"One hundred seconds!"

"One hundred ten seconds!"

"One hundred twenty seconds!"

"One hundred thirty seconds!"

As the countdown continued like a plea for life, Lin Jie remained calm, his ten fingers moving like phantoms over the red heart, skillfully stitching the incision closed with a braid-like pattern.

He tied the knots and cut the sutures smoothly, all the while hearing the final countdown, "One hundred forty-six seconds!"

Five seconds faster than Sun Xiaoqi's heart suturing surgery.

Lin Jie was quite satisfied with this progress.

At Lin Jie's level, he was nearing the limits. Progressing further from this pinnacle is extremely difficult. Cutting five seconds was already a huge improvement.

No instructions from Lin Jie were needed. The assistants, who were already prepared, immediately began injecting the neutralizing and heart-stopping medications and adrenaline into Li Hao as Lin Jie stopped.

Simultaneously, someone manually compressed Li Hao's heart, effectively manually pacing it, helping the medication work faster.

Two or three minutes later, through electrical pacing, Li Hao's heart resumed its spontaneous beating, just as everyone had hoped...

At this moment, the assistants who had witnessed the "impossible" wanted to clap and cheer but unexpectedly found that Lin Jie still calmly picked up the scalpel to start dealing with the iron rods lodged in the lungs!

Lin Jie's demeanor at this moment truly astonished them.

In the face of sudden accidents, and even life-threatening situations, many can remain calm.

However, in the face of success, especially great success, almost no one can stay unwavering.

But Lin Jie did it.

The assistants suddenly realized something.

While operating, although most of Lin Jie's face was covered by a surgical mask, his exposed eyes and surrounding skin gave them some insight into his facial expressions.

Lin Jie's expression during the surgery seemed unchanged, always so cold and solemn.

The assistants exchanged glances, unable to suppress their admiration.

Unmoved by external conditions or personal emotions, maintaining focus throughout the entire surgery. Perhaps this is one of the key reasons for Lin Jie's exceptional achievements.

Just then, Lin Jie's voice broke through: "The surgery isn't over yet. If we mishandle any iron rods in the patient, it could cost him his life.

Lin Jie seriously admonished: "No matter how small the injury, a surgeon must give their all to address it. Remember, accidents, bacteria, and infections aren't concerned with the size of a wound."

"What are you standing there dumbfounded for? Get to work!"

"Yes, Expert Lin!"

The assistants quickly composed themselves and resumed their work on the surgery...

Two hours later, Lin Jie stepped off the surgery platform and was startled to find even more people waiting outside.

There were twenty to thirty people, including several journalists with cameras and video cameras.

Lin Jie was quite displeased; this was a critical moment for disaster relief and saving lives. Having so many people idly waiting here was unacceptable.

As the highest-ranking official in the hospital, he felt it necessary to reprimand this disorderly conduct.

Just as Lin Jie was about to scold them, a dignified and formally dressed gentleman stepped forward and shook Lin Jie's hand first.

"Dr. Lin, how did our hero's surgery go?"

The man's face seemed so familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

While pondering where he had met this person, Lin Jie replied: "The surgery went well; all the iron rods embedded in the body have been successfully removed."

"His heart is fine, and his eyes have been saved, although his vision might be somewhat affected."

"However, the patient still has one hurdle to overcome!"

Lin Jie explained: "That is the risk of infection. If there are no severe signs of infection within three days, the patient can be considered truly out of life-threatening danger."

The middle-aged man said solemnly: "For the sake of helping disaster victims, he ignored his own safety, steadfastly enduring severe injuries and walking seventeen miles. Such courage and determination ensure that a hero will not be defeated by infection."

He forcefully shook Lin Jie's hand and said loudly: "Dr. Lin, I also know you!"

"Struggling with illness for twenty years, living a diligent and self-reliant life."

"After recovering, you have constantly repaid society with your extraordinary medical skills and are now actively participating in this disaster relief."

"Dr. Lin, you are also a hero…"

Upon hearing this middle-aged man's praises, Lin Jie suddenly realized this person's identity.

This is the leader who frequently appears on the news broadcast.

Given such a severe geological disaster here, with thousands of casualties, it is indeed the leader's duty to personally come here to direct disaster relief and offer comfort and encouragement to the victims.

A bit overwhelmed, Lin Jie conversed with the leader for a short while.

As the nominal person in charge here, Lin Jie accompanied the leader in visiting the injured victims recovering in the tents. Then, with a tight schedule, the leader left the field hospital...

"Hey, Expert Lin, Hero Lin!"

Upon hearing this voice, the somewhat exhilarated Lin Jie realized that Meng Yang had unknowingly appeared nearby.

Faced with this old acquaintance from the military, Lin Jie rudely questioned, "General Meng, what exactly is the deal with me being the interim dean? What kind of tricks are you playing?"

"What tricks could we possibly be playing?"

Meng Yang said earnestly, "It's simply that the superiors see your medical skills as exceptional, and you've made immeasurable contributions to the military, so they're targeting you as an asset."

Lin Jie remembered the previous phone conversation about conscription and warned, "General Meng, I'll make it clear once more—I am very satisfied with my current life and will not enlist to lead a constrained life."

"Expert Lin, it's already too late for you to say that now!"

Meng Yang took out a document from his body, handed it over solemnly, and said, "Comrade Lin Jie, your professional skills are outstanding and related to national defense security. You are hereby summoned as the Vice Dean of the PLA First Military Medical University, granted the military rank of Senior Colonel."

"Comrade Lin Jie, this is the summoning order signed by the military commission. You can take a look yourself."

Lin Jie was a bit stunned as he took the summoning order and scanned through it quickly.

Seeing the signature was that of the superior surnamed Qian, he became quite upset and said, "Isn't this coercion? Can you really force someone into enlistment?"

Meng Yang nodded and said, "Indeed, it is possible. The military can, under special circumstances, issue a conscription order to certain individuals, compelling them to enlist."

At this point, Meng Yang smiled and said, "Senior Colonel Lin, you really don't have to worry about disciplinary constraints."

"The superior considered your actual circumstances and clearly stated that you'll enjoy the military treatment of a Senior Colonel, but you don't need to fulfill the duties of the Vice Dean of the First Military Medical University."

"Of course, if you wish to undertake the duties, that would be even better."

"The superior also said that even if the military needs your help in the future, it won't be in the form of orders, but through requests, and you'll have the autonomy to refuse."

"To ease your concerns, the superior also issued a guarantee document for you, stating this matter."

Lin Jie took another document from Meng Yang and quickly read through it.

This document was concise and aligned with what Meng Yang had said.

After carefully reading it, Lin Jie didn't find any textual traps and confirmed by asking, "General Meng, does this mean I only have an additional identity as a Senior Colonel in the military, but my future life remains unchanged, just as before?"

Meng Yang nodded and said, "That's indeed how you could understand it."

Lin Jie was quite puzzled and asked, "Why bother with all this trouble, then? Why issue this summoning order?"

Meng Yang exhaled and lowered his voice, "I guess the superior finds it hard to reward your past contributions, so they decided to make you one of their own to facilitate things."

Lin Jie was dumbfounded again and hurriedly said, "General Meng, last time, I really didn't contribute much. If you feel you must reward me, a few million in cash would satisfy me."

"General Meng, please convey my thoughts to the superior and take back this summoning order!"

"That's impossible!"

Meng Yang solemnly said, "This summoning order came from the military commission, and it's highly serious, with multiple records archived. It's not something that can be withdrawn just like that."

"Comrade Lin Jie, your appointment as Senior Colonel is definite. When you return to Binhai, we will select an appropriate time to officially hold your commissioning ceremony."

Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Lin Jie felt a bit resigned and prepared to discuss this further with An Weize and others after he returned.

Having somewhat accepted the arrangement, Lin Jie hesitated and asked, "General Meng, since you've already forced me into enlistment with a summoning order, why not be more generous and appoint me as a general?"

"Isn't the gap between Senior Colonel and General just one level?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Yang's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. He said sternly, "Senior Colonel Lin, you were directly awarded the rank of Senior Colonel upon your first commission. Do you know that the Senior Colonel rank is the highest rank that 99% of our military officers achieve in their careers?"

"It took me twenty-one years of service to painstakingly reach the rank of Senior Colonel."

"The leap from Senior Colonel to Major General is tremendous. Among twenty or so Senior Colonels, less than one becomes a General."

"Yet you..."

Meng Yang said somewhat discontentedly, "You only need to wait a few more years and produce a few medical research achievements to become a Major General with ease."

Lin Jie uttered an "oh," realizing he was being somewhat greedy.

At that moment, several people ran over, shouting, "Teacher! Teacher!"

Lin Jie turned his head and saw that the ones approaching were Tian Xiangyu, Xiao Ganghao, Song Licheng, Wei Hongyang, Zeng Yang, Huo Guangheng, and Guo Peng.

As they came over, they surrounded Lin Jie and, seeing that he was indeed in good health, each of them relaxed and smiled.

Song Licheng explained, "Teacher, we came along with the medical rescue team from the Medical College and Affiliated Hospital. The military knew we were your students and sent just us over here."

He also pulled out several new mobile phones from his backpack and said, "Chairman An also asked us to bring new phones for you, President An, Lin Miao, and others, and the SIM cards have already been replaced."

Tian Xiangyu also spoke up, "Teacher, we have also organized the academic research projects in the academy, so you don't need to worry about that! Fang Huanru, Lu Xiaoyu, and others will take good care of the experimental monkeys and collect the relevant data..."

Watching Lin Jie happily interact with his students, Meng Yang, having completed his task, quietly left.

He was aware of the true intent behind the superior's conscription order.

Doctors like Lin Jie, with world-class medical skills, were exceedingly rare within the country.

The patients Lin Jie would treat would inevitably involve the level of national leadership, which would entail issues of confidentiality, political review, safety, and other pertinent matters.

Having a military identity was considered a preparatory measure for this step.

Meng Yang guessed that perhaps there was already a small team conducting a detailed background investigation on Lin Jie and providing him with routine surveillance to ensure his reliability.

Moreover, with the layer of military identity, it would become extremely difficult for foreign medical institutions to poach Lin Jie.

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