Commander Chu's condition

The moment the doctors stepped out of the emergency room, everyone crowded around them. "How is Commander Chu?"

The elderly man leading them removed his mask, his expression grave. "I can only discuss Commander Chu's condition with his family. Are any of you his relatives?"

Qiao Shan frowned. "Dean Gong, to be honest, Commander Chu has already passed out several times for no apparent reason, but he specifically instructed us not to notify his family."

With a soft sigh, Dean Gong could only say, "Then I'm sorry, but without Commander Chu's permission, I cannot disclose anything about his condition."

Qiao Shan knew Commander Chu's temper better than anyone. He was as stubborn as a mule. Once he made up his mind, nobody could change it.

"All right, I understand. Thank you, Dean Gong."

Dean Gong nodded. "Commander Chu will be transferred to intensive care shortly. Keep your visits brief and let him get plenty of rest."

"Understood."

Before long, several nurses wheeled out a bed. A gaunt old man lay on it, his face haggard and his body covered in needles and tubes. He looked to be in terrible shape.

The soldiers immediately gathered around him, concern written on every face, yet none dared make a sound for fear of disturbing Commander Chu's rest.

Chen Hao followed the crowd forward, silently activating the Heavenly Eye Art.

Soon, everything around him began to change in wondrous ways. Commander Chu's organs and meridians appeared before Chen Hao's eyes with incredible clarity.

When his gaze swept over Commander Chu's chest, his eyelid twitched, and shock surged through him.

He could clearly see that Commander Chu's lungs were almost completely black. It appeared to be late-stage lung cancer, and he likely had very little time left.

Drawing on the knowledge of pathology in the Yellow Emperor's Book of Changes, Chen Hao grasped the general situation with a single glance.

With current medical technology alone, late-stage lung cancer was incurable. Even the best drugs and medical care could only prolong the patient's life.

Fortunately, however, he had met Chen Hao. Though Chen Hao could not guarantee that he could save him, there was at least a glimmer of hope.

After Commander Chu was wheeled into intensive care, the nurses strictly limited visitors to three people and visits to no more than ten minutes.

Qiao Shan ordered everyone to wait outside and went in alone.

As soon as Qiao Shan entered, Sun Long turned to Chen Hao with an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry, Mr. Chen. I never expected something like this to happen."

Chen Hao smiled faintly, not taking it to heart.

Before long, Qiao Shan came back out and walked straight up to Chen Hao. "Come with me. Commander Chu wants to see you."

Everyone's eyes instantly settled on Chen Hao. None of them had expected Commander Chu to refuse to see anyone else and ask specifically for such an ordinary-looking young man.

Chen Hao remained calm as he followed Qiao Shan inside under everyone's gaze.

The moment the door closed, Sun Long and Zou Jian silently exchanged a look.

By now, Sun Long no longer believed the nonsense about Chen Hao and Commander Chu not knowing each other. "Looks like there's more to Chen Hao than meets the eye. I'll have to stay in closer touch with him from now on."

Once inside the room, Qiao Shan leaned toward Chen Hao's ear and whispered, "Commander Chu is very weak right now. Try not to make him move, and definitely don't say anything that might upset him. Use your head."

Although Chen Hao had never dealt with Qiao Shan before, he knew that, as a soldier, the man was probably blunt and straightforward rather than one to beat around the bush. His words were harsh, but Chen Hao did not take offense and nodded in acknowledgment.

When they reached the bedside, Commander Chu was already awake, though his face remained pale and drained. He was clearly still suffering from his illness.

The moment he saw Chen Hao, the corners of Commander Chu's mouth curved into a faint smile beneath his oxygen mask.

After studying Commander Chu carefully, Chen Hao was absolutely certain that they had never met.

"Hello, Commander Chu," Chen Hao greeted him softly.

Seeing Commander Chu smile faintly and remove his oxygen mask, Chen Hao knew he wanted to speak and quickly leaned closer to listen.

"Young man, I've had quite a time finding you!" Commander Chu's voice was quiet, but Chen Hao heard him clearly.

Those words only left Chen Hao more puzzled.

Beside him, Qiao Shan handed Chen Hao a phone playing a video. It was the very clip Brother Long had shown him that morning, of him breaking into a car on the street to save a woman.

"The person you saved is Commander Chu's granddaughter, Chu Mengling," Qiao Shan explained, taking back the phone.

Hearing this, Chen Hao immediately grasped the gist of it. Commander Chu must have summoned him to thank him properly.

But on second thought, something seemed off. If he only wanted to express his gratitude, surely this was making far too much of it.

What Qiao Shan said next finally made the whole situation clear.

"Although you saved Chu Mengling's life, unfortunately, her face suffered burns and other injuries of varying severity in the accident. We've brought in the country's best rehabilitation specialists to consult on her case, but unfortunately, even once her wounds heal, I'm afraid..." Qiao Shan did not finish.

As Qiao Shan spoke, tears welled in the silent Commander Chu's eyes. It was clear that even now, his granddaughter remained foremost in his thoughts, showing just how much Chu Mengling meant to him.

After a brief pause, Qiao Shan continued, "Girls care about their looks. Scars on her face would undoubtedly feel worse to her than death. Chu Mengling is very emotionally unstable right now and keeps threatening suicide. Commander Chu has been worried sick about her these past few days."

Qiao Shan looked worriedly at Commander Chu on the bed and continued, "Since you saved her life, Commander Chu specifically asked you here to see whether you could talk some sense into her. Right now, Chu Mengling is his greatest concern."

After learning the whole story, Chen Hao sighed softly, inwardly admiring the depth of this grandfather's love.

"Don't worry, Commander Chu. I'll go and try to talk to Chu Mengling. But I can't promise you that I'll succeed."

With Chen Hao's promise, Commander Chu's expression visibly relaxed. Although he said nothing, it was clear that he was deeply grateful.

Chen Hao came from the countryside and had grown up poor, raised by his grandfather from childhood. But his own grandfather had passed away long ago.

Looking at Commander Chu on the bed, Chen Hao could not help feeling a pang of compassion.

He suddenly leaned toward Commander Chu's ear and began whispering softly.

At first, Qiao Shan wanted to step forward and stop him, but when he saw that Chen Hao meant no harm, he held back.

What Qiao Shan had not expected was for Commander Chu's eyes to widen the moment he heard Chen Hao's words. Seemingly overcome with excitement, he broke into a violent coughing fit.

At the sight, Qiao Shan immediately grew angry. He stepped forward and pulled Chen Hao away. "What are you doing? I already told you Commander Chu is weak. Watch what you say!"

A hand gently closed around Qiao Shan's, cutting his reprimand short.

Qiao Shan bent down and leaned close to Commander Chu's mouth. "It's all right. I have something to discuss with Chen Hao alone. Go outside. Without my permission, no one is to come in, not even Dean Gong."

"But..." Qiao Shan was about to object, but the stern look in Commander Chu's eyes forced him to swallow the words.

As he turned, he told Chen Hao with utmost seriousness, "Chen Hao, I don't care what you said to Commander Chu. If you dare do anything out of line to him, I guarantee you won't leave this place today."

Chen Hao smiled faintly. Seeing Qiao Shan about to leave, he suddenly said, "Brother Qiao, sorry for the trouble, but could you find me an Acupuncture Kit?"

Qiao Shan stopped and looked at Chen Hao suspiciously. "What do you need that for?"

As soon as he asked, his gaze shifted to Commander Chu on the bed, and his expression changed dramatically. "You're not planning to perform acupuncture on Commander Chu, are you? Absolutely not! This is reckless! You brat, I'll—"

Crash!

The sharp sound of shattering glass suddenly interrupted Qiao Shan's angry tirade. In his fury, Commander Chu had grabbed the vase on the table and smashed it.

Qiao Shan had served Commander Chu for so long that the commander did not need to say a word. A single look or gesture was enough for him to understand his meaning.

Seeing Commander Chu actually smash something, he knew how angry the man was. He could only swallow his own anger, turn, and leave.

Only after Qiao Shan left did Chen Hao sit down beside Commander Chu with a smile.

"Chen, no one besides my attending physician and me knows about my condition. We only met for the first time today. How did you guess?" Commander Chu finally voiced the question troubling him.

Chen Hao chuckled softly. "Commander Chu, I didn't guess. I saw it. As for how, don't worry about that for now. If you trust me, I can give it a try. I can't guarantee that I can save your life, but there's at least a glimmer of hope."

By now, Commander Chu had accepted his fate and was taking each day as it came. Even Gong Honglin, the Dean Gong renowned throughout China's medical community, could do nothing for him, so Commander Chu had given up all hope.

He had chosen to bear all the pain of lung cancer alone, without even telling his own son.

Yet Chen Hao's few brief words earlier had rekindled hope in his heart.

"You have late-stage lung cancer and very little time left. But if you follow my instructions, I may be able to save your life."

Anyone else hearing those words would have called Chen Hao a lunatic and an irresponsible fraud. Yet for some reason, Commander Chu had chosen to believe him.

If nothing else, the fact that Chen Hao had identified his late-stage lung cancer with a single glance compelled Commander Chu to weigh the truth of his words.

Perhaps by now, he already considered himself a lost cause and was ready to take one last gamble.