SFTD -Chapter 427 The Starving Ghost

Zhou Hai immediately let go of the little nurse and hurried in the direction she pointed. Before he even entered the emergency room, a heart-wrenching wail burst from the doorway.

His mind went blank from lack of oxygen.

Could it be that Xu Biao was really gone?

Pushing aside the two people crying at the entrance, Zhou Hai strode straight into the emergency room. One bed in the ward was hidden behind curtains, while another had a body covered with a white sheet. Doctor He stood nearby, discussing something with the nurses and doctors.

Zhou Hai walked directly over. He could no longer hear the voices around him, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the hospital bed.

“Xu Biao?”

Doctor He quickly grabbed Zhou Hai’s arm.

“Hai-zi, why are you here? Don’t—”

Zhou Hai shook him off, seized the white sheet, and yanked it away.

A face covered in wounds and horribly disfigured appeared before his eyes.

It wasn’t Xu Biao!

Doctor He hurriedly covered the corpse again and forcefully pulled Zhou Hai aside.

“What are you getting so worked up for? It’s not Xu Biao. Couldn’t you at least let me finish speaking? Honestly, come with me!”

Zhou Hai took a deep breath. Listening to the continued cries outside, he turned to Doctor He, realizing that concern had thrown him into panic just now.

“Sorry.”

Doctor He raised his brows and clicked his tongue in disbelief before chuckling quietly.

“You actually know how to apologize? That’s rare. Come on.”

As he spoke, he dragged Zhou Hai into the next room. It was smaller than the emergency room and had no signboard, only a plaque marked J102. The moment they pushed the door open, thunderous snoring shook the room.

Sure enough, Xu Biao was lying on the hospital bed.

Zhou Hai asked in confusion, “So… they only injected him with anesthetics?”

Doctor He nodded.

“Mostly anesthetics, though it was a mixed cocktail with a little of everything in it. We already administered the appropriate treatment. Logically, he should’ve woken up by now, but for some reason he just keeps sleeping endlessly.”

“Let me see the lab reports.”

Doctor He handed them over without hesitation. He knew that although Zhou Hai worked as a forensic doctor, his actual medical expertise was no less than his own. Last time, Zhou Hai had even identified a rare tropical rainforest fungus infection, proving both his knowledge and skill.

After carefully reviewing the reports, Zhou Hai found all the indicators completely normal. The treatment had clearly worked. But why was Xu Biao still unconscious and snoring like thunder? Had he truly fallen into a coma?

Using a flashlight, Zhou Hai checked Xu Biao’s pupils. The light reflexes were normal. Even he was puzzled now.

Doctor He crossed his arms beside him, frowning deeply.

“Logically, after antagonistic treatment, even if he didn’t wake up immediately, he should at least have regained some awareness.

But it’s been hours and he’s still like this. I’m completely confused too. Judging by the concentration levels, even if there were residual traces, they should’ve metabolized by now.

I really don’t know why he won’t wake up.”

Zhou Hai sighed and handed the reports back.

“It varies from person to person. Maybe he’s never been exposed to sleeping pills or anesthetics before, so his sensitivity is different. The drowsiness symptoms could just be more pronounced.”

Doctor He jerked his chin toward Xu Biao.

“When you guys travel together, does he always sleep like this?”

Zhou Hai shook his head.

“When we go on business trips together, he never snores. He sleeps very quietly. We often share the same room.”

Doctor He sighed helplessly. Just then, a knock sounded at the ward door.

The two turned toward it as the doorknob twisted open and a figure carrying a huge pile of bags walked in.

Doctor He looked baffled, but seeing that the woman seemed familiar with Zhou Hai, he didn’t ask questions. Honestly, he was just happy to finally see a woman around Zhou Hai.

The woman kicked the door shut with her foot and shouted at Zhou Hai, “Hurry up and help, Zhou Hai! I can’t carry all this anymore!”

Seeing who it was, Zhou Hai quickly walked over and took the bags from Hu Nan. Even so, the weight surprised him. Such a small person carrying so much stuff—it was honestly impressive.

As his wrist shifted, a little soup splashed out and landed on his clothes.

After setting the food on the table, Zhou Hai removed his police jacket. Hu Nan suddenly cried out and grabbed his arm, looking him up and down. Only then did she notice the many wounds across his neck, chest, and arms.

Doctor He hurried over as well. The moment he saw the gauze around Zhou Hai’s neck and tore it off, he was shocked too.

“You were injured? Why didn’t you say anything?”

Only after the gauze was removed did Zhou Hai finally feel the pain in his neck. He shrugged.

“I was busy dealing with Yang Duxiu’s bomb earlier, then I rushed off looking for Xu Biao. I forgot about the injuries. It’s nothing serious, just puncture wounds from needles. Let me eat first, then you can treat them. I’ve been starving all night!”

Doctor He said nothing. One by one, he removed the remaining bandages, exposing all the wounds. Several of them were at least two centimeters deep. He slapped away Zhou Hai’s hand as he reached for food.

“Stop eating and come to the treatment room so I can clean these properly. The two wounds on your neck are too deep—they need stitches.”

Zhou Hai stuffed a piece of fried chicken into his mouth.

“I’m seriously starving. I haven’t had a proper meal in days. Just let me finish eating first!”

Doctor He finally stopped insisting. Looking at Zhou Hai’s sunken eyes, he could tell how exhausted he was. Compared to treating the wounds immediately, a good meal was probably more important to him right now.

With that thought, he turned and left.

Hu Nan poked Zhou Hai, who was busy stuffing food into his mouth.

“Is that doctor okay?”

“He’s fine. He just went to get supplies. He’s going to treat my wounds here.”

Hu Nan glanced at Zhou Hai. Seeing him eat as though everything were perfectly natural, she looked toward the door before sitting down to drink some porridge herself.

Zhou Hai handed her a skewer of balut eggs. Hu Nan instantly shook her head. Old Wang had insisted on buying them, but she truly didn’t have the courage to eat one.

Especially after seeing how they were made—the fuzzy feathers and tiny claws—it was impossible to swallow.

Hu Nan hurriedly shook her head and pushed Zhou Hai’s hand away.

“I can’t eat that. Master Wang said you love these, and I honestly couldn’t believe it. This thing is neither chicken nor egg. I don’t dare try it!”

Zhou Hai swiftly cleaned the feathers and claws off one balut egg, dipped it in barbecue seasoning, and took a bite. Watching the look of enjoyment on his face, Hu Nan swallowed unconsciously. It actually seemed pretty good. And the smell was incredibly tempting.

“Is it really that tasty?”

Zhou Hai nodded and had already moved on to a second one.

“Balut eggs are basically chicks that failed to hatch. At this stage, they’ve already started transforming from egg into chick, so the flavor falls somewhere in between. They’re great grilled or deep-fried, especially with barbecue seasoning or sauce.”

Hu Nan swallowed again.

The skewer in Zhou Hai’s hand had already vanished. Just as he reached for another, Hu Nan hurriedly grabbed his arm and looked up at him timidly.

“Pick one apart for me. I want to try it.”

Zhou Hai nodded. It wasn’t difficult at all. While chewing the remaining half of his own balut egg, he quickly cleaned one up for her.

Using a smaller bamboo skewer, he rolled it through the seasoning until it was coated with sesame, crushed peanuts, and spicy barbecue powder. The aroma was irresistible.

Hu Nan swallowed hard again. Now that it looked less horrifying, her fear had mostly disappeared. She quickly wiped her hands and reached out to take it.

At that moment, a lazy voice suddenly sounded.

“So tell me—Are you two here to take care of a patient, or just to torture me with food? Do you know I’m basically a starving ghost right now?”