou Hai looked exactly like a robot. The sight was truly testing his self-control.

Just as he regained composure, Zhou Hai noticed the scans were done and waved him over immediately.

Deep down, Zhao Xinli resisted with every fiber of his being, but if Zhou Hai had already put the armor on, there was no way he could escape. He could only steel himself and walk over.

Luo Jinfang waved a hand.

“Hurry and fully equip him too. This absolutely isn’t something to joke about.”

Only then did Zhao Xinli carefully inspect the gear being strapped onto him. As soon as one piece of armor was hung onto his body, his legs nearly gave out beneath him.

What the hell was this thing?

It weighed at least sixty or seventy pounds. Were they literally carrying iron plates on their backs?

Zhou Hai reached out to steady him.

“You alright? It’s basically the same as the lead shielding in radiology. If you can’t handle it, step back. Captain Luo and I can do it ourselves.”

Zhao Xinli stiffened his neck stubbornly.

“Of course I can handle it. I just wasn’t mentally prepared, so it felt heavy. Right now I could dance in this thing if I wanted!”

Luo Jinfang looked at the two of them.

“If preparations are complete, shall we begin?”

Zhou Hai nodded.

Even moving now was extremely difficult. He slowly walked to the autopsy table and picked up the remote, enlarging and analyzing the X-ray images from both the frontal and lateral views.

He discovered that the objects sewn beneath Yang Duxiu’s skin were relatively superficial.

Clearly, this had been a rushed operation—a temporary decision.

None of the small components had been wrapped in any kind of protective covering. They’d simply been stuffed loosely into the body, tangled together in a chaotic mass.

Seeing Zhou Hai frown deeply, Luo Jinfang leaned closer, confused. Through the face shield, his voice sounded muffled.

“What’s wrong?”

Pointing at the X-ray images, Zhou Hai explained:

“This surgery was done in extreme haste. It looks like the devices were implanted this afternoon. The placement is very shallow, only embedded within the muscle layer. None of the components were wrapped. They were all scattered directly inside the tissue, and every wire is tangled together.”

Luo Jinfang listened carefully, but by the end he still looked utterly baffled. He raised his head toward Zhou Hai, while Zhao Xinli beside him wore the same confused expression.

“The more you explain, the less I understand. So what exactly are you trying to say?”

Zhou Hai looked up at Yang Duxiu lying on the autopsy table, then at the two men.

“What I mean is, this device was implanted temporarily—but he never intended to remove it later. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he wrap the components?

You know what these materials can release when they come into contact with tissue. I don’t need to explain that.

So from the very beginning, Yang Duxiu intended to die.

But then why did he activate the mechanism on the fourth floor and escape?

Could there be some device in the underground passage that requires manual activation?”

Luo Jinfang paused after hearing this, then immediately waved to the two assistants standing by the door.

“Call Zhang Pingchuan and the others. If they encounter linked explosives, don’t dismantle them carelessly. There’s a chance they’re connected in reverse—cutting them could trigger detonation.”

Yang Duxiu, lying on the autopsy table, didn’t move at all.

There was none of the screaming or cursing from before.

His unnatural silence only made Zhou Hai more certain of his judgment.

He waved at the two men.

“Let’s begin.”

Zhao Xinli disinfected the area and spread the surgical drape before handing scissors to Zhou Hai.

Zhou Hai accepted them, glanced up at him, but didn’t move.

Zhao Xinli looked innocent, completely unable to understand what Zhou Hai meant. Unease crept into his heart as he asked cautiously:

“Boss… what’s wrong?”

Zhou Hai sighed softly.

“Check the instrument pack. They should’ve prepared anesthetics. General anesthesia is impossible, but we still need local anesthesia. Otherwise, if his heart rate fluctuates too violently later, it could trigger the bomb. Or are you planning to cut him open alive?”